Chocolate chip muffins

Ingredients

1 cup almond pulp- this is what is leftover when you make almond milk

2 eggs

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp honey

100g melted butter

½ cup of chocolate chips- you could also use blueberries

Method

Preheat your oven to 180 c

 Grease your mini muffin tin really well or use paper/silicone liners.

Mix everything in a bowl and put into your mini muffin tin and bake for 15 minutes or until firm in the middle. If you use the bigger holes you will need to adjust the time, about 18-20 minutes. Makes 16 mini muffins. Store in an airtight container.

Orange blossom, cinnamon and honey poached pears with an almond and coconut custard.

Use 1 egg per 100 ml liquid- if you want to make 500ml use 5 eggs.

Almond and coconut custard

Ingredients
3 eggs
200ml almond milk
100ml coconut cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp of honey or maple etc or to taste

Method
In a medium pot heat your almond milk, coconut cream and vanilla. In a small bowl whisk your eggs, when the milk mix is hot (do not let it boil) pour slowly into your egg mix and whisk as you go, then pour back into your pot. Add your desired sweetener. Over a low heat keep stirring until it coats the back of a spoon, this does not take long. DO NOT LET IT GET TOO HOT! it will curdle. Then pour into your bowl through a strainer. Cool it a quick as you can to prevent it from continuing to cook. If you are not dairy free it's nice to put some cubes of butter in and whisk it in while its still hot.

Poached pears in orange blossom, cinnamon and honey
Ingredients
6 pears, peeled and quartered
1 tbsp orange blossom water- you can get this at the supermarket or deli's. You can leave it out if you dont have it.
¼ cup of honey
1 cinnamon stick, snap in half. Use both halves


Method

Place everything in a pot and put in just enough water to cover the pears. Simmer for about 15 minutes, the pears should be tender, test to see if a knife goes in easily. Take out and pour it all in a container. Keep in the fridge. With the leftover liquid you can use to poach more pears, just drink it, freeze in ice cubes and use for juices and smoothies etc… dont throw it away!

Anzac biscuits

Makes 25

Ingredients

125g butter

2 tbsp maple//honey

½ tsp baking soda

2 tbsp boiling water

1 ¼ cup spelt flour

1 cup oats

1 cup desiccated coconut

½ cup of coconut sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 160 c fan-forced or 175 c normal

In a large bowl put your flour, oats, coconut and coconut sugar

Melt butter and syrup together. In a small bowl add your baking soda and boiling water. Mix and then add to your melted butter mix. Add to your dry ingredients and mix well. Form into balls and place on your lined baking tray, flatten with your fingers. Keep at least 2 cm between them as they do spread! Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Keep in an airtight container.

For an optional extra you can make this chocolate filling.

The chocolate filling is 100g dark chocolate, melted, then add 1/4 cup of cream or coconut cream 1 tbsp at a time, mix between each tbsp until combined. Then put a tsp of chocolate on each biscuit and sandwich together.

Legume ragout with saffron and rosemary

Have this by itself or as I have done with poached eggs and feta cheese

The term comes from the French ragoûter, meaning: "to revive the taste".

The basic method of preparation involves slow cooking over a low heat.

Serve 4-6

Ingredients

2 carrots, diced

2-3 stalks celery, diced

1 red or green capsicum, diced

1 large brown onion, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 stems rosemary

A pinch of saffron

2 x 400g can of rinsed and drained legumes, chickpeas, butter beans, cannellini bean, kidney beans etc…

2 cups of vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup tomato passata

Method

Put everything in a slow cooker and put on low for the day.

You can serve with extra veg and poached eggs, feta cheese, chopped chilli

Crumbed pork belly with apple relish and jerusalam artichoke

Flour for first dip ( either rice/potato/corn/tapioca)

fried jerusalam artichoke

This is using pork rashers which is sliced boneless pork belly

 Use about ½ cup flour, 1 egg beaten and 1 cup of almond flour  for each kg meat

Dip in flour, dust off excess then dip in egg and then into almond flour. Fry off in lard or coconut oil on a medium heat for 5-6 minutes each side

Apple relish

2 peeled and diced apples

1/2 spanish onion (red onion)fine dice

at.

Cook for 2 minutes in butter in a small pot, then add 1/2 tsp allspice, 1 tsp honey 1 tbsp ACV and 2 tbsp water, simmer with lid on for 4-5 minutes, take off lid and make sure liquid is evaporated, then use a potato masher and mash roughly, serve cold or warm

Jerusalam you use similar to potato, it has a nutty kind of taste, its pretty delish! It is also a good source of natural prebiotics. They are a pretty good source of iron too with 3.4mg iron per 100g. You can peel and slice and then fry off in your choice of fat

Chicken, red lentil and quinoa pilaf

Serves 6

This can be made vegetarian by omitting the chicken and adding more lentils/quinoa, just make sure you have twice as much liquid to lentils/quinoa, ie 1 cup to 2 cups of broth.

Ingredients

500g  chicken thighs, 1.5cm dice

½ cup of quinoa

½ cup of red lentils (uncooked)

1 brown onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, crushed

500ml chicken broth or other broth to suit

2 carrots, small dice, about 1cm

2 tsp dried thyme

2 tsp smoked paprika- with the herbs and spices you can use whatever you have on hand, rosemary, oregano, cumin etc…

Method

In a large pan put a knob of butter and fry off your onion, garlic and chicken, until the chicken is just browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add your spices and toss through. Ten add your broth and lentils/quinoa, season with salt and pepper, heat your broth in the pan then transfer to an oven proof baking dish. Cover tightly with foil or a lid (I use another tray). Bake at 200c for 35-40 minutes, check it half way. Cook until the lentils/quinoa is tender. When done take out, uncover and dot more butter over and mix through. I served this with green Russian kale and broccoli.

Spelt Easter buns with honey glaze

Makes 10 buns

Ingredients

1 cup hot water

7g (2 tsp) instant yeast- check your yeast is good, I keep mine in the fridge

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp light flavoured oil-olive/macadamia/avocado

3 cups Wholemeal Spelt Flour ( 3  1/2 cups if using White Spelt Flour) I use all white when I make mine

1 cup of sultanas, you can use a combination of mixed peel and currants also

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ teaspoon salt

Extra flour for kneading

Method

Place all ingredients in a large bowl and mix, and then put on a floured surface and knead together until no longer sticky and easy to handle. You only need to knead spelt for 3-4 minutes. Add extra flour as needed. Put in a bowl and lightly grease the top and cover lightly so the dough doesn’t form a crust. Put in a warm place. I put mine in the oven with a roasting tray full of boiling water (oven is off) Leave for 30 minutes.

Next shape the dough into a ball and slice in half so you have 2 even pieces. Then slice each into 5 (if you want to make 10 buns) you could make 12 buns if you wanted instead, just adjust the baking time. I like to weigh the dough, then divide by 10 and then weight out each piece to get even buns. (Each of these were about 90g each)

Shape into balls and place into a lined (baking paper) tray or dish. 

In a small bowl add ¼ cup of spelt flour and enough water to make a thick paste. Put into a piping bag and pipe crosses on your buns. I put the paste in a small snap lock bag and then make a tiny snip at the corner of the bag.

snap lock bag with a tiny snip in the corner

after the 2nd rise

Put back in your oven (keep buns lightly greased and put your cling film back on) to rise another 30 minutes. Take out your buns and then preheat oven to 200c or 190 c fan forced. Bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned. When the buns are done- while hot- glaze with 1 tbsp honey and 1 tbsp water. Warm the honey and water together to make a syrup. Brush over the buns. Serve up slathered in butter!