Homemade chocolate

Ingredients

150g cacao butter, chopped small

**50g cacao paste- if you do not have cacao paste you can sub the same amount of cacao butter and 2-4 tbsp cacao powder depending on how dark you like your chocolate

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-3 tbsp honey or maple, don’t use coconut sugar it won’t dissolve very well. Taste after adding some of the sweetener and add more to taste.

About 1/8 tsp salt, maybe a little more, just taste it. Adding salt really brings out the flavour of your chocolate, trust me!

Method

Get a tray lined with baking paper ready. Sprinkle over whatever you want to use in your chocolate. I have used chopped almonds, shredded coconut and dried cranberries, you can use any nuts and seeds or dried fruit.

In a glass bowl over a pot of simmering water (don’t let the water touch the bottom of the bowl) put in your cacao butter and paste (if using) Let it simmer for 1-3 minutes stirring, until most of the chocolate is melted, Take off the heat and keep stirring until it is all melted. Then put in your vanilla, sweetener and salt (and cacao power if using). Stir until combined and then pour over your almonds/coconut/cranberries. Put in the fridge to set and then you can break apart. Do not let the chocolate get too hot, or it might separate.

**Raw Cacao Paste (also called Cacao Liquor) is made by crushing raw cacao beans into a liquid. This liquid quickly solidifies at room temperature and the result is Cacao Paste. Because no heat is used in this process, Cacao Paste retains its natural properties. If you are looking for true dark chocolate, this is it. Not 80% or 90%, but 100% pure organic cacao. No additives, sweeteners or anything else.

Slow cooked Thai beef red curry

I am loving my curries lately, have been making them every week! and whats not to like? all the amazing herbs and spices, the flavor...so yummy!
I made extra rice to make fried rice for another meal and also made some vanilla and honey rice pudding


serve 4-6
Ingredients


1.5 tsp coriander seeds/ 1 tsp cumin seeds, dry fry in a pan to toast
1.5 tbsp ginger or galangal
1 tbsp fresh turmeric
4-5 cloves of garlic
¼ tsp white pepper
5 lime leaves or the zest of one lime, you can get lime leaves in the herb section at the supermarket
1 stem lemongrass, white part only, you can get this in the herb section at the supermarket
1-2 tsp shrimp paste, dry toasted a little in a pan until fragrant
1 red capsicum, if you do chilli you can use some red chilli in there too. You can also use green or yellow capsicum.

Method
Blend up everything to make a smooth paste. Add a little oil if you need to.
To a slow cooker add 600-800g chunky dice beef suitable for slow cooking, such as gravy beef or chuck. Add 1 x 270ml can coconut cream and 1 cup of water or broth. Add ½ pack of Thai basil leaves (you can get these in the herb section at the supermarket) Put on low for the day. When ready to serve balance the flavours by adding some fish sauce, some palm or coconut sugar and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.
For the garnish in a small pot put some oil in the bottom, when hot throw in the rest of your Thai basil leaves and some sliced chilli. They will sizzle. After a few seconds take out and set aside, your basil will be crispy. Then put in some finely sliced strips of chilli and ginger and fry them off also.

Raspberry & Coconut Bliss Balls

Makes 18 approx

Ingredients

2 cups of shredded or desiccated coconut

½ cup of pumpkin seeds, you can use other seeds or nuts if you want

½ cup of raspberries, I have used frozen-you can use other berries

5 medjool dates, pitted

Method

Blend up in a food processor or similar, it should come together, add a few drops of water if needed. Roll into balls. 

Nutella Bliss Balls

Ingredients

1 cup of hazelnuts

½ cup of macadamia nuts

½ cup of pumpkin seeds

6 medjool dates, pitted

2 tbsp cacao powder

2 tbsp water approx.

Method

Chuck in everything, except the water in a food processor or similar but more expensive appliance and blitz until fine. Add 1 tbsp of water at a time until it comes together and forms a big ol ball of brown stuff. Then roll into balls, big balls, small balls, it doesn’t really matter, you could press into a tin and put in the fridge to firm up and cut into squares but that sounds like too much work to me. Hey you could just make one giant ball and keep it in the fridge and take a bite every time you open the fridge door. You did not hear that from me though ;)

Shortbread biscuits with a chocolate sour cream filling

You can use coconut cream, cream in place of the sour cream or leave them plain

Ingredients

125 g butter

 1/4 cup maple syrup

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 ½ cups gluten free plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

For Choc Chip Cookies:

100 g  dark chocolate chips or chocolate chopped roughly

Method

Preheat the oven to 170 c and line a large baking tray with baking paper or a silicon baking mat.

With an electric mixer, beat the butter/maple syrup, and vanilla extract until well combined and creamy looking.

Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture, and use a wooden spoon to combine well.

If making Choc Chip Cookies, mix in the chopped chocolate now.

Use hands to form into a dough.

Shape tablespoon sized balls of the dough on the lined trays. Use a fork to flatten the balls to about 1cm thick.

Bake for about 15 minutes until lightly golden.

Cool completely before storing in an air tight container. As a filling melt 80g dark chocolate and then add 2 tbsp sour cream, add a little sour cream at a time. Put a heaped tsp on each biscuit and sandwich together like a melting moment.

Indian fish with baked vegies and creamed spinach

Enough for 4-6 serves

Ingredients

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp garam masala

3 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp fresh ginger

2-3 garlic cloves, peeled

Juice from 1 lemon

½-1 tsp salt

Optional red chilli

Method

Blend up.

Take 1/3 of the tandoori mix and toss through 2 small broccolis and ½ a cauliflower-cut into florets. Drizzle over some oil and ½ cup of water. Bake at 180 c for 30 minutes.

Pour over the rest of your tandoori mix over 4 fillets of fish I have used snapper. Coat well. In a large pan put in some butter and some olive oil or coconut oil. Panfry 2-3 minutes each side, the thicker the fillet the longer it will take to cook. Be careful not to overcook! Take out your fish when cooked and put on a plate. In the same pan (don’t wash the pan) put in a bunch of washed spinach and ½ cup of cream. Simmer until the spinach has wilted and the cream has reduced. Season with salt if needed. Serve your fish on top of your creamed spinach and serve with the baked vegies. You could also serve with rice and raita if you wanted.

Mocha bars/balls

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of cashew nuts, I have used 1 cup cashew and ½ cup of macadamias, you could use all seeds for nut free, flax, chia, pumpkin, sunflower seeds etc

6 medjool dates, pitted

1 ½ tbsp cacao powder

1 tbsp coffee beans

Method

Throw everything in a food processor or similar until fine, then add 1 tsp water or more until it comes together to a ball. Then press into a lined 20 x 20 cm cake tin. Put in the fridge to set and cut into bars. You could roll into balls also. Too easy!!