Bounty cheesecake balls

Ingredients

250g block of full fat cream cheese- do not use light as it is softer and might not work as well

1 cup of shredded or desiccated coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup of cacao powder

6 medjool dates, pitted.

Method

Put everything in a food processor and blend until smooth. If you do not have a food processor just soften the cream cheese and finely chop everything and mix by hand- then put in the fridge to firm up before you roll them. Then roll into balls, you will get about 20. You can leave like they are, or you can dip in chocolate. I melted 100g dark chocolate, mix until there are no lumps and is nice and smooth. Quickly dip your balls in and put on a lined tray. Whack in the fridge.

You could also melt the chocolate and put in a small zip lock bag, snip a little bit of the corner and drizzle chocolate over each one.

Prawn Singapore noodles

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g raw prawns- you can also use chopped chicken thighs but will take longer to cook

1 broccoli and ½ cauliflower cut into small florets

2 bunches of asparagus, woody ends cut off and cut in half

2 zucchinis, sliced

4 cloves of garlic

2-3 tsp curry powder

¼ cup of tamari (60 ml or 3 tbsp)

200g pack of brown vermicelli, noodles, prepare according to the directions. You can use any noodle you like here. If you want grain free you can use bean thread noodles or slim noodles (made from konjac otherwise known as shirataki noodles) you can use cabbage noodles (shredded cabbage) or vegetable noodles made with a spirooli or your vege peeler.

Method

Stir-fry your veg in a large pan or wok in plenty of oil, I have used a mix of butter and olive oil. When cooked add curry powder and the tamari. Toss through and set aside. In another pan (or take your veg out chuck in a bowl and use the same pan) heat some more oil and stir-fry your prawns and garlic, this only takes about 1-2 minutes. Serve you veg and prawns on top of your noodles or you can mix everything together in your pan/wok.

Jaffa bars/balls

Ingredients

2 cups of nuts/seeds

6 medjool dates, pitted

3 tbsp cacao powder

Zest of 2 oranges

40ml orange juice

Method

Blitz up until it comes together as a ball. You can then either press into a lined 20x 20 cm tin and cut into bars or roll into balls.

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!!

Crumbed lamb chops

Enough for 6 lamb chops, you could also use chicken thighs.

Ingredients

½ cup of cashew nuts**

½ cup of sesame seeds

½ cup of almonds

2 cloves of garlic

A small handful of basil

**You can use any mix of nuts/seeds that equal 1 ½ cups

Method

Blitz up to form crumbs.

Dust in cornflour, then dip in a beaten egg. Then coat in your crumbs and put in the fridge until you need them. Cook on a low heat with a mix of butter and olive oil or whatever fat you use. Using butter with olive oil mean you get the flavour of butter without burning it. They should take about 5-6 minutes each side. Have served with baked potatoes in the skins, these are scrubbed and rolled in oil and salt. Bake at 180c for about 45-60 minutes depending on size. You should be able to stab it easy. Since the oven was on I have roasted broccoli, cauliflower and pumpkin. Serve the potato with butter, sour cream and chives.

Thai red fish curry

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.

On a low heat, large pan fry off your paste until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.

Add 1x 270ml can coconut cream. Add ¾ pack of Thai basil leaves (you can get these at the supermarket)

Reduce for a few minutes until nice and thick. Place 500-700g white fish. Simmer until the fish flakes easily- this is about 5-8 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish. You can also use salmon or prawns. Now to balance the flavours by adding some fish sauce, some palm or coconut sugar and a squeeze of lime or lemon juice.

If you want to use chicken thighs or beef you can do that too, you will need to adjust the time as chicken will take longer, add more water or coconut cream if you need it beef strips would be quick though. This would make a great slow cooker dish, just cook off the paste, add the coconut cream and water and put the meat and curry in the slow cooker for the day.

I have served with a turmeric and lemon rice plus stirfry veg of carrot, capsicum, green beans and asian veg. 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 1 minute take out and set aside, your basil will be crispy.

Meatloaf cupcakes with pea sprinkles

Makes 8 cupcakes

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g mince

2 zucchinis, grated, squeeze out excess liquid

Salt and pepper

8 cubes of cheese- you can leave the cheese out of you prefer

Method

Preheat oven to 200c

Mix the mince, salt and pepper and zucchini together. Place in 8 x ½ cup muffin tin. Push your cube of cheese in each muffin and press the mince over the cheese to cover. I have used silicon muffin tray so they come out really easy.

Peel and 2 cm dice 1 kg potato (you only need 500g or so but I double to use for another meal)- this can be a mix of pumpkin sweet potato, celeriac, broccoli, cauliflower carrot etc, fill the pot with warm water and cook for about 15 minutes until tender. Remember if you are wanting dinner quick the smaller the dice the quicker it cooks!

Put the meat muffins in the oven at the same time you put the potatoes on and bake the muffins for 15 minutes, the potatoes should take the same amount of time.  After 7 minutes I put 2 cups of peas in the steamer above the potatoes, you can also boil in a separate pot. You may have liquid in the bottom when you take out the muffins that’s just water and fat from the zucchini/mince.

When the spuds are cooked mash with butter, milk and plenty of salt. Put the meat muffins on your plate get an ice cream scoop and put a scoop of mash on each one and put over your pea sprinkles