Apple, cinnamon & date muffins

Makes 10-12

Ingredients

1 cup of oat bran

1 cup spelt flour (or gf flour)

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

2 apples, peeled, cored and small dice

2 eggs

6 dates, pitted

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ cup of oil (neutral oil) or melted butter

1 cup of milk

Topping (optional)

¼ cup of rolled oats

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp oil or melted butter

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Mix together.

Preheat oven to 160c fan forced or 180c normal oven

Line or grease well a 12 holed muffin tin. I use silicon so they don’t stick.

Blitz up dates, oil, vanilla and eggs until smooth, then add the milk and mix in.

In a large bowl add the oat bran, flour, baking powder and cinnamon, mix in wet ingredients and apple. Combine well and then spoon mix into 10-12 muffin holes. Then sprinkle topping over each muffin. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Corn fritters

Makes 8-10

Ingredients

The kernels from 3 cobs of cooked corn, this should be about 2 cups. You can use frozen corn that has been defrosted or canned corn. Whatever suits you.

¾ -1 cup of rice flour

2 eggs
1 tsp baking powder

Salt and pepper

1/3 cup of milk

Method

Mix the corn, salt and pepper, eggs, baking powder and ½ a cup of the rice flour, mix well. Add more flour as needed the mixture needs to be really thick.

In a large pan heat a little oil. Spoon your mix in, about 4-5cm in diameter. Cook on a medium heat until golden brown underneath, then turn over and cook the other side. They don’t take long!

You can make these the night before and just heat in the morning. They are good in a child’s lunch box.

This is your basic mix- this to add to the mix include grated zucchini, diced red capsicum (which is what I used in there) diced mushrooms or other cooked vegetables like sweet potato, broccoli, grated haloumi, herbs like chives, parsley, basil. You can add jalapenos, diced olives, sundried tomato, cooked diced bacon…so many thing you can do here!

To serve you can do bacon, avocado and tomato. Just cook your bacon and tomato together in the pan. You can top with smoked salmon, sweet chilli sauce and sour cream. Top with poached, fried or scrambled egg and wilted spinach.

With your mix just remember that whatever you add it may have a higher water content which will make the mix more watery- when you are ready to cook you need the consistency to be really thick, if it’s not just add more rice flour. Easy as.

corn and capsicum fritters with smoked salmon, sweet chilli sauce and sour cream

With bacon, avocado and tomato

Cauliflower and potato pakoras

Pakoras are spiced vegetable fritters. The great thing about pakoras is that you can use any vegetable you like. I had these with a simple raita. Natural yoghurt blended with a little garlic, mint and salt.

Makes about 30

Ingredients

2 cups chickpea flour (also known as gram or besan flour)

5 tablespoons rice flour (can be omitted but makes extra crispy)

2 tablespoons coriander powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3-5 chopped green chilies according to spiciness desired (can be omitted)

½ teaspoon chili powder (optional)

1/3 of a cup finely chopped coriander

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 – 2 cups water (until medium batter forms)

Oil or ghee to fry

½ a large cauliflower, cut into small florets, or grate as I did using a food processor

1 medium potatoes, grated

Method

Mix together the cauliflower, potato, chickpea flour, rice flour, salt, cumin, coriander, and chili powder if you are using it. Add the coriander and chilies and mix.

Add water, mixing until a smooth batter forms (similar to pancake batter).

Place the ghee or oil into a frying pan and heat on medium/high heat, you know the oil is hot enough when a drop of batter dropped in will rise to the top straight away but not immediately change colour.

When oil is hot enough dip vegetables into batter one at a time and drop carefully into the hot oil. It is best to fry smaller batches of pakoras. Turn the pakoras from time to time to ensure even browning.

The pakoras are done when they are golden brown which should take approximately 5 minutes. If your pakoras are greasy then you may be frying them on too low heat. If your pakoras are turning brown before the vegetables inside cook then lower your heat.

Cannellini and black bean falafels

Ingredients

2 cans of legumes, rinsed and drained-I have used black beans and cannellini beans but you can use butter beans and chickpeas too

1 small handful of parsley and coriander- you could use mint as well if you wanted

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin- you can double these 2 spices if you like

1 small brown onion

1 clove of garlic

1 tsp baking powder

1 egg

Panko crumbs

Salt

Method

Put your legumes, herbs, spices, baking powder, onion, garlic, salt, egg in a food processor and blitz till smooth. Then add in enough panko crumbs until it comes together and you can form into patties, this will be about 1.5 cups or so. Then form into patties and coat the outside with more panko crumbs. Fill the bottom of a large pan with oil and heat. Place in your patties and cook on a medium heat until golden brown then cook the other side. Drain on absorbent paper. Serve with hummus, pita bread, tzatziki and salad. You can use a vegetarian burger pattie too.

As an alternative you can use gluten free crumbs in the mix, form patties and bake at 180 c for about 12-15 minutes.

Chocolate, oat and seed clusters

Ingredients

2 cups of oats

½ cup shredded coconut

½ cup of chopped pumpkin seeds

½ cup of flaxseeds

½ cup of sesame seeds

¼ cup of chia seeds

1/3 cup of honey or maple

½ cup of coconut oil or you can use light olive oil or a mix of the 2

2-3 tbsp cacao powder

Method

Mix altogether and spread out on a lined tray about 1 cm thick, pack down. Bake at 140c for about 1 hour. It will still be crumbly when you take it out but when it cools it firms up. If you find it’s not all crisp after cooling you can put in back in the oven, I found some of the middle wasn’t done when it cooled as it was thicker so I took the outside bits that were crispy and put in a container and then put the rest back in for 10 minutes. Serve in big pieces as a snack or break up a little more and have for breakfast with milk, yoghurt and berries/banana. Store in an airtight container

Apricot anzac squares

Makes 16 squares

Would be great warmed up for breakfast with some yoghurt and berries, or in a lunch box.

Variations swap the apricots for dried berries/sultanas, sprinkle with chocolate chips

Ingredients

1 ½ cups of desiccated coconut

1 ½ cups of rolled oats

1 tsp baking powder

2 eggs

1 cup approx(140g) of dried turkish apricots, finely diced

100g butter or coconut oil

¼ cup of honey

Method

Preheat oven to 180c

Line a 20 x 20cm cake tin with baking paper

Melt butter and honey together. Add butter mix to all the other ingredients and mix until well combined. Press firmly into your tin and bake for 12-15 minutes, should be golden brown on top. When cool cut into squares, Store in an airtight container.

Pumpkin crunch

Dairy, nut, gluten, grain egg free

Ingredients

120g pumpkin seeds
80g sunflower seeds
30g shredded coconut
20g sesame seeds
10g chia seeds
Pinch of salt
40g honey, you can also use rice malt or maple

Method


Briefly blitz, you still want it chunky


Place in a lined 20cm x 20cm cake tin. Push down to compact it a bit. Bake at 150 c for 40-60 mins or until slightly browned and firm. Chop into smaller pieces once cool. Keep in an airtight container.

 

Banana and pear bread

Ingredients

½ cup of coconut flour

2 tbsp sunflower seeds/2 tbsp sesame seeds ( if you are not nut fee you can just use 4 tbsp LSA)process to a flour using a spice grinder or thermie

1 ½ tsp each of ground ginger and cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

¼ cup of chia seeds

2 tbsp honey

¼ cup of coconut oil/melted butter

4 eggs

½ cup milk

1 ripe, mashed banana

1 ripe pear, peeled, cored and sliced

                                                      

                                                      Method

                                                      Preheat oven to 180c

In a medium bowl put your chia, eggs, honey, oil, milk and banana, whisk well and set aside. For 5 minutes for the chia to absorb some liquid.

Add your coconut flour, sesame/sun flour, spices and baking powder, beat well with a wooden spoon. In a loaf tin grease or line and then put your sliced pear along the bottom and drizzle over 1 tbsp honey ( opt) then add your bread mix, make sure the top is even. Bake for about 35-40 minutes, a skewer should come out clean. Keep in an airtight container. You can slice, wrap and freeze. You can serve warm as a dessert with some ice cream or just with some butter.

Gluten free/grain/dairy/nut free muesli bars

Perfect for your child's lunchbox or for your snack, the chocolate drizzle gives it a yummy optional extra

 

For nut free use a seed mix only, pumpkin, sunflower, sesame, chia, flaxseeds, hemp and use avocado or light olive oil.

For dairy free do not use butter and use dairy free chocolate

Ingredients

½ cup of dates, tightly packed (100g)

¼ cup of other dried fruit, raisins, apricots, craisens, figs etc

1 ¼ cup of all sorted nuts and seeds, I have used coconut, chia seeds, sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts-use all seeds if nut free

2 tbsp macadamia oil, you can use coconut oil or butter depending on the intolerance

1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

Line a 20 x 20cm baking tin with baking paper, leaving some overhanging so you can lift it out.

In a food processor blitz everything, except the egg until it is mostly all fine. Add your egg a do a couple of pulses until combined.

Press into your tin and bake for 8-10 minutes, should be a little firm.

Leave for 5 minutes and lift out of the tin and cut in half, then cut each half into 5 so you have 10 fingers.

As an option (when the bars have cooled) you can drizzle chocolate over. This is 40g chocolate, melted then put in a little glad snap lock plastic bag (you can use a piping bag as well) snip a tiny piece off the corner then drizzle over the chocolate.

Celery with nut butter snack

Celery stuffed with nut butter and chia seeds

Stuffed Medjool dates

Medjool dates
Split a little down the middle and take out the pip.
Fill with cashew nuts, dip in some honey and then dip in chia seeds
Fill with your favorite nut butter and dip in sesame seeds.

Avocado with mashed hardboiled eggs

Avocado with mashed hard boiled eggs

Celery with egg snack

Celery with mashed hard boiled egg with smoked paprika sprinkled over.

Avocado and egg snack

Avocado halves with hardboiled egg and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar
Perfect for nibbles or an entree

Tomato and feta snack

Simple snack of petite tomatoes cut in half and the seeds scooped out, save the seeds and drink them later. The seeds help make your blood less sticky :)
Place a cube of feta, a slice of olive and a basil leaf