Spiced chickpea croutons

1 can chickpeas, rinsed & patted dry

1 (20ml) Tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp salt

Other spices: cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper

Oven to 200C. Melt oil in small baking tray, toss chickpeas & selected spices. Bake 35 minutes & use in soup immediately or allow to cool completely before storing (so they don't steam & go soggy.)

Served in curry coconut pumpkin soup.

Honey baked quinces with spiced macadamia stuffing

4 serves:

2 quinces, scrubbed & halved, cored

2 (20ml) Tbsp honey

2 (20ml) Tbsp water

100g dates
75g macadamias
75g almonds
2 tsp orange blossom water
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp honey

Oven at 150C. Fit quince halves snugly into oven fish (used Pyrex) add water to dish & top quinces with honey. Cover with foil, tie off & bake 2.5 hours.

Oven at 180C. Blitz remaining ingredients & spoon onto quinces. Bake till brown, approx 15 minutes. Serve with cream.

Massaman beef

1 sweet potato, cut in chunks

750g chuck steak, diced

1 brown onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/4 cup massaman curry paste

1 cinnamon quill

6 cardamom pods, bruised

2 kafir lime leaves, sliced

270ml coconut milk

1 (15ml) Tbsp coconut sugar

30ml fish sauce

Peanuts

1 (20ml) Tbsp lime juice

Coriander leaves

Layer sweet potato on the bottom of slow cooker. Brown steak, then onion, garlic & curry paste. Add to slow cooker with coconut milk, spices & leaves. Cook on low 8 hours. Stir in fish sauce, lime juice, peanuts. Garnish with coriander.

OR use as pie filling, reserving coriander & lime to stir into yoghurt for a sauce (or try a pesto perhaps?)

Mango coconut bread

Next time try:

1 cup almond meal

1/2 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 cup toasted coconut

1/2 cup oats

1 tsp asking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla powder

1 ripe banana

2 cups mango

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

60g coconut oil

1/2 tsp coconut essence

1 Tbsp psyllium

Handful macadamias

160C, 1 hour.

Spinach pies

Per person:

1/2 box frozen spinach, thawed

1 egg

1/4 block feta

1 sheet puff pastry

Oven to 200C.

Mix filling, wrap in pastry & bake 15 mins or until golden brown.

Pumpkin mug cake

For 2:
2 Tbsp (15ml) coconut oil

1/2 heaped cup pumpkin

3 Tbsp almond meal

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp mixed spice

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

Put in two ramekins. Microwave for 2 or 3 mins.

Pumpkin bread

¼ cup milk
6 Tbsp. olive oil
6 Tbsp. rice malt syrup
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups pumpkin puree (1/2 large butternut)
2 cups wholegrain spelt flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. fine grain sea salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. mixed spice
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped, toasted if possible

Directions:
1. For pumpkin puree, preheat oven 200°C. Slice the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds and place on a baking sheet, cut sides down and roast until soft, about 40 minutes.
2. Oven at 175°C.
3. Line a standard loaf pan with baking paper.
4. Put the milk, oil, maple syrup, vanilla, and pumpkin in food processor and blend until smooth.
5. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients. Add pumpkin mixture and combine using as few stroked as possible. Fold in nuts.
6. Pour batter into a loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 70 minutes. Remove from loaf pan and let cool on a wire rack.
7. To serve, toast or grill & spread with honey & butter.

Black bean chocolate cookies

1 cup cooked black beans
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp nut butter
2 tbsp milk
1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
4 tbsp cacao powder
2 tbsp plain flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
50g chopped dark choc or dried cherries
1/2 tsp sea salt

Preheat oven to 180°C. Add the beans to a food processor together with oil, nut butter and milk. Blend until smooth. Sift together sugar, cacao powder, flour, cinnamon, baking powder (and salt unless sprinkling on top) and add to the bean mixture & combine. Stir through choc or cherries. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spoon 9 evenly distributed heaped Tbsp dollops of batter on it. Use a spoon or a finger to form the cookies into 7-10 cm wide rounds (& sprinkle with salt if not already added to batter). Bake for around 15 minutes. Set aside to cool completely.

Rhubarb & Apple compote

2 Granny Smith apples

Bunch rhubarb

1 cinnamon quill

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup sugar (used raw)

1 pinch cloves

Stew 45 mins or so.

Peanut butter brownies

Makes 8
100g unsalted butter
100g natural peanut butter
120g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla
100g dark chocolate, chopped
2 eggs, lightly beaten
100g nut meal
Pinch salt (tried smoked sea salt)

Preheat oven to 170°C and line a 20cm square tin. Melt the butter, peanut butter, sugar and vanilla extract over low heat then mix together until smooth.

Remove from heat, add the chopped chocolate, leave to sit for a minute for it to melt then stir to combine. Beat in the eggs then the nut meal. Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in tin.

Roast carrot pizza sauce

450g carrots, diced

1 red onion, cut into 8ths

1 Tbsp Harissa

Roast salted carrots & onion till soft. Blend with Harissa & 1/4 cup water (or more) till paste forms.

Used on cauliflower pizza with mushrooms and haloumi.