• 1 cup dried apricot
• 1/2 cup traditional oats
• 1/4 cup desiccated coconut ,unsweetened
• 2 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 2 tablespoons chia seeds
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil ,melted

• Add all ingredients to a food processor.  Process until the mixture resembles a fine crumb.  Press together with your hands to see it will stick together once rolled.  If its too dry add a little extra coconut oil. 1 teaspoon at a time. 
• Roll into 1 tablespoon sized balls and coat in extra coconut, hemp seeds or chia seeds.  

Best kept in the freezer.  

• 1/4 cup olive oil + extra for roasting pumpkin
• 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
• 1 large quince
• 1 Lebanese eggplant , chopped into 1/2 inch dice
• 1/4 jap pumpkin , pealed and chopped into small 1 inch dice
• 1 green capsicum , chopped
• 1 small onion , diced
• 1 tomato , diced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• pinch of salt
• Handful of chopped parsley
• Pomegranate seeds to garnish

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Cook the quinoa according to the packet directions and then spread on a tray to cool; refrigerate until ready to use.
• Wash and dry quince and place on a baking tray, bake for 1 hour, or until soft. While that is cooking, spread pumpkin on a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil, toss to coat, and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until tender (you want it to hold its shape)
• Heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil in a large frying pan over high heat and cook the eggplant until golden and tender. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out eggplant and drain on paper towel. Now add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Stir in the capsicum, bay leaves, and cumin and reduce heat to low-medium; cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Meanwhile, peel and dice the roasted quince and cut into 1 inch dice.
• Add the tomato and tomato paste to the capsicum mixture and cook for a few minutes. Add the roasted pumpkin, quince, eggplant, quinoa and parsley and gently mix together. Season to taste, add to a large bowl and garnish with pomegranate seeds

Increase the cumin to a couple of teaspoons if you enjoy the taste. I kept it very mild for the little dude…

• 150 g Sole Fillet (approximately 2 fillets with skin off and bones removed)
• 2 cups roughly chopped cauliflower
• 1 witlof
• a few sprigs of parsley
• zest of one lemon and a little squeeze of lemon juice

• Add all ingredients to a steamer basket except the lemon juice and cook until the vegetables are tender and the fish is cooked through. About 15 minutes
• Once cooked add to a blender with a squeeze of lemon juice and puree until smooth
• Serve warm, freeze remainder

Makes approximately 8 x 60 ml portions

• 1 large carrot;
• 1 large cucumber
• 4 small radishes
• 3 tablespoon of pickled ginger; finely sliced
• handful of mint or coriander; finely chopped.
• 100 ml rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoon sugar
• sesame seeds to garnish

• Using a vegetable peeler (preferably one that cut into long matchsticks) slice the carrot and cut into matchstick size pieces. Do the same with the cucumber and discard the middle once you get to the seeds. Thinly slice the radish and also chop into matchsticks. Add all to a bowl along with the ginger and coriander.
• Combine the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and simmer for a couple of minutes. Cool slightly and add to the veggies. Toss well and refrigerate. Give the veggies another couple of turns when you think of it. Serve cold garnished with sesame seeds.

Pickled ginger is available from most supermarkets or you will find it at an asian supermarket

• 1 kg natural yoghurt
• olive oil
• salt (*optional)

• Place a few layers of cheese cloth or muslin over a bowl add add the yoghurt. Gather up the edges and secure. Hang the yoghurt over a large bowl so it can drip in the fridge for 2 to 3 days.
• Discard the whey*. Add the salt to the labneh if using and mix to combine. Rub olive oil into your hand and roll balls about the size of golf balls with the mixture. Place the balls into a jar and cover with olive oil.
• Refrigerate and use within about a month or so

I used a clip to secure my cheesecloth and then chop stick to hang it over the bowl. Alternatively place a strainer over a large bowl and place the cheesecloth in the strainer to allow it to drip through.
*As one of my lovely readers has pointed out – the whey that has been strained is no longer required for this recipe but you can most definitely keep it and add it to other recipes, such as making bread, fermenting foods, soaking nuts/beans/grains, add to smoothies, etc.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Wet Ingredients

• 6 dates
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas ,about 4 medium super ripe spotty bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste ,or essence
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs

Dry Ingredients

• 2 cups Spelt wholemeal flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder
• 1 heaped teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch salt

• Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).Add dates to a small bowl and add boiling water to just covers the dates.  Allow to soak for a few minutes and then mash with a folk to form a paste. 
• Combine all the wet ingredients in a large bowl and mix to combine including the date paste.  
• Combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Add the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.  Don’t over stir. 
• Add to a lined loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes.  Test with a skewer, if it comes out clean it is ready.  Allow to cool on a wire rack and serve. 

This recipe is sweet but not super sweet like the brown sugar varieties.  Feel free to add extra dates or maple if you like.  I found it tasted sweeter the next day.  Cut into lunchbox sized portion and freeze.  Pop into lunch boxes frozen and it will defrost in the lunchbox before lunch time. 

• 2 blood oranges
• 1 orange
• handful of cumquats (optional); sliced
• 1 baby fennel
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• A couple of sprigs of chervil to garnish (or use the fennel fronds)

For the dressing

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon orange blossom water
• Salt and pepper

• Cut the top and bottom off the oranges. Run your knife down the sides to remove the remaining skin so there is no white left on the oranges. Slice the oranges.
• Using a mandolin to slice the fennel as fine as you can. Alternatively use a sharp knife to slice as fine as possible.
• Arrange the fennel on a plate and top with the oranges, cumquats, walnuts, and garnish with the chervil.
• For the dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and combine. Drizzle over the salad. Serve, or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 4 as a side. I prefer it served cold from the fridge, it allows everything to marinate and the fennel under the oranges to take on the other flavours.

• 4 sheets puff pasty
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion; diced
• 1 clove garlic; minced
• 500 grams lamb mince
• 2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 cup stock (or water)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup mint; roughly chopped
• 200 grams crumbly feta;
• Egg white from 1 egg and a little water; as a wash for the pastry.

• Add oil to a frying pan and sauté the onion and garlic until tender. Add the coriander, turmeric and cumin and stir for a minutes or so. Lower heat to medium-high and cook the mince, add the stock and stir through. Once cooked turn off the heat and stir through the mint and feta.
• Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C (400 degrees F). Cut the pasty into 9 squares. Hold the pasty square in your hand and add 2 teaspoons of the filling. Add a little water to the edges of the pastry and fold the corners together so you have a triangle. Using a folk, crimp the edge well. Repeat until all the pasty is used.
• Add to a baking tray and brush with the egg white and water wash. Cook for 10 minutes or until the pastry is lovely and golden.

Suitable to freeze. If you plan on freezing some I would recommend cooking them until barely golden. When ready to use, take out of the freezer and place in the oven and cook until heated through and golden brown.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

• 1 large whole chicken (about 1.5 – 2kgs)
• 8 tomatoes ,halved
• 1 onion ,cut into small wedges
• 3 cloves garlic crushed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 handful fresh herbs to garnish ,parsley or coriander work well

Spice Rub

• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil

• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C (390 degrees F).  Combine the spice rub ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside. 
• Butterfly the chicken by cutting out the backbone (cut down each side of the bone to remove) and then place the chicken breast side up and flatten it with your hands.  
  Dry with paper towel and rub the spice mixture all over. 
• Heat an oven proof frying pan or dish on the stove over medium heat.  Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the chicken breast side down and cook until just golden.  Set the chicken aside on a plate. 
• Using the same frying pan with the heat off add the tomatoes, onion, garlic and extra olive oil. Season well with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.
• Add chicken on top of the tomatoes and roast for 45 minutes.  It is ready when inserted with a skewer the juices run clear. 

Adapted from Curtis Stones book ‘What’s for dinner’

• A huge handful of baby spinach leaves
• 1 cucumber
• 1/2 avocado
• 1 orange
• 1 cup of frozen mango pieces (I use frozen because mangos aren’t in season. If using fresh, add some ice to the mix)
• 1 cup of coconut water

• Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. I used a Vitamin which does a wonderful job. If you don’t have a blender as powerful as a Vitamix you may need to pass the juice through sieve to remove some of the pulp

Will keep in the fridge for a couple of days
If the mixture is too thick for your liking; add some water