For the roasted pumpkin

• 1/4 medium kent pumpkin, or your pumpkin of choice (about 3 cups of chopped pumpkin)
• 1 red onion, cut in to small wedges
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp maple syrup

For the salad

• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 big handful mint
• 1 big handful coriander
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juiced, or to taste
• 1 tsp sumac

To garnish

• 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 1 tbsp dry roasted pepitas
• 1 tbsp dry roasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped

• Preheat oven to 220 degrees C (425 degrees F).  Cut pumpkin into chunks and place on a lined baking tray with the onion  Add the remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Spread out in a single layer and roast for 25 minutes or until cooked through.  Cooking time will vary depending on the size of your pumpkin chunks. Once cooked remove and set aside. 
• Wash the quinoa and add to a small saucepan with 3/4 cup of water. Cover and bring to the boil.  Once boiling turn the heat to as low as possible and allow to cook for 10 minutes.  Once cooked fluff with a fork and add to a large bowl. Set aside and allow to cool slightly.
• Finely chop the mint and coriander add to the quinoa along with the olive oil, lemon juice, sumac and salt and pepper.  Add the pumpkin and toss gently.  Add to a serving plate.
• Garnish with pepitas, pomegranates and hazelnuts.  Serve.

To dry roast the pepitas and hazelnuts.  Add separately to a frying pan and cook over medium heat until golden.  Add the hazelnuts to a tea towel and rub with your hands to remove most of the skins. Then roughly chop. 

• 2 ripe avocados (ripe but not over mushy)
• 1 can (400ml) coconut milk
• Juice and zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup honey or maple syrup or your sweetener of choice

• Remove the flesh from the avocado and place in a blender with all the other ingredients; blend until smooth. Taste and adjust sweetness to suit. I found it it tasted sweeter the next day so don’t over sweeten.
• Churn in an ice cream maker as per your machines instructions. Add to a freezer proof dish and sprinkle with the lime zest. Serve as a soft serve or freeze until you are ready to use.

This ice cream freezes really well and doesn’t get super hard – the perfect consistency.
Keep the seed and make an avocado tree from it. See my instructions below. The kids will love watching it grow.

• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened from the healthy food store – its a super food!)
• 1 tablespoon tahini (I used hulled in this recipe but use either)
• 3 tablespoons rice malt syrup (or your sweetener of choice)
• handful of coconut chips (preferably the unsweetened kind)

• Add the cocoanut chips to a dry frying pan and cook over medium heat until golden – watch them close as they will burn easily.
• Melt the coconut oil in a saucepan on low heat. Whisk in the cocoa, followed by the tahini, rice malt syrup. Poor into a baking paper lined dish and sprinkle with the toasted coconut. Freeze until set. Serve straight from the freezer or fridge.

My chocolate bar was about 1cm thick. Crimp the baking paper at one end so it doesn’t run to thinly.If pouring into moulds add the coconut first and then the chocolate mixture.

If it is a hot day the chocolate will melt if left out of the fridge too long.

• 1.5 kgs ripe tomatoes (about 25 tomatoes)
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic; finely sliced
• 1 brown onion; finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• handful of fresh basil; chopped

• To remove the skin from the tomatoes, use a knife make a cross on the tomatoes and plunge into boiling water for a few minutes. Remove skin and when cooled enough to handle, peel the skin off and roughly chop.
• Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil, garlic and onion. Cook until soft but not browned.
• Add the tomatoes and using the back of your spoon break them up as much as you can. Bring to the boil and then allow to simmer for about 30-90 minutes. It will depend on how ripe you tomatoes are and the water content. Also the consistency and taste you like best.
• Once the sauce has thicken up, add basil and season; add 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper to taste.

• Bones from 1 whole chicken, preferably organic ,roasted *see notes
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 carrots ,chopped in 3
• 2 celery stalks ,chopped in 3
• 1 bunch parsley stalks
• 1 onion ,halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 black peppercorn
• 1 tsp salt

• Add all ingredients to a slow cooker and fill with water.  Cook on low for 24 hours.  Allow to cool slightly and strain.  Adjust seasoning.
• Store in the fridge or freeze for later. 

If not using bones from leftovers, buy organic bones from your butcher and roast in the oven beforehand.  Using the bones from 1 chicken will produce a stock that is slightly jelly like once cooled.  I sometimes use the bones from 2 chickens. This will produce a stock that sets like jelly once cooled. 

• 1 litre unhomogenized milk
• 3 tablespoons natural yoghurt

• First sterilise the jars you will be storing the yoghurt in (see note on how I do this)
• Add milk to a saucepan and bring up to 92 degrees C – use a thermometer and continue to stir while it reaches this temperature.  Remove from the heat. 
• Place the saucepan over a cold water bath to bring the temperature back down to 40 degrees.  
• Add the natural yoghurt and stir to combine.  Add the milk mixture to your sterilised jars.  I use two 500ml jars but a single 1 litre jar would be fine.  Fill right to the top and seal. 
• Incubation: The milk mixture has to remain at 40 degrees C.  There are a number of ways to do this.  Put the jars into an esky of 40 degree water, adding more water as needed.  I use a sous vide machine and set it to 40 degrees.  If you don’t have either of these put the pot of water in the sink with the lid on and fill it with warm water and also surround it with 40 degree water.  This method will take a bit more work as the water surrounding will cool off quicker.  Check every couple of hours and add hot water to bring back up to 40 degrees.
• Leave in the 40 degree water for 6 hours.  This will a produce a fairly mild tasting yoghurt.  Leave up to 12 hours for a stronger taste.  Refrigerate and use within a week. 

Sterilising jars:  Add the jars to a large pot and cover with water, bring to the boil.  Boil for 15 minutes, add the lids when there is 5 minutes remaining.  Turn off the heat and allow to cool in the water.  Turn out onto a clean tea towel to dry. Fruit flavour ideas:  mash 1/4 avocado, banana and maple, vanilla bean, passionfruit, mixed berries, etc. 

• 2 cups pure cream – minimum 35% milk fat (heavy cream for my US friends)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice

• Add the cream to a saucepan and slowly bring the temperature up to 82 degrees C (180 degrees F). (I used a candy thermometer) Simmer at this temperature for 3 minutes, giving an occasional stir
• Add the lemon juice, stir and simmer for a further 3 minutes at 82 degrees C (180 degrees F).
• Leave to cool for about 45 minutes. Sit a fine strainer over a bowl and cover with 4 layers of cheesecloth. Pour the mixture in and refrigerate over night. It will be ready to use in the morning

A lot of recipes on the web call for heavy cream, which in Australia is most similar to pure cream. Don’t use thickened cream as it often contains a thickener such as gelatine. Pure cream works beautifully.

• A dozen or so fresh lychees (you could also use tin lychees)
• A handful of fresh pineapple pieces
• 2 apricots

• Peel and remove the seed from the lychees
• Add to the blender along with the pineapple pieces
• Blend to the desired consistency

Suitable to freeze if using fresh ingredients
Not suitable to freeze if using frozen fruits as the mixture is not cooked

• 1 cup almonds
• 2 tablespoons cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (we used black)
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons chia seeds

• Pre-heat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Add the almonds to a roasting tray and roast for approximately 10 minutes or until golden. Add the cumin, coriander, fennel and sesame seeds to another tray and roast for about 10 minutes or until golden. Keep on eye on them.
• Once cool add both to a mortar and pestle, along with the ginger, chia and salt. Bang away until you achieve a crumb. You don’t want it super fine but no big chunks for little ones either.
• Serve with olive oil and fresh bread or see my other ideas below

Will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks
If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, add to a food processor and pulse until the desired consistency is reached

Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

• 3/4 cup frozen mixed berries,
• 3/4 cup desiccated coconut
• 3/4 cup traditional oats
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2 dates

• Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is well combined.  
• Roll tablespoon sized portions of the mixture in your hands.  Store in the freezer.

I allowed my berries to sit on the bench for 5 minutes only.  You want them still partially frozen or the mixture will turn to mush.   If the mixture is too dry add a teaspoon of either, coconut oil, honey/maple or water until you can form a ball. These bliss balls are not super sweet.  Add extra dates or honey/maple if you prefer.