Tamarillo Sago

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup sago
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups water
  • 1 cup sliced tamarillos (Tree Tomatoes) or other seasonal fruit like peaches, berries.
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
  • 3 tbsp caster sugar

Instructions

  1. Add sago and water to a saucepan, bring to the boil, stirring all the time.
  2. Cover with a lid, then reduce heat and summer until sago is clear.
  3. Scoop out the tamarillos with a spoon and chop into small pieces.
  4. Add the tamarillo, vanilla and sugar to the saucepan, simmer for 5 more minutes.
  5. Serve hot or warm with ice-cream or cream.

Optional: Add a pinch of cinnamon when cooking

Apple & Spinach salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:
2 cups baby spinach (can replace with rocket or other salad mix)
1 large red apple, cored and thinly sliced
1 large green apple, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 red onion, peeled, thinly sliced
1 cup walnut halves
1/3 block feta cheese, cubed/crumbled (optional)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon (or lime) zest and juice
1/5 cup vinegar (apple cider, or rice vinegar)
1 tbs dijon mustard (optional)
1 tsp brown sugar (can replace with melted honey or maple syrup)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Add the spinach, apples, onion and nuts to a salad bowl.
  2. Make the dressing: Combine the olive oil, mustard, vinegar, lemon juice and zest in a cup, add 1 tsp brown sugar and mix to dissolve.
  3. Add to the salad, toss to combine.
  4. Sprinkle with the feta cheese.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

TIPs: to make lunch salad jars, toss the apple with the dressing (to stop it going brown), and place in a jar, top with onions, feta, spinach and nuts. This layering should stop your walnuts from getting soggy.
To serve, tip into bowl and toss together.

Raw Beetroot zesty salad

Serves 6

Ingredients:
3 large red beetroots, peeled and with beardy parts trimmed!
1 large carrot, peeled, grated
1 large apple, skin on, grated
1/2 cup mint leaves, sliced
2 tbs olive oil
1 orange, zest and juice
1 lemon (or lime) zest and juice
1 tsp brown sugar (can replace with melted honey or maple syrup)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Grate the beetroot, you will get very red hands! You can either wear rubber gloves, or use a food processor for grating.
  2. Add to a bowl with the apple and mint.
  3. Combine the olive oil, lemon and orange juice and zest in a cup, add 1 tsp brown sugar and mix to dissolve.
  4. Add to the beetroot and apple, toss through to combine.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

NOTE: You can cover and put in the fridge for 1-3 days before serving, just toss again lightly. For you meat eaters, this is delicious with an angus beef pattie.

Red Cabbage & Beetroot slaw

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 spring onion, sliced
1/2 large red cabbage, shredded
2 large red beetroots
1 large apple, skin on, grated
1 orange, zest and 2 tbs juice
2 tbs vinegar (red wine vinegar, rice vinegar or malt vinegar)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Boil the beetroots until cooked, around 20 mins.
  2. Cool, then peel and slice the beetroot.
  3. Combine the beetroot, apple, shallots and cabbage, toss with 1 tbs of the vinegar (to stop apple browning).
  4. Mix the remaining vinegar, orange zest and juice, and pour over the slaw.
  5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

TIP: yummy in pulled pork sandwiches.

Caramelised Onion & Courgette soup

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
3 tbs oil
2 medium onions, peeled, sliced
1/2 tbs brown sugar
2 courgettes, skin on, sliced
1x Chicken or Vegetable OXO cube (or similar stock)
5 cups milk
1 tbs butter
10 sage leaves (approx)
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a pot, heat the olive oil, then add the onion, cook till translucent, around 15 minutes.
  2. Add 1/2 the sage leaves, and the brown sugar, toss together and cook 5 mins more.
  3. Add to a pot with the courgette, milk, stock cube, salt and pepper, cover and bring close to the boil. Do not boil or milk will seperate.
  4. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.
  5. Blend soup until smooth using a stick blender.
  6. Make burnt sage butter: Melt butter in a pan, and add remaining sage leaves, fry until crispy and butter has taken on a light brown colour.
  7. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Serve topped with a swirl of burnt sage butter and a spoonful of yoghurt or cream.

Topping suggestions: cream, toasty bread.

Tzatziki

Makes 1 large bowl (2 1/2 cups)

Ingredients:

2 cups greek yoghurt
1 cucumber, cut in half
1 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 lemon – zest and juice
2 tbs fresh dill
1/2 tsp salt extra
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Slice the cucumber lengthwise, scrape the seeds out with a spoon, then grate it. Add the cucumber to a mesh strainer over a bowl. Stir in the 1 tsp salt, sit for at least 30 mins.
  2. Squeeze the cucumber with your hands to remove as much liquid as possible, then add to a bowl.
  3. Add all the other ingredients and mix to combine.
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Stir cool, will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

Topping suggestions: add a pinch of paprika.

Kumera Fries

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 large kumera, skin on, cut into fries
3 garlic cloves, whole
1 rosemary spear
olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 200 C.
  2. Add everything to a wide roasting dish, covered with baking paper (for easy clean up) and toss to coat with the oil.
  3. Roast for 20 minutes, turning a few times during cooking with a spatula.
  4. Remove and discard rosemary sprigs.
  5. Serve with Tzatziki.

TIP: great as a side, and leftovers make a fantastic frittata filling.

5 Seed Crackers – Gluten Free

Makes 1 large tray (around 50 small crackers)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup white or black sesame seeds
2 tbs white or black chia seeds (can replace with poppy seeds)
1 cup cornflour
1 1/2 tsp salt plus more for topping
1/4 cup olive oil
1 3/4 cups boiling water

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200C.
  2. Mix all the seeds, cornflour and salt together, until combined.
  3. Add the olive oil and boiling water, mix with a knife, the mixture will be pasty and thicken as you are stirring.
  4. Let sit for 15 mins, so flax seeds can soften.
  5. Lay one sheet of baking paper on a flat tray.
  6. Add 1/2 the mixture in a blob on the tray.
  7. Top with another sheet of baking paper, then use your hands to smooth the mixture out into a flat rectangle.
  8. Remove the top sheet of baking paper, score the crackers. Sprinkle with a little extra salt. Repeat on a second tray.
  9. Bake for 30-35 minutes, cool on a baking rack, or simply slide paper off the tray onto the bench for a bit, then crack them at the score lines.
  10. Store in a jar once cool.

Tip: you can premix everything to step 2, then store in a jar ready to make for surprise guests. You can also sub in any combination of seeds if you are short one kind.

Cheats Spinach and Feta Gozleme

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 tortillas
2 tbs olive oil
2 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 block feta cheese, finely chopped/crumbled
1/2 lemon or lime to serve

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tbs oil in a frypan on medium heat, add the onion and cook until translucent.
  2. Add the chopped spinach, toss through the onion and remove from heat, the spinach will wilt.
  3. After the mixture has cooled, add to a bowl and mix in the feta cheese.
  4. Wipe the frypan clean, add oil to fry pan and warm on medium heat.
  5. Place 1 tortilla in the frypan, top with 1/6th of the mixture, and spread to edges of tortilla with a spoon or fork.
  6. Add another tortilla on top, fry until lightly browned (around 4 minutes) then brush oil on top, flip and fry other side.
  7. You can also use a sandwich grill toaster, but you may want to use a single tortilla, with filling, folded in half, depending on the size of your grill.
  8. Serve warm, drizzled with lemon juice.

Topping suggestions: hummus

Hummus

Makes 2 large jars, 1 to eat, 1 to share!

Ingredients:
2 cups dried chickpeas
1 bay leaf
1 large lemon, juice and rind
4 tbs tahini (can replace with any nut butter)
2 cloves garlic (optional)
2 tsp salt (+ more to taste)
1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

  1. Soak the chickpeas overnight, in a bowl of water. Store in the fridge.
  2. Drain the chickpeas, add to a pot with the water, salt and bay leaf.
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer till soft, around 60 minutes.
  4. Drain the chickpeas, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid, and let cool.
  5. Using a food processor or stick blender, pulse the lemon juice, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, 1/2 the olive oil and 1/4 cup reserved cooking liquid.
  6. Add additional cooking liquid, to get the consistency you like, discarding the rest.
  7. Serve drizzled with the remaining olive oil, lemon rind and some coarse sea salt.

Topping suggestions: add a pinch of paprika or cumin.