Parsnip & Apple Soup with Sage

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
3 tbs oil
1 tbs butter
6-7 small sage leaves
1 medium onion, quartered
3 medium (or 2 large) parsnips, cubed
1 medium potato, cubed
1 large granny smith apple, peeled and cubed
1 tbs sugar (brown or raw)
1x Chicken (or vegetable) OXO cubes (or similar stock)
5 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a roasting dish, add 1/2 the sage, the onion, parsnip, potato and apple, toss with oil, salt and pepper, and roast at 180 C (356 F) until just tender (around 30 mins), add the sugar 10 mins before done, toss to coat and return to oven.
  2. Alternatively, you can complete step 1 in a fry pan, then boil for a bit longer till potatoes are done.
  3. Add to a pot with the water and stock cube, salt and pepper, cover and bring to the boil. Make sure to add any crispy, caramelized bits!
  4. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes.
  5. Blend soup until smooth using a stick blender. Can add optional milk or cream, if you want a creamy soup.
  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 color.
  7. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
  8. Serve topped with a swirl of burnt sage butter and a spoonful of yogurt or cream.

Topping suggestions: cream, toasty bread.

Seasonal Stewed Fruit

Ingredients:

  • 500g over-ripe seasonal fruit (rhubarb, plums, tamarillos, apples, peaches, apricots etc)
  • 3 heaped tbs caster sugar
  • 1 piece of orange rind
  • 2 tbs water
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Chop up all the fruit, discarding any stones, slice the rhubarb into 3cm pieces.
  2. Place the fruit in a pot, add the sugar and water, score the orange peel and add along with the cinnamon to the pot.
  3. Cook on a medium heat with the lid on for approx 20 mins.
  4. Once the fruit has softened, remove the lid and let the liquid reduce until thick.

TIPS: serve with yogurt or ice-cream, over shortcrust pastry with custard, with muesli.

Broccoli & Feta Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:
2 heads of broccoli
2 tbs butter
3 tbs sunflower seeds
1/2 block feta
1 small kumera, cubed
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 rosemary spears
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Cut broccoli into bite size florets and steam for five minutes.
  2. Melt butter in a fry-pan.
  3. Add sunflower seeds, fry until brown then toss through the broccoli.
  4. Let cool for five minutes and add cubed feta.

TIP: great as a side, and yummy for leftovers.

Kumara, Carrot & Turmeric Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 medium onion chopped
1 medium kumara, peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots, skin on, cubed
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 knob ginger, grated
1 knob fresh turmeric, grated
2x Chicken (or vegetable) OXO cubes (or similar stock)
4 cups water
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan at medium-high heat, add chopped onion, cook 5 minutes or until softened, stir occasionally.
  2. Add carrot and kumara and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add the garlic, ginger and turmeric, stirring for 1 minute or until fragrant.
  4. Add the water and stock cube, salt and pepper, cover and bring to the boil.
  5. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
  6. Blend soup until smooth using a stick blender, then return to medium heat
  7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Topping suggestions: pesto, cream

Turmeric Golden Latte

Serves 2

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups Milk (cows milk, coconut milk, soy milk or nut milk).
  • 1 small knob ginger, grated
  • 1 small knob fresh turmeric, grated
  • 3 cardamom pods, bashed lightly with a rolling pin (or wine bottle!) for max flavor
  • 3 black peppercorns
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 tsp honey

Instructions

  1. Simmer grated turmeric and ginger along with a few black peppercorns, cinnamon stick, and cardamom pods in milk or soy milk for several minutes.
  2. Strain and mix in the honey.
    3. I sometimes reuse the mix in the same day.
  3. TIP: to make ahead, store mixed ingredients without milk in a jar in the fridge for 3 days.

Optional: You can replace cinnamon stick with 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Banana Streusel Bread

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 110 grams softened butter
  • 2/3 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 ripe, medium bananas
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Streusel topping:
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Heat the oven to 180 C. Line 1 large (or 2 small) loaf pan with baking paper, letting the excess hang over the long sides (this makes it easy to pull the loaf out at the end).
  2. Cream the softened butter and sugar in a mixer until pale and smooth.
  3. In seperate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork.
  4. Add the milk, eggs, vanilla and salt to the bananas, mix until combined.
  5. Add the banana mix to your creamed butter and sugar, fold in with a spatula until combined.
  6. Add the flour and baking soda, to the mix, fold in with a spatula until the ingredients till just combined and no more dry flour is visible, do not over-mix!
  7. Pour 1/3 of the mix into your prepared tin, top with half your streusel mix, repeat with next 1/3 mix and remaining streusel, then the last 1/3 mix.
  8. Bake until the top of the bread is brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, (approx 50 to 65 minutes for a large loaf, or 40-50 mins for small).

Optional: Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, after step 6, fold in to combine.

Banana and Date Smoothie

Ripe bananas have a natural sweetness, matched with medjool dates which pack in 4 grams of fibre and 281 MG potassium per date.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 chopped banana, frozen or fresh
  • 1 large medjool date
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla essence
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbs nut butter (peanut or almond, optional)
  • 1 cup milk (regular cows milk, coconut milk or nut milk)

Instructions

  1. Chop the banana and date, add all ingredients to a blender or smoothie maker
  2. Blend till smooth
  3. Drink straight away!

Optional: Add a 1/4 tsp turmeric and a pinch of black pepper as an extra anti-inflamatory

Perfect Popcorn

Perfect, salty movie-time popcorn

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp oil (not olive oil, so rapeseed, coconut etc)
  • 1/2 cup popping corn
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • salt to tase

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot with a lid, element on high, I use my casserole pot which has a wide base.
  2. Take the pot off the heat, and tip in the corn kernels.
  3. Shake the pot around, (lid on) so the kernels are evenly covered (this ensures more even cooking).
  4. Return to the heat, I have gas so I turn my element back to medium-high now.
  5. Leave the pot to sit on the heat, and listen for popping.
  6. Once it starts popping, I shake the pot (lid on) every 30 seconds or so.
  7. Wait till the popping reduces to just 1 pop every 5 seconds or so, for me from the start of popping, it’s around 3 minutes till the popping stops.
  8. Take the pot off the heat.
  9. Drop in the 2 tbsp butter, and shake the pot around (lid on) to evenly distribute.
  10. Add salt and shake the pot again (lid on).
  11. Taste test and add more salt as needed.

Cheats version: if you would rather make it in the microwave, see below.

  • 1 Brown Paper Bag
  • 1/4 Cup Popcorn Kernels
  1. Place 1/4 cup popcorn in a brown paper bag, roll over the top of the bag
  2. Lay flat in the microwave, and microwave for 2 minutes
  3. If you can still hear a lot of popping as its finishing, microwave for an additional 30 seconds.
  4. Melt 2 tbsp butter, and tip over the popcorn, shake to distribute, add salt and shake again.
  5. Taste test and add more salt as needed.

Photo by Charles 🇵🇭 on Unsplash

Rhubarb Chutney

makes 3 jars

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 5 stalks chopped rhubarb – leaves and woody ends discarded (500 g)
  • 100 g sultanas
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
  • 1/6 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
  • 350 g brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 500 ml white wine or cider vinegar

Instructions

  1. Prepare the vegetables – Trim the rhubarb and cut into short lengths, peel and chop the onion.
  2. Place in a large saucepan with all the remaining ingredients.
  3. Cook over a low heat until the sugar has dissolved, stirring regularly.
  4. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cook uncovered for about 1 hour until the chutney is golden and thick, stirring regularly to avoid burning.  
  5. Stir occasionally to begin with and then frequently as the cooking time goes on to prevent the mixture from burning on the base of the pan.
  6. Spoon into hot sterilised jars, seal.

Optional: Add a pinch of tumeric

Rhubarb, Ginger & Mint tea

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups water
  • 4 cups diced rhubarb (leaves and woody stems removed)
  • 1 small knob ginger, chopped
  • 1 lemon, juiced plus 1 slice of peel
  • 2 sprigs of fresh mint
  • 1⁄2 cup raw sugar

Instructions

  1. Prepare the fruit – chop the rhubarb into 2 inch pieces, discarding the leaves and woody ends. Peel and score a piece of lemon peel, using a vegetable peeler.
  2. In a large heavy saucepan combine the water, rhubarb, ginger and lemon peel.
  3. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
  4. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
  5. Strain, and squeeze the lemon juice over the sieve.
  6. Serve hot, or cool then serve with ice and mint sprigs.
  7. TIP: store in the fridge in a jar, for up to 1 week. You can also take the strained tea (step 5) and boil till reduced to 3/4 volume to create a syrup, then mix 1/4 syrup with 3/4 soda water for a refreshing sparkling drink.

Optional: Add a pinch of turmeric when cooking the rhubarb