Recipes: Favourite Recipes (no longer updated)

Pepper steak and mushroom sauce
4 eye fillet steaks
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 oz butter

1/2 oz butter
A few sprigs of thyme
3 crushed garlic cloves
200g button mushrooms thinly sliced
100g portabello mushrooms thinly sliced
1 tablespoon beef stock and 1 tablespoon red wine
1/2 cup double cream

Season steak with salt and pepper and cook with butter in a frying pan, 3 minutes each side on medium to high heat. Use a large lid to cover while cooking. Cover steaks with foil to keep warm.

Put butter, thyme, mushrooms, garlic in frypan and cook until mushrooms are a bit tender.
Add stock and wine then cook until this is reduced to almost none.
Put on very low heat, add cream and cook 1 minute until it thickens a bit.
Serve on steak. Goes well with mashed potatoes and peas.

Pot Roast with Girello
1/2 Girello round roast
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup merlot wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
350g tomato puree (or more if you want)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
Dried mixed herbs (rosemoary, majoram, parsley, basil, oregano) - to taste
5 carrots - cut to 3cm lengths
2 parsnips cut to 3cm lengths
3 onions quartered
8 flat mushooms, halved

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius. Place round roast in a french oven with stock, wine, tomato paste, tomato puree, garlic, dried mixed herbs. Stir to mix all ingredients. Put on lid and place in oven for 1 and 1/2 hours. Turn over the meat and add vegetables then cook another 1 and 1/2 hours. Serve.

Salmon recipe

Salmon steaks

garlic powder
salt
pepper
olive oil
sour cream
caperberries
lemon juice
lemon rind
macadamia oil and apple cider vinegar

Spray Baking tray.

Put steaks of salmon on. Sprinkle with garlic powder salt and cracked pepper then dill Spray with olive oil Cook at 180c until cooked
Mix half cup sour cream, tablespoon caperberries, 2 teaspoon lemon juice and some lemon rind in a blender for sauce
Serve with a salad with macadamia oil and apple cider vinegar dressing.

Pumpkin and Fetta

500g pumpkin, seeded, cubed
2 tablespoons oil
¼ cup pepitas (edible pumpkin seeds)
1 onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons chopped coriander
6 eggs, lightly beaten
200g feta, crumbled
Rocket salad, to serve

Preheat oven to hot, 200°C. Lightly grease and line a large oven tray and a 20cm cake pan with baking paper.

Place pumpkin on the prepared tray. Drizzle with half the oil and toss well. Bake for 15-20 minutes until tender. Allow to cool.
Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan on high. Cook pepitas for 1-2 minutes until they start to crack. Set aside.
Heat remaining oil in same pan on high. Saute onion and garlic for 2-3 minutes until tender. Remove from heat. Stir coriander through. Cool slightly.
In a bowl, whisk eggs. Stir in feta, onion mixture, pumpkin and half pepitas. Pour into pan. Sprinkle with remaining pepitas.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until firm and golden. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve with rocket salad.

Garden Pate Salad

1.5 cups sunflower seeds (soaked for 4-8 hours and rinsed well, can also be dehydrated)
5 carrots shredded, grated, or briefly procecced in a blender
4 stalks celery, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic chopped fine
1 tsp Himalayan pink salt
Chopped red onion to taste (or scallions or even both!)

Dressing
3 tsp olive oil
2" ginger, grated
Juice of 1 lemon or lime
½ cup raisins
¼ cp black sesame (optional)

Mix all dressing ingredients together except for olive oil.

Mix all main ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
Toss in the dressing and drizzle with olive oil.

Banana Pancakes

Wholemeal spelt flour

Pinch of sea salt
1 egg
milk to consistency

Mix all ingredients together, folding the milk in last with a wooden spoon.

Do not stir too much or the pancake will be lifeless. Don't be too concerned about little bits of flour in the pancake.

Rub base of a cast iron pan with olive oil. Rub with a little butter. Put on medium heat.
Pour in batter to make a pancake. Once it starts bubbling you can think about flipping it.
Add a little butter each time you start a new pancake but dont use too much or it will cause the bottom to burn - thats when the pancakes start to stick.

Banana Pancakes
1 banana
2 eggs

Mix and fry like regular pancakes.

This sticks to a cast iron pan. Offset this by adding some whole spelt flour and milk to make more like regular pancakes.
Add cinnamon to give some spice.
Top with butter and jam, or butter and maple syrup, or fresh durian and cream.

Oat pancakes
1 cup oats, blended into flour.
1 large egg.
1 tablespoon flax blended into flour, mixed with 3 tablespoons milk and left to thicken a while.
1 pinch salt
coconut milk to consistency

Mix together and cook like pancakes. Can serve with bananas and caramel sauce.

Caramel Sauce (for pancakes or anything else)

100g double cream
2oz butter
2 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar

Dump all ingredients in a saucepan and cook on medium heat. Stir every now and then until it all melts together. Cook until the mixture starts foaming. After a couple of minutes of foaming, turn off.

Server on pancakes with slices of banana. The sauce could also be used on icecream or other desserts. Because the sauce is made with coconut palm sugar, it is extremely GI - in fact it scores a low GI of 35!

Roast Chicken
1 whole free range chicken.

1 lemon
rosemary, thyme, or similar herbs (fresh is best!)
salt
pepper
olive oil
1 whole garlic
5 carrots
2 onions

Take chicken out of fridge half an hour before cooking.
Preheat oven to 250C
Chop vegetables roughly and place in a baking tray on top of baking paper, along with some olive oil.
Prick the lemon with lots of holes and push it inside the chicken along with any herbs, such as rosemary any thyme.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, drizzle olive oil over top, and massage it into the chicken.
Place on top of the vegetables and place in the oven at 200c.
Cook for 1 1/2 hours. If you are adding other vegetables, add them at the 45 minute mark.
Remove from the oven and place foil over the top and then a towel for 15 minutes before serving.

Sheppherds Pie

500g mince

1 onion

5 cloves garlic roughly chopped

1 tun diced tomatoes

2 Tb tomato paste

salt & pepper & herbs to tase (e.g. basil, paprika, mixed herbs, etc)

potato

milk

butter

sweet potato

1 cup grated cheese

Method: Potatoes

Boil potatoes

Mash with enough butter and milk to make soft and creamy

Mix in grated cheese

Peel, slice and boil sweet potato

 

Stir fry the onion to slightly browned,

Add meat until almost all pink is gone

Add garlic and tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes

Add salt and pepper.

Pour into baking dish

Top with a thin layer potato

Top with slices of sweep potato and another layer of potato

Bake until potato looks well done in oven up to 180 degrees celcius.

Version of sheppherds pie:
Cut bell peppers in half and emtpy of seeds.  Fill according to the above instructions to make mini pies.

Green Papaya Salad

1 large green papaya
1/2 cup peanuts and cashews
4 tomatoes, cut into rectangles
1 red chilli, julliened - remove seeds for a milder salad
6 spring onions, sliced large
1 cup basil

Dressing:
1 tb soy sauce
4 tb oil (half half olive and avocado oils)
4 tb fish sauce
6 tb lime juice (2 juicy limes)
1 tb raw organic honey

Mix dressing ingredients together.

Peel green papaya and remove seeds.  Grate into a bowl.
Add tomato, spring onions, chilli, and basil and mix in the dressing.
Add the nuts and toss.
For more saltiness, add more fish sauce, for more sweetness add more honey.  To reduce saltiness or sweetness, add lime.
 

Lotus Root and Peanut soup

Ingredients:

Lotus Root

Boiling water

Pork spare ribs

Red dates

Peanuts

Method:

Peel lotus root and slice 1/2 cm thick.

Pour boiling water into slow cooker.

Put in pork spare ribs, a handful of dates and a handful peanutes.

Cook for at least 3 hours.

Salmon and Dill

Ingredients:

Salmon steak

olive oil

salt & pepper

fresh dill

lemons or limes

Drizzle a little oil in baking dish.

Place salmon steak in baking dish skin down and move around to ensure bottom is covered with oil.

Coat top with all and rub with fork.

Sprinkle salt and pepper.

Sprinkle generous amount of dill on top.

Serve with more fresh dill and lemon or lime wedges.

Pork cutlet with caramelized onions and apple sauce

Ingredients:

Free range pork cutlets

2 onions, diced large

4 garlic cloves, julienned

inch of ginger, julienned

butter

salt & pepper

fish sauce

soy sauce

Sprinkly pork cutlets with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and fish sauce.

Melt a large piece of butter in a frying pan on low heat.

Add onions until slightly softened.

Place pork chops, marinated side down into the pan.

Sprinkly pork cutlets other side with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and fish sauce.

add garlic and ginger.

Toss ingredients every few minutes.  Cook chops for about 4 minutes on each side.

Use apple sauce below.

Apple sauce

Ingredients:

2 apples, diced fine or grated

2 cups water

tsp ground cardamon

tsp ground cinnamon

handful of walnuts, crushed

Bring water to boil with all ingredients except walnuts.

Reduce.

Add walnuts about 5 minutes before bringing off heat,

Once water is mostly gone, it is ready to serve.

Egg salad

Ingredients:

1/2 onion, chopped fine

5 eggs

1 tomato, sliced into rectangles

Avocado or olive oil

salt & pepper

1 avocado, peppered and sliced

Put onion, oil, tomato, and a sprinkle of salt & pepper into a small bowl and toss.

Soft boil eggs whole. 

Once ready, place in cold water, peel, and place on top of the onion salsa.

Sprinkle eggs with curry powder.

My special curry powder (for eggs)

2 Tb curry powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

Mix all ingredients and place into a spice shaker.

Cauliflower and cheese

1 large Cauliflower

1 1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoon flour

1 1/4 cup grated vintage cheese

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius.

Chop cauliflower causely and boil in water until *just* soft.  Drain.

Melt butter in saucepan, add milk and flour then stir until thickening.  Remove from heat.

Place cauliflower in baking pan.

Pour sauce over top.

Sprinkle cheese over top.

Put in over until ready.

 

Banana Bread

2 cups whole spelt flour

2 cups of mashed bananas

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup chopped dates

2 tbsp flax seed powder with 6 tbsp water

1 tablespoon seseme seeds.

 

Preheat oven to 150 degrees celcius

Mix flax with water

Mash banana

In a big bowl add the flour with baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and mix well. now add the chopped dates and stir together. Add the mashed banana and flax seed powder mixed with water and stir till it’s combined. It’ll be a hard dough but don’t be tempted to add any more water. do not over mix. Just stir till it forms a hard dough.

Fold this into a greased loaf pan and sprinkle sesame seeds on top.
Bake for 50 to 60 mins till it’s well risen, crusty and golden on the outside. A toothpick inserted right in the center has to come out clean and that’s when the loaf is cooked.
Let the bread cool down completely. It’ll be sticky and hard to cut into when it’s still hot.

Apple raspberry and quince stew
2 apples
Handful of frozen raspberries
1 quince
handful of raisins
tspn Cinnamon
tspn vanilla essence
1/4 cup water
Doublecream to serve.

Peel the two apples and chop into small pieces.  You could also grate them.
Chop the quince into smallish pieces.
Put apples, quinces, and water into a saucepan and cook on low heat until softening. 
Add cinnamon, raisins and vanilla essence then cook another 15 minutes or until a satisfactory texture.
Add frozen rasberries.
Stir for a couple of minutes until raspberries are combines, then serve with cream.

Caramel Bananas
Mix 1 tablespoon cream, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon organic coconut palm sugar granules in a saucepan.  Stir and let froth.  Take off heat.

Either cook banana halfs in fry pan with butter or serve with just raw bananas. 
Can also add a sprinkle of bee pollen, chia, or a dop of cream.

Butter Bananas
1 banana
1 large tablespoon butter

Melt butter in pan on low heat.
Add slices of banana.
Stir every couple of minutes. 
Once butter starts bubbling a little while, take off heat and serve.

My Greek Yoghurt and Lemon Loaf
125g soft butter
2 tablespoons honey
1 large lemon, rind grated finely.
2 eggs, separated
1 cup greek style yoghurt
1 tablespoon milk
2 cups wholemeal spelt or kamut flour
3 level teaspoons baking soda with 1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup almond meal (can replace some with coconut flour)

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celcius
Line a 20 x 10cm tray with baking paper.

Cream butter, honey and lemon rind with electric blender
Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well each time.
Mix the yoghurt and milk together.
Combine the flour, baking soda/powder and almond meal in a bowl, sifting several times and stiring to combine thouroughly.
Fold flour into the butter mixture
Fold yoghurt and milk into the butter mixture

Beat egg whites with electric beater until peaks form
Stir one quarter on egg whites into the mixture
Slowly fold in the rest of the egg whites.
Spoon into he baking dish and cook on 160 degrees celcuis for 1 hour 10 minutes.  Use a skewer to ensure it is cooked through.

Strawberry Cheese Cake

200g cream cheese
2 tablespoons xylatol
1 teaspoon vanilla

100 - 150ml double cream

300g strawberries plus extra for garnish

1 tablespoon xylatol

Beat the cream cheese, xylatol, vanilla.

Beat the cream until just thickens
Mix all together well.
Spread out on a glass tray.

Purée the strawberries.

Push through a sieve onto the cheesecake base and spread evenly.
Garnish with strawberries.

Put in fridge overnight.

Serve.

VARIATIONS
Lemon- blend in juice and rind of a lemon instead of vanilla
Raspberry - replace strawberries B
lueberry - replace strawberries
Passionfruit - sieve several passionfruit for sauce. Top cheesecake with slices of mango then sauce.

Roasted Pork Belly with Onion Salad

Ingredients for Pork Belly
1 slab of pork belly, cut into 4 - 5 cm strips
2 large spoons of organic dark miso (or koren soy bean paste - duenjang(
1 large spoon of honey
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of ginger powder
1 teaspoon of olive oil

Ingredients for Onion Salad
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 large teaspoon of chilli flakes or to taste
1 large spoon of xylatol
1 large spoon of soy sauce
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of seseme oil

Instructions
Combine ingredients for Pork Belly in a bowl.
Marinate pork belly strips with maranade and leave on bench for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 220 degrees celcius
Oil a baking pan and cover with foil.
Rub oil into a rack, and place it on the baking pan.
Place pork belly strips on rack and place in oven to cook for 15 minutes.
Turn heat down to 175 degrees celcius and cook (near bottom of the oven now) for an additional 20 to 30 minutes.
Let pork rest then slice.

Soak onion in water for 10 minutes.
Combine ingredients for onion salad.
Drain onion and mix into the other ingredients.

Serve pork belly with onion salad and inside a folded piece of lettuce.

Blackberry Blueberry Jam
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen blackberries
2 dessert spoons of chia seeds
2 dessert spoons of honey
2 desert spoons of coconut palm sugar

Blend in a blender until pureed, scoop into a jar, and keep in the fridge.  For more sweetness, another dessert spoon of honey can be added.  Yum!

Simple Pie Crust 
2 cups wholemeal spelt flour (can include almond meal, mesquite flour, chia seed, buckwheat, etc)
1/4 cup raisins (or dates)
1 or 2 tablespoons honey (or 1/4 cup of coconut sugar)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend all ingrendients until sticky.  Push into a pie tin.

Can also add a bit of maca and / or mesquite

 

Caramel Apple Pie

Crust:

3 cups almond meal

3 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3 apples

 

Filling

1/4 cup fresh dates, pitted

2 tablespoons lucuma powder
2 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 cup water

Mix crust ingredients with hands and push into small pie tin.
Set 2 or 3 layers of apple slices inside the crust.
Blend the filling incredients.  Pour over top.  Put in fridge to set.

 Pizza Crust

1 ½ cups wholemeal spelt flour

1 cup greek yoghurt

Mix together.  Kneed to a non sticky consistency.  Push into a flat round.  Cover with plastic and leave - this allows the yoghurt to break down the flours.

Squid Topped Pizza

Garlic Aoli:

Pinch of paprika

1 teaspoon water
1 large egg yolk
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
salt
cayenne pepper

Topping:

6 ounces cleaned squid—tentacles halved, bodies sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick

Freshly ground black pepper
Freshly just blended capsicum
Pizza crust (as per above recipe)
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, diced
1 teaspoon chopped marjoram
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1.Preheat the oven to 500°. Preheat a pizza stone. In a small bowl,mix the paprika with the water.

In a blender or bowl, beat the egg yolk with the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the lemon juice. Gradually add the 3/4 cup of olive oil, beating constantly, until very thick. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and the paprika and season the aioli with salt and cayenne.

2.In a frying pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Add the squid, season with salt and black pepper and cook over high heat until just starting to whiten, 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate.

3.Brush the pizza round with olive oil and sprinkle with crushed red pepper, salt and black pepper. Scatter the onion slices over the round and top with the squid, tomato and marjoram.

4.Slide the pizza onto the hot stone and bake for about 5 minutes, until the bottom is crisp. Transfer the pizza to a work surface and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the aioli. Reserve the remaining aioli for another use. Garnish with parsley.

The aioli can be refrigerated for up to 2 days

Nut based Muffins
4 tbsp butter or coconut oil (or a mix)
1/4 cup cocao butter
3 or 4 eggs
4 tbps honey
700g nuts
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla extract

Any additional flavours.
e.g. coffee powder in and sprinkled on muffins, with cocao powder
e.g. chopped dates
e.g. chopped mixed berries
e.g. banana

 Chilli Mussels
Ingredients - mussels:
900g of peeled mussels or 2 kg of shelled mussels
1/3 cup dry white wine or water
lemon for garnish
parsley for garnish

Ingredients - sauce:
15g butter and tsp coconut oil
500g chopped ripe tomatoes
1 large diced onion
2 chillies or some bottled chilli
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp chopped basil
2 tblsp tomato paste

Heat butter and oil
Add onions garlic and chilli until onion is transparent
Add paprika basil and tomato paste.
Add additional chilli if required to taste
Add white wine as required to loosen sauce.
Simmer for up to 40 minutes.

Put wine in saucepan.
Add mussells - mussels will stick out of the water and be "steamed"
Put on a lid so that steam is created, then bring to boil.
If unshelled then steam until the mussels all open.  discard any that dont.
For shelled, then steam until cooked.
Strain the remaining liquid from the pot.
Add the sauce and stir to coat the mussels.
Serve with lemon and parsley as garnish.
 
Strawberry Mango Lassie
2 small bananas
4 spoons natural yoghurt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup frozen mango
1/2 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 lemon pulp
2cm lemon peel

Makes about 4 cups

Blend

Taro with Sticky Black Rice Pudding
http://tankitchen-dessert.blogspot.com.au/2009/06/taro-in-black-sticky-rice-pudding-khao.html

Icecream with Maple Syrup and Pecans

4 frozen bananas
3 tblspoons maple syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecan nuts

Process bananas
Add maple syrup and a little salt if preferred
Process until smooth
Stir in chopped pecans.
Serve

Thai Red Curry

2 large carrots - cut up

2 capsicums - diced small

Pineapple

A large bunch of kale or similar
bean sprouts

1 can coconut milk

2 tbspn thai red curry paste

a couple of dashes of fish sauce (to taste) - soy can be substituted

 

Rice

1/4 cup coconut cream

 

Boil rice - when almost done, stir in some coconut cream and cook a few more minutes.

Cook carrots in a saucepan covered with coconut cream - until fork can go through.

Add  capsicum and pineapple and cook a few minutes

Turn down heat.

Add thai red curry paste and fish sauce and cook a few minutes.

Add kale and cooke 1 minute.

Remove from heat, stir in bean sprouts and serve with rice.

 

Note: Can also add pre-stirfried chicken, or tofu if preferred.

 

Burgers

Make beef patties.
 

Heat frying pan and sprinkle it with a teaspoon of salt.

Place patties on top and cook.

Topping: Cook tomatoes in saucespan to use as sauce and serve with a salad + lemon + olive oil.

Nut Muffins - my version

2 dessert spoon coconut oil

2 oz butter

1/4 cup cocao butter

2 desert spoon cocao powder

1 small piece chocolate

2 dessert spoon ya kun

4 700g free range eggs

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla bean

2 cups nuts processed to cream

4 dessert spoons honey

Melt butter coconut oil and cocao butter in saucepan (should make about 1 cup of liquid).

Turn off heat and mix in vanilla bean.

Put all ingredients in blender and process.

Put into muffin paper holders and cook at 160 degrees celcius for 40 minutes.

Instead of cocao and coffee, try banana or chopped dates or berries, or just plain.

My version of Pepper Steak Pasta

500g pasta
spoon of olive oil and butter for frying
450g of thick porterhouse
1/2 onion sliced thinly
ground pepper
3 garlic cloves
200g mushrooms (can ommit if not available)
200ml white wine
2 or 3 tsp wholegrain mustard
1 table spoon worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup beef stoc
1/2 cup double cream
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley

Cook pasta with a pinch of salt. 
Toss in some olive oil, salt and generous amount of pepper.
Set aside

Heat butter and olive oil and fry steak for a few minutes on each side.
Set aside.

Fry onion for 4 to 5 minutes or until soft. 
Add garlic, mushrooms, wine, and lots of pepper and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.
Add mustard, worcestershire sauce, stock and cream.  Season with more salt and pepper and simmer for 2 minutes.
Thinly slice the steak.
Add steak, pasta and parsley to the sauce.
Toss to combine.

Serve with cheese on top.

Simple Chicken Enchilada
Ingredients:
Oil or butter for frying
2 small zuchinis diced (optional)
1 small red onion
1 cup diced vegetables e.g. fresh corn kernels or frozen diced veges, capsicum
1 cup cheese
half a roasted chicken shredded
salt and black pepper
Tortillas or mountain bread wraps
Sour cream

Heat oven to 180 celcius.
Fry onion and all veges over low heat until onion is soft.
Transfer to a bowl and mix in cheese, chicken, salt and pepper.
Soften each tortilla for 15 seconds each side in the fry pan.  Do not do this step if using mountain bread as it will solidify.
Wrap up chicken mixture into wraps and place in a baking dish, seam side down.
Bake until heated through - 6 to 10 minutes.

Serve with sour cream.

Asian Lettuce Wraps
Large lettuce leaves (for wrapping)
500g mince beef
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced or grated
1 TBSP soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce (see my healthier recipe for this below)
2 tspn ginger minced or grated
1 Tbpsn rice wine vinegar (or white vinegar)
Ground pepper or pepper sauce
1 can of water chestnuts, drained and chopped
A few spring onions chopped
2 tspn dark seseme oil (the asian style one - this is roasted and not raw)

Wash and dry lettuce.Stir fry beef and set asideStir fry onion then stir in garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and pepper.Stir in water pepper, chestnuts, spring onions and seseme oil and beef and cook just a couple of more minutes. Wrap meat in lettuce leaves and eat.  You can add sour cream if you wish.

Healthier Hoisin Sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp honey or molasses or brown sugar (I use molasses to get a stronger flavour)
2 tsp white vinegar
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp black pepper
20 drops of hot sauce (such as tobasco)

Put sesame oil into a bowl.
Mix in all other ingredients.

If you dont have an ingredient, swap with something similar or leave it out.

Seafood pasta 

250g Pasta cooked al dente 

300g Marinara and scallops 

300ml Cream 

300ml white wine 

Zest of 1 lemon

Cheese 

 

Stir fry seafood a few minutes and put aside. 

Put wine in pan with remaining juices and cook until reduced 2/3

Add cream and zest and warm for a minute. 

 

Mix with pasta. 

Serve with parmasan cheese. 

Salmon wraps 

Mountain bread 
Smoked salmon 
Cucumber 
Tomato 
Cheese 

Sour cream 

Chives (and Chive flowers) 
Some lemon juice and zest 

Cut vegetables into sticks. 

Mix sour cream Chives and lemon 
Serve. 

Pumpkin Pie
Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
 1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/2 teaspoon coconut palm sugar or mesquite pod powder (more if for a sweet recipe)
 250g unsalted butter
 3 to 4 Tbsp very cold water

Cut butter into small cubes and freeze 15 minutes (to get a flaky crust)
Pulse flour salt and sugar in blender
Add half the butter cubes and pulse 8 times
Add the rest and pulse 8 times to make a coarse meal
Add a few table spoons cold water and pulse a few times.  Add a table spoon at a time and pulse until it *just* clumps.
Put on a board and press the heel of your hand into the dough 5 or 6 times (fraisage)
Work the dough only enough for it to hold together.
Sprinkle the disc of dough with flour and wrap in plastic.  Put in fridge for an hour (minimum).
Take out of fridge and let sit for 5 minutes.
Sprinkle some more flour and roll into a circle to a thickness of about 3mm.
Place in a pie tin and press down to line.

Filling
2 cups of pumpkin pulp (cut small pumpkin in half and roast - open side down - until soft.  Or steam until soft)

300ml cup double cream
1/4 cup coconut palm sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
Mix sugar , salt, spices, lemon zest.
Beat eggs and add.
Stir in pumpkin puree
Bake at 220 celcius for 15 minutes
Bake at 175 celcius for 45 minutes or until skewer comes out clean
Cool on wire rack for 2 hours
Serve with cream.