H O M E C O M I N G

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups self-raising Gluten Free flour (if using plain GF flour, add 2 1/2 tsp baking powder)
90g butter, chopped into cubes
2 tab Jaggery (also known as Gur) - see note
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tab chia seeds
1 tab raw honey
2 eggs, lightly beaten with a fork
1 cup milk
125g blueberries

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease 12 capacity muffin tin
2. Sift flour into large bowl
3. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers until mixture resembles bread crumbs
4. Stir in Jaggery, cinnamon and chia seeds
5. Make a well in the centre and add honey, eggs, milk and blueberries
6. Fold mixture through until just combined
7. Spoon into muffin cases & bake in oven for 25 mins

NOTE - Jaggery (aka Gur) is a cane sugar consumed in Asia and Africa. It is a concentrated product of sugar cane without separation of the molasses and crystals, and can vary from golden brown to dark brown in color. As it is un-refined, Jaggery is low GI and rich in several important vitamins and minerals like potassium, magnesium, iron, zinc, selenium, calcium and phosphorus and antioxidants. In ayurvedic medicine, it is used to aid digestion and is believed to increase Kapha. You can get Jaggery from Indian supermarkets.

This is an adaptation on a recipe by David Herbert, food writer for The Australian. Once you try this, you'll never eat tinned baked beans again!

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic

1/2 onion, diced

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tab olive oil

2 rashers streaky bacon, diced

1 carrot, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes

400g chopped tomatoes (fresh or tinned)

1 tsp fresh chilli (or one whole red chilli)

1 tin washed beans (haricot, borlotti, cannelini)

2 tabs fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp raw sugar

Method
1. Brown bacon in oil until caramalised

2. Add garlic and onion and cook until golden

3. Add chopped carrot, tomatoes and chilli - simmer 20 minutes

4. Add beans, herbs and sugar - simmer 10 minutes
5. Serve

Today a friend kindly gave me a big bunch of homegrown bananas from her nonna's garden. The bananas were super ripe so I knew I would have to cook something straight away to make good use of them. I found a recipe for banana protein muffins by Lean Lisha and adapted it to suit my own dietary needs.

Ingredients
1/2 cup quinoa flour
2 tabs gluten free plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 scoop protein powder (Vanilla or Chocolate)
2 tabs peanut butter
1 whole egg
1 egg white
1/4 lactose free milk (could use coconut or almond)
1/2 cup mashed banana (1 medium banana)
1 handful of crushed walnuts

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius (170 for fan forced)
2. Combine mashed banana and peanut butter in a small bowl, mix well until combined.
3. Add all dry ingredients to a medium sized mixing bowl and stir to combine
4. Whisk eggs lightly with milk
5. Fold all wet ingredients in to the dry mix, fold gently until just combined
6. Spoon into greased muffin trays.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted into a muffin comes out clean

I made this rustic condiment to utilise a glut of cherry tomatoes and yellow capsicums from a friend's veggie patch. This should last in the fridge for up to a week - if you can stop yourself from eating it for that long!

Ingredients
1 tab olive oil
20 cherry tomatoes - cut 10 in half and leave 10 whole
1 large tomato - cut into quarters
1 yellow capsicum - finely diced
1 medium sized red chilli (or small bird's eye) - finely chopped.
1/2 brown onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tabs red wine vinegar
Fresh parsley
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar (if required)

Method
1. Brown onions and garlic in oil until golden.
2. Add tomatoes, chilli and capsicum and stir well - cook for 5 minutes on medium heat or until tomatoes soften.
3. Add red wine vinegar and parsley - place lid on and cook for 1 hour
4. Taste to see if it is requiring seasoning or sugar to sweeten it up
5. Serve

This soup was another of my experiments, when I had a heap of capsicum and tomatoes to get rid of.

Ingredients
1 tab extra virgin olive oil

1 brown onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon ground cumin
3 large capsicums (red, yellow & green if you can)

1 400g tin whole tomatoes
2 truss tomatoes, diced
6 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 litre chicken stock (vego's use veggie stock)

2 large handfuls of rocket (Arugula)

Method1. Brown onion and garlic in olive oil until onion has softened and caramalised

2. Add red wine vinegar and capsicum and stir well

3. Cook for on a medium heat for 5 minutes or until the capsicum has softened

4. Add the cumin and stir well until aromatic

5. Add the tinned and fresh tomatoes and chicken stock and turn up the heat. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer

6. Place lid on the saucepan and simmer on low heat for 1 hour.

7. Prior to serving stir in the rocket

Cooking lamb shanks can take a bit of time, but the investment is totally worth it. If you have a slow cooker, you can leave them to bubble away while you are at work and come home to the house full of the lovely scent of slow-cooked lamb. For me, I prefer to cook them on a chilly Sunday afternoon, when I have the time to let them cook for 7-8 hours. I recently developed this recipe by trial and error, and have managed to shave about 5 hours off by using the method of braising. That's where you sear the meat at a high temp in a pan, sealing all the juices in. Then you add liquids to the pan and cook it at a gentle heat over several hours, to ensure the meat is nice and tender, and super tasty. So as I said, this recipe has been perfected through trial and error, although I do have to attribute the addition of anchovies as a seasoning, to UK chef Nigel Slater. If you are using a glazed oven proof pan, ensure you heat it up gradually and never add cold liquids to a hot pan (like I did with my $300 Chasseur last year). I make sure I heat the stock in the microwave and add the vinegar and port to the warm stock before adding to the pan. Just a tip!

Ingredients
2 medium size lamb shanks
1 tab olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
2 small carrots, washed and roughly chopped (no need to peel)
2-4 anchovy fillets (or however many you want, really)
2 medium sized onions, chopped roughly
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
4 cloves fresh garlic (or minced)
250ml red wine
1 tsp sugar
50ml red wine vinegar
500ml beef stock
50ml port wine

Method
1. Season Lamb Shanks, then brown them in oil, in a heavy-based oven-proof pan over a high heat until golden brown. Remove shanks from the pan and set aside.
2. Add anchovies, celery, carrot, onion, herbs and garlic to the pan, and cook until softed slightly.
3. Add red wine and sugar, and de-glaze the pan (gently dissolving all the bits of lamb stuck to the pan)
4. Continue stirring for a couple of minutes or until the red wine reduces down.
5. Gently lower the shanks back in, and add the vinegar, stock and port.
6. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a gentle heat.
7. Simmer for 2.5 - 3 hours or until meat is falling off the bone.
8. When it's time to serve, carefully scoop out any bits of oil floating on the surface of the sauce with a spoon.
9. Remove the shanks and set aside, and pour the sauce through a fine sieve or muslin cloth.
10. Serve shanks with mashed potato or polenta with green veg and a little of the sauce poured over the top.

I was buying pre-made trail mix, but it was costing almost $7 for 6 x 50g portions, plus I HATE sultanas in trail mix. So I decided to make my own in bulk, and save money in the long run. This recipe should make enough for about 20 snack-size portions.

Ingredients
175 g raw natural cashews
175 g roasted almonds
50g pepitas
50g sunflower seeds
65g dried cranberries
50g dark chocolate chips

Method
Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight container in the pantry.

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