Summer Citrus Fresh Fruit Compot

Ready in a pinch, gorgeous colours, versatile. Like a sunset in a bowl.

Peel and segment pink grapefruit and oranges.

Ensure all pith is removed.

Squeeze the remaining juice out of the skins.

You can cheat and use unsweetened tinned passion fruit or of course use fresh if they’re ripe and in season.

Cut stone fruit in to bite sized slivers – blood plums and nectarines work best.

Sprinkle with pomegranate jewels and garnish with fresh mint.

Serve –

On yoghurt with granola

On pancakes

On pavlova

Between trifle layers

Or

Just enjoy it on its own

Light and fluffy coconut pancakes

1 1/2 cups self raining cake flour

2 tablespoons sugar/ sugar substitute

1 1/4 cups milk

1/4 cup water

1 large egg

4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup coconut – shredded, desiccated, or flaked

Oil spray (I used coconut oil spray)

Sift flour

Whisk together dry ingredients

Whisk in milk, water, egg

Whisk through melted butter and vanilla

Medium heat

Spray pan with oil spray

Use 1/4 cup as a ladle

Flip pancakes when bubbles appear and burst on the surface

Allow to cook through, approx 1 minute

Serve with whatever your heart desires

Chocolate chip cornflake cookies

When you have a craving for something sweet and you’ve got to make do with what’s in the pantry…

125g softened butter (add a pinch of salt if the butter is unsalted)

1/2 cup raw sugar

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk because that’s what was in the fridge)

1 1/4 cups self raising cake flour

200g dark chocolate drops

1 1/2 cups cornflakes

Oil spray (I used coconut oil)

Baking paper

*ice cream scoop

Method.

Preheat fan forced oven to 170c

Line tray with baking paper and lightly spray with oil

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla

Then add the milk

Fold through the flour, then the chocolate chips, then the cornflakes

Use the ice cream scoop to ensure even sized cookies

Roll into a ball and place on the baking paper

Gently press with the palm of your hand to flatten all to the same thickness

Bake until golden – 15 to 20 mins

Allow to stand for 20 mins before transferring to a wire cooling rack (the chocolate is so soft, of you transfer too early, the biscuits will fall apart)

Enjoy.

Tasty warm pasta easy dinner

This is one of those dishes that’s a bit different every time you make it. Quick. Easy. Tasty. Veggies too.

Serves 2

Half a bag/250g of cooked pasta (spirals or shells or anything you like)

Half a 375g tub of ricotta (or cooking cream or cream cheese or sour cream or a combination)

1 cup of cauliflower/broccoli (or spinach, or zucchini or peas or a combination)

1/2 cup Parmesan

4 slices of shortcut bacon – grilled and shredded (or tuna or roasted salmon or smoked salmon or probably pan fried l/rotisserie chicken)

1/3 cup of spring onion (or basil or parsley or a combination)

Fold together, sprinkle with more Parmesan and some salt and pepper. Quick. Easy. Enjoy!

Banana bread (no egg)

INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 cups (375g) self-raising flour

1 cup (85g) desiccated coconut (I prefer to use coconut flakes)

1 cup (250g) brown sugar (I used CSR Low GI raw sugar)

1/2 cup (65g) pecans – roasted and roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 cup (250ml) mashed banana (I used 3 regular bananas)

1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable oil

1 cup (250ml) of smooth natural yoghurt

1/2 cup (125ml) buttermilk (I made my own using full cream milk and 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and left it to sit for 10 mins)

METHOD

Preheat a fan forced oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Line your tin/loaf with baking paper. Then spray with oil – I like to use coconut oil spray.

In a large bowl – mix all the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine evenly.

In a medium bowl – mix all the wet ingredients. Stir well with a fork to combine evenly.

Using a rubber spatula, fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Pour into your prepared tin.

Place in the oven.

Close the oven door.

Reduce to 160 degrees Celsius.

Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. 

Turn off the oven, leave in the closed oven for a further 10-20 mins then remove and leave to cool. You could flip it onto a wire rack to cool, but I honestly didn’t bother.

Serve warm with a generous layer of salted butter.

Veggie bake

I whizzed these all through the food processor with the grating function.

3 potatoes

1 sweet potato

3 zucchini

2 small onions or 1/2 large onion

The fold through –

4 eggs

2 cups self raising flour

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 finely chopped spring onions

Handful of fresh mint

Salt and pepper

Pour into a baking tray lined with baking paper.

Bake at 160c in a fan forced oven until cooked through and golden brown on top.

Leave to cool for at least 20 mins before cutting.

Creamy tuna and veggie pasta bake

1 zucchini – grated

1 head of broccoli / small florets and finely sliced stalks

3 serves of pasta (shells or spirals or macaroni)

125g Philadelphia cheese – from the block, cubed

4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan

185g tin of tuna – drained

200ml sour cream (I used sour lite cream)

1/2 cup ‘pizza cheese’ or 1/4 cup tasty + 1/4 cup mozzarella

1/3 cup cornflake crumbs

Salt and pepper

*optional – 1 or 2 finely sliced spring onion

*you could add a bag of frozen spinach or peas

*you could use bacon as an alternative to tuna

Method

Preheat oven to 160c fan forced

Boil the pasta according to the instructions on the packet in plenty of salty water

3 mins before the end of cooking, add the broccoli

Drain the parsley and broccoli

In a large bowl/pot/dish – mix the pasta, broccoli, zucchini, cream cheese, sour cream, pepper, Parmesan, tuna (and optional spring onion)

Top with the ‘pizza cheese’ and cornflake crumbs

Bake until golden (approx 30-40mins)

Enjoy!