Prawn curry
Ingredients
1 tin carnation coconut milk (400ml)
½ tsp tamarind concentrate paste
½ tsp mustard seeds
16 curry leaves
2 med onions finely sliced
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
3 cloves garlic
2 green chillies cut these lengthways
½ dried chilli finely chopped (to taste)
½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp coriander powder
2 spring onion chopped
4 chopped tomatoes
2 red capsicums finely sliced
100ml hot or boiling water
Pinch of salt
400g uncooked prawns peeled
Method
Add a little oil to a pan, add the mustard seeds and heat till they begin to pop. Add the curry leaves and the onions, cook till the onions soften.
Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies, cook for about 2 mins. Then add the red chilli, turmeric, coriander, and cumin powder, spring onions with about 2 Tbsp of water to prevent the spices sticking. Cook for a further 2 mins.
Add the chopped tomatoes, capsicums, water, tamarind, simmer gently for a few minutes until the tomatoes have broken down.
Add the prawns and coconut milk, simmer until the prawns have cooked – about 2-3 minutes.
Serve with brown or white rice.
Chocolate Christmas Tree
Ingredients
2 cups mix raw nuts
500g dark chocolate retain about 80g for later
1 whole almond
Method
Mark on grease proof paper a series of 9 crosses with the measurements of 7cm, 8cm, 10cm, 11cm, 13cm, 15cm, 16cm, 17cm, and 18cm.
Gently toast the nuts by swirling around in a large dry pan over heat. Take care not to burn them. Roughly chop the nuts and set aside.
Slowly melt the 420g of chocolate over a double boiler, keeping the bowl containing the chocolate out of the water.
Once melted add the nuts and stir through.
Spread the chocolate mix over the premade crosses to form the branches of the tree. Chill in the fridge. This is necessary in the hot summer heat or the chocolate branches will not be strong enough.
Melt the remaining 80g chocolate and carefully peel each branch off the grease proof paper. Stack the branches together, cementing each together with a blob of the remaining melted chocolate. Begin with the largest as the base and work up to the smallest at the top of the tree. Place each cross at a slightly different angle to the previous to create a full looking tree.
If the branches droop a little with the warm chocolate added you may need to support them. Crumple up a handy towel or the grease proof paper and prop up the branches if necessary until the chocolate cools again.
Cover the last almond in melted chocolate and place on the top of the tree.
Refrigerate.
Dust with icing sugar prior to serving.
Serve with coffee or as a dessert. This makes a great centrepiece – where people can break the branches off as they wish.
This can be made ahead of time and the chocolate crosses stored until ready to cement together on the day.
My Mum’s Muesli
In large microwavable bowl put:
2Tbsp honey (manuka for a stronger flavour)
1/4c oil (not olive) rice bran, grape seed, canola
1/4c brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1tsp vanilla
Microwave 30secs till honey melted
Add and mix:
6c rolled oats (or rolled barley, rolled rye)
1/2c of whatever you fancy making 4c in total – sliced almonds, sesame seeds, linseeds crushed and whole, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, bran, chopped cashews, coconut, walnuts, pine nuts etc
Microwave 6 times of 2 minutes stirring between each 2 minutes.
Add some dried fruit (cranberries, apple, raisins, gogi berries etc) at last microwave.
This can also be done in the oven under the grill. Just make sure you stir often to prevent it burning.
Cool and store in airtight container
Honey and Ginger Salmon
Serves 1-2. Prep 15min. Cooking 15min
Marinade ingredients
1 large Tbsp melted honey
2 Tbsp Tamari soy sauce or reduced salt soy sauce
Juice of half an orange
1 heaped tsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 clove garlic finely chopped
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion
1-2 pieces of fresh salmon steak – with the bones removed
Method
Place 1-2 pieces of fresh salmon in a bowl or bag with the marinade and leave for 15-30 minutes. Gently turn the bag or spoon the marinade over the salmon occasionally.
Remove the salmon from the marinade and place skin side down, on a non stick oven tray, cover with tin foil and grill for approx 10 minutes. Remove the tin foil and grill for a further 5 minutes to allow to brown slightly. (Cook 10-15min per 2.5cm thickness of salmon)
Place the remaining marinade in a pot and simmer gently for about 5 minutes until it just thickens slightly.
Serve on a bed of brown rice with steamed green veges. Pour the marinade over the salmon and rice.
Spinach and Smoked Salmon Crepes
Ingredients
Crepes
250g flour
4 eggs
250ml milk
250ml water
Pinch salt
2 Tbsp oil
1 Tbsp sugar
1 large bag of spinach
Smoked salmon
Dressing
6 Tbsp plain unsweetened yoghurt
Juice of half a lemon
Zest of lemon
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
Method
Crepes
Rinse and cook the spinach in a large pot of water until it becomes soft and wilted. Rinse with cool water, drain and squeeze out excess water.
In a large mixing bowl put the flour, eggs, milk, water, salt, oil, and sugar. Blend well until very smooth.
Add the cooked spinach and blend again until the mix is smooth.
Over a medium heat use a non stick pan or a little oil in a griddle or pan. Ladle or pour approximately ½ cup of the mix into the pan. Swirl the pan in a circular motion until the base is covered evenly.
Cook for approximately 2 minutes until the base begins to become slightly browned. Loosen with a spatula and turn the crepe over to cook the other side.
Putting the crepes together
Lay the smoked salmon across ½ of the crepe. (For a less intense salmon flavour lay the salmon over just ¼ of the crepe prior to folding). Fold the crepe in half, and then fold again until it is in quarters.
Microwave for about 2 mins until warm. Serve immediately with the dressing.
Dressing
Mix together the yoghurt, lemon, lemon zest and dill. Set aside in the fridge until ready for use.
These can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge in an air tight container. Microwave until warm when you are ready to use them.
