Spiced Sweet Potato, Coconut and Tofu Tarts
1 250G Block soft tofu
11/2 cups almond meal
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup sweet potato cooked peeled and mashed
1/2 cup palm sugar
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. all spice
Method
- Combine all ingredients in food processor
- Blend until combined and pour into prepared pastry cases
- Bake in a moderate oven until golden brown approx. 15 – 20 min
- Serve with a ginger + cardamom syrup of 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup water, 2 tblsp grated ginger, 2 cardamom pods melt sugar and water over low heat, add ginger and cardamom and continue to simmer until syrup in consistency.
Organic Swiss Chard, Pear and Raisin Tart
Makes a 23cm/9in flan tin
1 quantity of sweet pastry
100g organic raisins
2 tblsp or dark rum or your favorite liqueur
900g Organic Swiss chard
50g pine nuts
75g organic sugar opt
3 pears peeled and cored
3 tblsp soy cream cheese
grated zest of 2 oranges
2 organic eggs beaten
Method
- Soak raisins in the rum for approx. 15-min. Place raisins into a saucepan and simmer gently until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Steam the chard, leaves only and roughly chop.
- Place chard in a bowl with the raisins and all the other ingredients
- Mix well and spread onto the tart base cover the top with another layer of pastry with a few cuts into the top.
- Bake for 45 min until golden brown. Allow to cool, dust with icing sugar and serve with fresh double cream.
Beetroot and Macadamia Brownies
200g unsalted butter
300g dark chocolate
3 organic eggs
250g organic sugar
120g Beetroot, cooked and pureed
150g macadamia nuts chopped
90g plain flour
Method
- Pre heat oven to 190c
- Melt butter and chocolate in a bowl over simmering water insuring that the bowl does not touch the water.
- Place eggs and sugar into mixing bowl and beat until light and creamy
- Stir in the butter and chocolate mixture
- Add the Beetroot puree macadamia nuts and fold in the flour.
- Pour the mix into a well greased buttered tin 11 * 7 inch
- Bake for 25-30 min remove from the oven and allow to cool
- Cut into squares and serve with cream or ice cream.
Chocolate Adzuki Tart
Pastry
3 Cups Spelt Flour
1/3 cup rice flour
2 tsp. Palm Sugar
200ml Oil
100ml Orange Juice
50ml Water
Adzuki Bean Filling
1 kg soaked cooked Adzuki beans
150ml Orange juice
3 tsp. Dark, good quality Cocoa
5 tsp. Palm Sugar
1 tsp. Agar agar
120ml Water
For the pastry:
Combine all the ingredients in a food processor until a soft pliable pastry is formed. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate until firm approx. 1/2 hour.
Roll pastry out and press into an oiled tart shell and blind bake at 160-180c until golden brown. Allow to cool.
For the filling:
Combine the beans, cocoa, orange juice and palm sugar in a food processor and blend until very smooth and chocolate looking. Combine the agar with the warmed water and blend with the chocolate bean mix. Pour into the cooled tart base and refrigerate to set approx. 1 hr.
Vegan Lemon Curd with Star Anise & Orange Sauce
The flavours in this recipe can be changed by substituting the lemon juice for orange, mandarin, passionfruit, grapefruit, berries or any other flavours of fruit that are in season.
3 lemons juiced and zested (approx. 1/4 cup)
80g Palm sugar
20g (2tsp) Tapioca Flour
Water
250g silken tofu
50ml oil
1 tsp. Agar agar
150ml Water
Dissolve the palm sugar with the lemon juice and water and thicken with the tapioca flour. Blend the silken tofu, lemon zest and oil until smooth and add to the palm sugar mix.
Dissolve the agar agar with the 150ml of warmed water and add to the rest of the mix.
Combine well and pour into greased moulds, tart bases and allow setting in the refrigerator until slightly firm to touch.
Orange and Star Anise Sauce
2 Oranges juiced
1 Lemon Juiced
1 star Anise
1 Stick of cinnamon
1 tsp tapioca flour
Combine orange juice, star anise, cinnamon and lemon juice in a pan and bring to a slight simmer allowing the spices to infuse with the juice. Stir in the tapioca flour until combined and the sauce is of a smooth consistency.
Muffins
This is a basic recipe for savory muffins that you can change by adding different flavourings. Other combination’s which work are: Olive, sun dried tomato and feta cheese, pumpkin and pesto or spinach, feta and pine nut
250 gm flour
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
pinch of nutmeg
1 egg
¼ cup oil
½-3/4 cup milk
1 red onion finely chopped
1 bunch spinach or warrigal greens washed, blanched and chopped
120 gm feta cheese cut into small pieces
Optional- Dorrigo pepper
Preheat oven to 180*
Grease muffin tins or use large muffin paper cases.
Sift together the first 4 ingredients. Heat oil in saucepan, add onions and fry for a few minutes until soft. Place in bowl with spinach and feta and the dry ingredients – Mix egg and milk then combine with rest of ingredients – adding more milk as necessary but being careful not to over mix.
Spoon mixture into muffin tins and bake for about 20 minutes. The muffins are ready when a knife inserted comes out clean.
Chocolate, Macadamia and Lemon Myrtle Cookies
125 gm butter softened
130 gm brown sugar
1 egg
140 gm spelt flour
½ tsp baking soda
Pinch salt
120 gm chocolate chunks
½ cup roughly chopped macadamia nuts
¼ cup rolled oats
1 tsp ground lemon myrtle
Heat the oven to 170. °C
Cream the butter and sugar very well and add the egg.
Mix together the dry ingredients and add to butter mixture. Add chocolate and nuts.
Place heaped teaspoonfuls of mixture onto lined trays and press down with fork. Bake 15 minutes until the cookie are golden brown. Leave to cool on tray.
Polenta and Peach Cake
This dairy free cake can be made with a variety of fruit depending on the season – I have made it with apple and blueberries, rhubarb, Davidson Plums and most stonefruit.
4 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
250 ml olive oil
250 ml white wine
2 cups spelt flour
3/4 cup ground almonds
¾ cup polenta
2 tsp baking powder
8-10 pears
TOPPING
1 cup sugar
½ cup water
8 peaches
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Set the oven to 180. Line the base of a 20cm spring form cake tin with baking paper and sprinkle with 3 tablespoons of brown sugar. Cut the fruit in half, peel if necessary and core. Arrange the fruit on the sugar.
Beat the eggs and sugar for a few minutes then add the oil and wine and beat for another few minutes. Sift the flour, polenta and baking powder add with the almond meal and mix until combined. Pour batter onto fruit and bake for about 1 hour until skewer comes out clean.
To make topping, bring sugar and water to the boil, once dissolved keep on a vigorous boil but don’t stir. Cook until syrup turns a caramel colour then and peach halves and cook for another 2 minutes and add lemon juice and zest. Simmer until fruit is tender.
Pour onto cooled cake.
Flourless Chocolate Cake
250g chocolate
2 tbsp brandy
¼ cup strong black coffee
200gm butter
200gm brown sugar
200gm ground almond
6 eggs separated
Combine chocolate, brandy, butter and coffee in stainless steel bowl over pot pf boiling water. Stir when melted then add egg yolks and sugar. Beat until well combined then stir in the almonds. Beat egg whites until stiff. Stir a spoonful of whites into chocolate mix to lighten it then gently fold in the rest and turn into paper lined 20cm round tin.
Bake at 160 for 60-90 minutes.
Leave to cool completely before cooling out.
Dust with icing sugar before serving.
Date Slice
750 gms dates/sultanas etc.
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup spelt flour
1 cup coconut
250 gms butter
250 gms honey
Combine fruit and cover with water. Cook slowly until all water is absorbed, set aside. Melt butter with honey. Mix dry ingredients, add honey / butter mixture and stir until well combined. Place a layer of oats mixture in greased baking dish. Cover with a thick layer of fruit mixture. Place remainder of oats mixture on top, press down firmly.
Bake at 180 for 1/2 an hour or until golden brown. Serve with yoghurt or cream.
