It’s like a burst of summer in every bite!

Ingredients:

Pastry:

125 g (4 oz) butter
1/2 cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 1/2 cup plain (all purpose) flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt

Filling:

4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1/3 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
1 1 /2 cup (12 fl oz) cream
160 ml (5 1/2 fl oz) coconut milk
juice and zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup (4 fl oz) passionfruit pulp

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C (350F). To make the pastry, place butter and sugar in a bowl and beat until light and creamy. Add egg and vanilla essence and beat well.

2. Add sifted flour, baking powder and salt, and stir until combined and the mixture forms a sticky dough. Flour hands and press pastry evenly into the base of a greased and baking paper-lined 23 x 23 cm (9 x 9 in) tin*. Bake pastry base in the oven for 15 minutes.

3. To make filling, place eggs and sugar in a bowl and whisk until pale. Add coconut, flour, cream, coconut milk, lemon juice, zest and passionfruit pulp, and stir to combine.

4. Pour filling over pastry base in the tin. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely in the tin.

5. When cool, slice into squares. Makes 20 squares.

* I didn’t have a tin that size, so I just pressed the dough up the sides of a rectangular one.

To gather provisions for a picnic in the palace grounds, we made a stop at market place where there were a wide variety of shops full of scrumscious food. I could not walk past this bakery without grabbing a pastry (or three). Forgive me for not taking note of the name of the bakery, but honestly there are millions of them all over the city.

This is only a small view of the shop, as it was a bit difficult to take photos further inside as it was so crowded!

This is a modified recipe from Sanitarium’s wonderful free cookbook, Food For Health and Happiness, which arrived in my letterbox yesterday. Giving away easy, healthy and delicious recipes in a cute cookbook – what a great company!

Ingredients

• 2 slices of grainy bread
• 2 x 400g cans of cooked lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 carrot, coarsely grated
• 1 spring onion, finely sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 4 tablespoons tomato paste
• 7 sheets filo pastry
• Olive oil for lightly spraying pastry
• 2 tsp poppy seeds

Method

1.  Combine the lentils, carrot, spring onion, walnuts, tomato paste and chives in a large bowl.

2.  Process the bread, walnuts and egg in a blender until it resembles a thick paste. Stir this mixture in with the lentils and other ingredients until it is well combined.

3.  Remove one sheet of filo pastry and cover the remaining sheets with a damp tea towel. Lightly brush or spray with olive oil. Cut sheet in half lengthwise and then turn so that both short ends of the two strips face you.

4.  Place about 3 tbs. of mixture on each edge closest to you, about 5cm from the edge and 1/2 cm from the sides. Even it out so the filling is about 3cm wide. Fold pastry over filling and then roll up. Do this for both strips of pastry. Place on a prepared tray and brush with olive oil. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry.

5.  Sprinkle over poppy seeds and bake for 25 minutes until pastry is light brown.

Makes 14 rolls

(the other three rolls were in the oven)

A very straight-forward, delicious and healthy dinner for one.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup couscous
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 2 tsp Moroccan/Middle Eastern spices (or you can use a combination of your favourite spices such as cumin, ground coriander etc)
• 2 tbs chopped parsley
• 3 cherry tomatoes, cut into halves.
• Handful of finely sliced fennel and white/spring onion
• 1 snapper fillet, washed and dried with a paper towel

Method:

1.       Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees C.

2.       Place couscous, lemon zest and spices in a small heatproof bowl and pour over boiled from the kettle; enough to cover the couscous by about a centimetre. Cover tightly with a heatproof lid or plastic wrap and set aside for 7-10 minutes.

3.       After this time, fluff up the couscous using a fork and stir in parsley and tomato halves. Season with salt and pepper.

4.       Tear off a piece each of tin foil and baking paper of roughly the same size (big enough to place the piece of fish and couscous on with space left around the edges to wrap up). Place the baking paper on top of the foil.

5.       Make a bed of the couscous and tomato mix. Scatter the onion and fennel on top, and place the fish on top. Season with salt and pepper, squeeze over lemon juice and give the fish a drizzle of olive oil.

6.       Enclose the fish in the baking paper and foil and seal well by folding the edges. Make sure you leave some air space in the parcel – they should be secure but not wrapped tightly.

7.       Place the parcel on a baking tray and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes (depending on how thick the fish is). Cut the fish at the thickest part to check it is cooked all the way through, before serving with potatoes and salad.

* Adapted from a recipe from The Weekend Australian magazine.

Using ground almonds instead of flour in this cake makes the texture heavenly.

Ingredients:

• 2 whole organic navel/valencia oranges. Remove seeds after steaming.
• 6 free-range eggs
• 250g ground almonds
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tbs plain flour

Method:

1. Steam oranges for 20 minutes.

2. Place oranges + 6 eggs in a processor and process until thick and frothy.

3.  Add baking powder + sugar. Process until smooth.

4. Combine almonds in mixture and mix gently. Add the flour next.

5. Pour the mixture into a 26 cm. round tin, which has grease-proof paper on the bottom and buttered sides.

6. Bake at 180 degrees C. for 20 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160 degrees C. and bake for a further 45 minutes, or until it comes away from the sides of the tin.

6. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Afterwards, dust with icing sugar if desired.

A nutritious, filling and easy one-pan meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

Ingredients:

• About 3/4 cup of chopped vegetables (you can use anything, really – I used mushrooms, fresh and sundried tomatoes, spinach and spring onion)
• Olive oil
• 3 eggs
• Salt and pepper
• Chopped parsely or chives
• Fetta or parmesan cheese, to sprinkle on top

Method:

1. Place a pan on medium to high heat on your stovetop and add a splash of olive oil.

2. Add the vegetables and cook for around 3 minutes, stirring to make sure they cook evenly.

3. Whisk the eggs well, and add seasoning and herbs.

4. Pour the eggs over the vegetables in the pan, turn down the heat on the stove and place the pan back for a couple of minutes, or until the eggs are beginning to set.

5. Top the fritatta with cheese and place in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until eggs are cooked through.

6. Slice the fritatta into wedges and serve with toast and salad.

I made these delicious, chewey cookies with the sister yeterday. They are very morish, so beware!

The only couple of modifications I would make the next time I bake them would be to reduce the butter to 125g (I found the mixture was quite oily) and reduce the sugar to 1/2 or 1/3 cup, as the white chocolates adds a lot of sweetness. Still, they are extremely yummy!

Original recipe: http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Cranberry-and-White-Chocolate-Cookies-L3311.html

Brighten your day with this vibrant, crimson dip.

Ingredients:

• 4 beetroot
• A good squeeze of lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 T balsamic vinegar
• A handful of chopped chives (optional)

Method:

1. Wash and peel beetroot, then slice into small chunks. Be aware that the juice stains your hands, so give them a thorough wash afterwards!

2. Put beetroot in a baking dish, coat in a couple of teaspoons of olive oil and add seasoning. Place in a 200 * C oven for around 40 minutes, or until soft when tested with a fork.

3. Cool on a wire rack, then transfer the beetrooot chunks into a food processor. Add lemon juice, grated garlic, chives and balsamic vinegar. As you process, add a few tablespoons each of olive oil and water – enough to reach a smooth, spreadable consistency.

4. Spread onto toasted sourdough bread, crackers or roast vegetables.

Makes about 1 3/4 cup.

A healthy banana bread that toasts beautifully, which will provide you with many mornings of breakfasty enjoyment.

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups mashed banana (3 large bananas)
• 2 dashes of ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Splash of rum
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/2 cup white flour
• 1/2 oat bran
• 2 tsp baking soda 
• 1/2 cup chopped walnut

Method:

Mash bananas in a large bowl using a fork and stir in cinnamon.

Stir in rum, eggs, oil and sugar until well combined.

Add in baking soda, flours and oat bran and use a spatular to stir through well. Lastly, mix in walnuts.

Pour the thick batter into a rectangular cake tin and place in a preheated 180*C oven for 50 minutes, or until cooked through when tested with a skewer.

Cool on a wire rack.

Slice and serve with honey and butter if desired.

Or, for an afternoon treat and if you’re feeling particularly naughty, make some chocolate ganash and spread on top, along with some dried banana chips :P

A wonderfully moist, zesty cake to bake on a relaxed Sunday morning.

Ingredients

• 125g butter
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 T grated lemon rind
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 1/2 cups self-raising flour
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup lemon juice

Method

Cream butter, sugar and lemon zest in an electric mixer.

Add eggs and beat well until combined.

Fold through sour cream, SR flour and lemon juice.

Pour into a  greased and lined cake tin (square 20cm/8 inch recommended) and place in a preheated 180*C (350*F) oven for 40 minutes or until cake is cooked when tested with a skewer.

Place cake on a wire rack to cool. Finish with a dusting of icing sugar and serve with cream or yoghurt if desired.

Serves 8-10

From Dining by Donna Hay (part of the Marie Claire series)