Recipes

Make good food exciting!

mouth-watering salads
Salads can be healthy or unhealthy, exciting or boring. It all depends what you put in them and how they are presented! Here are my guidelines for an exciting salad every time: Forget the old lettuce, cucumber and tomato and add a variety of ingredients to each salad. Include any combination of the following:

greens (lettuce, Rocket, chopped baby spinach etc)
nuts (walnuts my favourite)
spiralized courgette or carrot (Preferably purple)
Beans
Fruit ( love figs in season, apple, pear or orange)
shredded cabbage (red or green)
Snow peas, Broccolini or green beans raw or blanched lightly
roasted mushrooms and Avocado in season
Cucumber chunks (I prefer the sweet, smaller Lebanese ones)
Multi-coloured small or chopped tomatoes
A hand full of pretty edible flowers on top (I use Violas, Calendula, Borage, Geranium, Nasturtiums)
A sprinkle of seeds over all (I like Pumpkin, Sunflower, Nigella and Sesame seeds)
For those who like heat (and good gut bacteria), a spoonful of Kimchi on the top.

Once you have a plateful of colours and shapes, add a garnish of salmon, feta cheese, egg or tofu (not ham or processed meats please)! Serve with chunks of Sourdough or whole grain and seed bread (Gluten free if you are sensitive) and olive / Flax seed /Avocado oil

Easy...have a look at some of these that I prepared earlier (and ate)!

dreamy desserts

Easy Brain-Healthy Pumpkin Pie with
Chocolate and Walnuts

I created this healthier than normal version of Pumpkin Pie to enter a competition at the Matakana Market. It came second...but the main point is that this is a dessert that is easy to make and good for your brain! The walnuts and chocolate are well known for brain healthy. It has no refined sugar and uses Filo pastry rather than the richer short crust. Try it!

Ingredients

1k roasted pumpkin (bake until soft and caramelised then cool and remove skin)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (+ an extra ½ tsp for basting the pastry)
1 tsp ground ginger (I used fresh but powdered is fine)¼ tsp ground nutmeg
3 large eggs
1 tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt (optional – I find a bit works well with chocolate)
7 tbsps. coconut cream
1 packet filo pastry
¼ cup maple syrup (or less to taste)
300 grams 70%+ dark chocolate grated or chopped into small pieces.
5 tbsps. butter or oil melted with ¼ tsp cinnamon
100 grams chopped walnuts plus some whole for decorating
Chocolate shavings for decorating (do these yourself using a block and a potato peeler)

How to make it

Put all ingredients in a large food processor and process until smooth (or do in two batches)
Cool this mixture in the fridge. This can be made the day before…it must be cold.
Heat oven to 200C
Put a tray in the oven to heat while making the tart (the pie will sit on this in the oven)
Line a pie tin with paper and brush with a mix of butter or oil and cinnamon
On a board or work surface, brush 5 sheets of phyllo with butter mix. Transfer thesein one piece to the tin, leaving the edges hanging over the sides
Do another 5 sheets and place them crossways over the first sheets.
Fold the overhanging pastry edges into the pie to become the rustic crust.
Pour the cooled mix into the pastry.
Bake on the preheated sheet for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 150C and bake for about 30 minutes. Cool and serve decorated with walnuts and shaved chocolate. This pie is also nice warmed up with yogurt, ice cream or cream (yogurt = more brain friendly)!

Enjoy!

double chocolate cake with walnuts and strawberries

A delicious cake that has a number of brain enhancing foods in it. Chocolate, walnuts, strawberries. Be sure to use top quality chocolate with no sugar. The small amount of added raw or coconut sugar will sweeten it. This can easily substitute for the traditional fruit cake below.

Cake:

Preheat oven to 170°C/150°C fan-forced. Grease a 6cm-deep, 20cm (base) round cake pan. Line base and side with baking paper.
Combine chocolate and oil in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until melted. Set aside to cool slightly.
Place egg yolks and sugar in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until thick and creamy. Add chocolate mixture. Beat to combine. Add walnut and almond meal with the coffee. Stir.
Place egg whites in a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until soft peaks form. Using a metal spoon, stir one-third of egg whites into chocolate mixture. Gently fold remaining egg white and vanilla essence through the chocolate mixture.
Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted into the centre has moist crumbs clinging. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool.

Topping:
Place chocolate and coconut cream in a saucepan over low heat. Cook stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until smooth. Spread over top and side of cake. Stand for 10 minutes or until icing has set. Decorate with strawberries

Ingredients

Cake

250g dark chocolate, chopped
150g coconut oil, melted
6 eggs, separated
½ cup coconut or raw sugar
1 ½ cups Walnut meal
½ cup almond meal
Pinch of baking powder
Tsp vanilla essence
Tbsp hot coffee
Strawberries to serve

Topping

300g dark chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup coconut cream

Easy to make, tasy to eat. Soak oats in the fridge over night and spare coconut oats can be kept in thr fridge for a few days. Make a big batch!
I often make this with Blueberries rather than strawberries. Frozen ones are fine. This can be served hot in winter - but in summer I make it the day before and serve it cold.

Soak oats in water with salt overnight if possible
Heat oats and water - low heat, stirring regularly - 20 mins
Add the coconut cream and coconut
Keep stirring for another 10 mins
Serve in bowls topped with Banana, strawberries and walnuts
Serve the coconut cream in a jug for pouring over the oats

For an even more tasty breakfast - pop in a few squares of dark sugarless chocolate to create chocolate porridge - as featured in 'The Village Cookbook' an iconic community cookbook from Matakana, NZ

creamy coconut oats with walnuts and strawberries

My favourite breakfast - and so good for the brain with oats, walnuts, bananas and strawberries. This serves 4

Ingredients
2 cups unrefined oats
2 cups water
1 cup coconut cream
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1 banana
1 cup walnuts
handful of strawberries
Tbsp pumpkin seeds
pinch salt
Extra cocunut cream for serving

A few squares of 70% dark chocolate for an extra punch!

gluten, dairy and sugar free fruit cake

This is a rich, fruity cake that can be laced with Brandy if you like that sort of thing (I do)! The icing is to make it look pretty - but not for eating! If you like, you can serve it topped with nuts rather than icing.

Ingredients:
Cake:
600 g mixed dried fruit
Brandy or orange juice for soaking
1tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 eggs
3 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil (melted)
Zest of an orange
200 g ground almonds
50 g walnut pieces

Topping
Replace icing with nuts if you want to stay sugar free!

This cake will keep for a few months in an airtight tin. In fact, if you use brandy, it will improve in flavour over a few months.
I like to make it at least a month before Christmas.

Soak fruit for at least 24 hours in brandy or orange juice. Fruit will soak up all of the liquid
Pre-heat oven to 150C -use a 20cm round cake tin
Beat eggs with oil and extract
Add all the other ingredients
Pour batter into the cake tin lined with paper
Bake for 90 mins in a fan oven
Cover the top with baking paper for the last 30 mins
Test with a skewer - if not clean bake more
Leave to cool in the tin and turn onto a rack
Decorate when cold

gravlax

We have Gravlax every Christmas - it lasts for days and is very versatile. It tastes like a softer version of smoked salmon. The 'cure' cooks the fish so it isn't raw.

Ingredients

Fresh salmon (two identical fillets)

Rough rock or sea salt
Raw or coconut sugar

About the same amount of salt and sugar. This will be wiped off before eating!

Handful of dill
Grain mustard

A good brain friendly starter or lunch with salad.
Easy to make.

Pin bone the fillets
Prepare a dish or tin with a mixture of salt and sugar on the base
Lay one of the fillets skin down. Then layer more of the mixture on top and place the other fillet onto it with skin up
Pile more of the mix over the whole fish and cover with cling film
Put it in the fridge with a heavy weight on top (I use a book)
Baste with the juices twice a day fro two days (there will be a lot of juice)
Remove the salmon and wipe the salt/sugar mix off and slice

Note you can leave the fish in longer - and it will get harder up to about 5 days. The Gravadlax will keep in the fridge for another week.

Christmas Specials

Filo Christmas Mince rolls
Ingredients
1 Pack of Filo Pastry
A jar of Xmas mince
Glass of warm water with 1 tbsp. Maple syrup

I make my own mince but you needn't do this!
See the recipe below if you want to...
Method
Take a sheet of pastry and brush it lightly with water
Put a spoonful of mince in the middle
Fold the pastry in from each side and then roll
Repeat the process until all the pastry and mince is used up

Easy home made Xmas mince

100gms raisins
100 gms currants
10 finely chopped dates
100 gms sultanas
50 gms mixed peel
100 gms almond meal
50 gms of slivered almonds
2 tsp each of cinnamon, and nutmeg
1 can of apples (or two sweet, whole fruit peeled and grated)
Juice of ½ lemon
1 cup of brandy, rum or orange juice

Mix all together and bottle. Leave for at least two days. Can last for up to a year if the bottles are sterilised and filled to the top.

brain / gut health

(Pro-biotic) Kingfisher Cottage Kimchi

Fermented foods are great for maintaining and building the right gut bacteria. They can be expensive to buy, but they are relatively easy to make. To me, Kimchi is a more varied and interesting (and spicy) version of Sauerkraut.

There are many variations of this Korean recipe for fermented vegetables. The process is the same. Cabbage is a normal base for any other veg you might have (I use broccoli, green beans, kale, beetroot and beetroot greens etc.). Korean families eat this at every meal – I have it every day. Eat with rice dishes, pastas, salads – virtually everything! Along with Kefir, this food has been shown to encourage better gut bacteria and long term mental and physical health. Here is the basic recipe:

Ingredients
1 whole cabbage
1 whole Daikon radish (those large, white ones)
4 spring onions
I tbsp coconut sugar
Paste
Thumb size piece of ginger, turmeric and 4 cloves of garlic
Chili flakes to taste – I use about a teaspoon
3 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1 tablespoon of cornflour
¼ cup of Kosher or Sea salt (not treated with iodine which prevents fermentation)
Water to cover the cabbage (filtered – chemicals in tap water may kill the good as well as bad bacterial growth)

Method

Stage 1 prepare the cabbage

Use a large food safe bucket
Chop the cabbage into pieces and remove the core
Use gloves to massage the salt into the cabbage then cover with water
Put a plate with a weight on it for 1-2 hours until it is soft and dangerous bacteria killed
Wash cabbage three times but retain some of the brine
Drain for about 20 minutes

Stage 2 make the paste

Combine garlic, turmeric, ginger and chili
Mix the fish sauce with the cornflour into a paste and the add the combined spices above

Stage 3 add the other veg and paste

Trim other veg – radish, spring onions in this case (other veg can also be added here, but reduce the amount of cabbage to compensate or there won’t be enough sauce!
Toss all the vegetables together in the bucket with the cabbage and the sauce. Mix by hand – use gloves for this. Mix thoroughly

Stage 4 bottle

Pack the kimchi into large jars (I recycle old yogurt jars)
Top up each jar where necessary with some of the left-over brine
Make sure the veg is covered but leave about an inch gap to allow for fermentation
Stand at room temperature for up to 5 days where it will ferment. Bubbles and overflow are normal – make sure the jars are on a tray!
Check daily and push the veg down below the brine. Put into the fridge when you like the taste.
This can be eaten straight away or kept in the fridge for another week or two to fully mature. It should last for up to 3 months after that as long as the liquid covers the contents. If not, just top up with some more brine

NB I am not too fussy about exact ingredients or measurements. This is a forgiving recipe! I find it best to get a feel for your own preferred taste as long as the basic rules are followed. If a white mould grows on the top – simply scrape it off and make sure the cabbage has brine covering it (this stops the mould).
ere to edit.