Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick or 115 grams) unsalted butter

1/4 cup (50 grams) light brown sugar

1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 Tablespoons (86 grams) pumpkin puree

1 and 1/2 cups (190 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 cup (90 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Method:

In a medium bowl, whisk the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla and pumpkin until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft.  Fold in 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips. They may not stick to the dough because of the melted butter, but do your best to have them evenly dispersed among the dough. Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes, or up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory.

Take the dough out of the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line two large baking sheets with baking paper.

Roll the dough into balls, about 2 Tablespoons of dough each. Slightly flatten the dough balls because the cookies will only slightly spread in the oven. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and under-baked. Keeping them in the oven for longer may dry them out.  Remove from the oven and press a few more chocolate chips onto the tops, if desired.  If you find that your cookies didn't spread much at all, flatten them out when you take them out of the oven.

Allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring to a wire rack.  The longer the cookies cool, the chewier they will be. Let them sit out for at least 1 hour before enjoying. Their chewiness and pumpkin flavour is improved if you leave them for a day before consuming them. Cookies stay soft, moist, and chewy stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Freezing directions: 

Roll the chilled dough into balls and freeze in a large ziplock bag for up to 2 months.  Baked cookies may also be frozen up to 2 months.

Chocolate Chunk Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 Ripe Bananas
• 1/2 Cup Greek Vanilla Yoghurt
• 1/4 Cup Butter, Softened
• 2 Eggs
• 1 Tbs Vanilla
• 2/3 Cup Packed Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 Tsp Sodium Bicarbonate
• 2 1/2 Cups White Whole Wheat Flour
• 2 Cups Oats
• 1 Cup Oat Bran
• 1/2 tsp salt 
• 1/2-1 Cup Chocolate Chips or Chunks

Method:

Preheat Oven to 180 C.

Line your baking sheets with baking paper.

In a food processor purée the bananas, yoghurt, butter, eggs and vanilla until well combined. In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar, baking soda, white whole wheat flour, oats, oat bran and salt. Combine wet and dry ingredients, stirring until combined but do not over mix.

Drop by scoops - use a small ice cream scoop - onto a baking sheet. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until they are lightly browned. Remove from oven and immediately remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack, allowing to cool.

Makes approximately 32 cookies. Keep in the freezer to retain freshness. Either take out the night before and let thaw or just pop in the microwave for a few seconds to remove their chill. Enjoy!

Meatball Curry

Ingredients:

Meatballs:
1 pound ground beef
1 green serrano chile, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Sea salt

Curry:
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon brown or black mustard seeds
4 shallots, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-inch piece) ginger, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
1 (14-ounce can) full-fat coconut milk
Sea salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh Coriander leaf
2 teaspoons lime juice (about half a lime)

Serving suggestions:
Rice, Indian bread, such as naan or chapatti or spaghetti

Method:
For the meatballs: 
In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, chile, ginger, coriander leaf and 1 teaspoon salt together using your hands until just combined. (Don't mix any more than this or you'll end up with tough meatballs!) 
Make 16 balls like this: divide the mixture in half, and then in half again. Take each quarter and divide it into 4 small portions. Roll each portion between your palms until smooth. Set aside and repeat for all 16 meatballs

For the curry: 
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the coconut oil until nearly smoking. Add the mustard seeds, covering the pan with a lid so you don't get popping seeds all over you.
When the spluttering subsides, add the shallots, garlic and ginger and cook until golden brown. Then add the ground coriander, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir, and cook 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes until they soften.
Add the coconut milk, 1/2 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to boil. Turn down to a simmer and add the meatballs. Simmer until the meatballs are cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
To finish, add the cilantro and lime juice. Shake the pan gently to mix them in, and then taste for seasoning. Serve over rice, with Indian bread (naan or chapati) or over spaghetti!

Caprese Salad with Roasted Mango Dressing

Ingredients:1 green (unripe) mango
2 tablespoons minced fresh coriander leaf, plus extra picked leaves for garnish
2 quarter-size coins peeled fresh ginger
1/2 Fresno chilli (or 1 jalapeno pepper), seeded if desired, and chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
4 assorted heirloom or vine-ripened red tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1 ball fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices (or 1 package mozzarella medallions)
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Method:Preheat the oven to 220 C.
Wrap the mango in aluminium foil, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast it for 1 hour, rotating halfway through. The mango should be soft. Remove the foil and let it cool.
When the mango is cool enough to handle with your hands, slice off the cheeks and scoop the flesh into a small food processor or blender. Repeat with the remaining mango, scooping as much flesh off as possible. Add the minced coriander, ginger, chilli, cumin, vinegar, olive oil and honey or maple syrup. Blend until smooth and add a little water if the dressing is too thick.
Arrange the tomatoes and mozzarella on a platter and season them with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of the mango dressing and a little extra olive oil. Top with some picked fresh coriander leaves and it's ready to serve.

Cinnamon Apple Pie Bread

Ingredients:

80ml light brown sugar

5ml ground cinnamon

160ml white sugar

125g butter, softened

2 eggs

7.5ml vanilla extract

375ml flour

10ml baking powder

125ml milk

1 apple - Granny Smith are good - peeled and chopped

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180˚C

Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl and set aside.

Beat together the butter and white sugar in a bowl using an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. 

Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated.

Add the vanilla and stir until well mixed.

Combine flour and baking powder in another bowl. Stir in the creamed butter mixture. Mix the milk into the batter until it is silky smooth.

Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top this batter layer with half the apples and half the sugar and cinnamon mixture. Lightly push the apples into the batter.

Pour the remaining batter over the apple layer and top with the remaining apples and cinnamon sugar. Lightly push the apples into the batter, swirling the cinnamon sugar through the apples using a clean finger.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. If you notice the top of the loaf getting too brown, cover loosely with tin foil and continue baking until the inside of the loaf is done. 

Ginger Snap Cookies

Ingredients:
200g butter
250ml brown sugar
1 egg
200ml molasses
750ml flour
2.5ml slat
10ml bicarbonate of soda
2.5ml ground cloves
5ml ginger
5ml cinnamon
+/_ 125ml extra sugar

Makes 6-7 dozen biscuits.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180°C
Beat the butter until creamy. 
Add the brown sugar, egg and molasses.
Mix together the dry ingredients and add to he sugar mixture. Blend together by folding in with a rubber spatula.
Cover and chill the dough.
Shape into balls of about 1 inch in diameter and roll each ball in granulated sugar.
Place balls 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. Slightly flatten each ball with the bottom of a glass, which has been greased with a bit of butter and dipped in sugar. This keeps the dough from sticking to the glass.
Bake for about 10-11 minutes.
Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before removing, baking paper and all, to a cooling rack.

Cook's Tip

Use a glass with a crystal pattern on the base 

to give a pretty design on the top of the cookies.

Cheese, Pineapple and Cucumber Salad Mould

Ingredients:
1 Green Jelly (Lime or Greengage)
20ml powdered Gelatin
250ml boiling water
125ml cold water
1 Large English cucumber or 2 small cucumbers, grated
1 small onion, chopped
180-200ml grated Cheddar cheese
125ml chopped pineapple
50ml vinegar
30ml mayonnaise

Method:
Melt your jelly in the boiling water with the extra gelatin. Add cold water; stir and allow to cool.
Place your cucumber and onion in a sieve and allow the moisture from them to drain away as much as possible.
When the jelly mixture has cooled, add the cheese, pineapple, vinegar, mayonnaise, cucumber and onion.
Mix and pour into a wet mould and place in the refrigerator to set.
Unmould and decorate as you like.