If you own a lemon tree, you know when the lemons are ripe, there are usually more than you can cope with. Freezing the rind and juice separately is a great way to preserve them. The other way is fermentation. Preserved lemons have a unique flavour that is distinctly citrusy without the tartness.

How do you know your lemons are ready - Lemons are ready once their rind becomes pliable and loses its bitterness. Once they are properly fermented, they will last six months to a year.

How to use them - Rinse off any extra salt from the lemon, discard the pulp and slice finely or chop the rind. Use them in - rice or chicken or fish dishes, add to chicken jus and serve with a chicken roast or add to a salad dressing, they pair nicely with olives.

Preserved Lemons

4 cup preserving jar with a lid. Washed well.

5 tsp salt - any natural salt - not iodised

1 cinnamon stick

4 peppercorns

Extra lemon juice for topping up the jar and covering the lemons

Option’s for flavouring - rosemary, thyme, bayleaves, whole cloves, coriander seeds, mint, lemon thyme.

Method

1 - Wash your lemons and cut any stems off. Cut down from the top into 1/4’s but do not go all the way down.

2 - Open them up like a flower and sprinkle salt inside each lemon.

3 - Place spices into your jar.

4 - Then add your lemons. Press down firmly one at a time, each lemon. Us a wooden spoon to press. Place as many as you can into the jar. The salt will release juice.

5 - Top the jar up with lemon juice until all are covered, then place the lid on. Store in a warm area, out of sunlight for 5 days. Turn the jar upside down every second day to make sure the top lemons are really covered. Then store in the fridge.

When the peels become translucent and soft they are ready to use.

This jar was made today for a gift, for a friend.

If you love pickled onions and you love eggs, you will love these. They are amazing to eat on their own, in a salad, in a salad dressing, on crackers, in a rice or chicken dish. There really is a lot of options on ways to use these, but my favourite is, just eat them on there own. This is a great Protein snack.

You can add your favourite herbs and spices.(garlic cloves, mustard seeds, coriander seeds, turmeric, beetroot juice for colour or you can use different vinegars for different flavour. ) This is a pickle not a fermentation but the recipe is with apple cider vinegar which has a lot of health properties.

We have 9 chickens, and in Winter we get at least 8 - 9 eggs a day. This is a great way to preserve eggs. Use eggs that are at least 1 week old, they are then easier to peel.

Pickled Egg Recipe

1 large washed preserving jar - 4 cup with a lid or screw

3 cups apple cider vinegar - ACV

1 cup water

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1 tbsp coconut sugar

sprig dill leaves

1 small red chilli

1/2 red onion - sliced finely

11 eggs - boil till firm - peeled carefully, without breaking.

Method

1 - Place in the jar your herbs and spices.

2 - Gently place your eggs in the jar. Make sure they are not above the rim.

3 - Gently heat the ACV, sugar, salt and water (don’t boil) to a point where the sugar and salt have dissolved and then cool slightly. (ACV vinegar boost’s immune and has plenty of nutritional value, over heating your ACV will kill any over these.) if you choose another vinegar for a different flavour heating it higher is ok. But cool slightly before pouring into your jar.

4 - Pour into your jar, covering the eggs.

Place the lid on and store in the fridge for 2 weeks before opening it.

Enjoy for up to 4 months, but you would have eaten them in the first week :)

This is a great time for kids to learn how to make bread. It’s easy, but does take time. If you are not having a sunny day for rising the dough, I turn on my oven to warm up and then turn it off. Great place for rising. Make sure any liquids used is heat to just warm. Water can be used instead of milk. Any type of milk can be used.

These buns can be frozen.

Bread Buns For Kids

Makes 12 buns

Oven dish - oiled

Heat the oven on low, to warm up, then turn off.

Bowl 1 - Mix

600 gr strong flour - I used a bread flour with seeds in it.

1 tsp salt

Bowl 2 -

2 eggs - whisked

Bowl 3 - mix and leave for 10 minutes

1/2 cup luke warmed milk - I used coconut milk

1 tbsp dried yeast

1 tbsp sugar

Small pot - Heat

50 gr butter - heat to melt - luke warm

1 cup milk - I used coconut milk

- oil for brushing the top of the buns.

Method

1 - Make a well in the centre of bowl 1 . Pour the yeast mixture, butter/milk and egg mixture. Mix well.

2 - Cover with plastic or a damp tea towel. Place in the warmed oven to rise. This will take about 1 hour to double.

3 - Divide the mixture into 12 even balls. The mixture will be sticky, but you can add a little flour to make it easier. Place them in your oven dish and brush each ball with oil.

4 - Place them back in the warm oven and leave to rise for about 30 - 50 minutes.

5 - Remove from the oven and turn the oven up to 200 c.

Cook for 20 minutes.

BlueBerry Muffins - Gluten Free

Easy and delicious to make.

You don’t have to be gluten intolerant to eat these. Coconut flour is an amazing flour, 1/2 a cup makes about 9 muffins. These are light and nutritious.

Blueberry Muffins - Gluten Free Recipe

makes 9

Oven 180c, muffin tray lined with square pieces of baking paper (making it easy to remove muffins.)

6 eggs

1/2 cup melted butter or coconut oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup honey or maple syrup

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 cup blueberries - frozen or fresh

Method

1 - I a large bowl whisk, oil, vanilla, sweetener and eggs.

2 - Whisk in coconut flour and baking powder, rest for 5 minutes. It will thicken.

3 - Stir in the blueberries.

4 - Using an ice-cream scoop fill your muffing tray.

Bake for 20 minutes and then rest for 5 minutes.

This has to be one of my favourite childhood memories. Peanut sauce on rice, salad, chicken or beef satay.

Yum, reminds me of summer.

In this recipe, I made my own peanut butter and coconut milk. The recipe is below, for the coconut milk.

Enjoy xx

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce Recipe

makes 6 - 7 skewers

skewers - bamboo (soak in water for 2 hours before use) or metal skewers

2 large chicken breast - cut into 2 cm cubes

Peanut Sauce

1 1/2 tbsp red curry paste - for more spice add an extra 1/2 tbsp

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 tsp soy sauce

3/4 cup peanut butter

1 tsp Himalayan salt

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

400 ml tin coconut milk - removing 1/4 cup for the marinade

water for thinning down this sauce

Marinade for the chicken

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tbsp coconut sugar

2 tsp red curry paste

1 tsp Himalayan salt

1/4 cup coconut milk

Method

1 - Marinade - mix the marinade ingredients together and add your chicken pieces. Cover and place in the fridge for 20 minutes or more.

2 - Satay sauce - Place all the sauce ingredients into a medium pot, bring up to a simmer, on low. Stir regularly. Add water until it becomes a pouring consistency. Pour into a serving dish, serve warm.

3 - Thread chicken onto skewers. Heat a grill pan or a frying pan with coconut oil. Fry your skewers for 3 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked.

Serve with steamed or fried rice and greens.

Marinated your chicken for 20 minutes or overnight for more flavour.

Peanut sauce is so easy, heat and eat :)

Chicken breast cooks very fast, so be careful not to over cook it.

Delicious, caramelised marinated chicken.

Enjoy all leftovers for lunch the next day.

Make your own coconut milk without all the additives.

Place 2 cups dried coconut into a blender with 4 cups warm water. Blend and then pour into a sieve or a nut bag.

Why would you make Sweet Chilli Sauce instead of buying in the supermarket?

Remember to always read the labels on back of processed food. Most processed food are high in processed sugar, bad fats, preservatives, food colouring and more.

This sauce can be made as hot and spicy as you like. I grow my chillies and freeze them whole.

Sweet Chilli Sauce

makes about 600 mls

1 kg tomatoes - cube into cubes

1/2 cup coconut sugar

8 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 1/2 tsp garam masala

1 tsp caraway seeds

7 whole cloves (spice)

4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

chillies - sliced - I used 2 birds eye chillies, this makes it hot enough for me.

2 onions - diced

1 whole garlic bulb - peeped and sliced

250 ml white or apple cider vinegar

Method

Oven 150 c

1 - Place all your ingredients except the vinegar, in a roasting dish, but placing the onion on top.

2 - Place the dish in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Cool slightly.

3 - Place in a blender and blend until blended.

4 - Place a stainer over a medium pot. Stain all the mixture through this.

You are now left with a smooth sauce.

5 - Add the vinegar and with the lid off, simmer for 20 minutes.

You can now preserve in a jar, or keep it in the fridge.

This is such a beautiful way to eat cucumber. I could eat the whole jar at once.

Pickled Vegetables.

1 glass jar with a lid.

Ingredients - 1 part apple cider vinegar to one part sweetener or less, I use honey.

1 - Heat ACV and honey until the honey has dissolved. Do not let it get to hot, otherwise it will kill the good properties in the Apple Cider Vinegar. Cool slightly
2 - Pour over your sliced cucumber.
3 - Leave until room temperature and serve as a side dish.
You can also use thinly sliced carrots, capsicum or courgettes. Store in the fridge. When you have eaten all the cucumber you can add more more or other vegetables. This liquid can be used about 3 times. After that, the flavour of the ACV would have gone.

Its Autumn here now and I have a lot vegetables left from our Summer season. I find this is the best

way to use them up. This relish will last up to a year, but I will definitely finish it in 6 months.

To be eaten with cheese and crackers or in sandwiches with cold meat or cheese.

It is not just the vegetables that are healthy, the spices are loaded of nutrients.

Vegetable Relish

makes 20 cups or 5 large preserving jars

3 cups chopped dried dates, making sure there are no pips

2 cups coconut sugar - instead of coconut sugar use more dates

18 cups finely chopped mixed vegetables - cauliflower, celery, onion, garlic, 

                                            capsicums, bean, corn, tomatoes, courgette, cucumber.

9 cups cider vinegar

40 gr mustard seeds

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp allspice

1 tsp ground cloves

30 gr celery seeds

1 tsp curry powder

2 - 4 tbsp cornflour mixed in a little water

Method

Sprinkle 1/4 cup Himalayan or sea salt over the vegetables and mix through. 

 Leave over night. In the morning strain off the liquid. This removes the water.

1 - Place the cider, dates, sugar and spices in a large jar and and simmer for

      40  minutes with the lid on.

2 - Add the vegetables and simmer with the lid off until the vegetables are soft.

3 - Add the cornflour mixture and turn up the heat. Bring to a boil, stirring with

      a wooden spoon. Once thicken taste and season if it needs.

This mixture can now be preserved in jars or placed in the fridge.

For best favour, leave for 3 weeks before eating, but I am not waiting, I have already

started on one jar.

Serve with cold meats or cheese and cracker

Easy Homemade Seeded Crackers

Oven 150 c - tray lined with grease proof paper

150 gr mixed seeds - linseeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds.

60 mils extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp Himalayan salt

100 gr cornmeal

250 gr boiling water

Method

1 - Place all the ingredients except the boiling water into a bowl. and mix.

2 - Pour in the boiling water and mix.

Spread on your tray into any shape as long as it is about 3 mm thick.

Sprinkle a little salt over the top or dried herbs, press gently.

Bake for about 50 minutes of until crisp. It will crisp slightly more, once cool.

Cut shapes straight away.

Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks or freeze.

This raw slice is my favourite so far. I eat it straight from the freezer or you can keep it in the fridge. No processed sugar, crunchy and healthy. Dates and seeds contain of vitamins, fiber, iron and protein.

Seeded Chocolate Bars

Lined dish - 7 by 11 inches

360 gr dates - fresh or dried ( if using dried, soak in boiling water for 15 minutes, 

                         drain really well)

1 1/2 cups mixed pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, linseeds and sunflower seeds.

1 cup dried quinoa 

3/4 cup nut butter - peanut or almond butter

2 tbsp coconut oil

pinch salt

200 gr (70 percent) chocolate

Method

1 - Puffed and roasted - In a heavy base pot, heat 1 tbsp coconut oil and add your 

     quinoa. Stir with a wooden spoon until the quinoa is roasted, you will hear it pop.

2 - In a food processor add your dates, nut butter, coconut oil and salt. Blend until

      it forms a paste. Place in a large bowl.

3 - Add the puffed quinoa and seeds, mix well.

Press into your lined tray.

4 - Place chocolate in a bowl over water to melt, then pour over your mixture.

Place in the fridge, until firm. 

Slice and store in the fridge or freezer.

No Gluten but plenty of protein. These bases are best crispy and thin. Because you are cooking your bases first, you will need to cook any hard toppings - meat and vegetables.

I like to use beetroot, courgette slices, asparagus, red onion, spinach and sometimes chicken.

You don’t need to cook tomatoes, red onion or mushrooms.

Spread pesto or tomato sauce on the cooked bases, then top with your toppings, lastly add the cheese and herbs, if you are using them.

Quick and Easy Pizza Base - GF

makes 4 bases. They can be frozen.

2 cups chickpea flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups water

option - 1 tsp smoked paprika

Method

1 - Mix the dry ingredients then stir in the water, mixing with a fork.

Thicker than a crepe mixture but you need to be able to pour it from a spoon or jug.

2 - Heat a fry pan and melt 1 heaped tsp of coconut oil. Just swill the mixture covering the base,

flip over when crispy.

3 - Remove from the pan, top with your cooked toppings and place under a grill to heat or melt cheese.

This pizza was made by a young girl that lives here. She topped hers with cooked beetroot, asparagus, cheese.

Its nice to add a bit of a crunch to a salad. This recipe can be changed to your liking. You may want more herbs, chilli or salt. Once you have mixed your herbs and spices, taste it. That is the time to make changes.

You could also use it on top of most salad’s, lasagne, casseroles, fish, chicken, the list has no ending. I loved it on my avocado today.

Seeds with Spice Recipe

250 gr toasted Sunflower seeds

250 gr toasted sesame seeds

250 gr toasted pumpkin seeds

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tbsp dried oregano

Option - 1 tsp grated palm sugar and 1 tsp chilli flakes or powder

extra virgin olive oil - amount 1 tbsp

Method

You don’t have to toast the seeds, it does add more flavour. Best to toast in a dry frying pan. Watching them, they will burn easily.

1 - Mix the spices, palm sugar and herbs together and taste.

2 - Pour in your seeds and mix.

3 - Dribble the olive oil in slowly. You only need enough so the spices stick to the seeds.

4 - Store in a jar.

Write here…

Enjoy the crunch xx

This last week I made these in my cooking class. The kids took a while to plait because they wanted them perfect. This is such an easy recipe, I don’t like complicated recipes,

We used bacon with the chicken mince, you don’t have to. I buy bacon that has been naturally preserved by smoke. I also buy chicken breast and mince it in my food processor, it is cheaper that way.

Chicken Pastry Plaits

Makes two plaits and serves 4

2 sheets puff pastry 25cm by 25cm

Filling

coconut oil or ghee for frying

2 cloves garlic - cut finely

1 onion - cut finely

300 gr chicken breast (minced) or chicken mince

2 tbsp rolled oats or bread crumbs

1/4 tsp salt and pinch pepper

Extra option’s - 

100 gr chopped and saute bacon 

handful spinach, parsly, chives - chopped finely

4 asparagus - saute in a pan - to go in the middle of the mixture.

1 egg - whisked for glazing just before cooking

Method

1 - In a fry pan saute your onion and if using bacon until soft and then add your garlic. Remove.

2 - In a medium bowl mix your together your raw minced chicken, bacon, onion, garlic, salt and pepper, spinach, parsley and any other fresh herbs you may have.

3 - Divide the mixture in half and lay down the middle of your pastry sheet, from one

      end to the other. Place your asparagus in the middle of your mixture and cover it up with the mixture.

4 - Using a long knife, cut 2 inch strips on each side on the diagonal ( important)

      Now starting from the top fold one strip at a time over the filling, alternating

      each side.

5 - Brush with an egg wash.

Bake 200c for 20  - 25 minutes.

I cooked this one in my very small oven and it slightly burnt. I have cook many more since then but forgot to take photos. Hope you try this it really is yummy.

I love the layers in this cake. It is half cheese cake and half cake. The topping does have brown sugar in it (oops, there goes my ‘‘no processed sugar recipe) I have made this cake 4 times in the last month, it is a great cake for dessert for your special dinner parties. I have also used this recipe in my kids cooking class. For them, they divided the mixture into 3 or 4, tiny spring tins.

Fruit, Cream Cheese, Crumble Cake

oven 180c - lined 10inch spring tin

Base

115 gr butter

1/3 cup brown rice syrup or honey

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

120 gr sour cream

1 1/3 cup plain flour or gluten free flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

pinch salt

1 cup or frozen blue berries or apples finely diced

Middle

250 gr cream cheese

1 tbsp brown rice syrup or honey

1 rind of a lemon or orange

Top crumb

1/4 cup soft brown sugar

1/2 cup plain flour or gluten free flour

2 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp cold butter

Method

1 - Base - Beat butter and syrup until creamy. Add 1 egg at a time and continue beating.

2 - Add vanilla and sour cream, scape down sides and beat again.

3 - Mix dry ingredient together and add to your mixture, fold in well.

4 - Fold in the fruit. Put mixture aside.

5 - Middle - In a medium bowl beat the cream cheese, rind and syrup until mixed. Put aside.

6 - Crumb for top - Mix the crumb together by hand, but aside.

Assembly -

Spread your base mixture on the base of your tin.

Next, gently spread your cream cheese mixture on top.

Next, sprinkle over your crumble, do not press it down.

Bake for about 60 minutes. Leave to cool in your tin for 20 minutes.

I forgot to take a photo of the base. So this recipe has 3 layers.

Rich, decadent and delightful.

Enjoy xx

If you love Thai food, you are sure to love this soup. Its spring now and last week when I made this, we had a day of snow flakes falling but not staying on the ground. The fire was on and the smell of spices filled my kitchen. Glenn is not so keen on hot spicy curries, so its the perfect meal thats spicy but not hot.

I have used my electric pressure cooker. I love cooking with this, I don’t seem to use my slow cooker any more, even though this cooker can be a slow cooker as well. Its an extremely fast way to cook a meal and the results are amazing.

Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 4

Base

3 - 4 cups chicken stock - best home made from chicken bones (pressure cooker, cook bones for 90 minutes)

400 ml coconut cream

1/4 cup red curry paste

1/2 onion - sliced thinly

2 cloves garlic - grated

1/4 cup soya sauce

1/3 cup peanut butter

2 cm fresh ginger - grated

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp honey

2 large chicken breasts

200 gr mushrooms - sliced - extra to serve raw in the serving bowls

Garnish

large handful fresh spinach

Buckwheat noodles - around 400 gr

Cilantro for garnish

Method

1 - Place the all the base ingredients ( keeping a side 1 cup of the stock) into a pressure cooker and cook 6 minutes or in a large pot, cook with a lid on until the chicken is cooked, about 20 minutes.

2 - In a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook your noodles until just tender. Drain. Rinse just before serving, if they are stuck together.

3 - Remove the cooked chicken and shred with two forks. Place back into the base. Add the rest of the stock if it is too spicy for you.

To serve - Place noodles in to heated serving bowls, lay raw spinach,(and raw mushrooms) on top. Pour over the stock and top with a sprig of Cilantro.

Happy to say Glenn loved this soup. Buckwheat noddles are our favourite noodles. They do have a small amount of Gluten it them but they are heathy and very filling. I buy mine from a local Asian shop.

Enjoy

I have made this fudge so many times, often doubling the recipe. It freezes well. I promise you, if you don't tell anyone it has black beans in it, they would never know.

Protein Fudge  Chocolate Bar - gf

8 by 8 inch tin, lined with grease proof paper

makes 10 bars

Oven 180 c

1 1/2 cups cooked and drained black beans

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder or cacao

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/3 cup rice malt syrup

5 tbsp coconut oil

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tsp baking powder

Add either or both -

2/3 cup dark chocolate - chopped into small pieces

or 2/3 cup chopped dried apricots

Method

1 - Place all ingredients except the chocolate in a food processor and blend until

well mixed.

2 - Remove and place in a bowl and stir in the chocolate or apricots.

3 - Press into your lined tray.

4 - Bake for about 20 minutes, remove cool and place in the fridge before slicing.

.5 - Once it is firm, remove and slice. 

Store in the fridge, covered.

French Apple Loaf Recipe - GF

6 small apples - skin on and sliced very thinly, best to use a mandolin. An option if not ready to use straight away, soak sliced apples in a bowl of warm water and 1 tsp salt for 3 minutes then drain really well. This will stop them from going brown. I don't do this, I make sure I am ready to mix them straight away.

3 eggs

1/4 cup coconut sugar

2 tbsp melted butter

1 cup plain flour or gluten free flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup raspberries - fresh or frozen

Method

Oven 180 c loaf tin, lined

1 - In a large bowl, whisk eggs and sugar until frothy.

2 - Add butter and stir.

3 - Add flour, baking powder, and cinnamon. 

4 - Stir in the milk and vanilla. Whisk to remove an lumps.

5 - Add small amounts of the sliced apples, gently stir them into the mixture, without breaking the slices. Repeat until all the slices are coated.

6 - Stack the mixture into your prepared tin until it is two thirds full.

7 - Lay the raspberries on top.

8 - Stack the rest of the apple mixture, but stack nicely the very top layer.

Bake  60 minutes or until cooked.

Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then place on a cooling tray.

Serve with yogurt or cream mixed with raspberries.

Try to coat each slice with the cake mixture.

This is a no fuss cake, the only layer you really need to be slighly fussy about it the top.

I hope you enjoy this loaf like my husband does.

xx

32 years ago, I was in my first year of our marriage, going to work and coming home to cook a meal in a pressure cooker. I hated cooking like this. I was scared the meal would end up on the ceiling while trying to open up the lid. Our meal was pressured to bits, with the meat and vegetables all tasting the same. 

Today the Pressure cooker is back in vogue and I am happy to say, it is so much more advanced, with the risk of scrapping the meal of the ceiling gone. Why - because it is electric, so no more trying to control the temperature.

There are a few brands of pressure cookers out there, but all are basically the same. My one, is also a slow cooker, Saut'e, and pressure cooks. You can not open up the lid until the pressure has been released - manually or naturally. There is a little red button the drops down once it is ready.

Saut'e - I love this option. No more extra dishes to brown first, also all that flavour from frying is not wasted or lost.

If you don't have a pressure cook yet, use a slow cooker or heavy base cassorole dish.

Chicken with Olives and Herbs

1 large chicken - 1.8 kg - 2 kg - cut into portions

coconut oil for frying

1/2 cup plain or GF flour for coating the chicken

1 large onion - sliced

3 large cloves garlic - chopped

3 stalks of celery - sliced

2 tbsp of each - fresh rosemary and sage

400 gr red wine

400gr tomatoes

1/2 cup chicken stock

 Himalayan salt for seasoning

1/2 cup olives - green and black

Parsley for garnish

Method

1 - Coat each chicken piece with flour.

2 - Turn your pressure cooker to ''Saut'e''. Place 1 tbsp coconut oil in your cooker and brown both sides of the chicken pieces, small amounts at a time, do not overcrowd the base. Remove, once brown. If the 20 minute time for 'Saut'e' runs out, just reset for another 20 minutes.

3 - Place the celery, onions, garlic, and herbs into the base and saute until soft. 

4 - Pour in the red wine and bring to the boil, cook for 2 minutes.

5 - Add the stock, salt is stock is unsalted, tomatoes, chicken, and olives.

6 - Place the lid on and reset the cooker, then push steam, the time will say 30 minutes, change it to 8 minutes. 

As soon as the cooker is up to the right temperature, the steam pressure will start. Once it has finished, you can slowly release the pressure, so it does not keep cooking. Open and check it is cooked. Taste and season more if it needs it.

Serve with polenta or mashed potato and vegetables.

Cut up your whole chicken with a large sharpe knife.

Saut'e, is for browning. This brand saut'e's for 20 minutes. If you need more, just reset and press saut'e again.

Coat chicken in flour then brown each piece in oil. Remove. Add more oil and saut'e the celery, onion and herbs. Add the wine, cook off the alchol.

Add the stock, olives and chicken. Place the lid on.

Press steam, change the time to 8 minutes. Heat, steam 8 minutes. Then check it is tender and cooked.

To stop further cooking, release the pressure, by gently moving the pressure control to the left or right. When the steam is gone, the red button at the back will drop.

Fast and easy meals made in minutes.

Buckwheat - is not a wheat - it is a highly nutritious fruit seed. It is high in the flavonoids rutin ( a compound of the flavonoid class found in common rue, buckwheat, capers, and other plants, and sometimes taken as a dietary supplement.) quercetin, ( a yellow crystalline pigment present in plants, used as a food supplement to reduce allergic responses or boost immunity.) a source of magnesium, manganese, copper and fiber. The protein in buckwheat is a high quality protein, containing all eight essential amino acids including lysine.

Why soak, sprout and dehydrate ?

Seeds contain ''enzyme inhibitors'' soaking is the only way we can unlock these enzymes, so we can absorb the nutrients.

I use my oven to dehydrate but the best way is in a dehydrator. The reason is, so you keep it under 47.7 celsius, this keeps it still raw, so the enzymes, fatty acids and vitamins are not destroyed. Higher temperature does not destroy the protein and the fibre. 

Sprouting buckwheat - soak raw buckwheat in water for 15 minutes, drain, place in a strainer, cover with a lid, rinse 2 - 3 times a day, until sprouted. It takes about 3 days.

Sprouted Granola

500 gr buckwheat - sprouted 

1 cup sunflower seeds - option - sprouted same as the buckwheat or just soak over night, drain.

1 cup flaked coconut

1/2 cup soaked overnight almonds or walnuts

1/4 c chia seeds

1/4 cup cacao

1 tsp cinnamon

400gr dried or fresh dates - soaked in boiling water for 15 minutes - then drain well

1 orange - rind only

Option - cacao nibs, maca, mesquite, acai berries, vanilla extract, sea salt, goji berries or currants, 

Method

1 - Soak buckwheat grouts for 15 minutes and then drain. Place in a fine strainer or in a steamer in a warm place with a lid on, which I prefer. Rinse 2 - 3 times a day for about 3 days or until the grouts sprout.

2 - Place the soft, drained dates in a food processor and blend until smooth.

2 - In a large bowl place all the ingredients and mix really well. Spread over a tray and dehydrate overnight on the lowest setting.

Soak any seeds and nuts overnight, then drain. Soak the dates in boiling water for 15 minutes, drain and place in a food processor until smooth.

Mix all the dried ingredients and then add the date paste. Place on a lined baking tray. Bake on the lowest setting under 47.7 c (you may need to have the door, very slightly open) in an oven or in a dehydrator or until dry and crispy. I do this overnight.

This is a great tasting breakfast cereal with your choice of milk. ( I love homemade almond milk ) or an energy snack. I have to hide mine, because I can't stop snacking on it.

Nutritious and delicious.

I have to confess these are not sugar-free. But they are a lovely treat. They are very much like a shortbread. They melt in your mouth. I keep the roll, raw in my freezer for when guests are about to arrive, thaw slightly (just enough to be able to slice) and then slice and bake. Mine never look perfectly round or the exact same shape, but that's how I work ( differently not a perfectionist)

Lets say '' they look ''Home Made ''

Chocolate Peppermint Biscuits - GF

200 gr butter

1/2 cup coconut sugar, honey or brown rice malt syrup

2  egg yolks

1 3/4 cup gluten-free flour

pinch salt

3 tbsp cocoa

Filling

1 egg white

2 cups icing sugar

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

Method

You don't cook these cookie's until it has firmed up in the fridge -

Baking tray lined with greaseproof paper

Oven 160 c - line your baking tray

1 - Beat the butter and sweetener together until creamy.

2 - Add your egg yolk and beat

3 - Add your flour and cocoa together. Then stir into your creamy mixture.

4 -  Lay the mixture in the shape of a log, on top a long piece of plastic wrap. Wrap the plastic around and roll using your our palms, until it forms a smooth long roll - about 9 1/2 inch in length.

5 - Place in the freezer for another day or in the fridge until firm.

6 - Cut through the plastic, rounds that are about 5 mm thick. Lay each round on your prepared tray.

6 - Bake for about 8 minutes. Cool

 Filling

1 - Beat egg white in a bowl until frothy and then gradually beat in the icing sugar.

Or you could just use any frosting or icing your like to make.

Happy Baking xx

Mix, spread, roll, firm up in fridge, slice, bake and ice.

Easy as xx