This is a much loved dinner at Marinya Cottage and always features on our weekly menu plan. It tastes very similar to a traditional bolognese sauce but is slightly sweeter and we find it to be a lot gentler on the stomach. Whether you're a tomato eater or not , I highly recommend trying this one.

Tomato-free Bolognese Sauce
1 small beetroot
250g sweet potato 
200g pumpkin
200g carrots
1 medium sized onion
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
500g turkey or chicken mince (optional)
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of Italian herbs (dried or fresh)

Wash beetroot and place in a saucepan. Cover with water and cook for  30 minutes or until tender. Chop sweet potato,  pumpkin, carrots and onion and place in a saucepan and cover (just) with water and balsamic vinegar and simmer for approximately 15 minutes or until soft. Alternatively, you could place the ingredients in a thermomix and cook on reverse, speed 1 for 15 minutes.  When cooked, pour out half of the liquid, add peeled and chopped cooked beetroot (*see note) and blend in a food processor or thermomix until smooth. Brown mince and add sauce, freshly crushed garlic and italian herbs. Serve with pasta or zucchini noodles or use in other dishes such as lasagne.

Note
* Add a small amount of beetroot at a time until you reach your desired flavour and colour.
** Half Homemade bone broth, half water can also be used to cook vegetables for those following the GAPS diet.

Warm Beetroot Salad
4 medium sized beetroots
2 tablespoons rapadura sugar
1 cup balsamic vinegar + extra for drizzling
water
2 tablespoons fresh mint
1 cup of silverbeet
1 piece of feta

Wash beetroot well and trim but leave the skins on. Place beetroots ,1 cup of vinegar and rapadura sugar in a medium saucepan. Pour water into the saucepan until beetroots are just covered.  Bring to the boil and leave to simmer for 30 minutes or until tender.  While the betroots are cooking, finely chop the fresh mint and roughly chop the silverbeet. When beetroots are cooked, peel or rub off skin and chop into small pieces. Add the mint and silverbeet to the hot diced beetroots  and stir through so that they wilt slightly.  Top salad with crumbled feta and drizzle with a little balsamic vinegar. Serve by itself or as a side.

Plant based milk are easy to make and taste great. These dairy, nut and gluten free milks can be served alone with a little vanilla and some spices or they can be used in smoothies, baking or added to your favourite cereal. Enjoy!!

Quinoa Milk
1 cup quinoa
3 cups water + extra 2 cups

Place quinoa in a bowl with 3 cups of water. Leave it to soak for at least 6 hours. Rinse quinoa well and cook, steam or boil according to instructions on packet. (I cooked mine in the thermomix basket like rice). Place cooked quinoa in a food processor with extra 2 cups of water and blend on high for 1 minute.  Pour quinoa milk through a nut milk bag or muslin cloth over a bowl.  Squeeze the excess liquid out of the muslin. Pour liquid into a clean jar and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Leftover quinoa pulp can be used for quinoa patties, salad ect. Shake well before using. 

Sunflower Seed Milk
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
750ml water + 3 cups of water for soaking

Place sunflower seeds in a bowl and cover with 3 cups of water. Leave to soak overnight or for at least 7 hours. Rinse seeds really well and place in a blender or food processor with 750ml of water. Blend on high for a minute. Pour sunflower seed milk through a nut milk bag or muslin cloth over a bowl.  Squeeze the excess liquid out of the muslin. Pour liquid into a clean jar and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Shake well before using.

These little balls taste a lot like the crispy sesame snacks that you buy at the supermarket but aren't loaded with all of the refined sugar. Great for a lunchbox treat!!

Sesame Snack Balls
1/2 cup raw sesame Seeds
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds (in the grill or frypan)
1 tablespoon raw honey
1/4 cup dates

Soak the dates in hot water for 5 minutes. Place the raw sesame seeds in a thermomix, food processor or coffee grinder and grind until finely chopped. (don't over blend or they will turn into a nut butter). Strain water from dates and add these and the honey to the ground sesame seeds. Blend well until finely chopped and blended. Roll mixture into balls and then roll in the toasted sesame seeds. 

Healthy Tiramisu
Tiramisu is typically a layer of lady fingers, soaked in a coffee syrup, and topped with mascarpone or whipped cream. In this healthier version, I have tried to recreate the flavour and texture by using a coconut flour sponge, natural sweeteners and the creaminess of avocado. This mocha mousse could be served alone or used with a variety of pies or cakes. I have included a grain free sponge recipe below but other sponges such as egg free recipes or grain based ones can also be used.

Mocha Mousse
2 ripe avocado's
1 large ripe pear
2 tablespoons cocao powder + extra for serving (found at health food stores)
2 tablespoons of strong coffee (hot) 

(Optional)
1 soaked gelatin sheet or powder*
1-2 tablespoons of extra sweetener to taste

Peel pear and place in a food processor or thermomix with the avocado's. Blend until well combined and smooth. If you are using gelatine, dissolve in the coffee and add this along with the cocao to the avocado mixture. Blend until well combined. Taste test the mixture and add extra sweetener or cocao if needed.

*Note This mixture will be a similar consistency of thick custard and doesn't have to have the gelatin added. The mixture also works well as a frozen dessert.

Grain Free Sponge
2/3 cup coconut flour
1/3 cup tapioca starch
1 teaspoon baking powder or Bi-carb soda
2 tablespoons agave, honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1/4 cup of melted ghee or oil
1/3 cup coconut milk

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and line tray or tin*  Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl or place in the thermomix. Whisk wet ingredients together and slowly add to the dry ingredients until well combined and smooth and bake for 10-20 minutes (this will vary depending on what tray you are using)
*
-If you are making individual desserts, spread into a lined slice tray  
-If you are making one large dessert, pour into a cake tine. 
-If you would like a sponge finger style tiramisu, use a piping bag to pipe long fingers.

Assembling
Individual desserts
Use a cutter to cut out circles or squares of sponge. Place a layer of sponge on the bottom, top with mousse, followed by another layer of sponge and finishing with more mousse. Leave to set in fridge for at least 2 hours.

One large dessert
Cut sponge in half. Place one layer of sponge on the bottom, top with mousse followed by another layer of sponge and finishing with more mousse. Leave to set in fridge for at least 2 hours.

Little Hummingbird Cakes (grain free)

2 cups desiccated coconut
1 cup grated Zucchini
1 cup grated Carrot
1 cup grated Apple or crushed Pineapple (if using pinapple squeeze out excess juice)
1/4 cup of melted ghee or oil of choice
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup of honey (1/4 cup if using pineapple) 

Preheat oven to 160 degrees celcius and line a 12 hole muffin tray. Place coconut in the food processor and blend until chopped finely. Whisk wet ingredients together and stir through the coconut and the other ingredients until well combined. Spoon mixture into muffin pans and bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through.

These can be served plain or with coconut cream ,cashew cream ,cream cheese or fresh fruit.

There's nothing more delightful than going for high tea or afternoon tea on a Sunday afternoon. This however, isn't possible for many allergy sufferers or those following the paleo or gaps diet. I have an absolutely gorgeous little niece living in London who suffers from an egg allergy. At the end of the year, they're coming home to visit and I am hoping to set up a high tea for all of the cousins to celebrate. On my menu are these little mock-arons. These delicious little treats are nut, dairy, egg, grain and colour free. They're perfect for allergy sufferers who don't often get to enjoy the beauty of a high tea. They are also perfect for someone who doesn't have an allergy. This recipe was inspired by a raw macaron from Raw Food Recipes.

Raspberry Mock-aron
3/4 cup Frozen Raspberries (preferably organic)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds (extra coconut can also be used)
2 tablespoons agave or honey

Blueberry Mock-aron
3/4 cup Frozen Blueberries (preferably organic)
1 cup desiccated coconut
1/2 cup toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds (extra coconut can also be used)
2 tablespoons agave or honey

Place the coconut and seeds in a food processor or thermomix and blend until finely chopped.  Add the berries and agave and continue to blend until combine. Roll or flatten mixture onto a chopping board and use a small round cutter to cut out rounds. Place in the dehydrator for 6 hours or until crispy on the outside and soft/chewy in the middle.

Filling
Fill with chocolate, sweetened coconut cream, cream, icing, berries ect. The raspberry mock-aron filled with chocolate tastes a lot like a cherry ripe.

I have recently seen a few vegan twiggy sticks popping up in health food stores and on blogs including Lexie's Kitchen so decided to have a play with some ingredients and create my own version. These savoury treats, which are packed full of goodness,are perfect for lunch boxes, toddler snacks or served with a cider or beer on a hot Summers afternoon. The recipe can be adjusted to suit personal taste and extra vegetables such as carrot and beetroot can also be added.

Vegan Twiggy Sticks
1 packet of Nori sheets
1 cup Pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup Sunflower seeds
1 cup Sesame seeds
1 large clove of garlic crushed
1/2 teaspoon Oregano (or other Italian style herbs)
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon herbamare
2 teaspoons agave
1 teaspoon tamari or coconut amino's

Soak seeds in water for at least 1 hour. Rinse seeds well and place in the food processor along with all of the ingredients except for the Nori sheets. Blend together until well combined and pasty. Season to taste. Cut 4 nori sheets in half. Dampen sheets with a little water and place a thin line of mixture down the middle. Roll into straws and dehydrate for 4-8 hours depending on how crispy you like them.