APRICOT CHICKEN

Ingredients......1.5kg of chicken pieces,90ml of canola/ rice bran oil, 440gm can of apricot pieces, drained, reserving the juice, 90 gm of castor sugar. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly greased baking dish. Brush the chicken pieces with the oil and place them the prepared baking dish. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until the chicken pieces are golden and cooked. Mix together the reserved apricot juice and castor sugar in a small/ medium saucepan. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring frequently for 15 minutes. Now add the apricot pieces and stir to coat, continue to cook until the apricot pieces are heated through. Place the chicken pieces on a serving platter and pour over the apricot sauce... This dish can be served with sauteed vegetables or with steamed rice tossed with chopped parsley. Definately a dish of the'80's', always well received at The Manor.

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE TORTE

Ingredients....... 185gm of dark eating chocolate, roughly chopped, 45gm of butter/ marg,1 egg lightly beaten, 60gm of castor sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 30gm of plain flour, 60gm of slivered almonds. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Lightly grease and line a 20cm/ 8" round pan. Place 125gm of the chopped chocolate in a small saucepan with the butter/ marg. Heat, stirring over a low heat until until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture combined. Beat together the egg, sugar and vanilla extract until thick and creamy. Beat in the melted chocolate mixture. Fold in the flour , slivered almonds and the remaining chopped chocolate. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan . Bake in the preheated oven for for 20 minutes or until cooked, testing with a skewer inserted and comes out clean. Turn the torte onto a wire rack to cool. The torte can be served hot, warm or cold with ice cream or as you desire.

KALE CHIPS

Ingredients......1 medium head of curly kale, 2 tbs of canola/ rice bran oil, 1 tbs of grated Parmesan cheese, 1 tsp of onion powder, 1/2 tsp of salt. Preheat your oven 100 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Wash and dry the kale. Mix the oil, Parmesan , onion powder and salt in a bowl. Add the kale leaves to the bowl and coat with the oil mixture. Put the coated kale leaves on the on the lined baking tray. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, keeping an eye on them so not to let the edges burn. The kale chips can be stored in an airtight container once cooked and completely cooled. Kale chips are a great accompainment to hummus.

PEANUT BUTTER AND QUINOA COOKIES.

Ingredients........420gm of crunchy peanut butter, 75gm of stevia, 140ml of agave syrup, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 45gm of quinoa flakes, 2 tbs of plain flour, 1/2 tsp of baking powder. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a baking tray with baking paper. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well combined. Bring the mixture together using your hands and then roll into 2.5cm/ 1" balls. Place the rolled balls onto the prepared baking tray. Use your thumb to press down each ball so it is slightly flattened. Bake in the preheated oven for 12 minutes or until golden. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Store the cookies in an airtight container.

TROPICAL RATATOUILLE

Ingredients.......2 tbs of vegetable oil, 1 onion, diced, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 1 tsp of cracked black pepper, 1 dsp of dried chilli flakes, 1 yellow mini capsicum, chopped, 1 tsp of sweet paprika, 2 zucchini, sliced, 6 cherry tomatoes sliced in half, 1 mango peeled, stoned,chopped and sliced. Place a large frying pan over a medium heat, add 1 tbs of the oil , the onion and cracked black pepper. Fry until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic, chilli flakes and paprika and cook for a further minute. next add the zucchini slices and the chopped mango and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Add the halved tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes. To serve garnish with chopped flat leafed parsley.

POPPY SEED CRUSTED SALMON

Ingredients......2 tbs of poppy seeds,3 tbs of breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of sweet papriks, 1 tbs of vegetable oil, 1 tbs of minced garlic, 2 x salmon fillets, cracked black pepper, chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a baking tray/ sheet with baking paper. Rinse and pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towelling, then place them on the prepared baking tray. In a small bowl mix together the poppy seeds,breadcrumbs, paprika, oil and garlic to form a crust. Spoon the poppy seed crust evenly over each fillet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fillets). Serve with a salad or vegetables of your choice.

COCONUT CHIA PUDDING

Ingredients....40gm of chia seeds, 1 dsp of vanilla extract, 1 tbs of butter/ marg, 300ml of coconut milk, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 2 tbs of shredded coconut, plus extra for the garnish, 2 tbs of jam to serve, optional. Place the chia seeds in a large mixing bowl and set aside. Mix the remaining ingredients together in your food processor. Pour the mixture into the mixing bowl with the chia seeds and stir to combine with a fork. Set aside and then stir again in 10 minutes. Now divide the mixture between small dessert dishes , place these in the refrigerator to set. When ready to serve, sprinkle the extra shredded coconut over each pudding and you can add a dollop of your favourite fruit jam, optional.