CARAWAY AND APPLE COMPOTE./ STEWED APPLE WITH CARAWAY.

Ingredients...1 kg of your favourite flavoued apple, peeled, cored and chopped thickly, 60 gm of butter / marg, 100gm of castor sugar, 1 dsp of caraway seeds, 100 ml of dry white wine, 300 ml of water. Melt the butter / marg in alarge saucepan and add the chopped apples, cook over a medium high heat. Stir through the sugar, and continue to stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add the caraway seeds and white wine. Reduce the heat until the wine has almost evaporated. Add the water and stir through. Cover the saucepan and cook at a very slow simmer for 15 minutes. Once the apples have turned mushy, stir through making sure the remaining liquid evaporates. Refrigerate and serve cold, mix through with Greek yoghurt to serve.

CHINA TEA BLENDS.

Teas made of aromatic leaves, flowers or roots steeped in boiling water are the most ancient and the most commonly consumed liquid after pure water. Most herb teas are infused: the leaves or flowers are put into a warm teapot, boiling water poured over and the tea is brewed for 3 - 5 minutes. CHINA TEA BLENDS ... Infuse the herbs for 5 minutes in 450 ml of of boiling water and strain before drinking. Herbal Earl Grey... 1 tsp of China tea, 3 tsp of fresh bergamot leaves. Spicy Geranium..... 1 tsp of China tea, 3 cloves, 3 rose geranium leaves. Raspberry and mint yoghurt drink.... 225 ml of natural yoghurt, 100 ml of water, 75 gm of raspberries, 1 tsp of mint syrup. Puree all ingredients together in a blender. Pour the drink into 2 glasses and garnish with a sprig of mint.

COCONUT BLUEBERRY AND CHIA SEED PUDDING.

Ingredients.....250 ml of coconut milk, 3 tbs of chia seeds, 2 tbs of honey, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 150 gm of fresh blueberries, black sesame seeds to garnish. Use a mixing bowl to combine the coconut milk, chia seeds, honey and vanilla extract. Chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from the refrigerator and stir through the ingredients once again and refrigerate for a further 2 hours. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and divide the mixture between serving dishes. Serve topped with fresh blueberries and a sprinkle of black sesame seeds. ( The sesame seeds are optional.)

LENTIL FRITTERS.

Ingredients......125 gm of self raising flour, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 eggs, lightly beaten, 1 x 400gm can of brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed, 1 x 410 gm can of corn kernals, drained and rinsed, 1/2 red capsicum, diced, 2 spring onions, finely sliced, oil for frying. Place the flour in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the milk and eggs. Slowly add the milk mixture to the flour and stir well to combine. Now add the lentils, corn kernals, capsicum and spring onions to the batter. Heat the oil in the frying pan over a medium heat. Place tablesppons of the batter in the pan. Flatten each fritter with a spatula and cook for 3 minutes until golden brown. Flip and cook the other side for a further 3 minutes.

GRANDMA’S EASY APPLE CAKE RECIPE.

Ingredients.... 1 and 2/3rds cup of self raising flour, pinch of salt, 1/4 cup of castor sugar, 60 gm of butter/ marg, 3/4 cup of milk, 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced, 1 tsp of cinnamon, extra 2 tbs of castor sugar. Preheat your oven 160n deg C. Grease a 23 cm / 9" round cake pan and lightly sprinkle with fine dry breadcrumbs. Mix together the flour, salt and castor sugar in a large bowl. Rub in the margarine / butter with your fingertips. Add the milk all at once and mix quickly to a soft batter. Place the batter intio the prepared pan. Press the apple slices around the edge and in the centre of the batter. Mix together the cinnamon and extra sugar and sprinkle all over the top . Bake in the preheated oven for 50 minutes or until cooked, test with a skewer inserted, comes out clean. Turn out onto a wire rack and invert right side up, to cool completely. Can be sliced and spread with butter/ marg, if you like.

EGGPLANT AND WHITE BEAN BALLS. (V).

Ingredients......Oil for frying, rice bran / canola, 1 eggplant diced, 1 tsp of cracked black pepper, 1 onion, finely chopped, pinch of cayenne pepper, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 400 gm can of cannellini beans, drained, 1/4 cup of chopped flat leafed parsley, pinch of chilli flakes, 3/4 of a cup of breadcrumbs, steamed rice and tomato sauce to serve. Preheat your oven to 200n deg C. Line an ovenproof pan with baking paper. Heat 2 tbs of oil in a frying pan and saute the eggplant for 5 minutes over a medium heat. Season with the cracked pepper. Carefully add just enough water to cover the eggplant and cook until tender. Place the cooked eggplant in a processor ... Reheat the same pan and add 1 tbs of oil add the onion, cayenne pepper and minced garlic and saute until heated through and well combined. Pulse the eggplant, cannellini beans, parsley, chilli and onion mixture in the processor until well combined. Turn the processed mixture into a large bowl with the breadcrumbs and mix with your hands until well combined. Form small balls with the mixture and place in the prepared pan. Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn off the oven and let cook in the unopened ovcen for a further 20 minutes, until heated through and golden. Serve on rice or grain of your choice with tomato sauce and some torn parsley.

RHUBARB AND APPLE STREUSEL SLICE.

Streusel is the German name for sprinkle. Streusel is a mixture of flour or breadcrumbs with sugar, butter / marg amd spices used as a crumble topping on baked goods. Ingredients......100gm butter/ marg, at room temp, 110 gm of castor sugar, 1 egg yolk, 100gm of plain flour, 35 gm of self raising flour, 1 tbs of custard powder, 440 gm of chopped rhubarb, 400 gm of Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced, 2 tbs of honey, 1 dsp of finely grated orange rind. Streusel Ingredients.....75 gm of plain flour, 35 gm of self raising flour, 75 gm of firmly packed brown sugar, 1 tsp of ground cinnamon, 80 gm of butter / marg, chopped. With this recipe , you have to make the streusel first.... Streusel ... Blend or process the flours, sugar and cinnamon intil combined. Add the butter / marg, and process until all ingredients just come together. Now wrap the mixture in cling wrap and freeze the streusel for an hour or until firm. Preheat your oven to 160 deg C. Line a lamington pan 20cm x 30cm with baking paper, extending the paper 3cm over the sides of the pan. Beat the butter, egg yolk and sugar with an electric beater until light and fluffy. Stir in the combined flours and custard powder. Use your hand to press the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove the slice from the oven and cool for 15 minutes. Increase the oven temp to 180 deg C. Cook the rhubarb, apple, honey and rind in a medium saucepan, stirring over a medium high heat, until apples are just tender. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Now spread the fruit mixture over the slice base, coarsely grate the streusel over the fruit. Bake uncovered in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden. Cool in the pan before slicing.