RAINBOW MEATLOAF (GF)

Ingredients......1/ 2 cup of almond meal, 1 large carrot, 1 zucchini, 1 medium beetroot, 1 onion, chopped, 1 tbs of canola / rice bran oil, 500 gm of lamb mince, 1 egg, lightly beaten, small bunch of fresh thyme, leaves only, cracked black pepper to taste. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a loaf pan with baking paper. Heat the oil in a small frying pan along with the chopped onion and cook over a medium heat until tender. Grate the zucchini, carrot and beetroot into a large bowl. Add the cooked onion to the bowl along with the minced lamb and mix to combine. Stir in the beaten egg and the almond meal until the mixture is slightly firm. Add the thyme and season with cracked pepper. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes or until golden on top.

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE AND MINT BISCUITS

Many flavours team deliciously with chocolate, you can replace the peppermint crisps with 100 gm of of Snickers/ Mars bars, another flavour to consider is instant coffee powder. Ingredients.....2 cups of icing sugar, 1/2 cup of Dutch cocoa powder, pinch of salt, 2 egg whites, at room temperature, 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 2 x 35 gm peppermint crisp bars, chopped. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line 2 baking trays with baking paper. Put the icing sugar, cocoa and salt in a the bowl of your mixer and whisk to blend. Add the egg whites and vanilla extract. Whisk until all the ingredients are thoroughly blended and the batter is thick and moist. Fold in the chopped peppermint crisp pieces. Drop heaped teaspoonfuls of the mixture on the lined trays, allow room for spreading . Bake in the preheated oven for about 12 minutes or until the tops are glossy and begin to crack. Do not overcook or the biscuits will become very brittle. They should have a slightly chewy centre. Cool the biscuits on paper on a wire rack.

PUMPKIN SOUP

Ingredients...... 1 kg piece of pumpkin, 60 gm of butter/ marg, 1 onion chopped, 1 litre of chicken stock, 185 ml of cream. Cut the pumpkin in to manageable pieces, the cut off all the skin. Chop the peeled pumpkin into smaller pieces. Heat the butter/ marg in a large pot. Add the onion and cook gently until the onion is tender. Add the pumpkin and stock to the pot. Cover the pot and bring to a slow boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is soft. At this stage you can mash the soup mixture with a potato masher, or, for a very smooth texture puree the soup in a food processor or with a hand blender. return the soup to the pot and add the cream, cracked black pepper to taste . Stir over a low heat until heated through. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, ( optional).

MINESTRONE SOUP.

Minestrone soup is a great way of using any leftover vegetables, also any small pasta shapes can be used. Canned butter beans or borlotti beans can be substituted for kidney beans. Ingredients......1 tbs of oil ( canola or rice bran), 1 onion , chopped, 150 gm of chopped bacon pieces, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 1.25 litres of beef stock, 2 tomatoes, chopped, 1 carrot, chopped, 1 potato, chopped, 1 celery stick, chopped, 2 tbs of tomato paste, 1 zucchini, sliced, 100 gm of sliced green beans, 50 gm of macaroni, 2 tbs of chopped fresh parsley, 410 gm can of red kidney beans, finely grated Parmesan cheese, to serve. Heat the oil in a large pot and cook the onionand bacon until softened. Stir through the minced garlic. Add the stock, tomatoes, carrot, potato, celery and tomato paste. Stir though to combine and slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat, now reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the zucchini, green beans, macaroni and chopped parsley to the pot, simmer for 15 minutes. Rinse and drain the kidney beans and add to the pot. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the finely grated Parmesan cheese on top. Enjoy..

PEA AND HAM SOUP.

Pork bones are not available all year round in the supermarket meat section, but you will be able to get the bones from your local butcher shop. Ingredients.....440 gm of dried split green peas, 750 gm of ham bones, 2.5 litres of water, 1 celery stick including leaves, chopped, 1 carrot, chopped, 1 onion, chopped, 3 leeks sliced, 1 potato, chopped. Place the split peas in a large bowl and cover with water. Leave to soak overnight. Drain and place the peas in a large pot along with the ham bones, water, celery, carrot and onion. Cover the pot with a lid and slowly bring to the boil over a medium heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 2 hours or until the peas are very soft. Add the potato and leek and cook for a further 30 minutes, until the vegtables are tender. Remove the bones from the soup, allow to cool and then cut off all the meat . Finely chop the meat and set aside. Transfer the soup to a large bowl to cool, then push it through a large wire seive back into the pot. Stir through the meat and slowly reheat the soup to serve. It is optional, but you can garnish with a small sprig of carrot leaves to serve.

FRENCH ONION SOUP.

Ingredients.....1 kg of onions, about 6 onions, 60 gm of butter/ marg, 1 tsp of sugar, 30 gm of plain flour, 2 litres of beef stock, 1 stick of french bread, 60 gm of grated tasty cheese. Peel the onions and cut them into fine rings. Heat the butter/ marg.in a large pot. Add the onion rings and cook over a low heat for 20 minutes or until the onions are tender. Add the sugar and flour to the pot and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until the mixture is just turning golden. Gradually stir in the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and simmer over a low heat for 50 minutes. Season with cracked black pepper to taste. Slice the breadstick into 2 cm / 3/4" slices. Arrange the slices on a baking tray. Cook under a preheated grill until golden on one side. Turn the slices over and sprinkle each slice with the grated cheese. Cook under the hot grill until the the cheese has melted. Serve the soup topped with the grilled cheese toasts. Garnish with sliced chives( optional).

CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP.

Ingredients...1 tbs of rice bran oil/canola oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 2 tbs of minced garlic, 3 x 400 gm cans of diced tomatoes 750 ml of chicken stock, 1 tbs of tomato paste, 1 dsp of soft brown sugar, 250 ml of cream. Heat the oil in a large pot, add the chopped onion and cook until tender. Add the minced garlic, stirring through. Add the tomatoes, stock, tomato paste and sugar to the pot. Bring to the boil over a low heat. Simmer the soup, partially covered with a lid for 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool a little . Use a blender or a hand food processor to process to until smooth. Stir through the cream and reheat very gently over a low heat. Season with cracked black pepper to taste and dress with parsley.