CHAI CUPCAKES.

I love chai. Chai is a spiced Indian tea made with frothy creamy milk, almost like an Indian cuppuccino! This cupcake recipe captures its light, spicy flavour. Ingredients..... 225 gmn of self raising flour, 1/4 tsp of baking powder, pinch of salt, 1 tbs of chai tea powder, 60 gm of butter / marg, at room temp, 150 gm of raw castor sugar, 2 egg whites, 150 ml of buttermilk ( 140 ml of milk with 10 ml of white vinegar). Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Place 12 paper casings in a a muffin pan. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and chai powder. In a separate bowl beat the butter / marg and sugar until smooth. Add the egg whites slowly, beating well. Slowly add the flour mixture and finally the buttermilk, mix until combined. Spoon the batter into the cases. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven, cool for 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely. Seriously delicious.

SUGAR FREE GRAIN MUFFINS.

These muffins contain non refined sugar and are full of fibre. Ingredients......150 gm of mixed grain cereal,( I used All Bran), 450 ml of boiling water, 175 gm of plain flour, 1 tbs of baking powder, 4 tbs of honey, pinch of salt, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 90 ml of rice bran/ canola oil. Preheat your oven to 200 deg C. Grease and or line a 12 cup muffin pan. In a medium bowl, mix the cereal and water. Set aside for 20 minutes for the cereal / grains to absorb. Mix together the flour and baking powder. In a large bowl, beat the honey, salt, egg and oil. Slowly add the flour and cereal, mix well to combine. Spoon the mixture into the prepared muffin pan. Bake in the preheated ovenfor 20 minutes. Remove the muffin pan from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container, these muffins are also freezer friendly.

DUKKAH

Ingredients......50 gm of sesame seeds, 1 tbs of coriander seeds, 1 dsp of cumin seeds, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1/2 tsp of fennel seeds, 1/2 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of cracked black pepper, 80 gm of granulated nuts. Combine the seeds, spices, salt and cracked black pepperin a pan. Stir over a low heat until the seeds are toasted. Cool completely. Combine the nuts and seed mixture in the bowl of your processor and process until the mixture resembles a coarse powder. Serve the dukkah with turkish bread and olive oil for dipping. This mix also makes for a delicious crumb for chicken schnitzel.

ZUCCHINI, CHILLI AND BASIL ROLLS

These rolls can be served as a starter, I serve them alongside grilled fish and salad. They are sure to please, however you serve them. Ingredients.....2 medium zucchini, 250 gm of ricotta, 1/3 rd of a cup of sweet chilli sauce, 12 fresh basil leaves. Use a vegetable peeler to peel 12 even ribbons from the zucchini. In a non stick pan, over a medium heat, grill the zucchini ribbons for 10 seconds on each side. Remove and lay the ribbons out flat to cool. At the base of each ribbon place a spoonful of ricotta, a small dollop of chilli sauce and a basil leaf. Roll the zucchini ribbon up over the filling, repeat with remaining ingredients. Sprinkle lightly with cracked black pepper and Italian herb mix.

COCONUT SLICE

Ingredients....4 cups of shredded coconut, 1 cup of maple syrup, 8 tbs of coconut oil, melted, 1 tbs of vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp of salt. Line a square 24 cm pan with baking paper. place all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well combined with a slightly sticky cocsistency. Scrape the mixture into the lined pan and press down firmly to create a smooth, even finish. Transfer to your refrigerator to set, about 90 minutes. When firm remove and slice into squares. The slice is best kept in your refrigerator and is also freezer friendly.

FLAVOUR FILLED CHICKEN MANGO LOAF.

Ingredients.....500 gm of chicken mince, 2/3 rds of a cup of chopped onion, 2/3rds of a cup of frozen mixed vegies, 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1 tsp of ground cumin, 1 tsp of ground coriander, 1 tsp of ground turmeric, 2 tbs of chopped fresh mint / 1 tbs dried mint, 1 egg, lightly beaten, 8 fresh whole mint leaves, 4 tbs of mango chutney. Preheat your oven to 180 deg C. Line a loaf pan ( 11 cm x 21 cm ) with baking paper, so the paper overhangs the ends. Put the chicken mince, frozen mixed vegies, chopped onion, breadcrumbs, spices, mint, 2 tbs of mango chutney and egg in a large bowl. Mix well to combine. Press the chicken mixture into the prepared pan. Spread the remaining 2 tbs of mango chutney over the top. Press the whole mint leaves down the centre of the log. Bake for 50 minutes in the preheated oven or until tender. Oh the aromas wafting through the kitchen. Drain off any excess liquid and remove the chicken loaf from the pan. Serve hot or cold. I love to serve this chicken loaf with mashed potatoes or if I am serving it cold, it is perfect with sliced cucumber and plain yoghurt.

BANANA, CHOC HAZELNUT SMOOTHIE.

One of the ingredients in this recipe is oat bran, oat bran is available in all major supermarkets. You can substitute rolled oats or quick oats, just blend the quick oats / rolled oats until you get a coarse powdery mixture. Ingredients.....2 medium ripe bananas, 2 tbs of oat bran, 2 tbs of hazelnut chocolate spread, 500 ml of chilled milk, 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream. Put the bananas, oat bran, chocolate hazelnut spread, milk and ice cream into a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Serve in chilled glasses. Once you have made this smoothie, you will be making it again and again. Young and old love it.