So simple pumpkin soup

This has got to be the simplest soup to make and even simpler if you have a thermomix!
This was my lifesaver recipe when my girls were teething and didn't want to eat  (a very rare occurrence for them!) I just served it to them cold and they loved it. I have tried this soup with a few different pumpkins, but I find the kent variety is the tastiest.

1kg Kent pumpkin, peeled and roughly cut into pieces
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cups of water
Salt & pepper to taste

Place all vegetables in a large saucepan with water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes until soft. Blend the vegetables until smooth using a stick mixer or blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I tend not to thin out the soup much with water as I prefer a thicker soup, but you could add more water if you like a thinner consistency. I figure the less water I add, the more vegetables my girls will get in each bowl!
I also freeze the soup in small portions for last minute dinners.

Gluten free bubble cereal

Every morning my girls wake up and the first thing they ask for is their "bubbles!" This is just a mixture of gluten free puffed grains I mix together with added seeds and berries. A great alternative to those packaged breakfast cereals that can be full of added sugar and fat and perfect for those following a gluten free diet.

In each bowl I place an equal quantity of puffed rice and puffed millet (or amaranth) and mix together. I also give them a small bowl on the side with a mixture of different seeds (usually pumpkin and sunflower seeds) and goji berries and let them add them to the cereal. I find it's a good way to keep them interested and involved.

Puffed rice can be found in the health food aisles in most supermarkets and the other puffed grains normally only in health food shops. Goji berries are great because they are full of antioxidants but any dried fruit could be used.

I know alot of people struggle to get their kids to eat breakfast but I have the opposite problem. I have to stop them after their third bowl! (after all, they are only two!)

Chocolate orange cupcakes

My two year old girls have an obsession with birthday parties at the moment and every day we have a pretend party for one of their teddies. (It was humpty dumpty's turn today!) Luckily they don't expect real cakes every day but are happy making pretend cakes in their sandpit. Since it is the weekend, I thought I would be extra nice and make them real ones and what kid doesn't like a good chocolate cake. This cake is gluten free, dairy free and so moist and chocolatey. According to my husband it tastes like a really good chocolate brownie and my kids didn't have to say anything, they were so excited that they forgot the birthday party and scoffed them down!

2 oranges
1 cup of 100% pure maple syrup
4 cups of ground almonds
6 free range eggs
0.75 cup of cocoa powder


1. Preheat oven to 170C (fanforced) and line muffin trays with cupcake cases or lightly grease.
2. Place two whole oranges in a saucepan with water. Bring to boil and simmer for 1 hour.(Alternatively oranges could be steamed for 40 minutes.) Drain and allow to cool before cutting into quarters and placing in a food processor or thermomix to puree until smooth (with skin on!) To make sure the cake isn't too bitter I cut off the ends of the oranges where the thickest skin is and remove seeds before blending.
3. Add eggs and maple syrup and process again to combine.
4. Tranfer to a large bowl and fold in ground almonds and cocoa powder.
5. Spoon into muffin tray and bake for ~30 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.

Makes 24 cupcakes

Salmon, sweet potato and salad

This is not a fancy dinner but it tastes great and it is so easy to prepare. It is cooked in the oven, so no time wasted standing over the stove top and no extra dishes to wash up! I cook one piece of salmon and one small sweet potato per person and then make a big salad to share.


1.Preheat oven to 200C (fanforced).

2. Wash whole sweet potatoes and place on tray lined with foil in the oven.

3. In the meantime, prepare the salmon by placing in foil and adding a few splashes of olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper and parsley. Bring the sides of the foil to the centre to make a sealed parcel.

4. After 45 minutes, reduce temperature of oven to 180C, put the salmon in the oven with the sweet potato and cook for 10-15 minutes until salmon cooked the way you like.

5. Prepare salad by combining mixed salad leaves, with some avacado and chopped walnuts. Dress salad with olive oil (or macadamia oil) and balsamic vinegar.

6. Serve salmon immediately with sweet potato and salad.

Although the salad has only three ingredients, the combination of soft avocado with the crunch of the walnuts is delicious. Allowing the sweet potato to cook for an hour, brings out it's natural sweetness and so it doesn't really need any extra toppings. Without really trying, this recipe ends up being super healthy and super tasty!

Dairy free milkshakes and ice creams

2 ripe bananas
1 cup of rice milk
Few cubes of ice

Use thermomix or blender to combine ingredients until smooth.
I find by using ripe bananas, there is no need to add any extra sweetners as the bananas are sweet enough.

So delicious! I put the smoothies into travel bottles with straws for my girls. Great as a quick, nutritious and easily portable snack. I find they are especially good for long car trips to keep them quiet(for a while at least!)

To make ice creams, simply freeze some of the smoothies in ice block moulds and enjoy as a dairy free alternative to normal ice cram.

Rice crusted quiche with pumpkin and ham

I was left pondering after xmas what should I do with all the leftover ham. There is only so many times you can have ham sandwiches! This quiche is really simple to put together and the rice base apart from the benefit of being gluten free is a much healthier alternative to a pastry base. My husband who is brutally honest when it comes to my cooking, said it was the best quiche he has ever had!

Base:
500g cooked brown rice
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Filling:
1 onion, finely chopped
200g ham or lean bacon
5 eggs, lightly beaten
0.3 cup of soy milk or low fat milk
150g grated reduced fat cheese
500g cooked pumpkin, diced

1. Preheat oven to 160 (fanforced) and lightly grease a pie dish or cake tin with removable sides.
2. To make crust, mix cooked rice and eggs until well combined. Press mixture into base of dish and bake for 15-20 mins until crust is firm.      
3. Meanwhile, make the filling by cooking the onions in a frying pan over medium heat until softened. Then add bacon/ham and cook for a further few minutes.
4. Combine milk, cheese and eggs in a bowl. Place cooked pumpkin and onion/ham into the egg mixture and stir together.
5. Pour into rice crust and bake for ~50 minutes or until set and golden.

Gluten free almond cookies

These are the simplest cookies to make and are so yum! (just ask my toddlers!) We made these on Christmas eve for Santa and let's just say hubby was very happy with his midnight snack!

300g almond meal
75g macadamia nut oil
75g honey
2 tsp vanilla essence

1. Preheat oven to 160C. (fan forced)
2. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Roll tablespoonfuls of mixture into cookies and then press down onto a tray lined with baking paper. (If you have trouble keeping the mixture together add a little more oil or honey.)
4. Cook for 15-25 minutes or until golden. Allow to cool completely on tray before divulging.

This makes a big batch of cookies but still they don't last very long at my house. Who would of thought a cookie that was so healthy would taste so good!