Golden Bliss Balls from Jess' Kitchen

“I hope you like these, They’re sweet and earthy and rich and creamy and milky and able to be eaten by my whole family right now, yippee!”

Living with lots of eating restrictions can be a hassle... living with them and catering for them when its not for yourself can be a chore! EXCEPT when it is for your child! And then you must learn quickly to adapt, and enjoy creating new things in the kitchen for that precious little person! In our family its our youngest that currently has some different food needs, and thankfully its only temporary, but its cut out lots of our staples! One of them is DATES!!! Try making nut balls without dates.... 

Actually I have done it for you, so don't worry! And I also snuck in some Turmeric for its amazing anti inflammatory properties, sweetened with Honey, a hint of cinnamon and coated in toasted coconut. Full of good fats, and protein, these are this weeks victory for me

Ingredients

150 grams Cashew nuts

200 grams Macadamia nuts

Pinch Himalayan salt

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp Cinnamon

100 grams raw Honey

50 grams Coconut paste (I use Loving Earth)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Toasted Coconut, for rolling

Method

Place cashew and macadamia nuts into Thermomix bowl. Add salt, turmeric and cinnamon. Process on speed 5 for 4-5 seconds, till very finely chopped.

Add honey, coconut paste and vanilla extract. Process again for 20 seconds on speed 5.

Roll balls of mixture in some toasted coconut.

Store in the fridge.

*Note: I am not a culinary genius, far from it. Substituting Coconut paste and Honey for dates kind of just made sense to me, but the idea of the Turmeric was seen somewhere on Instagram, in some other nut ball recipe, that I saw and went "LIGHT BULB!" but dismissed as soon as I saw dates... Fast forward a few weeks and I had worked out how to make yummy bliss balls without dates, and then remembered the Golden Turmeric ball idea! So whilst this recipe and its ingredients/amounts was made up in my kitchen, the true genius is somewhere out there on Instagram or Facebook, being super awesome. Thanks whomever you are!

Sunday Dinner in Matty's Kitchen

“An impromptu invitation to my brother Matt’s place, was answered with an immediate yes! Dinner from Matty’s kitchen never fails to impress. The chargrilled eggplant he served us was no exception. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did...”

Chargrilled Eggplant with Chicken, Cashew and Lime

Ingredients

8 large eggplants, cut lengthways, half inch thick

1 tbs coconut oil + 2 tbs coconut oil

2 spring onions

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp organic chilli paste

2 pairs Kaffir Lime Leaves, tear leaves

1 tbs fish sauce

1 tps coconut sugar

1 tbs Tamari sauce

Juice of 1 lime

400 grams organic chicken mince

250 grams firm tofu, cut into 1 cm cubes

½ cup chopped roasted cashews + 2 tbs roasted cashews for garnish

2 green shallots, sliced for garnish

¼ cup chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Method
Brush eggplant with oil. Then chargrill the eggplant over moderate heat (avoid open flame), until well cooked, about 5 minutes each side. By chargrilling the eggplant first, the subtle smokey flavour enhances this dish. Set side and keep warm in oven.

To make filling, heat oil to moderate heat in a wok. Add spring onions, garlic, chilli, lime leaves, fish sauce, coconut sugar, Tamari and lime juice. Stir fry until softened. Turn the heat to high and stir-fry the chicken mince until cooked. Toss through tofu and cashew nuts. Continue to stir-fry for another 1 – 2 minutes.

Place cooked eggplant on plates and spoon over the chicken and tofu filling. Sprinkle with extra cashews, shallots and coriander leaves. Serve.

Breakfast in Jess' Kitchen

Breakfast on Sabbath was homemade bread, lovingly made and delivered by Baka (Yugoslav Grandmother). Ordinarily we prefer a toast made on wholemeal spelt and rye sourdough, or an almond and chia bread, but sometimes Baka's homemade loaf just hits the spot. Topped with a greens pesto, which was pretty much anything green that needed using; some basil, coriander, parsley, and broccoli, along with 3 HUGE russian garlic cloves and tons of olive oil, a little salt, and some walnuts and macadamia nuts.  This was topped with eggs fried in coconut oil, topped with sliced avocado and served with tomatoes :) I found a Charcoal Pyramid Sea salt at a specialty store a while back and the children think its such a novelty, and will eat anything with their Charcoal Black Salt :)

Savoury Basics 咸味底料

“Savoury Basics” can be used as a base for soups, stock, stir-fry, casseroles, patties or any savoury recipe.“咸味底料”可以用来当作汤羹、食材、炒菜、砂锅菜、小馅饼或者其他菜肴的底味。

Ingredients 制作材料

1 large fresh Onion 1只大个的新鲜洋葱

4 cloves fresh Garlic 4瓣鲜蒜瓣

2 teaspoons fresh Ginger 2茶匙新鲜生姜

2 tablespoons Tamari sauce 2汤匙日本酱油

1 tablespoon Coconut Oil 1汤匙冷榨椰子油或者橄榄油

Method

Chop vegetables finely. 将蔬菜切碎。

Heat fry pan and lightly stir-fry vegetables in oil. 把煎锅加热，用油将蔬菜用旺火稍稍翻炒一下。

Add Tamari sauce.加入日本酱油。

Enjoy the anti-inflammatory effects of eating these ingredients on a regular basis!如果定期食用的话，会有消炎抗肿的疗效！

Cashew Lemon Cream

Cashew Cream is a dairy free option to drizzle over your pancakes or your breakfast bowl of fresh fruit. The original recipe comes from Jess' Kitchen with a touch of lemon zest added at the suggestion of my mother-in-law. The lemon brings a tangy uniqueness to the cream. You will love it!
 

Ingredients

250 g cashews

250 g coconut cream

100 g raw honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon

¼ tsp Himalayan salt

Instructions

Cover cashews with water. Allow to soak for 30 minutes. Then drain the water.

Blend cashew with all other ingredients on high speed for 1 – 2 minutes.

Store in air tight glass jar in refrigerator.

Berry Sauce浆果酱

Berry sauce is perfect for drizzling over pancakes or as a condiment to your breakfast bowl full of fresh fruit, yoghurt, nuts and seeds. We love to source organic berries either fresh or frozen.

Ingredients--制作材料

1 cup fresh / frozen berries 1--杯新鲜的或者冷冻浆果

1 cup pure filtered water--1杯纯过滤水

2 tbs honey--2汤匙龙舌兰糖浆或者蜂蜜

2 tbs arrowroot powder / kudzu starch--2汤匙竹芋粉

Instructions--制作步骤

1.       Place all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until smooth. 把所有的食材倒入搅拌机，调高速档打成浆。

2.       Pour liquid into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until little bubbles form. 将步骤1的液体倒入一个小炖锅里用中高火加热直到起小泡泡。

3.       Reduce heat just slightly and continue to cook (for about 3 – 5 minutes) while whisking until thickened and clear. 然后把火头稍稍调小，一边搅拌一边继续烹饪（大约3-5分钟）直到液体变稠透明。

*This syrup will solidify a little in the fridge so needs to be heated before using.

*这种糖浆放入冰箱后会少量凝结，所以在使用前必须要先加热。