Family Mess Hall - whole food meals dinners recipes

Ricotta, cinnamon and apple muffins It's always a challenge to find tasty lunchbox recipes that pack nutritional punch.  These apple, ricotta and almond muffins are delicious to eat and are packed with fresh fruit, protein, dairy and superfood (almonds).  They're gently spiced with cinnamon and fragrant with lemon zest.   Ingredients: 2 cups all purpose flour 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt 1 egg 150 mL milk 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1/3 cup honey 2 cups ricotta 1 tsp lemon zest 1 cup diced apple ((0.5cm cubes with skin on)) 1/2 cup flaked almonds Method: Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F Place dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and then add wet ingredients excluding apples and almonds. Mix to combine. Gently fold through apples and almonds.   Bake muffins for 25 minutes or until golden and inserted skewer comes out clean.  

Creamed corn fritters Use your pantry staples to make these delicious creamed corn fritters.  Serve them with poached eggs and bacon for a delicious breakfast or brunch. Ingredients: 3/4 cup cornmeal / fine polenta 1 1/4 cup plain flour 1 eggs 1 tin corn kernals ((approx 400 grams)) 1 tin creamed corn ((approx 400 grams)) 1/2 - 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves 1 stalk spring onion ((chopped)) Method: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Heat 2 - 4 tbsp oil in a fry pan on medium high heat.   Dollop in spoonfuls of creamed corn fritter batters and fry until golden one side.  Turn fritters and continue to cook for approximately 2 - 3 minutes or until cooked through, golden and crisp. Drain the fritters on a wire rack to help them crisp up.  Serve hot.

Here's a highly nutritious sweet treat to take with you as you go about your business.  Superfood honey oat bars are loaded with dried blueberries, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, coconut, almonds and fibre rich oats.  You'll enjoy the honey butter flavour and the mild scent of cinnamon.  Moreover, the chocolate chips take the yum factor through the roof! Superfood honey oat bars These honey oat bars are packed with delicious superfoods and will provide you with a sweet, tasty and highly nutritious snack.   2 cups oats 1/2 cup desiccated coconut 1/2 cup sunflower seeds 1/2 cup flaked almonds 1/2 cup dried blueberries ((or other dried fruit)) 1/2 cup chocolate chips 50 g butter ((melted but cool)) 2/3 cup honey 1/4 cup soft brown sugar 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon Preheat oven to 180 C / 350 F. Lined a 30cm (12 inch) square oven proof dish.  Combine all dry ingredients together in a bowl.   Combine cooled melted butter with honey, brown su...

Date and pecan banana bread This date and pecan banana bread is richer in flavour than my basic date loaf due to the addition of banana, pecans and cinnamon. It's a great snack. Ingredients: 1 cup dates (chopped) 1 cup boiling water 3/4 cup brown sugar 2 bananas ((1 mashed and the other sliced lengthways into thirds)) 100 grams butter 2 tsp baking powder 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour 1 cup pecans / almonds ((roughly chopped)) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 egg 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt Method: Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Mix together dates, sugar, butter and boiling water in a bowl.  Allow dates to soak for five minutes. Add egg, vanilla, mashed banana, salt, pecans, flour, baking soda and cinnamon.  Fold to combine. Transfer date loaf batter into a lined loaf tin.  Bake for approximately 45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes our clean.   Cool, slice and serve spread with butter.

Yeasted cardamom and cinnamon doughnut recipe These yeasted cardamom and cinnamon doughnuts are crispy on the outside and both airy and chewy on the inside. The heavenly aroma of cinnamon and cardamom made them irresistible and this batch didn't last five minutes in our household. Doughnuts Ingredients: 1 1/14 cup milk ((microwave for 30 seconds or until lukewarm)) 2 1/2 tsp dry yeast 3 tbsp sugar ((raw or white)) 2 eggs 100 grams butter ((melted)) 4 1/4 cup all purpose flour ((plus extra for shaping doughnuts)) 1/2 tsp ground cardamom 1/2 tsp salt Method: Add lukewarm milk, raw sugar and yeast to a mixing bowl and stir to combine.  Allow to rest for ten minutes to activate the yeast.  The mixture should become foamy.   Whisk in the eggs and melted butter. Add flour, salt and ground cardamom to the yeast mixture and combine to form a sticky dough.  You can do this quickly by hand with a wooden spoon. Drizzle over one teaspoon of oil and cover with a da...

Simple Date Loaf Here's my most basic date loaf recipe that provides vast opportunities for adding your own personal touches. Include nuts, spices, seeds or dried fruit. Ingredients: 1 cup dates ((chopped)) 1 cup boiling water 3/4 cup brown sugar 1 tsp baking soda 75 grams butter 1 3/4 all purpose flour 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp salt Method: Preheat oven to 180C / 350F. Mix together dates, sugar, salt, butter and boiling water in a bowl. Allow dates to soak for five minutes. d vanilla, flour and baking soda. Fold to combine.  Transfer date loaf batter into a lined loaf tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes our clean. Cool, slice and serve spread with butter.

Apricot, coconut and pecan oatmeal A thick, warm, creamy bowl of oatmeal porridge is a soothing and nourishing way to start your day. Vegan friendly and sugar free.  Ingredients: 1 1/2 cup oats 3 cups water 1 cup coconut milk 3 dried dates chopped 1/2 dried apricots finely chopped 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/2 tsp salt Method: Place all ingredients except pecans in a pot and bring to the boil on the stove over medium high heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer and continue cooking for 30 minutes total or until your oatmeal porridge is thick and the fruit and broken down. Serve with chopped pecans and an extra splash of coconut milk or dairy cream.

Chive, cream cheese and spinach muffins Ingredients: 100 grams spinach or chard 200 mL milk 1/4 cup olive oil 1 3/4 cups self raising flour 2/3 cups grated cheese 1 egg 130g spring onion and chive cream cheese wheel ((diced into 1cm cubes)) 6 grape or cherry tomatoes Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C / 350 degrees F Blend milk and spinach until spinach is well chopped and combined with milk. Pour into  mixing bowl and add oil, egg, flour and grated cheese.  Fold to combine. Gently fold through cubes of cream cheese. Try to keep cream cheese in tact. Divide into greased muffin tray and top with half a tomato, cut side up. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Apricot, coconut and pecan muesli granola We love to start our day with a bowl of crunchy granola served with plain yoghurt and fresh fruit to add sweetness.   Ingredients: Method:

Here's a Chinese street food recipe that I love for it's crispy, oniony and yes, oily flavour.  It's definitely a family favourite in our household and is special to me as my very own grandmother taught me the correct way to shape them.  Ingredients: 2 cups plain flour 2 tblsp vegetable oil 0.5 cup boiling water 0.5 tsp salt 2 spring onions (finely chopped) 3 tblsp sesame oil vegetable oil for cooking Method: Make a dough  1. Combine dry ingredients and boiling water to form a dry dough. 2. Knead well (10 minutes). Wrap in waterproof food wrap and rest for 15 minutes. 3. Finely chop 2 stalks of spring onion. Form pancakes 1. Divide dough into 6 equal sized pieces.  Roll into balls. 2. Take one ball of dough and flatten to 2mm thin to make a circle.  3. Drizzle a half teaspoon of sesame oil over the dough and rub to coat the surface. Sprinkle over a large pinch (1.5 tablespoons) of chopped spring onions and a pinch of salt. 4. Roll your pastry disc into a ci...

Recipe: 5 Minute Microwave Shakshouka for one You'll need: 5 minutes, capsicum, onion, ground coriander, dried thyme, dried oregano, sesame seeds, sumac, chilli powder, tomato passata, eggs.  1. Slice half a red capsicum and half an onion. Place in a microwave safe bowl. 2. Add a dash each of dried herbs and ground spices mentioned above. 3. Add a 1/3 cup of tomato passata, 2 tbsp of water. 1/2 tsp sugar and one tbsp of olive oil. Mix to coat. 4. Cover the bowl and microwave for 2 minutes on high. 5. Make a well in the centre of the sauce and crack in one or two eggs. 6. Cover again and microwave in 30 second bursts until the eggs are poached to your liking.  (My eggs took 2 minutes in total.) 7. Sprinkle over some chopped parsley or fresh corainder, salt and pepper, sesame seeds and additional chilli if you like your shakshouka extra spicy. 8. Enjoy with a little toast.

Here's a simple but reliable buttermilk pancake recipe for every day. Buttermilk pancakes are just delicious served with a little maple syrup and fresh blueberries.  Real or cultured buttermilk can be used in this recipe.  But if you're like me and don't regularly keep some on hand, you can substitute with milk curdled with 1 tsp of cider vinegar / lemon juice. Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 2 1/2 cups milk (or buttermilk, omit lemon / cider vinegar if using buttermilk) 2 tbsp lemon or apple cider vinegar (add to milk to mimic buttermilk)) 2.5 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1 tbsp sugar 2 eggs 2 tbsp melted butter or vegetable oil 1 punnet blueberries Method: Add lemon or vinegar to milk and allow to sit for 5 minutes to curdle the milk and create an excellent buttermilk substitute.  Optional: Use buttermilk if you have it on hand. Add all other ingredients to the milk and mix until just combined. Heat your fry pan to medium high heat and grease with ...