{Yummy, velvety, fudgy, luscious} raw banana chocolate

I need to apologise. I have been hiding my best kept secret. You can ignore all the other recipes on here, because really I only eat chocolate and nothing else. Ok maybe that is a slight exaggeration, however anyone who knows me will attest to the fact that chocolate runs through my veins (and obviously flowed into Ryder's too). Before I started this blog I was being asked by friends continually for my very simple raw chocolate recipe, and so it spurred me on to start this blog. But you may have noticed that the blog is lacking said recipe. Oops. And now another apology: this isn't it. It'll come soon. Promise. You will find instead however, that this recipe is *The Best Thing I Have Ever Invented (*says me). It's sweet and fudgy and velvety and yummy and so good. The mixture could be used as a chocolate fudge sauce or in a tart maybe, but I set them in moulds and keep them in the freezer - and pop one in my mouth from time to time. Fairly often. They stay soft in the freezer and would melt very quickly if left to sit at room temperature (apparently - they are usually in my mouth and are never 'left to sit' anywhere). Please let me know if you give the recipe a try (and if so, what your address is…).

INGREDIENTS

¾ cup coconut oil
½ cup rice malt syrup
½ cup raw cacao
1 ripe banana
2tb solid cocoa butter (you could probably omit this, but it helps with the consistency - you could add more coconut oil instead)
1tp vanilla powder

METHOD

Mash the banana.
Finely grate the cocoa butter and sit it in a bowl on top of another bowl filled with boiling water to melt completely.
Add the coconut oil and mix well until soft and mostly melted.
Add everything else and stir together, then blend with a stick blender until smooth.
Stop blending once it's completely smooth - don't overdo it or the mixture may split.
Spoon into moulds and set in the freezer. 

MAKES AROUND 30 SMALL CHOCOLATES

A break in the programming

Things to be glad for these school holidays: Climbing and getting dirty at Mt Coot-tha :: Ryder making his own breakfast of sourdough french toast with strawberries :: board games in front of the heater on a cold morning :: Red Thai curry soup made from leftover sweet potato mash :: exploring in the garden at school with friends at a working bee :: gluten-free carrot and pineapple cake with cream cheese icing for Owen's birthday.

Tuckshop Tuesday Tribute

Not your usual tuckshop tucker? It's a far cry from the meat pie, cream bun and can of coke I had everyday in high school. I couldn't be more proud of the amazing efforts made by some of my mama friends at our primary school to bring healthy food to our little ones lunch boxes every Tuesday. Sushi, chicken wraps, (hidden veggie) muffins with coconut icing, veg sticks with hummus, fruit, and spelt pizzas - all handmade onsite (except the sushi) by the small tribe of volunteers - even the pizza bases are made from scratch by grinding the spelt in a Thermomix. Seriously. I would love to have been more involved, but my Super Busy Job has not allowed me much time. So my hat goes off to those who have made this happen - may our children continue to be enriched and nourished by your time, energy and lunch box love. Just let me know when the parents can put in their own orders...

Storyteller

A sweet moment spotted while at our friend's house… the other five boys thundering about playing games, while Glen's eldest read stories to the little girls. Excuse the photo not being the best quality, but it was such a beautiful moment I couldn't help but share.

Potato skin chips

Ok, so this blog post isn't going to win any culinary beauty contests. But food waste is a particular bugbear of mine - did you know that Australians throw away up to 20% of the food they purchase? That's eight billion dollars worth of edible food annually. Gah! The humble potato skin is usually one of those victims destined for the bin. Don't chuck them, chip them! Save your peelings or skins left over from baked potatoes and fry them up in coconut or olive oil (I used organic, grass-fed tallow from The Happy Cow - makes the BEST chips), or roast them for 15-20 minutes with a sprinkling of salt and rosemary. So good.  

Sweet potato gnocchi (gluten-free)

I love gnocchi - plump little parcels of perfection. It's definitely one of my favourite meals - luckily Ryder loves it too. It's surprisingly easy to make - and is a great simple staple meal to get kids involved in. Slather in sauce, or cover in cheese - our favourite is smoked salmon, carrot and tomato passata sauce.

INGREDIENTS

2 large sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1 ⅓ cups flour (I use half tapioca/half rice flour)
Salt to taste

METHOD

Cut the sweet potatoes in half, cover in a wet paper towel and microwave for around 15-18mins (depending on your microwave). You can also bake them in the oven of course (I'm too impatient), just don't boil - they'll end up with too much water.
Scoop out the potato and mash with the eggs, salt and flour. Depending on the size of the potatoes, you may need more or less flour - add enough to make it a dough that holds together and isn't too dry or too wet (yes my instructions are pretty vague - but it's a fairly failsafe recipe and it always just works out for me!).
Sprinkle some flour onto your work area, and roll out into long logs (approx 3cm wide) and then cut into small pieces and set aside until you are ready to cook.
•••••••
At this point get your sauce ready or whatever else you are serving with them, as they cook very fast.
•••••••
Bring a large pot of water to boil, and gently lower the gnocchi into the pot using a slotted spoon. Once they rise, they are ready (only a few minutes).
Cover in sauce and serve!