Mushroom risotto

Ingredients:
50 gm dry porcini mushrooms (soaked in hot vegetable stock)
Assorted mushrooms (shitake, chestnut etc) sliced lengthwise
1 small chopped onion
2 celery stalks chopped into small pieces
2 tbsp chopped parsley
juice of 1 lime
100 gm arborio rice
1 lt vegetable stock
fresh grated parmesan to serve

Heat olive oil in a pan and add the onions and the celery. Fry them till they are tender but not changed in color.  Add the rice and the stock. Then add the soaked porcini mushrooms.Let it simmer till the rice is cooked and there is no excess water.

Fry mushrooms in a separate pan with olive oil. Add the pasley and the lime juice as they are about to be cooked.

Serve the rice on a plate with the mushroom on top. Grate fresh parmesan on top for added flavour.

Healthy tiramisu

Ingredients:
500 gm Quark
2 tbsp fruit sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp instant decaf coffee
1 tbsp tia maria or any good liquor
1 tbsp masala
16 sponge fingers
11/2 tbsps cocoa powder

Start by combining the quark, fruit sugar and vanilla extract in a bowl.
Mix the coffee with 150 ml water, the combine with the tia maria and masala.
Lay 2 sponge fingers in each dish, the soak with some of the liquid. Spread a layer of quark mixture over it. Repeat with the remaining sponge fingers, then add a final layer of quark mixture.
Finally, dust with the cocoa powder and serve.

Spinach madeleine

Ingredients:
50 gm butter
2 tbsp flour
1 onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
1/2 250 tub of mascarpone
500 gm frozen spinach thawed and liquid collected
140 gm grated cheddar
1 tbsp jalapeno peppers from a jar drained and chopped
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp paprika

Heat oven to 170 c fan. Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook for 2 mins. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 4 minutes or until soft. Add the mascarpone and slowly add the spinach liquid. Cook for 4 minutes until sauce thickens. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes until golden.

Houmous

Ingredients:

2 cans of 400 gm chick-peas
2 fat garlic cloves roughly chopped
3 tbsp Greek yogurt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
zest and juice of 2 lemons
20 gm pack of coriander washed and chopped

Put everything except the coriander into the food processor, and whiz into a fairly smooth mix. Then take it out into a bowl and add the coriander. Season to taste and drizzle olive oil if required.

Serve with carrots, celery and cucumber cut lengthwise.

Honey Yogurt Cheesecake

Ingredients:
150 gm amaretti or digestive biscuits
85 gm toasted flaked almonds
85 gm melted butter
250 ml greek yogurt
750 gm mascarpone
2 eggs
zest of 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange
250 ml honey (orange blossom preferred)

Heat oven to 150 c. Crush the biscuits and most of the almonds in a food processor with the butter. Press it uniformly in a dish (about 23 cm diameter). Bake for 10 min.s until crisp and well set.
Stir or mash together the yogurt and the mascarpone. Then whisk in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the lemon and orange zest and the honey. Spread uniformly over biscuit base. Cover with foil and cook for about 1 hour. After that, remove cover and cook for another 20 min.s or till it is evenly browned on top with a the middle just a bit wobbly. Scatter the rest of the almonds and let it be inside the over for about 10 min.s after you have turned the heat off.
Leave it to cool. Serve with fresh fruit.

Cinnamon swirls

Ingredients:
175 gm softened butter (not melted, just soft)
50 gm brown sugar
50 gm icing sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
300 gm plain flour

Mix the butter, sugars, egg yolks and vanilla with a wooden spoon till creamy. Mix the flour gradually. Then roll out the dough to a 20 cm/30 cm rectangle on a piece of baking parchment. Mix the sugar with cinnamon. Sprinkle it over the rolled out dough uniformly. Roll the rolling pin over it so that the mixture is pressed into the dough. Then start rolling the dough from the narrow side with the help of the parchment. Once it is rolled, chill it for at least a half hour. Then take it out and cut 20 biscuits out of it. Pre-heat the oven to about 200 c. Bake the swirls for about 12 minutes or until golden.

Chick-pea and aubergine curry

Ingredients:
3 tbsp sunflower oil
1 tsp black mustard seeds
12 fresh curry leaves
2 white onions, finely chopped
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp turmeric
400 ml can reduced fat coconut milk
6 tomatoes quartered
400 mg can chick-peas rinsed and drained

Cut aubergines into halves and then into long wedges. Heat a non stick pan and add 2 tbsp oil. Once the oil is hot, add the aubergine pieces. Cook the aubergine pieces until they are brown on both sides. They take them out and pour the remaining oil in the pan. Add the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. After the mustard seeds pop, add the onions. Add the curry powder and stir for about 30 seconds. Then add the coconut milk. Then add about 3/4th cup of water. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Then add the aubergines and chick peas. Cook until the aubergine is tender.

Serve with warm basmati rice or naan.