Ingredients

Serves 4

Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
200–230 g (4 cups) chopped broccoli (including stems)
¾ cup brown rice flakes
750 ml water
3 tsp bouillon vegetable stock powder
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
250 ml cow, soy or rice milk (if you use soy, make sure it’s not too strong in flavour)
Freshly chopped flat-parsley, to serve


Tofu Chocolate Mousse
250 g silken tofu
125 g good-quality dark cooking chocolate, roughly chopped
3 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract or
110 g raw caster sugar


ADDITIONAL RECIPES
Bliss Balls
Makes about 20

4 fresh dates, pitted
1 cup mixed nuts and seeds (sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts, almonds, cashews, pumpkin seeds)
1 tbsp sultanas
1 tsp pure cocoa powder
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 orange
About ¾ cup desiccated coconut


Fruit Leathers
Makes 2 X 24 cm X 30 cm sheets

500 g apples, peeled and cored
500 g berries (strawberries, raspberries, etc.)
Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon
150 g raw honey

 


 

Method

Cream of Broccoli Soup
A gorgeous creamy broccoli soup made using brown rice flakes. Just delicious.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over a medium heat and add the onion and garlic.
Sauté for a few minutes until the onion is translucent, then add the remaining ingredients, except the milk. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the milk and cook uncovered for a further 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or use a stick blender to blend the soup until creamy. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.

Variation
Add the juice of ½ lemon just before serving to lighten the thick creaminess of the soup. This is lovely to do in summer.

 

Tofu Chocolate Mousse
This is the perfect recipe to satisfy a chocolate craving and provide a good dairy-free protein hit at the same time (good-quality pure dark chocolate contains no dairy products). If you like chocolate mousse, you’ll love this!

Drain the tofu and blend to a smooth paste using a food processor. Set aside.
Bring a few centimetres of water to the boil in a saucepan, then reduce the heat to low–medium. Put the chocolate in a bowl and carefully place the bowl in the saucepan so that the water comes halfway up the sides of the bowl. Melt the chocolate, taking care that it does not come into contact with the water. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and allow to cool slightly, then add the egg yolks and vanilla and mix gently. Add the sugar and tofu and combine well. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then gently fold into the tofu mixture. Spoon the mousse into individual serving dishes and chill for 3–4 hours or overnight.
Serve with fresh berries.

 

ADDITIONAL RECIPES
Bliss Balls
A delicious protein-packed snack, these are excellent when you’re craving something   sweet or for packed lunches. They are also a good option for little people who don’t yet have the teeth to chew nuts well but can tolerate them in their diet.

Put all the ingredients except the coconut in a food processor and blend to a smooth paste. Roll into small balls and coat in the coconut. Store in the fridge in an airtight container and eat within 5 days.
Note: Bliss balls can be stored in the freezer and taken out to snack on as needed. Thaw them first!

Variations
Include 1 teaspoon tahini.
Use carob powder instead of cocoa.

Fruit Leathers
This recipe is adapted from Preserves: River Cottage Handbook No. 2 by Pam Corbin. It is fantastic for kids and super-easy, although it does require a long time in the oven. This is a great snack that contains no sugar other than the natural fruit sugars. Use your favourite apple variety or experiment with different fruit depending on what’s in season and what takes your fancy. You should always include apples, though – the pectin they contain gives the rubbery, leather feel.

Line two 24 cm x 30 cm baking trays with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 60°C.
Place the fruit and lemon juice in a saucepan and cook for about 20 minutes over a low heat, stirring regularly, until soft and pulpy. Let the fruit mixture cool a little, then strain into a bowl through a sieve or mouli. You should have a lovely smooth puree. Stir through the honey.
Spread the fruit puree over the 2 baking sheets and smooth evenly to the edges, using the back of a spoon. It will look thicker than you might expect, but after long cooking a lot of the moisture is lost and it becomes much thinner. Place the trays in the oven and cook for 12–18 hours (I usually do this overnight) or until the leather is dry and not sticky and peels off the baking paper easily. Roll, cut, rip or fold the leathers (I usually cut them into big strips and store them that way, then rip off smaller pieces when I need them for the kids to eat. Store for up to 5 months in an airtight container with baking paper in between.
Variations
Pam Corbin suggests using plums and cinnamon, as well as a savoury leather using half apples and half tomatoes and up to a teaspoon of celery salt. My son loves the savoury one!