HONOUR MITCHELL: COOKING AT HOME

HONOUR MITCHELL: COOKING AT HOME TWO TERRIFIC TEEN-FRIENDLY SPECIALS

Living in Ponsonby means we are surrounded by excellent restaurants and cafes. What’s more, there always seems to be something new popping up for us to try.

I would certainly be lying if I didn’t say that I like eating out more than I do at home. This is partly because I’m a lazy chef and partly because I feel like nothing ever reaches “restaurant standards”. It is incredibly hard to find an appetising dish that you can make easily for lunch or dinner. By that I mean, one that doesn’t involve a hundred different ingredients or half the day preparing food and washing dishes.

It’s taken a very long time for me to devise a recipe specifically suited to my cooking abilities - in a nutshell: quick, easy-to-find ingredients, nutritious and extremely tasty. Between you and me there’ve been multiple failures along the way. Hey! - but I guess we can’t learn if we don’t make mistakes.

Below I share one of my favourite savoury recipes as well as a sweet one. Both are healthy but thankfully do not compromise on deliciousness.

All ingredients can be sourced from Farros (Westmoreland St) and Harvest by Huckleberry (Richmond Road).

FISH TACOS WITH PINEAPPLE SALSA Ready in 30 minutes, serves four.

Fish 400g of white fish fillets (Tarakihi is a good choice) 2 tablespoons coconut flour 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons coconut oil

Pineapple salsa 1 cup of fresh pineapple finely cubed 1/2 a red pepper finely cubed 1/2 a small red onion chopped finely 1 small bunch ofcoriander, very finely chopped 2 tablespoons of lime juice 1 tablespoon of Ceres Coconut Aminos Seasoning 1 tablespoon of sesame Oil Splash of tamari/soy sauce Pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

Guacamole I medium ripe avocado Squeeze of lime juice

TO SERVE: 8 tortillas, 2 cups of sliced lettuce

Method: First cut the fish into bite-sized pieces. Then on a separate plate combine the coconut flour and cornstarch. Coat the pieces of fish by tossing them in the cornstarch and coconut flour mix. Set aside in the fridge. For the salsa, grab a bowl, add all the ingredients, mix everything together then refrigerate until needed. This can be done a couple of hours in advance to improve the combining of flavours.

For the guacamole, mash the flesh of a ripe avocado with a a fork and add a squeeze of lime juice.

Heat coconut oil in a large, heavy frying pan then place the pieces of fish in the pan in a single layer. (Add more oil as necessary). Cook until golden, about 2-3 minutes each side. Fish should flake when it’s cooked. Before serving, quickly season with a few grinds of salt and pepper. As the fish is cooking put the tortillas in the oven to warm up for about 5 minutes. (I wrap the the tortillas in a damp handy towel to keep them soft). Once the fish is cooked, take the pan and place it on the table along with your warm tortillas, salsa, guacamole and lettuce. Assemble and enjoy!

PEANUT CHOCOLATE SLICE Preparation and cooking time 30 minutes. Allow another hour for cooling and to chill the topping.

Base: 1½ cups of roughly chopped peanuts 1 cup rice bubbles ½ cup roughly ground sunflower seeds ½ cup chia seeds 1 cup finely ground oats 1 tablespoon of honey 6 tablespoons of maple syrup 4 tablespoons of coconut oil

Topping: 100g of dark chocolate 100g cacao butter 100g cacao powder Stevia or maple syrup as needed for desired sweetness

Method: Place all the dry ingredients into a bowl and make a well in the middle. Then combine the honey, maple syrup and coconut oil in a small pot and melt fully. Once melted, add to the dry ingredients and stir quickly. When fully combined and at a sticky consistency press into a 25 x 25cm baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes, until golden.

Let the slice cool completely before adding the the chocolate topping. For the topping, melt the chocolate, cacao butter and combine it with the cacao powder, and any sweetener. Stir briskly then pour over the fully cooled slice. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before cutting into small squares. Take to school for a nutty-choc treat! (HONOUR MITCHELL)