Ingredients:

• 150 g  desiccated coconut  (about 2 cups) - plus about 30g for rolling
• 100g almonds*
• 100 g medjool dates,  seeds removed (about 10)
• 30g cacao (2 tablespoons)
• 100g coconut cream** (about 5 tablespoons), or 50g of coconut oil.

To make:
Place all of the ingredients into Thermomix and blend 15-20 seconds sp 7.  Or if using a  food processor blend until well combined.  Roll into balls and refrigerate.   They last a week or so in the fridge (if they last that long!).
* Nut free option:  replace almonds with extra coconut or sunflower seeds.
** use a good quality coconut cream (100% coconut cream - beware those with other additives!) - or make your own.  Freeze the remainder coconut cream in ice cube trays for the next batch (or curry).

What’s so good about it:
Its a really tasty way to get more vegetables into the diet and it is a great gluten free alternative for pizza. Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable – same family as broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts  - high in powerful antioxidants – so it is detoxifying and anti-ageing!  Here are just a few things it is good for:

• Immune system - high in vitamin C  and anti-inflammatory & antioxidants
• Bone health - boron – which helps calcium be absorbed into bones
• Digestive health - high in fibre so it helps move things along in the digestive tract
  • contains sulphorophane, a powerful antioxidant which can reduce the incidence cancers particularly prostate and breast as it helps modulate oestrogen metabolism.
  • also helps prevent bacterial overgrowth in gut and protects the gut lining – so it is gut healing as well.

 The first part of this recipe makes cauliflower rice - a really delicious alternative to rice/pasta ...baked in the oven gives it a really beautiful taste which kids (and you) will love!

This recipe is adapted  from Louise Fulton Keats “Something for Everyone”, Thermomix cookbook - which I highly recommend as a great resource for family meals.
I often make a double batch and freeze half with a piece of baking paper between each pizza base.

Ingredients
500g cauliflower  (about 1 average sized cauliflower)
80g parmesan, roughly chopped
1 egg
60g tomato paste/tomato passata  (I use my home-made tomato passata)
8 button mushrooms, thinly sliced
4-5 strips of sulphite free - free range bacon (optional)
olive oil
3 small bocconcini
1 -2 basil sprigs, leaves only

Method
Thermomix:  Place cauliflower into the mixing bowl and chop 4 sec/sp 5. Transfer to a large baking dish and bake in oven for 15 mins to dry out, stirring once or twice during the cooking time to prevent burning.  Set aside and let cool slightly.
Place parmesan into mixing bowl and chop 20 sec/sp 7.  Scrape sides of bowl and add the cauliflower and the egg and mix 6 sec / sp 6, scrape down sides and repeat.

Spread the cauli mixture onto baking paper forming 3 small pizzas – about 8mm thick.  Bake in oven for about 20-25 mins until light golden.
 
Food processor:   Place cauliflower into bowl and pulse until it is like cauliflower rice.   Transfer to a large baking dish and bake in oven for 15 mins to dry out, stirring once or twice during the cooking time to prevent burning.  Set aside and let cool slightly.
Process parmesan until finely grated.  Scrape sides of bowl and add the cauliflower and the egg and mix until well combined.
Spread the cauli mixture onto baking paper forming 3 small pizzas – about 8mm thick.  Bake in oven for about 20-25 mins until light golden.

Both methods:
Remove from oven, spread tomato passata, scatter mushrooms, chopped bacon and bocconcini or your choice of toppings, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 8-10 minutes. Scatter basil leaves and serve.

These are a lovely sweet treat for the lunchbox or for an after school treat.  Apricots are high in soluble fibre, Vitamin C and iron.  Make sure you choose organic sulphite free apricots - they will be brown in colour as they don't contain the preservative sulphite which can trigger asthma and other allergic / sensitivity reactions.
As well as being a lovely vegetable protein and fat source, sunflower seeds are high in B Vitamins including folic acid, polyunsaturated fatty acids , antioxidants including vitamin E and minerals  calcium, iron, magnesium & selenium.
Coconut has anti-microbial  anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities, as well as being delicious - again,  choose sulphite free coconut.


Ingredients
200 g dried apricots (Organic Turkish)
150 g dessicated coconut (Plus a bit extra for rolling balls in)
100 g sunflower seeds
50 g Coconut Cream
1 tsp vanilla essence

Method
Thermomix:  Place all ingredients into bowl and mix speed 7 for 15-20 seconds until well combined.
Food processor:  Place all the ingredients in a food processor and and process until well combined.

Roll into balls and coat in coconut, and store in the fridge.