Autumn is here. Days are shorter, nights cooler and there is a crisp smell in the air. Autumn is time for warming soups. I love all kinds of soups, and my children eat them readily, but one of my top 3 must be a pumpkin soup. I love to keep it simple, thick and ….uhm… creamy.

about 2kg of pumpkin (my favourite Jap and Butter Nut) cut into large chunks
2-3 potatoes cut into slightly smaller chunks
1-2 cloves of garlic
bit of veggie stock / water
Herbamare vegetable salt (by Vogel, available from most supermarkets in health food section)
Fresh Cream
Freshly cracked pepper sprinkled to individual plates
Serve with fresh bread

I boil the pumpkin, potatoes and garlic in not too much stock / water. Once cooked soft, I blend everything with a “stick blender” (sorry, really have no idea what it really is called in English…), add Herbamare salt to taste and about 150ml of fresh cream. Once served on plates, I sprinkle freshly cracked pepper. Enjoy!

Simple, delicious and healthy-ish

A few months ago I read an article in the weekend edition of Sydney Morning Herald about how mum’s fashion sense and style pass onto the children. There is an old saying everyone knows: “Actions speak louder than our words”. How true with habits relating to food, also. Doing together is a great way to pass on good habits and attitudes toward food.

This is a simple and healthy recipe, easy enough to do together with children. We made ‘muffins’ with my son today, but one large ‘cake’ would also work. Only difference: it takes a bit longer to bake. The recipe is 100% whole meal, with loads of oat bran (thinking of daddy’s cholesterol…)

Mash 2-3 bananas

Mix all the “dry” ingredients together:

1 ½ cups of wholemeal flour
(add about 2 teaspoons baking powder if you are using plain flour, leave out if using self-raising flour)
1 cup oat bran
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ cup raw sugar

Once you have all the dry ingredients well mixed, add the bananas in. Also add:

2 organic eggs
½ cup butter milk
¼ cup cold pressed canola oil

Stir, but don’t over stir so the mixture doesn’t get too tough.

Pour into tin / mould and bake in about 180-200 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Remember to keep an eye on the muffins / cake, as the smaller muffins bake quicker and the cake could take closer to 30 minutes.

Best when slightly cooled. Yum! And healthy!

If you want to make a lactose/milk free version, simply replace the butter milk, with your favourite milk substitute, such as oat milk.

I’m sure any cold pressed oil would do, but I use canola for it’s mild flavour.

This recipe would work as a sugar-free version, too, as bananas are naturally sweet. You could use some xylitol, or perhaps a bit of honey, but today I thought of that too late…