Good-for-you Creamy Curry

You know those gorgeous indian curries from up north - the ones you're not supposed to eat because they are full of all the bad stuff - cream, butter, ghee, ground nuts and coconut cream - dishes like Butter Chicken and that super creamy Korma. By God, they're good. But ohhh, so BAD!

This is a healthy take. It's still incredibly decadent, creamy and rich, but has a fraction of the naughtiness you'd expect. The secret is all in making a puree from vegetables that are naturally creamy, sweet and nutty in flavour.

Ingredients

• 4 medium-sized chicken breasts (about 750g), each cut into about 6 pieces
• 500g pumpkin, medium dice
• 2 small onions, diced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds (bruised)
• 1-2 tsp good curry powder (depending on strength)
• 1/4 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder (optional)
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 small tub low fat yoghurt (approx 170g)
• olive oil
• 1 cup frozen green peas (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Raspberry and Rose Layer Cake

This cake is not nearly as bad as it looks. It's very low in sugar, and despite all that cream, there is no other fat in the layers (thereby knocking out all the butter in a standard cake) - and you could always use a light cream. It can be made small or large - just double the quantities and make a larger diametre pancake (I made mine around 16cm - you could easily go up to about 25cm if your pan is big enough and you are an expert flipper.)

The best thing? It's a no-bake cake. The only thing you need to cook are the pancakes, and it's actually better if its made the day before serving.

Ingredients

For the pancakes (layers)

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup self raising flour
• butter for greasing pan (If yours is not a non-stick one)

Flourless lime and coconut cake

This is officially the best cake in the world (according to me). Wheat free, grain free, dairy free, low in fat (but not in sugar - hey, you can't have it all), moist, finely textured, exotic, pretty, keeps well and is incredibly easy to make. AND it tastes like lemon meringue pie.


Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 3 Tahitian limes, zested and juiced (about 100ml liquid)
• 1 cup caster sugar

• 1 ¼ cup ground almonds
 (200g)
• 1 cup finely desiccated coconut
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• pinch salt

for the syrup

• ¼ cup grated jaggery (or raw sugar)
• ¼ cup water
• zest of one lime