Father’s Day is fast approaching and if you’re anything like my family, you probably haven’t quite nailed down the details of how you’re going to celebrate your dad/father figure/mom who is both mom and dad, or whichever special person you’re choosing to make a big deal of on Sunday. And if, like me, you think you might book at a restaurant, good luck finding a spot at your favourite – way more organised people booked all the best seats weeks ago!

But it’s fine, nothing says I love you like a home-cooked meal. And whether you’re sitting around an elegantly laid table or squished onto couches in the lounge, there’s nothing better than sharing food with the people you love. Here, three menu ideas, filled with recipes to keep your tummies happy this weekend, whether you’re going for a breakfast, lunch or dinner affair.

1. Big breakfasts

I love a buffet-style breakfast, where you can try a bit everything – a flapjack here, a muffin there and oats in between. Here are a few recipes to make and set out on the table for guests to serve up as they want.

Healthy, Happy Flapjacks

• 1 cup cassava flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 2 1/2 cups almond milk
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 100g blueberries
• 100g raspberries
• Handful strawberries
• Drizzle of honey
• 1 lime

1/ Place the flour and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Stir in the mashed banana.

2/ Add the almond milk until it reaches a runny consistency.

3/ Spoon tablespoons of batter into a large frying pan greased with a little coconut oil – the flapjacks should be similar in circumference to a coffee mug.

4/ Cook until golden. Stack up and serve with berries, honey and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

Oat Breakfast Bowl

• 80g rolled oats
• 2 big pinches sea salt
• 300ml water
• 200ml almond milk
• 3 tbsp almond butter, divided
• 50g flaked almonds and chopped walnuts, roasted
• 1 to 2 tsp raw honey (or coconut sugar, for vegan)

1/ Add the oats and salt to boiling water and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring.

2/ Add the milk, bring back to the boil, then remove from the heat. Allow it to cool for one hour, then store it in the fridge overnight.

3/ Slowly reheat the oats, adding a bit of water and 2 tbsp almond butter. Serve with nuts, honey (or coconut sugar) and 1 tbsp almond butter.

Bagel With Scrambled Eggs, Cream Cheese And Salmon

• 1 bagel, halved and toasted
• 1 tbsp low-fat cream cheese
• Chives, finely snipped
• 2 smoked trout ribbons
• Salmon roe (optional)
• 3 free-range eggs
• Sea salt flakes and white pepper
• 1 tsp cold butter

1/ Spread each half of the toasted bagel with cream cheese and sprinkle with chives. Have the trout ribbons and salmon roe ready.

2/ For the scrambled eggs, add the eggs to a bowl, season with a pinch of sea salt flakes and white pepper, and whisk with a fork for 20 to 30 seconds.

3/ Smear a layer of butter over the base of the pan (reserve the remaining butter to add at the end of cooking).

4/ Add the eggs to the pan over medium-low heat. It’s important to get the heat right – you want the scrambling to happen slowly, but not so slowly that it never progresses from a custard and not so quickly that it sets instantly into an omelette. Stir slowly, covering the base of the whole pan – nothing will happen for two to three minutes. (This may take longer on an electric plate.)

5/ When the eggs begin to thicken, start stirring more rapidly. If it starts to thicken too quickly, remove the pan from the heat for a moment (keep stirring), then return once under control.

6/ Once it’s almost at the consistency you want, remove the pan from the heat and add the remaining butter to stop the cooking process – the eggs keep on cooking in the pan even once off the heat.

7/ Immediately spoon over the bagel halves and finish with the trout ribbons and roe.

Egg Muffins

• 2 small handfuls fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 button mushrooms, chopped
• 4 large eggs
• 40ml milk
• 1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/ Preheat the oven to 180°C. Spray four or five muffin cups with non-stick spray.

2/ In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add spinach leaves and chopped mushrooms. Scoop into the prepared muffin tins almost to the top. Sprinkle cheese on top. Then give each one a touch of salt and pepper.

3/ Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until egg is cooked through. Easy way to check the egg: touch the middle of the muffins… If they are still wet and gooey, they’ll need a little more time in the oven. They should feel cooked through.

Lazy lunches

Now that it’s getting colder, I’m all about hearty lunches with a beautiful fresh salad on the side. And a little sweet treat to end it all off.

Heirloom Tomato and Avocado Salad

• 800g mixed heirloom tomatoes
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, finely sliced
• Handful fresh basil, torn
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 clove garlic, minced

1/ Slice all the tomatoes and arrange on a large platter. Add the avocado and red onion and scatter the basil over. Whisk the dressing ingredients together then drizzle over the salad.

Lentil Bolognaise

• Olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 celery sticks, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 4 cups cooked lentils
• 1 tsp origanum
• 1 tsp thyme
• 3/4 cup red wine
• 3 tins chopped tomatoes
  
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  
• Cooked spaghetti, to serve
  
• Fresh basil leaves, to garnish

1/ Add a good splash of olive oil to a large saucepan over medium heat.

2/ Add the onion, carrot and celery and fry until the onion is almost translucent. Add the garlic and fry for a few more minutes. Be careful not to let the veggies burn.

3/ Add the lentils and mix them into the veggies. Fry for a couple of minutes, then add the herbs.

4/ Add the wine, chopped tomatoes and tomato paste and stir well.

5/ Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and let the liquid reduce. You want a thick sauce that will coat your pasta well.

6/ Once you’re happy with the consistency of the sauce, season well. If the sauce is a little bitter from the tomatoes, you can add a sprinkle of sugar.

7/ Serve over spaghetti, garnished with a few basil leaves.

Vanilla Cupcakes With Chocolate Ganache

• 170g coconut sugar
• 200g cassava flour
• 12.5ml baking powder
• 180ml puréed cooked apples  (use unsweetened pie apples to make the purée)
• 125ml sunflower oil
• 125ml almond milk
• 5ml vanilla essence
• 125ml coconut cream, plus extra
• 100g dark chocolate (90 percent)
• 50g coconut sugar, or to taste
• ½ tsp vanilla essence

1/ For the cupcakes, preheat the oven to 190˚C and line a 12-hole muffin tin with cupcake cases.

2/ Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until combined. Be careful not to over-mix.

3/ Divide the mixture evenly between cupcake cases and bake for +/- 15 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

4/ Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before removing and placing on a cooling rack.

5/ To make the ganache, heat the coconut cream on the stove until just before it begins to boil. Remove from the heat and add the dark chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture thickens. Add the vanilla essence and sugar and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. If you would prefer the ganache to be sweeter, add more sugar until you’re happy with the taste.

6/ Once the cupcakes are cool, generously ice with the ganache.

Solid suppers

For supper, go big or go home, I say. A curry with all the fixings, a flavourful salad and the perfect sweet ending.

Chopped Salad

• A good chunk of red or green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 2 to 3 carrots, grated
• One pepper (red or yellow), chopped
• Half a red onion, finely chopped
• Handful coriander, roughly chopped
• 1 medium-hot chilli, finely chopped (choose a heat that works for you)
• 1/2 cup nuts (almonds work really well), chopped and toasted
• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted

 
For the dressing:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp apple-cider vinegar
• Agave syrup, to taste
• 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/ Mix all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.

2/ Place all the dressing ingredients in a Consol jar and shake to combine.

3/ Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

Rich Chickpea Curry

• Olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• Big knob of ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp butter chicken spice (you can buy a mix from any spice shop or make your own)
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• Chilli flakes, to taste (depending on your spice mixture and your heat preference)
• 3 tins chickpeas, drained
• 2 tins chopped tomatoes, puréed
• 1 tin coconut milk
• Salt, pepper and sugar (optional), to taste

1/ Pour a big splash of olive oil into a pot and heat on a medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and fry for a few minutes until just translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and fry for a couple more minutes.

2/ Add the spices and chilli (if using) and stir into the onion mixture.

3/ Pour in the chickpeas and stir until covered by the onion-spice mixture. Fry for a few more minutes.

4/ Pour in the puréed tomatoes and coconut milk and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper – and sugar (if you want to add a touch of sweetness).

5/ Cook on a medium-low heat until some of the liquid has evaporated and a thick sauce has developed. The longer you let it cook, the richer and more delicious it becomes.

6/ Do a final taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Serve with rice, a chopped tomato, onion and coriander salad, poppadoms and rotis.

Lemon Meringue Pie

• Coconut oil
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
• 6 medjool dates
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Maizena
• Pinch salt
• 1 1/2 cups water
• Juice of 3 lemons (1/2 cup)
• 6 large free-range egg yolks, keep the egg whites for the meringue
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 4 egg whites (make extra meringues with the leftover egg whites)
• Seeds from 1 vanilla pod
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, blitzed in a food processor until fine

1/ Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a tart dish with some coconut oil.

2/ Add the base ingredients to a food processor and blitz until combined. Press into the tart tin to form a base.

3/ In a medium-sized pot over medium heat, combine the sugar, Maizena, salt, water and lemon juice. Cook until it just starts to bubble.

4/ While the sugar mixture is heating up, in a small bowl combine the egg yolks and lemon zest. Whisk to combine.

5/ As soon as the sugar mixture just starts to bubble and turns translucent, temper the egg yolks by slowly pouring in a ladleful of the hot sugar mixture while whisking the egg yolks. Once combined, add all the egg yolks to the sugar mixture. Cook until it just starts to bubble.

6/ Once it bubbles, turn off the heat and add in the coconut oil. Whisk until it melts. Set aside.

7/ After the lemon curd is off the heat, make the meringue. Pour the egg whites into a bowl attached to a stand mixer and whisk until bubbly, then add the vanilla and lemon juice. Continue mixing and once the egg whites are fluffy, add the sugar one tablespoon at a time until stiff and glossy.

8/ Pour the curd into the crust, top with the meringue and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the meringue is lightly golden.

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