Avocado and chili black bean wraps

A nice, easy dinner option with many options for substitution.

6 wholemeal wraps/mountain breads/tortillas
1 can black beans in chili sauce
1 avocado
1/2 c grated cheese
6 Tbsp hummus
assorted salad ingredients e.g., lettuce, grated carrot, sliced tomato

Method:
1) Spread 1 Tbsp hummus over each wrap and top with salad ingredients and sliced avocado.
2) Heat black beans in microwave proof container for 2-3 mins or until heated through. When hot, add to wraps and top with cheese. Simple!

Triple post - green, green, green! 'Green eggs' pizza, green curry, broccoli and lentil burgers.

Oh wow, September gone already and most of October and not a single post! Better post a few goodies then, to make up for the recent lack.

First off, a 'green eggs' pizza (serves 2).

4 eggs
2 large handfuls of spinach
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cooked veges e.g., pumpkin
1 cube of feta, crumbled
half a dozen cherry tomatoes
1 tsp olive oil or coconut oil

Method:
1) Add eggs, spinach and salt to food processor/blender and process until smooth.
2) Heat up oil in a nonstick frying pan and add egg mixture. Preheat oven on grill to 180 degrees.
3) When egg mixture is firm and almost cooked through don't flip it, just sprinkle the veges and feta on top and place in the oven to grill for about 5 mins or until the top starts to brown.
4) Remove from oven and top with cherry tomato halves.



Second, a recipe for vegetarian green curry (serves 4):

400ml can of coconut milk
1 cup vege stock or water or half of each
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2-4 Tbsp green curry paste (depending on heat preference)
2.5-3 cups assorted frozen or fresh veges - capsicum, peas, broccoli, zucchini
200g/small can bamboo shoots
2 cups basmati/jasmine rice

Method:
1) Mix coconut milk, stock, sugar and curry paste in a saucepan until well blended. Heat on medium until it boils, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 15 mins.
2) Meanwhile, add 2 cups rice to 3 cups water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring to ensure it doesn't stick. The water will all absorb or evaporate in about 15-20 mins.
3) After 15 mins has elapsed, stir vegetables and bamboo shoots into curry mix and simmer until they soften, usually about 5-10 mins.
4) Serve over cooked rice.



Last, but not least, broccoli and lentil burgers:

1 cup cooked lentils (can use drained, canned lentils)
1 cup steamed broccoli florets
2 eggs
1 tsp minced ginger
salt and pepper
chili flakes, parsley, thyme, other herbs of your choice
olive oil

Method:
1) Process lentils and broccoli together briefly in a food processor until they form a paste - don't overdo!
2) Add ginger, herbs and eggs and mix to combine.
3) Heat oil in a nonstick pan and add dollops of mixture, shaping into rough patties. Cook for a few minutes until brown and crispy.
4) Serve in toasted burger buns, or without the buns on top of salad ingredients with dressing.

Warm pumpkin, chickpea and avocado side salad

1/2 butternut pumpkin, peeled and cut into bite sized cubes
1 avocado, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 handfuls spinach leaves
2 Tbsp pinenuts
2 Tbsp flaked almonds
salt and pepper
olive oil

Method:
1) Pour oil onto tray lined with baking paper, add pumpkin and toss salt and pepper through. Bake in a preheated 180 degree oven for 40 mins.
2) When pumpkin is soft, add to bowls and mix through all other ingredients except almonds.
3) Top with almonds and serve with vinaigrette. A good accompaniment to a light meal like a soup.

Chickpea, canellini and broccoli bake

Whipped this one up tonight and it was crunchy and delicious! 8/10.

Ingredients:
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 head of broccoli
1 can  garlic and basil flavoured chopped tomatoes
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 can canellini beans, drained
2 slices bread
1/2 grated cheese

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 190 degrees.
2) Heat oil in a frying pan, add onion and garlic and fry until it starts to brown.
3) Add onion and garlic mix and all ingredients apart from bread and cheese to oven safe dish and stir together. Chop bread into small pieces or process into breadcrumbs and sprinkle over the top. Spread cheese over and bake for 40 mins or until bread is crispy and cheese is golden.
4) Serve by itself or with a green salad.

Roasted Vegetable Bisque

We're in the exact middle of winter today - July 15 - so I thought a nice, warming soup recipe would be appropriate! This is very versatile; any type of root vegetable can be substituted and it takes minimal effort to pull together. Although the original recipe calls for the veges to be peeled, I find it works fine to leave the skins on. 10/10

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large sweet potato,  chopped into 1″ cubes

1 parsnip, peeled and diced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 cup coconut milk

4 cups vegetable stock

1 tsp dried mixed herbs

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbsp rice malt syrup (can substitute maple syrup, golden syrup, etc.)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Place a piece of baking paper on a baking sheet, add oil and toss vegetables through before settling in a single layer. Roast veges in oven until tender, approx. 30-40 mins.

When all veges have finished roasting, remove from oven and very carefully transfer to a high-speed blender. Add the coconut milk, stock, thyme, rosemary, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and salt. Place the top tight on the blender and process soup until very, very smooth and velvety. If you don’t have a good blender, try either an immersion blender or a food processor. This can be done in batches if you, like me, only have a wee little blender that holds about 4 cups total!

Serve with warm, crusty bread.

I haven't tried freezing it but it keeps for a week in the fridge.

Zucchini ricotta slice

Ingredients:
400g (approx. 2 whole) zucchinis
1 Tbsp oil
1 onion
1 tsp crushed garlic

4 eggs
3 Tbsp ricotta cheese
3 Tbsp parmesan
1/2 c self-raising flour

1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 punnet cherry tomatoes

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees and grease a baking tray or line it with baking paper.
2) Heat oil in pan and cook onion and garlic until onion softens.
3) Whisk eggs lightly in a bowl, grate zucchinis and add. Mix in onion, garlic and all other ingredients except tomatoes and pour into baking tray, speading evenly. Scatter tomatoes across the top of the batter.
4) Bake for 30 mins, until golden brown. Serve hot or cold.

Pecorino clafoutis

A clafoutis is a cross between a souffle and a frittata. Sounds fancy but mine looks like baked egg and tomato topped with cheese - gets points for being super simple to make! 7.5/10

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 punnets cherry toms
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp thyme
1/2 cup pecorino cheese, crumbles (can substitute other types of cheese e.g., cheddar)
6 eggs
1/4 c cornstarch
1/4 c coconut milk
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
2) Toss together tomatoes, oil and garlic and roast in a baking dish for 15 mins.
3) In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, cornstarch, coconut milk, salt and pepper and herbs. Pour over cooked tomatoes and top with cheese.
4) Bake for 35-40 mins or until cheese is crispy and edges are puffed.

Variations:
* Substitute flour for cornstarch.
* Rather than mixing eggs in, add 200g tomato paste/crushed tomatoes/pasta sauce and stir through for a thicker texture. Crack eggs on top and then add cheese.

Sweet potato and feta frittata

A variation on the standard vege frittata, using sweet potato. They've got lots of nutrients including high potassium to help prevent muscle cramps (Scottie!) and it's an easy recipe overall so gets an 8/10 from us.

Ingredients:
2 large sweet potatoes
1 Tbsp rice bran oil
100 g feta, cut into chunks
1 cup broccoli florets
8 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp mixed herbs
1/2-1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Cut sweet potato (can substitute regular potatoes, pumpkin, parsnip etc) into equal sized cubes and add to ovenproof tray along with oil, mixing to ensure even coverage, and pop in oven for approx. 30 mins.
2) When sweet potato is starting to soften and brown, pull tray out of oven and add all other ingredients, mixing together so it lies evenly in the tray. Top with cheddar cheese and bake for 30-40 mins, or until cheese is golden brown and crispy.
3) Serve by itself or with salad.

Savoury French Toast

I made this with olive oil and garlic flavoured sourdough bread and it was seriously good. 10/10!

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 Tbsp milk
1/2 c grated cheese
1 tsp herbs (e.g., parsley, chives)
2 Tbsp butter
bread (e.g., baguette, sourdough) thickly sliced
4 tsp tomato chutney

Method:
Lightly beat eggs, milk, cheese and herbs until combined.
Heat butter in nonstick frypan.
Dip each slice of bread in egg mixture and cook for between 5 and 7 minutes each side, until crispy.
Serve with a teaspoon of chutney spread across.

Free-form Florentine Pie

Fresh Spinach leaves + other veg chopped into small pieces
250g tub Ricotta
Nutmeg or other herbs for seasoning
sheets of puff pastry
4 eggs

1, Lay pastry sheets on trey - pinch up the edges to form a lip around the edges. Prick the base with a fork and bake for  at 180 degrees
2, Mix spinach, ricotta together
3, Once Pastry is done,, remove and spread spinach mix over, you can put other chopped up veg (we added capsicum, mushroom and cherry toms)
4, Crack eggs on top and season,
5, Bake for 10-15 mins and serve with a salad + chutney

Was quick and easy to make. A nice light dinner :D

Deconstructed sushi

A fancy name for the essential ingredients of sushi minus the seaweed wrapper :-D. I made this for a light summer dinner on those 40 degree days where the last thing I wanted to do was turn the oven on and add to the heat. Fast and versatile, with so many filling options so it gets a 10/10 from not just me but also Fabian!

Ingredients:
2 cups rice
3 cups water
soy sauce

Plus a selection of the following fillings:
1 avocado
1 carrot
1/2 cucumber
1/2 capsicum
1 tomato
6 stalks of asparagus (cooked)
2 large mushrooms (cooked)

Directions:
1) Add rice to pot, cover with water and bring to the boil. Stir occasionally to ensure rice doesn't stick, until water is absorbed. Leave to cool and refrigerate for a couple of hours to remove leftover excess moisture.
2) While rice cools, chop up fillings into pieces and cook those fillings that need it.
3) Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add soy sauce to taste.

Stores well for a couple of days, covered, in the fridge. Also makes an easy lunch option for a change from boring old sammies!

Chickpea, asparagus and tomato salad

This one's been a favourite summer salad for a couple of years now. It stores well and is a nice change from the boring old lettuce-based salads. 10/10 because it's so versatile and tasty!

400 g can chickpeas
2 bunches fresh asparagus
2 punnets cherry tomatoes
Balsamic vinaigrette dressing (recipe below)
Optional extras: 100 g feta, 1 avocado, 1/4 c pinenuts, salad greens or roast veges to bulk it up

1) Snap off stems and boil asparagus in a pan of hot water until green starts to seep into the water. Drain hot water and set asparagus aside to cool.
2) Drain chickpeas and put in bowl. Wash cherry toms, cut in half and add to bowl, along with any desired extras such as cubes of avocado or chunks of feta cheese. Chop asparagus up into bite-sized pieces and toss together with all other ingredients and salad dressing.

Salad dressing recipe:
6 Tbsp oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp wholegrain mustard

1) Add all ingredients to shaker and blend well. Serve over salad; best made fresh each time.

Weekend treat: Banana pancakes with vanilla

I don't like eating bananas by themselves so this was an attempt at a relatively healthy, potassium-rich breakfast. The banana made the mixture stick together well so they were quite symmetrical circles (something I don't usually achieve with other pancake recipes!) 9/10

1/2 c self-raising flour
1/2 c wholemeal flour
1 Tbsp white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg
1 c skim milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed

Method:
1) Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another.
2) Stir dry ingredients into wet mixture; when mixed batter will look slightly lumpy due to banana.
3) Heat 1 Tbsp of oil in a nonstick frying pan and drop 1/4 cup sized blobs of mixture into pan. Cook until bubbles appear on top, then flip and cook for another minute or so on the other side.
4) Serve hot by themselves or with sides such as chicken bacon, fresh fruit or berry puree (we went with maple syrup).

Peachy Tray bake

2 cups s/raising flour
100g butter, cubed
1/3 c castor sugar
finely grated zest and juice of one orange *
150ml milk
900g peaches (or nectarines) stoned and cut in thick wedges
extra 25g cubed
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c raw sugar
icing sugar


this is a tray bake - and would be good as a sweet treat to pack up for picnic or to the beach.

Preheat to 200C - line a 23x33 slice tin with baking paper.  Place flour and butter in bowl and rub butter in until crumbly (or use food processor)
Stir in sugar and zest and make a well in centre - pour milk in and mix just enough to form soft dough. don't over mix.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to same size as tin and press to fit snugly.  toss peach wedges in juice and scatter over dough.  dot fruit with butter and sprinkle over the cinnamon and raw sugar.
Bake 35-40 mins or until base is golden brown and fruit caramelised and juice. dust with icing sugar and cut into squares - serve with mascarpone or cream if you like.

Serves 12. keeps for 1-2 days.

loved this as a dessert and as a slice to have with a cup of tea.  Will make again and post a picture. The one I made had apricots, plums and nectarines and *instead of OJ I used the lemon lime bitters syrup and that made the base tasty tasty and delicious.

baked potato with capsicum

1 large potato per person
1 capsicum
1 red onion
olive oil
sea salt
chilli flakes
(don't over do the chilli flakes - little goes a long way)

oven at 200C - choose enough potatoes to feed your people, scrub and prick with fork, brush with oil and bake with approx 1 hour.allow the potatoes to cool, then break each one open with a fork and gently pull them apart.
place the potatoes in a shallow baking dish or roasting pan.  Add strips of capsicum and wedges of red onions.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and chilli flakes. Roast until crisp and golden.

Avocado enchiladas

One word: yuummmmmmmmmm!!! Will be making again for sure; 9.5/10.

• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup vege broth
• 1/2 cup hot salsa
• 1/4 cup sour cream/Greek yoghurt
• 1 avocado
• 1 tsp crushed garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice of 1/2 lime (optional)

Other ingredients:

1 Tbsp oil

500 g cooked tofu (or chicken if not vegetarian)

1 avocado (so 2 total)

2 cups grated cheese

1 pack large wholegrain tortillas (approx. 8)

Directions

1. Puree the vege broth, salsa, sour cream, 1 avocado, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper, and lime juice in a blender or food processor.
2. Mix the half of the sauce with the cooked tofu, the other avocado,  and half of the cheese.
3. Coat the bottom of a large baking dish with some of the sauce, wrap the tofu and avocado mixture in the tortillas and place them in the dish.
4. Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake in a preheated 200 deg oven until the cheese has melted and the sides are bubbling - about 15-20 minutes.

I'm back

gosh, you guys have been good posting all these inspiring meatless recipes.

Artichoke, Walnut and Spinach Pasta

320g Spiral or Penne Pasta
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 heaped tsp Crushed garlic
1 red onion
70g Walnuts, chopped
1 lemon - zest finely grated
Red chilli (optional)
390g can Artichoke Hearts - sliced
4 large handfuls baby spinach/chopped spinach
1 large handful parsley
50g Feta crumbled
40g Permesan Cheese shaved or grated.


1, Cook Pasta in pot, Meanwhile heat olive oil and fry garlic, onion, walnuts, lemon
2, Add artichokes and fry for a few minutes
3, Add cooked pasta, spinach, parsley, feta, parmesan - toss together well
4, Serve and top with left over cheeses

This was yummy - 8/10. Very easy and quick to make as well!
We were quite bold in deciding to make it as we don't usually/ever have artichoke but it turned out well.