Beyond Pesto

Zucchini and Tomato and Sourdough Bake

2010-06-14T16:10:00.002+10:00

I was staring into the fridge one evening last week trying to make some interesting food appear. I was staring really hard, but it didn't seem to be working. All I had was a couple of zucchinis and few tomatoes. It was pouring with rain outside so going out to get supplies was out of the question. Tomatoes and zucchini do work well together, but don't really make a hearty dish on their own. A pasta sauce perhaps? Not so good without pasta...but I did have some nice bread...

A while back a friend made me VeganYumYum's Rustic Bread and Eggplant Lasagna and it was delicious so I thought I'd try some sort of zucchini and bread lasagne, and i was very glad that i did! My partner and i both went back for seconds, and probably would have gone for thirds if there was any left. .

2 medium zucchini, sliced
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
4 slices of wholemeal sourdough bread (or any other dense, rustic bread)
2 tin tomatoes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh herbs (eg basil, parsley, thyme, oregano, or a mix)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
balsamic glaze (optional; for drizzling over the top)

Toast the bread and slice into pieces roughly the same time saize as the zucchini and tomato slices.
Fry the garlic on a low heat in a little olive oil. Add the tin tomatoes and balsamic and simmer for 15 mins.
Stir through the herbs and let simmer for another 5 min.
Spoon about 3/4 of the tomato sauce into the bottom of a small baking dish.
Sprinkle with half the cheese.
I layered the zucchini and bread on top so that each layer overlaps half of the previous layer (see below), because i didn't think i'd have enough for lasagna-style layers.

Top with remaining tomato sauce and cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 min at 180C.
Uncover, crank the heat up to 200C and bake for another 20 min.
Cut into 3 or four slices and transfer to plates, drizzle with balsamic glaze.

Voila!

Pumpkin and Bean Burritos

2010-06-06T15:32:00.004+10:00

Spicy, tangy, crunchy, satisfying food you can eat with your hands. Perfect for a casual dinner with friends.

Two main ingredients go into my famous Pumpkin and Bean burritos, the beans - which are spiced with cumin, paprika and cayenne, and the avocado salsa - a delicously tangy mix of tomato, red onion and avocado dressed with lime. Other additions depend on what's in the fridge, but usually comprise some kind of salad leaves and grated cheese.

Beans
1 can beans, I use either butter beans or kidney beans depending on my mood, but anything'll do
1 can tomatoes
200g mushrooms, sliced
1 cup pumpkin, cubed
1 onion diced
1 tablespoon paprika
1.5 tablespoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup vegetable stock

Fry the onion and spices on a low heat until the onion begins to soften and you can smell the spices.
Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until the pumpkin is soft and the liquid has reduced.
If the sauce still looks watery, stab at the mixture with a potato masher until enough beans have been mashed to give it a thicken it up.

Avocado Salsa

2 small avocado
juice of 1 lime
1 red onion
2 large or 3 medium tomatoes finely diced
3 tablespoons chopped coriander leaves
1 thinly sliced fresh chilli (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt
dash olive oil
sprinkle of black pepper

Finely slice red onion and squeeze a quarter of lime juice over the top. Sprinkle with salt and leave it to sit while the rest of the ingredients are prepared. This will start cooking the onion to make its flavour milder.
Deseed, peel and dice avocados and drizzle with a little lime juice to prevent browning.
Chop the tomatoes and coriander.
Combine the onion (with the salt), avocado, tomato, coriander and the remaining lime juice, sprinkle with black pepper and mix well.

Assemby

salad leaves and greens
grated cheese
flour tortillas (this recipe makes enough for 4-6 wraps)

Warm the tortillas either in paper towel in the microwave or in foil in the oven.
I generally put the green salad, avocado salsa, grated cheese and beans in the middle of the table and let everyone assemble their own.

The Easiest and the Bestest Pancakes in the World

2010-06-06T14:03:00.003+10:00

I stumbled upon this recipe on a Sunday a couple of weeks ago when it was freezing outside and we had slept in until far too late. I wanted something easy but luxurious that could double as breakfast and lunch. I didn’t really think it would work out because it seemed too simple, however, I’m pleased to report it worked out smashingly! I made them again this morning and took pictures to prove it.

1 cup self raising flour
1 cup milk
1 egg

Simply mix everything together and pour your pancakes onto a hot greased pan. I use my stick blender to mix, but you can do it by hand. When the bubbles start to pop, flip your pancakes with a flick of the wrist if you're feeling fancy or with the help of a spatula if you're feeling a little more ordinary :)
Makes 4-5 medium-sized pancakes.

This morning I whizzed up some frozen berries with a little caster sugar to make a quick and luscious berry sauce…mmm… easy like a Sunday morning

Lentil Burgers

2010-05-18T09:55:00.002+10:00

These are an oldie but a goodie! The best lentil burgers i've ever had are at a cafe called The Bogey Hole Cafe in Bronte. Here's my recipe for the second best :)

This versatile recipe can be made with any type of lentils and any combination of herbs and vegetables. It's also great when made into little balls and served on a platter with toothpicks and dip as an appetizer.

Basic Burgers
1 carrot
1 ½ sticks celery
½ onion
1 bay leaf
1 handful of chopped parsley
1 ½ cups red lentils
about 2 cups vegetable stock
½ cup breadcrumbs
Finely dice the onion, carrot, and celery. Sautee in a little olive oil until soft. Add the bay leaf, lentils, and cover with stock and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir regularly while the mixture is simmering to ensure lentils don't stick to the bottom of the pan. Add a little more water if necessary. Mix the chopped parsley through the lentil mixture and simmer for a further 5 min, or until the lentils are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Fish out the bay leaf and let the mixture cool completely. Stir through the breadcrumbs a handful at a time, adding only as much as is necessary to make the mixture dry and mouldable. Form into 8 large or 12 small patties and pan fry. Uncooked patties can be frozen for later use. I always keep a stash in the freezer for emergency dinners or to take to bbqs.

Variations

Spicy Lentil Burgers
As Jamie Oliver might say, red lentils and curry spices are best mates! Instead of using bay and parsley, fry off 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon each of turmeric, ground coriander, and ground ginger. You can use a couple of tablespoons of curry paste from a jar if you prefer, and add chilli powder or flakes to taste.

These ones are great as little lentil balls served as a appetizer, with mint yogurt or tzatziki.

Rosemary and Thyme Lentil Burgers
Swap the parsley for rosemary and thyme. When I make these ones I also swap the red lentils for brown/green ones because I think these more strongly flavoured herbs go better with the texture of the darker lentils.

Baked Sweet Potato Wedges

2010-05-10T15:41:00.003+10:00

I know you probably don’t need a recipe to cut sweet potato into wedges and roast it, but I thought I’d include it anyhow because food blogs are all about ideas and sweet potato wedges are always a great idea!
These make a fabulous healthy snack and they’re a perfect side dish for many meals.
2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika

Slice sweet potatoes into about 1 cm thick wedges. Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, rubbing the paprika and oil into the wedges with your fingers. Place on a lined or well greased baking tray. Bake for about 40 min at 200C, or until wedges are crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle.

Mushroom and White Bean Tarlets

2010-05-10T15:39:00.000+10:00

So simple, so tasty! Great as a starter or a light meal.
400g mixed mushrooms (any kind), chopped
4 shallots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely sliced
1/4 bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
200g canned cannellini or butter beans
juice of 1/4 lemon
1 tablespoon plain flour
breadcrumbs
pine nuts

Sautee the mushrooms, garlic and shallots in a little olive oil with until soft. Add the sherry, soy sauce, parsley and beans. Turn up the heat and fry until most of the liquid has evaporated. Take off the heat and let it cool.
Use this time to line four ramekins (or holes of a muffin tin) with five sheets of filo pastry, spraying with oil between each layer.
Once the mushroom mixture has cooled, mix in the lemon juice, followed by the flour. Spoon mixture into pastry cases. Top with bread crumbs and pine nuts. Bake at 180C for about 20 mins, or until pastry is golden. Serve on its own as a starter or I served with sweet potato wedges (see below) and steamed greens as a main.
Enjoy!

Vegetarian "Sausage Rolls"

2010-05-10T15:35:00.002+10:00

I was very excited when non-vego partner requested to have these over real sausage rolls at his birthday party. Better yet, as most supermarket puff pastry is vegan these beauties can be loved by everybody.

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 carrots, finely chopped
1 1/2 sticks celery, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1.5 cup dried green/brown lentils
2 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
1/2 bunch parlsey, finely chopped
1/2 cup bread crumbs
6 sheets frozen puff pastry

Gently fry the onion, carrot, and celery until almost soft. Add cumin and garlic and cook for a further couple of minutes. Pour the dried lentils, vegetable stock and water into the pan and bring to the boil. Let mixture simmer for 20 min, stirring occaisionally. Stir in chopped parsley and simmer until lentils are soft and the water has evaporated.

Let mixture cool. Mix in a hand-full of bread crumbs at a time, until mixture becomes dry and kinda mouldable. Its easiest if you mix in the breadcrumbs with a spoon at first, then finish by hand.

Lay out one sheet of puff pastry and cut in half with a sharp knife. Mould a "sausage" of the lentil mixture down the middle of each piece with your hands, taking up about a third of the width.

Fold over the nearest edge, then roll to make into one sausage roll. Cut to desired length, I tend to cut each long roll into 5 (~4 cm) pieces.

Place on a greased or lined baking tray and bake for 25 min at 200C.

Serve with tomato sauce for dunking.

Enjoy!

Spinach Lasagne

2010-05-02T16:44:00.001+10:00

500g frozen spinach, thawed and drained
Half an onion very finely chopped or grated
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
500g ricotta
1/2 cup fetta, crumbled
1 egg
Instant lasagne sheets
2 cans diced tomatoes
5 large basil leaves
1/2 cup grated cheddar or parmasan
Instant lasagne sheets

Mix spinach, onion, feta, ricotta, egg, and 1 clove of garlic together. Season with pepper (the fetta should provide enough salt).
Slice then fry the remaining 2 cloves of garlic in a little olive oil on a low heat. Add the tinned tomatoes and simmer for 20 min or until sauce reduces. Season with salt and pepper
Alternate layers of the spinach mixture and pasta sheets. Vary the thickness of the spinach depending on how much pasta you like. Finish with pasta then the rest of the pasta sauce and top with grated cheese.
Bake for about 35 min at 200C

Antipasto Salad

2010-04-07T22:09:00.000+10:00

This is a dish I made up for my vegan friends’ engagement party. We needed a simple Italian-inspired salad to compliment some pasta dishes and I think this did the job nicely - it's surprisingly tasty!

400g artichoke hearts, quartered
1 can butter beans
1 cup green olives
200g button mushrooms, halved
1 small punnet cherry tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes cut into chunks
½ bunch parsley, finely chopped

Dressing
juice of ½ lemon
1 clove garlic, crushed
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine the dressing ingredients and shake in a jar or whisk to combine.
Drain and rinse the beans.
Mix the artichoke hearts, beans, olives, mushrooms and tomatoes in a large bowl. Sprinkle with parsley, pour over dressing and toss thoroughly. Dress at least 30 min before serving

Happy Easter!

2010-04-02T12:06:00.002+11:00

I used the Carrot Cake Cupcake recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, as it's my favourite cupcake recipe at the moment. I did get a little carried away with the decoration... and I'm not too sure how well carrot goes with chocolate.. but aren't they cute!

Nutty Rice Salad

2010-03-24T13:23:00.000+11:00

This salad has been at every one of our family bbqs for years now, and its still a winner. I think it originally came from my sister-in-law.

2 cups brown rice
1 red pepper, finely diced
6 spring onions, diced
2/3 cup currants
1 cup roasted cashews
1 cup sunflower seeds
4 tablespoons chopped parsley

Dressing
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 light soy sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 table spoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
salt and pepper

Combine the dressing ingredients and shake or whisk together.
Cook rice and pour over half the dressing while still warm.
Once the rice has cooled, add the rest of the dry ingredients, pour over the rest of the dressing and toss. Enjoy!

Lentil Moussaka

2010-03-02T13:39:00.007+11:00

I usually bake this in a casserole dish, the traditional way, but tonight I was short of time so I just constructed it on the plate instead. I guess when you bake it the flavours mingle a little more and the ricotta sets nicely, but “free form” worked fine too and saved nearly an hour.

Eggplant
Slice 2 medium eggplants into 1-2 cm thick rounds.Spray both sides or the eggplant slices with cooking spray or dab with oil. Lay in a single layer on a baking tray and cook at about 200C for about 30 min or until soft. You can pre-salt the eggplant if you want, but i never bother. I don't think it seems to make any difference.

Lentil Mixture

2 cups whole red lentils (the ones with the skin on that look brown)
1 small onion, diced
2 sticks of celery, sliced
1 large carrot, diced
½ capsicum, red or green, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 tin tomatoes
vegetable stock

Soften the onion and garlic in a little olive oil. Add the celery, carrot, capsicum, lentils, tomatoes and vegetable stock. Increase the heat and let the mixture simmer. Add the oregano after about 15 min and keep simmering until the lentils and vegetables are cooked (about 25 min).

Ricotta Topping

250g ricotta chees
1 Tablespoon butter
1 Tablespoon plain flour
¼ cup grated cheese
½ cup milk

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Take off the heat an mix in the flour. Very slowly add the milk, mixing all the time so it doesn’t become lumpy. Return it to the heat and slowly bring to the boil, stirring frequently. Once sauce thickens, fold in the ricotta.

Free-form

Carefully layer a heaped tablespoon of lentil mixture between single slices of eggplant to form a tower. Top with ricotta sauce and cheese.

Baked

In a lasagne dish, alternately layer the lentils and eggplant slices, then top with the ricotta sauce. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 200C for about 40 min, until cheese is melted and the top is starting to brown.

Pomegranate, Feta and Quinoa Salad

2010-03-02T12:29:00.004+11:00

I first made this salad on Christmas Day and have made it a few times since as well. Unfortunately I’m limited by when my fruit shop has pomegranates. It’s a great lunch salad as its packed full of protein and very filling.

1 cup uncooked quinoa, any type will do, I like the look of the black quinoa
200g feta cubed
½ cup shelled, unsalted pistachios
½ cup pomegranate seeds
½ cup parsely, finely chopped
½ cup mint leaves, finely chopped
6 shallots, finely chopped

Dressing

juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic crushed
¼ cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat the quinoa in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water. Let the water simmer uncovered for 10 mins then turn off the heat, cover, and let it stand for 10 mins. You can tell it's done when the curly bits start coming off. It should be soft, but a little chewy, and all the water should have been absorbed. If not, drain it.
Whisk the all the dressing ingredients together and season to taste.
Once the quinoa has cooled, mix with the remaining ingredients. Pour over the dressing and toss thoroughly.

Baked Tofu in Tomato Sauce

2010-03-02T12:13:00.003+11:00

The tofu softens and sucks up the tomato flavours as it bakes, making it extra delicious. If you haven’t tried tofu cooked like this before, I highly recommend you give it a go - even if you're not normally the biggest tofu fan.
This recipe evolved from tofu parmigiana. I slowly started adding more vegetables and then became too lazy to crumb and fry the tofu. This way is quicker, easier, healthier and I reckon it tastes better. You can use whatever vegetables you like, zucchini and eggplant are also great in this.

½ capsicum, red or green
5 mushrooms
½ cup olives
½ block of firm tofu
2 cups of tomato sauce – make a simple sauce yourself with 2 tins of diced tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, and a handful of torn basil leaves – or buy a jar of pasta sauce
¼ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon dried oregano
¼ cup grated cheese

Fry the garlic on a low heat in a little olive oil. Add the diced tomatoes and let it simmer for 15 min, then stir through the torn basil leaves.
Chop the mushrooms, capsicum, and tofu roughly into about 2 cm pieces

Scatter the tofu, capsicum, mushroom and olives in an oven proof dish.
Pour over the tomato sauce and top with breadcrumbs, oregano, and grated cheese.
For a vegan version, use good quality fresh breadcrumbs and spray the top with a little olive oil before putting it in the oven.
Bake at 200C for about 35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted or the top is golden brown. I usually serve with roasted veggies, since the oven's on anyhow :)

Gingerbread Stars

2009-12-19T12:06:00.004+11:00

Vegaquarian mum asked me if I could make her something to give out to her work colleagues for christmas so I made and decorated some christmas gingerbread cookies. I used a few different shapes but the stars came out the best. They're so pretty that I'm now tempted to make another batch with holes in them to hang on the christmas tree!

I used this recipe: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/13627/gingerbread+love+hearts
I used olive oil spread instead of butter (which does have milk solids) but it still worked, so i'm sure it'd work fine with vegan spread.

The icing was just icing sugar and water, with mini m&m's and silver cashews as decorations. I made a piping bag out of baking paper following these instructions:
http://www.the-wedding-information-site.com/paper-piping-bag.html

A gingerbread star, christmas tree, and stocking all wrapped up :)

Glazed Tofu on Pumpkin and Walnut Quinoa

2009-11-12T20:20:00.008+11:00

Glazed Tofu
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 block firm tofu

Slice tofu into 1cm thick slices and place in a single layer in shallow dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients together in a mug or microwave proof bowl. Microwave for about 30 seconds or until the honey has dissolved. Pour over tofu and leave to marinate for 1 hour. Place tofu on a lined baking tray and bake at 200 C for 30 min, turning after 20 min. Heat the rest of the marinade into a small saucepan and boil until it reduces and thickens (about 10 min), stir regularly. Pour over tofu and bake for another 5 min.

Pumpkin and Walnut Quinoa
1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 cups diced pumpkin
½ red onion, sliced
½ bunch (about 8 stalks) asparagus, chopped into 5cm lengths
¾ cup roughly chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Bring the quinoa and vegetable stock to the boil in a medium saucepan. Let boil for 10 min. turn off the heat, cover and let stand for another 10 min.

Mix the onion and pumpkin in a large bowl with the oil, rosemary, and salt and pepper. Pour onto a separate baking tray and, once the tofu’s been on for 10 min, place in the oven. 10 min later, sprinkle the walnuts and asparagus over the pumpkin (and turn the tofu). Bake both trays for a further 10 min.

Pour the reduced marinade over the tofu and return to the oven. Mix together the roasted vegetables, quinoa, and parsley in a large bowl.

Place a couple of large spoonfuls of the quinoa onto each plate and top with 1–2 pieces of glazed tofu.

Yum!

Hello!

2009-11-12T16:28:00.006+11:00

I’m vegetarian and have been for about 10 years now. I love having dinner parties and sharing my creations, I particularly love seeing hard-core carnivores being pleasantly surprised by vegetarian or vegan meals that are satisfying and don’t taste like cardboard. Most evenings I cook for myself and my non-veggo partner and most evenings he doesn’t feel the need to plonk a steak on top of my lovely veggie creation so I must be doing something right.

I’m really passionate about creating ethical, healthy, tasty food that everyone can enjoy. I hope you enjoy it too!

SV
xx