Tag Archives: vegetables

Roast Pumpkin with Miso & Ginger

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Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning.

Miso paste is produced by mixing fermented soybeans with salt and a fungus called Koji. Sometimes rice, parsley, seaweed or other ingredients are added. It can be used in sauces, dips, soups and other dishes to produce a rich “umami” intensity of flavour.

Miso paste is usually salty, but its flavour and aroma depend on the ingredients and fermentation process. It comes in either white or red, with the latter having a slightly stronger flavour. Use whichever one you have or can find in your local supermarket or Asian grocery store. Once opened it keeps for ages in the fridge.

Today’s recipe was inspired by a dish we were served at Raku restaurant in Canberra.

1 kg pumpkin
2 Tbs olive oil
Miso sauce:
¼ cup Miso paste
1 Tbs grated ginger
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 Tbs runny honey
1 Tbs water
2 tsp rice vinegar (or any other vinegar)
1 tsp chilli paste or sauce
To garnish:
1 Tbs sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Fresh coriander leaves

Preheat oven to 180°C. Leave skin on the pumpkin, remove seeds and cut into wedges about 2cm thick. Place on a baking tray lined with baking paper, in a single layer. Brush pumpkin with the olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes then remove from the oven, turn pumpkin wedges over and brush them with the remaining olive oil. Return to the oven for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile mix all ingredients for the Miso sauce in a food processor. Spoon over the pumpkin. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until starting to brown. It might need 15 mins. Turn the wedges over and coat them with remaining Miso sauce. Cook for a further 10-15 minutes or until nicely glazed as in the photo.

Garnish with sesame seeds and coriander. Serve hot or at room temperature either alone or with steamed rice, or as a side dish with salmon, chicken or beef.

Serves 4-6

 

Shakshuka

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Shakshuka originated in north Africa and is now popular all over the Middle East.

Serve with toasted sourdough or Turkish bread for brunch, lunch or Sunday evening supper. You probably have all the ingredients in the pantry. We had to nip out to buy one red capsicum from the corner shop.

2 Tbs olive oil
1 red capsicum (pepper)
1 onion
2 Tbs harissa, or to taste
1 tsp chilli paste, or to taste
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
4 eggs
1 tsp sugar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
To serve:
4 Tbs thick Greek yoghurt
1 Tbs chopped fresh coriander

Thinly slice the capsicum and onion. Heat olive oil in a medium-sized deep non-stick frying pan and cook the capsicum and onion over medium to high heat for 5-10 minutes, or until soft and starting to caramelise. Add harissa and chilli paste to taste and cook, stirring for one minute. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are reduced by half, stirring often.

Season to taste, turn heat down to a simmer, then make four indents in the mixture and break an egg into each. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked to your liking. Test by pressing with your finger.

Garnish with dollops of yoghurt and the coriander. Serve with toasted sourdough or Turkish bread.

Serves 4 as a snack, 2 as a meal

 

The Zucchini Wrap which has gone Viral

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This wrap made with sliced zucchini (courgette) has gone viral on social media sites. I made it the other evening as a light supper and we had half each with a bowl of soup. Delicious, healthy, no carbs.

1 or 2 zucchini (courgette) depending on size
Grated mozzarella cheese
2-3 Tbs basil pesto
1 burrata cheese, drained and broken up
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Sliced tomatoes
A handful of rocket leaves

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking sheet with baking paper. Thinly slice the zucchini and lay on the paper in a rectangle then cover with a thin layer of grated mozzarella, as shown in the first photo.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese is golden, see second photo. Remove from the oven and turn it over onto a chopping board. Spread with pesto then arrange the tomatoes and rocket on top (third photo) then season and roll up. Cut in two.

Makes 2 servings

Variations: use feta or goat cheese instead of burrata. Or some canned tuna or cooked chicken. Use lettuce instead of rocket. Cucumbers instead of tomatoes. Mayonnaise or humus instead of pesto. A smoked salmon, cucumber, dill and cream cheese combo would be nice.

Roasted Pumpkin & Spiced Apple Soup with Cashew Nut Cream

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On the way from Canberra to Sydney we stopped at Eling Forest Winery, in the Southern Highlands, for lunch.

Roasted Pumpkin and Spiced Apple Soup was on the “specials of the day” menu and we both had the same. The combination of sweet, smoky pumpkin and spiced apples was divine and I couldn’t wait to make my own version.

Topped with Cashew Nut Cream and crunchy Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, this soup, which is suitable for Vegans, is a real winner. Perfect for lunch or supper on a cold day in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, or anywhere else when it’s a bit nippy.

If you’re not following a Vegan diet you can thin down the soup with cow’s milk.

Soup:
About 500g pumpkin, peeled
4 Tbs olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp salt
½ tsp each of ground cinnamon and nutmeg
A pinch of ground cloves
A pinch of ground cayenne
1 litre vegetable stock
Milk as required (cow’s, oat, almond etc)
Crunchy Pepitas:
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
¼ tsp salt, or to taste
1 tsp sugar, honey or maple syrup (optional)
¼ tsp each ground cumin, cinnamon and paprika
Cashew Nut Cream:
1 cup raw cashew nuts + enough water to cover
2 tsp cider vinegar
2-3 tsp nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt to taste
To serve:
Toasted sourdough or Turkish bread

Cashew Nut Cream: Cover cashew nuts with water and leave to soak overnight. Place in food processor or blender with the water and vinegar and process until smooth, stopping halfway to scrape down the sides. Add the nutritional yeast, if using, then taste and add a little salt if needed. It will keep for a few days in the fridge. Thin down if necessary with a little water.

Soup: Preheat oven to 200° C. Cut the peeled pumpkin into large chunks, mix with 2 Tbs of the olive oil, spread out on a baking tray and roast for about half an hour or until tender and starting to brown. Meanwhile heat remaining 2 Tbs oil in a large heavy-based saucepan and add the onions, apples and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until soft. Add the spices and cook, stirring for a minute or two. Add the roasted pumpkin and the stock. Simmer for 25 minutes then turn off the heat. When cool enough to handle, puree the soup in a blender or food processor. It will be very thick. Can be made ahead to this stage and kept in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Crunchy Pepitas: place pumpkin seeds in a medium-sized non-stick frying pan with the oil and stir over moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add salt, sweetener (if using) and spices. Continue to cook, stirring all the time, until the seeds are starting to change colour. Tip out onto a large dinner plate and leave to cool. Keep in a jar in the fridge and use about a tablespoonful for each serving of soup.

To serve, reheat the soup adding water or milk to thin it down to the required consistency. Taste and add salt if required.

Serve with toasted sourdough or Turkish bread, topped with a swirl of cashew nut cream and a few crunchy pepitas.

Serves 8

 

Anantara’s Beetroot, Pumpkin & Rocket Salad with Caramelised Walnuts

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While chilling out for a few days in Chiang Mai, Thailand last year at the Bodhi Serene, on our way back to Australia from Europe, we had a fantastic dinner at the restaurant in the Anantara hotel. The Anantara is a chain with hotels and resorts all over the world.

This year we were staying in the Little Riverside in Hoi An Vietnam when we noticed an Anantara hotel right next door. We had two excellent dinners there and on the day we were leaving this is what I had for lunch. Well this is my version.

1 bunch rocket, washed and spun dry
2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2-3cm cubes
2 beetroot, peeled and cut into quarters or eighths
8 French shallots, peeled
1 Tbs olive oil
1 orange, peeled and cut into segments
¾ cup walnuts or pecans
1 Tbs maple syrup
Dressing:
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs orange juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 200°C. Mix pumpkin, beetroot and shallots with olive oil, season lightly then spread out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cook for 30 mins or until cooked and lightly browned.

Arrange rocket in serving dish. Top with the roasted vegetables and the orange segments. Place walnuts or pecans in a small frying pan and stir over moderate heat for a minute or two. Add the maple syrup and stir until the nuts are glazed and sticky.  Arrange over the salad then drizzle with the dressing. Dressing: shake all ingredients in a jar with a lid. Photo shows the salad without the dressing.

Serves 4

Apple, Carrot & Beetroot Cake

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This is a variation on a carrot cake which uses a mixture of grated apple, carrot and beetroot. I didn’t have any beetroot so I used a couple of turnips! One apple, one carrot and two turnips. Sounds weird but it was delicious.

A coarse grating blade on a food processor makes easy work of the grating. Don’t be tempted to add any liquid to the mixture as the vegetables will provide enough moisture as they cook.

About 3 cups grated veg (apple, carrot, beetroot, turnip) firmly packed
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
2¼ cups plain flour, sifted
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp mixed spice
½ tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup nuts (see note below)
Icing:
250g cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup icing sugar, sifted
To decorate:
Extra nuts

Preheat oven to 180°C.

Grate vegetables and place in a large mixing bowl. I use the Magimix for grating vegetables which makes short work of it. Place eggs and remaining ingredients except nuts in food processor and mix well, stopping to scrape down the sides. Add the nuts and mix to incorporate and chop them a bit. Scrape into the bowl with the grated vegetables and mix well.

Grease and line a 22cm (9″) square cake pan and line the bottom with baking paper. You can use a round cake tin if preferred or make muffins. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until evenly browned and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Muffins will take less time.

Cool then remove from cake tin and spread with the icing. Decorate with extra nuts. Keep in the fridge.

Icing: in a bowl with a wooden spoon, mix the cream cheese until smooth then gradually mix in the icing sugar.

Note: you can use walnuts, pecans or pine nuts. I bought a pack of what was described as Granulated Nuts from Woolworths and they worked perfectly in the cake mixture, then I used walnut halves to decorate.

Serves 16

 

Fried Cabbage with Bacon & Onion

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This simple side dish is easy and delicious. Serve it with a grilled steak or on it’s own.

2-3 slices bacon
1 medium brown onion
2 Tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ head of cabbage, shredded
Garlic salt (or ordinary salt) and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 tsp paprika

Chop the bacon and the onion. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan cook the bacon for about 7 minutes, stirring, until starting to brown. Add the oil, garlic and onion and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add cabbage, garlic salt (or ordinary salt), black pepper and paprika. Continue to cook, stirring often, over medium heat for another 15-20 minutes.

Serves 4

Tortilla French Toasts with Garlicky Mushrooms

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Topped with a delicious mix of mushrooms, garlic and cream, this makes a quick and tasty lunch or supper. If preferred serve it on toasted sourdough or Turkish bread, instead of the Tortilla French Toasts.

Tortilla French Toasts:
1 egg
2 Tbs cream
2 tortillas from a packet
1 Tbs olive oil
Mushrooms:
2 Tbs butter (or 1 Tbs butter and 1 Tbs olive oil)
250g mushrooms, quartered or sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 Tbs dry sherry (optional)
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
½ cup cream or sour cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 Tbs finely chopped parsley

Beat egg and cream in a wide shallow dish. Submerge the tortillas in this mixture and turn to coat thoroughly. Heat a little oil in a frying pan and cook the tortillas, one at a time, on both sides until golden, then place on two serving plates.

Meanwhile in another frying pan, heat the butter (or butter and oil) and cook the mushrooms for 5-10 minutes or until cooked and starting to brown, stirring often. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute or so. Add sherry, mustard, cream and seasoning to taste. Cook, stirring, until sauce has thickened. Spoon onto the tortillas and garnish with parsley. If liked, drizzle with a little extra cream as shown in the photo.

To make a more substantial meal, serve with a rocket, parmesan and pine nut salad, lightly dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Serves 2

Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

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After a hard class at the gym, my friend Allison gave me this recipe as we sipped our almond milk, extra-hot, cappuccinos. She said she had found it on Instagram and it was delicious, which it indeed was.

2 sweet potatoes (4 if small)
Extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp dried sage or 2 tsp fresh sage, finely chopped
Salt
Chickpeas:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
Topping:
1/3 cup pecan nuts
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp maple syrup
good pinch of salt
1/3 cup cranberries or dried cherries
¼ cup goat’s cheese or creamy feta
1/3 cup rocket, baby spinach or shredded larger spinach leaves (in photo)
Dressing:
1 Tbs tahini
1½ Tbs American-style yellow mustard
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp garlic salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp water
Garnish:
Balsamic glaze and olive oil to drizzle around

Line two oven trays with baking paper and preheat the oven to 200°C. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, brush them with oil and sprinkle them with salt. Place them on one of the trays and bake for 30 mins. Move the sweet potatoes over a bit and tip the rinsed and drained chickpeas onto the tray next to them. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then drizzle the chickpeas with the oil and sprinkle with the garlic salt. Mix them a bit, then return to the oven for 10 more minutes.

In a bowl, miix the pecans with the rosemary, oil, maple syrup and salt. Bake on the other paper-lined tray for 6-7 minutes then cool.

Roughly chop the cranberries and place in a bowl with the crumbled goat cheese and the finely shredded rocket or spinach. When the pecan nuts are cool, roughly chop them and add to the bowl.

Place all ingredients for the dressing in a jar with a lid and shake vigorously. If the tahini is a bit stiff, mash it with a fork before adding it to the jar.

To serve, cut sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and place in serving dish. Press down on each half with a fork to mash the flesh a bit. Tip the chickpeas over the sweet potatoes, dividing equally. Drizzle with the dressing, then top with the topping mix. If liked, garnish with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and olive oil.

Serves 4

Fennel Radish & Apple Salad

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This recipe is my interpretation of a delicious, light salad I enjoyed at Thyme to Taste cafe in Yass recently. I sliced everything using the thin slicing attachment on my Magimix food processor. You could also use a mandoline or a sharp knife, but the Magimix does it in a jiffy.

1 head fennel including the fronds (keep some to garnish)
1 apple, quartered and cored but not peeled
1 bunch of radishes
¾ cup pecan nuts or walnuts
1 Tbs maple syrup (optional)
1 cup chopped parsley
½ cup salad dressing
Juice of ½ a lemon

Thinly slice the fennel, apple and radishes and place in a salad bowl. Place the pecan nuts in a small frying pan and cook over moderate heat for a few minutes, stirring. If liked, add the maple syrup and stir till they are coated and glazed. Cool then roughly chop into large pieces and add to the salad bowl with the remaining ingredients. Garnish with some fennel fronds.

Serves 4-6