MIXED HERB AND CASHEW PESTO

MIXED HERB AND CASHEW PESTO

100g Unique Organique Raw Crunchy Cashews

3 cups fresh mixed herbs - I used Basil, Parsley and Mint

1/2 a teaspoon sea salt

2 cloves of garlic

1/2 a cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

The above ingredients are for the Vegan version, Vegetarians may want to add 100g hard cheese.

Blitz all ingredients in a food processor or smash up in a mortar and pestle. Delicious served as a dip or mix through piping hot spaghetti.

Check out http://www.uniqueorganique.com.au/activated-nutsnseeds.php for the cashews.

VAL'S VEGETARIAN VALENTINES

My beautiful friend Val went to a huge effort to make a delicious vegetarian fest for Valentines Day - the starter was STUFFED ZUCCHINI ROLLS -  little parcels of joy stuffed with sheep's feta, beetroot and home made pesto, they were outstanding. I forgot to get a picture of the delicious main dish which was an EGGPLANT & ZUCCHINI TAGINE  - served with LEMON AND PEACH COUSCOUS. I did manage to snap the Chef and her pudding - a MANGO AND BERRY MASU. Thank you Val, every part of this dinner was fantastic - especially the company!

SAVORY PUMPKIN PIKELETS

SAVORY PUMPKIN PIKELETS

Ingredients

2 cups cooked and mashed pumpkin

1 cup self raising flour

3 eggs

1/2 a teaspoon mixed spice
Salt and pepper to taste

Canola oil for frying

Chutney and plain yoghurt to serve

Directions
Mix all ingredients well. Heat oil in frying pan and drop spoonfulls of the mixture on to the pan, when you see bubbles on the surface of the pikelet, it is ready to turn over. Serve with spicy chutney and plain yoghurt for a light lunch, snack or starter.

POLENTA APPETISER

POLENTA APPETISER

I always feel very clever when I make these little polenta rounds...they are great for cocktail parties and you can let your creative side go wild with toppings.

Simply prepare polenta according to packet insturctions - but use a little less water, add some olive oil and some Parmesan cheese. When polenta is cooked, pour it in to a greased tray, let it cool, cover and place in the fridge for a few hours to set. I use a champagne glass to cut rounds in to the polenta then top them with sliced cherry tomatoes, goats feta and herbs with a dash of balsamic glaze.

TOFU KEBABS

Ingredients

Marinated tofu chunks

Mini Squash (patipan's)

Cherri toms

Basting sauce - Olive Oil, Soy Sauce, Sesame Oil, Lemon Juice

(any other vegetables you have like peppers, onions, zucchini etc)

Directions

Thread ingredients on to skewers and cook on BBQ or grill pan as shown, turn and drizzle with basting sauce every couple of minutes. Serve as a snack or with rice and salad for a meal.

SAVORY BUTTERNUT PIKELETS

SAVORY BUTTERNUT PIKELETS

Ingredients

1 medium butternut, cooked and mashed

1 teaspoon curry powder

4 eggs

1/2 a cup of wholemeal flour

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 a cup of cheese

Olive oil for frying

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and then shallow fry. Can be kept in a warm oven until ready to serve. Note, these do take patience, you need to stand over them and go slowly! Only turn the pikelets when you see little bubbles form in the middle of the pikelet. Serve on a bed of spinach leaves with a savory yogurt dipping sauce.

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND CASHEW PESTO

ROASTED RED PEPPER AND CASHEW PESTO

Ingredients

250g Roasted Salted Cashew Nuts

2 large red peppers

1 large clove of garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

Black Pepper to taste

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions

Grill red peppers until skins go black, when cooled, remove the skins & place in food processor (I used my hand processor). I put the piece of garlic under the grill for about 5 minutes, just to take the edge off and then added that to the processor. Add cashew nuts and olive oil, pepper and lemon juice. Blend until it reaches the desired consistency. This can be served with bread, baked potato or pasta!

BUTTERNUT SEEDS SNACK

BUTTERNUT SEEDS SNACK

Scoop out the seeds from a large butternut, sprinkle with salt and - bake in a hot oven for 15 minutes.

ROASTED CHESTNUTS

ROASTED CHESTNUTS

I had no idea that it would be so easy to make roasted chestnuts. I saw them at the market on the weekend and I waited until I saw someone loading them in to a basket. I approached the lady and asked how you cook them. "Simple" she told me, "Score a cross in the soft brown bit in the end (to let the steam out and to make them easy to peel), chuck in to a baking tray and cook in a very hot oven for about 40 minutes". I did exactly that....yummo! They are in season in Perth now - go get some.

CHERRY TOM SNACKS

CHERRY TOM SNACKS

Half cherry toms, scooped out, filled with mushed up feta and dill - try cutting the toms fancy, or just slice in half - looks just as good. Place on a black plate for a great looking starter topped with some flat leaf parsley.

EGGPLANT SNACK

EGGPLANT SNACK

A simple and tasty snack - great with beer, can be served with hummus and bread or on its own. Simply chop an eggplant in to bite size pieces, layer on a baking tray drizzle over some olive oil and shake on some salt and pepper. Bake on high in the oven for about 45 minutes turning half way through.

THAI SPICED TOFU CAKES

THAI SPICED TOFU CAKES

It was a really hot day in Perth - so I felt like something light and easy but filling.

These tofu cakes did the trick! 

1 packet of firm tofu crumbled

1 tablespoon of green Thai curry

5 tablespoons of sesame seeds

6 tablespoons of gluten free flour

2 cups of cooked rice

Mix together and shape in to patties. I cooked these under the grill to minimise the fat content - but you can shallow fry them if you wish. Serve with sweet chilli dipping sauce and a salad with an Asian dressing:

4 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 teaspoons of honey

1 teaspoon of dijon mustard

1 teaspoon of sesame oil

BARLEY CORN FRITTERS

1 Can of sweetcorn

1 cup barley

2 eggs

5 tablespoons gluten free flour

salt, pepper and dill (or any herbs) to taste

Mix all ingredients together and fry on a hot pan - I think I over did mine  bit, but they still tasted delish! Serve with sweet chili sauce!