Monster Custard

I am always trying to find a way to get my toddler to eat some greens! This is my go to, super easy dessert, packed with greens, protein, iron and calcium and best of all he loves it! I have to confess sometimes I make it for my self once the kids are in bed.

Makes 1 cup

4 teaspoons cornflour

1 teaspoon blackstrap molasses (high in iron)

1 cup plant milk (high in calcium)

1 large handful of baby spinach leaves

1 teaspoon peanut butter (lots of protein)

Add all ingredients to a bullet or blender and mix well. Pour into a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave in bursts of 30 seconds stiring in between until thick. This takes about 3x 30 seconds in my microwave.

Stir in some frozen berries to cool it down quickly for hungry tummies.

Vanilla Custard

This is a great low fat, low sugar pudding. Make it with soymilk and it packs in protein and calcium and best of all it only takes five minutes to make. My husband eats his with a big spoonful of hot chocolate on top, I like to sprinkle a few chocolate chips into mine. Feel free to jazz it up - orange and cardamom, double chocolate, coffee custard….

Makes 1 cup

4 teaspoons cornflour

1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or essence)

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

1 cup plant milk

pinch salt

very small pinch turmeric (optional for color)

In a microwave safe bowl add cornflour and a small amount of milk combining well. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and microwave in bursts of 30 seconds stiring in between until thick. This takes about 3x 30 seconds in my microwave.

Great warm over a bowl of fruit or some apple crumble.

Macaroni and cheese

A good Mac and Cheese needs lots of sauce. This Mac and Cheese is creamy and packed full of vegetables that even your kids will eat. This recipe is super easy and requires very little prep, cheap and freezes well.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 cup of unsweetened plant milk

1 can coconut milk (or substitute with 400mls more of plant milk for low fat option)

1 cup of water with 2 teaspoons of vegetable stock

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1 tablespoon miso paste

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup frozen spinach (optional)

3 1/2 cups of pumpkin (approx 1/2 large crown or one small butternut)

2 1/2 cups Kumara (approx 2 medium kumara)

1 packet of pasta elbows

2 cups old bread (or breadcrumbs)

1 tablespoon olive oil + 1 teaspoon

salt and pepper

1 handful of fresh thyme (or dried)

In a large microwave safe bowl mix together plant milk, coconut milk, water, stock, nutritional yeast, dijon mustard, miso paste, nutmeg and garlic cloves. Dice pumpkin and kumara into 2cm cubes and add to bowl with frozen spinach. Microwave on high for 25 minutes (alternatively boil on stove until veges are soft). In mean time cook pasta until a few minutes before it is fully cooked and drain. Stir through 1 teaspoon of olive oil to prevent sticking. Once your vegetables have cooked puree with a blender or blender stick until smooth and stir through lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir sauce through pasta and place in a large baking dish or skillet. Shred bread into pieces and toss in 1 tablespoon oil, thyme and salt and pepper. Sprinkle bread on top of pasta. Cook for 10-15 minutes, in oven at 180 degrees Celsius, until golden on top.

Gingerbread Waffles

This recipe will make your house smell amazing!

I have a waffle iron that makes 1 big waffles that can be cut into 5 small hearts. This recipe makes 6 large waffles (30 small hearts).

Ingredients

2 cups wholemeal flour *

2 cups plant milk- I use soy milk

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 tablespoon maple syrup

2 tablespoon oil (neutral such as canola or rice bran) + a little extra to brush on waffle iron

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 teaspoons ground ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

*For a lighter waffle you can use 1 cup white flour and 1 cup wholemeal but you will need to reduce the milk to around 1 1/2 cups to keep the batter a similar consistency.

Heat waffle iron while you make batter.

In a large bowl mix all the dry ingredients- flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. In a small bowl combine plant milk and apple cider vinegar - this should become thickened when you do this. Add maple syrup, oil and vanilla to milk and stir. Add wet ingredients to dry and combine. Your batter should be like a thick cake mixture. Lightly brush waffle iron with oil using a pastry brush and add a small amount of waffle mixture (for mine I use 1/2 a cup per large waffle). Cook according to your waffle iron instructions. Serve drizzled with maple syrup and your favorite fruit and yogurt.

Waffle iron trouble shooting: To avoid waffles sticking make sure you have given your waffle iron plenty of time to heat up. The batter should be nice and thick and your waffle iron clean and lightly oiled.

Ginger & Feijoa cake (or pear)

This cake looks super pretty, is moist and gingery and is free from refined sugar and refined flour (apart from a little icing sugar dusted on top if you choose). Have your cake and eat it too!

Ingredients:

2 cups wholemeal flour (or 1 cup white, 1 cup wholemeal)

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup neutral oil (like canola or ricebran)

1 cup plant milk

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

10 feijoas (or 1 ripe pear)

To get the goodness of wholemeal flour with the smooth finish of white I like to blend my wholemeal flour in a bullet or coffee grinder for several minutes until very fine.

Mix dry ingredients in one bowl. In a separate bowl mix together oil, molasses and maple syrup- heat in microwave for 1 minute. Pour milk into a cup and add apple cider (it will curdle and go like butter milk). Let this stand for a few minutes. Add milk to oil and syrups and stir. Add wet to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour into cake tin. Scoop feijoa halves and gently press into batter. For the pear version, core your pear and slice thinly arranging in a spiral on top. Bake at 180 degrees for around 25-30 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.

*because this cake is free from refined sugar it is best eaten within a few days (although once you try how yummy it is, this is unlikely to be a problem)

Creamy avocado pasta

Creamy yet fresh this pasta can be whipped up in 10 minutes!

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 packet spaghetti

1 cup frozen peas and corn

3 avocados

2 cloves garlic

1 1/2 cups unsweetened plant milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable stock

1 handful of fresh basil + extra for garnish

1 handful of fresh baby spinach leaves (or kale or rocket)

juice and rind of one medium lemon

2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast

1 cup cherry tomatoes

*Extra: you can also add chopped sun dried tomatoes, olives or cashew nuts on top as a garnish if you want to make it a little fancy.

Cook spaghetti in a pot, when nearly ready, throw in frozen corn and peas and boil for a further 2-3 minutes until these are cooked. While this is cooking make your pasta sauce. Add avocados, garlic, basil, spinach, vegetable stock, lemon rind and juice and nutritional yeast to a bullet or blender and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Drain pasta with veges and stir in avocado sauce. Garnish with cherry tomatoes and more basil.

Try some savory yeast parmesan crumble on top.

Chickpea chocolate chunk cookies

Chickpeas in cookies! Be brave give them a go, they are sooo good. Free from flour and packed with protein and fiber, these are a cookie you can enjoy everyday!

Makes around 20 cookies

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas + save 3 tablespoons of brine from can

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons peanut butter (nut free option: also works with dairy free margarine or coconut oil)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups rolled oats

2 ripe bananas

1 cup chocolate chips or cut up chocolate bar chunks

Add all ingredients apart from chocolate into a food processor. Process on high for around 5 minutes. Stir in chocolate. Your mixture should look like a wet batter. Place mixture in fridge for 20-30 minutes. Spoon balls onto a tray lined with baking paper. Bake at 180 for 12-15 minutes until golden. Transfer to a cooling rack after a few minutes to cool (or eat hot a gooey if you cant help yourself).

Crispy falafel

Dried chickpeas are super cheap and super nutritious. They make for a tasty crunchy wrap filling, burger patty or topped on a salad. Just remember to soak them in advance.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup dried chickpeas

2 tablespoons tahini (also works with peanut butter)

juice of 1 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander

1/4 tsp tumeric

1/2 cup vegetable stock

2 cloves garlic

Large handful of fresh basil or parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Soak chickpeas in water for 12-24 hours

Wash and drain chickpeas once soaked. Add all ingredients to a food processor and processes for around 5 minutes. Spoon tablespoon sized balls of mixture into a hot pan and fry in a small amount of oil on each side for a few minutes or bake in the oven on baking paper for around 10 minutes until golden.

If you have time, add an extra kick of flavour by using toasted cumin and coriander seeds instead of ground. Place whole cumin and coriander seeds in a pan on medium heat for around 5 minutes until fragrant then grind your own with a bullet, grinder or mortar and pestle.

Lentil curry pot pies

This is my favorite winter comfort recipe. There is nothing better than a steaming hot pie served with ketchup or chutney. These pies can be made a little wicked with puff pastry or you can make your own crunchy oaty pie crust. This pie is great for substituting with seasonal vegetables or what is left in your fridge before your next shop.

Makes 6

Ingredients

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup flour

1 liter plant milk unsweetened

2 tablespoons curry powder

1 tablespoon stock powder

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

2 medium potatoes

2 small kumara

2 cups frozen vegetables

1 can lentils

6 sheets pastry/ 2 x crunchy oaty pastry

Filling:

Peel potatoes and kumara and cut into 2cm cubes. Cover with water and microwave for around 20 minutes until soft (or boil on stove). Drain water and gently mash around half the potatoes and kumara which will make your sauce nice and thick but still give texture. While potatoes and kumara are cooing, finely chop onions and garlic and saute in oil on a medium heat until soft. Add flour, curry powder, nutritional yeast and stock, stirring constantly until flour has cooked off for a few minutes. This will resemble a crumb. Slowly add plant milk , 1/4 cup at a time to start with, stirring vigorously to avoid getting lumps. Stir often until sauce thickens for around 15 minutes. Add frozen veges and cooked potatoes and kumara to sauce. Drain and rinse lentils and add to sauce.

Pastry:

Pre heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Grease 6 individual pie dishes (or one big pie dish) and line with pastry. Blind bake for around 15 minutes*. Add filling to pie dishes and top with a pastry lid. Prick each pastry top with a fork a few times so it can let out steam and brush with a small amount of oil. Cover with sesame seeds and a little salt and pepper.

Cook pies in oven until golden around 25 minutes at 180 degrees.

Crunchy oaty pastry

2 cups oats

1/4 cup tapioca flour

1/3 cup coconut oil (at solid state but still soft)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 flax egg (2 tablespoons ground linseeds with 4 tablespoons water)

1-3 tablespoons ice cold water

Process oats in a grinder or bullet to make oat flour. Add oat flour, tapioca, salt, flax egg and coconut oil to a food processor and pulse until just combined. This will look like a course crumble. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to pulse until mixture comes together. The trick is not to over mix. Shape into a ball. Place between two large sheets of baking paper and roll over the top to flatten into a sheet. Cut into pie dish shapes and gently press into your dishes. You will likely get some breakages but you can patch these up with your fingers. Blind bake as below and then you are read to fill your pie.

*Blind baking helps cook the pastry at the bottom of the pie so you don’t get an under cooked base. Grease then line the bottom and sides of your pie dishes with pastry. Pastry will puff up and get out of shape if you bake without a filling so you will need to weight it down. To do this put a sheet of non stick baking paper on top of the pastry and use an oven proof weight. I usually use a small ramikin which fits snugly in the dish or some dried beans or rice. Once you have blind baked your pies for around 10 minutes take out the filling and baking paper and put back in the oven for a few minutes. Then remove again and you are ready to fill and bake your pies.

Smoothie bowl

I have to say I am a late comer to smoothie bowls. It wasn’t until I accidentally made a really thick smoothie that I decided to give it a go and it was amazing! It is actually far more satisfying eating a smoothie with a spoon and you can add all kinds of delicious crunchy toppings.

Serves 1

1 frozen banana (peeled and chopped into chunks)

1 cup frozen berries

1/2 cup of plant milk ( I like to use oat or soy milk)

1 handful of baby spinach leaves

2 tablespoons dairyfree yogurt

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon ground flax seeds

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Blend all ingredients in a high powered blender or bullet.

Decorate with coconut, cocoa nibs, berries and banana

Date, raisin and carrot loaf

This loaf takes the best from date loaf, carrot cake and banana bread and combines it into a delicious loaf, that is free from refined sugar and healthy enough for a scrummy breakfast or a guilt free late night snack.

Makes 1 loaf

1 cup dates

1 cup raisins

1 cup boiling water

1 ripe banana

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup oil or coconut oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons backing soda

1 teaspoon mixed spice

2 cups flour (I like to use half wholemeal half white)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large carrot grated

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius. Combine dates and raisins in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Let soak for at least 15 minutes. In the meantime, in a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, grated carrot and mixed spice. Once your dried fruit has soaked drain water into a cup and keep for later. Add the banana to your dates and raisins and mash for a few minutes ( I use a potato masher). Add drained water back into your mash along with apple cider vinegar, vanilla, maple syrup and oil. Mix well to combine. Add wet ingredients into dry and mix gently until just combined. Spoon evenly into a loaf tin lined with baking paper. Refrain from patting down to keep your loaf fluffy. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Let cool on a rack and cut once fully cooled.

Easy homemade wraps

This is my go to, super easy recipe to make homemade wraps. I always get a fright looking at the long list of ingredients on the back of store brought wraps. With most having a long list of preservatives not to mention the price! I use this recipe to make simple naan breads and thin pizza bases too. Because they do not contain preservatives they are best eaten on the day you make them but any left overs can be cut into triangles the next day and brushed with oil and herbs and baked into yummy crackers. I like to serve my wraps with homemade falafel, tabbouleh, hummus, creamy soy yogurt and vegetables.

Makes 4 wraps

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups white flour

• 2/3 cup of wholemeal flour

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (or over cooking oil)

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup of warm water

Mix all ingredients until it comes together as a soft dough. Place a plate on top of the bowl and let sit for 15 minutes or more. When you are ready to use preheat pan to a medium heat with a small brush of oil. Separate dough into four ball shaped portions. Using lots of flour to prevent sticking, roll out each one into a large wrap size. Gently lift one into your hot pan and cook for 1-2 minutes then flip and cook a further minute or so until it has brown bubble marks. Remove from pan place on a plate and then put another plate, damp tea towel or tinfoil over to keep moisture in (this will prevent cracking when wrapping). Repeat with remaining three wraps.

*If you are wanting to use as naan breads I like to make a finely chopped garlic and butter/or oil mixture and brush on each side while cooking.

Soy yogurt

Dairy free yogurt is often expensive and full of additives and sugar. This home made version is cheap and healthy and so so yummy. They key is choosing the right brand of soy milk and starter. A lot of products have preservative and stabilizers which are good at preserving and inhibiting bugs. In this case we want to encourage the good bugs to grow. You need to choose a yogurt with live cultures. This recipe uses an Easiyo container to insulate the temperature. These can be picked up very cheap at a second hand store or brought new for around $25. Once you have made your first batch of yogurt all you need to do is save 1/3 cup to use as your next starter.

Makes 1 Liter

• 3 1/2 cups soy milk - I use Vitasoy protein plus (room temperature)

• 1/3 cup yogurt (I used cathedral cove coconut yogurt to start my culture)

Use a sterilized jar that fits your yogurt maker and holds 1 Liter. Add 1 cup of soy milk and your yogurt and mix well using a plastic or wooden spoon (metal can inhibit bugs). Add the rest of the soy milk and mix well again. Fill your EasiYo container with boiling water to just above the spacer or per instructions from your maker. Place jar in your maker and place lid on tight. The key is that the temperature is retained in your EasiYo container. In the winter or overnight, I put my EasiYo container in an chilly bin with a hot water bottle wrapped in a woolen blanket and the chilly bin lid on, to keep the temperature warm. After 10-12hrs removed jar from Easiyo and place in fridge for a further 10-12hrs to cool and set completely. Before you get stuck in to your delicious thick and creamy homemade yogurt remember to put 1/3 of a cup away in a small sterile jar to start your next yogurt!

Chocolate and berry porridge

This is my go to winter breakfast, decadent and rich enough to feel like your eating a pudding but healthy and guilt free at 7am.

Serves 2

• 1 cup rolled oats

• 2 cups plant milk- I find soy gives the creamiest outcome

• 10 chopped pitted dried dates

• pinch of salt

• 2 teaspoons cocoa

• 1/2 cup frozen boysenberries

• 1 tablespoon desiccated coconut

Optional: Ground or slithered almonds/ more fruit or yoghurt to top

Place milk, oats, dates, cocoa, coconut and a pinch of salt in a large bowel and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Stir and add frozen berries and microwave for a further 3 minutes or until cooked to your liking. I like to top mine with almonds, banana and dairy free yogurt.

Teriyaki vegan poke bowl

Serves 2

Poke bowls are an up and coming food trend in many areas around the world. Originating as a traditional Hawaiian cuisine, they generally consist of cubes of raw marinated fish a top a bed of rice and plenty of delicious salad ingredients. This is a vegan version with a teriyaki twist inspired by my favorite Korean takeaways.

Ingredients

• 1 packet medium firm tofu

• 1/2 cup corn flour

• 1 cup uncooked rice brown or white

• 1 cup chopped cabbage red or white

• 1/2 red onion

• 1 carrot

• 1 capsicum

• 1 avocado

• fresh coriander and toasted sesame seeds to garnish

Coleslaw dressing

• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 1 tablespoon mirin

• Salt and pepper to taste

Teriyaki sauce (or store brought if your out of time)

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or brown sugar

• 1/2 cup water

• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon finely grated ginger

• 1 teaspoon cornflour + 1 tablespoon water

First get your rice cooking in the microwave or on a stove - I like to use a short grain brown or white rice to create a sticky texture.

While rice is cooking, heat a small amount of oil in a pan. Add cornflour to a bowl with some salt and pepper. Pat tofu dry with a paper towel and slice into approximately 3cm x 3cm x 1cm squares. Roll tofu in cornflour so each piece is well coated. Shake off excess then shallow fry in your pan until golden on each side. Remove and place on a paper towel.

To create coleslaw, finely chop cabbage and red onion into slices, add grated carrot. Combine all coleslaw dressing ingredients and pour over slaw, tossing to combine.

For teriyaki sauce: Add the soy sauce, brown sugar, 1/2 cup water, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar and ginger to a pot. Bring to the boil. Mix cornflour with 1 tablespoon water to make a paste then add to pot stirring well. Let sauce simmer on medium heat for around 5 minutes until thickened.

To serve add some rice to two bowls, top with tofu, slaw, avocado and red pepper, drizzle with teriyaki sauce and sprinkle with coriander and toasted sesame seeds.

Spinach and tofu pie

The reason I love this pie is that it is such a great way to incorporate a whole lot of spinach into your diet. Spinach is packed with chlorophyll, vitamins and minerals as well as heaps of fiber. It is an excellent source of vitamen A, magnesium, folate, manganese, and B12. One cup of cooked spinach contains 35% of your daily iron needs, 30% of Vitamin C and 25% of calcium recommended daily intake. With heaps of vitamin K the only people who should consider watching their spinach intake is those with altered blood clotting such as those people taking Warfarin.

Serves 4 people

Base:

• 1/2 cup white flour

• 1 cup whole meal flour

• 150g margarine (or smooth peanut butter)

• 1/2 cup ground cashew nuts

• 1 tsp of mixed dried herbs

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3-5 Tablespoons cold 6water

Filling:

• 1 packet of silken tofu

• 1 packet of firm tofu

• 1 onion

• 4 cloves garlic

• 1 tablespoon miso paste

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 tablespoons Worcester

• 1 cup ground cashew nuts

• 2 tablespoons ground linseed

• a big handful of fresh herbs ( I like to use basil)

• 1/2 cup pinenuts or sunflower seeds

• salt and pepper to taste

• 250-300g spinach frozen or fresh.

Topping

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs for top of pie

 To make base:

Mix together flours, salt, herbs and ground nuts. Add soften margarine (or peanut butter) and mix. I like to mix with my hands, crumbling like you would scones. Once mixed, add 3 tablespoons of water and mix again, add more water if needed until dough just comes together into a soft ball, don’t over mix. Transfer into a greased pie dish and press the dough out until it fills the dish and goes up the sides. Blind bake* for around 15 minutes at 180 degrees.

To make filling:

While your pie base is blind baking, roughly chop then boil spinach for 10 minutes in microwave or stove with water covering. Finely chop onions and garlic and saute in a pan for around 5 minutes until soft. While these are cooking, add all the rest of the ingredients excluding the pine nuts (or sunflower seeds) and breadcrumbs into a food processor. When spinach is cooked squeeze out all the excess water then transfer to the food processor and processes until all the ingredients come together . Gently stir in your pine nuts (or sunflower seeds) and sauted onions and garlic.

Once your pie base is ready, pop in your filling and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake for a further 25-30 minutes at 180 degrees until golden on top

*Blind bake means putting something heavy on your pastry while it cooks - I use baking paper then dried beans on top to weight it down while cooking then remove.

Panang curry with spinach, cashew and kumara

Panang Curry:

Serves 4

• 4 cloves garlic chopped

• 2 thinly sliced red onions

• 1 heaped tablespoon grated fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoons of tumeric

• 2 teaspoons red curry paste

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• 2 teaspoons ground coriander

• 2 tablespoons palm sugar (or brown sugar)

• 1/4 cup peanut butter

• 1 can coconut milk

• 1/3 cups vegetable stock

• 200g spinach or silver-beet

• 1 large orange Kumara

• 1 cup peas

• zest and juice of 1 small lime

• 1/2 cup roasted cashew nuts

• firm tofu optional

• coriander and a thinly sliced chili to garnish

serve with rice or udon noodles

If you are going to use tofu for this, start your meal preparations by pressing the Tofu. Put it onto a few paper towels on a plate. Pop another plate on top and weigh down with some heavy cookbooks while you prepare the rest of your meal. Tofu acts like a sponge and by pressing out all the water it allows it to soak up more yummy curry flavours when it cooks.

Saute onions, garlic and ginger until soft. Add turmeric, cumin, coriander and red curry paste and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add peanut butter, coconut cream, sugar and stock. Bring to the boil. Add kumara and spinach. When Kumara is nearly cooked throw in peas, tofu and lime and cook for a further 5 minutes. Serve on a steaming hot bowl of rice or noodles with cashews, coriander and chili to garnish.

Nut and lentil loaf

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 onion

• 3 cloves garlic

• 1 carrot

• 2 large celery sticks

• 1/2 cup vegetable stock

• 1 can brown lentils

• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

• 1 cup ground nuts (I like to use almonds and walnuts)

• 1 cup chopped nuts (I like to use walnuts and cashews)

• 1/2 cup rolled oats

• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast

• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

• 1 tablespoon Worcester sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

• 2 teaspoon dried mixed herbs

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

• 4 garlic cloves

• 2 tablespoons ground flax-seeds

• 1/2 cup cranberries optional

• Panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds to top

Heat oven to 180 degrees. Finely chop onions and garlic and saute for 5 mins, finely dice carrot and celery, add to onions, sauteing another 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup vegetable stock and allow to simmer for another 5 mins with lid on. Meanwhile in a big bowl add rinsed and drained lentils, ground nuts, breadcrumbs, Tabasco, Worcester, nutritional yeast, oats, olive oil, maple syrup, chopped garlic, ground flax seeds and herbs.

Add your sauteed vegetables to the bowl and combine. Take out half of this mixture and place in a food processor or whiz with a magic stick until mushy. Return your processed mix back into your original mix and stir. Add chopped nuts and cranberries and stir until combined

Generously grease a small lasagna dish or loaf tin and press mixture in firmly so it is even. Sprinkle with panko bread crumbs and sesame seeds and bake for 50 minutes until golden on top. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Cashew aioli (oil free)

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews

• 3/4 cup soy milk (or plant based equivalent)

• 2 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1/4 tsp Tabasco sauce

• salt and pepper to taste

Soak cashews in boiling water for at least 1 hr (2-3hrs if you have time, or with cold water overnight). Drain and add to bullet or food processor along with plant milk, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar. Mix on high until smooth in consistency. Add the rest of the ingredients and processes until well combined. Store in the fridge for up to five days. Great for sandwiches, as a salad dressing or on pizza.

Boss burger -black bean, cashew and kumara patty

Makes 4 large patties

Ingredients

1 can black beans

1 onion

4 cloves garlic

1/2 cup grated orange kumara

1/3 cup ground cashew nuts (or grind your own)

2/3 cup bread crumbs

2 flax eggs ( 4 tablespoons of water or vegetable stock mixed with 2 tablespoons ground flax seeds)

2 tablespoons worcester sauce

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

2 tsp ground cumin

big hand full of fresh herbs (I like to use basil)

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

pinch cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

flour to dust patties in

Finely chop onions and garlic and saute in a pan until soft. While this is cooking drain and rinse black beans and add to a large bowl. Mush up with your hands, until around half of the black beans are into a paste, leaving the rest for texture. Add the cooked onions and garlic and rest of the ingredients apart from the flour and stir well. Form into patties and dust with flour. Shallow fry for around 8 minutes each side or bake in the oven for 1 0 minutes each side or until golden and cooked through..