weeknight simple: something with roasted veggies

when it's not too hot and you want an easy but classy meal, preheat your oven to 250C and get

a baking tray
1 big zucchini
1 small aubergine
1 large red capsicum
2 medium tomatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
oregano, thyme and/or rosemary

slice the veggies into 2cm thick chunks; cover with a drizzle of oil and seasoning. bake for 15 minutes, then jiggle the tray to turn the veg around, and bump the heat up to 280C for another 10 minutes or just til you start to get small spots of charring. when the veg is tender, splash a little balsamic vinegar over, and serve hot on pasta, brown rice or at room temperature on a bed of rocket or mesclun. great as a wrap filling for a quick but snazzy work lunch, too!

happy 30th birdsday, d!

chocolate. crackles.

go crazy! these involve little heat (30 second in the microwave) and simple ingredients. i couldn't ask for more from a summer dessert that can take me back to my childhood in three seconds. not being made with copha (ick – hydrogenated freakishness!), these won’t stay super solid at room temperature (above 20 degrees) but are way tastier and healthier.

4c puffed rice cereal

0.75c icing sugar, sifted

1.5c desiccated coconut, toasted til light golden brown in a dry frying pan

250g coconut oil

0.25c cocoa powder

in a large bowl, mix the rice cereal, sugar, cocoa and coconut.

in a medium bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave (30-60 seconds). pour oil into dry ingredients, stirring gently til well combined. line muffin trays with patty cases, then poon mixture into cases and refrigerate until firm. 

obsession: singapore noodles

singapore noodles became a home staple after a pleasant visit to a suburban chinese restaurant. this recipe is easiest if all the ingredients are all ready to go. optionally, cut 150g of firm tofu into 1cm cubes, and lightly pan fry and serve on top of noodles.

slice vegetables into 0.5-1cm thick slices and set aside in a large bowl:
1 green capsicum
2 medium carrots 
quarter of a small head of green cabbage


then:
3Tbs oil (coconut or olive)
0.25c mild curry powder
0.5tsp hot chilli powder
0.25tsp salt
2tsp grated ginger
half a medium onion, thinly sliced

heat oil on high in wok or large frypan; add other ingredients and stir, cooking for 20 seconds before adding vegetables. fry on high heat for 5 minutes; empty into large bowl. turn wok to lowest heat.

then:
pour boiling water over 150g of rice vermicelli (the really thin ones- i like wai wai brand) in a large bowl. soak for 2 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water. drain well.

heat a further

3Tbs oil (coconut or olive)
0.25c mild curry powder


in the wok, then add soaked noodles and stir thoroughly (tongs work well). then add the veggies back in, stir well and add

3Tbs soy sauce
fried tofu (if using)

before serving!

personal pineapple linen lunch bag for ms P

toasted coconut cookies

from the very, very wonderful "vegan cookies invade your cookie jar". delicious, but not as good as the macaroons...

paella, mi amor

this was a lot easier than i imagined; especially since it makes quite a lot (and could be easily increased). a great dinner party dish! or just eat it for lunch and dinner for a week.

extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
200g mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 red and 1 green capsicum, cut into 1cm wide strips
3 tsp smoked paprika
3 tsp turmeric (or splash out on a few threads of saffron- soak in hot water before adding)
2 tsp ground rosemary/thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1c chopped cauliflower florets
1c chopped tomatoes or a cup of passata
3-4c vegetable stock
2c Valencia or Arborio rice
lemon wedges and marinated, sliced artichoke hearts to serve
optional to serve: tofu or other sausage

large frying pan
large saucepan/stock pot

in a large frying pan, gently fry the mushrooms, a little salt and pepper in 2 tablespoons or so of oil for about 5 minutes; transfer this mixture to a large bowl for now.

put another tablespoon or two of oil in the pan you've just emptied, heat for 30 seconds on medium and cook the onion,  capsicum and smoked paprika for 3-4 minutes. add the cauliflower and tomato, cook for 2-3 minutes then add this to the mushrooms.

keep the stock warm in a small saucepan or microwave. gently heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the large saucepan and add the rice; stir well for about a minute to coat evenly with oil. as for a risotto, add the warm stock a ladleful at a time, stirring well until each batch of liquid is absorbed. the rice should be pleasantly al dente (about 30 minutes).

if using, prepare tofu or other sausage if using. serve the rice, top with sausage and garnish with an extra sprinkle of smoked paprika, artichoke hearts and wedges of lemon.

post punk princess warrior brooch for ruth

espresso almond biscuits

1Tbs ground flax seeds

2Tbs soy milk

0.25c agave or maple syrup

0.25c coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1tsp vanilla essence

1tsp ground cinnamon

80g ground almonds

1c plain flour

 2Tbs finely ground coffee

0.5tsp bicarb soda

0.25tsp salt

heat oven to 165C. with a fork, whisk flax seeds and milk in a large bowl. stir in sweetener, oil, vanilla and cinnamon. in a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients with a whisk. add to wet ingredients and mix until combined. form rounded teaspoons of mixture and place on baking sheet, flatten to 1cm thick. bake for 10-13 minutes. 

i wonder if these could be made into pfeffernusse...

sheep lover's pie

i can't really remember what i put in this, but it was delicious and this was the general direction of the recipe. this is such a deeply satisfying dish!

1c cooked lentils

1c TVP (soaked in 2c boiling water for 5 minutes)

optional: vege sausages, chopped in to 1cm chunks

0.5c each finely chopped carrot, celery

1 small leek or half a small onion

3 cloves of crushed garlic

dry herbs (oregano, parsley, sage)

salt, pepper to taste

olive oil

2Tbs plain flour or cornflour

0.5-1c vegetable stock mixed with 0.25c red wine

1 tin (450g) tin tomatos or equivalent of passata

1c frozen peas

mashed potato

fry the carrot, celery, leek/onion and garlic for 5 minutes on low-medium heat. add 2Tbs extra oil, then flour. fry for 1 minute, then whisk the stock and wine a little at a time until thick. add more flour and liquid, continuing to whisk to make a thick gravy.

add tomato and lentils/TVP/sausage and peas. put in casserole dish, top with potato and bake for 15 minutes.