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Ingredients

1 small wheel of brie cheese (you can use camembert or burrata if desired)

8 cherry tomatoes

10 pitted marinated olives

1 flat mushroom diced

1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs

2 sprigs fresh basil

pepper to taste

olive oil to taste

In a small bowl place all the ingredients except the cheese and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes in a 200 degree Celsius oven.

Remove the bowl from the oven and squash the tomatoes. 

Add the cheese in the centre.

Place the bowl in the oven for another 15 minutes on 180 degrees Celsius. Add some bread rolls or bread slices.

Remove when the brie is soft but still holding it's shape.

Serve with the warm bread.

Serves 4 as a starter or 1 as a main.

Ingredients

3 eggs

1/2 cup water

50 grams goats cheese

50 grams fetta crumbled

1 sheet of crust pastry

250 grams baby spinach leaves

1/2 zucchini chopped into 1cm slices

5 cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1 large mushroom sliced.

1/2 a red onion diced finely

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 flat teaspoon of herb salt (see the recipe in condiments)

5-6 sage leaves

1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

Line a baking tray (28cm square) with the crust pastry.

Beat the eggs and add the water and beat until light and frothy.

Heat a fry-pan on medium heat, add the oil and heat for 10 seconds. 

Add the onion and fry for 3 minutes. Then add the zucchini, mushrooms and salt and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the parsley and spinach, cover and cook for 30 seconds to a minute.

Transfer the cooked mixture to the beaten eggs and combine lightly.

Pour the mixture into the baking tray and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown on top.

1/4 quiche is a good serving for a main meal. Serve with a side salad.

Serves 4.

400 grams vegan mince

1 large diced tomato

1 cup of mixed frozen vegetables

3 cups vegetable soup (boil and blend 2 cups of vegetables of your choice with 2 cups of water, salt and pepper to taste)

1 large eggplant sliced lengthways

1 large zucchini sliced lengthways

50 grams of grated parmesan cheese

100 grams of grated cheddar cheese

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

Cook the mince, soup and vegetables for 15 in a saucepan.

Lightly fry the eggplant and zucchini in the olive oil sprinkled lightly with turmeric power (1 minute on each side is enough).

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

In a baking dish alternate layers of zucchini and eggplant with mince sauce.

On the top layer sprinkle the cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted and golden brown on top.

Serve like lasagne squares alone or with a garden salad. Store the leftovers in the fridge as this is just as delicious reheated for the next day!

Serves 9 

Ingredients

1 cup defrosted frozen vegetables

1 cup roasted vegetables ( potato, pumpkin and carrot used roasted in olive oil, chilli flakes, chopped oregano and rosemary used)

8 eggs beaten with 50 ml water

50 grams of grated cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Grease a ceramic or metal cake dish. 

Toss all the vegetables in a mixing bowl and add to the baking dish.

Pour over the egg. Top with the cheese, cover with a lid or aluminium foil and bake in the oven until golden brown. 

You may need to remove the lid or aluminium foil for the last 5-10 minutes to allow the top to brown. Watch it carefully to ensure the top doesn't burn.

It should take about 30 minutes to bake.

Remove from the oven and serve sliced hot or cold with a side salad or with hot toast! 

Serves 8

There are many variations for vegetable pastries. This is one simple version that can be made small or large to suit a party as finger food or as a large bake for an individual or group meal. This is the individual meal size.

Ingredients

1/2 capsicum diced into 1cm pieces

1/2 zucchini chopped into 1cm pieces

1 peeled, halved and sliced onion

1 tablespoon of chopped oregano

2 baby bocconcini cheese  

salt and pepper to taste

spray oil

1 sheet of puff pastry

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Wrap a 30cm square baking tray with aluminium foil and spray with oil.

Cook the vegetables and oregano in a frying pan with spray oil until they are soft.

Add salt and pepper to taste and turn off the heat.

Cut the sheet of pastry in half. Fill half of the cut sheet with about 1 tablespoon of the cooked vegetables. Place a baby bocconcini on top of the vegetables. Fold the sheet over to form a square parcel. Seal the edges by pressing a fork flat side down along the edge of the square parcel. Repeat with the other cut sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until light brown on top.

Serve hot alone or with a side salad. This can be reheated in the microwave and should keep for about 1 day if covered well in the fridge, however it is best fresh. 

Serves 2

The uncooked parcels can be covered in foil or plastic food wrap and stored overnight in the fridge before baking or they can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 days and baked when required. The pastry sheet can be divided into 4 squares to make smaller pastries for parties or for children.

Ingredients

2 sheets of puff pastry.

1 cup of frozen peas 

50 grams of shaved hard cheese (cheddar used)

Spray oil.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Line a baking t pray with aluminium foil and spray the foil with spray oil.

Place the frozen peas in the microwave on high for 1 minute.  On a sheet of pastry place the peas evenly spaced leaving a 3cm border around the edge. Place the shaved cheese over the peas.

Gently roll the pastry from one end until the other end overlap the roll. Pinch the pastry at the top and on both sides to seal it. 

Repeat with the second sheet of pastry. 

Place both rolls on the oiled baking tray and place on the bottom shelf of the oven for 10 minutes. Then move the tray to the top shelf and continue cooking for another 10 minutes or until it’s golden brown on the top. Turn off the oven and remove the pastries. 

Serve them hot alone or with a side salad.

The pastries will keep for 24 hours if they are kept in an airtight container when cold and stored in the fridge. They can be reheated in the microwave.

Serves 4 as an entrée or 2 for a main meal.

There are 2 variations on this versatile vegetarian bake. The first image is the vegan mince and the second has the kidney beans instead of the vegan mince. Both can also be added. This mix without the potato top is also great with corn chips as a starter, main or snack. Add a teaspoon of chilli flakes to it to turn it into a chilli-non-carne! Serve in tacos topped with salad and grated cheese or serve with cooked rice.

Ingredients

1 cup mixed vegetables (frozen vegetables used)

1 large onion diced

400 grams of vegan mince or 400grams of kidney beans or cooked beans of your choice

1 teaspoon of salt 

1 teaspoon of pepper

200 grams of diced canned tomatoes 

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/4 cup of chopped oregano or parsley

2 large potatoes washed, peeled an diced

1 large carrot washed peeled and diced.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Spray a 30cm square baking dish with spray oil.

Place the carrot and potato in a sauce pan of water and boil until soft. Mash them and set aside.

Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. 

Add the onion and cook until translucent.

Add the herbs, salt and pepper and cook for 3 more minutes.

Add the vegetables and tomato, mince (or beans) and cook for another 5 minutes.

Transfer the mix to the baking dish and spread evenly to cover the base of the dish.

Top the mixture with the potato and carrot mash and spread evenly to cover all the mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes until firm on top.

Serve hot alone or with a side salad. This can be reheated in the microwave and should keep for about 2 days if covered well in the fridge.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 cup polenta

3 cups water

50gms olive margarine or butter

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large diced tomato

1/3 cup chopped olives

1 cup chopped mushrooms

125grams of baby spinach and rockette leaves

1/2 cup diced hard cheese (cheddar and haloumi used) (Optional ingredient)

1 tablespoon pesto (truffle pesto used)

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on medium heat.

Add the tomato, olives, mushrooms and pesto and cook until the vegetables are soft.

Add the leaves and cook for about 30 seconds until the leaves are wilted and combined. Add pepper to your taste.

Spray a 30cm diameter baking dish with spray oil.

Bring the water to the boil and add the butter.

Add the polenta and salt and stir until the polenta is cooked or the mixture is a creamy, mashed potato consistency. (At this stage it is a great substitute for mashed potatoes and a lot quicker to cook. However it needs to be served immediately as it sets quickly.)

Add the cheese and stir until combined.

Add the vegetable mixture and combine.

Pour into the baking dish and spread evenly. Let it set firmly which should take about 5 minutes.

Optional: Cover with a little grated cheese and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes. Then let it cool and set for 5-10 minutes until firm before serving.

Slice and serve warm or slice when cold, pan fry in olive oil and serve immediately. It can also be reheated in the microwave.

This is a satisfying main or special accompaniment to other dishes. 

Serves 4.  

Ingredients

6 baby eggplants

100 grams vegan mince

spray oil

50gms polenta

1 teaspoon chilli flakes

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 medium tomato chopped

1/2 cup chopped mint and coriander 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

Trim eggplant stems and cut eggplants in half. 

Boil or steam the eggplants until tender enough to scoop out some of the flesh from each half. 

Scoop out the centres of each eggplant half.

Lightly fry the herbs, chilli and turmeric powder with spray oil.  

Add the mince and cook for 5 minutes. 

Chop the scooped out eggplant and add to the mince mix. 

Cook for another 5 minutes. 

Fill each eggplant half with enough mince to fill each void (one heaped teaspoon should be enough mince for each eggplant half).

Cover each eggplant half with a small sprinkling of polenta.

Spray the stuffed eggplants with spray oil

Bake for 10-15 minutes until brown.

These are great as a starter, tapas or serve with steamed rice and salad for a main meal. 

If there is remaining mince make the rissole recipe below.

Mince recipe from above made with 300gms vegan mince

Roll mince into 3 cm diameter balls and flatten them into 5 cm diameter rissoles.  

Coat the rissoles in polenta and lightly fry with spray oil in a frypan or bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden on both sides and firm.

These are also great as a starter, tapas or serve with steamed rice and salad for a main meal. 

Should make 20-25, 5cm rissoles.

Ingredients

I cup self-raising flour

1 teaspoon bi-carbonate soda

1 egg (optional) 

1/3 cup of olive oil

2/3 cup sparkling mineral water

1 cup chopped tomato, baby spinach and rockette leaves (or vegetables of your choice eg corn and peas)

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

Combine all ingredients. Spray a muffin pan with spray oil. 

Spoon about 1/3 cup of mixture into each muffin mould. Bake for 15 minutes. 

Turn off the oven and leave the muffins for another 10 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and serve warm with olive oil margarine. 

Should make 6-8 muffins

Ingredients

4 large eggs 

2 vegan sausages sliced 

2 medium sized tomatoes diced 

1 large onion diced 

6 small mushrooms sliced 

1 cup of chopped kale stalks 

1 small eggplant diced

1 teaspoon of chilli flakes 

1 teaspoon of turmeric powder

6  garlic cloves whole 

1 dessert spoon of tomato paste

1 teaspoon of olive oil

150 ml water 

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius. 

Soften the onions with a teaspoon of olive oil in a non-stick pan.

Add the chilli flakes and tumeric powder and cook for 1 more minute.

Add all the vegetables with the tomato paste and water and cook until softened. 

Transfer to a baking dish and crack in the eggs. 

Cover with a lid and bake for 15 minutes. 

Serves 4