QUINOA AND BEAN BURRITOS with coleslaw and green tomato salsa

To make the quinoa and beans:
Dry roast the cumin and coriander seeds over a medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant but do not to burn. Grind the roasted seeds until they form a coarse powder. Heat the oil in a deep heavy based frying pan before frying the spices including the paprika for 30 seconds. Add the onion and continue to cook over a medium heat adding the garlic after 1-2 minutes.

Adding a little dash of stock to form a paste in the bottom of the pan toss in the beans and quinoa stir to combine and cook for a minute to allow the flavours develop. Add the remaining stock and bringing to a gentle simmer cook the quinoa for 15 minutes over a low heat until tender and liquid absorbed. The quinoa and beans can be made ahead of time a reheated being sure to toss through the chopped mint just before serving.

To make the red cabbage and apple coleslaw:
Whisk the lime juice with the yoghurt adding salt and pepper to taste. Toss all the ingredients together including the dressing until well combined, set aside. The coleslaw can be made ahead of time a kept covered in the fridge.

To make the green tomato salsa
:Combine all the ingredients together in a food processor or using a stick blender process to a thick salsa sauce. Use immediately or keep covered in the fridge.

To assemble. You'll need:
Quinoa and beans
Red cabbage and apple coleslaw
Green tomato salsa
Soy yoghurt (optional)
Your favourite soy cheese (optional)
Fresh lettuce leaves
Sliced avocado
Warmed tortillas
Lots of love!

Spread a warmed tortilla with a little yoghurt (if using), top with lettuce leaves, quinoa and beans, green tomato salsa, coleslaw, slices of avocado and cheese (if using). Wrap up and enjoy!

Quinoa and beans
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp paprika
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 C cooked or tinned borlotti beans
1 C quinoa
3 C vegetable stock
1 C fresh mint, roughly chopped

Red cabbage and apple coleslaw
270g red cabbage, shredded
1 red apple, diced
1/4 C sultanas/raisins
1 juicy lime, juice only
1/4 C soy yoghurt
1/2 C fresh coriander, roughly chopped

Green tomato salsa
1 green tomato, chopped
1/2 red capsicum, diced
2 spring onions, chopped
1 chilli (optional), diced
1 lime, juice only
pinch raw sugar

EASY BLACK BEAN BURGERS

Mash the beans with a fork or a potato masher. Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil and mix until well combined. Shape the mixture into patties. Heat about two tablespoons of oil and cook each patty until done, about three minutes on each side. All you need now is the buns and your usual array of delicious fillings. Enjoy!

1 C canned black beans
1 carrot, grated
1/2 onion, diced
3 potatoes, grated
4 spring onions, chopped
1 C corn
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying

EASY TAHINI SAUCE

Add all of the ingredients to a blender or a bowl and blend or stir together until smooth and creamy. Easy. Perfect with noodles, pasta, brown rice and steamed or roasted vegetables. Yum!

BLACK BEAN BURRITOS

Mix one stock cube with one cup of warm water before adding the soya mince. Leave to soak.

Heat oil in a pan and fry the garlic, capsicum and red onion until translucent. Add soya mince and heat through. Add tomatoes, black beans, chilli, cumin and season with salt and pepper and the second stock cube.

Leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes. You can add more chilli if preferred hotter.

Heat tortillas according to instructions. Pile a few spoonfuls of the mince mixture into the middle of the tortilla and add cheese, sour cream and jalapenos and coriander and avocado if you choose. Fold and tightly roll up and enjoy!

2 vegetable stock cubes
Packet of Fry's or Linda McCartney's soya mince
Olive oil
2 small red onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 red capsicum, sliced
Can of tomatoes
Can of black beans
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt and pepper

8 flour tortillas

Vegan sour cream (Available at SAFE or try making your own)
Vegan cheese, grated (Available at SAFE )
Jalapenos
Guacamole or plain avocado
Coriander, roughly chopped

BURGUNDAY STEW

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté leeks and garlic for 5-7 minutes, until softened and beginning to brown. Add onions, turnips, parsnips and potatoes and fry for 2 minutes.

Add wine to deglaze the pan, then add veggie broth, beans and basil. Season to taste, then bring to bubbling. Reduce heat, loosely cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are cooked and tender.

Mix tomato paste into the stew, adding more broth if needed to get a nice thick consistency. Add spinach to the pot and cook until spinach wilts but is still a vibrant green. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve.

VEGETARIAN GYOZA

These little Asian dumplings are full of flavour!

Defrost gyoza wrappers overnight in the fridge. Combine the ingredients of the dip, adjusting quantities to your taste. Set aside.

Finely chop garlic, onion, cabbage, mushroom and tofu. Finely grate the carrot, zucchini and ginger.

Sauté garlic and onion in one tablespoon of sesame oil for two minutes before adding the rest of the vegetables and tofu or vegetarian mince. Fry for two more minutes. Add rice vinegar, soy sauce and salt and pepper and cook for 5-10 minutes until cooked through.

Take one gyoza wrapper and fill with one teaspoon of the mixture. Wet rim of wrapper and press together in a semi circle shape, sealing by squeezing the edges together. When you have made all of your gyoza, heat a large saucepan (with lid) and add the rest of the sesame oil. Place all gyoza in the pan and fry for three minutes until the bottoms are brown. Add the water and immediately place lid on the pan so they steam and boil in the water. Cook for three to four minutes.

20-30 gyoza wrappers (from Asian stores)
2 garlic cloves
1 onion
4 cabbage leaves
6 mushrooms
1 carrot
1 zucchini
1 piece ginger
3 Tbsp sesame oil
1/2 block tofu or 100g vege mince
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste
3 C water

DIP
Sesame oil
Soy sauce
Chilli flakes
Rice vinegar

AUTHENTIC MEATLESS LASAGNA

Preheat over to 180 degrees Celsius.

To make the lasagna sauce, in a large saucepan, sauté onion and garlic in oil on a medium heat until tender. Add mushrooms and eggplant. Cook for a further five minutes and then add the rest of ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 10-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary. Should be a rich and flavoursome sauce. Set aside.

To make the white sauce, sauté oil and onion in a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat for five minutes or until tender. Stir in flour and cook for one minute, while stirring constantly to avoid burning. Slowly add half the soy milk and gently stir until it begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and gradually add rest of milk while stirring. Add remaining ingredients and gently cook for a further 5-10 minutes.

To assemble, you will need a large high-sided (10cm) baking dish (approx 20 x 30 cm) or two lower smaller dishes.

Starting with the lasagna sauce, spoon enough to cover base. Line with lasagna sheets (break sheets if necessary to fit dish) then dollop generous spoonfuls (approx 1/4 cup) of white sauce. Repeat at least four times until layered, being sure to end with a lasagna sauce.

Finish with whatever you like - handful of olives, sliced tomatoes and just a sprinkling of smoked paprika.

Cover with tin foil and bake 20 minutes before removing foil and baking a further 10 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes before slicing.

1 250g box dried lasagna sheets

Lasagna sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
200g mushrooms, sliced
1 eggplant, diced
1 jar tomato pasta sauce (approx 500ml)
1 can tomatoes, diced
1 250g vegetarian mince*
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/4 C red wine
100g black or green olives, pitted and chopped
1 Massel ‘beef' stock cube
1 tsp basil, dried
1 tsp oregano, dried
1/2 tsp chilli powder

• prefer to use the Vegetarian Stuffing mix available from Blissful Vegetarian or some Asian stores.

White sauce
1/4 C olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 Tbsp flour
2 1/2 C soy milk
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 C nutritional yeast flakes
fresh cracked pepper and salt to taste

SPICY ROASTED PUMPKIN

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

Place pumpkin in a roasting pan and sprinkle with seasonings. Drizzle with olive oil and toss until the pumpkin is well coated. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the pumpkin is tender and caramelised. Easy!

EGGPLANT, LENTIL AND TOMATO CURRY

Fry onion, garlic and eggplant in oil until onion is translucent. Add cumin, ginger and chilli powder to pan and fry for one minute. Add chopped tomatoes, puree, lentils and stock and leave to cook for ten minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and cook for ten minutes more. Add coriander, cook for two minutes and serve!

2 Tbsp canola oil
1 onion, chopped finely
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 eggplant, cut into chunks
1 tsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 Tbsp tomato puree
1 C red lentils
3 C vegetable stock
Handful of cherry tomatoes
Handful of coriander, chopped

QUINOA SUSHI

Cook quinoa in vegetable stock/water in a pot for 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool before adding salt, sugar and rice vinegar. Stir well and set aside.

Place a sheet of seaweed onto a bamboo sushi rolling mat (it works just as well on a cutting board), with the shiny side face down. Take one-third of the quinoa and spread over the bottom half of the sheet of seaweed, firmly patting down. Arrange a mixture of the vegetables in a line in the middle of the quinoa. Roll up tightly away from you. Repeat with remaining vegetables and seaweed. Set aside for 20 minutes for seaweed to soften then cut into slices and serve with soya sauce, wasabi and ginger. Enjoy!

PINE NUT STUFFED AUBERGINE WITH FRESH TOMATO SAUCE

Preheat oven to 220 degrees Celsius.

Cook rice in boiling water until cooked. Drain and set aside. Prick the aubergines and place on a lightly greased baking tray. Bake for 15 minutes until softened. Allow to cool before cutting lengthways and scooping out the flesh, leaving about half a centimetre attached to the skin. Chop the scooped out aubergine and return shells to baking tray then set aside.

Heat oil in fry pan and gently sauté celery for ten minutes. Add carrot and chopped aubergine and sauté for a further five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in rice, parsley, basil, pine nuts, ground almonds, vegetable bouillon and water. Retain some parsley and pine nuts for decoration.

Place rice mixture in the aubergine shells. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Garnish with parsley and pine nuts and serve with fresh tomato sauce.

To make the sauce, blanch whole tomatoes for 60 seconds in rapidly boiling water, before removing and plunging into cold water for five seconds. Drain, cool, then remove skins and chop.

Heat the oil and gently sauté onion for ten minutes, making sure not to brown. Add garlic and sauté for a further minute before adding tomatoes and gently bring to boil. Reduce heat and cook for ten minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally. In a blender or using a hand liquidiser, add the fresh basil, liquidise sauce then add soya sauce. Reheat and serve.

1 C basmati rice
6 medium aubergines
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
115g celery, chopped small
225g carrot, grated
30g fresh parsley, chopped
30g fresh basil, chopped
115g pine nuts, toasted
55g ground almonds
2 tsp vegetable bouillon
280 ml water

450g fresh whole tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, crushed
small bunch of fresh basil
Splash of soya sauce

CHESTNUT AND MUSHROOM WELLINGTON

This is great with a roast dinner or make it into pasties instead of a Wellington and have for lunch!

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Over medium heat, fry onion in oil. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for five minutes. Transfer mix into a food processor and blend before adding chestnuts, lemon juice, soy sauce and marmite. Blend again before pouring mix into a bowl. Add the breadcrumbs, cashews and herbs, season and mix well.

Roll pastry to make an A4-sized rectangle (or use defrosted Neway pastry sheets). Place pastry on a lightly oiled baking tray. Heap the mushroom mixture in the centre, forming it into a loaf-type shape. On either side of the filling, cut the pastry into diagonal strips around two centimetres wide. Fold these over the filling in a plait shape and tuck in the ends. Brush with soy milk.

1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
125g mushrooms, sliced roughly
110g cooked chestnuts, chopped (tinned are fine)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp marmite
110g wholemeal breadcrumbs
110g cashews, ground in a blender
2 tsp mixed herbs
330g puff pastry
soy milk for brushing

MUSHROOM GRAVY

Pour half of the olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic until soft. Add the additional olive oil to the pan, and then stir in the mushrooms. Sauté mushrooms until they are soft. Turn down the heat to low. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms slowly, stirring them at the same time. Continue adding flour and stirring until the mushrooms are coated. A little more or less flour may be necessary.

Pour in the vegetable stock. Turn the heat back to medium, and continuously stir the mixture until it thickens to a gravy. Season to taste. If you prefer a smooth gravy blend before serving.

SOUTHERN TOFU

Combine dry ingredients. Roll each tofu slice in rub until coated. Set aside.

Heat oil on medium to high heat in a large frying pan. Fry tofu for a few minutes on each side until browned. Add more oil, if needed. Remove from pan. Immediately add Jack Daniels to pan and let reduce to two-thirds the liquid. Add remaining ingredient and mix well. Bring to boil to thicken before removing from heat. Add tofu and turn to coat. Serve immediately.

1 pk extra firm tofu, cut into 8 slices

2 tbsp oil
1/3 C Jack Daniels
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 C brown sugar
3/4 C ketchup
1/4 C water
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder
dash of hot sauce