Rocket & Eggplant Salad

The rocket in my garden has gone totally bizerk lately, I can hardly eat it fast enough! The newest leaves are tender and sweet but as the plant matures they get more peppery. Eating this plant is insanely healthy, it has all manner of antioxidants and other things I can't even pronounce, it even has Vitamin K in it which is reported to help fight Alzheimer's, something I'm keenly interested in.

This is the yummiest salad and my absolute favourite way of eating eggplant - caramelised and delicious! When persuaded to try a piece even my 6yr old rated it ten out of ten. We made it recently to eat with a roast lamb dinner. It was scrumptious with the roast potatoes and pumpkin and any vegetarian would be more than satisfied to have it in place of the lamb.

1 large bowl of fresh rocket

1 large eggplant, cubed

Fresh herbs from the garden such as basil or mint

Balsamic vinegar

Put the eggplant in a baking dish with a drizzle of olive oil, a little more than you would use on some baked potatoes, season with salt and pepper and place in a hot oven 180• - 200•. Keep an eye on the eggplant. After 15 minutes if it looks a little dry add another drizzle of oil. (Eggplant has a tendency to soak up all the oil its given, so its important not to give it too much, or to make sure your oil is really hot if you're frying on the BBQ for instance.)

The eggplant is ready in about half an hour, depending on the heat of your oven, when it is nicely browned and caramelised.

Assemble the salad by laying out the rocket and adding the eggplant then drizzling with the balsamic vinegar. You can also add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice too with the herbs if you like.

Autumn Pear & Hazelnut Crumble

This crumble recipe is taken from the book 'Vegan Cooking' by Amanda Quinn & Diipali Lilburne and it just goes to show you can make a really scrumptious crumble without loading it with butter. Vitasoy makes a great vanilla ice cream, but I still haven't found a vegan replacement for that damn good refrigerated custard...

4 large pears, cored, peeled and diced into large chunks

1/3 cup dates, chopped

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup water

1 cup oats

1/2 cup wholemeal flour

1/2 cup almond or hazelnut meal

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup hazelnuts, crushed

1/3 cup Nuttelex

Preheat oven to 200•C

Place pears in a saucepan with the dates, water and cinnamon. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes. Pour into a deep baking dish.

In a bowl mix together the oats, flour, almond meal, sugar and hazelnuts. Melt Nuttelex and add to the oats mixture and mix well. Pour crumble mixture over pears and press down. Bake in the oven 25-30 minutes.

Eggplant & Tofu StirFry

This is a really yummy stir fry - crunchy veggies, chewy deep fried tofu, caramelised eggplant! Serve with steamed rice and satay sauce. Herbies Spices does a really excellent and delicious satay spice powder that you just make up on the stove with a little peanut butter, brown sugar and sesame oil.

1 packet hard tofu, patted dry & cubed

1 small eggplant, cubed

canola or peanut oil for deep frying

1 red capsicum, in chunks

1 large red chilli, sliced (optional!)

snow peas, topped and tailed

button mushrooms

2 spring onions, sliced into 1" pieces

2 garlic cloves, chopped

fresh basil leaves

Mix together: 2 Tbs soy sauce + 1 Tbs fish sauce + 2 Tbs oyster sauce + 1 tsp brown sugar

Mix together: 1 tsp cornflour + 1/4 cup boiling water with half a stock cube dissolved

Firstly deep fry the tofu in small batches in hot oil in a wok, draining on paper towel. Then deep fry the eggplant too. Carefully pour the hot oil out of the wok - to a small saucepan is good where it can cool down. Then start your stir fry. Fry the spring onions for a minute, then add the mushrooms and garlic, then lastly the chilli, capsicum and snow peas. Add the soy sauce mixture for a minute then the cornflour stock and stir until the liquid thickens. Serve straight away with the basil sprinkled over.

Noodle Soup

This is like a cross between a stir fry and a soup. It makes a delicious quick and easy lunch or dinner in wintery weather.

1Tbs sesame oil

1Tbs peanut oil

1Tbs soy sauce

1/2 vegetable stock cube

2 sachets instant miso

1 spring onion, sliced

1 cm ginger, peeled and grated

1 ball dried wheat noodles, or udon noodles

1 bunch bok choi, thin parts sliced

1 or 2 swiss brown mushrooms, sliced

Cook your noodles according to the packet directions in 2 cups of water with the vegetable stock cube. Add the oils to a hot wok, then stir fry your vegetables, reserving the thin dark green leaves which will cook faster and can be added for the last minute with the soy sauce. When the noodles are done turn off the heat and add the miso sachets. Divide the noodles into bowls and top with the soup and stir fried vegetables. 

Broccoli & Tofu Salad

Chewy, tasty and wholesome - finally I know what to do with tofu, thanks to my friend Sally. It is really a great pick-me-up when I'm feeling low on energy and (amazingly) Charlotte loves the tofu and rice too.

1 packet hard tofu, cut into 1.5 cm cubes

1 cup brown rice

1 head of broccoli cut into small florets

.25kg green beans

1 avocado

3 Tbs tamari*

2 Tbs sesame oil

3 Tbs dry roasted peanuts

2 Tbs sesame seeds

1 Tbs pickled ginger finely chopped, or grated fresh ginger or fresh chopped coriander

Put the cup of brown rice in a saucepan with 6 cups of cold water. Bring to the boil then simmer gently and set your timer for 20 minutes (the rice will need to cook for 28 in total). Put an inch of water into a second pot with a steamer top and put on high heat then prepare your vegetables and tofu. Toast the peanuts and sesame seeds, tossing often in the pan. When the timer goes put the broccoli florets and green beans into the steamer and add the tofu to the brown rice pot. After 8 minutes drain the rice and tofu into a sieve and put into a large bowl with the steamed broccoli. Season with the sesame oil and tamari and toss well. Add the nuts and seeds and pickled ginger and toss again. Leave to cool a little before adding thick slices of avocado.

*Tamari is similar to soy sauce but with a milder flavour. If you don't have it you can substitute with soy sauce to your taste.