I remember as a kid coming home from school, and, the first think I would do, would be to grab the milk out of the fridge. I’d add a couple of scoops of milo and stir the cold milk through, for a mug full of goodness!

For us adults, this treat will bring you back to those good old days, sipping down some milo and watching cartoons in the afternoon or heading out to play some cricket or footy outside with the neighbours.

Stir in the milo to these baked treats and, once out of the oven, delve in and enjoy!

Vegans Substitute: Swap the butter for margarine and the egg for egg replacer.

Please note: The photo will be up shortly for these delicious biscuits, I haven’t had the opportunity to put it up yet.

Makes:

• 16 enjoyable biscuits

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 125 grams butter
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1 1/2 cups SR Flour approximately
• 3 tbs Milo or drinking chocolate
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda
• butter or oil for greasing

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees Celsius or 320 degrees Fahrenheit (Fan-forced oven – add another 10-20 degrees for non-fan-forced).
2. Melt your butter in a bowl and mix in the vanilla essence.
3. Crack the egg into the mixture and beat until the mixture becomes thicker in shape.
4. Beat in the bicarbonate soda, milo and sugar.
5. Once you are satisfied that the colour is even and the milo has mixed in properly, slowly add your flour.
6. Mix the flour in and when the dough does not stick on your hand, it is ready. If it’s still not right, add more flour.
7. Roll the mixture into a thin sausage/log and chop into 2 cm pieces.
8. Spray two trays with oil or grease with butter.
9. Squash each piece flat and add onto the tray.
10. Place in the oven.
11. Check the biscuits at ten minutes, if they are not quite ready, watch for another five.
12. Allow to cool, before serving.

This recipe came about after having quite a few hydroponic tomatoes needing to be used.  In this new house, I cannot stand to waste any food and when I saw the tomatoes, a simple pasta dish came to mind.

The actual tomatoes aren’t really cooked, they are added in to warm them through and to be honest, they don’t really need to be cooked.  The tomatoes have so much flavour and I find that cooking these, can sometimes loose all the delicious fresh taste you can get when you bite into a fresh tomato!

Adding the tapenade just adds another dimension to the dish and if you get some home-made tapenade it’s even better! A note to vegetarians and vegans - always make sure you check the ingredients for the tapenade.  Some traditional versions do include anchovies.  Always ask if you are unsure.

The pasta is your simple bought variety, it doesn’t need anything more as it allows the tomatoes and tapenade to shine through.

Makes:

• 2 serves

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tbs good quality extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic mince
• 2 tbs olive tapenade
• 4 ripe tomatoes, diced
• pinch salt
• pinch pepper
• 2 tbs fresh parsley, chopped fine
• 2 serves spaghetti

Instructions:

1. Boil your spaghetti and drain, leaving a little bit of water in the bottom.
2. Keeping the pasta in the pot and on a low heat, mix through your seasoning and garlic.
3. When the garlic has cooked through, mix in your olive tapenade.
4. Take the pot off the heat and add your parsley, olive oil and tomatoes.  Stir through thoroughly and serve!

The great thing about using the spices, there is no need to use tomatoes or much of any spice. The flavour is amazing without much more. Although, who can resist adding a little garlic in?

The tagine works magic into the vegetables infusing the spice into everything and it’s just melt in your mouth delicious. If you don’t have a tagine, I recommend heading out and purchasing one!

This recipe is vegan, so can be made by all.  If you can’t find the beef chunks or not particularly keen on meat alternatives, use the tempeh!  It would work a treat here and is definitely going to be in my next tagine!

Makes:

• 6 people (at least)

Ingredients:

• 4 mushrooms sliced thickly
• 1 carrot chopped in chunks
• 1 onion chopped into rings
• 2 potatoes sliced thickly also
• 2 tbs garlic mince
• 50 grams vegetarian beef chunks or tempeh
• 1 can chickpeas
• 4 fresh chillis or peppers, sliced
• 1 tbs Ras El Hanout spice (found at your local European/African store)
• pinch salt
• 1 tab of vegetable beef style stock
• 1 litre of water
• 1 tsp olive oil

Instructions:

1. Layer your potatoes and onions down with a drizzle of the olive oil.
2. Add your vegetables and mix in the spice.
3. Mix in the stock, salt, water and garlic.
4. Place the lid on and put on a low heat for an hour and a half.  Check as little as possible but stir when you do – the aim is to leave the heat in!
5. Serve with plain cous cous! It really is enough!

This recipe is a tribute to vege2go’s version of garlic broccoli salad. I absolutely love the cold broccoli, which I didn’t think I would. Who would really eat broccoli cold? Can you think of anything worse? I tell you, don’t knock it, until you’ve tried it! It’s absolutely delicious and coming up to Summer here in Oz, it’s definitely going to be on my list of Salads for barbecues.

My version adds a little spice with some sea salt. The original from memory is garlic only. I do think some nice fresh bread crumbs would also go down a treat in this! Vegans, this is totally vegan – eat it to your hearts content!

Oh and PS.  This is extremely healthy! Olive oil is only added at the end, the broccoli is not cooked in it.

Other salad recipes you may be interested in:

• Tomato and Onion Salad
• German Potato Salad
• Wrapped Falafels
• Warm Chickpea’d Tempeh Salad

Makes:

• 3-4 serves

Ingredients:

• 2 sprouts broccoli
• water to boil the broccoli in
• sea salt
• 1 tsp garlic mince
• 1 tsp chilli paste (or whatever chilli takes your fancy)
• 3 tbs olive oil
• ice

Instructions:

1. Chop the broccoli stalk into fine slices and cut the florets separately.
2. Boil the water with some sea salt.
3. Place in the broccoli and leave in for a couple of minutes, so the go green but still crispy.
4. Take them out and place into some water with ice to allow them to cool down straight away.
5. In the pan, now add your olive oil, chilli and garlic, warming all the way through.
6. Drain the broccoli and mix through your oil, sprinkling some sea salt on top.

This recipe came about after wanting a spicy chickpea soup. I have to admit that I love Green Rice and my version usually includes some fake beef chunks, chickpeas and rice. It really is delicious, so I thought that this would be a great way of using the same flavours! I was right!

It’s very simple. Basically, add all your ingredients in the pan and walk away! Once you come back, you can blitz the ingredients to make a thick, luscious and spicy soup for the week!

Makes:

• 8 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 tbs green curry paste
• 2 tsp garlic mince
• 1/4 tsp ginger mince
• 800 grams canned chickpeas (use the water for the soup)
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 tab vegetarian beef-style stock
• 1/2 tsp tamarind
• salt
• white pepper
• oil for onions

Instructions:

1. Soften the onions in a little oil
2. Place the paste in and allow the onions to become fragrant
3. Mix all the other ingredients in the pot.  Stir well.
4. Allow to simmer for 1/2 hour.
5. Blitz down the ingredients and serve.

This delightful soup has all the makings of a indulgent meal without the calories! The peppers are roasted with some garlic in the oven and then blitzed down making a very thick and creamy vegan soup.

Try this with a little toasted buttered garlic bread and you have one mean meal that will be loved by all!

Makes:

• 6 – 8 serves

Ingredients:

• 2 red capsicums
• 2 red bell horn peppers
• 1 onion
• 1 bulb of garlic
• 2 tbs dried basil (fresh can be used)
• 1 tsp chilli paste (to taste)
• white pepper
• salt
• olive oil
• water 2 cups (at least)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 210 degrees celsius or 410 fahrenheit
2. Cut the peppers and onion and place in a tray.
3. Split the bulbs and also place in the tray.
4. Drizzle with olive oil, basil and season well.
5. Cook until all ingredients are soft.
6. Remove the skin from the pepper and garlic.
7. Place in a big pot and add the water.
8. Place the chilli in the pot and mix.
9. Allow to boil and cook for 20 minutes.
10. Grab a blender and blitz the ingredients together.
11. Add more water if you’d like the soup a bit thinner (I like mine very thick!).
12. Heat for another ten minutes on a low heat before serving.

It was my grandmother’s birthday last month and it has been a few years since she passed away, but I still miss her everyday. She was an absolutely great person, great grandmother and an absolutely wonderful cook! She was born in Sri Lanka and made the absolute best chicken curry anyone had tasted! Not only that but her curry puffs were to die for and her crumpets – well I really miss her cooking!

Why bring it up? The unfortunate thing about it is, she got dementia before being able to write down her treasured recipes and since she lost her memory, I have been trying to remember just how to make her curries!

Each time, I do get a step closer, but it’s never the same. Whilst this one, uses some of her flavours (it’s not hers), but it is dedicated to her! It’s a fine take and I do hope you enjoy my tribute to her life!

Oh, and one recipe did remain with us – her curry puffs! She promised my mum not to pass it on – well, apart from me. So if you ever are in Melbourne and want some famous curry puffs, give me a holler! The recipe, will remain with me though!

Vegetarians / vegans: I’ve not turned a meat eater!  This is vegan!  It just looks meaty!

Makes:

• 3-4

Ingredients:

• pinch salt
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 2 tbs tomato ketchup
• 1 tbs sri-lankan curry powder (I use Larich’s)
• 1 tbs vinegar
• 1/4 tbs tamarind
• minced chilli to taste
• 250 grams vegetarian beef chunks (or your meat alternative)
• 1/2 onion diced
• 2 tsp garlic mince
• 50 grams pure solid creamed coconut (from Asian supermarkets in the refigerated area – from Sri Lanka) or use coconut cream if you can’t find it.  The solid coconut will dissolve into your dish.
• olive oil
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/2 can coconut cream (or enough to make a thick paste)
• oil to cook with
• 1 cup water to allow the sauce to thicken

Instructions:

1. With a little olive oil saute the onions until soft.
2. Add the curry powder, chilli, garlic and seasoning.  Stir well.
3. Mix in the tomato sauce, tamarind and vinegar.
4. Add the faux meat in and water.  Allow to boil before simmering.
5. Mix in the coconut cream and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes.
6. Serve with rice of your choice.

Apologies for the not-so-great photo, it’s taken with my iphone!  This recipe was thrown together after wanting to make some quick coconut roti-type pikelets to have with my curry and I have to say these are a great little treat!  They are a little softer than your normal pancake mixture and absolutely-must be dried through before you flip them over (otherwise they will break).

For those that love coconut though or curries, you really will adore these and must give them a go to have with an accompaniement with your curries.

Vegans, these also happen to be 100% vegan and you don’t have to miss out with these babies!

This recipe is also great for breakfast with some jam, as a snack or however you please!

Other recipes you may be interested in:

• Banana Oat Pancakes
• Home-made Roti
• Cherry Ripe Crumpets

Makes:

• 10

Ingredients:

• pinch salt
• pinch sugar or sweetener
• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/2 can coconut cream (or enough to make a thick paste)
• oil to cook with

Instructions:

1. In a jug, place the dry ingredients and mix well.
2. Pour in your coconut cream and stir well.  Your mixture should be quite light but thick enough to spoon the mixture on a table spoon.
3. Heat your oil in your frying pan.
4. Using a tablespoon, fill the spoon generously and dollop into the pan.  You should be able to fit four in your pan easily.
5. Place the lid on to allow the pikelet to cook consistently through.
6. Once it has dried, flip it over and allow to go golden brown.
7. Serve with some margarine or butter.

Served with the delightful cornflour crusted wedges, this meal can make you feel like you are indulging in takeaway hamburger and chips without being too high on the calories.

For those wanting to try making a burger so close to the real thing, this one is definitely for you.  These faux burgers have just the right stringiness to them to mimic a real mince burger without actually being one.   If you’re after some more vegetable intake to your meal, why not add some grated carrot and zucchini into the burger mixture whilst you’re making it? They will still combine extremely well.

The hamburgers here are vegan, but some of the accompaniments aren’t eg. egg, cheese and the bread. All ingredients can be substituted or just omitted to make the best burger you’ve had for a while – well I think so!

Other recipes you may be interested in:

• Chicken Piccata
• Italian Bean Burgers
• Bulghur Chickpea Patties
• Bhaji Burgers
• Tandoori Tofu Burger

Serves:

• 6-8 burgers

Ingredients:

• pinch dried rosemary
• pinch parsley
• pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 4 tbs gluten flour
• 4 tbs TVP
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic granules
• 5 tbs rice flour
• 1 tsp Parisian essence
• water – about 1/2 cup
• 2 tbs soy sauce

Instructions:

1. Mix all the dry ingredients well together in a jug.
2. Mix the wet ingredients together in a separate jug.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring well.  The mixture should be a little on the wet side to allow you to mould.
4. Grab a ball full of the mixture and mould into a pattie.  Repeat until there is no mixture left.
5. In a pan on a medium heat, add a little olive oil and place the burgers in.
6. Do not touch the burgers until they begin to brown, before flipping over.
7. Allow the other side to brown, before serving with your choice of accompaniments.

Wanting to come up with some crunchy fries similar to beer batter ones, I turned the corner and made some healthier wedges!  These little babies are microwaved to soften before placed in some seasoned cornflour and shallowed fried or grilled!  Just near the end I added some onion and garlic for some extra flavour and boy was I not dissapointed!  The end result was absolutely delicious and left me wishing I had made more!  There’s always next time!

This recipe is vegetarian, vegan and also then suitable for those eating meat!  It could easily be made on your barbecue and the flavours swapped to add your favourite herbs and spices.  Go on, you know you want to give it a go!

Other recipes you may be interested in:

• Vegetarian Gyros
• Parmesan Crusted Polenta Fries
• German Wiener Schnitzel
• Vegan Style Fish and Chips
• Italian Roast Potatoes

Serves:

• 2-3 people

Ingredients:

• salt
• white pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tbs cornflour
• 5 potatoes sliced into wedges
• 0.25 diced onion
• 1.5 tsp garlic mince
• olive oil for cooking wedges

Instructions:

1. In your microwave, soften the potatoes by heating them for about five minutes.  Make sure they only start to cook!
2. In a plastic bag, place the cornflour, salt, pepper and paprika and shake!
3. Mix in your potatoes and pour into your pan with olive oil, boiling on the bottom (shallow fried).
4. Don’t move the wedges until they are brown on the first side.
5. Sprinkle your onions over the top now.
6. Turn and move the onions around a little.
7. Five minutes to go, sprinkle the garlic on top and allow to warm through before mixing you wedges up.
8. Allow to mix into the potatoes before serving!