Chickpea Patties
Ingredients
1 tin chickpeas, drained, well rinsed and mashed
1 tsp vegetable stock powder
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
½ cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds, chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, grated
½ cup green peas, cooked
½ cup corn kernels, cooked
1 cup continental parsley, roughly chopped
¼ cup mixed fresh herbs, chopped (use whatever’s in the garden or your favourites)
1 tsp chilli paste
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground tumeric
4 eggs, beaten (half in mix and half to coat)
chickpea (besan) flour, to coat
light olive oil or vegetable oil to fry

Method
Mix all ingredients together well. You may need to use your hands. You want the mixture to come securely together.

Form into balls and flatten into patties, whatever size you desire. Dip into egg and then chickpea flour. Shallow fry until golden and heated through.

Serve as a snack or with vegies. You could mix some fresh herbs through a natural yoghurt to use as a dipping sauce or dip in chutney or tomato sauce.

Lentil Hotpot

Ingredients:
500gm French Style Green Lentils
1 large onion finely chopped
1 large carrot finely chopped
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1 small tub tomato puree
Vegetable stock
Sprig of thyme and sage
2 bay leaves salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Method:
Wash lentils.

In a heavy based pan heat olive oil, fry onion, carrot and garlic until onion is golden.

Add bay leaves, thyme and sage.

When the carrots are soft add the lentils, stir and add wine, tomato puree and enough vegetable stock to just cover the lentils.

Season well with salt and black pepper.

Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender (30-40 minutes). Add more stock if necessary, the dish should not be sloppy, but still quite moist.

Vegetable Dishes

Celeriac Rosti
Ingredients:
1 celeriac bulb, peeled and grated
2 eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon cream
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
Salt & freshly ground pepper

Method:
Fold beaten eggs through grated celeriac and add chives, salt & pepper and a few leaves of chopped dill.
Squeeze mix together into flat patties (the size will depend on whether you are serving the rosti as finger food, entrée stack or as a side to a main meal …fabulous with roast beef fillet, or char-grilled lamb cutlets).
Shallow fry in a pan previously warmed with vegetable oil. Drain on paper towel.

Grilled Field Mushrooms with Herbs & Parmesan
Ingredients:
100ml olive oil
4 large field mushrooms
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons chopped mixed herbs (parsley, sage, thyme and oregano)
4 tablespoons grated parmesan

Method:
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the mushrooms cap side down. Turn the heat down to a medium-low heat. Drizzle each mushroom with a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.

As the mushroom cooks and softens, juice will begin to collect in the cup of the mushroom. It is important that the mushroom does NOT get turned over and those juices stay in the cup as it is its own sauce. At this point add the chopped herbs to each mushroom cup and then top with parmesan.

Place in the oven for several minutes to melt the cheese. Serve hot as an entrée or as an accompaniment with a roast.

Vegetable Puffs

Ingredients:
1 small sweet potato, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 small zucchini, finely chopped
½ stalk celery, finely chopped
1 small potato, finely chopped
¼ cup broccoli, finely chopped
¼ cup frozen peas
¼ cup corn kernels
1 cups grated tasty cheese
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 sheets puff pastry, halved
2 tbsp sesame or poppy seeds (optional)
milk, to glaze


Method:
Preheat oven to 220C.

Put all vegies into a microwave proof dish, add a splash of water and cook on high for 2-3 minutes.

Add cheeses to vegies and mix well

Divide the mixture into four and spread along the long edge of each of the four pieces of pastry. Roll up tightly to form a sausage shape, brush edge with a little milk to seal and place seam side down on a lined baking tray.

Lightly brush the rolls with milk to glaze and sprinkle with seeds (if desired). Bake for approximately 10 minutes or until crisp and golden. Cut each roll into six pieces and serve.

Zucchini & Cherry Tomato Tartlets

Ingredients:
4 sheets short crust pastry, thawed
300g (10 oz) zucchini, grated
2 eggs, lightly beaten
150g (5 oz) ricotta
70g (2½ oz) parmesan, grated
Handful of fresh basil, chopped
2 tbs pine nuts, toasted
Sea salt & pepper
12 large or 16 small cherry tomatoes

Method:
Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Grease four individual pie tins.

Use a plate approx 17cm in diameter to use as a template to cut four circles of pastry. Place the dough over a pie tin and ease it into the tin.

Combine all of the remaining ingredients except cherry tomatoes in a large bowl and mix well to combine.

Spoon the zucchini mixture into the pie tins then place tomatoes on top of each tartlet, pressing them in slightly. Fold the overhanging pastry in towards the middle of the tartlets, gathering it a little as necessary.

Place the tartlets on a tray and bake for 40-50 mins, or until the zucchini filling has set and browned a little, and the tomatoes are a little bit shrivelled.

Remove from oven and allow to cool.