This week we've got some unique and exciting recipes that are sure to impress, with a range of appetisers, main dishes and desserts.
The purpose of these recipes is to give you some inspiration for the week ahead. We’ve suggested meal ideas based on our produce selection and they can all be enjoyed on their own, or with any protein that suits your appetite.
Enjoy!
Roast Pumpkin Salad
Think Potato Salad, but with pumpkin! This is a twist on the traditional potato salad and is super easy to make. Serve it as a side with your favourite protein dish.
- 1 kg pumpkin (peeled,2 cm cubes)
- olive oil spray
- salt and pepper
- 4 spring onions (chopped)
DRESSING
- 2/3 cup roasted pumpkin
- 1 garlic clove (minced)
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 3 tbs water
- salt
- white pepper
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced).
Line two baking trays with baking paper, place pumpkin on trays and spray lightly with oil. Season with salt and pepper and roast for 25-30 minutes until pumpkin is golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Add 65g (about 2/3 cup) of the pumpkin to a food processor and add remaining dressing ingredients.
Process dressing until smooth, adding more water if the dressing is too thick.
Gently toss roast pumpkin with spring onions and dressing. Store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat.
Zucchini Carrot Muffins
These healthy Zucchini Carrot Muffins are a perfect kids breakfast or snack. They store well in the fridge and freezer so you can make a batch and have it on hand for easy meals!
- 1/2 cup grated carrot
- 1/2 cup grated zucchini squeezed very, very dry
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup mashed very ripe banana about 1 large banana
- 1/4 cup melted and slightly cooled butter or neutral oil like canola
- 1/4 cup maple syrup or honey
- 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees C and grease a mini muffin pan with nonstick spray.
Add the carrot, zucchini, eggs, banana, butter, and maple syrup to a medium bowl.
Gently stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Divide the batter among the prepared pan, using about 1 ½ tablespoons batter in each cup.
Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the edges are lightly golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 2 minutes. Use a paring knife, if needed, to help remove the muffins to a wire rack. Let cool and serve or store.
Sticky Roasted Carrot & Beetroot Salad
Sometimes, side dishes deserve to be a little bit fancy! Vanilla pairs wonderfully with the earthy beetroot, sweet carrots, crunchy pistachios and tart cranberries in this warm salad.
- 500g carrots, washed and trimmed
- 5 medium sized fresh beetroot, washed and patted dry
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp (50ml) Maple Syrup
- ½ tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
- 1 ½ cloves fresh garlic, crushed
- 3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 100g goat’s cheese
- 100g pepitas
- 3/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
- Mixed salad leaves to serve
Dressing
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
Italian Baked Zucchini
A delicious, cheesy baked zucchini that you can have for lunch, dinner, or as a side dish!
- 3 small zucchini or two large ones
- 225g mozzarella
- 680 grams of marinara sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt and pepper
- ¼ cup fresh grated Parmesan
Clean and wash your zucchini. Pre-heat a large heavy bottom skillet
Cut your zucchini lengthwise into 12mm strips. Drizzle the zucchini with olive oil and then sprinkle the zucchini with salt and pepper.
Once your pan is ready, add your zucchini and cook for about 3 minutes per side. Remove your zucchini from the pan and set aside.
Gently heat your marinara sauce on low heat and then pre-heat your grill on high heat. Grab a large oven safe baking dish and scoop ½ cup of your marinara sauce into the baking dish and spread it out evenly.
Next, add your zucchini slices into the dish side by side but not overlapping. You may need 2 baking dishes if your zucchini are larger.
Now take a tablespoon of your marinara and place on each slice of zucchini and spread it out. Keep doing this until all the zucchini has sauce
Now cut your mozzarella into thin strips and place over the zucchini. Don't worry too much about neatness here since it all melts
Next, sprinkle your freshly grated parmesan evenly over top of this
Once your zucchini are all dressed with sauce and cheese, place the zucchini under the grill until the cheese melts and is bubbly and just turning brown (about 3-4 minutes).
Remove from the oven and serve with a side of pasta and the remaining marinara sauce.
Leek and Parmesan Tart
The secret of this recipe lies in cooking the leeks long and slow, so that they become sweetly caramelised. The rest takes no time at all and you can exercise your imagination adding extra toppings.
- 3–4 tbsp olive oil, or 50g butter
- 6 large leeks, washed, dried and thinly sliced
- bunch of thyme, tied with string
- 1 x 300g ready-rolled sheet all-butter puff pastry
- 25g Parmesan, finely grated
- salt and black pepper
Heat the oven to 200°C. Heat the oil or butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and add the leeks and thyme. Slow-fry the leeks until they are very soft and starting to brown, a good 10–15 minutes.
Cover the pan initially to help them sweat, then take off the lid halfway through so the liquid evaporates. Stir at intervals to stop them catching. Season with salt and pepper then cool.
Meanwhile, lay out your pastry flat on a lightly greased non-stick baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes until it has completely puffed up and is golden brown. (Check the bottom of the pastry is cooked too.)
Flatten the pastry back down by covering it evenly with the leek mixture, leaving 5mm around the edge. Sprinkle with the Parmesan and any other toppings and return to the oven for a further 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Serve warm.
Passionfruit Bliss Balls
If you love passionfruit then you’re going to love these. They are the perfect go to snack, and the kids are sure to love them too!
- 1/3 quinoa flakes
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup desiccated coconut
- 4 pitted dates
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Passionfruit
Mix all the ingredients in a food processor until well combined. If you don’t have quinoa flakes, you can replace with more oats.
You want the mix well combined and sticking together, may need a little water to bring the mix completely together.
Roll into small sized balls
Spring Onion Pancakes
Use these as a quick snack or an appetizer for your mains. It’s a great way to use your spring onions and makes for a tasty pancake!
- 4 spring onions
- 200 g plain flour (approx. 1⅔ cups)
- 125 ml boiling water (approx. ½ cup)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp finely chopped ginger
- vegetable oil for frying
Trim the spring onions and slice finely.
Mix the flour, boiling water and oil to give a stiff dough. Knead for a minute or two until smooth.
Take half the dough, and roll out onto a floured surface. Sprinkle half the sliced spring onions and half the ginger over. Roll up like a swiss roll, then coil the roll into a snail/spiral. Squash the spiral into a disc and roll out again to give a circle of 4-5mm thickness, roughly the size of your frying pan.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the spring onion pancake for 2-3 minutes on each side, until crispy and golden brown.
Repeat with the remaining dough to make a second pancake.
Cut each pancake into 8 wedges and serve warm.