I catered a private dinner recently and was looking for a very low fat dessert to suit a person's dietary needs. It came upon me - grazie, time spent living in Italy! - to try making a biancomangiare with Tasmanian ingredients. A bee-unco-mun-JAR-ay is the Italian version of a blancmange, a semi-soft pudding usually made with nut milk. Making the nut milk is probably the more involved bit of the process. I was quite happy with the end result, which in this case had a little rose fragrance to balance the earthiness of the nuts.
​Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hazelnuts
• 1 Tbs potato (or corn) starch
• 2 Tbs raw sugar
• 1/2 tsp agar powder
• 1/2 tsp rose water

Method

1. Soak the 1/2 cup of hazelnuts overnight, then drain.
2. Put the soaked hazelnuts in a blender with 2 cups of water. Blend vigorously until you have a smooth slurry. Strain the slurry through a cloth so you remove the nut solids*. Keep the milk, which should end up being about 500ml.
3. Measure the 1 Tbs potato starch. 2 Tbs raw sugar and 1/2 tsp agar powder into a medium saucepan. Add a little of the hazelnut milk and stir to mix.
4. Add the rest of the 500ml hazelnut milk and gently warm the mixture, stirring regularly. Add the 1/2 tsp of rose water.
5. As soon as there are signs of boil bubbles IMMEDIATELY remove the saucepan from the heat. Pour into 4 moulds or dessert cups and cool for an hour a least before serving.

Serve with a garnish of rose petals and whole hazelnuts on top. In some of the process photos you can see I also added rose petals into the mixture during one of the trials. In the end I felt the texture was slightly odd and I didn't put rose petals into the final version.
*Note: the nut solids, generically know as okara, can be used for a few different things. Adding them to smoothies is probably the easiest thing to do with them. Okara can also be used for baking, energy balls, burgers and so on.
Time: overnight soaking, 20 mins prep, plus cooling time, 
Serves: 4
Gluten-free & nut free: yes, and no!
Low-fat: yes
Variations:​ try making different nut milks and combine with other classic dessert flavours like cinnamon, vanilla, lemon, chocolate, etc.

I've been making these for a while, and they always go down well. That said, there's something inexorably junk foody about hot dogs, even if you make them from carrots. Which is precisely what this is about :-) Yes, good old carrots make a surprisingly effective hot dog. Put it in a wholemeal roll with not too much gunk on top and even I will give it a pass. So for those times when you need to jazz up the junk, try this. It's good. As it happens I made 200 this week for an election day food stall so I thought it was time to post the recipe.
Ingredients

• 6 medium-sized carrots
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder or granules
• 1/2 tsp onion powder or granules
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground mace
• 1/2 tsp any other favourite spice (optional)

Method

1. Parboil or steam the 6 medium-sized carrots until they are just becoming tender; you want the carrots to be cooked, but not mushy.. Choose carrots that are tubular in shape and an even thickness. If you are fussy - like me! - you can whittle them down with a peeler so they are perfect hot dog shapes.
2. While the carrots are cooking, prepare a marinade by whisking together the following ingredients: ¼ cup cider vinegar ¼ cup water ¼ cup light soy sauce ½ tsp garlic powder or granules ½ tsp onion powder or granules ½ tsp smoked paprika ½ tsp ground mace; ½ any other favourite spice (optional).
3. Soak the cooked carrots in the marinade overnight or for several days in the refrigerator.
4. After marinating, remove carrots from the marinade and gently heat in a pan or on a barbecue until warmed through. Serve in a wholemeal hot-dog bun with some sauerkraut, onions and your favourite condiments. The ones in the photo above are a traditional type dog with fried onions and tomato ketchup, and a more exotic one with a vegan blue cream cheese and rocket.

Refried beans are actually darn easy. They are also much better - surprise! - than the canned ones given you can vary them quite a bit to accommodate your taste. And in this case I'm accommodating what I have quite a lot of at the moment: leafy brassicas. Yes, it's that time of year when the bok choy, mizuna and friends are going gangbusters. If you aren't growing your own I'm sure you'll be able to find some at a farmers' market (in Hobart, please support our growers at Salamanca and Farm Gate) or greengrocer. So here's how to make a generous and satisfying pot of refried beans that is also packed with nutrients and fibre.
Ingredients:
350g (2 cups) dry beans: borlotti and pinto are my favourites for refried beans
1 Tbs oil
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 red capsicum, chopped into fingernail-sized pieces
2 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp garlic (powder, granules or fresh minced)
2 tsp mild paprika
1 tsp oregano
handful of celery leaves, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs vinegar
3/4 cup liquid from cooking beans
1 bok choy or equivalent amount of leafy greens, shredded

Method:
1. Soak beans overnight. Drain, cover with fresh water and cook until beginning to fall apart. In a pressure cooker this is about 30 mins, longer on a stove top.
Drain beans and reserve the liquid.
2. Heat 1 Tbs oil in a large saucepan and gently fry the onion and red capsicum for 3 minutes.
3. Add the dry spices - cumin, garlic, oregano - and fry another minute.
4. Add the drained beans, celery leaves, salt, vinegar and about 3/4 cup of bean liquid. Stir the mixture well and mush the beans. Keep doing this until the beans have reached your desired level of smoothness; I like mine to stay a little chunky for texture.
5. Toss in the shredded bok choy or greens and mix them through the beans, cover the pot and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
Serve with rice or a fresh tortilla, some hot salsa and a crisp garnish.

Autumn is a great time of year for devising recipes. The end of summer is usually peak time for lots of different vegetable produce. With so much that is at its best in terms of taste and freshness there are exciting possibilities. Here's a dish that came mostly from my own garden but you should be able to find all the ingredients at a local market in Tasmania. This salad was excellent warm and just as satisying when the cold leftovers had their turn on the table.
Ingredients

• handful of fresh beans in pods
• 2 new potatoes
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 beetroot
• 1 tomato
• 2 Tbs fresh herbs of your choice
• 2 tsp infused oil of your choice
• juice of half a lemon
• seasoning to taste
• sprouts for garnish

Method

1. Cut the beetroot into smallish cubes about fingernail size. Steam for 3 minutes.
   
2. Trim the beans and slice diagonally into short sections. When the beets's 3 mintues are up, add them in a layer on top and steam another 2 minutes.
3. Chop the potatoes into cubes similar to the beets. Add to the steamer when the beans' 2 minutes are up and steam another 5 minutes.
4. Meanwhile chop the tomato into small cubes, finely chop the 1/2 red onion and shred the herbs. I used 1 tablespoon each of parsley and sorrel.
5. When the vegetables have finished steaming, rinse quickly under cold water then drain and place in a bowl. Add the tomato, onion and herbs and toss lightly.
6. Measure 2 tsp of infused oil - I used 'flavours of Italy' by Rosedale Park - and squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the bowl. Add seasoning to taste and toss lightly. Serve warm with a garnish of fresh sprouts and edible flower petals such as calendula.
   

Time: 20 mins.
Serves: 2
Gluten-free & nut free: yes!
Low-fat: use a low-fat dressing instead of the infused oil
Variations: try a different root vegetable instead of or in addition to the beetroot. Try grilled tomatillos in place of the tomatoes.

I guess you could call them burgers. Rissoles. Delicious. Or all of the above!
I wasn't feeling well last week and made myself some pumpkin soup thanks to the advice from Jessica S. That got me thinking a little bit about pumpkin and whether I could do something a little bit different with it. In particular, because it's deep summer here in Australia, I was looking something that would work on a barbecue. Something that would be filling and interesting and itself, yet also go with summery salads and salsas. This is actually the first version and I'm very happy with it; I hope you'll try it. I had the leftover ones in a burger bun with tomato, dill pickles and radicchio (snobby Italian lettuce) and they were great :-)

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked steamed or roasted pumpkin (summer squash for my American friends)
• 1 Tbs chia seeds & 2 Tbs water
• 2 Tbs tahini
• 1 spring onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 Tbs parsley
• 1/2 cup wholemeal flour
• 1/2 cup quick or rolled oats
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• about 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Method

1. Mash the pumpkin in a bowl until it's soft. The pumpkin that is.
2. Add the 1 Tbs chia seeds and 2 Tbs each of water and tahini. Stir well and let sit while you do some chopping.
3. Finely chop the spring onion and mince the clove of garlic and a tablespoon of parsley. Add to the bowl and stir through the mixture.
4. Measure 1/2 cup each of wholemeal flour and quick oats into the bowl.
5. Add the seasonings: salt and pepper to taste and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. A little cayenne goes well if you like heat.
6. Stir well then refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
7. Divide mixture into 6 balls. Rolls each in breadcrumbs and flatten into a patty. Lightly pan-fry on both sides until golden.
8. Serve with a fresh tomato and onion salsa, or the salsa of your choice: vegan tzatziki, tomatillo, artichoke and olive, etc.

Time: 30 mins
Makes: 6 patties
Gluten-free: swap the wholemeal wheat flour for buckwheat flour (which, despite the name, is not related to wheat). And try rolling cornmeal or almond meal instead of breadcrumbs. Good to go!
Low-fat: Go for the grill option or use a non-stick pan with no oil.
Variations: add some fresh garden peas for little pops of extra flavour in the burger.

I'm not a big mustard eater but I do like sharp tastes so once in a while it's just right. I also felt like making something I could give as gifts and mustard, being a pretty common food, seemed like a good choice. Who doesn't like home made preserves in jars?! In this case I felt that using the flavour and kick of radishes would be a good complement to the natural characteristics of mustard seeds. In addition I wanted to see if fermenting the mixture as a 'live' mustard would produce a good result.
In the end I was really happy with this; the mustard has lots of depth, good flavour and doesn't simply blow your nose off. It's complex and a little bit fruity actually. I have since tried making mustard this way with a few different seeds - see Variations at the end - and the results are still good. If you love your condiments, you could do worse than try making your own.

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs radish seeds
  
• 5 Tbs mustard seeds (yellow and/or black)
  
• 1 cup water
  
• 1/2 cup raw cider vinegar
  
• 1 Tbs salt
  

Method

1. Measure the radish and mustard seeds into a jar and cover with water. Leave overnight.
   
2. Drain the soaked seeds. Measure 1/2 cup of raw cider vinegar and 1 cup of water into your jar and put the seeds back in. Cover loosely with a cloth and allow to sit at room temperature for a week.
   
3. Pour off any excess liquid and reserve it. Tip the seeds from the jar into a blender and blend until becoming smooth; use as much of the liquid as you need to get a paste. Add the tablespoon of salt and blend through. I like to leave the mustard with a slightly chunky wholegrain look.
   
4. Spoon into 2 small jars and refrigerate until needed. The flavour will continue to develop while the mustard is in the fridge.
   

Variations: Try adding a little ground turmeric when blending. Other seeds that I have used with success for this 'mixed mustard' method include green mung bean, buckwheat and fenugreek. 
Tip: Be sure to use food grade radish seeds for sprouting. DO NOT USE radish seeds for growing vegetables as they may have been treated with a fungicide. In Australia I get my radish (and other) sprouting seeds from Green Harvest.

I was thinking about what to do with broccoli recently. A lot of people like it, of course, and it's also crushingly good for you, so why not come up with some interesting ways to use it? In particular I was looking for something that could be a savoury breakfast item.
These muffins are pretty quick to make and are also good as a snack, a lunchbox item or perhaps on a party platter. I hope you'll give this recipe a try! Any feedback welcome.
Muffins don't keep well in my opinion so make them close to when you will use them...best fresh out of the oven and still warm!



Ingredients

• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 1 Tbs powdered vegetable stock
• 3/4 cup plain non-dairy milk (soy, almond, rice, hemp)
  
• 1/4 cup olive oil
  
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cups finely chopped broccoli
• 1/4 cup chopped spring onions

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease a mini-muffin pan with at least 16 slots.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, sugar, salt and powdered stock.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, oil and mustard until well blended. Stir in broccoli and green onions.
4. Add the broccoli mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just blended. If it's a little stiff you can add a touch more water or non-dairy milk.
5. Divide batter equally into the prepared muffin tray slots. This recipe should make 16 mini-muffins.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then transfer to the rack. Serve warm with some kind of salsa or sauce: barbecue sauce, pico de gallo, vegan tzatziki, etc.

This is an easy yet rewarding casserole with everyone's favourite: potatoes. Floury potatoes (sometimes labelled as 'for mashing') are recommended for this. I used some delightful blue potatoes that you can find in Hobart at the Farm Gate Market.

Ingredients

500 grams potatoes
5 cloves garlic
2 Tbs fresh herbs
1.5 Tbs walnut oil
1.5 Tbs spelt flour
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tsp salt

Method

1. Wash potatoes and cut into rounds just under a centimetre thick. Peel 5 cloves of garlic and slice. Roughly chop the herbs: you can use parsley, rocket, rosemary, whatever you like.

2. Lightly fry garlic in 1.5Tbs walnut (recommended) or olive oil, with half the herbs. When this starts to brown, add 2Tbs wholemeal or spelt flour. Stir until most of the oil is absorbed. Add potatoes, stir to coat & dry fry 2 mins.

3. Add 1l good vegetable stock, bring to simmer, cover and simmer on low heat 10 mins.

4. Stir, add 1 tsp salt and simmer another 10-15 mins uncovered until potatoes are beginning to soften.

5. Mash gently to break up the potatoes into chunks. Place on a serving dish and top with the other tablespoon of chopped herbs. Serve over some toasted crusty or dark rye bread.

Servings: 2   
Preparation Time: 5 minutes    

Cooking Time: 25 minutes
SuperTassievore: all ingredients in this recipe can be sourced from Tasmania.
Nutfree: use olive oil rather than a nut oil.
Lowfat: per serving contains 10.7g fat, approx 16% of RDI based on 2000 calories/day.
Gluten free: substitute a gluten-free flour such as besan (chickpea), buckwheat or sorghum for the spelt.