The Recipe Room

Something like a fancier, vegetarian version of traditional shepherds pie, this winter vegetable pie recipe makes for a great Sunday lunch and is a good way to trick younger kids into eating their turnips and parsnips without them even realising it!  I usually prepare this in one large oven-safe dish, but an interesting presentation alternative is to bake individual portions in small, round dishes and give everyone their own.  If you find your kids still make faces and don’t want to eat it, try doubling the amount of cheese; in my experience, this seems to work just as well as the proverbial spoonful of sugar!

Although it’s only vegetables, this dish can be quite heavy. For a lighter cheesy recipe to “fool” kids into eating their veggies, try this baked fennel with tomato gratin. For dessert, I recommend this carrot halwa.

Serve this dish with cheesy bread for dipping. I also like to set aside a little ramekin with the tomato sauce to pour over the mashed potatoes right before serving. But that’s because I really love tomatoes. Most people tell me that the tomatoes inside the pie are plenty, but I just never can get enough!

This home-made dried fruit and nut muesli makes a great breakfast cereal or can even just be eaten by hand as a snack.  It also works well for making a base or crispy topping for baked fruit desserts like this apple crisp recipe.  I like to put a handful or two in a small plastic bag or container and take it with me to snack on at work or in the car.

You Need:

DRY INGREDIENTS:

• 500g gluten-free rolled oats
• 250g unsweetened coconut flakes
• 65g sunflower seeds
• 60g almond slices
• 65g pumpkin seeds
• 60g walnuts or pecans
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt

LIQUID INGREDIENTS:

• 125ml honey
• 65ml very hot water
• 65ml canola oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

DRIED FRUITS AND NUTS:

• 125g whole almonds
• 65g dried bananas
• 65g raisins
• 65g finely chopped dried apricots

Steps:

1. Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 150ºC.
2. Line a baking sheet (not non-stick) with baking parchment paper or lightly coat it with cooking spray or canola oil.
3. Place the dry ingredients in a very large bowl and toss them well to thoroughly combine.
4. Combine the liquid ingredients in a small bowl and stir until the honey is dissolved.
5. Pour the liquid mixture over top of the dry ingredients and toss with a spatula to thoroughly combine. The mixture should be fairly wet.
6. Place the muesli on the prepared baking sheet and spread out to form a thin layer.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes and then stir. Bake another 15 minutes and stir again.
8. Continue baking in 10-minute increments until the muesli is browned to the desired degree. Keep a very close eye on it in the final stages as it can go from lightly browned to burnt in a matter of seconds!
9. Cool the muesli on the pan for 20 minutes on a wire rack.
10. Stir the dried fruits and nuts into the baked mixture.
11. The muesli will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Ready In:  60 minutes

Serves:  4-5

Difficulty:   2 out of 5

This sugar-free gingerbread is just as rich and delicious as the one Grandma used to make, but without the guilt!  I recommend using agave nectar as a sweetener, but if you can’t find it, you can go ahead and use any other fruit sweetener, or even regular sugar if you prefer, although it obviously won’t be sugar-free then.  The gingerbread freezes very well, so you can double or triple the recipe if you like and freeze the rest for another occasion. (Also try this spicy pumpkin cake.)

You Need:

• 250g  pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
• 250ml  agave nectar
• 65ml canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 375g brown rice flour or sorghum flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 250ml unsweetened applesauce

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 175ºC.
2. Spray a 23cm square pan with a non-stick spray and set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the agave nectar or fruit sweetener and the oil.
4. Beat with an electric blender on high speed until thoroughly blended.
5. After you have mixed the oil and the sweetener, add the eggs, one at a time. Make sure to beat well between additions.
6. Add the orange rind and the vanilla extract and continue to blend together for another minute. Set aside.
7. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon.
8. Add the nuts to the sifted dry ingredients.
9. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, a little at a time, alternately with the applesauce, blending well after each addition.
10. Continue until you have added all the ingredients.
11. Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the gingerbread comes out clean.  Alternatively you can press lightly on the centre of the gingerbread. If it leaves a dent, it’s not done.  If it springs back after touching, it’s done and you can move it to a cooling rack.
12. When cooled, slice and serve.

Ready In:  30 minutes

Serves:  8-10

Difficulty:   2 out of 5