THE NEW VEGETARIAN 'MEATLOAF' TO UP YOUR OFFICE LUNCH GAME

This pumpkin, chickpea and quinoa loaf with crispy sage is packed with some big nutrient players that make for a balanced meal in every slice. Freeze slices in sandwich bags and pop in the toaster for breakfast, or toast in the sandwich press and finish with labneh or boiled eggs, chutney and greens.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (100g) quinoa, rinsed, drained
• 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
• 21/2 cups (350g) firmly packed grated pumpkin
• 60g baby spinach leaves
• 2 cups (300g) buckwheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 4 eggs
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 2 thyme sprigs, leaves chopped
• 1/2 bunch sage, leaves picked
• Boiled eggs, baby kale leaves (from grocers) and tomato chutney, to serve
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METHOD

• 1
  Place quinoa and 3/4 cup (185ml) water in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Cover with a lid, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Cool.
• 2
  Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line a 22cm x 10cm loaf pan with baking paper. Place chickpeas in a bowl and roughly crush using the back of a fork. Add cooled quinoa, pumpkin, spinach, our, baking powder, bicarb, eggs, oil and thyme.
• 3
  Chop half the sage and add to the bowl. Season. Stir to combine, then spread into pan. Top with remaining sage and drizzle with extra oil.
• 4
  Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean and sage is crisp. Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then slice and serve with boiled eggs, baby kale and tomato chutney.

PALEO CHERRY RIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 21/2 cups (375g) dried cherries
• 100ml lemon juice
• 1/3 cup (115g) honey, plus 1 tbs extra
• 2/3 cup (165ml) coconut oil
• 1 cup (70g) shredded coconut
• 1 cup (100g) almond meal
• 3/4 cup (75g) cacao powder, plus extra to dust
• 1 cup (50g) coconut flakes, toasted
• 1/2 cup (70g) slivered almonds, toasted
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 30 fresh cherries, halved, pitted

• METHOD

  • 1
    Place dried cherries, lemon juice, 1/3 cup (115g) honey and 1/3 cup (80ml) coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat, stirring, for 5 minutes or until softened and melted.
  • 2
    Transfer to a food processor with shredded coconut, almond meal and 1/4 cup (25g) cacao, then whiz until combined.
  • 3
    Transfer to a large bowl and stir through coconut flakes and slivered almonds.
  • 4
    Grease and line a 21cm square baking pan with baking paper and press mixture into the pan. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 hours.
  • 5
    Heat the vanilla, extra 1 tbs honey, remaining 1/3 cup (80ml) coconut oil and 1/2 cup (50g) cacao in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring until a smooth icing.
  • 6
    Slice into 15 bars using a hot knife. Dip bars in the icing and garnish with fresh cherry halves.
  • 7
    Set aside for 15 minutes, then dust with extra cacao to serve.

 ZUCCHINI SLICE

A kind of banh mi update on our favourite zucchini slice

INGREDIENTS

• 4 (about 500g) zucchinis
• 1 carrot
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup (35g) self-raising flour
• 2 tbs chopped coriander leaves
• 1 cup (120g) grated cheddar
• 2 tbs pine nuts, toasted
• 1 thin seeded baguette, quartered, sliced lengthways
• 1/2 cup mint leaves
• 1/2 cup mixed salad leaves
• Sweet chilli sauce, whole egg mayonnaise and sliced long red chilli, to serve

• METHOD

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 22cm square cake pan with baking paper.
  • 2
    Using a mandoline, thinly slice zucchini and carrot lengthways into strips. Combine in a bowl with 2 tsp salt, and set aside for 5 minutes to soften. Rinse, then squeeze to remove excess liquid. Set aside.
  • 3
    Heat oil in a frypan over medium-low heat. Cook onion, stirring, for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add garlic, lemon zest and chilli, and cook for 1 minute or until fragrant. Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
  • 4
    In a large bowl, whisk eggs and flour. Season, and add carrot and zucchini strips, coriander, cheese and onion mixture, and stir to combine. Pour into prepared pan and scatter over pine nuts. Bake for 35 minutes or until set and golden. Cool slightly in pan, then cut into thin strips.
  • 5
    Fill each baguette with mint and salad leaves, top with zucchini slice, drizzle with sweet chilli sauce and mayonnaise and garnish with red chilli to serve.

PROTEIN-PACKED PALEO BANANA BREAD

PROTEIN-PACKED PALEO BANANA BREAD

The best part about this recipe is that it’s guilt-free banana bread - the type you can actually eat for breakfast!

INGREDIENTS

• Paleo banana bread
• 3 ripe bananas
• ½ cup (125ml) maple syrup, plus extra warm syrup to serve
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra to dust
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ½ cup (125ml) coconut oil, softened
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup (110g) coconut flour, sifted
• 1 cup (100g) almond meal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 50g pecans, chopped

• METHOD

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 160°C. Grease and line a 1.5L loaf pan with baking paper.
  • 2
    Mash 2 bananas in a bowl with maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and bicarb soda. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat coconut oil and eggs until combined. Combine coconut flour, almond meal and baking powder in a bowl. Fold banana mixture into egg mixture, then fold in the flour mixture and nuts.
  • 3
    Spread batter into baking pan. Halve remaining banana horizontally and press into the top of the batter. Bake for 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan.
  • 4
    Drizzle with extra warm maple syrup and dust with cinnamon, to serve.

THE ULTIMATE GUILT-FREE SUNFLOWER CHICKEN CAESAR

Sunflower seeds are a healthy, gluten-free substitute for breadcrumbs in this nutrient-dense recipe. Use this crunchy chicken in a Caesar salad, or wrap it up for something even more substantial.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup (80g) sunflower seeds (we used Woolworths Macro)
• 1/2 cup (75g) white sesame seeds
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tbs fried Asian shallots, plus extra to serve
• 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 400g chicken tenderloins
• 8 thin slices prosciutto
• 2 baby cos lettuces, leaves separated
• Sunflower sprouts (from health food stores), to serve

Guilt-free caesar dressing

• 1 cup (280g) thick Greek-style yoghurt
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbs olive oil

• METHOD

  • 1
    Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place sunflower seeds in a food processor and whiz for 20 seconds or until fine crumbs. Add sesame, garlic, shallots and chilli.
  • 2
    Pulse for 10 seconds to combine. Transfer to a bowl. Place eggs in a separate bowl. Coat chicken in the crumb, then dip in the egg, then coat again in crumb. Place on tray. Arrange prosciutto around chicken and roast, turning halfway, for 20 minutes or until golden and cooked through.
  • 3
    Meanwhile, combine Caesar dressing ingredients in a bowl. Season.
  • 4
    To serve, divide lettuce leaves among serving plates. Place chicken, prosciutto and extra shallots on leaves. Drizzle with dressing and top with sprouts to serve.

WHOLEWHEAT PIZZA POCKETS

These are a great healthy substitute for the well-loved pizza pocket. Bake in bulk and freeze. To reheat, place in the microwave for 1 minute, then grill in a sandwich press for 2 minutes to crisp.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup dried porcini mushrooms (from gourmet food shops and grocers)
• 11/2 cups (420g) tomato puree
• 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 tbs chopped oregano leaves
• 250g fresh ricotta
• 200g mixed mushrooms (we used shiitake and Swiss brown), sliced
• Olive oil, to brush
• Sliced vine-ripened tomatoes and rocket leaves, to serve

Wholewheat dough

• 31/3 cups (500g) wholemeal spelt flour
• 1/4 tsp dried instant yeast
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1 cup (180g) semolina, plus extra to dust

• METHOD

  • 1
    For the dough, place flour, yeast, oil, 1 tbs salt and 425ml water in a bowl. Combine to form a rough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight to rise.
  • 2
    The next day, preheat oven to 250°C. Grease 2 baking trays with 1 tbs oil each. Knock back dough and turn out onto a work surface lightly dusted with semolina. Divide dough into 12 pieces. Shape into balls, then using a rolling pin, roll out each ball to a 12cm oval shape.
  • 3
    Whiz porcini in a food processor until fine crumbs. Add tomato puree, garlic and oregano, and whiz to combine. Season.
  • 4
    Spoon 1 tbs sauce into the centre of each dough round, then divide ricotta and mushrooms among each round.
  • 5
    Brush the dough edges with a little oil then stretch dough up and over mixture, pressing together to seal. Transfer to a baking tray. Brush with oil and dust with extra semolina. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden.
  • 6
    Open slightly using the tip of a knife and fill with tomato and rocket. Serve hot.

  • NOTES

    -

    Begin this recipe one day ahead.

Brooklyn blackout cake

Brooklyn blackout cake

INGREDIENTS

• 250g (1 2/3 cups) plain (all‑purpose) flour
• 100g (1 cup) unsweetened (Dutch) cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 2 eggs
• 440g (2 cups) caster sugar
• 125 ml canola oil
• 240g (1 cup) sour cream
• 250ml (1 cup) espresso or strong brewed coffee, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon natural vanilla extract
• Milk, to brush

Chocolate-coffee crumbs

• 50 g (1/3 cup) plain (all‑purpose) flour
• 35g (1/3 cup) unsweetened (Dutch) cocoa powder
• 55g (¼ cup) caster sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornflour
• ½ teaspoon fine salt
• 50g unsalted butter, melted
• 2 teaspoon espresso or strong brewed coffee, at room temperature

Oreo buttercream

• 320g Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers (see tip)
• 125 ml (½ cup) pouring (whipping/heavy) cream
• 50g unsalted butter, melted, plus an extra 200g unsalted butter, chopped, softened
• 160ml milk
• 75g pure icing sugar, sifted

Chocolate fudge frosting

• 50g dark chocolate (55% cocoa solids), finely chopped
• 25g unsweetened (Dutch) cocoa powder
• 90g glucose syrup
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 80ml pouring (whipping/heavy) cream

• METHOD

  • 1
    Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Wrap foil around the outside of two 20 cm (8 in) round springform cake tins to prevent any batter dripping out, then grease and line the bases with baking paper.
  • 2
    Sift the flour, cocoa, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar for 2 minutes or until thick and pale. Add the oil and beat until well combined. In batches, alternately add the flour mixture and sour cream, beating on low speed until just combined. Add the coffee and vanilla, and stir well to combine (the batter will be quite runny).
  • 3
    Divide the batter evenly between the prepared tins, then bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of each cake comes out clean. Cool in the tins for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
  • 4
    Reduce the oven temperature to 150°C (300°F).
  • 5
    Meanwhile, to make the chocolate-coffee crumbs, line a baking tray with baking paper.
  • 6
    Sift the flour, cocoa, sugar, cornflour and salt into a bowl. Add the butter and coffee and, using an electric mixer, beat until the mixture comes together in small balls. Spread out on the prepared tray and bake for 20 minutes or until dry. Allow to cool completely, then loosely crumble and transfer to an airtight container until needed.
  • 7
    To make the Oreo buttercream, process the chocolate wafers in a food processor to fine crumbs (make sure there are no small chunks or the buttercream won’t be smooth). Add the cream and melted butter and process until moistened and well combined. Add the milk and process until smooth. In a seperate, clean bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the icing sugar and the extra 200 g (7 oz) of butter for 3 minutes or until light and creamy. Then, add the chocolate mixture and beat for a further 2 minutes or until smooth. Set aside at room temperature until needed.
  • 8
    To assemble the cake, using a large serrated knife, trim the tops off the cakes to make them level, then cut each cake in half horizontally. Place one base cake layer on a cake stand, then brush generously with milk. Spread over one-third of the buttercream all the way to the edges. Repeat this layering with two more cake layers, milk and buttercream. Finish with the remaining cake base, bottom side up, then brush generously with milk. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm slightly.
  • 9
    Meanwhile, to make the fudge frosting, place the chocolate and cocoa in a heatproof bowl. Place the remaining ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until melted. Pour over the chocolate and cocoa, stand for 1 minute, then whisk until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool to a spreadable consistency.
  • 10
    Using a palette knife, carefully scrape and smear any buttercream around the side of the cake to smooth and achieve a ‘naked’ effect. Spread the fudge frosting over the top, then pile on the chocolate crumbs and serve.
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