Creamy Oat Milk, Onion & Potato Bake

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Growing up my mum use to do scalloped potatoes. She would make them with cow’s milk or stock, always generously topping it with Season ALL. She then covered it in glad wrap and cooked it in the microwave. I use to cheekily pull all the well seasoned slices from the top once it was cooked.

My cooking and ingredient preferences have changed dramatically since all those years ago but as with most old favourites there is always a way to reinvent them.

I have tried this a few times with almond, soy and rice milk but my favourite outcome was with the oat milk. I can now create memories of creamy potato bake on cold nights for my son.

 

YOU NEED

oil for cooking

2 small brown onions, peeled and finely sliced

1 ½ cups of oat milk

3 teaspoons of egg replacer (I use Orgran brand which I find in the health food section of most supermarkets and in health food stores)

1 heaped teaspoon vegetable stock

8 small potatoes (I used Sebago), peeled and *finely* sliced

Season All seasoning

 

YOU DO

Preheat your oven to 200c

Heat some oil in a small pan and cook the onions till caramelised. Once done, set aside.

While the onions are cooking blend the oat milk, egg replacer and stock together and set aside.

Layer the potatoes and onions in an oven proof casserole dish, pour the milk mixture carefully cover the top and cover with foil.

Place in the oven for 30 mins, then remove from the oven, generously sprinkle some season all over the top and place back in the oven uncovered for another 30 minutes.

The result is earthy and creamy with the sweetness of the onions and a lovely chew and crunch of the top layer of potato 🙂

 

Serve with vegetarian sausages or vegie burgers and loads of crisp fresh salad.

Time: Preparation time is 20 mins. Plus 1 hour of cooking time.

 

 

 

Vietnamese Vermicelli Salad

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Spicy, sour , fragrant, crunchy, simple and delicious. This salad packs a punch!

YOU NEED (for the salad)

2 x100 gram packs of vermicelli rice noodles

1 large red capsicum (also known as bell peppers), core removed, seeds out and very finely sliced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks

a handful of spring onion (also known as scallions), washed, cut in 1/2, sliced into thin strips lengthwise

1 bunch of Vietnamese mint, washed and roughly chopped

a good handful of sweet basil, washed and gently torn

1 cup of crushed, salted and roasted peanuts

 

YOU NEED (for the dressing)

2 limes, juiced

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

1 small red chilli, halved and finely sliced (I have some that are REALLY hot at the moment and decided to live on the edge and not remove the seeds)

2 lemon grass stems, finely sliced. If you don’t have lemon grass stems, use a tablespoon of bought minced lemon grass. Do get fresh lemon grass if you can though, as it adds a nice crunch and is so fragrant).

1 tablespoon of coconut sugar (alternatively use soft brown sugar)

5 kaffir lime leaves, roughly chopped

 

YOU DO

Combine all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until they are well combined and set aside.

Prepare the noodles as per the packet instructions. If you are using hot water refresh them in cold water immediately and drain them. Grab handfuls of the noodles and roughly chop them with scissors. Shorter noodles make the salad easier to eat.

Combine the noodles with the rest of the ingredients (except for the nuts).

Add the dressing to the noodles mixture and stir well to combine.

Garnish with the crushed peanuts and serve.

 

Yields: Makes enough for 4. Or for 2 very hungry people

Time: 25 minutes

Notes: Just use normal mint if you can’t get Vietnamese. It’s not the same but you need mint because it gives the salad a cooling element.

Pomegranate Glazed Vegetable Salad

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This a beautiful dish served with a nut roast with all the trimmings of gravy and roast potatoes. It’s also a gorgeous offering for a bbq along with other salads or can just be enjoyed as a meal.

YOU NEED

3 carrots, peeled and cut into chunky rounds

1 small sweet potato, cut into chunks

¾ cup of orange juice

3 tablespoons of pomegranate molasses

½ teaspoon Chinese five spice mix

1 handful of coriander roots, washed well and sliced finely

1 handful of fresh spinach

1 handful of raw walnuts

2 tablespoons of olive oil and some extra for serving

salt and pepper for seasoning

# optional pomegranate seeds for garnish

 

YOU DO

Pre heat your oven to 200c

Steam the carrots till they are partly cooked. You want to remove them when you can pierce them with a skewer or fork but you still get some resistance.

Place the cooked carrots and raw sweet potato chunks into a large bowl.

Combine the molasses, orange juice, the 2 teaspoons of olive oil and spice mix and pour into the bowl with the carrots and sweet potato. Stir well to combine

Place everything into a lightly greased oven tray and cook till the vegetables are tender and caramelised. This will take 30 – 40 minutes

Once the carrots and potato have finished cooking, remove them from the oven. Then very gently mix them with the coriander roots, walnuts, spinach, a little more olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve.

Serve warm or cold.

 

Yields: Makes enough for a lunch for one person or a small side for up to 4 people.

Time: 10 minutes prep and about 40 minutes cooking

Notes: I cook my carrots while I am gathering all my ingredients and doing my prep.

I would normally put pumpkin in this too because it adds sweetness to the salad which is a lovely balance for the sour of the pomegranate molasses.

Scented, Crunchy Black Rice Salad

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Scented, Crunchy Black Rice SaladBlack rice is also known as “Forbidden Rice” in China because it is said to be only for emperors. It is said to be a super food that we are fortunate to have access to. Zhimin Xu, PhD, of Louisiana State University Agricultural Centre is quoted to have said “Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries, but with less sugar and more fibre and vitamin E antioxidants…”

There are many varieties of black rise from China, Korea and I think Thailand too.

Someone asked me today what they should do with some black rice they purchased to make a salad. Having not done a black rice salad before I just made suggestions on flavours and ingredients I thought would compliment such a staple. Then I decided to see how it would turn out so I made one.

The result was an aromatic, garden scented, dish with the black rice the platform for a range of fragrant Asian favourites. The nuts, noodles and coriander roots give it a gorgeous crunch. If you want an extra kick, simply leave in the chilli seeds and/or add more chilli.

 

YOU NEED

For the salad:

½ cup of black rice (I had the glutinous one)

½ small brown onion, peeled and finely diced

10 mushrooms, sliced (I used button as that’s what I had, but some Asian mushrooms would be perfect in this)

3 tablespoons of well washed and finely sliced coriander roots

1 handful of washed and roughly chopped coriander leaves

1 handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and gently sliced (as they bruise)

1 handful fresh spinach, well washed to avoid grit

 

For the dressing:

1 tablespoon of soy sauce (or tamari for a gluten free option)

dash of sesame oil

½ tablespoon of fresh lime juice

¼  teaspoon of minced ginger

1 teaspoon of agave (if you don’t have agave use sugar but add ½ teaspoon and taste again  before adding more)

oil for cooking

1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced

 

For the garnish

1 small red chilli, cut in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds and finely slice.

2 handfuls of roasted peanuts (Mine were raw so I dry roasted them in a hot pan for a minute or 2)

#optional~ a handful of “Chang’s” fried noodles

 

YOU DO

Rinse the rice under cold water. Put it in a pot of water, bring it to the boil and simmer until the rice is tender. Mine took about 30 – 40 minutes. I just pottered around and made the dressings etc while the rice cooked. I rinsed mine when it was cooked too in case there were any starches because I used the gelatinous one. Drain and set aside.

Heat a good splodge of oil in a small pan and cook the onion until it caramelizes. Add the mushrooms and cook till they are softened and coloured. Pull the mushroom and onions out of the pan with some tongs and place them on some draining paper. Set aside

Make the dressing. Place all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and whisk.

Add the cooked rice and all the salad ingredient to the dressing and mix everything together.

Give the rice a good stir when you go to serve it. Sprinkle with the finely sliced chilli. Finally top it with the noodles and nuts, just as you are about to serve, so that they remain super crunchy.

Serve warm or cold.

 

Servings: 2 lunch size serves or serve as a side with other dishes.

Time: 15 minutes preparation. 30-40 minutes of cooking time.

Notes: Don’t be put off by a longer list of ingredients. It’s often the recipes with a lot of ingredients that are the easiest and require the least amount of skill. The result is worth it too!