Zero-Waste Recipes For Dinner: Spring Vegetarian Menu

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp white miso paste

2 tbsp Honey

2 tbsp sesame oil

2 tbsp tamari

1 small kent pumpkin, cut into wedges, seeds scooped out and reserved

1 bunch spring onions, trimmed

250g firm tofu, chopped

80ml vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp finely grated ginger

Roasted sesame seeds, to serve

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Whisk miso, honey, half the sesame oil and 1 tbsp tamari to combine. Add pumpkin wedges, season, and stir to coat. Arrange on a baking tray and roast, turning occasionally, for 40-45 minutes until tender and golden.

2. Remove membrane from pumpkin seeds, rinse in a sieve, then pat dry on paper towel. Mix with remaining tamari, spread on a baking tray and roast for 5-6 minutes until crisp. 

3. Set aside 2 spring onions. Chop remaining onions into 5cm lengths. Spread on a baking tray, drizzle with remaining sesame oil and season. Roast for 8-10 minutes until golden. Cool, then transfer to a processor with tofu, half the vegetable oil, half the garlic and half the lime juice. Season and process until smooth.

4. Combine vinegar, ginger and remaining lime juice and garlic. Stand for 5 minutes, then whisk in remaining vegetable oil. Thinly slice reserved spring onion.

5. To serve, spread tofu mixture on a platter, top with pumpkin wedges then scatter with pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and spring onion. Drizzle with dressing to taste.

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

80g butter, diced

1 brown onion, finely diced 

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

400g (2 cups) arborio rice

¾ cup Sauvignon Blanc

300g peas, podded

150g sugar snap peas, trimmed

60g finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

1 bunch asparagus, shaved into ribbons

1 zucchini, sliced into rounds

Finely grated rind and juice of 1 small lemon (you can use rest of the lemon in the spritz)

2 buffalo mozzarella, to serve

Basil oil

1 small bunch basil (leaves picked, reserving a handful to serve)

1 garlic clove, coarsely chopped

125ml (½ cup) Extra Virgin Olive Oil

From-scratch veg stock

2 brown onions, chopped

2 carrots, coarsely chopped

2 heads garlic, halved (reserving 3 cloves for the risotto and basil oil)

METHOD

1. To make the veg stock, combine onion, carrot, garlic and all the reserved trimmings from the other vegetables and herbs in a stockpot. Cover with 2.5 litres water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Strain and transfer 1.25 litres stock into a clean saucepan. Add whey from mozzarella and simmer.

2. To make basil oil, place basil in a bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to wilt. Drain then rinse under cold running water. Squeeze out excess water from leaves, then blend leaves with garlic and oil until very fine. Season. 

3. Heat oil and half the butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat until butter melts. Add onion and garlic, season and saute for 4-5 minutes until tender. Add rice and stir continuously for 1-2 minutes to coat the rice and lightly toast. Add wine, stir continuously until evaporated, then add stock, a ladle at a time, stirring until absorbed. Continue adding stock until rice is al dente and risotto is slightly wet but not soupy, adding in the peas in the last 5 minutes of cooking (about 15-18 minutes). Add parmesan and remaining butter, season, then stir through asparagus, zucchini and lemon. Transfer to a serving dish, scatter with torn mozzarella, basil and extra parmesan, and serve drizzled with basil oil.

INGREDIENTS

500g natural Greek-style yoghurt

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 small bunch kale

100ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Juice of 1 small lemon

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 bunch mint, chopped

2 spring onions, thinly sliced

250g Mixed grains, prepared according to packet directions (any form of grain such as quinoa will also suit)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

50g Dry Roasted Australian Almonds, chopped

Dukkah, to serve

METHOD

1. Combine yoghurt and half the garlic. Season. Transfer to a sieve lined with several layers of paper towel, place over a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight to drain. Reserve whey.

2. Preheat oven to 200°C. Trim leaves from kale stems. Spread stems on a baking tray, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil, season and roast for 15-20 minutes. 

3. Tear kale leaves into bite-sized pieces. Combine with 1 tbsp olive oil, season. Spread half the kale on a baking tray and roast until crisp. Cool. Add half the lemon juice and 1 tbsp reserved whey to remaining kale and rub with your fingers. Combine with herbs, spring onion and grains.

4. Combine remaining lemon juice and remaining garlic and stand for 5 minutes. Add mustard and remaining whey and olive oil. Season and whisk to combine.

5. Spread labne on a platter and top with grain mixture. Drizzle with dressing and top with kale chips, kale stems, almonds and dukkah to serve.

INGREDIENTS

2 small imperial mandarins

750g cream cheese, at room temperature

300g caster sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean extract

4 egg yolks

⅓ cup plain flour

Juice of 1 lime (you can use the rest of the lime for the spritz)

Freeze-dried strawberries and extra strawberries, to serve

Biscuit base

2 packets Margarita Style Shortbread

150g Dry Roasted Australian Almonds

80g butter, melted

Berry meringue

220g (1 cup) caster sugar

250g (1 punnet) strawberries

4 egg whites

METHOD

1. Place mandarins in a saucepan with enough cold water to cover generously. Bring to the boil and cook for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain, cool slightly, coarsely chop (discarding seeds) and process until smooth. Set aside.

2. Preheat oven to 180°C and grease and line a 13cm x 29cm rectangular cake tin, allowing baking paper to overhang the sides. Process three-quarters of the biscuits in a food processor with almonds and a pinch of salt until fine crumbs form. Add butter, process to combine, then press into the base of prepared tin. Bake for 8-10 minutes until golden. Set aside.

3. Process cream cheese, caster sugar and vanilla until smooth. Scrape down the sides, add yolks and mandarin puree, process until smooth, then add flour and process to combine. Pour over biscuit base. Bake for 25-30 minutes until centre is just set. Turn off oven, keep the door ajar and cool in oven for 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight.

4. To make meringue, stir sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Add strawberries and boil without stirring for 6-8 minutes until strawberries are tender. Remove strawberries with a slotted spoon. Continue cooking the syrup to 115°C on a sugar thermometer (about another 5 minutes), then whisk egg whites and a pinch of salt in an electric mixer to soft peaks. Continue cooking syrup to 121°C. With mixer on medium speed, gradually add syrup to egg whites, whisking until cooled to room temperature.

5. Blend reserved strawberries with lime juice. Remove cheesecake from tin and place on a platter. Use a large spoon to pile the strawberry meringue on top of the cheesecake – if you like you can brown the meringue with a blowtorch. Crumble remaining biscuits over the top and scatter with freeze-dried strawberries. Serve with strawberry puree and extra strawberries.

INGREDIENTS

180ml Dry Gin

100ml Campari

Juice of 2 ruby grapefruit (chop the rest of the fruit)

Juice of 1 orange (chop the rest of the fruit)

2 tbsp finely grated ginger

750ml chilled kombucha

Ruby grapefruit slices and orange slices, to serve

METHOD

1. Muddle together the gin, Campari and chopped citrus in a jug. Add citrus juices and ginger, stir to combine, then add ice cubes. Top up with kombucha and serve with citrus slices.