Fancy a curry this week? Or maybe you're in a baking mood? We've got you covered with another seven meal ideas using this week's produce selection.
There's also a new vegetable this week which we haven't had in a while... Daikon Radish! Packed with Vitamin C, this cruciferous vegetable is known for its antibacterial and antiviral properties.
The purpose of these recipes is to give you some inspiration for the week ahead. We’ve suggested meal ideas based on our produce selection and they can all be enjoyed on their own, or with any protein that suits your appetite. Enjoy!
Easy Potato Curry
This rich and fragrant potato curry is a quick and easy recipe that is super versatile! Have it as it is, or add in your favourite protein as well. Then serve with your favourite roti bread and yoghurt for the perfect weeknight dinner!
You’ll need:
- 1½ kg potatoes
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1 tbsp garam masala
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 400g chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3 cups stock/broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Peel the potatoes and chop into bite-size chunks, then place them in a large pot with water and season with salt. Bring the water up to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Saute the onions, garlic and ginger in a large pot until soft. Add the spices and cook for another minute.
Add the tomatoes and sugar then cook for 2 minutes. Add the potatoes and stir to coat in the sauce.
Pour in the stock then season to taste. Reduce the heat and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
Serve the curry with roti, yogurt and chopped chillies.
Braised Daikon Radish
Braised Japanese daikon radish is a very common dish, usually served in winter when daikon is in season in Japan. Luckily for us, we have in season daikon radish right now!
Slowly simmering the daikon brings out its natural sweetness, creating the perfect side dish or entrée.
You’ll need:
- 450g daikon radish
- 4 cups dashi stock
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 teaspoons sake
- 2 tablespoons mirin
The outer skin of the daikon is thick, so when removing this layer, be sure to remove both the thinner outer skin, as well as the thick layer just beneath it. This can easily be accomplished with a vegetable peeler.
Slice the daikon into round pieces and for aesthetic purposes, trim a thin strip all along the bottom and top edges of each daikon piece, essentially "rounding out" each piece. This small step really makes a difference in the appearance of the daikon.
In a medium pot, add the daikon slices with dashi stock, sugar, and soy sauce and sake (reserve the mirin for later use). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for 10 minutes.
Skim any foam and impurities from the surface.
Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the daikon pieces are tender in the center and slightly brown in color after having absorbed the soy sauce.
Before all of the dashi is cooked away, stir in the mirin, careful not to damage the daikon. They should be very tender at this point.
Turn off heat, and set aside for 10 minutes to allow the ingredients to meld.
Serve daikon pieces, with or without some of the simmering liquid, in small individual plates.
Pumpkin Scones
Pumpkin scones are a delicious treat any time of the year and would also make a great after school snack for busy kids! They are also really easy to make and take hardly any time at all!
You’ll need:
- 50g margarine
- 50g caster sugar
- 1/2 cup cooked mashed pumpkin
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 1 egg
- 2 1/2 cups self raising flour
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Prepare a baking tray by dusting with flour.
Cream the margarine and sugar then add the mashed pumpkin and combine well. Add the milk and egg a little at a time.
Sift the flour slowly into the wet mixture while mixing into a soft dough.
Turn out onto a floured surface, roll out to 3cm thick then cut out the scones.
Place the scones on a tray and brush with additional milk. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Pink Lady Apple Blondies
These moist and chewy blondies are a delicious sweet treat for afternoon tea, or dessert. The pink lady apples bring a refreshing taste, while the sweet white chocolate will have you wanting more than just one!
You’ll need:
- 2 cups Flour
- 3/4 cups soft unsalted Butter (melted)
- 2 medium size Eggs
- 1 1/2 cups Sugar
- 1 cup White Chocolate
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 2 Pink Lady Apples
- 1 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/3 tsp Nutmeg
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 cup Whipping Cream
- 1 cup White Chocolate all in all 2 cups
Pre heat the oven and mix the sugar with the eggs then slowly pour the melted butter to them.
Add the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Mix them well.
Add the flour and the baking powder and then mix them with the wet ingredients.
Peel the apples and dice the chocolate and one of the apples. Add them to the blondie mixture and then pour the mixture in to a 9x9 pan.
Slice the apple thinly, then arrange them on the top of the blondie. Bake at 160-165°C for 40 minutes.
In the meanwhile whip the whipping cream and melt the white chocolate.
Pour the chocolate on the whipped cream, stir it in with a spatula.
Put it in the fridge until serving the blondies. Let the blondie cool before cutting, serve them with the ganache.
Crispy Carrot, Sweet Potato & Haloumi Baked Rosti
Rosti’s can really be eaten at any time of the day and for any meal! We love a fancy rosti for breakfast, or even as a side dish with your favourite protein.
You’ll need:
- Olive oil, to brush
- 200g sweet potato, coarsely grated
- 300g desiree potatoes, coarsely grated
- 300g carrots, coarsely grated
- 250g haloumi, coarsely grated
- 1/2 onion, coarsely grated
- 2 tbs thyme leaves
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup (50g) plain flour
- 1/2 cup (120g) sour cream, to serve
Preheat oven to 220°C. Brush skillets with oil.
Place sweet potato, potato, carrot, haloumi, onion, thyme, eggs and flour in a bowl. Season well.
Divide sweet potato mixture among skillets and press firmly together to create a thin pancake. Bake for 35 minutes or until crisp and golden.
You can then scatter a quick salad over the rosti, or drizzle it with sour cream to serve!
Eggplant Parmigiana
Eggplant Parmigiana is the ultimate comfort food recipe! Fried eggplant, baked in a dish with tomato sauce, basil, parmesan and mozzarella cheese, what more could you want?
You’ll need:
- Sunflower oil, to shallow fry
- 4 x 400g each medium eggplants, trimmed, sliced lengthwise
- Plain flour, to dust
- 2 1/2 cups (200g) finely grated parmesan
- 250g buffalo mozzarella, drained, chopped
- 1/2 cup loosely packed basil leaves, torn
- TOMATO SAUCE
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1/4 cup loosely packed oregano leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried chilli (optional)
- 1kg vine-ripened or ox heart tomatoes (substitute canned), cut into rough 3cm pieces
For the tomato sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the onion, garlic, oregano, and dried chilli, if using. Cook, stirring, for 4-5 minutes until onion begins to soften. Add the tomato and cook, stirring frequently, for 4-5 minutes until tomato begins to soften. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for 30-35 minutes until tomato has broken down and has a saucy consistency. Transfer to a blender and pulse to a coarse puree. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, heat a large frypan with 1cm oil over high heat. Dust eggplant in the flour and, in batches, shallow fry for 3-4 minutes, turning halfway, until golden. Drain on paper towel and repeat with remaining eggplant, making sure you have 1cm of oil in pan. Preheat oven to 200°C.
Divide the sauce and both cheeses into 4 portions. Spread a little bit of the tomato sauce over the base of a 28cm round (2.5L capacity) baking dish then layer with eggplant. Spread 1 portion of tomato sauce over, followed by a portion of parmesan, mozzarella and basil. Repeat with two more layers and finish with the sauce and cheese. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden on top. Leave to rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Healthy Banana Bread
This healthy banana bread is made with whole wheat flour and naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup, making it a great option for school lunch boxes or a 3pm work snack!
You'll need:
⅓ cup melted coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil or high quality vegetable oil*
½ cup honey or maple syrup
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 ½ medium or 2 large bananas)
¼ cup milk of choice
1 teaspoon baking soda (NOT baking powder!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ¾ cups white whole wheat flour or regular whole wheat flour
Preheat oven to 165 degrees and grease a loaf pan.
In a large bowl, beat the oil and honey together with a whisk. Add the eggs and beat well, then whisk in the mashed bananas and milk. (If your coconut oil solidifies on contact with cold ingredients, simply let the bowl rest in a warm place for a few minutes, like on top of your stove, or warm it for about 10 seconds in the microwave.)
Add the baking soda, vanilla, salt and cinnamon, and whisk to blend. Lastly, stir in the flour, just until combined. Some lumps are ok!
Pour the batter into your greased loaf pan and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Let the bread cool in the loaf pan for at least 10 minutes. You may need to run a butter knife around the edges to loosen the bread from the pan. Carefully transfer the loaf to a wire rack to cool before slicing.