old chris new tricks

My version of the classic British fish pie has a twist…it’s completely dairy free! To achieve the creamy, cheesy flavour of the usual white sauce, it uses blended cooked cauliflower, nutritional yeast flakes and plant-based milk – I use oat or rice milk.

You can also add prawns or even smoked fish, and use whatever vegetables you have on hand. Many recipes use frozen peas but corn kernels, celery and fennel are also great options.

The traditional dish is sometimes called ‘fisherman’s pie’ because just like shepherd’s pie, it is topped with mashed potato.

1000g water
500-550g potatoes, diced (peeled or unpeeled)
400g cauliflower, cut into small florets
250g plant-based milk
1 tablespoon cornflour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3-4 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes (‘nooch’)
1 onion, peeled and halved
2 cloves garlic
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 zucchinis, roughly chopped
25g EVOO or oil of choice
300g salmon, diced
300g white fish, diced
Juice of ½ lemon
Handful of fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Additional 100g plant-based milk
Pinch of salt
8 sprigs chives, snipped

Pour water in TM bowl, insert simmering basket and add potatoes. Place cauliflower in Varoma, set in place with Varoma lid on top. Cook 20 min/Varoma/speed 2. If cauliflower and potatoes are not tender enough to blend and mash, cook a further 5 minutes. Remove Varoma and place on upturned Varoma lid to catch drips. Remove simmering basket with spatula and empty water from TM bowl.

Place milk, cornflour, mustard and ‘nooch’ in TM bowl and add cooked cauliflower. Blend 30 sec/speed 6-9 increasing speed gradually. Once smooth, transfer sauce to an ovenproof casserole dish. Don’t bother washing TM bowl.

Place onion, garlic, carrots and zucchini in TM bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Add oil and sauté 3 min/120°C/speed 1. Add to the dish with sauce and stir through fish, lemon juice, parsley and dill.

Rinse TM bowl and add cooked potatoes, 100g milk and salt. Blend 20 sec/speed 3. Add snipped chives and blend a further 5 sec/speed 3. Spoon mash over top of fish & veggie mixture and gently spread evenly with a fork. Bake in preheated 180°C oven for approximately 30 minutes or until cooked through and top has browned.

This vegan sour cream (aka cashew sour cream) is thick, rich and creamy with all the zingy tang of the regular version but without the dairy.

Serve it with your favourite Mexican dishes, load it on top of baked potatoes, swirl it through soups or even use it to whip up a vegan mushroom stroganoff.

250g raw cashews
2 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon (approx. 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
125g water or more
Pinch of salt or to taste

Soak cashews overnight, drain and rinse. Place in TM bowl with remaining ingredients and blend for 2 mins/speed 9, scraping sides down regularly. Add more water if necessary to get the desired consistency and smoothness.

This dip is not only creamy and scrumptious but also delivers all the nutritional benefits of avocados. We’re talking heart-healthy monounsaturated fat (the good fat!) plus potassium and vitamins C, E and several Bs. To make your guacamole kid-friendly, just omit the chilli.

1-2 cloves garlic
¼ lemon, peel and all, no pips
5 sprigs fresh coriander, leaves only
1 fresh chilli (optional)
2-3 avocados, depending on size
Pinch of salt or to taste

Set TM on 10 sec/speed 7 and drop garlic, lemon, coriander and chilli if using onto spinning blades through hole in lid. Add the flesh of the avocados and salt. Blend 5-10 sec/speed 5 and scrape down sides. Repeat until your desired consistency is reached.

Transfer to a serving dish and place one avocado stone in the centre to help retain the gorgeous green colour.

This Braised Beef & Black Bean casserole is bursting with rich, warm and spicy Mexican flavours. Instead of the usual mince, you’ll serve up tender chunks of meat that have been slowly cooked in the oven. It’s sure to please the carnivores when you’re catering for a crowd.

Team it with a big pot of Chilli NON Carne and you’ve got all the dietary requirements covered. (See the recipe and more serving suggestions in ‘Mmmm…mains’).

If you’re not cooking for a large crowd, simply halve all the ingredients.

THE MARINADE & MEAT
1 bunch coriander
4 cloves garlic
2 small fresh red chillies, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Juice of 2 limes
80g EVOO or oil of choice
120g red wine
Pinch of salt or to taste
2kg gravy beef, diced

Wash coriander, remove leaves and set aside. (HINT: Save and freeze roots to make Thai curry pastes. See recipes in Spice Blends.)

Set TM on 10 sec/speed 7 and drop coriander stalks, garlic and chillies onto spinning blades through hole in lid. Scrape down sides and add spices, lime juice, oil, wine and salt. Mix 10 sec/speed 2 and remove from bowl. Use to marinate meat for a minimum of 3 hours, preferably overnight.

THE REST
2 onions, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons EVOO or oil of choice
2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 x 400g black beans

Heat a large frypan and brown meat in batches. Transfer, along with any juices, to a large ovenproof casserole dish or pot with lid.

Place onions in TM bowl. Chop 5 sec/speed 5 and scrape down sides. Add oil and sauté 3 min/120°C/speed 1. Alternatively you can hand chop the onions and sauté them in the frypan you used to brown the meat. Either way, then add the onion to the pot with the meat.

Add tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar. Cover and cook in preheated 150°C oven for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If after 1 hour it seems a bit too “liquidy” (this can depend on the canned tomatoes you use) remove the lid and keep on cooking but remember to check and stir frequently. When consistency is to your liking, replace the lid. After the 2 hours is up, add black beans and cook a further 15 minutes. You can do this on the cooktop if you prefer. Stir through coriander leaves just before serving.

• 1 cup leafy greens such as spinach, kale or chard
• 1 granny smith apple, quartered
• 1 kiwifruit, peeled
• ½ small lime including peel, no pips
• Small knob fresh ginger
• A few sprigs of mint
• 1 tablespoon CLAPS (DIY LSA + see recipe in Back to Basics)
• 350-400g coconut water

Add all ingredients to TM bowl and blend 2 min/speed 5 increasing to speed 10.

Serves 2.

What to do when you order a big bag of capsicums and get more than you bargained for? Stuff ‘em!

These hearty and healthy little beauties are filled with tasty Mexican-inspired spices, fresh herbs and extra veggies for good measure.

The mix of quinoa, black beans and corn packs a powerful plant-based protein punch.

100g quinoa
900g water
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 green or red chilli
1 onion, peeled & halved
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 zucchini, roughly chopped
1 stalk of celery, roughly chopped
Big handful of fresh parsley
3-4 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only
1 frozen vegetable stock cube (see recipe for PP Veggie Stock in Back to Basics)
25g EVOO or oil of choice
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 x 400g can diced tomatoes
½ x 400g can black beans
½ x 400g can corn kernels
6 capsicums, halved and seeds removed

Preferably soak quinoa for 30 to 60 minutes and rinse, otherwise just rinse thoroughly. Pour water into TM bowl and place quinoa into simmering basket. Cook for 20 min/Varoma/speed 2. Set aside and rinse TM bowl.

Set TM on 10 sec/speed 7 and drop garlic and chilli onto spinning blades through hole in lid. Scrape down sides and add onion, carrot, zucchini, celery, herbs and stock cube. Chop 4 sec/speed 5 and scrape down sides. Add oil and spices, and sauté 3 min/120°C/speed 1.

Add tomatoes, corn kernels and black beans, and cook 3 min/100°C/speed 1. Combine this mixture with the quinoa, then stuff your capsicum halves, place on a lined baking tray and cover with foil.

Bake in a pre-heated 180°C oven for 20-30 minutes. Remove foil and bake a further 10 minutes. The length of time in the oven will depend on the size and thickness of your capsicums. Serve with sliced avocado or guacamole.

The name came about because my husband said that it looked like a human brain. It’s also appropriate because this is such a clever, easy and impressive way to cook a caulie. You can simply serve it with a seasonal salad or it’s a brilliant way to put on a vegan roast dinner – just surround it with lots of lovely roasted veggies.

I love the convenience and flavour of infused extra virgin olive oils and have used a combination of garlic plus chilli and coriander. Of course, you can use whatever oil you prefer.

Using a silicone pastry brush is a great way to get the sauce into all the little nooks and crannies.

1 head of cauliflower
1 tablespoon garlic infused EVOO
1 tablespoon chilli and coriander infused EVOO
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
Fresh coriander to garnish

Preheat oven to 180°C. Trim off the leaves and enough of the stalk so the cauliflower will sit flat.

Mix remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Place the cauliflower in a Dutch Oven, turn upside down and pour or brush some of the sauce around the stalk. Turn cauliflower right way up and brush the rest of the sauce all over the top and sides.

Cover and bake for 45-60 minutes, depending on the size of your cauliflower. This one was fairly small, larger ones may take longer. Check after about 40 minutes with a skewer to see how it’s going. You don’t want it too soft as it’s best served in wedges. We quartered this one and it was perfect for four people. Large ones would probably do six or even more.

Many years ago most Sydney advertising agencies were situated in North Sydney and so was the Malaya restaurant, a popular lunchtime haunt for ad (or should that be mad?) men and women. One of our favourite dishes was Kung Pao Bean Curd.

The Malaya restaurant is now on King Street Wharf, Darling Harbour, and features some delicious dishes but sadly no longer Kung Pao Bean Curd. So this is my attempt at recreating it.

If you can’t get hold of some ingredients you could try the following substitutions. Instead of Sichuan peppercorns use regular black peppercorns, instead of Shaoxing wine use dry sherry and instead of Chinese black vinegar use balsamic, rice or red wine vinegar. If you can’t have peanuts, try other nuts such as cashews.

350-400g extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons cornflour
1 teaspoon salt
2-3 tablespoons EVOO or oil of choice
6 whole fresh or dried red chillies (or more according to taste)
3 cloves garlic, peeled
1 thumb-size knob of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 spring onions, sliced with white & green parts separated
1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns
2 tablespoons light soy sauce or Tamari
2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
2 tablespoons Chinese black vinegar
2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
50g toasted peanuts

Drain, pat dry, press tofu and cut into 2.5cm cubes. Combine cornflour and salt and lightly coat tofu with mixture. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in frypan and cook tofu, in batches if necessary, turning until lightly browned. Set aside.

Add more oil to frypan if necessary and fry whole chillies until fragrant. Return tofu to frypan with chillies.

Set TM on 10 sec/speed 7 and drop garlic, ginger and chilli flakes if using onto spinning blades through hole in lid.

Add sesame oil, white section of spring onions and Sichuan peppercorns and sauté 3 min/120°C/REVERSE speed 1. Add soy sauce or Tamari, wine, vinegar and honey or maple syrup. Cook 5 min/100°C/REVERSE speed 1. Transfer to the frypan containing tofu and chillies and warm through. Stir in green section of spring onions and peanuts.

VARIATION
Thinly slice one red capsicum and one large zucchini. Add to TM bowl at the same time as the soy sauce, wine, vinegar and honey. Proceed with rest of recipe.