Monday, 29 March 2010

Index of Favourites

There’s a lot of recipes in my recipe index. So you might want some guidance? What are my favourites? What do I recommend?

Here is a shortlist of favourites (
thanks to Cindy and Michael’s Where the Best? list for inspiration.) Most are recipe I make again and again, or intend to.  I hope it will be a little help for you (and me) on busy days.  All recipes are vegetarian (v = vegan, gf = gluten free).  They are listed in the following categories:

Savoury Food
Sometimes you need comfort food that doesn’t take much effort and can use up whatever in the fridge. Many of these meals also make great leftovers and freeze well.

Sauces:

Salads and Pates:
Balls, Fritters, Burgers

Savoury baking:

Sweet Food

Sweet childhood favourites:

Healthy snacks
I am no nutritionist but have picked out some snacks I love that are seem to be low in sugar and fat and high in nutrition. These are great for entertaining, for kids and for lunches. Of course if you really want to be healthy, fruit smoothies, fruit salads and crudités and dips are a good start but these are a bit more indulgent, albeit not very sweet.
 

Gluten Free Baking
There are lots of savoury recipes on my blog that are gluten free. Indian food, Mexican food, risotto, stews, dips, soups and salads are all obvious places to look. Fruit salads and fruit soups are easy GF desserts. I am sharing some of my favourite forays into GF baking here. A few recipes here aren’t technically baking but they all fit into the substantial desserts, cakes and quickbreads category that can be a challenge for a GF diet.

Celebration Food
Tradition is important for me with food, especially finding vegetarian traditions to replace those I had with meat. Here are recipes I make each year on days of feasting and remembrance.
  • Cheese and Walnut Nutloaf – I make this every Christmas and have it in place of turkey. It has simple flavours, is easy to make, and slices thinly for leftovers sandwiches.
  • Overnight sourdough cranberry nut rolls - these are special rolls I make for Christmas brunch each year.  They are great with cheese and cranberry sauce for brunch.  I often eat a few with leftover nutloaf too.
  • Chocolate panforte– I made this a few times last Christmas and it was a great food to share with family and friends and to give as a gift that is full of dried fruit.
  • Hot Cross Buns - Easter eggs and hot cross buns hit the shops too early each year but come Good Friday, hot cross buns are a must in my house and they taste so much better when made at home.
  • Vegetarian Haggis (v) – In Scotland it is easy to buy vegetarian haggis for Hogmanay but in Australia it is rare as hen’s teeth. I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to make and E loves it at New Year’s Eve each year as a little reminder of home.

Eating out
  • Brunetti (Carlton) - great for coffee and cakes
  • Half Moon Cafe (Coburg) - great local falafel cafe - some say it is the best in Melbourne and I would be inclined to believe this
  • Zaatar (Coburg)  - you can't go past their excellent zaatar pizzas at $1.30 for cheap and cheerful
  • Boot Factory (Coburg) - a hipster cafe in the old Pentridge Gaol boot factory with some interesting vegan food.

Note: This post was my 600th and written in 2010.  Last updated Dec 2022.

    13 comments:

    1. Well, now I feel silly about getting excited over my 100th post recently!

      I've bookmarked this page, as it's just too painful to get caught up clicking through to all the recipes... once I'm home, with access to a kitchen, I'll be back. There are going to be some super fun reading/cookingtimes ahead!

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    2. What a great resource! I've already clicked through to a few I'd missed the first time round :)

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    3. Happy birthday! 600 quality posts, well done.

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    4. Oh and forgot to say--SIX HUNDRED POSTS??? Amazing, amazing.

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    5. This is such an impressive list--and now I've found so many more of your recipes I want to try! Thanks for all the work that went into putting this up. :)

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    6. Wow, 600 posts! I'll need to come back and spend some time here!

      Ciao
      Alessandra

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    7. happy bloggy birthday! There's a book in the making there with all those toddler friendly recipes. N x

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    8. Happy 600th post!! Such an incredible achievement! I'm soooo excited about all these tantalizing recipes - I can't wait to begin cooking my way through the list, starting with the hot cross buns! :-)

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    9. Congratulations on your 600th post Johanna! I admire how often you can post with a new baby-you are one busy lady and then to put together a list of your favourites for us too! :D

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    10. Thanks Hannah - actually I think I was more excited about my 100th than my 600th - that one meant I was really serious about blogging - this one just means I can't stop myself :-) I hope you will still be blogging when you get back in your kitchen

      Thanks Lysy - I am glad it is useful and helping you wade through the recipes

      thanks Lisa

      Thanks Ricki - it is amazing how older recipes get dusty so quickly - glad to help you brush the cobwebs of a few good ones

      Thanks Alessandra - this blog has got to the stage where you need a bit of time for browsing but would love to have you back for a good look around

      Thanks Nic - so kind of you to suggest a toddler cookbook - am sure Sylvia would help with decorating the pages :-)

      thanks Astra - I have hot cross buns high on my list at the moment too

      Thanks Lorraine - I guess being busy gives me even more appreciation for how helpful a good index is :-)

      Thanks Michelle - hope you enjoy them

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    11. Wow 600 posts!!!! That's awesome. =) Oh those vegetarian sausage rolls... I really want to make those! Thanks for the reminder.

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    12. Happy 600th! I think you are going to overtake us one of these days. :-)

      We will have to give Andre's a go one day, it's the only spot on your Eating Out list that's unfamiliar to me. (And I agree that all the others are great!)

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