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 
• sweet 
• gluten free baking
• healthy snacks 
• celebration food 
• places to eat out

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:

• Gravy (v)
• Simple tomato sauce (gf, v)
• Vegveeta cheeze sauce (gf, v)

Salads and Pates:

• Brown rice salad (gf, v)
• Carrot and seed salad (gf, v)
• Crunchy summer salad (gf, v)
• Japanese snow pea salad (gf, v) 
• Finnish green bean paté (gf)
• Lentil salad with haloumi and asparagus (gf)   
• Macedonian eggplant salad (gf, v)
• Mock tuna (chickpea) salad (gf, v)  
• Peasant potato salad (gf) 
• Only-kale-can-save-us-now salad (gf, v)
• Smoky potato, bean and corn salad (gf,v) 
• Sushi rice salad (gf, v)
• Voracious vegan pate (v) 
• Warm pea and lentil salad (gf, v)

Balls, Fritters, Burgers

• Corn fritters (gf) 
• Red lentil koftas (gf, v) 
• Tofu bacon (gf, v) 
• Tofu nuggets (v) 
• Tofu, carrot and zucchini burgers
• Tofu nut balls (v)

Soups:

• African curried coconut soup (gf, v) 
• Asparagus, potato and quinoa soup (gf, v)
• Avgolemono (gf, v)
• Cheesy cauliflower and rice soup (gf, v)
• Chickpea and spinach soup (v)
• Coconut vegie and tofu stew (gf, v)
• Corn chowder with edamame and tofu bacon (gf, v)
• Miso soup with tofu, vegetables and noodles (v)
• Red lentil soup with spinach and lime (gf, v)  
• Split pea soup (gf, v) 
• Sweet potato and red lentil soup (gf, v)
• Spring risotto soup (gf, v) 
• Tempeh and corn soup (gf, v) 

Stovetop:

• Chickpea pilaf (gf, v)
• Chickpea, potato and tomato stew (gf, v)  
• Chickpea flour (besan) scramble (gf, v)
• Coconut black-eyed bean stew (gf, v)  
• Cuban beer-infused black beans (gf, v) 
• Easy dahl (gf, v)
• Hurry up pumpkin alfredo pasta sauce (v) 
• Fried rice with tofu scramble (gf, v)
• Kidney bean (and corn) stew (gf, v)
• Lo Mein (v)
• Matthews delicious tofu (gf, v)
• Mee goreng (v)  
• Prune and bean casserole (gf, v)
• Pumpkin risotto (gf, v) 
• Sausage curry casserole (v)
• Spicy pea curry (gf, v) 
• Tahini lime rice with kale and cashews (gf, v) 
• Tofu besan omelet (gf, v) 

Oven bakes:

• Cheese, onion and potato pasties (Tiddly Oggies)
• Meaty cauliflower and walnut lasagne
• Mexicale pie
• Nutroast
• Soft polenta with tomato sauce (gf)
• Red lentil loaf
• Roast potato and pumpkin (gf, v)
• Samosa pie (v)
• Shepherd’s pie (gf)
• Spinach rice gratin (gf) 
• Vegetarian lasagne 
• Vegetable nut crumble 
• Zucchini slice (with tofu bacon)  

Savoury baking:

• Beer bread (v)
• Celia's overnight sourdough bread  (v) 
• Cheese and parsley muffins (with vegan option) 
  
• Chia olive oil bread (v)
• Fast track pizza dough (v)
• Fast track sourdough pizza dough (v)
• Potato bread
• Potato scones (v) 
• Sourdough toss-off flatbreads (v)
  
• Sweet potato soda bread

Sweet Food

• ANZAC biscuits (v)
• Apple and date cake
• Apple slice 
• Banana oat pancakes 
• Berry and banana smoothie (gf, v)
• Cherry Ripe cake pops (gf)
• Choc chip cookies with condensed milk
• Chocolate cupcakes (v) 
• Chocolate tahini cookies (v)
• Fruit salads (gf, v)
• Gingerbread biscuits
• Heidi’s wholemeal chocolate cake
• Mud cake
• Porridgies (v)
• Rhubarb and strawberry crumble (v)  
• Strawberry chia seed jam (gf, v)
  
• Treacle gingerbread  
• Vanilla cupcakes 
  
• Vegan vanilla cake (v)  
• Vegan chocolate (layer) cake (v)  
  
• Walnut fudge cake
  

Sweet childhood favourites:

• Potato boston bun (v)
• Butterscotch surprise cake
• Chocolate caramel slice (gf, v) 
• Chocolate pudding (v)
• Grubs (gf)
• Hedgehog
• Mock turtle slice
• Mum’s banana cake 
• Pumpkin scones
• Scones (v)

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. 

• Chocolate almond and coconut balls (gf, v)
• Chocolate bliss balls with banana and oats (v) 
• Dried fruit and coconut balls (gf, v)
  
• Fruit, nut and tahini slice (v)
• Fruity carrot muffins (v)
• Fruity quinoa muffins (v)
• Glo Bars (gf, v) 
• Moist bran muffins
• Oat and cranberry biscuits
• Plum (or raspberry) and banana low sugar muffins (v)
• Rustic muesli squares
• Tofu and pesto crackers (v)
  

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.  These are mostly from my early years of blogging, mostly without pre-made GF flour mixes.  GF foods and flour mixes have come a long way since then. 

• Apricot and cranberry cake (gf)
• Cheese and almond loaf (gf)
• Cheesy almond muffins (gf)
• Chickpea crackers (gf v) 
• Chickpea pizza base (gf, v)
• Chocolate brownies with chickpea flour (gf)
• Chocolate cupcakes (gf, v) 
• Coconut ice (gf)
• Donna Hay everyday brownies (gf)
• Heavenly chocolate cake (gf)
• Jill Dupleix's flourless chocolate cake (gf)
• Macaroon cake with raspberries (gf) 
• Peanut butter and choc chip cookies (gf) 
• Vanilla cupcakes (gf) 
• Zimsterne (cinnamon stars) (gf, v)

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 generally make this at Christmas. It is a Italian festive dried fruit and nut "cake" that is dense and fudgy.  It is great to share with family and friends and to give as a gift. 
  
• Overnight Sourdough Hot Cross Buns (v) - It isn't Good Friday without Hot Cross Buns.  I have tried quite a few hot cross bun recipes and this has been my favourite for a few years.  They taste so much better when made at home.  For a regular yeast recipe try this Hot Cross Buns.
• 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.  We love haggis on nachos at New Year's Eve.
  
• Vegetarian sausage rolls - great warm finger food for celebratory get-togethers.
  

Eating out

• BrewDog (Coburg) - brewery in historic E-Division bluestone building with great pizza, mac and cheese bites and a large courtyard.
  
• 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 Nov 2023.