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.  It was first posted in 2010 and updated regularly (ast update Oct 2024) Most are recipes 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

Soups:

Stovetop:

Oven bakes:

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. The below recipes 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.  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. 

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
  • Boot Factory (Coburg) - a hipster cafe in the old Pentridge Gaol boot factory with some interesting vegan food.
  • 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
  • Chooka's Cafe (Brunswick) - friendly and cozy Japanese cafe with delicious new dishes to try like omusubi and matcha desserts. A delightful cafe in an old 1930s market building in a tree lined lane.
  • Half Moon Cafe (Coburg) - great local falafel cafe - some say it is the best falafel in Melbourne and I would be inclined to believe this
  • Zaatar (Coburg)  - you can't go past their excellent zaatar pizzas for cheap and cheerful


Thanks to Cindy and Michael’s Where the Best? list for inspiration for this post

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    13 comments:

    1. Hannah30 March 2010 at 05:29

      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!

      ReplyDelete
    2. Lysy30 March 2010 at 06:07

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

      ReplyDelete
    3. lisa30 March 2010 at 08:52

      Happy birthday! 600 quality posts, well done.

      ReplyDelete
    4. Ricki30 March 2010 at 13:32

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

      ReplyDelete
    5. Ricki30 March 2010 at 13:32

      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. :)

      ReplyDelete
    6. Alessandra31 March 2010 at 06:37

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

      Ciao
      Alessandra

      ReplyDelete
    7. nic @ nipitinthebud31 March 2010 at 07:34

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

      ReplyDelete
    8. Astra Libris31 March 2010 at 11:09

      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! :-)

      ReplyDelete
    9. Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella31 March 2010 at 16:05

      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. Michelle (Glow From the Inside)31 March 2010 at 22:55

      Wow! that really is a lot of recipes!

      ReplyDelete
    11. Johanna GGG31 March 2010 at 23:14

      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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    12. eatme_delicious2 April 2010 at 01:23

      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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    13. Cindy8 April 2010 at 19:38

      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!)

      ReplyDelete

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