***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on canvas. Another painting inspired both by a wandering through the artwork (not the cartoons) of Australia's much loved Michael Leunig, and the repeated suggestion from a friend to give other-handed drawing a go.

***

The meatless meals recipe - French Toast

Once upon a time, it may have been when I was first introduced to the heaven that is French Toast, I cooked this up for breakfast, oh, every morning for at least a week. Or two. Or more? I can attest that even for a skinny someone with a crazy metabolism, this such a breakfast regime will put weight on you.
Moderation is key. Not too often. Not too much.
Unfortunately.

2 slices bread
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon butter
honey or similar to top

In a flat bottomed container (large enough to lie a slice of bread flat), beat the egg and milk together to blend thoroughly.
Heat the frypan up and melt the butter.
When the pan is quite hot, quickly dip each slice of bread in the egg/milk mix long enough to thoroughly coat each side.  There should be just enough mix for two slices of bread.
Fry immediately in the pan until golden and a little crispy (it will still be soft but should not be soggy).

Top with honey or maple syrup to serve.

Tickles 1 tummy.

Cheesy. Easy. Homely. Quick.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on canvas. A nod to the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the three bears and the bowl of 'just right'.

***

The meatless meals recipe - Super Easy Goldilocks Mac and Cheese

Once upon a time I used to make a roux to thicken the cheese sauce of my mac and cheese. Now, I am not fond of unnecessary steps or waiting about for my food and so at some point I tried 'cheating' using a judicious amount of cornflour to thicken the sauce. It's much quicker and no, I could not tell the difference.

After trialling many many variations, this is my version of 'just right' mac and cheese. The thickness of the sauce is 'just right'. The cheesiness is 'just right'. The amount of sauce for the quantity of pasta is 'just right'. And it's quick, which is just right for me.


200g uncooked pasta (macaroni!)
1 1/2 teaspoons butter
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups grated tasty cheese (88g) For extra cheesyness, use 1 1/2 cups cheese (105g) but I think this is a bit strong
1 tablespoon cornflour
salt and pepper to taste


Cook pasta, drain and set aside.
Melt butter in a pan on low-medium heat.
Add most of the milk to the butter. Reserve some for mixing with the cornflour later.
Add cheese to the pot as well. Mix.
In a cup or small bowl, blend or whisk the cornflour and reserved milk.
When most of the cheese has melted, add the cornflour mix to the pot and whisk until thickened.
Take off the heat, add drained pasta into the cheese sauce and mix well.

Serve. Salt and pepper to taste.

The sauce takes 5 minutes to make. Mac and Cheese takes 5 minutes to eat.

 

 

For 2 

Fresh. Easy. Quick. Aromatic.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on canvas. An early spring garden of fresh new plants, entangled with spaghetti.

***

The meatless meals recipe - Pasta Primavera - Pasta with Spring Vegetables in Herb Sauce

The taste of early spring in a bowl in the time it takes to cook your favourite pasta shape.

 

pasta (papadelle is my favourite for this) for 2, about 200g
parmesan to taste
salt to taste
3 cups mixed spring veg, chopped into bite size pieces - recommended are:
peas, broadbeans, asparagus, broccoli, snap peas, snowpeas

Herb sauce:

1 cup chopped fresh parsley (about 10g)
about 7g finely chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup whole mint leaves (about 4g)
at least 1/4 cup olive oil

Cook pasta.
Pre cook mixed veg. Blanch, boil or steam as suits you. I find steaming the veg on top of the pasta or pouring the drained pasta water over the veg to blanch them both work well to save on washing up, water, energy and general effort!
Put the ingredients for the herb sauce in a blender and blend smooth.
To serve, pile pasta into bowls, then top with sauce then veges and parmesan and salt to taste. Be aware that mixing the pasta and sauce before transferring to the serving bowls leaves most of the sauce and flavour behind sticking to the pot or bowl in which they were mixed.

Delicate. Easy. Quick. Creamy.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil and graphite on linen. I have a soft spot for Victorian era or olde worlde looking botannical illustrations. Now this painting is not strictly in that vintage style as I've aimed to loosen it up a bit with watercolour inspired brushwork. The result is rightly a bit more modern, while harking back to an older era where cucumbers were routinely eaten as a sole sandwich filling, and held in much higher regard than they seem to be today.

Did you know that all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store?  If you want to get your mitts on the original, it is drying and awaiting it's professional photoshoot before being allowed in the shop.

To be kept updated on available paintings, get on the mailing list, yellow box top left.

***

The meatless meals recipe

It can be somewhat odd making soups in high summer, but sometimes that's exactly what you want to eat. Some people enjoy cold soups at this time of year. I don't enjoy cold soup at any time of year. I did, however, try this soup both cold and warm and I can say that it works either way. So if chilled soup is your thing then you can make this and put it in the fridge. If warm (not hot) soup is your preference, this is delightful. It also uses a good quantity of cucumber which I have discovered grows as prolifically as zucchini. Just so you know, not deseeding or peeling the cucumbers turns this into an entirely different and rather ordinary dish. I am generally not in favour of peeling and deseeding vegetables or of creating extra work in the kitchen. In this recipe it is essential. Peel, deseed then weigh your cucumber. It is absolutely worth it.

1 Tbl olive oil

700g cucumber that has already been peeled and deseeded (about 1.4kg whole cucumber), sliced or grated

4 spring onions, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cups stock

2 teaspoons fresh chopped dill

2 avocados

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

black pepper to taste

Soften the spring onion in oil.
Add grated/sliced cucumber, lemon juice, stock and dill.
Heat until the cucumber is warmed through and softened. It doesn't need to be 'cooked'.
Add avocado and white wine vinegar and puree until velvety smooth.
Serve and garnish with more dill.
Add salt and pepper to taste. A generous amount of pepper works well.

Serves 4.

Thrifty. Delicate. Homely. Quick.

Easy. Versatile. Thrifty. Quick.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. I was really trying to get the texture of icecream into this painting.

Imagine a summer sky filled with fluffy white clouds. Now add a flock of birds. And now also a craving for icecream. It is really hot. You are lying on the grass looking up, squinting, and making shapes out of the clouds. You know your mind can play tricks on you when you do this. That's part of the fun of this game. You see what you are thinking about in the clouds and birds above. Banana icecream.

All artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store. There are prints and originals. This particular painting is drying and will be made available soon for $150. To find out the instant it's ready, get on the collectors list, yellow box top left.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Due to all the floods that happened in Queensland this summer, Australia is suffering a banana shortage. Or not, if you are prepared to pay $13 a kilo! I can only dream of this at the moment. Luckily it's the middle of winter here which tends to keep icecream cravings in check.

This has to be the most astoundingly easy, super healthy and tasty icecream ever. Apparently it's done the rounds online, most often called one ingredient icecream. I first stumbled across it over at thekitchen.com and couldn't believe what I read.

It's so simple to make that it barely counts as cooking and the results are superbly creamy. This icecream is indistinguishable from the real commercial variety minus the weird food additives, and is actually good for you. It's cheap, fast, vegan, no fat, sugar free and stunning.

So how do you make this summer treat?

Take one frozen banana (peeled and chopped and placed in a container before freezing makes life a bit easier at the next step)
Put said frozen banana, peeled and chopped, into a blender.
Whizz madly until it reaches icecream consistency. It starts off slow so have patience.
You may like to add a little vanilla essence to enhance the flavour. Or perhaps some cocoa powder or peanut butter or honey or fresh mint...
What toppings would you like? Chopped nuts, sesame seeds, chocolate syrup, maple syrup, strawberries, au naturale....

One frozen banana equals one serve of perfect icecream.

Easy. Versatile. Thrifty. Quick.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. If you think that the image is a bit bright on your monitor, let's just say that in real life this piece has a 'startling luminosity'.

Gobble gobble fun time. All hands diving in to grab a slice. I was wanting to catch that moment when a group of hungry friends are sharing food straight from the oven, when talking halts and an entanglement of arms descends - no hesitation . That snatched moment when the food is still on the plate before it is all devoured a split second later. Trails of stringy cheese mandatory. 

This is one of my all time favourites so far. Of course I like all the paintings I've done, but it's human to have favourites.

All the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store. Very limited edition reproduction prints are ready to go right now. If you love and want the original, it is drying and will be made available soon. To find out the moment it's ready, get on the email list, yellow box top left.

***

The meatless meals recipe

I have to admit that I am too lazy to make my own pizza dough. When I want pizza I want it now not in several hours time when the dough base has risen (or not! - what a story that was) and is finally ready to begin cooking. And I find the store bought pizza bases to be too thick and chewy and generally unpleasant. I doubt I'm alone.

There is a third way. Pita bread. If this is too dry for you, try a softer wrap bread such as the sort for souvlaki or burritos. The idea is the same. These flat breads come in packets of half a dozen or more and kick butt for taste over preprepared pizza bases.  They're usually much cheaper. And they offer unbeatable effortlessness. 

To go on the pita bread base I do make my own tomato sauce paste. It's really simple and really flavourful.

Tomato sauce paste
60g sundried tomato
1/2 medium onion
1 fresh tomato (around 100g)
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Put all of these in a blender and whizz until smooth.
This makes enough sauce for 3 pizzas of approximately 30cm diameter, which we find is just right for two people. Remember, the base is really thin and not that filling.

Vegetarian Toppings
Not sure what to put on your pizza? Here are two of my personal favourites and a list of ingredients to consider if you're a bit stuck.

'Mazing Margarita
tomato sauce on the pita bread base
sliced fresh tomato 160-200g
salt and pepper
a mix of grated cheese on top - 60g mozzarella and 30g tasty

Cook in the oven on a pizza stone for 20 minutes at 180C.
After it comes out of the oven, drizzle with olive oil, then spread 1 clove of minced fresh garlic all over the toppings and cover with fresh basil leaves (10-12g).

Mushroom & Olive
tomato sauce on the pita bread base
100g sliced fresh mushrooms (I know, not very seasonal)
40g sliced olives
salt and pepper
a mix of grated cheese on top - 60g mozzarella and 30g tasty
Cook in the oven on a pizza stone for 20 minutes at 180C.
After it comes out of the oven, drizzle with olive oil, then spread 1 clove of minced fresh garlic all over the toppings and cover with fresh rocket (around 25g).

Choices, choices, choices.
Marinated artichoke, mushroom, feta cheese, olives, spinach, onion, caramelised onion, fresh tomato, roast tomato, sundried tomato, capsicum, roast capsicum, fried eggplant, fried zucchini, avocado, fresh basil, rocket, egg (yes, just crack it on right before it goes in the oven), pineapple, corn, cooked potato slices, cooked pumpkin, cooked sweet potato, garlic, oregano, rosemary, thyme, pesto (in addition or replacing the tomato sauce)

What else would you add to this list?

Satisfying. Quick. Easy. Homely.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. Celebrating the distinctive white cracking pattern of the top of the winter shiitake mushroom. If you take a look at my previous post on the Edwardian photographer and professional gardener Charles Jones, you will see the inspiration for this painting. I wanted to do the painting equivalent of his gentle yet powerful moments with vegetables.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Quick. Easy. Satisfying. Fresh.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin.

This is a super slick stencil style painting of charmingly cartoonish burger-mushrooms in a 1950's colour palette. Thanks to the Japanese anime style painter Madoka Kinoshita for inspiring the clean crisp lines and patience required for this piece. She recently did a three part video series of her painting methods which I found fascinating. It left me itching to try this style again. Now after completing this piece, I really know that while I enjoy the results, I really don't enjoy the process. Next time I try a stencil style piece, there will be changes to the method! I found that I am actually quicker and at least as accurate painting freehand rather than using a cut out mask. Who would've thunk?

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this 'recipe'. It's bloody delicious. And in the middle of winter when you're craving something fresh, yet warming and filling, this really hits the spot. I'm still searching for vege burgers of the pattie variety that can match these ideas.

So it's really easy and involves only 4 ingredients for the entire burger, with two variations.

bread for your burger, whatever style you like

avocado, be generous

rocket

then either topped with

haloumi cheese cut into 1/2 - 1 cm thick strips and gently pan fried until golden on both sides

or

a giant flat mushroom of any variety with the stalk cut off so they lie flat, then slowly pan fried until soft and cooked through

Yes that is it and they are divine. As I said, don't underestimate how delicious these are just because they are so simple.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. It should be fairly obvious that this painting is strongly influenced by Japanese printmaking. In case you're wondering, the greenery is mizuna and the water pattern is common to Japanese art.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

There are four styles of ramen and all of them rely heavily on the quality of the stock to taste great. When you look into recipes for ramen stock it becomes pretty clear pretty quickly the extraordinary lengths many chefs go to for flavouring their stocks. Think multiple animal carcasses simmered for days! I'm yet to come across another vegetarian stock that looks worth trying or one that is so quick to make from scratch. I assure you, this tastes great, and I am pleased to prove (at least in my mind!) that it is not necessary to cook with fish/chicken/pork to make a succulent ramen stock. The key is to use TWO stocks. Go veges!

Vege stock:

85g (2 handfuls) of finely shredded chinese cabbage

1/2 onion, finely sliced

4 sticks celery, chopped

Put all these in a pot with 3 1/2 cups water and boil for 20 minutes with the lid on. Discard the veg at the end. This will make 3 cups of vege stock.

Shoyu ramen:

2 cups seaweed stock

3 cups vege stock

ramen noodles for two (140-160g dry)

1 teaspoon sherry

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

Suggested toppings: 

1 spring onion, chopped

2 handfuls spinach

cracked black pepper to taste

bamboo shoots

2 hard boiled eggs in slices

tempeh slices

So begin by preparing the stocks and cooking the noodles so they are ready to eat.

Hard boil the eggs if you are having these as toppings and get all your toppings ready.

When the stocks are done, saute the ginger and garlic in a big pot in the sesame oil to take the edge off them.

Add both stocks and the sherry, salt, sugar and soy sauce to the big pot, mix and bring back to the boil.

Put the cooked noodles in the serving bowls.

Add the stock mix.

Add toppings and serve.

This recipe feeds 2.

Creamy. Delicate. Quick. Easy.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on canvas. In this piece I was aiming for a modern damask style arrangement that celebrates the crazy patterns of the walnut which is the centrepiece of this dish.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Hooray, another yummy pasta dish that does not involve tomatoes! This is so easy it almost doesn't count as cooking.

pasta for 4, something like spinach and ricotta ravioli is ideal

200g shelled walnuts

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 slices bread, no crust, soaked in milk

2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup of the water used to cook the pasta (or other very hot water)

salt to taste ( this may be up to 1/2 teaspoon)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Cook the pasta.

Put the walnuts, olive oil, milk-soaked bread, parmesan and butter in a blender and whizz until smooth.

Taste and adjust for salt and mix thoroughly.

Pour onto cooked pasta and top with the fresh thyme.

Feeds 4.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic and oil on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin. 

This design is known as a kolam. These are drawn fresh every morning in front of each house in southern parts of India with a handheld stream of rice flour. Special events call for really elaborate designs. The designs are learned, usually based around a grid of dots, and handed down in families. There are variations galore.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

Aviyal - the vegetarian dinner recipe

Although this is a South Indian style curry, it could easily pass for a Thai green curry. Bizarre but true.

3 tablespoons desiccated coconut

3 cups stock

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 cloves garlic

1-2 green chillies, deseeded

1 cup coconut milk

6 curry leaves
6 1/2 cups mixed vegetables such as pumpkin, carrots, beans, capsicum, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant, all julienned

salt to taste

Put the cumin, garlic, chilli and desiccated coconut in a blender with a little of the stock and whizz until nice and smooth.
Put this paste along with the rest of the stock, coconut milk and curry leaves in a pot.
Add the veges one type at a time, beginning with those that take the longest to cook.
When all the veges are in the pot and cooked, simmer uncovered for five minutes.
Serve with rice.

Makes 4-6 serves.

Easy. Chunky. Quick. Versatile.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on canvas. Some time ago I experimented with a technique I'd noticed in Egon Schiele's work (warning - link NSFW). Transparent overpainting of the background. I really quite like it. Last time I toyed with white over black. This time I'm toying with chromatic black over gold.

And the theme this time? OK, suspend belief now - a potato moon in an alien sky. Yes, rather surreal. This is probably from watching too many cartoons and wacky anime. It's a surreal SciFi theme. At least I avoided adding any giant robots which seems to be de rigueur for anime.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

There was a time when the only hash browns I had tried were the ones out at cafes that had actually come out of a packet and always seemed to ooze oil.  I was never impressed. And then there was a week (or was it two or three? I think I have deliberately erased that memory) where I found myself living on potatoes. Potato salads, baked potatoes, mash, potato gratin. Every meal. Desperate for some sort of a change I tried homemade hash browns. Converted!

This recipe can also be used to make many kinds of vege fritters. In hash browns the starch in the potato holds it all together. For other vegetables, a tablespoon of milk is often all you need to add as a binder. If you're worried, add an egg too.

+++

More vegetarian cookbook goodies

Need help with conversions? Download this handy dandy pdf of cooking conversion charts for every cooking measuring system I could find. It should make your life easier.

Want to check out more vegetarian dinner recipes? They're all in the Table of Contents.

+++

Quick. Easy. Versatile. Homely.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 24cm collage of cotton, paper, pen and gouache. Inspired by seeing asian vege bundles ready to sell that were all wrapped up in newspaper at asian grocery stores, and by the brush and ink style of traditional painting in countries such as China and Japan.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

This is a really easy way to get a general oriental flavoured vegetarian stock. Another unrelated way is to use the water used for rehydrating shitake mushrooms, which is worth keeping and freezing as it retains a lot of flavour.

+++

More vegetarian cookbook goodies

Need help with conversions? Download this handy dandy pdf of cooking conversion charts for every cooking measuring system I could find. It should make your life easier.

Want to check out more vegetarian dinner recipes? They're all in the Table of Contents.

+++

Quick. Easy. Versatile. Homely.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 24cm collage of cork, fabric, paper and pen. The inspiration for this was the patterns that are used in sewing. The connection for me is that this stock is the basis for so many dishes, just like a sewing pattern is the basis for so many garment creations. And also that this stock is so very versatile and adjustable depending on what you have in the fridge, just as a garment pattern can be nipped and tucked and adjusted for a personal fit.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

Onion, carrot and celery are the base ingredients for a great homemade vegetable stock.

+++

More vegetarian cookbook goodies

Need help with conversions? Download this handy dandy pdf of cooking conversion charts for every cooking measuring system I could find. It should make your life easier.

Want to check out more vegetarian dinner recipes? They're all in the Table of Contents.

+++

Filling. Quick. Easy. Creamy.

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic and oil pastel on canvas. Inspired by ancient Neolithic stone carved symbols courtesy of Marija Gimbutas and a painting I saw recently full of sculptured, ripped paint (artist unknown unfortunately). And the wonderful curls and spirals of spaghetti.
 

Allegedly, carbonara is a recently invented dish which dates from the second world war. The tale goes that foreign (ie American and English) soldiers stationed in Italy were seen eating bacon and eggs for breakfast. This new dish made an impression on the Italians who developed their own regional variation, carbonara, which is basically bacon and eggs on spaghetti, in the years after the war. I don't know if this is true or not, but the story sure stuck in my head!

spaghetti for two

1 teaspoon salt

250g mushrooms, sliced

1-2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup white wine

150-200g smoked tofu or fake bacon, cut into strips

2 eggs

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

generous amount of cracked pepper

Cook the spaghetti in boiling water along with the salt. Yes, it is a lot of saly, but it really does work.

Melt the butter in a frypan. Then throw in the wine. Add the mushrooms and fry until all the liquid has gone.

Add the smoked tofu to the mushrooms and warm through.

In a mixing bowl, combine the (yes raw!) eggs, cheese and pepper.

Drain the spaghetti well and mix the pasta and egg & cheese mix thoroughly while the pasta is still very hot.

Serve the spaghetti mix into bowls and top with mushrooms and tofu.

Just right for 2.

Quick. Easy. Light. Juicy.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil transfer drawing (a kind of monotype print) on oil on canvas. Inspired by Chinese paper cutting or Jianzhi which is a traditional form of decoration. Also usually in Chinese red.

A super quick fantastic meal today for Meatless Monday. Such simple ingredients are really transformed into something else. If you know of the taste sensation of umami, this is it bottled, as far as I'm concerned.

4 eggs

2 tomatoes, chopped into 2cm cubes

1/2 - 1 spring onion, finely sliced

2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine

about 8 pinches of ground Chinese (Szechuan) pepper

1-2 teaspoons sugar

pinch of salt, to taste

dash of soy sauce

optional dash of Chinese stock sauce or savoury seasoning (add in with the soy sauce in the recipe)

sesame or peanut oil

Crack the eggs into a bowl and add a pinch of salt. Beat the eggs.

Put a really generous amount of oil in a pan.

When the oil is almost smoking, add the eggs, stirring, and scramble very quickly. Remove to a plate or back into the bowl.

Remove most of the oil from the pan.

Fry the garlic, Szechuan pepper and a pinch or two of salt until the garlic has softened.
Add the tomato and a little soy sauce to taste.
After the tomato has cooked a little, add sugar.
After a little more cooking add the eggs back in and taste the dish for salt, sugar and soy sauce. Adjust as needed.
Serve over rice and sprinkle with the spring onion.

For 2.

Quick. Easy. Versatile. Light.

These could also be called Chinese Vegetable Pancakes. The reason they aren't is that I discovered just how many different types of Chinese vege pancakes there are out there and none of them were quite this one.  

These crepes are just right with a side of leafy greens in soy sauce and garlic, just like my Chilli Greens but minus the chilli, and plain steamed rice.  Or choose any stirfried veges or tofu you like as toppings. These are so versatile.  Use what you have in them and eat them with or without other dishes. The extra sides makes this a meal. On their own they make a great snack. Also, try a topping of your favourite asian sauce. We have a stash of a Chinese chilli sauce that is a bit sweet and sour and filled with peanuts and cured tofu. Sounds gross, but I swear it's addictive on these pancakes.

By the way, the optional ingredient purslane pigweed/little hogweed is a weed in the West, not a cultivated vegetable, and you will probably have to go gleaning for it. So for all you free foodies,  this recipe's for you. Don't stress if you're a supermarket person, spinich, chives or silverbeet work very well too.

1 cup plain flour

3/8 teaspoon salt (1/4 teaspoon plus half as much again)

1 beaten egg

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 1/4 cups milk or unsweetened soy milk

1/2 cup water

splosh of sesame oil

1 spring onion, chopped fine

1-1 1/2 cups fine chopped leafy greens (include some garlic chives if you can, the flavour is wonderful)

Put the flour and salt in a mixing bowl and mix.

Slowly add the wet ingredients into the bowl (a whisk is very helpful here) to make a smooth creamy batter.

Then add in the spring onion and leafy greens. Purslane, garlic chives, spinach, silver beet etc all work well.

Fry the batter in 4 batches until golden brown on both sides in a pan oiled with sesame oil. A pancake is ready to turn when bubbles appear on the surface.

This recipe will make 4 pancakes about 8" or 20cm diameter.

+++

Need help with conversions? Download this handy dandy pdf of cooking conversion charts for every cooking measuring system I could find. It should make your life easier.

Want to check out more vegetarian dinner recipes? They're all in the Table of Contents.

+++