Whether you are vegetarian, vegan or just love a great vegetable-based dish to break up the meat-and-3-veg approach of usual...I totally recommend Amy Chaplin's At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen (Jacqui Small Books). The photography is amazing - you will want to make everything. Well, ok, you'll want someone to make it as long as you can eat it.

From sweet corn frittata (mouth-wateringly good) to salads that will not leave you feeling deprived or undernourished in the slightest. Plus, there's a guide to what to stock your pantry with to be prepared for adventuring into wholefood recipes full of flavour and nutrients. This isn't a fad diet. While some of the recipes are going to tick the paleo or gluten free boxes, they are not designed to appease any particular dietary needs.
The beauty of embracing wholefoods is to choose good quality, seasonal produce (whatever fruit/veg/legumes/fish/poultry and meat) are available fresh and local rather than pre-packaged, pre-prepared foods. The less that happens to your food between coming from the ground, the plant or the creature and to your plate makes it more "Whole".
If this means you can't eat avocadoes and bananas every one of the 365 days of the year because they're just not growing 365 days of the year close to you, you'll adapt and find new foods to embrace and prepare! Take the challenge.
Here's one of my favourites. Looks fabulous. Tastes incredible.

BEETROOT CHICKPEA CAKES WITH TZATZIKI

MAKES 12 CAKES

SERVES 4

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,

plus more for brushing cakes and tray

520 g (1 lb 3 oz/3. cups) cooked chickpeas (see page 68),

or 2 425-g (15-oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed well

2 red onions, finely diced

8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

2 red beetroot (340 g/12 oz), grated on largest hole of a box grater

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

30 g (1 oz/. cup) chopped dill

Freshly ground black pepper

Tzatziki to serve (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 190oC/375oF/Gas Mark 5. Line a baking tray with

baking parchment, lightly brush with olive oil and set aside.

Place chickpeas in a bowl and crush with a potato masher; set

aside. (Don’t mash the chickpeas completely. The mixture should be

somewhat chunky.)

Warm olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add onions

and saute for 5 minutes or until browning. Add garlic and salt and

cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in grated beetroot and continue

cooking for another 6 to 8 minutes or until beetroot are cooked. Add

balsamic vinegar and remove from heat. Add to mashed chickpeas along

with chopped dill and mix well to combine. Season to taste with salt

and pepper.

Divide mixture into 12 and shape into 12 cakes. Place on prepared

tray and brush top and sides of each cake with olive oil. Bake for

15 minutes, rotate tray and continue baking for another 15 minutes or

until brown on the bottom. Remove from oven; allow to cool for

5 minutes before serving.

To serve, slide a thin spatula under each cake and flip onto plate so

bottom side is up. Top with tzatziki or serve it on the side.

TZATZIKI

Tzatziki is a fantastic Greek yogurt dip or side dish

made with cucumbers, dill, garlic and olive oil. The first

time I ate it was on a trip to Greece with my best

friend, Guinevere, many years ago. The tzatziki we

had was served with cooked beetroot and beetroot greens,

and the simple and extremely tasty combination has

stuck with me ever since. Don’t save it just for these cakes;

tzatziki is delicious served with roasted vegetables,

simple grains and crunchy summer salads.

MAKES 480 ML (16 FL OZ/2 CUPS)

1 large (225-g/8-oz) Middle Eastern cucumber (or

a regular cucumber, peeled and deseeded)

360 ml (12 fl oz/1. cups) whole-milk Greek

yogurt or Labneh (page 215)

10 g (. oz/. cup) chopped dill

2 garlic cloves, crushed

. teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil,

plus more for drizzling

Freshly ground black pepper

Grate cucumber on the largest hole of a box

grater, place in a sieve and squeeze out juice with

your hands. Drink or discard juice and add

cucumber to a medium bowl along with yogurt,

dill, garlic, salt, olive oil and a pinch of black

pepper. Stir to combine, season to taste and serve

drizzled with olive oil. Store any leftovers in an

airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Recipe and image from At Home in the Whole Food Kitchen (Jacqui Small Books) $39.99 available now in all good bookstores and online.

From the fabulous Recipes and Images from Courtyard Kitchen by Natalie Boog, published by Murdoch Books, I have two killer recipes that will have you racing for the door and ready to get into the kitchen tonight. Or now.
Book available now. Buy it here.

Basil & Parmesan Polenta Chips

When cooked perfectly, these chips have a lovely crunchy crust. They’re delicious on their own as a snack, or served with steak and salad. If I’m cooking polenta to eat with another dish, I make extra with a little basil, and refrigerate it, so I have some ready to go for these yummy chips.

Serves 4 as a side.

500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock

190 g (6¾ oz/1 cup) coarse polenta (cornmeal)

80 g (2¾ oz/¾ cup) finely grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons finely chopped basil

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

olive oil spray (optional)

Line a 20 cm (8 inch) square glass or ceramic dish with baking paper.
Put the stock and 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) water in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Slowly pour in the polenta, whisking until well combined. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring regularly to prevent the polenta catching, for about 20 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and comes away from the side of the pan.
Remove from the heat, add the parmesan and basil, season to taste and combine well. Pour the polenta into the prepared dish, cool, then refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.
Cut the polenta into chips and cook on a lightly oiled barbecue hotplate until golden and crisp on all sides. Alternatively, spray the chips with olive oil and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 20 minutes, or until crisp and golden. Serve hot.

Lamb & Herb Salad

Serves 4

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) lamb backstraps or loin fillets

3 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

2 teaspoons finely chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme leaves

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

150 g (5½ oz) cherry tomatoes

250 g (9 oz) haloumi cheese, sliced

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves

1 small handful coriander (cilantro) leaves

1 small handful tarragon leaves

1 tablespoon coarsely torn basil leaves

1 tablespoon finely chopped mint

4 handfuls rocket

40 g (1½ oz/¼ cup) pine nuts, toasted

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Put lamb in a shallow dish, drizzle with a little oil, add half the rosemary and thyme, season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.
Put the tomatoes on a baking tray, drizzle with a little oil and season. Roast for 20 minutes, or until soft but not falling apart. Leave oven on.
Heat an ovenproof frying pan over medium–high heat and sear the lamb on both sides, until just browned. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast the lamb for 10–12 minutes, or until it is cooked to your liking. Allow the lamb to rest for 10 minutes, before slicing it diagonally.
Meanwhile, heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the haloumi for 30 seconds on each side, or until golden. Remove from the pan and tear into large pieces.
Put all the herbs, including the remaining rosemary and thyme, in a bowl. Add the rocket, pine nuts, roasted tomatoes and haloumi.
Whisk oil and vinegar together and season to taste. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Divide the salad evenly among four plates, top with the sliced lamb and serve immediately.