Deliciously Ella Plant Based Recipes

I don't know about you, but I am a total sucker for cookbooks. Sure, blogs and websites and instagram are all awesome inspiration and I regularly end up recreating dishes or even just condiments and seasonings I've seen online, but nothing beats the loveliness of a solid, old-fashioned cookbook.

My new kitchen helper is Deliciously Ella The Plant-Based Cookbook by Ella Mills (Woodward), published by Hachette Australia (RRP $32.99). All photographs by Nassima Rothacker.

The following recipes are my favourites from the book. I'd love you to tag me if you make them and want to share a photo to instagram! I'm at @cat13gram.

HERBED LENTIL BALLS
WITH TOMATO RELISH
AND GARLIC CREAM

I know these may sound a little strange, but they taste amazing – especially

sitting in a bed of tomato relish and dressed with garlic cream. They’re

full of flavour thanks to the thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic and onion.

I love them served simply with some brown rice and salad.

MAKES 10

150g dried green lentils

1 large onion, sliced

2 garlic cloves, sliced

2 tablespoons buckwheat flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

handful of parsley, roughly

chopped

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

salt and pepper

for the tomato relish

6 tablespoons tomato purée

3 garlic cloves, peeled

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon maple syrup

100ml water

handful of parsley

pinch of ground cumin

pinch of chilli powder

pinch of smoked paprika

for the garlic cream

100g cashews, soaked for at least

3 hours then drained

10 tablespoons almond milk

3 garlic cloves, roasted (see

page 35)

splash of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 200.C (fan 180.C).

Start by placing the lentils in a pan of boiling water. Cook for

20–25 minutes until tender but still with a slight bite. Once cooked,

drain and leave to cool to room temperature.

While the lentils are cooking, place the onion and garlic in a pan

over a medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and cook

for 5–10 minutes, until soft. Then leave to cool to room temperature.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until

it forms a thick paste. Scoop balls of the mixture out of the food

processor using an ice-cream scoop, smooth them a little by rolling

them in your hands if you like, then place them on a baking tray

and bake in the oven for 35–40 minutes. Check the lentil balls are

cooked through by inserting a knife into the middle of one ball –

if it comes out clean they’re ready, if not bake for a little longer.

While the balls are in the oven, prepare the tomato relish and garlic

cream. Simply place all of the ingredients for the relish in a food

processor and some salt and pulse until smooth. Then do the same

for the garlic cream, adding salt and pepper to taste. Serve the

lentil balls piled high with the relish and garlic cream.

TIP

These are delicious served warm straight out the oven – if you’re

doing that then gently warm the tomato relish too.

YELLOW THAI CURRY

Aubergines are one of my favourite ingredients to use in a curry as they

soak up all of the flavours like a sponge. I’ve lost count of how many

bowls of this curry I’ve eaten in the last few years; when I’m having a

busy week I pop into the deli and devour a bowl with brown rice – it’s

warming, hearty and always keeps me going for hours. This one also

happens to be one of Matt’s favourites too.

SERVES 4

for the curry paste

1/2 large onion, roughly chopped

1 red chilli, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, roughly chopped

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger,

peeled and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 lemongrass stalk, bashed and

roughly chopped

1 lime leaf

31/2 tablespoons coconut oil

for the curry

2 red peppers, deseeded and cut

into bite-sized chunks

1 large aubergine, cut into bitesize

pieces

100g button mushrooms

100g baby corn, cut in half

olive oil

1 tablespoon coconut oil

2 x 400g tins of coconut milk

(see tip on page 174)

1 tablespoon tamari

handful of Thai basil,

roughly chopped

salt

Preheat the oven to 240.C (fan 220.C).

Place all of the paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz

until smooth.

Place the peppers, aubergine, mushrooms and baby corn in a baking

tray with a little olive oil and salt. Roast in the oven for 10–15 minutes,

so that they take on a bit of colour, then remove and leave to one side.

Next, place the coconut oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium

heat. Once hot, add the curry paste and cook for 5 minutes until

soft. Add the coconut milk and tamari and bring to the boil – then

lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and

blitz using a hand blender, then pass through a sieve to remove any

unwanted bits (if needed). Place back on to a medium heat and

add the roasted vegetables, then cook for a final 5 minutes. Try not

to overcook this curry – the sauce only needs this short cooking time

and there is a chance it could form a layer of oil on top if you cook

it for longer and reduce it too much.

Once everything is cooked through, sprinkle with a handful of chopped

Thai basil.

TIP

You could make a double batch of this curry and freeze half for

another day. It freezes so well and is really easy to cook straight

from the freezer – just place it into an oven set at 200C (fan 180C)

for 20–25 minutes until cooked through.

SPICY MISO AUBERGINE AND BROCCOLI SALAD

This salad was a real hit in the deli, and it’s one of my go-tos as well.

We used to serve it cool, but have recently discovered a new love of

serving it warm, straight out the oven and couldn’t recommend that

more. The dressing is partly what makes this so good and I use it a lot

in other dishes – the ginger, miso, sesame and lime mix is a real winner.

SERVES 2

AS A MAIN DISH,

4 AS A SIDE

2 medium aubergines, chopped

into bite-sized chunks

1 large head of broccoli, chopped

into florets

pinch of chilli flakes

handful of coriander, chopped

handful of sesame seeds

salt and pepper

for the miso dressing

4 tablespoons miso paste

juice of 1 lime

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons sesame oil

1 thumb-sized piece of ginger,

peeled and grated

Preheat the oven to 240ºC (fan 220ºC).

For the dressing, blitz the miso, lime juice, vinegar, sesame oil,

ginger and some salt and pepper in a blender until smooth. If

you don’t have a blender, dissolve the miso paste in a tablespoon

of boiling water then stir through the other dressing ingredients.

In a large baking tray, mix the aubergine with the dressing and

roast for 30–35 minutes. At this point, remove the tray from the

oven and switch the oven over to the grill setting. Mix the broccoli

florets with the aubergine, then place the tray back in the oven for

another 10 minutes until the broccoli is lightly charred on top and

the aubergine is soft and golden.

Once cooked, remove from the oven, place in a serving bowl

and sprinkle with the chilli flakes, coriander and sesame seeds

before serving.

Real Delicious Food

Too often in fitness and in food, there is a message from media, friends, family, personal trainers, supermarkets and pretty much everyone, that you need to follow a specific plan.

Usually, a specific plan that reaps plenty of money and devotion to a brand or individual. Drink our shakes! Purchase our appliances! Follow our instagram! And so forth.

What if you really considered what foods you like, what makes you feel good, what enables you to feel energetic enough to do what you have to do and what do you have the time and the enthusiasm to prepare?

I do have some paleo cookbooks and some raw food and vegan ones. I am not paleo, raw foodist or vegan. I think they have some fabulous recipes and I absolutely respect their ethos. I just know that I find I need animal based protein to feel truly satiated and energised.

I want to share some of the awesome books that are giving me recipe and happy, healthy food love at the moment. They are beautiful to look at and the recipes are not complex. They are not pushing a regimen on you - there's no self righteous eat THIS and NOT THAT! There's just a genuine celebration of flavour, fresh food and great combinations. Divided up between salads, main meals, sweet options and side dishes. Here's the lowdown on Real Delicious and Deliciously Ella.

Real Delicious by Chrissy Freer (Murdoch Books) is fabulous. The images are gorgeous - but don't be fooled by all the colour and prettiness - the recipes are simple and really good for both singles, small groups of friends and also feeding the whole family. Here are two of my must-try recipes: Japanese Pancakes and Fish and Sweet Potato

Japanese pancakes with mushrooms and chicken

Filled with shredded vegetables, minced lean chicken and protein-packed eggs, this version of a Japanese pancake makes a nutritious and filling lunch or light dinner. In Japan it’s traditionally served with mayonnaise, but I prefer to skip this in favour of a little sweet soy sauce and some salad leaves.

Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Makes 8


75 g (23/4 oz/1/2 cup) wholemeal spelt flour or plain (all-purpose) flour
3 eggs
11/2 tablespoons peanut or  macadamia oil
200 g (7 oz) minced (ground) chicken  or pork 
150 g (51/2 oz) mushrooms,  finely chopped 
2 teaspoons finely grated ginger
1 garlic clove, crushed
130 g (41/2 oz/13/4 cups) shredded  savoy cabbage 
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
Sweet soy sauce, for drizzling
2 teaspoons sesame seeds,  lightly toasted
Sliced spring onions (scallions),  to serve
Baby kale leaves, to serve

Whisk together the flour, eggs and 80 ml (21/2 fl oz/1/3 cup) cold water until smooth. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan. Add the chicken and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes or until browned. Add the mushrooms, ginger and garlic and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool completely.

Stir the chicken mixture, cabbage and carrot into the egg batter.

Heat half the remaining oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium–high heat. Ladle 1/2 cup of batter per pancake into the pan  and spread out to 1 cm (1/2 inch) thick. Cook for 3 minutes each side  or until golden. Transfer to a plate and keep warm while you cook  the rest, adding a little more oil when necessary.

Serve the pancakes drizzled with a little sweet soy sauce and scattered with the sesame seeds, spring onions and kale leaves.

Fish and sweet potato cakes with dill dressing

These fish cakes are made with mashed sweet potato instead of regular potato, and they’re coated in wholegrain oats instead of breadcrumbs. I love using sweet potato because it doesn’t need any butter or salt to taste great. It has a lower GI than regular potato and it’s packed with the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene, which has been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.

Preparation time: 20 minutes,  plus 30 minutes chilling
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Serves 4

400 g (14 oz) orange sweet potato,  cut into 3 cm (11/4 inch) dice
400 g (14 oz) firm white fish fillets
4 spring onions (scallions),  finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
2 tablespoons chopped dill
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 long red chilli, seeded and  finely chopped
100 g (31/2 oz/1 cup) rolled  (porridge) oats
1 tablespoon olive or macadamia oil
Baby English spinach leaves, to serve

Dill dressing
1 tablespoon chopped dill
1 tablespoon salted baby capers, rinsed and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of caster (superfine) sugar

Steam the sweet potato in a steamer over simmering water for  12 minutes or until tender. Drain, mash roughly with a fork and cool.

Steam the fish in a steamer over simmering water for 6–8 minutes  or until just cooked through. Set aside to cool, then flake with a fork.

Combine the sweet potato, fish, spring onion, herbs, lemon zest and chilli in a large bowl. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Form the mixture into eight 2 cm (3/4 inch) thick patties.

Place the oats on a large plate. Press each fish cake into the oats  to coat both sides. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm.

Combine all the ingredients for the dill dressing.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium–high heat and cook the fish cakes for 2–3 minutes each side or until golden brown, adding a little extra oil if necessary. Serve with spinach leaves and dill dressing.

TIP
Young children love these fish cakes, but you might need to leave out the chilli.

Recipes and images from Real Food by Chrissy Freer (Murdoch Books)

Deliciously Ella Every Day (Hachette) is exactly what it promises: simple recipes from wholefoods that are totally delicious. Some of you have followed Ella's blog and she has a massive social media following. You don't need to be familiar or a fan to find this recipe book totally reliable and enjoyable though. In fact, I am blissfully new to Ella and her wholefood approach. I love it though and want to share some of my fave recipes with you. Enjoy!

Pad Thai

Such a delicious dish, I think it may end up being a favourite recipe for lots of you... it’s certainly very popular in my house! It’s inspired by a recipe that a friend sent to me; I fell in love with it and adapted it over time to create this version. The sauce is definitely my favourite part, as it’s so incredibly rich with the most amazing array of flavours.

Serves 2

For the noodles
2 large courgettes
2 large carrots
100g buckwheat noodles
1 red pepper, cut into very thin strips 
handful of sesame seeds
30g cashew nuts 
10g fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

For the sauce
8 tablespoons olive oil
15g bunch of fresh coriander
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 tablespoon tamari
juice of 1 lemon
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Peel the courgettes, then use a vegetable peeler to peel the flesh into strips around the core. I normally discard the seedy centres, as they’re hard to peel. Do the same with the carrots.

Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Simply place everything into a blender or food processer with 9 tablespoons of water and whizz until smooth.

Once the noodles have cooked, drain them and let them cool for a few minutes.

Place the noodles, carrots, courgettes, pepper, sesame seeds and cashews in a large bowl and pour over the dressing. Mix everything together, then sprinkle the mint on top.

Cauliflower Pizza

Makes 2 large pizza crusts / Serves 4–6
4 tablespoons chia seeds
2 cauliflowers (about 1kg), roughly chopped
200g Apple Purée (page 40)
300g brown rice or buckwheat 
flour
juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons tamari
salt
4 teaspoons dried oregano
4 teaspoons dried basil

For the toppings, I like:
tomato purée
sliced tomatoes
canned sweetcorn
sliced mushrooms
fresh basil leaves
handful of rocket 
salt and pepper
olive oil

Place the chia seeds in a bowl with 280ml of water. Leave for 10–15 minutes, until the chia has formed a gel.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C).

Place the cauliflower in a food processor and blend it until a flour-like substance forms; this should take about a minute (you may need to do this in 2 batches). Place in a nut milk bag (page 53) and knead out excess water: it may take a few minutes but it’s a really important step, so please don’t skip it!

Add the cauliflower to a mixing bowl with the chia and apple purée and stir until blended. Mix in the flour, lemon juice, tamari, salt and dried herbs. Slowly pour in 150ml of ice-cold water, using your hands to mix it to a sticky dough. Divide the dough into 2 pieces.

Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment and spread each piece of dough out over it, to form a pizza base. Bake the crusts for 20–30 minutes.

Once they are firm and slightly crispy, add the tomato purée and your toppings (except any basil or rocket), then cook for another 5–10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, the leaves, if using, and a drizzle of olive oil, then slice and serve!

Kitchen Know-How
I know it sounds strange to tell you to take the water out of the cauliflower and then add more water to the mix, but – trust me – it’s vital for the recipe to work, as it means you get exactly the right amount of liquid needed for the crust to bake properly.

These recipes are from Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Woodward, published by Hachette Australia RRP $29.99.