puppy treats

makes up to 100

Chaz and Khan have been eating these for years and love them! You can mix up the flavours by adding different ingredients like Vegemite or turmeric for all the benefits it offers. One thing they do not appreciate is watching my mum help herself to their biscuits through the kitchen door, as she nibbles on them whilst chatting to me. There is no reason Chaz and Khan shouldn’t share the contents of our pantry. They are, after all, part of our family.

2 cups wholegrain flour (plus extra 3½ cups for step 3)

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup vegetable oil

1 heaped tablespoon powdered stock (or a level tablespoon one of mixed herbs, or a couple of dollops of Vegemite. Shake things up a little each week for them)

2 cups water

  1. Use an electric mixer to blend all ingredients except the extra 3½ cups of flour.
  2. Preheat your oven to 200°C.
  3. Add 3 cups of wholegrain flour and then mix with your hands. Knead on a floured bench, adding the extra flour if needed.
  4. Roll out and cut to size and shape. (I use a scone cutter which makes the treats 5 cm in circumference, and then I roll out the dough to a 5 mm thickness.)
  5. Dust your baking trays with flour and place dough cookies on them.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes at 200°C.
  7. Turn the oven off and leave them in there for a further 30 minutes (not longer as they will sweat). 
  8. Turn onto a tray and cool. 

NOTE: They will last a good week in a sealed container on the kitchen bench, but ours never last that long! We give Chaz and Khan treats throughout the day to keep hunger pains away. 

This is not meant to replace what you feed your dogs. Like people, dogs have individual needs, likes, dislikes and allergies etc. Please be mindful of this.

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Fetta

makes 250 grams

You can use this in any recipe that involves fetta and most people would never know the difference. Keep a keen eye on the ingredients in your miso. Bonito is fish. We don’t want to use those brands. We want to leave the fish to do what they do.

250 grams firm tofu

Juice of 1 lemon

3 tablespoons herbed

vinegar (can be replaced with apple cider vinegar)

1 tablespoon miso paste

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons crushed garlic

  1. Crumble tofu into a marinating dish (not too fine).
  2. Mix lemon juice, vinegar, miso, garlic and salt in a jug, and then pour over tofu.
  3. Place lid on marinating dish and toss tofu around to ensure all is coated.
  4. Refrigerate for at least 1 or 2 hours. Best results are overnight.

seafood marinade

makes 1 serving

This can be used to give a seafood flavour in so many ways. By using different foods to sprinkle on you can also choose your desired texture for any recipe you may be following.

2 teaspoons kelp powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

½ teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

Splash of olive oil

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and use immediately or store in a seal tight jar.

NOTE: Can be used to marinate tofu. See ‘Tofish & Chips’.

mushroom gravy

serves 4

I love this poured over my basic snags in batter. I’m a huge gravy and mushroom fan. This could easily be made gluten free.

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons margarine

½ dozen large button mushrooms, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon dry thyme

2 cups vegetable stock

1 tablespoon cornstarch,mixed with 1 tablespoonwater

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

  1. Brown onion over high or medium heat in melted margarine.
  2. Add mushroom and thyme, and then sauté for 5 minutes.
  3. Add stock and bring to a simmer.
  4. Blend cornflour, water and mustard together, and then add to gravy. Stir until thickened.

nooch gravy

serves 4

In all seriousness, I eat this by the spoonful. Only 90 per cent makes it to the gravy boat. On roast veggies or for hot chip dipping. My favourite gravy by far! From memory this recipe was found in an old vegetarian cookbook.

½ cup nutritional yeast flakes

1½ cups water (plus extra if desired)

¼ cup plain flour

⅓ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons tamari

1 teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

  1. Heat the yeast flakes and flour until they are giving off an aroma.
  2. Using a whisk, add oil and whisk until combined.
  3. Add water; whisk. When thick, remove from heat and add tamari, salt and pepper.
  4. Add more water before removing from heat if desired.

cashew cream

makes approx. 1½ cups

With raw cashews in your pantry you are never without cream. We buy them in bulk and store them in tubs. You can add or subtract water to get the consistency you are after, also do the same with sweeteners.

1 cup raw cashews soaked overnight

½ cup water

1 teaspoon agave nectar

  1. Combine everything together in a blender and blend until smooth (makes approximately 1⅓ cups of cream).

sour cream

makes 300 grams

With a packet of silken tofu always in the fridge I never have to worry if I need sour cream. Nor do I need to take a trip into town.

300 grams silken tofu

1½ tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon agave nectar

2–3 tablespoons lemon juice (or more to taste)

¼ teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)

condensed milk 

makes 1¾ cups

I used to have cans of this in the pantry like a hoarder. No need anymore as I always have coconut milk and rice malt. They are staples in my house.

400 ml full fat coconut milk

¼ cup rice malt

  1. Place the ingredients in a medium pot and bring to boil.
  2. Once boiling, reduce heat but maintain a boil.
  3. Stir continuously for 15–20 minutes until the mixture thickens and turns a light brown.

gooey tahini & cashew cheese

makes approx. 1½ cups

Anywhere you can think to use a gooey cheese in a recipe this is what goes in. And if you have a high speed blender you can soak the cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes prior to use. You can mix spicy peas through the cheese and stuff cannelloni. Pour over some passata and you have a very tasty and healthy meal.

¼ cup raw cashew, soaked overnight then drained

1 cup hot water

2 tablespoons tapioca flour (can substitute with arrowroot)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon tahini

  1. Blend all ingredients in a blender until completely smooth.
  2. Pour into a saucepan and stir constantly over a medium to high heat. (Don’t worry if it looks like it starts to curdle.)
  3. Keep stirring until thick and it starts to come away from the sides of the pan.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool awhile before using (can be kept in the fridge for a few days).

mayonnaise

makes 300 grams

There are quite a few vegan mayonnaises on the market, surprisingly, but you never know when you’ll need some and don’t have that jar in the pantry or fridge. Avoid any store bought ones that include egg.

300 grams silken tofu

2 tablespoons olive oil

1½ tablespoons lemon juice

1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon black salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1½ tablespoons warm water

  1. Place everything through a food processor until smooth and creamy.

tartare sauce

makes ½ cup

I like mine on rice, but of course it’s the perfect accompaniment for tofish and chips.

½ cup mayonnaise

3–4 pickled gherkins, finely chopped

Juice of half a lemon

  1. Combine all ingredients with a spoon or fork and keep refrigerated.

taco seasoning

makes 1 serving

Triple your quantities and keep it in a seal tight jar so it’s always at the ready.

1 tablespoon chilli powder

¼ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon crushed chilli flakes

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon smokey paprika

1½ teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

  1. Combine all ingredients together and store in a tightly sealed container.

basil pesto

makes approx. 1½ cups

If you can, try to have a small pot of basil growing as fresh basil is amazing. Not only does it make a great pesto, but it also gives soups and pizzas a little bling.

4 cups basil leaves

¼ cup olive oil

  1. Place basil leaves into a food processor and drizzle with a little bit of oil. Pulse until finely chopped.
  2. Add remainder of oil and process to a paste, scraping down sides occasionally.
  3. Add more oil if needed.