Gado Gado Inspired Platter

Build a delicious and gorgeously colourful Gado Gado inspired platter to feed a crowd and suit a range of dietary preferences on Christmas Day. The recipes below form the foundation of a platter packed with tasty and nutritious meat free options. Add lots of colourful fresh seasonal produce and barbecued seafood or meat as desired.

Roasted lentil, walnut and cranberry loaf with vegetarian mushroom gravy

Serves 8

This rich, hearty loaf will be a hit with both vegetarians and omnivores. The vegetarian mushroom gravy is a wonderful match. This pairing is the perfect dish for your Xmas table.

2 onions – finely diced
4 large garlic cloves – finely diced
1 large carrot – grated and squeezed tightly of juice
200g firm tofu – grated
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 cup vegetable stock
½ cup Alison’s Pantry red lentils
½ cup Alison’s Pantry brown lentils
¾ cup Alison’s Pantry American walnuts – roughly chopped
½ cup Alison’s Pantry whole cranberries
2 free range eggs
¾ cup flour (use All Purpose GF flour if necessary)
Olive oil for sauteing

Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a large saute pan over a medium heat. Cook the onions, moving frequently for 10 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and carrot and cook for a further 3-4 minutes. Add the tofu, dried herbs, spices and soy sauce and cook for a few more minutes.

Add the tomatoes, stock, lentils and walnuts. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes with a lid slightly ajar. The pan should be mostly dry at the end of this time. Stir through the cranberries. Leave to cool for about 45 minutes. Add the eggs and flour and stir well.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.

Spoon into a loaf tin lined with baking paper. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and cook uncovered for a further 40-45 minutes until browned and firm.

Mushroom and rosemary gravy

⅓ cup olive oil
½ brown onion – finely chopped
3 garlic cloves – finely chopped
400g Portobello or swiss brown mushrooms – sliced thinly
1 rounded teaspoon fresh rosemary – finely chopped
¼ cup flour (use all purpose GF flour if needed)
3 cups vegetable stock
1 cup water
2 teaspoons tamari or soy sauce
Cracked black pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a pot that will be large enough to hold all the stock. Add the onions and cook for around 10 minutes until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cook for a further 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and turn the heat up slightly. Cook for another 8-10 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and glossy.

Sprinkle the flour over the top and cook for 2 minutes. Add a little more oil if the pan is dry.

Add the stock and tamari. Whisk well to avoid lumps as the gravy comes to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes until thick. Add the tamari and black pepper to taste.

At this stage you can use a stick blender to blitz until silky smooth. Serve immediately or can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat gently in a pot on the stove.

Kiwi Fruit Mince Ham Glaze

Makes glaze for one large whole ham

1 cup prepared Alison’s Pantry Fruit Mince – Kiwi Style (see recipe)
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
2 Tbsp rum or whiskey (optional)
8-9kg whole ham, cooked on the bone
1 cup orange juice (or white wine, as desired)

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. To make the ham glaze, combine the fruit mince, sugar and mustard in a bowl, adding rum or whiskey if desired

2. To prepare the ham, run a knife around the shank end of the ham. Carefully slice under the edge of the rind at the base of the ham, then ease between the rind and the fat with your fingers and pull to gently remove the rind

3. With a sharp knife, score the fat in a diamond pattern with 3mm deep cuts. Place the ham in an oven pan large enough to catch any glaze that will drip as it cooks. Surround the ham with orange juice (or wine, as preferred)

4. Smear the glaze over the scored fat of the ham. Place the ham in oven to bake for one hour, basting at regular intervals until glaze has caramelised

5. Sliced ham can be served hot or at room temperature

Download the PDF version: Kiwi Christmas Fruit Mince Ham Glaze

Dark Chocolate Blueberry Truffles

(Makes approximately 25)

Ingredients
1/2 cup cream
200g dark chocolate drops
50g soft butter, cubed
1/2 cup Alison’s Pantry dried blueberries, plus extra to decorate
1/3 cup Alison’s Pantry pistachio nuts, toasted and roughly chopped
extra 250g dark chocolate drops

Reindeer Pops
Cake pop sticks, if desired (for Reindeer Pops)
1/4 cup Alison’s Pantry dried cranberries, to decorate Reindeer
1/2 cup Alison’s Pantry pretzel bows, broken in half to make ‘antler’ shaped pieces

Method

Place cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, or microwave in short bursts, to melt. Whisk until smooth. Add butter and stir to combine. Stir in blueberries and nuts.
Chill mixture for 2 hours or until firm. Roll mixture into 25 small, even-sized balls, place on a tray, cover, and chill.
To coat in chocolate, line a tray with non-stick baking paper. Melt the extra chocolate, stir until smooth and allow to cool slightly. With a fork, pick up one truffle at a time and dip into the melted chocolate to coat. Shake off any excess chocolate and place on the prepared tray to set. Decorate with extra blueberries placed on top.
To give as presents, place truffles in individual foil or paper cases inside small, flat boxes; tie up boxes with ribbons. Truffles will last well for up to 10 days if stored in a cool place.

To create Reindeer Pops, attach cake pop sticks to the base of each truffle before dipping in chocolate. Once dipped, press a pretzel ‘antler’ on each side of the reindeer’s head. Use a cranberry to make a nose. Press on blueberries to create eyes. Repeat with all the other Reindeer Pops.

Recipe from Julie Le Clerc for Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Chocolate Blueberry Truffles and Reindeer Pops

Fig and Walnut Logs

(Makes 4 x 125g logs)

Ingredients
1/2 cup (85g) Alison’s Pantry unsalted roast almonds
1 1/2 cups (250g) Alison’s Pantry dried figs, roughly chopped with hard stalks removed
1 Tbsp brandy
1 Tbsp Mother Earth Liquid Honey
1/2 cup (85g) Alison’s Pantry diced apricots
1/2 cup (50g) Alison’s Pantry walnut pieces, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp mixed spice

Method

Place almonds in a food processor and process until finely chopped. Remove to a bowl.
Blitz the figs with the brandy and honey until they form a sticky paste. Add the fig paste to the bowl with the almonds. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
Mix well to combine, then shape into 4 small log shapes. Set on a plate, uncovered, in the fridge or in a cool, dry place for a week to dry.
Wrap and tie in baking paper if giving as a gift. If stored in a cool, dry place, these logs will keep well for up to 2 months. Store in the fridge during summertime. To serve, slice and serve alongside your favourite cheeses.

Recipe from Julie Le Clerc for the Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Fig and Walnut Logs

Nut Truffles

(Makes 25)

Ingredients
2/3 cup Alison’s Pantry Walnuts
2/3 cup Alison’s Pantry Natural Almonds
2/3 cup Alison’s Pantry Hazelnuts
1½ cups dark chocolate drops
2 tbsp Alison’s Pantry Chia Seeds
3 tbsp peanut butter
3 tbsp honey
2/3 cup Alison’s Pantry Roast Unsalted Almonds, finely chopped

Serve

Ice cream cones

Method

Grind all the nuts together in a food processor. Add chocolate and pulse to grind. Add remaining ingredients, except roast almonds, until combined and the mixture clumps together.
Using damp hands, roll tablespoons of the mixture into balls. Roll nut truffle balls in chopped almonds, to coat. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
A fun way to serve these Nut truffles is to pop them into ice cream cones along with a mixture of Alison’s Pantry indulgent sweets to make individual servings.

Alison’s Pantry Milk Chocolate Almonds, Chocolate Salted Caramel Popcorn, Cranberry Nut Nougat and Chocolate Pretzels make a great combo with these Nut Truffles.

Download the PDF version here

This recipe was created by Julie Le Clerc for Alison’s Pantry.

Sourdough Stuffing with Walnuts, Caramelized Onion & Sage

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

Sweet caramelized onions and earthy aromatic sage add an irresistible depth of flavour to this delicious Christmas stuffing. It’s a lovely traditional style stuffing for roasted chicken or turkey, although it can also be served as a side dish on its own which is equally as delicious.

Ingredients
1 loaf sourdough, sliced into bite-size cubes
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp butter 3 brown onions, roughly chopped
1 large handful sage, roughly chopped
1 tbsp honey
1 cup Alison’s Pantry walnuts, chopped
1 cup grated parmesan
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
3 free-range eggs
sea salt and ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Place bread cubes in a single layer over two baking trays. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and then place in the oven to toast. Bake for 3-5 minutes or until slightly toasted. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
3. Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sage and stir to coat in the butter. Lower the heat and sauté until browned. Drizzle over the honey and continue to cook for 8-10 minutes or until caramelised. Leave to cool slightly.
4. In a large bowl, toss together the onions, toasted bread cubes, walnuts, and Parmesan.
5. In a medium bowl, whisk together the stock, eggs and a good pinch of sea salt and ground pepper. Pour over the bread mixture and then, using your hands, mix well. The mixture should be moist but not dripping with liquid.
6. Place stuffing into the cavity of a turkey or large chicken and cook as normal.

Alternatively, to serve as a side dish, transfer stuffing to a baking dish greased with butter or olive oil. Preheat oven to 180°C and bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden on top. Serve in a heated dish for people to help themselves.

Download the PDF version here: Alison’s Pantry Sourdough stuffing with Walnuts, Caramelized Onion and Sage

This recipe was created by Eleanor Ozrich for Alison’s Pantry.

Satay sauce

A punchy satay sauce is the key to tying together all the elements of this Gado Gado platter. Using homemade peanut butter makes this particularly delicious and really satisfying to make. It can be nice to serve the sauce topped with fried shallots, sliced spring onions and a little extra chill.

½ cup peanut butter½ cup coconut cream
1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
1 rounded teaspoon finely grated ginger
1 teaspoon brown or coconut sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Dried chilli flakes to taste

Place all the satay sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix together until completely blended. Taste and add chilli flakes as desired. Add a splash of boiling water if it’s too thick.

Homemade Peanut Butter

Making your own peanut butter is incredibly simple and very satisfying.

2 cups Alison’s Pantry roasted unsalted peanuts
Sea salt to taste

Place the peanuts in a food processor or powerful blender. Blend until the peanut butter is silky smooth or to your preferred consistency. This will take 3-10 minutes depending on your machine and you may need to give the blender / food processor a few breaks to avoid overheating. The mixture will start as crumbs and then become gluggy. Keep going (scraping the sides as needed) and it will eventually become a smooth runny nut butter.
Add salt to taste once completed.
Store in an airtight jar.

Roasted Kumara with Dried Cranberries, Feta and Pistachios

Serves 6

Ingredients
4 purple-skinned kumara, well-scrubbed but not peeled
100g feta, crumbled
¼ cup Alison’s Pantry Whole Cranberries
¼ cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons Alison’s Pantry Roast Pistachios, shelled and chopped

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C
Put the kumara into a dry roasting dish and place in the oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until the kumara is tender.
Remove from the oven and halve the kumara lengthways.
Place the kumara halves side by side, flesh side up, in a warm serving dish.
Sprinkle the cranberries and feta over the kumara.
Drizzle the maple syrup over everything.
Sprinkle the pistachios on top and serve.

Recipe from Ray McVinnie for Alison’s Pantry Christmas booklet 2014
Download the PDF version here: Roasted Kumara with Dried Cranberries, Feta and Pistachios

Flaxseed crackers

These crackers are easy to make and will bring a major crunch to any platter. Play around with different seasonings to suit your own tastes.

¾ cup Alison’s Pantry flaxseeds
¼ cup Alison’s pantry sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon ground psyllium husk
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ¼ cups boiling water
To garnish: flaky sea salt

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius

Place all the dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix until evenly combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Leave to sit for 5 minutes.

Pour onto a large (lined) oven tray and spread out thinly using a spatula or the back of a spoon. Keeping the spoon or spatula damp makes this easier. If you don’t have a very large oven tray, split the mixture in half and use 2 trays.

Bake for 40 minutes. Turn over the sheet of crackers after 30 mins and cook for the last 10 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt while still warm. Allow to cool completely, break into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Seed and spice crusted tofu

Serves 4

A wonderfully tasty and visually appealing way to serve tofu. Delicious with satay sauce or a spicy mayo.

½ cup Alison’s Pantry coconut threads
¼ cup Alison’s Pantry sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon cornflour
½ teaspoon sea salt
Cracked black pepper
1 300g block firm tofu
1 free range egg for dipping
Olive oil for frying

Place coconut, seeds, spices, cornflour, salt and pepper into a food processor and blitz until a fine crumb. Cut the tofu into thick wedges and blot with a clean tea towel or paper towel. Dip in the egg and then coat well in the crumb.

Heat a generous glug of oil in a sauté pan over a medium low heat. Cook in batches until browned. Take care with the heat as the seed crumb will burn easily.

Quinoa, spring onion and parmesan patties

Makes 20 patties

These little patties are a very tasty addition to your festive table, BBQ’s and picnics. Delicious both hot and cold.

1 cup Alison’s Pantry Quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock
2 large garlic cloves – finely diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ cup Alison’s Pantry Ground Almonds
1 cup finely grated parmesan
2 spring onions, green parts finely sliced
Handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
1 free-range egg
Salt and cracked pepper
Olive oil for sautéing

Rinse the quinoa well. Place in a medium saucepan with the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook with a lid slightly ajar for 15 minutes until tender and the liquid has been absorbed.

Place the lid on and leave to sit for 5 minutes. Stir through the garlic, cumin, almond meal, parmesan and spring onion. Leave to cool for 15 minutes before mixing in the spring onion, basil, egg and a generous seasoning of sea salt and ground black pepper.

Form heaped spoonful’s of mixture into patties. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up.

Heat a generous glug of oil in a sauté pan over a medium heat. Cook the patties until golden brown on both sides. Keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

Lentil & Cashew Nut Curry

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Serves 6

This delicious weeknight curry is easy to create for the whole family. You can add chicken if that’s your choice of protein, or leave as-is for a vegetarian option.
Serving with Quinoa’s nutty flavour makes it a tasty alternative to rice or couscous. Quinoa contains phosphorous which helps build strong bones.

Ingredients

500g lean chicken breasts cut in bite-sized chunks (omit if you want a vegetarian curry)
2 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 onions, chopped
1 red chilli, chopped
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Natural Cashews Nuts
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tsp each turmeric and cumin powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Spilt Red Lentils
4 cups vegetable or chicken stock, as preferred
Salt, to taste
Juice of 1 lemon
Fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
1 cup Alison’s Pantry Quinoa

Method

If adding chicken, mix in a bowl with the ginger and garlic. Cover and chill until ready to use. Place the onion, chilli and cashew nuts in a blender and process until smooth
Heat oil in a pan. Brown chicken all over then remove to one side. If not adding chicken then cook ginger and garlic in oil for 30 seconds. Add dried spices and fry for 1 minute. Add cashew nut paste; fry gently for 2 minutes, stirring continuously
Return chicken to the pan (if using). Stir in the lentils and stock. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low, cover the pan and simmer for 20 minutes or until lentils are tender
Cook Quinoa in plenty of boiling water for 10-12 minutes until tender. Drain well in a fine mesh sieve. Season with salt and pepper
Add lemon juice to curry and season with salt. Garnish with coriander. Serve with Quinoa on the side

Download PDF version here: Alisons Pantry Lentil & Cashew Nut Curry

Moroccan Hemp Quinoa Salad

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 35 mins
Serves 6

Enjoy this tasty salad alone or pair with grilled halloumi or fish. It’s perfect to take along to summer BBQs. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ingredients

1 cup Alison’s Pantry quinoa
2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 medium onion – diced
3 garlic cloves – finely diced
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
¼ cup Alison’s Pantry hemp seeds
1 x 400g can chickpeas – drained and rinsed well
Zest of 1 lemon
2 medium carrots – peeled and cut using a julienne peeler (can also grate)
Juice of 2 lemons
6 Alison’s Pantry select dates – diced
1/3 cup Alison’s Pantry shelled pistachio nuts – roughly chopped
Large handful fresh parsley – roughly chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Sea salt and cracked black pepper
Olive oil for sautéing
To serve: sliced avocado, additional hemp seeds, fresh herbs to garnish

method

Place the quinoa and water (or vegetable stock) in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Cook, with a lid ajar for 12-15 minutes until tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Place the lid on tightly and leave to sit for 5 minutes. Remove lid and set aside until ready to use.

Heat a very generous glug of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook gently, without browning, for 5-10 minutes until tender. Add the fennel seeds, cumin, garam masala and smoked paprika. Cook for a further minute, adding additional oil if needed. Add the chickpeas and lemon. Cook for 4 minutes. Add the quinoa and the hemp seeds. Season generously with sea salt and cracked black pepper.

Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes before adding the carrot, lemon juice, dates, pistachios, parsley and thyme.

Top with the avocado (if using) just prior to serving. Garnish with extra hemp seeds and fresh herbs.

Crispy fresh lettuce cups filled with spicy Asian beef mince, noodles and fresh herbs. These quick and easy little cups of heaven are perfect all year round and are sure to impress your guests!

Click here for the full recipe.

Crispy deep fried coconut prawns served in homemade taco bowls filled with crunchy fresh iceberg lettuce, spicy, sweet avocado salsa and a zesty coconut lime aioli – next level deliciousness!

Click here for the full recipe.

Alison's Pantry

Gado Gado Inspired Platter

Satay Sauce

Quinoa, Spring Onion and Parmesan Patties

Seed and Spice Crusted Tofu

Flaxseed Crackers