Roastie!

The Sunday 'Roastea'

 Great food to warm you up when the last of the potatoes have been dug and there's not much left but root crops in the vege patch. 

This is my quick and easy roast veg and gravy. Sorry there are no pics leading up to final outcome, but didn't think of it till I'd finished making it and it looked so good!.
-Made with a few root veg, an onion and pumpkin and some beans, cauli and corn.

Place any of at least 3 of the following  in a baking dish with a lid:
-washed and quartered potato,  beetroot,  swede or turnip (a little smaller as it takes longer), 1 red or white onion halved, a carrot in halved and couple pieces of cauliflower.
-squash and peel 3-4 cloves garlic and drop between vegetables.
-sprinkle a little olive oil and soy sauce over top, some freshly picked sage, rosemary and/ or thyme (like the song without the parsley) and some ground pepper. Use dried herbs if you haven't got fresh.
- put lid on and bake for 40 mins - 1 hour, or until done on about 180 (or higher if you're impatient or haven't got time) but they are a lot better cooked slowly.
-turn veges round in dish about half way through cooking time or when they start to change colour on top.

This is just the basics; it's delicious without the mushroom gravy or the greens or the vege/vegan sausages you see on the side, so you can have that next time!
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Potato Wedges & Shepherd's Pie

POTATO WEDGES: 

Made with Dutch Creams if my memory serves me well. We sure served ourselves well with these. Friday night special sometimes instead of chippies, just for a change.

METHOD:
-Cut potatoes in quarters lengthways or in 6s depending on size of potatoes.
-In a bowl put a mixture of your favourite herbs and include cummin, cayenne or chilli and tumeric all            -ground, some salt and ground pepper
-couple tablspoons plain flour
-throw in the wedges still damp from cleaning and cutting
-toss them round with a wooden spoon  cotainer (it has lots of herbs in too so adds to flvour), or olive oil
-toss around some more
-wipe cooking tray with couple tblsp oil
-place wedges in a tray as in pic and bake for 20-30 mins or so, turning about half way through.
When golden brown they are ready.

While they are cooking fry mushrooms & make the gravy

MUSHROOMS:
-heat a little same oil as above,
-add mushrooms,
-optional 1 clove of garlic chopped
and 1 tsp of vegemite, stir altogether on low heat until all mixed, mushrooms changing colour and softened.
-put lid and turn off heat

GRAVY:
-2-3 tbsp (oil as above)
-1-2 tblp vegemite
-place leftover flour & herb mix from the bowl into a cup (add another 1-2 tblp flour if necessary) with enough water to make smooth paste.
-add vegemite to this, mix then fill cup with water and pour into small saucepan.
-  stir all the time and adding water as it comes to the boil and thickens.
- bring to boil then turn off heat, put lid on and leave until wedges are ready.

 Wedges, served with vegemite gravy and mushrooms

Serve with a fresh salad, tomato or avocado or all three!
Good tomatoes hard to come by in winter in the south but avocadoes seemed to be around and you can still grow special winter greens that don't mind frost.
I was just too lazy to go out and pick them. Besides it's dark at 5:00 mid winter and this is jazzed up enough for what's meant to be a quick Friday night chips or wedges.

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 Shepherd's Pie

Sometimes I make this with lentils to kid my self I'm being more authentic, but what the heck, I'm not arguing when it's the chef (as opposed to me, the cook) who is cooking, it's his speciality dish and I'm not cooking!)
Ingredients:
2 roughly chopped onions
2-3 cloves garlic chopped
2 diced carrots
2 cups tvp soaked
1tsp

Method: