It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s a vehicle for just about anything in the fridge and pretty much everyone likes a version of it. The only family-wide acceptable answer to "Whaaaat can I eat?!", is toast.
Toast saved me when I was a new mama and it still has to be one of my and my family’s favourite meals.
Our autumn garden is at its most abundant right now. Courgettes, apples, pears, pumpkins, corn, peppers, chilli, tomatoes and herbs are all finding their way to our toast at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
It's such a lovely simple way to enjoy the bounty of our autumn harvest, for which we are truly grateful.
Herby cashew cheese stuffed nasturtium flowers
with romesco sauce and crispy lentils
Serves 2
¼ cup cashew cheese ( see recipe)
Handful of fresh garden herbs (i.e. basil, mint, coriander, chives)
10 nasturtium flowers
2 roasted red peppers
½ cup toasted almonds
1 slice stale bread
1 clove garlic
½ tsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp chopped rosemary
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tin brown lentils, drained and rinsed
2 thick slices toast
Method
Make the herby cheese by mixing chopped herbs with the cashew cheese then gently stuffing into nasturtium flowers. Set aside in the fridge.
To make the romesco, pat the red peppers dry and add to a food processor with the almonds, stale bread, garlic clove, vinegar, rosemary and olive oil. Blend to a smooth paste then season with salt and pepper.
For the crispy lentils, drain one can brown lentils, season with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook in a 180degC oven, checking after 10 minutes. Give them a stir and cook another 5 minutes until crispy.
To assemble, toast two thick slices bread, drizzle with olive oil then spread on a thick layer of the romesco.
Top each with five nasturtium flowers and sprinkle with crispy lentils.
Fried green tomatoes on toast with Cajun mayo
Makes 2
3 large green tomatoes
1 cup fine instant polenta
1 cup milk of choice
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup flour
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp white pepper
Mayo
1 cup mayo of choice
2 tsp sriracha
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
Pinch cayenne pepper
Juice ½ lime
Salt and pepper
2 slices thick sourdough
Method
Slice tomatoes 1cm thick, sprinkle both sides with salt and leave for 5 minutes.
Make buttermilk by adding vinegar to the milk and set aside.
Make seasoned flour by mixing flour, onion and garlic powder salt and white pepper and set aside.
Pat the tomatoes dry then set up a station with the three bowls of seasoned flour, buttermilk and polenta. Dip the tomatoes first in the flour, then the buttermilk, then the polenta.
Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a fry pan over a medium heat and add coated tomatoes one at a time being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook around 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and crispy. Season with salt.
Make the mayo by mixing mayonnaise with sriracha, paprika, onion and garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, lime juice and season with salt and pepper.
Toast two thick slices of bread, top with mayo and crispy fried tomatoes.
Base cashew cheese
Makes 2 cups
1 cup cashews, soaked overnight and drained
1 cup milk of choice
½ cup refined coconut oil, melted
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
juice 1 lemon
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
Method
In a high speed blender, blend ingredients until super smooth. Taste for seasoning, it should be quite salty and tart. Add more lemon juice and salt if needed. Pour into a tray lined with cling wrap and chill until the consistency of cream cheese or a soft feta.
Heirloom tomatoes with rosemary garlic crushed cannellini beans
Makes 2
If you are lucky enough to have fresh cannellini beans in the garden, use these here, otherwise tinned beans work perfectly and are so good for a quick lunch.
Use any tomatoes you like. In our hothouse we are loving Black Krim and the sweetest little yellow pear tomatoes.
1 tin cannellini beans, drained
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 sprig rosemary leaves, chopped
Juice half a lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
Sliced heirloom tomatoes
Two thick slices sourdough
Method
To make the cannellini beans, heat olive oil in a fry pan and add garlic and rosemary, cook, stirring til fragrant. Add drained beans and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes til the beans are breaking down and their edges are browning. Add lemon juice and season with salt and black pepper. Toast two thick slices sourdough, top with cannellini beans, sliced tomato then season with lots of salt, black pepper and olive oil.
Chilli garlic lemon fried courgette with cashew cheese and olive oil
Makes 2
¼ cup cashew cheese
2 small courgette (a yellow and a green if possible!) sliced thinly lengthways
Courgette flowers (optional)
1 red chilli, de-seeded and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Zest and juice of a lemon
Olive oil
Method
Heat a frypan to a medium heat, add a tbsp olive oil, then the chilli, garlic, courgettes and lemon zest. Fry til the courgette starting to blacken around the edges. Last minute add the courgette flowers if using and the lemon juice. Season with lots of salt and black pepper.
Toast two thick slices sourdough then spread with cashew cheese. Top with warm courgettes and drizzle with more olive oil.
Brown sugar apples and pears with Tahini, walnuts and thyme
Makes 2
Our apple, pear and walnut trees are laden with fruit this month and it’s a great time to get creative with them. This toast is like dessert that you can eat for breakfast and makes the most of seasonal fruit and nuts.
1 apple, sliced
1 pear, sliced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp butter of choice + 1 tsp
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 sprigs thyme
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup tahini
2 thick slices sourdough
Method
In a saucepan melt the 1 tbsp butter then add the chopped fruit and cook over medium heat until the fruit starts becoming tender, about 5 minutes. Add the brown sugar, salt, remaining butter, walnuts, thyme and cinnamon and stir until coated and caramelised. Toast two slice sourdough, then spread thickly with tahini and top with caramelised fruit.
Avocado toast with roasted corn, basil and smokey mayo
Makes 2
We got our corn in super late this year and finally they’re ready. This is an autumn version of avo toast and filling enough to be a dinner with a bowl of broth or vegetable soup on the side.
1 avocado
2 corn cobs, kernels sliced off
1 chilli, descended and sliced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp olive oil
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp tomato sauce
½ tsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast powder
Handful of basil
2 thick sliced sourdough
Method
Heat oven to 180degC then in a small roasting tray place corn kernels, chilli, garlic, salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Cook around 15 minutes, stirring half way through til golden.
Make the mayo by stirring together mayonnaise, tomato sauce and smoked paprika. Toast two slices of bread, drizzle with olive oil, top with half a sliced avocado each (Season with salt and pepper), then the roasted corn, mayo and torn basil leaves.
