Summer is finally here and so too is a wonderful bounty of December vegetables.

Here are 4 easy-to-prepare dishes to make the most of this season’s veg:

1. ONE-DISH RATATOUILLE

Traditionally, ratatouille is a French vegetable side dish. However, if you add cheese or even a tin of cannellini or butter beans, you have a complete and easy meal all-in-one, making this dish a useful stop-gap for days when you’re too tired or too busy to prepare a meal.

Cook up a batch of the vegetable part of the recipe, store in the fridge and eat cold as a side or add the cheese and/or beans and heat up.

To add extra richness and that special umami flavour, try sprinkling this ratatouille dish with Wild Porcini Salt, available from our online store.

2. PALEO MUSHROOM PIZZA

As well as being a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals, mushrooms contain very powerful phytonutrients known as polysaccharides. These polysaccharides help to modulate the immune system and have been shown to protect against cancer, calm down autoimmune conditions and reduce cholesterol.

Raw mushrooms also have a prebiotic effect in the body, which supports the proliferation of good bacteria in the gut.

Take large Portobello mushrooms and top with any of the following ingredients:

• Tomato paste
• Grated cheese
• Pine nuts
• Pesto sauce
• Wild Porcini Salt
• Salami
• Chopped capsicum
• Chopped anchovies
• Torn basil leaves

3. SPINACH, FETA AND WALNUT SALAD

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS

2 rashers of bacon, grilled and chopped (optional)
2 cups spinach leaves
30 g walnuts, chopped into large chunks
¼ red onion, sliced
20 g feta cheese, crumbled
½ raw beetroot, cubed

VINAIGRETTE:

2 tsp olive oil
1 tsp vinegar - for an extra treat try Bourbon Maple Splash Balsamic Vinegar
½ tsp mustard
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

1. Mix salad ingredients in a medium bowl.
2. Make vinaigrette by whisking oil, vinegar and mustard together and toss into salad.

4. STUFFED EGGPLANT

Eggplant is very beneficial to health as it contains choline. We need choline to make the brain chemical messenger, acetylcholine, which plays a role in brain health and also helps maintain healthy blood pressure.

Even when given in small amounts during trials, eggplant was shown to be effective at lowering blood pressure.

STUFFED BAKED EGGPLANT

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

2 large eggplant
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, diced
1 small sprig rosemary
1 small sprig thyme (optional)
6 tbsp olive oil
30 g walnuts, chopped – try Totally Nuts Organic Activated Nuts
100 g cheese (either Roquefort, other blue cheese or feta)

METHOD

1. Cut eggplant in half and bake in oven at 200 deg C for 30 minutes.
2. Fry onion and garlic in oil for a few minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and herbs and cook till soft.
4. Remove flesh from cooked eggplant and cut into small pieces.
5. Add flesh and walnuts to tomato mixture and season to taste.
6. Place mixture in eggplant skins.
7. Top with cheese and place under grill until cooked through.