Notes about Recipes in this book

• Pickled beetroot with Puy lentils, baby spinach and cheddar

  • Melanie on March 08, 2015

    A delicious dish that I will definitely repeat. I didn't use the dill but thought there were enough fresh herbs despite this. I liked that the beets were lightly pickled.

• Beetroot and dill with crème fraîche and walnuts

  • e_ballad on October 31, 2016

    Tasty, though needs some sharpness against the sweetness of the beetroot & the heaviness of the creme fraiche. Could probably double the amount of lemon juice.

  • lillipilli_shngm6 on April 10, 2026

    Loved by all

• Roasted beetroot, shaved fennel and broad beans with skordalia

  • jenmacgregor18 on April 05, 2022

    I think the skordalia worked really well with the beet and fennel. It was good and satisfying. My changes: I omitted the beans. And added some mustard vinaigrette I had and some additional salt to taste.

  • ellwell on March 15, 2023

    This was a really different way to have mashed potatoes. I loved the way it went with the bean/beet/fennel salad, which totally surprised me—such an odd combo.

• Za'atar-roasted carrots with kale, freekeh and blood orange-maple dressing

  • Melanie on March 08, 2015

    Delicious. Worked well for work lunches - added nuts and dressing at the last moment. I used the orange & grapefruit substitute for the blood oranges.

  • MmeFleiss on September 21, 2015

    I thought this was great, but was a lot better without the parsley.

  • e_ballad on April 29, 2017

    Really tasty & easy to get on the table.

  • ellwell on November 08, 2022

    I really liked this. It was not spectacular, but was a good side dish that felt very healthy. It has a lot of components and requires about an hour of preparation.

• Spiced roasted carrot with fennel, caramelised onion and hazelnuts

  • Melanie on March 08, 2015

    This tasted best when freshly made, the flavours aren't as pronounced once it cools down. Good mix of textures. The colour of the carrots was slightly muddied due to the spice mix.

  • e_ballad on July 25, 2019

    Very tasty, with plenty of textural variety.

• Honey-roasted carrots with mung beans and labneh

  • e_ballad on July 13, 2020

    Absolutely delicious. Makes very large serves, more like 8x serves as a side salad.

• Spiced sweet potato, Puy lentils and rocket with honey-roasted walnuts

  • Melanie on March 08, 2015

    This is a really delicious salad! The honey roasted nuts really help to seal the deal!

  • Cati on September 08, 2017

    First recipe I tried from this just purchased book. Easy and delicious. Page 61.

  • e_ballad on November 01, 2017

    A very tasty salad, though I’d reduce the oven temperature for the honey-roasted walnuts & start checking at the 10 min mark, as mine were slightly scorched.

  • purrviciouz on May 21, 2021

    We loved this. I'd recommend making extra honey spiced walnuts for snacking later. I used Aleppo pepper flakes and doubled the amount called for.

• Chargrilled broccoli with chickpeas, almonds, lemon and chilli

  • Dishyrishie on July 19, 2015

    Try grated Parmesan or marinated feta.

  • Melanie on October 12, 2015

    Really enjoyed this salad. Used shaved Parmesan but far less than indicated in recipe. Also, only used a small amount of mint - would not use full amount.

  • e_ballad on June 22, 2017

    A great salad, though you would have to be an enthusiastic caper fan for the quantity used. For ease, I would imagine that oven-roasting the broccoli (12 mins at 220oC from other recipes) would be a less labour-intensive option.

• Broccoli and orecchiette with yoghurt and peas

  • DKennedy on October 28, 2017

    Made this as one of a trio of salads I will be serving tonight for the first course of our community progressive dinner. I blanched the broccoli, refreshed the peas, cooked the pasta, whizzed up the sauce and toasted the pine nuts all early in the day. I will combine and plate just before guests arrive. I just tasted a sampling and I think the strong garlic flavor in the sauce invites parmesan cheese or another bold flavor to act as a contrast. I added some parm and tiny gold tomatoes to my second taste and it seems much better balanced. I will probably include both when I serve this tonight.

  • DKennedy on October 28, 2017

    Cut sauce recipe for this dish in 1/2-it makes way too much.

• Smashed chickpeas with broccoli and dukkah

  • Melanie on March 08, 2015

    I made the smashed chickpeas and served with the dukkah as a dip, although I think this would make for a delicious meal with the broccoli. I added extra lemon juice to help brighten the flavour. I liked the contrast of the creamy chickpeas to the crunch of the dukkah.

  • saarwouters on October 14, 2018

    I didnt have a mortar so it was a bit tricky to get the chickeas to a creamy texture. I also added a bit more salt and lemon juice to give the chickpeas more flavour. The dukkah makes the dish!

  • e_ballad on July 10, 2019

    Agree with @saarwouters that the dukkah makes the dish. Liked the idea of the smashed chickpeas/hummus, but was underwhelmed by the flavour. Will repeat this using a preferred hummus recipe next time.

  • Ganga108 on March 04, 2022

    A nice dish, a little lacking in oomph. Even easier to make if using store-bought hummus and dukkah!

  • shane.metzke on February 07, 2026

    Don’t skip the chilli flakes and lemon juice… it really elevates it. Also made the dukkha… will never buy it again!!! Used pistachios though.

• Roasted cauliflower with caper vinaigrette and lemon-parsley pangrattato

  • RosieB on June 15, 2015

    A really nice salad. Pretty easy to prepare. Will make again.

  • aargle on August 22, 2018

    Really enjoyed this salad which I served with pan fried barramundi. A definite repeat. I used one large cauliflower which was ample.

• Chargrilled cauliflower with fried butter beans and pumpkin hummus

  • e_ballad on November 28, 2016

    Very tasty, though I did need to add a splash of water to the cauliflower as it just wasn't cooking using just the BBQ only. I also used lime juice instead of lemon juice (using up what I had on hand) - think it would have been better if I'd kept to the recipe. Went really well with lamb cutlets.

  • Ganga108 on June 30, 2024

    I made the pumpkin hummus, but roasted the pumpkin and garlic, and added some butter beans as well, as I like the beany texture of hummus. Delicious. Especially on slightly salty Black Rice Cakes (Ceres brand).

• Smoky baba ghanoush with roasted cauliflower, lentils and pomegranate

  • e_ballad on October 24, 2018

    A rare ‘meh’ for a Hetty recipe. It’s ok, but fails to reach ‘interesting’ territory.

• Turnips, Dutch carrots and cannellini beans with sunflower-seed pesto

  • e_ballad on May 07, 2018

    Really enjoyed this - definitely more than a sum of its parts. Unlike other recipes in this book, the quantity of dressing does not overwhelm the other ingredients.

• Ginger-peanut kale with tofu and quinoa

  • aargle on August 17, 2015

    This was really yummy and a meal in itself. Made the sauce in a wok and could then add everything into it which saved on washing up. A definite repeat. Used organic soy instead of tamari.

  • Hellyloves2cook on July 23, 2024

    I made this via Anna Jones' new book Easy Wins. A very tasty recipe which I will make again. Chop the Kale finely.

  • anothersarah on April 10, 2026

    This was good and family friendly. The sauce was the star and could use even more ginger if you're a fan.

• Cavolo nero and borlotti beans with tomatoes, croutons and basil cream

  • MmeFleiss on June 26, 2018

    Delicious, but also really high in fat.

• Vietnamese cabbage salad with tofu, rice vermicelli and peanuts

  • Apollonia on June 12, 2021

    Great summer lunch dish. I used half the noodles called for (I prefer more salad proportions), and it still made plenty, although I'd consider increasing the sauce by half next time.

• Thai kohlrabi and cabbage slaw with apple and crushed peanuts

  • Melanie on December 11, 2016

    Substituted carrots for the kohlrabi and made a 1.5 time quantity salad to take to a party. I really liked this salad, great dressing flavour.

• Winter tabbouleh with quinoa, sumac cauliflower, pomegranate and feta

  • Hellyloves2cook on October 19, 2015

    A good option for those that are gluten free as quinoa is used to replace the traditional bulgar wheat in this tabbouleh. I followed this recipe pretty much as was but a few changes just because I was using things up. For instance I had some plain cooked quinoa leftover ( I always make a big batch) which was not cooked in stock as the recipe calls for. I used red onion in place of the Chinese shallots and my tomatoes were not Roma ( not in season here in NZ at time of making). All in all a good recipe with flavour...although the tomatoes I managed to obtain were not flavoursome at all. Im sure that would have had an affect on the final dish. Some prep required before assembly.. roasting of caullflower and rinsing and cooking the quinoa and cooling these too. So it is a salad to prepare in advance. Will definitely make again.

• Pearl barley with pistachios, rocket and basil oil

  • e_ballad on November 10, 2016

    This was perfectly fine, but I think we've been spoiled by Hetty's other recipes that typically elicit a whole heap of 'wows'. Comparatively, this was ok, but nothing particularly exciting.

  • ChelseaP on June 06, 2021

    I love this salad and make it all the time. Quite often I sub out the pearl barley for Israeli couscous. Great lunchbox salad.

• Spicy fried edamame with eggplant and soba noodles

  • Apollonia on June 11, 2021

    Very tasty, if a bit oily. I prefer a high veg to noodle ratio, so cut the soba in half, and still had four very generous servings; you'll get 6 easy out of it if you use the larger amount of noodles originally called for.

• Balsamic-roasted pears with lentils, Gorgonzola and sage

  • aargle on January 04, 2015

    We all thought this was sensational. Used a very special white balsamic from South Australia.

  • MmeFleiss on October 04, 2020

    This was another huge hit at the party I threw last night. I got so many compliments on the pears. I used a combo of anjou and bosc pears.

• Puy lentils with balsamic-soaked figs, watercress and walnuts

  • Melanie on March 08, 2015

    This tasted good but wasn't a wow of a dish. Better when freshly made with the newly toasted walnuts.

• Peas and mint with quinoa, feta and almonds

  • aargle on March 18, 2015

    This was very nice but not sensational however definitely worth repeating as it's extremely easy. Also want to repeat when mint is in abundance - didn't have quite enough.

  • e_ballad on June 22, 2017

    Utterly delicious. Loved this. And it's so quick & easy. Winner.

• Black bean eggplant with snake beans and brown rice

  • anna_duvrgw on April 14, 2026

    The black bean sauce in this recipe is stunning- sooooo much better than shop bought

• Miso eggplant with soba noodles and walnuts

  • fibarr on February 23, 2017

    Slightly too salty for me - less or no veg stock, substitute for water. Could be the miso I used was a bit stronger. Seriously yummy though and not as complicated as some of the other recipes in the book.

  • anna_duvrgw on April 14, 2026

    Great umami flavour- heartily satisfying

• Pumpkin with chickpeas, toasted coconut and lemon tahini

  • Hellyloves2cook on October 19, 2015

    I love pumpkin in salads and so this is what drew me to the recipe when flicking through this book. I was interested to see how the amalgamation of different flavours would taste in this fusion oriented salad. There is the distinct Thai influence of the basil, coriander, kaffir lime leaves and coconut together with the distinct middle eastern dressing. Hmm... very interesting. There is quite a bit of prep work before final assembly of ingredients, so its not something that can be whipped up in 20 mins. Roasting of pumpkin, seeds and coconut plus cooking of the beans. Was it worth it... In some ways yes. But I couldn't get my head around the shredded kaffir limes leaves, coconut and the tahini. My husband thought a lovely tangy lime based dressing would have been nicer and I think I would have to agree with him. Don't get me wrong it was quite nice and I liked the concept but wasn't convinced it was a marriage made in heaven. A few members of my family were not overly impressed.

• Pumpkin with burnt butter, poppy seeds and crispy sage

  • saarwouters on October 14, 2018

    Pumpkin and sage are a classic combination and they went really well with the feta and walnuts. Loved this and will definetely make again!

  • MmeFleiss on October 04, 2020

    This was seriously great and was a huge hit at the party I threw last night.

  • chawkins on October 22, 2022

    Absolutely delicious even though I incinerated my sage leaves, my own fault for leaving them in as the butter browned. Both sage and squash are from the garden.

• Cinnamon pumpkin with chickpeas, tahini and candied pumpkin seeds

  • Melanie on June 14, 2015

    Loved this salad - delicious dish that's perfect for winter. Instead of using egg white to help bind the candied pumpkin seeds I used some water, which worked perfectly.

• Barbecued corn and roasted butternut pumpkin with black beans and jalapeño sour cream

  • Melanie on March 08, 2015

    Really easy to make. I didn't add all the suggested delicious toppings but will next time - already a great dish so it would be good to see what the full picture tastes like.

  • Suzamo on February 11, 2016

    Easy and tasty...another great recipe from this book

  • e_ballad on January 06, 2019

    Absolutely fantastic. Makes a massive amount, but holds up well as leftovers. Highly recommend!

  • ellwell on October 29, 2023

    This was pretty good but not good enough for me to repeat. It holds up well for a few days, so if you need to make a dish ahead of time, this would work.

• Fried zucchini with green couscous

  • e_ballad on October 27, 2016

    As a herby couscous, this is fine, but for all the faffing, there's a lot simpler recipes out there that deliver similar outcomes.

• Chargrilled zucchini and pearl barley with whipped feta and dill

  • aargle on January 04, 2015

    This was delicious and greater than the sum of its parts. My carnivore loving family (all male) happily demolished this and were full of complements.

  • e_ballad on November 22, 2016

    This was ok, though the feta dressing did dominate. Great balance of textures.

• Nasi goreng with Asian greens

  • e_ballad on October 24, 2016

    Love Hetty's recipes but this was lacking any zip & turned out rather stodgy.

• Soba noodles with shredded vegetables and ginger-shallot sauce

  • aliradloff on April 06, 2020

    This recipe is easy and delicious, but like most of the recipes in Hetty McKinnon's books makes some very generous serves. We added some poached chicken into this and it was a great (non-vegetarian) addition.

• Mie goreng with Asian greens

  • shane.metzke on January 20, 2026

    We just used a store bought Thai yellow curry paste for the paste and it was great. Added lots of veggies of various kinds and some thinly sliced duck breast for protein. Noodles were packet Singapore egg noodles. Perhaps a fried egg on top would be good too for extra protein.

• Laksa Hokkien noodles with green beans, Chinese broccoli and tofu

  • Roblyn on October 03, 2024

    P247 in book not 169