Baked kumara, spiced chickpeas with kumara hummus dressing
Serves 4 as a side Prep time 10 mins Cook time 30 mins
 
2 medium orange kumara, washed, sliced in half lengthwise
425 g can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon each cumin, coriander, smoked paprika
 
Dressing
1/4 cup Kumara hummus
1 tablespoon juice
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
Water to thin a little
 
To garnish
1/4 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
½ red onion, sliced finely
small handful parsley and coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
 
Method
 
Preheat oven to 200 Degrees c. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Rub the kumara with a bit of olive oil and season with salt and pepper, place on the same baking sheet and bake for 25 - 30m.
 
Meanwhile prepare your dressing by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, add enough water to thin so it’s pourable. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
 
For the topping, simply combine the tomato, onion, parsley and coriander with lemon juice and set aside. Once the kumara are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown - roughly 30 minutes - remove from oven.
 
For serving, place kumara flesh-side up and gently fluff with a fork. Top with chickpeas, sauce and garnish. Serve immediately.

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

Kumara Cakes with Italian Meringue 
Makes 12

Kumara cakes
1/2 cup kumara puree – bake kumara for 1 hour at 180dc or until super soft, puree flesh in food processor until smooth
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
 
Mapled Italian meringue
 2 large egg whites
 ¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
 
Method
Heat oven to 180dc.
Line a Baking tray with baking paper or silicone baking mat.
 
Beat the kumara puree, maple syrup, and brown sugar with a mixer until smooth. Add in extract and egg, and beat until well combined.
 
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir until fully incorporated.
 
Using a small spoon, scoop mix onto prepared tray (the mix doesn’t spread out, but does puff up). Bake until cakes have puffed up and are dry to the touch, about 8-10 minutes. Let cakes rest on baking tray for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
 
To make the meringue - in a medium-sized saucepan combine the sugar and water. Heat over low heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once the sugar has dissolved, turn the heat to medium-high and allow the syrup to come to a boil.
 
In the meantime, add the egg whites to a medium-sized, heatproof bowl and using electric beaters beat until foamy and the whites are almost able to hold soft peaks.
 
Once the syrup is boiling, clip on a thermometer. Cook until the syrup reaches 116°C (or the soft ball stage), then take the pan off the heat and slowly drizzle the hot syrup into the bowl with the foamy egg whites, mixing continuously to prevent the eggs from scrambling.
 
Once all the syrup has been added, keep mixing until the bottom of the bowl feels cool to the touch and the meringue has cooled down to body temperature.
Use immediately.
 
To make…
Spoon 1 tsp of the marshmallow mixture on top of half of the cooled cookies. Top with remaining cookies, gently pressing down to stick together. Chill assembled kumara cakes until filling has set.

Recipe created by Brett McGregor

Perfect for kids parties and as an extra treat you could put a few M&Ms inside!
These were such a hit

• 1 cup of dried dates
• 1 cup cashews (or other nuts or seeds)
• up to 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 cup shredded coconut (plus more for rolling)
• 1 cup boiled orange kumara

Add all ingredients to the food processor, blitz until combined, stopping occasionally to push the mixture down.
Grab a little mixture, place 2 to 3 M&Ms in the middle, roll around in your palm, then roll/coat in extra shredded coconut.

Store in the fridge or freezer till required.
Recipe created by Nicci Webb from At a Pinch (www.atapinch.com)

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 4 eggs
• 1-1/4 cups canola oil
• 3 cups shredded peeled kumara
  
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 can crushed pineapple, drained
  
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• Icing:
• 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
  
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon rum extract
• 1-1/2 cups ground walnuts
  

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Add the eggs, oil, kumara and extract; beat until combined. Stir in the pineapple, raisins and walnuts.
   
2. Fill 12 greased or paper-lined jumbo muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
3. For frosting, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Beat in the sugars and extracts until smooth. Frost sides of cakes; roll in walnuts. Place cakes upside down and frost tops with remaining frosting. Yield: 1 dozen.
   

Ingredients
Bars

• 1 cup baked Kumara (about 1 medium-large)
  
• 3/4 cup coconut oil, very soft (or melted then cooled slightly)
• 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 - 2 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups oat flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup raw coconut (unsweetened)
• 1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Cinnamon Glaze

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2-3 Tbl milk or cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. To make bars, line 2 8x8 square pans with parchment leaving a 1” overhang.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the sweet potato, coconut oil and brown sugar.
4. Add in the eggs one at a time and mix to incorporate.
5. Add in the vanilla and mix just until blended.
6. Stop the mixer and add in the oats, flour, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
7. Turn the mixer on low to combine, stopping to scrape down the sides.
8. Stop the mixer and add in the cranberries, raisins, coconut, pineapple and walnuts.
9. Mix on low just until combined.
10. To make cookies use medium size cookie scoop (about 1/4 cup) and scoop out the mixture gently compressing it into the scoop.
11. Place on the parchment 1 1/2” apart (on a standard size tray you should be able to fit 12).
12. Taking clean hands gently press the mounds down slightly.
13. Bake for 9 minutes. The cookies will be soft still in the middle but the outside should be slightly firm.
    
14. Place the tray on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
15. Using a spatula gently transfer the cookies to the cooling rack (off of the cookie tray) and cool completely.
16. To make bars, evenly divide the mixture between the pans smoothing out and pressing down to make even.
17. Bake for 18-22 minutes. The mixture top of the bars should be somewhat firm but have much give inside (the inside should be very soft but not mushy).
18. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and cool for at least one hour before lifting out.
19. Grasping the parchment paper, gently lift out and cut into squares.
20. Once cooled make the glaze by whisking together the powdered sugar, cinnamon and milk. You want this to be thick and produce a ribbon when the whisk is pulled away.
21. Drizzle the glaze over top and allow to harden before storage.
22. Store the cookies or the bars in an air tight container.

Kumara Bacon Salad

Let's be honest... If something has bacon in it, it's going to taste pretty dam good, right?!
✔4-5 red Sweetas Kumara (peeled and cubed)
✔3-4 rashers of bacon
✔Cherry tomatoes, quartered
✔1 red capsicum, finely sliced
✔70g goats feta, cubed
✔large handful of baby spinach, chopped
1) Toss the cubed kumara in a touch of olive oil with salt and pepper. Lay out on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Place in the oven 200C. Bake for 15 minutes.
2) After 15 minutes, lay the bacon rashers on top of the kumara, turn the oven up to 220C. Bake for another 15-20minutes until nice and golden.
3) Let the kumara and bacon, cool a bit; roughly chop the bacon up.
4) Add all the ingredients into a serving bowl, gently toss.
Delish!! Enjoy, no dressing needed

Recipe created by Nicci Webb from At a Pinch (www.atapinch.com)

Kumara Curry Wedges

• 4 Sweetas Kumara (less or more!)
• 1-2 tbsps olive oil
• 1 tbsp of curry powder

Peel & chop the kumara into wedges, toss in olive oil and curry powder. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 200C; until beautiful and golden. It's that simple!
Sprinkle with fresh thyme, and a little bowl of hummus and olive oil

Recipe created by Nicci Webb from At a Pinch (www.atapinch.com)

Kumara Mash ~with a twist...

✔️850g bag of Sweetas Kumara
✔️50g butter
✔️1/4 cup milk
✔️1 tsp cinnamon
✔️fresh thyme

Peel & roughly chop the kumara. Place in a pot, fill with cold water. Boil on the stove, until the kumara are soft.
Drain the kumara, place back into the pot, add the butter, milk, & cinnamon. Mash. Add more milk or butter if you desire. Sprinkle with a little more cinnamon and fresh thyme. Serve

Recipe created by Nicci Webb from At a Pinch (www.atapinch.com)

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2¼ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• ¼ tsp ground cloves (optional)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup Orange Kumara, boiled, mashed (cooled)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• Chopped pecans, for serving
• 3 tbsp Maple syrup
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 pears, sliced

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
2. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, buttermilk, kumara and melted butter. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl with the wet ingredients, folding just until combined. The mix will be slightly lumpy.
   
3. Combine the maple with the sour cream and set aside.
   
4. Preheat the waffle baker and lightly grease it with butter. Add a portion of the batter to the waffle baker, close the lid and cook until fully baked. Remove the waffle then repeat with the remaining waffle batter.
5. Top the waffles with pear, chopped pecans, maple and sour cream. Serve immediately.

700g Meadow Mushrooms White Button or Swiss Brown - quartered
500g Sweet As! Red Kumara - peeled and 1cm dice
250g bacon - small dice
250g onion - small dice
2 tbsp garlic - finely diced
3 tbsp fresh thyme - finely chopped
4 eggs
¾ cup flour
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
salt & black pepper to taste
cooking oil & butter

In a saucepan add diced kumara and cover with salted cold water and put over high heat. Bring to boil and cook for about 5 minutes until soft. Strain and cool.

Bring another saucepan to the heat, add a little cooking oil, when hot, add bacon, onion, garlic and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes until the onion is soft before adding mushrooms. Cook for 20 minutes until cooking liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat, cool then place in a bowl with kumara.

For the batter whisk the eggs and flour to a thick, smooth consistency. Pour over mushroom and kumara mix add chilli sauce and season. To cook heat up the griddle top of your BBQ to medium heat. Add a little oil and butter then spoon out the fritters. Cook until golden one side and turn. Keep warm until all are cooked.

Serving suggestion: on their own with a small salad, with salsa, poached eggs and Hollandaise. Omit bacon and add 250gm more mushrooms for a vegetarian option.

Serves 4.

Recipe by Al Brown