The Mad Scientist's Vegorama - Oven-Roasted Vegetables

Sometimes it can be a challenge to work out what to do with a whole lot of veggies that aren't going to last forever. In this instance, it was pumpkin, potatoes, carrots and a large onion. The additional ingredients used were a packet of Butter Chicken curry sauce, some shredded coconut, some Lite Milk and some apple/strawberry fruit puree.

Also required: food processor, some large baking trays and some warm water.

Hate crying over onions? Try the Mad Scientist's amazingly ingenious idea of quickly cutting up the onions and then placing them in a bowl of cold water until you are ready to use them. Instant "no more tears"!

Peel and chop the pumpkin, carrots and potatoes into pieces small enough to fit into the funnel of the food processor.

Next shred all the vegetables using the coarse grating attachment on the food processor. The Mad Scientist reminds you to observe normal safety measures and keep fingers away from the chute and turn the food processor off at the wall before opening it up and removing the shredded veggies.

Add approximately half a cup of shredded coconut to the curry sauce and then dilute it with one cup of the milk. Mix well.

Spread the grated onion out in the base of the trays.

Use approximately two cups of fruit puree. The Mad Scientist stores some in the freezer so it is available for use as required.

Mix the fruit puree together with the onion in the base of the baking trays.

Layer in the grated vegetables. First put in the potato and the pumpkin.

Follow up with the carrots.

Finish off with a final layer of potato and then add the curry sauce on top. Use a spatula to smooth this across the top of the mixture. Drizzle some warm water over the top so that the sauce begins to seep through the layers and provides some moisture to help the cooking process.

Bake in a 180 degree celsius oven (fan-forced) for around an hour or until you are convinced that the vegetables are sufficiently softened and a golden crust has formed on the top.

If you would like to serve the vegetables "two ways" then the desired quantity of roasted veggies (complete with the curried crust) can be pureed in the food processor.

Both the roasted or pureed vegetables can served fresh or frozen for later use.

This meal provides a healthy vegetarian alternative that is both spicy and a little bit sweet and very filling.

The Mad Scientist's Nutty Trail Mix

It's really easy to make your own trail mix if you can't find exactly what you want in the shops.

The Mad Scientist has mixed together a delicious selection of cashews, almonds, mixed nuts (desalted with the aid of a large sieve) and a bag of fruit and nut mix (nuts, sultanas and small cubes of dried fruit).

Simply mix together, either in a large bowl or by ladling out quantities from individual bowls, but be careful to preserve the ratio between the quantities of the various products.

Place the finished mixture into individual airtight containers and enjoy!

The Mad Scientist's Funky Fruit Salad

Looking for something different to have for breakfast? Why not try the Mad Scientist's Funky Fruit Salad. The ingredients are only limited by your imagination! At different times the Mad Scientist has used canned fruit, preserved fruit, fresh fruit, dried fruit, frozen fruit, fruit puree and jellied fruit. This version used three different types of canned fruit, a jar of sour cherries, some frozen blueberries and raspberries and some apply and strawberry fruit puree.

The Mad Scientist uses a large good old fashioned mixing bowl and then ladles the fruit salad into smaller containers which can be stored in the refrigerator (if it will be eaten within a reasonable time) or even in the freezer, or of course served fresh for a party!

Here we have the three types of canned fruit and the sour cherries (checked for pits first) in the bowl.

The fruit puree and the blueberries and raspberries have been added (these can be thawed quickly in the microwave if desired).

All mixed together and ready to serve/store - enjoy!

Here's another later version with a different blend of ingredients including fresh bananas:

The Mad Scientist's Nutritious Nachos

Who doesn't love a good nachos?

This one requires the Mad Scientist's Gorgeous Guacamole as a key ingredient, together with corn chips, sliced jalapeno chillies, sour cream, shredded cheese and ideally salsa and refried beans. However, as the later two were not available, the Mad Scientist is eternally inventive and improvised with some cans of chopped spiced Peri Peri tomatoes, and a can of Chilli con Carne combined with a chunky soup of the same name!

Firstly lay out a base of corn chips in a large lasagna dish or similar and top with salsa/tomatoes.

Add a generous quantity of guacamole on top.

Mix together the Chilli con Carne and spice to taste. Some Peri Peri sauce was added in this instance. Layer the mixture over the top of the existing layers in the dish.

Next add the jalapenos (strategically distributed and top with shredded cheese.

Well, that's the first full layer finished! Start off another layer with some more corn chips and repeat the individual layers as above.

At this stage the dish is pretty full, so add some more shredded cheese to finish it off. Place in a 180 degrees Celsius oven and keep an eye on it until you can see that there is some bubbling coming up from below and the cheese is nicely melted and a bit golden-brown in colour. This will take 30-45-60 minutes depending on the size of the dish and the number of layers.

Smear the sour cream over the top and then return to the oven for a short time to warm the cheese through. Then enjoy - plenty to go around!