In today's Bite: Hearty, winter-warming vegetarian meals

Try these baked rice cakes with leeks and cheese. Photos / Bite magazine

Find all your favourite bits from today's Bite magazine online. Follow the hyperlinks in Jo Elwin's editor's letter and lose yourself in bite.co.nz.

April showers, that became downpours, destroying vegetable crops around New Zealand, had me thinking how much we take our steady supply of fresh vegetables for granted. The food budget took a hit and I was devising 100 things to do with silverbeet which was still going strong in my garden - lucky because most leafy greens have been costly these last few weeks.

Ray McVinnie's hearty vegetarian meals. Photos / Bite magazine

As Suzanne is reporting in this week's produce report, some greens are back on track, so Ray's hearty vegetarian meals should be achievable. I do hope so because his Berlin potato and lentil soup, baked rice cake with leeks and cheese and spicy tomato sauce and silken tofu simmered with vegetables in ginger soy broth are mighty good - in flavour and nutritional benefits. Ray is also giving us endless ideas to create soup out of just about anything in his get the idea column.

Mikki Williden is talking milk alternatives and here's how to make your own nut milk. Peter Gordon is talking taro and vegetables are also the focus of Monday night's maple glazed carrots and parsnips.

This week Allyson Gofton is cooking a veal axoa. Photo / Bite magazine

Conversely, Allyson is cooking a veal axoa. We are well aware of the issues around the treatment of bobby calves and understand many choose not to eat it. Veal can be replaced with pork or lamb in Allyson's recipe. You can buy rose veal online at gourmetdirect.co.nz.