My approach to vegetables is unapologetic. I've long believed that almost any dish - even dishes that are meaty in origin - can be created with vegetables at the helm. Vegetables are inherently more flexible and adaptable than people think, and the more you cook with them, the more you experiment and explore, the more multifaceted they become. Having grown up around big-flavoured vegetable meals, and as a vegetarian for almost three decades, I have always seen plants as the most exciting couriers of flavour. Often, vegetables are treated with excessive delicacy, or simply overlooked on the plate. But vegetables are robust, they are hardy, and they are ready to be challenged.

My vision for this recipe was simple: broccoli trees growing out of a loaf. The image itself was inspired by an iconic photograph in the book Breakfast, Lunch, Tea by Rose Carrarini, showing a cross section of a cake where broccoli spears are seemingly suspended within batter. I've actually never made Rose's broccoli cake, but I knew I wanted to recreate this whimsical broccoli forest. Savoury cakes deserve more love, in my opinion. I prefer them to savoury muffins or scones, as they stay moister in loaf form. They are also a wonderful treat for brunch or a light lunch, great in lunchboxes and are transportable too, so consider them for picnics or gatherings.

1. Preheat the oven to 180C.

2. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the broccoli and cook for two minutes, then drain immediately and run under cold water until completely cool to stop it from cooking further.

3. Grease and line a standard loaf tin (about 20x10x6cm) with baking paper.

4. Place the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, turmeric, chilli powder and sugar in a large bowl and whisk well to combine. Fold in the cheddar, chives and olives.

5. In another large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, sour cream and egg until smooth. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Pour the batter into the prepared tin.

6. Press the broccoli into the batter so the florets are standing up like trees (you may have a few pieces left over - snack on those!). Bake for 1-11/4 hours until the top is golden and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Storage: Place any leftovers in an airtight container or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to two days. To reheat, slice and warm in the oven or toaster.

For gluten free: use gluten-free plain flour

To veganise: use vegan sour cream and cheese; replace the egg with flax egg

Vegetable swap: broccoli: cauliflower, sweet potato

Serves 6-8.

This soy-butter sauce is typical of Japan's innovative wafu cuisine. "Wafu" refers to something that has been cooked in the "Japanese style" and, specifically, wafu pasta refers to spaghetti dishes interwoven with umami loaded soy sauce and butter emulsions. Wafu is a true hybrid cuisine, emerging not from immigration, but as the result of war. While Italian pasta was introduced to Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868), it didn't become part of the mainstream cuisine until the American occupation of Japan following World War II, when spaghetti featured heavily in military food rations. is recipe is inspired by these innovative, resilient Japanese-influenced pasta recipes, with an extremely simple sauce made of butter and soy, and a hefty amount of bok choy, which becomes melty and heavy with umami notes.

1. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta. Cook according to the packet instructions, but about two minutes less than the time specified. Drain and reserve 250ml of the pasta cooking water.

2. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, garlic and bok choy and sauté for four to five minutes, until the greens are wilted and have released their liquid. Push the greens to the side and add the butter to the pan, along with the soy sauce or tamari. Allow the butter to melt and stir to combine with the soy sauce. Add the pasta to the pan, along with about 125ml of the reserved pasta cooking water (or more, if the pasta looks dry) and toss for two to three minutes, until the buttery soy sauce has thickened and coats the pasta.

3. Serve the spaghetti topped with the green onion and sesame seeds.

Serving suggestion: Top with torn nori sheets.

For gluten free: use gluten-free pasta

Substitute: spaghetti: ramen, egg or udon noodles

Vegetable swap: bok choy: spinach, kale, silverbeet

Serves 4.

Gai larn is one of the most robust Asian greens, with a solid stem and strong leaves that are evocative of broccoli or kale, with slightly more bitterness. It has less water content than other Asian greens, so is well suited to more rugged cooking methods. Chargrilling gai larn in a pan or on the barbecue is a wonderful way to build flavours - it's expected that it will become smoky, but it's the sweetness that disarms and charms. I adore the perfectly balanced layers of this salad - the chewy farro brings so much heart, while the soy-infused tahini is divinely nutty and intensely savoury, an exceptional foil to gai larn's natural bitterness.

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the farro, reduce the heat to medium, then cover and cook for 20-25 minutes, until the farro is tender to the bite. Drain and set aside.

2. Slice each gai larn stalk in half lengthways. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat (or heat a barbecue flat plate on high). Working in batches, drizzle oil into the pan (or brush the barbecue surface) and add the gai larn in a single layer. Char on each side for one to two minutes, until there are crispy, golden bits. Immediately remove from the heat and slide the greens onto a plate. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then repeat with the remaining gai larn.

3. To make the soy tahini, whisk the tahini, soy sauce, chilli oil and garlic in a bowl until combined. Add two to three tablespoons of water until you have a smooth, pourable dressing.

4. To serve, spoon the farro onto a platter or into a bowl and top with the gai larn. Drizzle with the soy tahini and season with sea salt and a few turns of black pepper. Top with the coriander leaves and sesame seeds and serve.

For gluten free: use quinoa or brown rice, and use tamari in place of soy sauce

Vegan

Vegetable swap: broccoli, cauliflower, kale

Serves 4.

This omelette is full of sweet nostalgia, inspired by a dish my husband and I often enjoyed for dinner while we were still university students and part-time theatre ushers. We met at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney's Chinatown, a site opposite a building where my dad lived during his early days in Sydney. The significance of this was lost on me back then, as I busily revelled in my newfound independence and the diverse group of friends we had made on the job. We spent a lot of time in Chinatown and we enjoyed many inexpensive meals at nearby food courts. One of our favourite dishes was a generous plate of rice, topped with a mound of stir-fried veggies, blanketed with a fluffy omelette and finished with a thick, umami gravy. I'd never really eaten a meal like this at home, but it did remind me of my mother's egg and rice dishes. When we relocated to America and started to explore the distinct dishes of Chinese-American cuisine, we discovered that our food court omelette was very close to a deep-fried egg dish known as egg foo young.

1. To make the gravy, place all the ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to the boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, for four to five minutes, until the gravy thickens. Set aside.

2. Place the eggs, salt and white pepper in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add the broccoli, onion, three-quarters of the green onion and the garlic and mix well.

3. Place a small frying pan over high heat. When hot (you should see wisps of smoke rising from the surface), add one tablespoon of the oil to the pan, then ladle about 1/2 cup of the batter straight into the hot oil. Fry for 60 to 90 seconds, until golden and puffy. Using a large wide spatula, confidently flip the omelette over and cook for about one minute on the other side, until golden. Remove from the pan and continue cooking the remaining batter.

4. To serve, place some rice in a bowl, top with an omelette and pour over some of the gravy. Top with the remaining green onion.

Tips: If you have any extra broccoli stalks saved up, cut them into 5mm thick discs and use in this recipe.

I like to fry one omelette at a time, which gives me more control over the cooking process. If you have a small frying pan, use that as it will keep the egg from running all over the pan.

For gluten free: use mirin in place of Shaoxing rice wine

Substitute: Shaoxing rice wine: mirin, dry white wine or dry sherry

Vegetable swap: broccoli: broccoli stalks, cauliower, baby bok choy, gai larn

Makes 4-5 15cm omelettes.

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