It’s party season, and for many of us this means it’s bring a plate season. It’s time to pull out our recipe books, sort through the ever growing pile of foodie magazines and check out Taste.com.au for ideas. Or perhaps it’s time to pop into the supermarket on the way to the party in order to grab a packet of chips or a wedge of watermelon.

Spare a thought for all those with dietary restrictions at this time of year – allergies, intolerances and personal choice can make parties challenging. This vegan selection is the first in a series of bring-a-plate ideas for restricted diets. All these recipes are quick and easy to prepare and taste great.

Roast Pumpkin Hummus

(Large serve! Halve if needed.)

Dice 500g butternut pumpkin, toss in oil, sprinkle with ground cumin and roast at 180 for half an hour. Allow to cool. Whizz 3x400g tins chickpeas, 80mls water, 80mls oil, 1-2 cloves garlic, juice of one large lemon, salt and 3tbs tahini. Add pumpkin and whizz again. Serve with your favourite pita bread, veggies, rice crackers or Turkish bread.

Variation: Beetroot Hummus – use a small drained tin of beetroot instead of roast pumpkin.

Lentil Salad

Even committed lentil haters love this.

Roast 2 medium peeled, diced sweet potatoes at 180. Slice 2 leeks and fry in oil. Rinse 2 tins lentils and a tin of chickpeas. Toss together with 4 chopped shallots, the leek, sweet potato, the juice of a large lemon, a splash of olive oil and chopped herbs of your choice.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Grate 3 large carrots (about 500g). Combine with ½ cup sultanas, ½ cup toasted slivered almonds, ¼ cup coriander leaves, ½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice and 2 tsp ground cumin.

Variation: Replace sultanas with chopped dates.

Rice Paper Rolls

Prepare veggies. Some suggestions are carrot, zucchini, cucumber, capsicum (all cut into matchsticks), mushrooms, baby corn, avocado, mango (all sliced), cabbage, leek, onion, (all thinly sliced and fried). Soak 250g vermicelli rice noodles in boiling water, drain. Soak rice paper rounds in boiling water for about 10 seconds. This takes a bit of practice – you want them soft but not so soft that they fall apart. Once soaked, place a small amount of rice noodles in the centre, then your choice of veggies. Top with some coriander leaves and mint leaves, chilli sauce and/or hoisin sauce. Carefully fold up the bottom, fold in the sides and fold over the top as shown on the rice paper packet.

Chilli Popcorn

Place 3tbs oil and a few kernels of popcorn in a large pot over medium high heat. When one kernel pops, add 1 cup of popcorn kernels and place the lid on the pot. Cook, occasionally shaking the pot, until all kernels have popped. If you have a popcorn machine, use that! Add salt and chilli powder to taste. I won’t give you quantities as it really is up to individual taste.
Variation: For a sweet yule-tide treat replace the salt and chilli powder with ½ cup icing sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp nutmeg and ½ tsp ground cloves. Use a sieve to spread evenly.

Do you have a recipe to share? What dietary restriction would you like some ideas for this silly season?