Your ideas for sesame, peanut and pumpkin recipes have this swap sewn up.
This week's theme has produced a mixed bag. While healthy recipes have pervaded, it's hardly been bird food. I've tried everything from fragrant bakes and hearty suppers to nourishing snacks and carb‑free lunches.
Suzanne Anderegg's speedy seedy bars are a fantastically versatile take on flapjacks - her ingenious use of bananas limits the volume of butter and syrup to surprisingly delicious effect. I also discovered the queen of autumn brunches - a veritable pumpkin-fest - in Twinny Dip's pumpkin-seed pancakes with ground pumpkin seed paste, pumpkin puree and poached eggs while, on a more savoury note, the fennel and caraway biscuits were a wonderful and aromatic partner to hard cheese.
The winner, though, was one of the most moreish dips I've ever made - bursting with vibrant flavours. Despite its greyish tinge, Bob Ananta's Javanese black sesame and toasted peanut sauce, served with steamed vegetables, was simple and tasty and it ticked all the healthy boxes.
The winning recipe: Sambel Pecel Ndeso (black sesame seeds and peanut sauce with steamed vegetables)
Pecel is a type of Javanese salad dish found in Central and East Java; the sauce is served with steamed vegetables, chopped cucumber and sometimes Javanese basil. Every district has a version, but this comes from Solo (Surakarta), the city that is famous as the spirit of Java.
Bob Ananta, Leicester
Serves 4-6
2 large carrots, julienned
100g green beans, sliced
A bunch of curly kale, torn into bite-size pieces
50g bean sprouts
70g wild rocket
150g cucumber, thinly sliced
1 bunch Javanese or normal basil
For the sauce
2 red chillies, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
3 makrut lime leaves
½ tsp shrimp paste, toasted
2cm fresh kencur, sand ginger or ginger
½ tsp tamarind paste
40g coconut sugar or caster sugar
A pinch of salt
50g black sesame seeds, toasted
50g peanuts, roasted until golden brown
250ml hot boiling water
1 First, make the sauce. Using a pestle and mortar, grind together the chillies, garlic, makrut lime leaves, shrimp paste, ginger, tamarind paste, coconut sugar and salt. Add the toasted black sesame seeds and roasted peanuts, then keep grinding until it becomes a smooth paste.
2 Transfer the paste into a bowl and add boiling water. Stir thoroughly until it becomes smooth like honey.
3 Put the carrots in a steamer for 3‑4 minutes, followed by the green beans for 2 minutes. Add the kale and bean sprouts for a final minute or two, then serve with the sauce and the rocket, cucumber and basil.
Speedy seedy bars
These are easy to make and perfect for a quick bite.
Suzanne Anderegg, Milton Keynes
Makes 12-14
75g margarine or butter
3 tbsp golden syrup, honey or maple syrup
200g rolled porridge oats
2 tbsp sunflower seeds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp ground cinnamon
100g sultanas or other dried fruit
2 bananas, roughly mashed
1 Preheat an oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Lightly grease and line the base of a 18x25cm baking tin.
2 Heat the margarine and syrup in a large pan, stirring until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat, then add the oats, seeds, cinnamon and sultanas. Mix until all the oats are well coated. Add the mashed bananas and mix until combined.
3 Tip the mixture into the tin, press down lightly, then bake for 25-30 minutes until starting to brown. Cool before cutting into bars.
Pumpkin seed and pumpkin pancakes with pumpkin seed and goat's milk yoghurt dressing
Pumpkin seeds, especially the roasted ones, are distinctly sweet and savoury. Ground, they are a great addition to a fluffy pumpkin pancake due to their nutty wholesomeness. Paired with a tangy, sweet pumpkin-seed and goat's milk yoghurt dressing, they make the perfect Sunday brunch and will impress your friends. There are quite a few steps to this recipe, but it is by no means difficult, and a lot of it can be prepared in advance. And the resulting delights and enjoyment are really worth it.
Twinny Dip, via GuardianWitness
Serves 4
250g pumpkin seeds
300g unsweetened pumpkin puree (bought or homemade)
75g ground roasted pumpkin seeds (see step 1)
125g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
50ml milk
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp olive oil
60g gruyere, grated
For the dressing
4 tbsp pumpkin seed paste (see step 1)
4 tbsp goat's milk/Greek yoghurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
Salt, to taste
To serve
Sunflower oil/olive oil
4 eggs, poached
4 tomatoes, cut into halves
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds (see step 1)
A small handful of parsley, chopped
1 First prepare the ground roasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin-seed paste. Toast the pumpkin seeds in one layer in a frying pan at medium to high heat. Do it in two batches if the pan is not big enough. Swirl them around a few times to prevent burning. You will know that they are ready when a few seeds start to pop. Set aside to cool completely.
2 Put aside 2 tbsp of the pumpkin seeds for garnishing. Grind the rest in a blender to a fine meal, tip 75g out, then continue to pulse to a buttery texture,. You will have to stop pulsing and scraping the sides during the process. Store the pumpkin seed paste in a jar if you don't use it up immediately.
3 Mix the dressing ingredients together, then set aside. Heat the oven to 110C/225F/gas mark ¼. Prepare the pancake batter by mixing the pumpkin puree, the 75g ground roastedpumpkin seeds reserved earlier, plain flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Add the milk, mix well, then add the eggs, the olive oil and the grated gruyere.
4 Heat 1 tbsp sunflower oil in a frying pan. When hot, add a spoonful of the pancake batter to the pan. Cook for about 2 -3 minutes per side until golden brown, then put the cooked pancakes on a plate in the warm oven. Repeat with the remaining batter.
5 Fry or poach your eggs. Meanwhile, lightly season the tomatoes with salt and pepper and put under the grill for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove the pancakes from the oven, place on a plate, top each with an egg and 2 tomato halves, then drizzle with the dressing. Top with pumpkin seeds and chopped parsley, to serve.
Fennel and caraway kichelach
I remember coming home from school to the sweet, warm smell of my mother's freshly baked kichelach - a basic, easy-to-make Ashkenazi Jewish biscuit. Traditionally served with pickled herring and schnapps, these are equally good with cheese. My version is made with fennel and caraway seeds, which offer a heady contrast to the eggy sweetness of the dough.
Motherinlawskitchen, via GuardianWitness
Makes 16-20
3 free-range organic eggs
2 tbsp coconut palm sugar (rapidura or light brown sugar will be fine too)
3 tbsp flavourless coconut oil, melted (or light vegetable oil, if unavailable)
A pinch of salt
300g wholemeal self-raising flour
For the topping
2 tbsp coconut palm/light brown sugar
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tbsp caraway seeds
1 Preheat the oven to 220C/450F/gas mark 8. Line two baking sheets and put them in the oven.
2 Cream together the eggs and sugar, and then beat in the oil and the pinch of salt. Using a fork slowly mix in the flour, adding it little by little. Then work the mixture gently for a moment with your hand, until you have a very soft dough. Divide into two balls and roll out on a floured surface to about 5mm thick.
3 Mix the topping ingredients and sprinkle on the top. Very lightly roll the mix into the dough. Cut the dough into squares or diamond shapes and place on the hot baking sheets. Bake, one batch at a time, for no more than 8-10 minutes, until puffed up and golden.
4 Cool on a rack and eat soon after. These store well in an airtight container for a day or two.
Despite its mucky colour, Bob Ananta's Javanese black sesame and toasted peanut sauce was tasty and healthy. Photograph: Jill Mead/Guardian