Planet VeGMeL

giveaway - sjaaks valentines chocolate - the vegan store

2012-02-07T09:25:00+00:00

Yes, it's "v-day". I know all y'all vegans are joyless, loveless, tree hugging human haters but chocolate is chocolate and any excuse to gorge on it is AOK with me. Up for grabs is a Sjaaks heart: A dark chocolate heart, filled with an assortment of European style assorted dairy free chocolates. OMFG! Just leave a comment* by midday Friday the 10th of February with some contact details so we

Creamy Coconut and Goji Goodness Smoothie...

2012-02-06T21:39:00+00:00

If you only ever crack open one coconut, open it for this smoothie!

ChocoLOVE!

2012-02-06T12:24:00+00:00

This weekend was a pretty quiet one – on Friday night Icooked up a tasty storm. I made a Curried red lentil stewwith vegetables. It was such an easy recipe, and it smelled sooooooootasty! I made it to take to L-whacks on Saturday night for our dinner.

Curried red lentil stew - YUM!

I also added a small sweet potato and half a red capsicum –I want to eat a variety of vegies whenever possible. I had a small taste whenthis was all cooked, and it certainly hit the spot. A vibrant stew, withsplashes of colour.

Our plans for Saturday night changed, so we ended up eating thisfor dinner last night (Sunday) – oh boy, it was sooooooooo good! The flavourshad developed, and adding some coriander at the last minute gave it an evendeeper flavour.

Serving it with brown rice, L-whack and I enjoyed our dinnerimmensely. I talked L-whack through the recipe, and we realised just howincredibly healthy this meal was. The ‘unhealthiest’ part of the meal was thevegetable oil – all the other ingredients are healthy, natural and so good foryou! It was also very filling, so lucky L-whack has some leftover for hisdinner tonight (I’m a good girlfriend!)

Next time I make it, I won’t change much at all! You couldeasily double the recipe, add some other vegies (potatoes, pumpkin, beans etc.)– there is another version with coconut milk, but I think the recipe without ispretty darn good already. Perhaps the coconut milk would make it too rich? Itwould certainly bump up the fat content.

I recently chatted to a naturopath at Evelyn Faye healthshop in South Melbourne. I was just in there having a browse, when she cameover to see if I needed a hand, and we started chatting about veganism. Sheasked whether I had started having spirulina (which is a good source of protein,antioxidants etc.) – it’s known as a ‘superfood’, a label which I am verydubious of, but something I thought was worth looking into.)

Anyway, after doing some research I decided that I wouldgive it a go. It’s hard to find independent information on spirulina, but afterreading user reviews on iHerb.com, I decided to try the earthrise Spirulina inpowder form (the body absorbs all the good stuff more easily than tablets/capsules).

It arrived in the mail last week (along with my almond & sea saltchocolove……… DROOL!) And I decided to be brave on Thursday morning and giveit a go.

It comes in the finest powder form – a beautiful deep forestgreen colour – and smells absolutely feral. As I didn’t have any juice or similarin the fridge, I decided to brave it and just go with a glass of water.Buh-buom. Bad move. Once the powder hits liquid, it forms into a thicker gluggytype mixture. I kept stirring it – watching it with fear – hoping that if I mixit long enough, then it would dissolve and thin out.

WRONG!

Oh well, just go with it Ess Mick. What doesn’t kill youonly makes you stronger. So I took a sip………… I don’t know how, but I managed toswallow that sip – and promptly tipped the remainder of the glass down the sink!!

It was disgusting. My mum actually took a smell of thepowder and said she ‘was going to puke’. So as I had 150 servings of it to go(1 teaspoon is recommended serving for first timers, building up to 2 teaspoonsa day) – I decided that I would need to mix it with some flavoured.

So on Saturday, I decided to try making a Smoothie. Iblended some soy milk, banana, and frozen raspberries and got a lovely pinkmix.

Banana, raspberry & soy milk smoothie

Then I added 1 teaspoon of spirulina. Yes, 1 teaspoon andthis was the result.

With 1 teaspoon of spirulina!

Hmm subtle. I think that someone with colour-blindness wouldbe able to tell you about this hue of green!

Anyway, the Smoothie certainly helps the flavour of thegreen stuff. You can still taste the spirulina, but it kind of blends in withthe soy milk & fruit, and makes it drinkable. It’s not my favourite thing,but we’ll see if I get used to it. I’ve made a pact with myself to get throughthe bottle, see if I notice any difference to my energy levels etc and thendecide whether to get more.

Hmmmm green

monday melbourne roundup

2012-02-06T11:04:00+00:00

Well it was a huge week for me even by my standards. Honestly I've been on a bender since my birthday but this week I go back to school/board meetings life so party time is now over. Couple that with ALL of my best friends (3 of them) are Aquarians so.. yknow birthday party central. I also went to Sydney for some very old friends wedding (in the Blue Mountains). The wedding itself was stunning

No Meat Monday: What do vegans eat?

2012-02-06T09:14:41+00:00

I’ve been fielding this question for five years and I still don’t know quite how to respond to it. (FYI: we eat food!) It’s funny because many people associate veganism with a restrictive or boring diet, but I’ve never eaten a larger variety of foods before. My diet is way more abundant and interesting now than it ever was when I was omni.

Anyway. To answer the ‘what do vegans eat’ question I thought I would record everything I ate in a week. Behold:

Breakfast – fresh nectarines with coconut yoghurt; breakfast burrito (fu scram in tortilla); green monster protein smoothie; banana oatmeal; fresh honeydew melon; porridge with rice milk, grated apple and peaches.

Lunch – quinoa tabbouleh; scrambled tofu with seven veggies; kale salad; leftover salads; baked sweet potato and green salad with zaatar and lemon dressing; big veggie juice and La Panella donuts (WELL BALANCED MEAL); tofu-filled rice paper rolls with peanut sauce.

Dinner – wild rice with roasted root veggies; giant salad with miso dressing; curried chickpea and roasted carrot salad; baked sweet potato with Moroccan spices, steamed kale and a green side salad; creamy quinoa with strawberry, peach and banana; miso noodle soup.

Sweets - raw berry pudding with carob; cocoa-coco-nut-nut cookies; buckwheat pancakes w cherries; strawberry and peaches with raw chocolate sauce (tahini/rice milk/carob).

Snacks – tamari nibble mix; banana; rice cakes with peanut butter; peach; sesame & pumpkin seeds; fruit leather; instant miso soup; almonds; raw veggies with hommus.

Drinks – boost two and five juice; water; herbal tea; coconut water; mineral water; decaf soy latte; diet coke; tahini coffee.

During the week I ate seventeen kinds of vegetables; eight kinds of fruit; five kinds of nuts; three types of grain; and one type of legume.

And that’s what at least one vegan eats!

I’d love to add to this with what other vegans (YOU!) are eating! Every vegan has a pretty different diet, I reckon – and I think it would be interesting to show how diversely we eat. If you want to take part, simply post what you eat for a day (or a week if you’re super keen!), let me know, and I’ll make a post linking to all your posts. Do it like I did, or do it your own way – in pics, with recipes, whatever!

Let’s answer the question for once and for all… what do vegans eat?!

MLLA Nicki's vegetarian dumplings with fried rice

2012-02-05T21:56:00+00:00

Dumplings. The ultimate comfort food! Fun finger food! Heaven in a wrapper! Yes, I love them. Last year I posted about making steamed vegetarian dumplings and received some very useful feedback. My friend Nicki sent me her recipe and a few people suggested a dumpling press. So I am now revisiting dumplings with far more experience after making them many times last year.

I was intrigued by the idea of a dumpling press and rushed out to buy one. Actually I had to look around but Min Phat at the Vic Market had them. I had to ask about 4 people before I could find someone who spoke English. Which perhaps explains the odd grammar on the instructions. My colleagues who work in editing were rather amused by this.

I tried the dumpling press and found it clunky. Worse still, I cut my fingers by continually pressing them into the press when I folded it over (see below picture). Even working out what size to use was tricky. (I think I found that smaller was better). After chatting with Nicki I persevered and found it got easier.

One thing I learnt (and this isn't in the photos as they are from lots of different times I made them) is to fill the cup of the press, then use the back of the spoon to pack it down and level it off. This seemed to help make sure that I didn't overfill. Nicki says she doesn't need any water to seal the dumplings using a press but I do. Just a drip on my fingertip that I run over the edge.

Getting to know the dumpling press was easier than experimenting with recipes. I tried quite a few things. I tried roasted pumpkin, tofu puffs, chilli non carne, tamarind, silverbeet and grated zucchini. Not all at once. But over the months that I was finding a recipe. Then Nicki said that she had a tried and trusted recipe that she makes regularly.

Quite a few of the recipes I had been trying involved cooking up vegetables first. This one doesn't. It involves lots of tofu, dried shitake mushrooms, bamboo shoots and spring onions plus seasoning. I was dubious. Yet I have now abandoned all other recipes and make this one regularly.

You can see the filling in the red bowl in the above photo. It is full of flavour and vegies without having to do too much preparation. Nicki suggested serving with soy sauce. I have found that kecap manis (sweetened Indonesian soy sauce) is more flavoursome for an easy dipping sauce. I tried a Sam Stern ginger sauce late last year and it was a bit thin so I think the kecap manis will probably remain our sauce of choice.

I'd love to tell you that Sylvia loves the dumplings too but she doesn't in the way I wish. She does in other ways. She loves helping to make them. In fact the dumpling press is easy enough for her to use. And she loves to eat the wrappers and leave the innards. You don't even want to imagine the mess it makes. (She would eat the raw wrappers too but I discourage this). The other child-friendly part of these dumplings is that if you steam them they are forgiving. I have steamed them for 15 minutes, turned off the heat and left them there while I sing Sylvia to sleep.

At first when I served the dumplings I would have a communal dipping bowl. But then I bought some little Asian teacups with no handles and they were perfect to have as individual dipping bowls. This is especially useful as sometimes we eat them on the run, serving them as they come from the pot rather than as a sit down meal at the table.

Lastly I found that serving dumplings was like serving an entree and then E was wondering where the main meal was. They aren't so satisfying by themselves. Then I discovered that, if I made half of Nicki's recipe, I would get about 30-40 and I could make fried rice with the leftovers. Usually I just put the filling and rice in the frypan with a little extra seasoning and fry until hot.

I am sending these dumplings to My Legume Love Affair (#44), founded by Susan of the Well Seasoned Cook and hosted by Vanessa of Sweet Artichoke this month.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: Gang of Four meme
This time two years ago: Emergency Zucchini and Rice Burgers
This time three years ago: WTSIM … Fruit kebabs
This time four years ago: PPN #52 Gyoza and Salad

Nicki's Vegetarian Chinese Dumplings
Nicki says it makes 60-80, I half the recipe and get this many but as she says it is a different amount every time.

- 1 kg hard tofu (pressed tofu is ideal) crumbled
- about 40g (1 small packet) of sliced dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked and chopped
- 1 bunch spring onions, finely sliced
- 1 bunch coriander or basil, chopped (I don't use)
- 1 x 225g can of shredded bamboo shoots, drained and chopped
- a piece of ginger, finely grated, or more if you love it
- 1 egg for binding (1 egg is fine to use even if you half the other quantities, but an alternative vegan binder could be used such as chia seeds?)
- 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, or to taste
- 2 teaspoons of sesame oil, or to taste
- 1 carrot finely grated (optional)
- 60-80 gyoza or wonton wrappers*

Mix everything in a big bowl (except the wrappers!).

Fill your wrappers with a heaped teaspoon of filling, then pinch together in half-moons, or better still use a dumpling clamp. Wet the edges of the wrapper with a fingeritp dipped in water just before pinching or clamping (NB Nicki says you don't need to wet edges if you have a clamp but I find I do).

To freeze the dumplings without having them stick together, place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper (touching one another as little as possible), and freeze on the tray. When frozen, put into bags or containers.

To cook:

Steam: arrange fresh or frozen dumplings on baking paper in a steamer insert and steam for about 15 minutes. This is my preferred method.

Boil: drop fresh or frozen dumplings into a pot of boiling water for a few minutes until they rise to the surface. Remove with a slotted spoon and enjoy dipped in a sauce. Nicki does this mostly.

Fry: (NB: if frozen, boil first.) Pan fry fresh or boiled dumplings in a bit of oil with a dash of sesame oil. Nicki calls this crispy deliciousness!

* In Melbourne you can buy large amounts of dumpling wrappers at Min Phat and other Asian groceries. Alternately you can make them. I am yet to try this but I have seen a traditional recipe at Poh's Kitchen (5 Oct 2011) and a gluten free recipe at Where's the Beef?

Ginger drizzle
From Sam Stern's Eat Vegetarian

- 2 tsp graed fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp castor sugar
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp rice wine (I used mirin)
- 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar (I only used 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar and 2 tbsp ginger-infused vinegar)

Mix in a small bowl.

On the stereo:
Assembly: John Foxx

Sweet and Sour Tempeh

2012-02-05T21:03:05+00:00

Note:
I love ‘sweet and sour’ Chinese dishes so whipped up this easy dish and served it on rice noodles. A quick dinner for during-the-week-busy-ness! This recipe feeds 3 people (or 2 hungry people).

Ingredients:
1 pack of tempeh, cut into 2-3cm cubes
3/4 cup of vegetable stock
2 tablespoons of tamari/gluten-free soy sauce
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of sesame oil (use more vegetable if you don’t have sesame oil)
1/2 fresh large pineapple, cut into small chunks (or 1 small can if pineapple isn’t in season)
1 green or red capsicum cut into 2-3cm pieces
1 onion, roughly chopped
Any greens of your choice – I added spring onion, silverbeet and green beans
2 tablespoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider or rice-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of tomato sauce/ketchup, optional
1 tablespoon of corn flour

Instructions:
1. Add soy sauce and vegetable stock to a large frypan or wok. Add tempeh cubes and braise for 10 minutes.
2. Remove tempeh from the stock and drain on a large tea towel or paper towel. Soak up any extra moisture as you’re about to add it to oil and don’t want the oil spitting all over you!
3. Remove the broth mixture from the pan and set aside to cool (you’ll need it for the sauce).
4. Clean the wok/frypan and heat up the sesame/vegetable oil mixture. Add the tempeh and lightly stir fry the tempeh until brown (3-5 minutes).
5. Add the onion and capsicum and any greens to the wok/frypan. Stir fry until cooked. Remove from heat.
6. To make the sauce – heat the pineapple pieces, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and add the corn flour (I like to make the corn flour into a paste first with a teaspoon or two of water in a separate bowl, it combines easier without the lumps). Sauce will begin to thicken almost immediately, so keep stirring.
7. Once sauce has thickened, add to tempeh and vegies and stir through. Yum!
8. Serve on rice or rice noodles.

Kudos:
An original for Vegematarian based on a few recipes found on the inter-ma-net.

Vegan Palak ‘Paneer’

2012-02-05T20:34:45+00:00

Note:
‘Palak Paneer’ is often called ‘Saag Paneer’ but my research has found out they are actually different. Palak Paneer just has spinach while Saag Paneer is made from mustard greens and spinach. So this is a recipe for Palak Paneer but using tofu instead of cheese, which doesn’t take away from it’s deliciousness in any way (and is much healthier). This recipe serves 2-3 people.

Ingredients:
2 large bunches of fresh spinach
1 large block of extra-firm tofu, cut into cubes (approx 2-3cm thick)
Canola/vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of ground dried ginger
2 teaspoons of garam masala (spice)
1 teaspoon of dried ground coriander
1 /2 teaspoon of turmeric
1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
1 cup of non-dairy milk (I used soy milk but rice milk would be great too)

Instructions:
1. Wash the spinach thoroughly to remove dirt and grit. Remove any tough/large stems.
2. Wilt the spinach by adding it to a pan with a few centimetres of boiling water.
3. Once the spinach has wilted, drain and run under cold water to cool.
4. Once the spinach is cool, squeeze out the liquid by wringing the spinach in your hands. Roughly chop it and set aside.
5. To prepare the tofu, place the slab between two absorbent paper towels and then two plates or chopping boards. Put a weight on top of the pile to squeeze out the moisture (I used a big cooking book). Leave for 10 minutes or so.
6. Remove tofu and cut into cubes. Toss in 1 tablespoon of oil, ready for stir-frying.
7. Heat up a large fry pan or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the cubed tofu.
8. Cook, turning occasionally, until the cubes are golden brown on most sides. Transfer tofu to a bowl and set aside.
9. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. When the oil is hot, add the chopped onions and cook until very soft (about 8 minutes).
10. Turn down to medium heat. Add the spices and cook until the aroma from the spices has been released.
11. Add the tomato paste and cayenne pepper, stir, and cook for another minute.
12. Add the chopped spinach, non-dairy milk to the pot and stir well.
13. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
14. Stir in the cooked tofu and simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes.
15. Serve with warm basmati rice and pappadums.

Kudos:
Thanks to Raspberry Eggplant for the guidance — http://raspberryeggplant.blogspot.com.au/2008/05/vegan-palak-paneer.html?m=1

Carolyn’s Quinoa and Roast Veggie Salad

2012-02-05T19:45:39+00:00

Note:
My amazing colleagues came over for lunch a few weeks ago and brought with them some yummy dishes. Carolyn made this delicious salad which was gobbled up quickly!

Ingredients:
2-3 cups veggies of your choice eg. sweet potato, pumpkin, potato, zucchini, garlic, etc
Olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups quinoa, cooked (Carolyn cooks it in the rice cooker)
1/3 block of sheep/goat’s fetta, crumbled (optional)
1 cup of salad greens eg. rocket, baby spinach, etc.
Balsamic or apple cider vinegar
Oregano (fresh or dried)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Cube all the vegetables.
3. Add vegetables to a baking tray and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, cook 2 cups of quinoa. Once cooked, drain and run through with cold water to cool.
5. Remove vegetables from oven when they are cooked to your liking.
6. Once vegetables have cooled, add to a bowl and mix in quinoa. Crumble over fetta.
7. In a small bowl, combine a drizzle of olive oil and a drizzle of vinegar. Stir through some oregano and pour dressing over salad.
8. Toss salad and serve.

Kudos:
A Carolyn original for Vegematarian. Thanks to Caro, you wonderful woman!

Licensed to Grill

2012-02-04T21:13:00+00:00

The last couple of months has seen my household bid farewell to a few old frypans - a great excuse to purchase a few new ones that I have had my eye on. First, I got a couple super-cute Avanti brand mini pans. One is a mini frypan in blue and the other a mini saucepan in yellow - perfect for toasting small amounts of sesame seeds, frying a small amount of dumplings, making individual but perfectly-sized pancakes and deep-frying using a small amount of oil. (Couldn't find a decent link but if you're in Melbs they had them at that kitcheny shop on Lt Bourke St just near Myer.)

The other toy I bought was something I had been lusting after for months and months. Only costing $20, it wasn't exravagent but I still felt the need to justify its purchase. And I'm so glad I did. The item in question? A grill pan.

Oh, what fun I have been having grilling stuff. Like that YouTube series "Will It Blend?", it's been kind of like "Will It Grill?" around here lately. Zucchinis, eggplant and mushroom are excellent candidates for grilling, along with bread, polenta and hotdogs. The best, though, is grilled tofu. Somehow the grilling infuses a flavour into the 'fu that is above and beyond its normal taste when cooked in the same sauce.

And Oh! The lines! I love grill lines - they make everything look so so yummy. Here is an example - sauce recipe to be posted in the near future.

Yim Yam

2012-02-04T11:32:00+00:00

January 25, 2012

One my colleagues came into work recently raving about a new Thai place that had popped up on Smith Street called Yim Yam. Some quick research revealed that this is a new outlet of a small chain of Thai/Laotian restaurants with a highly regarded store in Yarraville. Once we scanned their online menu and noted all the little 'V's, Yim Yam went straight on our list of places to try.

We stopped in at about 8:30 on a Wednesday night to find it heaving with people and unreserved tables only available out in the courtyard. The menu is loaded up with vegetarian options and it was all we could do to stick to just 3 dishes. We started with the vegetarian Thai coconut pancakes filled with tofu, salad and two sweet sauces ($10.90 for two). While it was a little to heavy on the condiments, the pancakes were great and had us looking forward to what Yim Yam might bring next.

The first of our mains came with a ringing endorsement from Matt Preston - the menu boasts that the toasted rice and coconut salad ($14.90) is his favourite dish.

It's easy to see why - the combination of toasted rice chunks, shredded coconut, herbs, peanuts and lettuce gives you the a wonderful range of textures and flavours. The crispy rice in particular is wonderful - not as dry as I'd feared it would be, but still packing an impressive crunchiness. There's a bit of heat in this dish, courtesy of a sprinkling of dried chillies, as well as syrupy sweetness and a lime tang.

Our second main was one of their $9 Wednesday specials - a serve of the snakebean, basil and tao-hu stir-fry with rice.

The tao-hu is a kind of chewy tofu, and combined well with the fresh beans and bamboo shoots. The stiry-fry sauce packed a solid punch, with some Thai basil flavours peeking out from behind the chilli kick.

Yim Yam is a welcome addition to the Gertrude end of Smith Street - between it and the nearby Easy Tiger, this area has the cheap and fancy ends of the market sewn up. Yim Yam looks quite small from the front, but seems to have about four different seating areas (front room, courtyard, upstairs, downstairs). The staff have to work pretty hard, but things moved along fairly well despite the packed house. The menu states that they're happy to accommodate vegan and other dietary considerations (and it's possible that everything we ate was vegan). Given that they're open for weekday lunches as well as dinners, I'll almost certainly be back.

____________

Nobody seems to have reviewed the Collingwood outpost of Yim Yam yet, but there are plenty of positive write-ups of the Yarraville branch: Addictive and Consuming, eat, drink, stagger, Tune into Radio Carly, Footscray Food Blog, No Spring Chicken, Temasek and half-eaten.

____________

Yim Yam
76 Smith Street, Collingwood (also in Yarraville and Moonee Ponds)
9419 3985
veg dishes: $6.90 - $14.90
http://yimyam.com.au/

Accessibility: The front area has a flat entrance but is fairly crowded. Access to the courtyard and other rooms (plus the toilets) require you to negotiate at least a few steps. The toilets are spacious enough but not necessarily designed with accessibility issues in mind. Ordering takes place at the table, then payment is at a relatively high and crowded counter out the front.

Bush birthday banana cake and other self catering at Lorne

2012-02-03T23:31:00+00:00

One of the reasons we went to Lorne last week was that I had decided I wanted to celebrate my birthday with a swim in the sea. In my previous post about Lorne I wrote about our holiday but I wanted to have a separate post to reflect on self catering. Before we had Sylvia we often stayed in B&Bs with no kitchen facilities. Now we often stay in self catering apartments. It is much easier with a young child. As you can see in the above photo, I even self catered my birthday cake with Ricki's Banana Oat Bars.

So these days we pack food in the car. The sort of things I took away on this trip were english muffins, teabags, milk, oats (for porridge), honey, promite, pancake mixture, maple syrup (did I really need two sweeteners?), vegie sausages, vegie burgers, tomato sauce, a stir through olive and tomato pasta sauce, ranch dressing, smoky potato salad dressing (did I need two salad dressings?) dried pasta, tins of beans, capsicum, corn on the cob, cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumber, potatoes, cheeses, quince paste, dips, crackers, chips, roasted chickpeas, soda water, soda water with lime, butter, olive oil (never used it but what kitchen is complete without it), watermelon, grapes, nectarines, chocolate block, mini magnum icecreams, and banana oat slice.

Yes, I overcater. We had plenty of food to take home and we haven't done much grocery shopping since the holiday. Now isn't that better than leaving food on a plate at a restaurant! I also took along some plastic bowls, cups, plates and cutlery for Sylvia, and a favourite chopping board and medium mixing bowl. Just in case. (Can you tell I was a girl guide - be prepared!)

Holidays mean more processed food than usual because it is easy and indulgent. That is what holidays should be isn't it! Especially when there is a birthday involved. Sylvia loves to grab one of the bottles of pancake mix in the supermarket and usually I say no. I was going to say yes on our pre-holiday shopping trip and then I spied the Pancake Parlour mixture. I loved the Pancake Parlour as a kid and even once bought a packet of this stuff from the restaurant (though no one else in my family remembers it).

Pancakes from a packet are easy holiday breakfast. And perfect birthday breakfast. If you look carefully you will see the 1961 copy of a murder mystery set in Melbourne University that E found me in the Lorne op shop. I also got a Church CD, a guide to veganism book, a healthy baking cookbook, a book of lyrics by Jarvis Cocker, a gorgeous plate, a bottle of good olive oil and a digital radio. And my swim in the sea. It really was a wonderful birthday.

It was also a birthday that seemed full of nostalgia. Chocolates such as this caramel one are so tempting in the supermarket but I try not to get sucked in to trying every new flavour and brand. I had never seen this one before or heard of the brand (Gran's). But thought it was tooth-achingly sweet, I loved a little piece because it tasted like the fudge centre of one of my favourite chocolate bars in childhood - chokito.

Though I wanted to try lots of cafes and restaurants, I know that getting Sylvia to eat a decent dinner and sleep in the evening is a challenge. We decided we would eat out for lunch and have dinner in the apartment at night. I btought a long lots of vegetables partly so that I could make sure Sylvia ate them. She eats too many chips when she eats out and I find it difficult find a healthy meal with enough vegetables to satisfy me in a cafe.

The first night we had a Smoky potato, bean and corn salad with vegies sausages. I had made up the dressing at home and the rest was quite easy to make up in the kitchen of the apartment (which was quite well stocked). On another night we had some pasta salad with vegies, beans and a low fat ranch dressing. I also had a pasta sauce in case we wanted a quick pasta meal but that never eventuated.

For my birthday I had decided I wanted to plan a nice meal that we could make ourselves. After much puzzling over this, I decided that I would take some nice cheeses. We stopped at the supermarket in Geelong and bought jarlsberg, brie, smoked cheddar, vintage cheddar, and quince paste. With some dips, chips and crackers it was an easy lunch to take into the bush for a picnic.

For the birthday cake, I had decided to make hedgehog. I even took down the ingredients because they are quite simple. Yet I ended up making a banana oat slice from Diet Dessert and Dogs before I left because we had two over-ripe bananas. As you can see it didn't want to behave and cracked horribly when I tipped it out of the tin. It was more cake than flapjack - quite moist and crumbly but wholesomely delicious, especially in warm weather when the choc chips were melty. We had plenty of it on holiday so it seemed silly to make anything else.

You can see my banana oat slice above on a plate I bought from the op shop for 50c. On the top photo you can see that I took along candles and matches for the cake but used the lid of the tub because I forgot a plate. I had thought Sylvia would enjoy blowing out the candles but the wind got there first. Below is the birthday cakes that my mum made for me when I dropped in to see my family on the way home. All the kids had a turn blowing out those candles! We also had a great tex mex feast that my mum had prepared.

Lastly I will leave you one of the funnier moments on our trip. As we drove through Torquay on Australia Day, two surfer guys with long bleached hair ran over to our car as we stopped at a traffic light. They gave us a few lamingtons and looked at Sylvia sleeping in the backseat in her blue and white t-shirt and gave us an Aussie flag, saying "this is for the little fella". It gave us a laugh but we didn't put the flag on our car, as you know what they are saying about racism and people with flags on their car. The guys' enthusiasm was infectious! A hilarious moment in a great holiday!

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: CC Soba noodle salad
This time two years ago: My Camera Birthday Cake
This time three years ago: Apricot and Orange Glazed Tofu
This time four years ago: Muhammara by Moonlight

Banana Choc Chip Oat Slice
Adapted from Diet Dessert and Dogs

2 medium, very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup raw sugar (or other unrefined sugars such as coconut sugar)
1 tbsp finely ground linseeds (flax seeds)
1/4 cup milk (I think I used soy)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup dark choc chips (or dried fruit)
1, 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
1/4 cup oat flour (I ground oats in blender)
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line or grease a 20cm (8 inch) square cake tin with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, combine the bananas, raw sugar, flax seeds, milk, oil and vanilla. Set aside and mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until combined. The mixture seems quite wet but this is ok.

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top. Bake in preheated oven until it is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Ricki suggested 40-45 minutes but I took 60 minutes and it was still quite moist.

Cool in the pan for 10-20 minutes and turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Cut into pieces and keep in an airtight container. Ours was good after 6 days and Ricki says you can freeze them.

On the Stereo:
The Best of the Radio Songs: The Church

Molly cuddles!

2012-02-03T14:08:00+00:00

Last night after work, I popped over to L-whacks to witnessthe mounting of the stunning photograph I gave him for his 30^th.

Gold Nugget - Clark Little Photography

I may be bias, but it looks AH-MAZ-ING!!

I clocked up some serious Molly cuddles last night too – shewas so patient waiting for it to be done. Molly is the beautiful 6th member of Family L-whack, she is a gorgeous gentle soul and she is such a good little woofer!

So very glad it’s the weekend. I’m hoping to do somecooking, so will hopefully have some recipe posts for next week.

Have a great weekend!

Ernest V

2012-02-03T13:11:07+00:00

I love menus that cause me to go into a severe state of indecision, although waiters probably don’t feel the same, banished away constantly with my pleas of “just a few more minutes!” This was the challenge that faced Aimee and I as we poured over the pages of Ernest V’s menu on a very hot Sunday morning.

Ernest V appears like an oasis on the hazy Glenhuntly Road strip in Elsternwick. It’s a cool, relaxing cavern that provided instant relief from the oppressive heat outside, although there is a courtyard out the back if you’re a sun lover. It’s a space that’s clearly inspired by Middle Eastern aesthetics and design, with entire walls covered in beautiful Egyptian tiles, and this Middle Eastern influence permeates the menu as well.

I was so very close to ordering the ful, an Egyptian breakfast dish consisting of fava beans, vegies and hummus, because where else are you going to come across it? But after ages of humming and hahing I ended up being seduced over to the dukkah-encrusted eggs with salad (rocket, radishes, cherry tomatoes, yellow pickled vegetables that may possibly have begun life as capsicums) on a slice of thin, crusty and seedy bread.

The egg yolks were a beautiful rich orange, they would of had to have been free-range eggs, there’s no other way you can get that strength of colour. Perfectly gooey inside. The salad was lovely and crisp – there should be more radishes in things, bring on the radish renaissance! – although I found the pickles to be quite bitter and unpleasant and left most of them untouched (probably not entirely the pickles’ fault, I’m a little funny with pickled foods and am rarely into them). The bread was thinly cut, but still proved a sturdy base for the eggs, and was packed full of seeds, which is the only way to make crusty bread even more delicious! And just how good is dukkah? SO GOOD. Nutty, spicy, crunchy goodness. There were no regrets in this choice all up, it was the most satisfying brekkie I’ve had out in quite a while.

As for beverage, I fell back on my standard choice of earl grey tea, provided at Ernest V from Larsen & Thompson. These guys have started to turn up on tea menus all over town lately, and I hope it continues, they grow and mix good tea! The earl grey has a good solid body to it, and didn’t have any weird aftertastes that a lot of earl greys have a tendency towards. A very satisfying cup, so much that I ordered two pots of it.

Aimee ended up ordering off of the pizza page of the menu and went with the pumpkin and feta pizza. It was “the bomb”, and she was particularly pleased by the taste and texture of the base which was undoubtedly made from scratch.

The staff were unfailing friendly and sweet during our visit (it helps that our waiter had a completely charming smile to boot), and the enduring vibe overall was one of laid back pleasantness. Ernest V is pretty special and I am achingly jealous of Aimee being an Elsternwick local. Having such a place in your backyard is a very fortunate thing indeed.

Ernest V

432 Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick

Ph: 9523 4322

White beans & cabbage

2012-02-02T15:23:00+00:00

January 22, 2012

During those lovely days in Hobart, we had a commitment to attend to back home. Our previous vege delivery included an enormous cabbage - seriously, it was probably 2-3 litres capacity - and it was sitting in our crisper waiting to be eaten. We had ample time on Sunday afternoon to deal with it.

I was kinda bored with coleslaw, and spring rolls aren't the best work lunch leftovers. I wondered whether my newest cookbook included anything fun to do with cabbage, checked out the index, followed through to page 86 and realised I'd been over-thinking it. This lovely looking cabbage dish graces the cover of Super Natural Every Day!

It's the kind of dish Heidi does often and well - a bunch of fresh produce tossed together in a frypan, served up and sprinkled with a little something. In this case the produce is mainly cabbage, white beans and potatoes. I was a little wary of getting the potatoes completely cooked through purely by sautéing them for 8 minutes and was careful to cut them really small (cubes with no more than a 1cm side). This worked just fine. It's really important to wait out the frying as directed and build a golden crust on the potatoes and beans, 'cause this is where most of the fine flavour comes from. Of course a sprinkling of parmesan helps the flavour along too. As a vegan alternative, I'd suggest some extra salt, a bit of nooch or some of this stuff.

The recipe below is a double quantity on Heidi's version, since we had a lot of cabbage to get through. While her book predicts that this should serve eight, the two of us got a dinner and a lunch out of it each. We've got an appetite for cabbage that I never imagined.

White beans & cabbage
(adapted slightly from a recipe in Heidi Swanson's
Super Natural Every Day)

1/3 cup olive oil
230g potatoes, scrubbed but left unpeeled and sliced into tiny cubes
salt, to taste
2 x 400g cannellini beans
450g cabbage, finely shredded
a small handful of chives, roughly chopped
parmesan cheese, finely grated (optional)

Pour the oil into a very large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes and a generous pinch of salt, tossing them to coat in the oil. Cover the frypan with a lid and give the potatoes 5-8 minutes to cook through, tossing them once or twice more along the way so that they don't burn but do develop a nice golden crust.

Add the beans to the pan and leave it uncovered, but go for the same cooking approach for a few minutes - leave the beans still to develop a golden edge, then toss it all around for a new crust on another side. Stir in the cabbage and chives, stirring and cooking until the cabbage just starts to soften. Serve it all up with a sprinkling of parmesan or some extra salt.

yulli's - surry hills - sydney

2012-02-02T13:46:00+00:00

salt and pepper tofu served with green papaya and peanut salad $15.50 yulli's falafel plate $15.50 and mixed chip plate 13.50 panfried polenta $17.50 steamed ginger and leek dumplings $12.50 More often than not if I'm just ducking out to get a quick meal I'll pack my wallet, my phone and my moleskine into a book bag and take off. This always means no camera. No camera means I sometimes have

The best decision of my life - becoming vegan

2012-02-02T10:09:00+00:00

My decision to become vegan just feels better every day.

Iwoke to thisstory today. I don’t know if I am now just more aware of it orwhether there are just more cases of animal cruelty becoming public – but itmakes me sick and angry that this goes on.

I may only be new to veganism, and I fully acknowledge that I used to consume animals and animal products. I'm not perfect and I am still transitioning, but I am now more educated about the reality of factory farming and the mindless slaughter of innocent animals.

Animals are my friends... and I don't eat my friends. ~George Bernard Shaw

Tomato and chilli relish

2012-02-01T20:50:00+00:00

When it comes to making preserves, I am a complete and utter novice. You could say that I was a virgin in this department until a few days ago. Over the years, I have had the best intentions to utilise some of my various home-grown produce into jams, relishes or chutneys although I never managed to get around to it.

My mother and mother in-law are old hands at making preserves and always pass on a jar or two of their various wares. I discussed tomato based recipes with my mother in-law last weekend who showed me a great pile of old recipes she had been collecting over the years. She offered to lend me her book full of clippings and at the end of the evening, I forgot to take them home with me.

I took this as an opportunity to look through my own cookbooks and stumbled across a Tomato and chilli relish in an old Charmaine Solomon cookbook published by Family Circle in 1991. It sounded like a perfect recipe for me to try, especially as I had several home-grown chillis ready to use as well as a bounty of tomatoes. My chillies are quite small but they have a decent amount of heat, I have learnt that a little bit goes a long way.

I haven't taken any photos of my tomato plant this year as I am rather ashamed of it's appearance. It was neglected for a period and the leaves started to brown, ironically it has produced the most perfect fruit of any tomato plant I have grown. The bowl in the picture is holding 1.7 kg of beautiful ripe fruit, I only used 1 kg of these in the relish as we have been enjoying the tomatoes so much in salads, sandwiches and various other ways.

Charmaine's recipe called for 3 kg of tomatoes so I made a third of the quantity and also altered a couple of other things along the way. The tomatoes were supposed to be peeled first which I didn't bother with, I forgot to measure the salt so might have used a bit less and I also doubled the amount of curry powder as I felt it needed more after a taste test.

As this was my first relish attempt, I was astonished with the amount of sugar that went into it. After I added the final ingredients and had a taste, I was certain that it was going to be way too sweet. When the relish was bottled and cooled down, I nervously gave the man a spoonful to sample and was relieved when he declared it to be a good one. He loves a good relish so I was interested to hear his opinion. I was pleasantly surprised upon tasting the relish as the sweetness had mellowed throughout the cooking and cooling process.

The recipe filled three small jars and one slightly larger jar (total of approx. 950ml) and could easily be doubled or tripled to suit your needs. The amount of chilli and curry powder could also be increased or decreased to suit your personal taste.

Tomato and chilli relish (Adapted from a Charmaine Solomon recipe)

1 kg ripe tomatoes
2 medium brown onions
2-3 teaspoons salt (should be 3 teaspoons based on the recipe)
2 bird's eye chillies
300ml brown vinegar
250g raw sugar
1/4 cup plain flour
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1 teaspoon turmeric

Chop the tomatoes and onions and place them in a large non-metallic bowl sprinkled with the salt. Allow it to sit for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Drain the tomatoes and onions in a colander, then place them into a large saucepan with the chillies. Combine the sugar, plain flour, curry powder, mustard powder and turmeric in a bowl and add enough vinegar to make a thick paste and set aside. Pour the remaining vinegar into the saucepan and simmer on medium-low for 45 minutes.

Stir the paste into the saucepan, bring to the boil and stir until it becomes thick. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Spoon the relish into warm sterilised jars and seal tightly.

Blueberry-Banana Muffins...

2012-02-01T20:48:01+00:00

A wholesome muffin recipe, sure to please!

Lorne - beach, bush and eating out

2012-02-01T16:51:00+00:00

Lorne! Ocean Waves! Ice cream! Cockatoos! Sunburn! Tree Ferns! Fish and Chips! Crowds! BBQs! Sun Hats! Memories! We spent some happy days in Lorne last week. Not only is it a beautiful seaside town that backs onto a national park, but it makes me feel rather nostalgic. I spent a lot of time there as a child. My dad did a lot of work there and my aunt had a holiday house there. So this post will be as indulgent as it is enthusiastic.

As you drive into Lorne from Melbourne, you will see these two ladies on the corner of the roundabout by the Tourist Information. This signifies the Cora Lynn, where we had a holiday apartment. It was a perfection location, within walking distance of everything in town.

I loved the brightly coloured apartments which looked exactly as a seaside holiday house should. Inside our apartment was compact but had all we needed (except a tv remote control). The kitchen was well equipped and the bed was comfortable.

I was partly inspired to holiday by the beach, when I discovered that Sylvia didn't like the waves on the beach. Time to play in the sand by the water seemed a good way to get to know the sea. We had a few outings to the beach, mostly in the morning when it was overcast to minimise sunburn. Both E and I loved the waves but Sylvia preferred making sandcastles.

I had expected to eat out quite a bit but, as it was, we found it easier to eat in mostly. But on our first day, we enjoyed lunch at Kafe Kaos (52 Mountjoy Parade, 03 5289 2639). I ordered the Famous Tofu Burger. I am always wary of such claims, but when I received my burger I was impressed that it was truly so famous that people were pointing at it as they passed by. It consisted of a slab of Thai marinated tofu with peanut butter, sweet chilli sauce and lots of salad between two slabs of multigrain sourdough toast. Delicious. But too big to eat with your hands. Sylvia loved her chippies and E was impressed with his BLAT, though he commented on how huge the servings were.

We enjoyed wandering among the shops until Sylvia was distracted by the park. And no wonder. This is a great set-up with lots of swings and slides, a wooden ramp to run along and a boat to play in. There was no shortage of entertainment for kids. As well as the park this area also includes a pool, a skate park, mini golf and trampolines. (I don't remember the park being there when I was a kid but I always wanted to go on the trampolines.)

While Sylvia wasn't terribly excited by the waves, she somehow got into her head that the beach meant ice cream. The very word made her eyes light up. We had a couple of visits to the Lick and Sip (Shop 4, 32 Mountjoy Parade, 03 5289 1193). It boasted the best ice creams on the Surf Coast. Our experience was patchy. Some great and some could have been better.

I loved the [pictured] combination of bounty and chocolate ice creams. The bounty was delicious with dessicated coconut through it and the chocolate was creamy and rich. E loved his cinnamon doughnut ice cream but was less impressed with his vanilla. I also ordered a white chocolate and raspberry ice cream but it was predominately white chocolate and too sweet. I would have been better off having a raspberry ice cream like Sylvia. It was pink, tart and fruity in the best way possible.

What I love about Lorne is that it is so much more than the beach. When I was young I loved the Swing Bridge. So one evening, I decided to take a walk along to check it out. My walk took my through the caravan park and then through these spooky trees before coming out at the swing bridge and back along the edge of the Erskine River.

I remember swimming around the mouth of the river near the swing bridge as a child. Apparently it was near my aunt's holiday house. And it was always exciting to walk over the wobbly bridge. Sylvia also loved it. Unfortunately there are now lots of signs warning that it is not healthy to swim in the river. Shame! The mouth of the river was one of the warmest places to swim.

We took down quite a bit of food, and I have decided to write another post about our self-catering. But I couldn't resist showing a wee taste. Having our own food was brilliant when we headed out to the bush. As a child I knew this area as Angahook Forest Park but according to Wikipedia, in 2004 it was been merged with other parks to form the Great Otway National Park. When we stopped at my parents' house en route to Lorne I checked with my dad which picnic area we had gone to regularly. He told me it was Blanket Leaf Picnic Ground.

So that was where we headed for a picnic. It brought back so many memories. The drive there was through a windy bush road with no place to stop. Often at least one of us was car sick. So the fresh air of the bush was always appreciated. The picnic tables are huge. Perfect for a family of 7 kids. The barbecues are as basic as they were in my childhood. Just a metal fireplace with a sheet of metal to sit over the fire. My parents were a dab hand at lighting the fire, charring some sausages and hamburgers, and sticking a damper in the ashes.

We even used to practice swinging the billy but my mum only let us swing it with cold water in it. (For those who are unfamiliar with billy tea, traditionally water would be boiled over the fire in a metal "billy" and then the tea was added and the billy swung around and kept in the billy by some scientific principle that I can't remember. I think my mum used to boil the water after we have played with swinging it.

We weren't quite so organised as to have a bbq complete with damper and billy tea. We did have a lovely picnic in the peace and quiet that I expect of the bush. As children we often went on walks after lunch, even once doing the long bush to beach walk. (My dad says it was to tire us out so he could have a quiet evening with my mum!) Sylvia is just a bit young so instead we drove to Erskine Falls. This is a short walk from the car park but it lost some of the charm because it was so busy. Even so I enjoyed seeing the waterfall and the tree ferns that I associate with the area. As you can see, my idea of the bush was lush and green rather than dry and dusty.

After our quiet morning swings, I was astounded at how crowded the beach when the sun finally came out one afternoon towards the end of our stay. I don't remember it being so crowded in my youth, but I also don't remember ever swimming between the flags that signify lifesavers on duty. Did they have such flags back then? Was Lorne much quieter in the years before the Cumberland development when I knew it? Or did we just seek out the more secluded beaches?

One change from my childhood is that the shopping was quite sophisticated. There were none of the kitsch beach souvenirs that we loved buying. Another time I will show you my little man made out of shells. Now the shops are full of posh clothes and toys. We did have a lovely time in the op shop, especially Sylvia who found a little doll with a dummy for 50c. But I thought this kitsch painting on the floor of the fish and chip shop was more akin to the seaside town I once knew.

And what is a seaside town without its fish and chip shop. Years ago E and I drove through Lorne and had the saltiest fish and chips we have ever had. This visit was kinder. On the sunny afternoon, we spied an empty park bench overlooking the sea. Sylvia and I waiting there while E walked up to the Lorne Fish and Chips (42 Mountjoy Parade, 03 5289 1843) for dinner. It was just delightful to eat hot salty chips, potato cake and corn jack overlooking the busy beach and the glorious blue water.

On our last morning I had to stop at Louitt Bay Bakery (46B Mountjoy Pde, 03 5289 1207) because I had walked past and admired the bread too often. We bought a walnut and sultana sourdough loaf and a ciabatta. Lovely bread. While we were there we decided to have morning tea. I had to try the chocolate almond croissant. It was lovely but there was a bit much custard and I really could have done with something savoury like the cheese and chive sticks. Sylvia had a pink iced cupcake which was one of the freshest lightest cupcakes I have tasted from a shop. E had a cinnamon doughnut with his coffee and was very pleased with it. I also loved the artsy painted tables in the bakery cafe and would have loved to have tried their salad sandwiches or pasties.

Then it was time to drive home. I was sad to leave. The sight of the gorgeous beaches down that way are good for the soul and I didn't have enough time in the beach. A few more days would have been lovely but I was glad we had had our beach holiday. There were a few other places I would have loved to have tried - The Bottle of Milk had lots of veg burgers, Marks Restaurant sounded very nice, the Upmarket balcony had the most gorgeous view, E thought he spied a cafe in Fowlers second hand bookshop on Williams Street, and I would have loved to have gone to the Arab where my mum wanted to work in the holidays when she was a student.

It was a quiet trip back along the Great Ocean Road to Geelong. We then saw that on the day that we left, the only service station in Lorne ran out of petrol. Luckily we had plenty in the tank!

Nutrition - Protein

2012-02-01T12:38:00+00:00

I went a bit nuts at Safeway last night. It was the last dayof their weekly sale, and I knew I had to stock up on a few must-haves. 4 tubsof Weis sorbet and 4 blocks of Whittaker’s dark almond chocolate later… I lefta happy lady!

I’m really keen to write about omega 3 and essential fattyacids - I’m concerned about vegans who may not be getting enough, even if theythink they are. But to write about it, I need to get my head around itproperly. There are 4 types/categories of omega 3 (ALA, EPA, DHA, GLA) – and someare better than others. I will endeavour to get my head around it all ASAP sothat I can share.

PROTEIN

But today I will write about an easier essential nutrient(although now that I’ve read more, it’s not so easy!). But I shall summarisewhat I have learnt.

‘Proteins are digested to release amino acids. There are about20 different amino acids that, in different combinations, make up the countlessmillions of proteins available in nature.

A protein can consist of between 50 and tens of thousands of amino acids,linked together by a kind of ‘glue’ called a peptide bond. There are two broadclasses of amino acid: those that can be made by the human body (non-essentialamino acids) and those that can only be supplied by food (essential aminoacids). [1]’

In the body the amino acids are used to make new proteins,converted into hormones such as adrenalin or used as an energy source. Braincells, muscle, skin, hair and nails are just some of the body parts that areprotein-based.

The amount of protein you needin your diet depends on your weight, age and health. As a rough guide, therecommended dietary intake (RDI) is;

64g for males

46g for females

The following vegan foods provide our bodies withapproximately 10g of protein[2]

4 slices (120g) wholemeal bread
3 cups (90g) wholegrain cereal
2 cups (330g) cooked pasta
3 cups (400g) cooked rice
3/4 cup (150g) lentils or kidney beans
200g baked beans
120g tofu
60g nuts or seeds
300ml soy milk
100g soy meat

Apparently spirulina is also an excellent natural source ofprotein (this was recommended to me by the naturopath at Evelyn Faye Nutritionin South Melbourne), however the only information I can find online aboutspirulina is through various companies who sell it as a product – I want tofind out non-biased, scientific information on something when it relates to myhealth. I don’t want to believe just anything that is fed to me by companieswho want me to buy their product. Wikipediahas some information on spirulina as a dietary supplement, but anything postedon Wikipedia I take with a grain of salt…

From reading lots of information, and picking the good infofrom the bad, I would suggest the best way to get all your protein requirementsis to eat a variety of food throughout the day.

Now, we’re all aware of the Mr Muscles who grunt, intimidateyou at the gym and who can’t seem to walk around without pretending they ownthe world – these ‘men’ (and the occasional ‘lady’)consume copious amounts of protein powders, shakes and countless othersupplements to bulk up to this size. Most of them also poison their bodies withsteroids, and other toxic substances.

Do not think that if you consume a lot of protein that youwill end up looking like that. Or this!

[1] http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/protein?open

[2] http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/basics/protein_-_how_much

Pepper Crusted Goats Cheese and Almond Feta

2012-02-01T12:22:00+00:00

Around New Years Eve, I made two nut based cheeses. First the cashew goats cheese which I had already tried at Johannas house and loved. I used muslin because the woman at spotlight told me to and also had very little come out when wrapped in the cheesecloth.

Pepper Crusted Goats Cheese from Vegetarian Times

3/4 cup raw cashews

6 Tbs. canola oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 Tbs. tahini

1 1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cracked black peppercorns or coarsely ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place cashews in large bowl; cover with 3 inches water. Soak overnight.

2. Drain liquid, rinse cashews under cold water, and drain again. Purée cashews, oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, and 2 Tbs. water in food processor 6 minutes, or until smooth and creamy.

3. Place large strainer over bowl, and line with triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon cashew mixture into cheesecloth. Fold sides of cloth over cheese, and form into 6-inch-long oval loaf. Twist ends of cloth and secure with rubber bands. Set in strainer over bowl, and let stand 12 hours at room temperature. Discard excess liquid. Chill.

4. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap cheese, and scrape into 7-inch-long log on cheesecloth. Rewrap, and twist ends to secure. Place on prepared baking sheet. Bake 35 minutes, or until cheese becomes set on outside but still soft, turning occasionally. Cool, and chill.

5. Unwrap cheese. Sprinkle with peppercorns, pressing to adhere.

I copied Johanna and used this in a quinoa salad. The salad itself was a bit boring but the 'goats cheese' made such a tasty addition. Its got a lovely tangy, salty flavour.

Next I made the:

Almond Feta but without the herb oil, also from vegetarian times

1 cup whole blanched almonds
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 Tbs. plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves (left this out)
1 tsp. fresh rosemary leaves (also left this out)
1. Place almonds in medium bowl, and cover with 3 inches cold water. Let soak 24 hours. Drain soaking liquid, rinse almonds under cold running water, and drain again.
2. Purée almonds, lemon juice, 3 Tbs. oil, garlic, salt, and 1/2 cup cold water in food processor 6 minutes, or until very smooth and creamy.
3. Place large strainer over bowl, and line with triple layer of cheesecloth. Spoon almond mixture into cheesecloth. Bring corners and sides of cloth together, and twist around cheese, forming into orange-size ball and squeezing to help extract moisture. Secure with rubber band or kitchen twine. Chill 12 hours, or overnight. Discard excess liquid.
4. Preheat oven to 200°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap cheese (it will be soft), and transfer from cheesecloth to prepared baking sheet. Flatten to form 6-inch round about 3/4-inch thick. Bake 40 minutes, or until top is slightly firm. Cool, then chill. (Cheese can be made up to this point 2 days ahead; keep refrigerated.)
5. Combine remaining 1/4 cup oil, thyme, and rosemary in small saucepan. Warm oil over medium-low heat 2 minutes, or until very hot but not simmering. Cool to room temperature. Drizzle herb oil over cheese just before serving. I skipped this part.

I enjoyed the garlic in this one and thought it was tasty enough without the herb oil. However, I took half of it to a new years eve party and when paired with crackers with a lot of salt/flavour you could barely taste it. So I recommend adding the herb oil. I can't choose a favourite either, as they are both tasty in their own ways. I will certainly continue experimenting with more nut based cheeses. What are your favourite recipes?

Pilgrim Coffee

2012-02-01T11:01:00+00:00

January 19 & 22, 2012

I did a bit of coffee planning before we got to Hobart, discovering that we were going to be staying close by to two good options: Dr Coffee and Pilgrim. Dr Coffee served me a couple of excellent soy flat whites over the course of the week, but Pilgrim turned out to be the real star. Our penchant of holiday oversleeping meant that we were in need of speedy brekkies on two mornings, and Pilgrim's selection of pre-made goodies and top-notch coffee hit the mark perfectly.

On the Thursday morning we had just enough time to grab takeaway coffees and quick breakfasts to chomp down on our way to the MONA ferry. My half-sandwich of haloumi, caramelised onion and a free-range egg ($4) was outstanding - the sweet onion really standing out. It's a messy meal though - I wouldn't recommend eating and walking.

Cindy grabbed the bircher muesli with roast nectarine ($6.50), which was more transportable but maybe not quite as delicious. It was fine, but Cindy was hoping for more than just the sliver of nectarine on top.

We were back there before our flights on Sunday morning with a bit more time (props to Pilgrim for being one of a few Hobart cafes trading early on a Sunday), so we sat down this time. Like Garagistes, it's a very Melbourne-inspired fit-out: all post-industrial stylings and hip vibes.

I had another haloumi roll, but this time got greedy and combined it with a $5 bean burrito.

Once this comes out of the sandwich press it's less burrito and more a toastie. There's a good spread of hearty beans, a few slices of lightly melted cheese and a mild tomato-y salsa holding it all together. A fiver well spent.

Cindy had the roast pumpkin, haloumi and lemon zest foccacia ($9).

I snuck a quick bite of this and it was lovely, the lemon zest cutting through the sweet pumpkin and salty cheese. Good stuff.

I had a bunch of coffees from Pilgrim over the week - all were excellent. The staff were super friendly and it was a lovely, quiet space to hang out in while we waited for our flight back to Melbourne, where a place like this would be overrun with people at all hours. Hopefully the locals take a shine to this place and it thrives, 'cause we loved it.

That's the end of our Hobart posts. I can't emphasise enough what a great time we had - from the wonders of MONA and the excitement of FOMO, to the amazing tall eucalypt forests (featuring waterfalls and wild platypus!) and all of the glorious food we ate, everything about our five days in and around Hobart was spectacular. Same time next year?

____________

It seems that only Bri Eats has reviewed Pilgrim so far - other bloggers should swing by!

____________

Pilgrim Coffee

48 Argyle Street, Hobart
(03) 6234 0558
Brekkie treats: $4 - $9
https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Pilgrim-Coffee/151027994966336?sk=info

Accessibility: Pretty good - there's a flat entryway and the interior is relatively spacious. Ordering and payment happens at the counter, which varies in height. Strangely there are no toilets at all - the nearest are 'round the corner in the supermarket complex.

Day 31 – The last dinner

2012-02-01T07:04:56+00:00

Spinach and ricotta cannelloni

The Vegetarian Dinner Diary Project

So last night was the final night of my Vegetarian Dinner Diary Project. We went out for dinner at the Brighton Hotel (Melbourne) with wonderful friends.

The company was lovely, the food was very average!

The hotel kitchen was recently renovated and it was the perfect opportunity for the pub to reinvent its rather tired menu with very limited vegetarian offerings. But sadly they chose to keep the same old menu with only a single vegetarian main dish – Spinach and ricotta cannelloni. I would have loved something a little more creative, and definitely less just ‘reheated from frozen’ (and it took over an hour to arrive at the table – who knows what they were doing with it!). I also had a moment of “Oh god, not pasta for the third night in a row; so much for trying to reduce my carbs!”. The only upside was the rocket side salad. Now that was quite tasty.

Luckily the food last night is not typical of Melbourne’s usually wonderful vegetarian fare. It reminded me of what it used to be like eating out as a vegetarian twenty years ago and thankful that it usually isn’t like this any more. It also reminded me of just how lucky we are in Australia with all the amazing fresh food available and the many many other amazing restaurants with wonderful vegetarian food all across our beautiful country.

So perhaps it wasn’t such a bad meal after all. It’s good to occasionally remember how far we have come from the days when being a vegetarian was seen as wierd and rather extreme, to the common acceptance now that in fact it is a healthy lifestyle and the food can be interesting and delicious. And of course the animals would all thank us if only they could talk.

Ess Mick vs the baking soda

2012-01-31T15:49:00+00:00

A little bit of a back story here.

Growing up, my mum told me (on many occasions, and still tothis day she’s not convinced otherwise!!) that baking soda and baking powderare the same thing.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I hear you scream.

Wasn’t it obvious that they weren’t the same thing,especially when some recipes call for both baking soda AND baking powder?! Wellyes, but no – my mum (whom I trusted!!!!) taught me something, so I believedher… Some were American recipes, so I thought maybe it was some lost intranslation error???

Being the lovely, caring and generous person that I am (whoalso likes to blow her own trumpet!!); I bake for those I love (when timepermits!). L-whack and his family feature in this category. And over a coupleof months, earlier in L-whack & my relationship, I would bake cakes, cookies;muffins etc. (gotta get in with the in-laws!! Bribery works a charm!!).

So here I was, happily baking away and following the recipes(blueberry muffins, snickerdoodles) – but getting a bit confused with thefinished product. Why does it have such a weird tang? Why can’t I taste the cinnamon?I thought maybe because I was using butter (which I never ate), maybe I’m justnot used to the taste.

Being the lovely family that is the L-whacks, they were toopolite to say anything bad. And L-whack didn’t want to hurt my feelings.

Until my birthday!! It all came out on the way to lunch atMiss Marples (prior to my vegan days!) – To be honest, I can’t remember theexact conversation, but it all came out that perhaps I needed to revise therecipes and re-think using baking soda!! There was much laughing andembarrassment – it was (and still kinda is!) a long running joke.

My nemesis

Why am I telling you this? To highlight my stupidity and toembarrass myself further? Maybe. But also because I attempted some Oatmealcinnamon cookies the other day. And it called for both baking soda andbaking powder. So Instead of 1 tspn of bicarb soda, I put in half and put 1tspn of baking soda instead of ½.

And all I can taste is effing baking soda.

cooking class 12th february

2012-01-31T15:48:00+00:00

it's filling up! do you to learn how to make awesome food? figure out what the hell to do with tofu? come along! it's a relaxed environment to learn mad skillz and taste all the goodies! cooking class information here also have a friends birthday coming up? why not buy them a gift voucher!

barley, tomato and garlic risotto

2012-01-31T12:31:00+00:00

I've been kind of obsessed with pearl barley lately. Just adding handfuls to soup here and there. It's so delicious and toothsome. I wondered aloud whether it would make an AMAZE risotto and I got flooded with responses!! My favourite (of course) featured an Ottolenghi link. This was made THAT afternoon. So delicious and exactly what I needed! I've modified the recipe quite a bit but I'm sure

Garagistes

2012-01-31T11:57:00+00:00

January 21, 2012

There have been a bunch of articles published lately about the trendy new Hobart. All of them have mentioned two things: MONA and Garagistes. Having tried and loved the first, we arranged with Liz and Carla to meet up pre-P. J. Harvey to sample the second. Garagistes has imported both its refitted warehouse vibe and its no-bookings policy from the trendier parts of the Melbourne dining scene. We turned up around 6 and had about an hour's wait for a table (for a group of 6), but the Saturday evening of MOFO is probably among their busiest nights, so it may not always take quite so long. Given the buzz, the fit-out is surprisingly spacious - it's mostly big communal tables but you don't feel jammed in or overpowered by noise, which gives it a big tick straight away.

The menu, which proudly proclaims their focus on local ingredients, is not amazingly veg-friendly at first glance. There's 3 sharing dishes and a little starter to choose from - the wait-staff were pretty helpful though, happily making suggestions and offering to change dishes around for us (Carla will have some comments on their vegan-friendliness, from where I was sitting they did an okay but not amazing job).

We started with the obligatory bread with deliciously smoky butter. So much wonderful butter.

The first of the real dishes was our courgette kromeskis with caper-leaf mayonnaise and fennel salt ($3.5 a pop).

Look how cute they are! They were also super hot - Cindy chomped into hers and managed to burn the roof of her mouth. Once they'd cooled a bit they were wonderful - crispy on the outside, filled with gooey zucchini mush. Yum.

Next up was the wood-grilled reine de france lettuce hearts with soaked currents and puffed spelt ($14).

I liked the idea of this dish - the grilled edges giving a nice charred flavour to the lettuce, while the puffed spelt and currents provide a bit of sweetness and textural variety. To be honest though, it got a bit much for me by the end - one or two lettuce hearts as a side dish would have been wonderful.

The most visually appealing dish of the day was the carrots - a salad of heirloom carrots, marcona almond and saffron cream with wild olives ($16).

It was also probably my favourite dish - the carrots had been very lightly cooked, meaning that all of their beautiful natural flavours shone through, the creamy sauce provided a bit of fatty depth to the dish and the olives were little bursts of salty goodness.

Our second last savoury dish was the grilled young leek with French beans, nettle sauce, duck egg yolk and toasted quinoa ($18).

This was a nice mix of greenery with a tender leek hidden under it all. The crispy little quinoa pieces were intriguing, and the duck egg yolk was spot on. Not bad at all.

Finally for the evening we had a little twist on one of their dishes, with fennel, lemon and pine-nuts replacing the original sea urchin roe alongside confit kipfler potatoes, pea tendrils and flowers and black egg yolk ($19).

This was another very pretty dish, but it wasn't particularly memorable taste-wise - although that may be related to the number of delicious Moo-Brews I'd made my way through by this stage. The spuds were lightly cooked, and the lemon and fennel gave the dish a nice flavour - the pea tendrils and flowers didn't bring a lot to the table beyond their good looks though. I wonder if this all works a bit better with the original roe included.

Cindy and I were both really keen to sample some of Garagistes desserts, but by the time we'd finished our savouries we were already running late for P.J. Despite the queues that built up around the front of the restaurant during the night, the whole experience at Garagistes was pretty leisurely. You certainly don't get the feeling they're trying to rush you though to get somebody else in. The service on the whole was excellent - happy to split bills and tweak dishes for us and generally being helpful without being intrusive. The food was generally pretty great - lots of fresh veggies served up in imaginative ways. Not all of it was amazing, but it's definitely worth a visit for vegos looking for something a bit fancy (I'd choose it over The Source for example). It's a pity we didn't get to the desserts - a good reason for us to return next time we're in town.

Oh, P. J. Harvey was wonderful, but the venue made seeing her pretty challenging and the crowd decided to chat their way through the whole set, which was kind of a downer.

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Garagistes has been a food blog hit - great reviews from Welcome to Andyville, Hobart Food for Thought (after an initial mixed experience), Saucy Onion, redheadedtravels, bri eats, ...it pleases us, Once a Waitress, The Drill Hall Emporium, Food Trail, That Jess Ho, Concrete Honey, Nellevision, Reminiscence of a Food Tragic, Diary of a Hobart Housewife, Convicted Taste, The view from my porch and Kitchen Confessional. Only Black Garlic has been a bit more equivocal.

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Garagistes
103 Murray Street, Hobart
(03) 6231 0558
Veg snacks $3.50, dishes $14-$19
http://www.garagistes.com.au/

Accessibility: Pretty good - there's a flat entryway and the interior is relatively spacious. Bathrooms are accessible and ordering and payment all happens at the table. Note, however, that most of the tables are a bit higher than usual (see chair heights in top picture).

VEG FEB: 11 reasons to go vegetarian this February

2012-01-31T10:21:51+00:00

So I’ve been hearing from a few people (including Charlotte Wood) that they are going to try vegetarianism this February. I don’t know if VegFeb is a ‘thing’ or not – but it totally should be. After all, February is the shortest month. It works for FebFast, but there’s no reason why it couldn’t work for just about anything else as well… so in the spirit of my 11 reasons to quit drinking this February post, I today give you reasons to try vegetarianism this February. (Unsurprisingly, there are many crossovers!)

It’s one of the best thing you can do for the environment. Others say it best: UN urges global move to meat and dairy-free diet; 10 ways vegetarianism can help save the planet; Environmentalists who eat meat have a blind spot (Safran Foer).
You will have more variety in your diet. With few exceptions, the vegos I know eat a way wider variety of foods than their omni counterparts. (Where’s the Beef agree!)
You will save money. Chickpeas cost less than steak. Tofu costs less than chicken. Lentils cost less than just about everything. You do the math. (Eating out can also be cheaper!)
You will be healthier. A healthy vegetarian diet leads to reduced risk of obesity, coronary disease, and some types of cancer. Personally, I find that eating more veggies and wholefoods make me feel super-energetic and fantastic. I do not miss the old heavy ”meat coma’ feeling after big fleshy meals.
You will be more adventurous. Going veg for a month will shake up your current routine. You will cook new recipes, find new places to eat and maybe discover some new favourite foods.
You will create new habits. Most people eat too much meat. Cutting down portion sizes, committing to a Meat-Free Monday or going Bittman-style and only eating meat once a day will have benefits for both you and the planet. Taking a month off meat will give you a chance to form new eating habits and give you time to think about what you want your everyday diet to be like come March.
You will look better. I hesitate a little to include this one because ideas like ‘all vegans are skinny’ are a fallacy. Some people do report losing kgs when they turn veg – but not if you’re piling on the cheese to make up for the lost steak. But if you drop dairy as well, you might find your skin clearing up and your hair and nails shining.
It’s just 29 days.As with a month of sobriety, even if you don’t see any benefits and it’s the total absolute worst thing you’ve ever done in your entire life, it’ll be over in no time.
You can say you’ve done it. You may never do it again, and may revert back to your former eating habits immediately on March 1, but variety is the spice of life. Consider it a culinary adventure.
It might lead to something else. I went vegan for a month to see how hard or easy it is, and five years later I haven’t looked back.
YOU CAN DO IT. Unlike drinking, which is taking something out of your diet, vegetarianism is really all about abundance. There is so much out there you can eat, you won’t even feel like you’re missing out.

How to go veg for a month: Here’s a guide I wrote to going vegan, which is also applicable to vegetarianism. But really, all you need to do is commit, then cut the meat. Couldn’t be easier!

11 Reasons to go vegetarian this February – click to tweet!

Day 30 – Tomato, basil and mozzarella rigatoni (again!)

2012-01-31T09:37:01+00:00

Tomato, basil and mozzarella rigatoni

The Vegetarian Dinner Diary Project

Yesterday was a birthday in our house. The rule is that the birthday person gets to choose either dinner out or their favourite meal cooked at home. We ate lunch at a lovely Greek restaurant so dinner at home was the choice.

Pasta seems to have featured fairly heavily on our dinner table recently and we only had this same tomato, basil and mozzarella rigatoni about a week ago. But we all love this delicious slow cooked pasta sauce and the 2.5 kilos of tomatoes that go into it must be good for us!

WW Iced Apple Chamomile Tea

2012-01-30T22:56:00+00:00

A couple of weekends back when it was sweltering hot, I had requests for treacle scones. The spirit was willing but the flesh was wilting. Instead I made a cool drink based on one that I had first encountered at a potluck last year. K had brought along a chamomile lemon iced tea.

I had some chamomile apple tea so it seemed fitting to add some apple juice that I had in the fridge. I drained all I could from a bottle of maple syrup (rather than making maple syrup ice cubes like K). Next time if I am low on maple syrup, I might even try some honey, which is a more traditional partner of chamomile.

I found that the taste of the chamomile was rather strong after steeping the tea for 10 minutes. Later I checked my packet and it said to steep it for 2-3 minutes, which I think I might try next time. Lastly I added a generous handful of ice cubes and some soda water.

It was refreshingly cold and not too sweet. E was not interested but Sylvia and I loved it. We drank it while watching Mary Poppins. I confess that I had hoped the chamomile might even help Sylvia sleep. When I was a student I went through a phase of drinking lots of chamomile tea until I got so sleepy that it really wasn't helping me study. No such luck with Sylvia. She seems sturdily resistant to sleep lately. Who can blame her on hot night! At least the drink cooled us down!

I am sending this to Ricki for her Wellness Weekends. I know she will appreciate me sharing a bit of summer! Also thanks to everyone who sent in ideas on water bottles in my previous post. I now need to spend a bit of time reading up on the different bottles.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: BBQ tofu like an Aussie flood
This time two years ago: WHB: Tomato and Peach Relish
This time three years ago: Hot weather, hopeful politics and summer food
This time four years ago: Wendy’s Apple Green Tea

Iced Apple Chamomile Tea
Adapted from In the Mood for Noodles
Serves 8-10

2 cups boiling water
1/2 cup loose leaf chamomile tea
2 cups apple juice
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup maple syrup, or to taste (or use honey for a more traditional taste)
about 4 cups soda water
lots of ice cubes

Steep tea in boiling water for about 10 minutes (or according to packet). Strain and discard tea leaves. Add apple juice, lemon juice and maple syrup. To serve, half fill a glass with the apple tea drink. Add a handful of ice cubes and fill with soda water.

On the Stereo:
The versatile Martin Denny

A bunch of brunches

2012-01-30T20:48:00+00:00

Tofu scrambles have been a habitual weekend brunch item for such a long period when I have the time to cook something up. Although I adore a good scramble and love how it can be changed up in a multitude of ways, I reached the point where I grew tired of cooking and eating scrambles. My last few brunches have been a lot more interesting to eat and photograph so I decided to post about them.

My first effort was centred around trying out some Mexican styled home-made baked beans. The beans had a great flavour although they were tainted by the odd chewy bean here and there. Making up the rest of the plate was avocado, steamed spinach with a drizzle of lime and garlic, a grilled home-grown tomato and some delicious mushroom chicharrones. Last year I made tofu chicharrones from Viva Vegan and loved their taste but not how oily they were. Mandee from Cupcake Kitteh gave me inspiration to try this wonderful marinade out with mushrooms and I have been making them like this since as they are seriously delicious without the guilt.

I gave the home-made baked beans a miss the following weekend and opted to use some tinned ones instead. The man prefers the sweet chilli variety with a bit of hot sauce added. Some of the same elements from the following week were on our plates again and there was also tofu bacon and some fantastic faux eggs. The faux eggs are adapted from one of Terry Hope Romero's testing recipes so I won't be sharing my version of this until the book is released.

On Australia Day, I decided to cook us up an Egyptian styled breakfast for something even more different. I bought some tins of ful medames from a Middle Eastern store a while ago after being slightly disappointed with my previous ful medames attempt when I cooked fava beans from scratch. The instructions on this tin said to "heat and eat" but I found that the beans needed some lemon and garlic to perk them up. The ful medames were topped with faux eggs, chopped home-grown tomatoes and parsley with some home-made pita bread on the side. The man wanted to know why he wasn't getting the full spread he was becoming accustomed to but I really loved this breakfast.

To appease the man, I went back to a full spread last weekend. Tinned baked beans, tofu bacon, spinach and home-grown tomatoes with a huge dollop of home-made pesto. I usually photograph my own plate but had been snacking along the way and wasn't very hungry by the time everything was prepared, so this is the man's enormous serve of the lot.

Instead of making up a chiccharone marinade for the mushrooms this time, I threw them into the remaining tofu bacon marinade which worked quite well. I also made some tattie scones which I have seen Johanna of Green Gourmet Giraffe and more recently Theresa of The Tropical Vegan post recipes for. I loosely followed Theresa's recipe although I didn't measure any of the ingredients and just made them by feel. Tattie scones are served for breakfast in Scotland and are made up of mashed potato, flour, salt and oil which are rolled out flat and fried on each side. Tattie scones will included in these types of brunches every so often as they were really nice and quite easy to make.

These brunches haven't been the fastest meals to prepare but I have enjoyed having so much variety on my plate. They are generally consumed very late in the morning which means there is no need for lunch, a small afternoon snack normally sees us through until dinner. And after all this time without a scramble, I'm really starting to crave one again!

Merry-go-musings and curiosities: Black Bunny's monthly links

2012-01-30T18:44:00+00:00

Here's Black Bunny Carousel's first monthly links - we've changed from weekly to monthly links, mostly to allow time for other posts, life (and sleep!) in between.

(from Cynthia Hart's 2011 calendar)

~ Here's a (not so spooky!) tour of the real house used in American Horror Story

~ I wonder how everyone who made new year's resolutions is going with theirs? Here's a fascinating look at the resolutions that people make and how best to keep them

~ These lemon-raspberry muffins are delicious and easily vegan-isable, we just used soy milk and egg replacer, delicious!

~ How gorgeous is this shop, Lark? I can't wait to check it out the next time we're in Daylesford. They also have an online store, which I've already ordered goodies from!

~ This month, two dishes have been on high rotation in the BB household: hot and sour soup and huevos rancheros. Adapted by us from a mixture of non-vegan recipes online, these are sooo easy...

Vegan hot and sour soup
1 L stock (vegetable or vegan beef or chicken)
2 Tbsp low salt soy sauce
1/4 C white vinegar
2 Tbsp cornflour mixed with 2 Tbsp water to form a smooth paste
Tabasco sauce, to taste
Assorted noodles, vegetables and tofu or tempeh, depending on availability and personal preference

* Heat stock and add soy sauce, let simmer for 5 minutes and add vinegar
* Add Tabasco sauce to taste, depending on your preference (2 tspns gives a nice bite but isn't too spicy or hot)
* Add the cornflour paste and stir so the soup thickens slightly (for a thicker soup, add more cornflour paste)
* The next part is the best - depending on your taste, you can customise the soup and add whatever you like - rice noodles, hokkien noodles, tofu or tempeh cubes and any combinations of vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, corn kernels, capsicum, mushrooms etc
* Allow to simmer for 5 minutes until the above are heated through, then serve and devour!

Vegan huevos rancheros
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium brown onion, diced
400gm firm tofu (plain or flavoured), cubed and roughly mashed
Tortilla wraps
Fresh coriander
Guacamole
Tabasco sauce
Lettuce

* Fry onion in vegetable oil until browned then add tofu and stir fry until tofu is browned and cooked (approximately 5 minutes)
* Add fresh coriander to taste and stir through
* Remove from heat and warm tortilla/s for approx 15 seconds in microwave
* Spoon tofu mix in centre of tortilla, sprinkle with Tabasco, extra coriander, guacamole and lettuce, wrap and serve!

~ Mrs BB.

Flat tyre... boo!

2012-01-30T14:03:00+00:00

This weekend didn’t start off too well.

L-whack and I were driving to his parents’ place, when therewas a strange sound and my car started shuddering and making noises. I pulledover and discovered that my wheel was completely busted – and there was metalor something embedded in it.

So we jacked up my car and changed over to the spare tyre –took a bit of time, and lots of muscle but eventually we had success.

Oh dear.......

On Saturday, I went to Bob Jane T-mart to get new 4x tyres (neededto replace the front 2 anyway) and a wheel alignment. Needless to say I feltlike a fish out of water sitting and waiting there.

90 MINUTES & $600later (ouch), I drove off with fresh new non-holey shiny tyres.

It was a bloody warm weekend here in Melbs, so what a greatexcuse to enjoy some sorbet. And boy what tasty sorbet is was!

Weis Australian mango sorbet is seriously good. It’s likeeating frozen mango – Get into Safeway/Woolworths by tomorrow as it’s currentlyon sale there. The lemon one is also delicious, and L-whack and I also boughtthe pineapple & Tahitian lime to enjoy another day soon.

Om nom nom nom......

The lovely Litha sent me this videoto watch this morning – it is so totally worth watching. I cried, at first sadtears but then the happy tears came and I just want to run out and adopt apuppy!

Sweet Envy

2012-01-30T11:35:00+00:00

January 21, 2012

On Em's recommendation, we hiked up to North Hobart for afternoon tea at Sweet Envy. This prim white shopfront boasts all manner of sugary treats - from the ubiquitous cupcakes and macarons to candy, ice-cream, fancy desserts and made-to-order weddings-birthdays-anything cakes.

After a few panicky minutes overwhelmed with choice, I dismissed the frosting-heavy cupcakes and requested the Nutter Butter ($3.50), two peanut cookies sandwiched with peanut butter buttercream. The peril of the crunchy cookie is that it's impenetrable to the dessert fork and all the icing squishes out the middle - I was forced to deconstruct this, and discovered in the process that the buttercream didn't taste of peanut butter at all. The roasted peanuts, at least, added some depth to a very sweet snack.

Michael's raspberry jam doughnut ($3.50) was pleasant, but had inevitably been sitting on display for at least a few hours. Doughnuts really are best eaten within minutes of cooking, aren't they?

Based on the many other reviews of Sweet Envy out there (see below), we may have been a bit unlucky in our selections. It's not surprising that when dozens of different sweets are on offer, some will be better than others. The icecream here, in particular, has a very good reputation and would surely show up the terrible Cold Rock cups we sampled a couple of days earlier.

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Other blog posts about Sweet Envy are all positive, though some individual items have caused disappointment. Check out Provender Prattle, Rita's Bite, bri eats, Sunday's Child, Walnuts & Quince, The Drill Hall Emporium, Sitting on top of our world, Feathers and Cupcakes, Molly's Maison, One Crafty Mumma, May Day for Food, nevertoosweet and this thread on Eating Tassie.

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Sweet Envy
341 Elizabeth St, North Hobart
(03) 6234 8805
sweet treats $2-10
http://www.sweetenvy.com/

Accessibility: Sweet Entry has a flat, average-width entrance and is more likely to be crowded with customers than furniture. Ordering and payment takes place at counters of varying heights.

monday melbourne roundup

2012-01-30T10:05:00+00:00

hello. don't mind me I'm just dying of heat stroke over here. The air con didn't work in my office for 4 days and got fixed on the Wednesday which was the only tolerable day. Let's get started because I hate life at the moment. warning will have copious complaints about everything being too hot. Food coming on the blog sometime soon will be more spudbar action (FARKIN LOVE IT), we ate ourselves

tempeh

2012-01-29T20:42:00+00:00

A couple weeks ago I decided to try to make some homemade tempeh. I was able to get a free sample of tempeh starter from here. The website also has instructions on how to make tempeh. Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures until the very end so I don't have any of the process.
My plan was to make the tempeh when we were having a couple of hot days since it needs to incubate around 30C for 36-48 hours. I ended up doing it during the coldest couple days/nights of the week. First I soaked the beans for about 18 hours. Dehulling the beans was the most time consuming part since we don't have a grain mill so I did it by hand by rubbing the beans between my hands after they'd been soaking for a while and then removing the hulls when they floated to the top of the bowl.
After the soy beans had been mostly dehulled I cooked them in water with a bit of vinegar for 30 minutes, drained them and let them cool and dry for a bit before mixing in the tempeh starter. While the beans where cooling I took 3 zip lock sandwich size bags and poked lots and lots of little holes in the bag with a nail to allow the soy beans to breath while incubating. I filled each of the bags with about 1/3 of the soy beans and set up an incubator in our esky using a hot water bottle. I have no idea if it was at the right temperature and it definitely wasn't a constant temperature but it seemed to work. My best looking block of tempeh (the one pictured) looks a lot like the store bought ones because I had it sitting on a cooling rack over the hot water bottle (there wasn't enough room for all 3 on the bottom of the esky with the hot water bottle). I was a little concerned about the black bits but apparently that's normal (has to do with the air flow and heat levels). I fried a little bit up right after incubating it (I incubated mine 48 hours, I probably could have gone a couple hours or so more) and it tasted great. Zac made a stir fry with some of it the next night and it was sooooo good. What was left of it I sliced up and froze today (I sliced it so it would be easy to get just a bit of it if I want-- I hate trying to use just part of a frozen store bought tempeh block, it's so hard to cut). I'm impressed with my results in making tempeh but it was time consuming (mostly just trying to dehull the soy beans) and had to be well planned out so I was home when steps needed to be done.

Day 29 – Spaghetti alla Norma

2012-01-29T20:15:47+00:00

Spaghetti alla norma

The Vegetarian Dinner Diary Project

Tonight’s dinner – Spaghetti alla norma.

When honeymooning in Sicily many years ago I discovered the absolute delight of this delicious rich velvety eggplant pasta dish. Later I learned to recreate my own version and we still eat it quite often.

Consisting of onion, eggplant, peas, tomato, garlic and basil; it is easy to make and always satisfying. The combination of eggplant and peas seems unusual, yet they work beautifully together. Some recipes call for deep frying or roasting the eggplant, but I insist this is not necessary and the sauce can be made on the stove top in one pan only. It’s simple. smooth and really delicious – especially if you are a lover of both eggplant and pasta.

Blissful Bites

2012-01-29T19:18:00+00:00

Things have been a bit hectic in our household, as we prepare for our trip whilst doing a large and much needed spring clean. Partially because we have house sitter and also because Toby starts studying full time when we return.

But I have to tell you about my new fave cookbook. I often get a new cookbook and made a few things and then leave it on the shelves for inspiration but don't actually make much out of it. There has been a few exceptions though like vegan cupcakes take over the world and vegan scoop. However, I'm obsessed with my new cookbook because its healthy, gf friendly, meals are generally pretty quick and don't require too many weird ingredients. I've been particuarly drawn to the recipes with seaweed in them. It's only been a few weeks since I received it and I've already made:

Land and Sea Soba Salad:

Fiesta quinoa salad:

Spring kale salad with sweet miso dressing, almost forgot to take a photo!

Tempeh 'fish' tacos with mango peach salsa:

And not your usual pad thai with an apricot almond sauce.

I can't decide which recipe to post. So let me know which one you are interested in and I'll blog about the one with the most votes.

Thai Veggie Hutt

2012-01-29T11:44:00+00:00

January 21, 2012

Our afternoon got off to a confusing start. We discovered that MONA was launching its own fancy food market, with more live music and cooking demos to boot, but the transporting ferry was booked out 20 minutes before its departure. As an alternative we looked up the Theatre Royal, where Icelandic band Amiina were providing their own instrumental backing to a series of fairytales, animated by Lotte Reiniger in the 1920s.

It was a very pleasant diversion and, even better, allowed us time and stomach space to visit one of Hobart's dedicated vegetarian restaurants.

Thai Veggie Hutt is open Monday to Saturday until 3:30pm, so it's really for lunch only. As we stepped in we immediately got a view of the bain-marie with a few noodle and mock meat dishes plus some yum cha-type snacks (these might be a Saturday specialty). Thankfully I held Michael back from ordering for just a minute or two, because there's also more than a dozen soups, rice and noodle dishes that they'll make to order for a few dollars more. We were both attracted to the mock meat but there are plenty of vege-focused mock-less options and they offer gluten-free meals as well. Almost everything is vegan.

We started out by sharing a box of the steamed buns visible in the bain-marie ($6.50) - they were a bit crunchy on top from sitting around, but plenty hot and still tasty. Each one had a different filling, two of them were sweet and predictably it was the bbq flavoured one we loved best.

My crispy vegetarian duck with rice ($12) looked beautiful and tasted even better. The sauce was simple and salty and I was thrilled with the variety of morsels in it: super-crispy chunks of 'duck', fresh snow peas, tender tofu, earthy mushrooms and some bonus mock chicken.

Michael's vegetarian duck curry ($12) arrived a little later and if anything, it was better still! More of those tremendous crispy duck pieces sat atop a huge bowl of fresh vegetables in a spicy kaffiir lime and coconut gravy. I think even Michael was using his rice to neutralise its heat.

It's rare to encounter a restaurant that gets both mock meat and fresh vegetables just right - we reckon Thai Veggie Hutt pulled it off.

____________

Thai Veggie Hutt
Shop 7 Bank Arcade, 68-70 Liverpool St, Hobart
(03) 6231 1270
veg lunches $6.50-12.50
http://thaiveggiehutt.com/

Accessibility: Entry seems flat but it's pretty crowded inside. Ordering and payment happens at a low-ish counter; the bain-marie is a little higher. Toilets are some distance away in the larger shopping complex, and reasonably roomy.

Green Chilli Tandoori, Clifton Hill

2012-01-29T11:30:00+00:00

Green Chilli is my favourite place to order from on a lazy hungover Sunday when there are no fresh veggies in the house and no motivation to get out and buy some. These guys are very friendly and super-helpful when it comes to identifying what on the menu can be made vegan. My favourite thing on the menu is the Mushroom Karahi - it is super-flavourful, nice and rich and the mushrooms have a great texture to them - it's kind of like Indian comfort food.

My new second-favourite menu item is the Pumpkin Masala. I ordered this for the first time recently, and it is lovely. The pumpkin is cooked perfectly - sweet and tender and lightly spiced. The roti (no butter) is as good as roti with no butter can be, and even better if I add a bit of Nuttelex while it is still warm.

The pakora is very nice - not too much batter, so it's not too heavy...and goes great with the provided tamarind sauce. The rice is perfectly cooked - light and fluffy. Their prices are more than reasonable, the price of a veg curry being only $8.90. They deliver at the same time they say they will, delivery is free, they bring the food in an esky to keep it warm, they label the vegan items and they put the vegan food in a separate bag. Yeah, I love these guys.

Green Chilli's website does not seem to be operating as of yet, so the only way to have a look at the menu is to go past and grab one. They are located at 149 Queens Parade, Clifton Hill. Their number is 9481 2345, and they're open seven days a week from 17:30.

Day 28 – Picnic on the beach

2012-01-28T21:21:08+00:00

Beach

The Vegetarian Dinner Diary Project

Tonight’s dinner was a picnic on the beach with friends. We had a lovely time and I completely forgot to take a photo of the food! But I did take one of the beach instead.

It was a simple affair with fresh bread, organic cheddar cheese, semi dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, chili bean dip, cucumber, cherry tomatoes and a big box of strawberries. Oh, and a few beers too. The weather was a perfect 29 degrees and the kids cooled off in the surf. Perfect.

Axil Coffee Roasters

2012-01-28T14:37:53+00:00

I do like the excuse to go food exploring in suburbs that I normally rarely visit. So the decision of our brunching group to move our focus from cafes around Melbourne Uni to cafes around Swinburne (wise move, since most of us don’t even go to Melbourne anymore!) was very much welcomed by me, as Hawthorn is a bit of a dark shadow on the map of my foodie knowledge.

Axil Coffee Roasters sits solidly on busy Burwood Road. It is a big, deep space, surfaces all decked out in a palette of dark greens and blacks, with splashes of exposed wood and vertical racks filled with pot plants (some of whom seemed to be struggling in the hot weather). The clientele is eclectic, with the requisite number of students, business folk and even some of Hawthorn’s genteel older guard. Axil clearly ticks a lot of bases for people.

The main base is, obviously, coffee. There’s a crazy amount of bean choices, drip coffee, filter thingies, and probably a whole heap of other crazy coffee options that are completely wasted on me. Overwhelmed by all this coffee new-fanglery, I retreated to the tea menu to see of there was anything to spark my interest. There’s a small selection of teas by Victorian tea company Larsen and Thompson, and I decided to go with the most interesting and unusual option, the white peony tea. While it didn’t have the light orange colouring promised by the menu notes, it had been properly brewed before reaching my table, meaning there were no tea leaves left to stew in the pot and sour the second cup. It was a subtle blend, starting off very quiet yet building up flavour with each sip. It wasn’t quite as floral as I’d expected (though floral notes are definitely present, beware floral loathers), but all in all a very satisfying brew worth trying.

Food-wise, it was a bit hard to single myself down to one dish, but I ended up going with the savoury French toast with spinach, sauteed wild mushrooms and truffled pecorino cheese, plus I added a side of haloumi that came with a lemon wedge. This was a good solid meal, everything was cooked well, the bread of the toast wasn’t soggy and was liberally coated in egg, and I was pleased to see that wild mushrooms meant a variety of mushrooms. I couldn’t help feeling though that, without the inclusion of the haloumi, it was all a touch bland. My suspicions were confirmed by Alison, who had ordered the same without haloumi, and opined that the dish as a whole lacked something. Perhaps next time I’ll order the corn fritters instead, Jess and Kim both had these and they looked colourfully fabulous.

It’s sometimes interesting to see how staff in a place react when things go wrong, rather than experiencing service where everything goes right. Towards the end of our eating, and just when some of us were getting a second beverage, a harried waiter came up to us and apologetically requested whether we would mind moving to a table outside. None of us were quite sure at this stage exactly why we were being asked to move, but we are nothing if not amiable folks and all pottered out to go sit in the sun. Once we were settled the harried waiter returned and explained that someone had taken a booking and not informed the other staff. He was very sorry that we’d had to move (we weren’t! We were in the sunshine!), and insisted on striking the price for all the drinks we’d had. We protested, but he won out, and in the end he not only didn’t charge for drinks but rounded down our bill as well. Crisis well averted, young man, and very happy customers you made in us!

Axil was for the most part an enjoyable place to spend a afternoon eating and chatting happily with friends. I might need to try a few more items on the menu to be entirely sold on the food options, but the beverages are good, the service more than obliging, and it’s just a nice spot to hang out.

Axil Coffee Roasters

322 Burwood Road, Hawthorn

Ph: 9819 0091

http://www.axilcoffee.com.au/

Day 27 – Nut slice with herb tomato sauce, Yorkshire pudding and salad

2012-01-27T19:39:05+00:00

Nut slice with salad, etc

The Vegetarian Dinner Diary Project

Tonight’s dinner – Nut slice with herb tomato sauce, Yorkshire pudding and mixed salad.

I usually make this nutty dish as a roast but thought I’d try it as a slice instead tonight. It worked really well – the best bits are always the crispy edges and by making it as a slice there are a lot more of them!

In the first picture it is hard to see the nut slice underneath all the sauce so I’ve added a second picture of it alone (half eaten). For those interested, the nuts are cashews and almonds with a mixture of onions, mushroom, tomatoes, bread crumbs. eggs and seasonings.

Nut slice

I often make this recipe as a nut roast for Christmas and the meat eaters always like is just as much as the vegetarians.

28 Jan 2012
After a request from a good friend I’ve decided to add the recipe for the nut slice and sauce. So here it is …

Nut Slice

Ingredients:

100g raw almonds
200g raw cashews
2 medium onions
2 large chopped tomatoes – tinned is fine
4 medium mushrooms
200g fresh breadcrumbs
3 tsp plain flour
300 ml vegetable stock
3 tsp yeast extract
2 tsp dried mixed herbs
2 eggs lightly beaten

Method:

Grease and line a 27cm x 18cm non-stick tin and preheat the oven to 190c. Prepare all the ingredients by chopping finely in a blender and set aside in bowls:

Chop nuts together
Chop breadcrumbs
Chop onions
Chop mushrooms

Saute the onion in a little oil until soft, then add the chopped tomatoes and mushrooms and cook together for about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour, cook for a minute, and then add the vegetable stock. Cook for a few minutes and stir whilst the mixture thickens. Turn off the heat and add the yeast extract. Stir through thoroughly and then add all of the remaining ingredients – the eggs last.

Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for approx 45 – 50 minutes until the top is crisp and the nut slice is firm. When cooked, set aside for a few minutes before removing from the tin. You should be able to lift the whole slice from the tin using the greaseproof paper and place straight onto a serving plate.

Thanks to Rose Elliot for the original inspiration!

Herb tomato sauce

I always serve the nut slice with a herb tomato sauce. Saute a finely chopped medium onion in olive oil with 2 large cloves of chopped garlic. Add a large tin of chopped tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of dried mixed herbs and salt and pepper to taste. You can also add a handful of fresh herbs towards the end of the cooking. Simmer for about 20 minutes.

A tale of three water bottles

2012-01-27T18:53:00+00:00

Over the past 6 months I have tried to move away from using old plastic mineral water bottles with tatty labels. It has been a frustrating journey.

I started off with the green bottle. It was made by Aquasteel. I love it. It was lightweight and stylish and exactly what I wanted. Within a few weeks the bottle was knocked off the kitchen table, huge cracks formed around the nozzle. It was useless. I tried to contact the company to ask if I could buy another top but the email and phone number didn't work. I had bought it on holiday so I couldn't return it to the shop. I had to abandon it.

The next bottle was the tall purple one. I found it at Officeworks. It appealed because I don't really like the sucker tops. This had a nicer opening to drink from. Unfortunately it seems to open at the wrong sort of moment. It has dumped water on my camera, on the floor of the car and I get worried Sylvia will throw it on the bed when having a night time tantrum. It has been banned from my bag and from night time use but I love it too much to throw it out. It is great around the house during the day.

The last bottle is the little purple one. It is from Safeway supermarket. It is practical but is just not quite right. It is too small when I am riding my bike and reach for it in my drink holder. It just doesn't have the aesthetic appeal or pleasing feel of the other two.

The pursuit of the ideal water bottle continues. It is not an active hunt. But I hope one day I will get over the disappointment of the acquasteel and find another I can love and use.

This post was inspired by Kari's post on water bottles.

Nutritional Info – Calcium

2012-01-27T13:05:00+00:00

I was spoilt yesterday with an Australia Day vegan BBQ,courtesy of L-whack. I arrived to find a plate of garlic focaccia & hummus,a bowl of BBQ shapes, a couple of stubbies of Bundaberg ginger beer (c’mon, it’sAustralia – gotta bogan it up a little!!) waiting for me. Ready for the cookingwas some sliced potatoes, onions and some vegan burgers.

YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!

Om nom nom

Needless to say, we didn’t need much dinner!

Sliced potatoes - add olive oil, mixed herbs & salt - drooooooooool!

Calcium

Calcium is requiredfor the normal development and maintenance of the skeleton as well as for the properfunctioning of neuromuscular and cardiac function. It is stored in the teethand bones where it provides structure and strength.[1]

Today I am writing about calcium. It is something close tomy heart – my father used to scare the beejezus out of me when I was younger,stating that I would grow up and develop osteoporosis. When I was a baby, I wasdiagnosed as lactose intolerant so grew up not eating much dairy. I was able toeat small amounts of yoghurt (something to do with the acidophilus reversingthe effects of the lactose?), ice cream (it’s mainly sugar!) and when I wasolder I would have milk in coffees (although every few weeks, it would all buildup and I would spend a day or 2 feeling very unwell). But I never ate cheese (unlesscheezels count?!!), nor cream (unless it was brandy cream on Christmas pudding!).I once had a Greek salad, but picked out all the chucks of feta. However thesmall crumbles of feta left behind meant I spent the next 36 hours curled up ina ball on the bathroom floor – not fun.

Anyway, we all know the importance of calcium so that weavoid osteoporosis and other health issues later in life – and thankfully, thereare many more sources of calcium than just dairy.

Both males & females should 1000mg of calcium every day.Pregnant ladies, elderly people and children need different amounts. A goodguide to calcium recommendations is found here.

	Serving size	(mg) per serving	% Daily Value
Tofu*, firm, made with calcium sulphate	½ cup	204	20
Tofu*, soft, made with calcium sulphate	½ cup	138	14
Spinach, cooked	½ cup	120	12
Kale, cooked	1 cup	94	9
Kale, raw	1 cup	90	9
Chinese cabbage, raw	1 cup	74	7
Orange juice, calcium-fortified	177ml	378	37
Bread, whole-wheat	1 slice	30	3
Garbanzo Beans, cooked	1 cup	80	8
Legumes, general, cooked	½ cup	15 to 50	-
Pinto Beans, cooked	1 cup	75	7.5
Soybeans, boiled	½ cup	100	10
Tempeh	½ cup	75	7.5
White Beans, cooked	½ cup	70	7
Tortillas, corn	2	85	8.5
Brown rice, long grain, raw	1 cup	50	5
Almonds, toasted unblanched	28g	80	8
Sesame seeds, whole roasted	28g	280	28
Sesame tahini	28g (2 Tbsp)	130	13
Sunflower seeds, dried	28g	50	5
Molasses, blackstrap	1 Tbsp	135	13.5
Soy or rice beverage, fortified with calcium	250 mL (1 cup)	319	31.9
Yogurt, soy	175 g (¾ cup)	206	20.6
Fortified cereal bars (per bar)	per bar	180	18
2 spears of broccoli	90g	30	3
7 dried apricots	56g	40	4
Figs (approx. 4)	220g	506	50.6
Orange, peeled	160g	75	7.5
Watercress, small bunch (raw)	20g	34	3.4
Curly Kale	95g	143	14.3
Okra, stir fried	40g (approx 8 pieces)	88	8.8
Red kidney beans, canned	105g (3 tbsp.)	75	7.5
Chick peas, boiled	90g (3 tbsp.)	41	4.1
Green/French beans	90g	50	5
Baked beans	135g	72	7.2
Brazil Nuts (6 whole)	20g	34	3.4
Hazelnuts (20 whole)	20g	28	2.8
Walnuts (12 halves)	40g	38	3.8
Pasta (white), cooked	230g	85	8.5

*The calcium content of tofu depends on how the tofu has been processed. If itis processed using calcium chloride or calcium sulphate, tofu may have up to100mg calcium per 100g block. Otherwise the calcium content of tofu isnegligible.

HOWEVER, we should also be aware that there areseveral factors that can affect the amount of calcium our bodies absorb. WHATyou eat, WHEN you eat, and the natural make-up of your body can mean your bodydoesn’t necessarily absorb all the calcium you consume. Sodium, caffeine &protein in food affects how much calcium we absorb. Also the amount we sweat,and how much we wee can also affect absorption. It’s all very complex and confusing,and I am certainly no scientist or doctor. If you feel like an interestingread, I recommend the NutrientReference Values for

Australiaand New Zealand - but being 315 pages, it’s a lot ofinformation to take in! A lot of those pages are references etc, so I guess it’snot THAT scary!! It’s an Australian Government document, so I like to think itholds reliable information.

My personal choice is to eat as much natural calcium as Ican, but to also take a supplement. I’m making my way through a bottle of Caltrate at themoment, but the vegan multivitamins that I bought last week also containcalcium.

The combination of calcium, vitamin D and exercise alsoassists the health of our bones. We all know we should ‘slip, slop, slap’ but thesun is a natural source of vitamin D and we should all get outside for 10minutes each day and soak up some rays.

So the moral of the calcium story is

· Eat as much calcium-rich foods as possible – daily;

· Take part in regular exercise, and;

· Combine your calcium intake with vitamin D (asnaturally as possible)

[1] http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/publications/attachments/n35.pdf

Summer Kitchen

2012-01-27T12:39:00+00:00

January 21, 2012

We'd been a bit ambivalent about Hobart's ever-popular Salamanca Market when we were last in Hobart - too busy and crowded and filled with a lot of stalls selling fairly dull wares. Despite this, Lisa's enthusiasm for Summer Kitchen's veg pies meant that a return trip was booked in as a key priority for our Saturday morning on this trip. Summer Kitchen is right at the bottom of the market, so we fought our way through all the crowds and stalls on our way there. The market wasn't as annoying as I'd remembered - there were lots of great local food stalls and a few other interesting bits and pieces scattered throughout the 'Made In China' t-shirt and sock stalls this time around. Still, I was really only there for the pies.

Me, refusing to leave Cindy's photo in case it meant
waiting an extra 5 seconds for pies

There are five veg pies to choose from (two vegan), including chilli bean, curry veg and more, with not a faux-meat in sight. I chose the lentil shepherds pie (lentils, brown rice, celery, tomato, carrot, parsley, potato, onion, garlic, parsley, dairy-free margarine, salt and herbs wrapped in a vegan wholemeal pastry, $6) with homemade tomato relish on top (on the left of the picture below).

The crispy potato swirl on top tasted fantastic, but didn't really want to stay together with the rest of the pie. Which was fine, because the rest of the pie was wonderful as well - the rich lentil mix and sweet tomato relish were an excellent combo, and the pastry was up there with Funky Pies for flaky vegan goodness.

Cindy ordered the Homity pie (potatoes, leeks, onion, garlic, sour cream, cheese, salt, basil and sunflower kernels in a buttery wholemeal pastry, $6). It's top was less crispy than my potato-based one, being made up of a layer of melted cheese, but just as tasty. The filling was dominated by the potato and leek and whole thing was maybe a smidgen on the dry side from having sat in the pie-warmer a bit long - still, the relish added enough moisture to make up for that.

It's hard to know how good these pies were. Having brekkie at 11:00am tends to make whatever you're eating taste wonderful, and these were no exception - an excellent, cheap and vaguely healthy fast-food option for the hungry and worn-out market-goer.

____________

Darkside of Knitting sampled the other vegan pie on offer at Summer Kitchen and gave it the thumbs up, but nobody else seems to have blogged about them.

____________

Summer Kitchen

Salamanca Markets (Eastern end, Saturday mornings from 8am)

veg pies $6 (they have lots of other baked goods, but we didn't explore any further!)

Accessibility: The market is jammed with people, so it's not amazingly accessible. There's a bit of breathing room once you make your way right down to the bakery, but it's still crowded. Ordering and payment happens at a middling level (see picture).

seven day juice fast

2012-01-27T10:22:00+00:00

warning. some poop talk. From the 27th of December to the 2nd of January I did a liquid fast. I felt like shit. It was a chaotic year for me, living in a terribly mouldy house and having to move out after only 1 year there really took a toll on my health. Taking on too much, a new job role, difficult school subjects, a few friendships falling apart, last year was rough on my health. So my eating

Day 26 – Leftover chana dal with salad

2012-01-27T08:49:23+00:00

Chana dal with salad

The Vegetarian Dinner Diary Project

Last night’s dinner – leftover chana dal with basmati rice, tzatziki and a big mixed salad.

There are some things I eat almost everyday, and salad is top of the list. Anyone who has been following my dinner project through January will have realised this by now. A big mixed salad makes an appearance with almost every (not quite all) home cooked meal. I just love salad vegetables and they go with everything!

Recent eats around town

2012-01-26T21:18:00+00:00

As someone who blogs about food, I do an extremely poor job when it comes to posting about eating out experiences. This is something I aim to improve on which means I'll have to remember to take my camera with me more often. My dining companions aren't the most patient people and generally want to chow down as soon as the meals arrive which can be another problem at times.

In the past couple of months we have ventured out of our South Eastern suburban haunts on numerous occasions to sample some of the plentiful vegan food that the inner suburbs have to offer. Buying a pair of shoes from Vegan Wares has been a great way to entice us into tasting food around Collingwood as my one purchase has resulted in three visits; the initial selection, a second for a fitting and finally to pick them up.

Trippy Taco has been one of the stand-outs so far and you could say that I'm slightly obsessed with their Tofu Asado Burrito (ordering the same meal 3 times in a row is only a mild obsession, right?). I would love to be able to replicate the way they cook the tofu as I find that the smoky, char-grilled flavour is to die for. It took me ages to convince the man to return to Trippy Taco as he had a memory of it being just average when we first went there years ago, but now he's been converted! Our son has been with us once and thoroughly enjoyed a small but deceivingly filling plate of nachos. The smoky seasoning on the trippy fries is sensational too!

Trippy Taco
234 Gertrude Street, Fitzroy
9415 7711

Gasometer is a fantastic pub to sample some American styled diner food with plenty of vegan options on the menu to choose from. The man and I both tried the Southern Fried "Chicken" Burger on our first visit several months ago as I had read so many glowing reviews about it. I found that the burger was nice although the herbs in the seitan were a bit overpowering and it was incredibly filling too. The crispy seasoned fries with their soft fluffy interior were sensational.

On our second visit I spotted a Buffalo Tofu salad on the menu and thought that it would be a lighter meal. Upon ordering I was advised that it came with cornbread and not a choice of 2 sides as stated on the menu which was a bit disappointing. I'm not a fan of cornbread so I ordered some fries as well as my meal. The tofu was amazing, buffalo seasoning is not a flavour I have tried previously but it was so delicious. The salad comprised of lettuce, carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, corn chips and facon although it was slathered in too much dressing for my liking. As suspected, I didn't like the cornbread! I found it to be a bit dry and didn't appreciate the sweetness of the corn nor could I detect any heat from the jalapeno so I was happy with my decision to order a side of fries. Again we walked out of there feeling too full and have fondly being calling it the Bloatometer ever since!

Gasometer
484 Smith Street, Collingwood
9415 7711

It was exciting when I heard a few years ago that Lord of the Fries had just opened a new store at Chadstone. I usually detest shopping centres but it's wonderful for us to having a place selling all vegetarian and vegan food 10 minutes from home. We have sampled different burgers, hot dogs and nuggets as well as chips with various sauces over the years and now have settled on the original burgers and chips with gravy as our standard order. I love that they offer mini sized burgers because it's not the healthiest food going around but at least I don't feel as bad eating it in a smaller size.

Lord of the Fries
Chadstone Shopping Centre
Check their website for the store closest to you

Shakahari used to be one of our favourite places to dine and has been our choice to celebrate birthdays and wedding anniversaries over the last few years. After a disappointing experience for my birthday in December, I'm not keen to go back again soon. December is usually a busy month for restaurants with Christmas celebrations but I was advised that the table would be ours for the night when I made the booking for a later time. It certainly didn't feel like that was the case when we arrived. We felt under pressure to order quickly, drinks were extremely slow to arrive after ordering and there were several kerfuffles with the service. I'm generally easy to please when eating out but was rather annoyed that our main meals were plonked onto the table and the waitress didn't even take note that there was no cutlery on the table. Some of the items on the menu that haven't changed are ones that I have ordered and not enjoyed. The latest additions didn't really appeal so I ending up playing if safe and ordering an Indian curry which I have liked previously. There are plenty of other veg*n restaurants around town that I still haven't been to yet so I'm certainly not in a rush to go back to Shakahari.

Shakahari
201-203 Faraday Street, Carlton
9347 3848

We have also revisited The Mercy Seat a couple more times which I have reviewed previously. The tofu scramble didn't seem to have as much flavour the second time I ordered it, so the blackened tofu and avocado burger remains as my favourite pick. Then man is still enamoured with the Creole "chicken" soul burger and won't order anything else. The Mercy Seat has expanded their menu to include some other items, the details of which I can't recall but I think they now have a range of focaccias.

The Mercy Seat @ 99 Problems
31 Johnston Street, Collingwood
0406 290 353

Coco Loco

2012-01-26T20:01:00+00:00

Kleopatra's Brew with Kashew Milk, iced. So amazing!
We used to go to Coco Loco (High St, Northcote) fairly often but for some reason we haven't been in ages (we just haven't gone to High St. much at all). We were up there today and Coco Loco was open so we decided to stop by because Khaled makes the best chocolate drinks ever (and a lot of his stuff is vegan). The one I got was an orange flavoured chocolate drink. I got it as an iced chocolate today. So rich and chocolatey and so good! Zac got a lemon myrtle chocolate drink. Both of us had our drinks made with his homemade cashew milk. We need to go back again soon.

Savoury crumble/stuffing

2012-01-26T14:25:09+00:00

Happy 2012! My apologies for the lengthy delay between posts, but hopefully it’s been a great start to the year for you all and you’ll accept my best wishes for a healthy, delicious and fabulous 2012.

My lovely vegan friend came for dinner this week and I decided to stuff eggplants as our main. I wanted something as a topping but as I find a lot of vegan substitutes to be very processed, I didn’t want to use a vegan cheese. Instead, as a bit of an experiment, I used a ‘crumble’ mix and found it worked really well – not only did it complement the roasted veggies and brown rice of the stuffing, but added great texture.

This crumble mix is really versatile and I have also used it on top of an eggplant parmigiana instead of breading the eggplant slices (out of sheer laziness!) and have stuffed roasted mushrooms with it, as pictured. Anything could be added to the basic recipe so if you don’t have some of the ingredients, substitute with whatever you have handy. But make sure you use good quality bread, not the poor excuse for bread we find in most supermarkets (though there can be some decent ones hiding in amongst a bad lot). I have mainly been using an organic spelt bread – the ends and odd pieces collected from old loaves and kept in the freezer – but any dense-ish bread will do; wholemeal, rye, barley or the like – as long as it makes breadcrumbs.

My bread ends aren’t really dried out like what’s used to make ‘proper’ breadcrumbs. They are stale, but still have a bit of moisture and I like the texture of them better than the powdery dry versions you can buy. I put them in a coffee grinder and pulse quickly, making sure they are still quite chunky. This will also work in a food processor but if you have neither, just rip the bread into very small pieces.

Savoury crumble/stuffing mix

4 slices of stale bread, made into breadcrumbs

½ cup walnuts, chopped

¼ cup or so of olives, finely chopped

3 tblsp chopped fresh oregano or 2 tsp dried herbs

1-2 cloves garlic, finely diced

1 tsp lemon rind

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil

Put all the ingredients, except the olive oil, into a bowl and mix to combine
Pour olive oil over the breadcrumb mix, stirring continuously, until it is coated with oil. Do this quite slowly as you don’t want to use too much oil and make it too greasy, but these crumbs will soak in more oil than dryer crumbs so just enough so it all presses together
Use it to stuff mushrooms or tomatoes, to cover stuffed vegetables, as a savoury crumble topping or as you like! This mixture will keep for a day or two in an airtight container in the fridge.

Raspberry Balsamic Sparkle Pie

2012-01-26T11:58:00+00:00

One of the lovely presents my mum sent me for Christmas was a copy of the amazing Vegan Pie in the Sky. Luckily I had a dinner party to attend last weekend, and so had an excuse to make pie! Firstly, I will tell you how difficult it is to find pie-making supplies in Melbourne. I couldn't find a 9" pie tin to save my life, and everyone seemed to be out of or non-stocking of pastry cutters. So I had to settle for a small disposable pie tin from Coles and a knife to make my lattice. It turned out fine in the end, but I will be scouting out for proper supplies this week.

The pie I chose was the Pucker Up Raspberry Pie - it consisted mainly of a whole lot of frozen raspberries and some balsamic vinegar. The vinegar seemed to heighten the raspberry flavour, making the pie "very raspberry-y" (according to a friend). It was very simple to make, with only 10 ingredients in the whole thing. The filling was so sparkly and yummy-looking! It tasted great, too.

I have no hope of finding a crust protector in the shops, so I had to make my own from foil.

I'm looking forward to making lots more yummy pastry items in the future!

Happy Australia Day!

2012-01-26T10:30:00+00:00

Let's show everyone just how Aussie we really are by NOT eating lamb... And that we are happy little VEGEmites!!

G/F Hong Kong and Macau Tips?

2012-01-26T10:28:00+00:00

Gung Hay Fat Choy or Happy Chinese New Year!

Toby and I are off to Hong Kong and Macau in Feb and while we are both kind of familar with the vegetarian restaurants in Hong Kong. This will be my first time going to Hong Kong and eating gluten free.

I have to admit I'm a little nervous about my eating options since coeliac disease really is a foreign concept and wheat is in soy sauce and most Chinese sauces.

Does anyone know of any gluten free friendly options in either place?

Nourish Cafe

2012-01-26T09:12:00+00:00

January 19, 2012

The MONA ferry delivered us back to the city around 6pm, giving us plenty of time for an early dinner at Nourish Cafe before it shut at 8pm. Michael noticed Nourish on Happy Cow as a veg-friendly venue and we wandered past it the previous evening. It looked like somewhere that would serve the simple vege-filled meals that we craved after our extravagant, buttery lunch.

Nourish is the kind of casual cafe that I instantly feel comfortable in: friendly staff who're in no hurry, a couch or two, gig posters on the walls and photocopied paper menus with a lineage tracing back to 70s hippy food. (Brisbane's Forest and Melbourne's Las Vegan spring to mind as others of this ilk.) What's notable here is that the menu isn't entirely meat free - there are a couple of seafood dishes amongst it all, though it's majority vegetarian with gluten-free options also well marked.

I was in a mushroom mood again, and after quite some humming and hawing I elected for the herbed and crumbed Rocky Mountain Mushrooms ($13.50) over the mixed mushroom ragout with beetroot risotto balls ($14). It was certainly a mountain of mushrooms, crispy-crumbed and not at all greasy. The strawberry chilli dipping sauce didn't make a stronger impression than the standard bottled sweet chilli, but I barely minded. The side salad was unusually fresh.

Michael ate the marinated tofu with sourdough, sunflower seeds, a garden salad and sate sauce ($12). This was another light, fresh winner; the kind of stuff we aspire to make at home.

We resisted the carby temptation of the mixed vegie wedges, but the bowlful eaten at the next table over looked huge and smelled great. There's also soup, a curry, coffee, lots of tea, juices, smoothies and a dessert cabinet. There's nothing mind-blowingly experimental here, but much to make a vegetarian feel right at home.

We had our share of the unexpected once we hit FOMA afterwards, from the hypnotic Prince Rama to the surprise covers (Nick Cave, Beastie Boys, Neutral Milk Hotel, Black Sabbath, Jacques Brel) and cameos (Brian Ritchie on acoustic bass, seemingly everyone from backstage on riotous dancing) sprung on us by the endlessly entertaining Dresden Dolls.

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Nourish Cafe
129 Elizabeth St, Hobart
(03) 6234 5674
veg meals $10-14
https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=54871060510

Accessibility: Nourish is flat inside, with reasonably spaced tables. We ordered at the table and paid at a low-ish counter. We didn't visit the toilets.

Happy Burns Night - Haggis Stuffed Mushrooms

2012-01-25T22:51:00+00:00

Every year E suggested I make vegetarian haggis to celebrate Burns Night. Finally this year I did. I have been in search of interesting ways to serve haggis. So far I have made pizza, tacos, nachos, crepes and pasties. Recently I discovered McSween, who makes Haggis in Scotland, have a whole heap of recipes. I decided to make the haggis stuffed mushrooms.

This was an easy recipe to make once I had made the haggis. It was merely a matter of grilling the top of the mushroom until it smelt cooked and juices started to run out of it, then I mixed some grated cheese with some haggis and pressed it into the cup of the mushroom, topped it with a little more cheese and grilled it under the cheese was golden brown. Easy. Served with tomato sauce and light green salad. Followed by some dancing to Scottish folk songs with Sylvia. Next time I want to try baked potatoes with haggis.

Happy Burns Night!

On the Stereo:

The Best of Scottish Folk: various artists

Day 25 – Chana dahl with sauteed garlic bok choy

2012-01-25T20:01:16+00:00

Chana dal and bok choy

The Vegetarian Dinner Diary Project

Tonight’s dinner – Chana dahl with basmati rice, sauteed garlic bok choy and tzatziki.

The wholesome and spicy chana dahl was great with the garlic bok choy lightly sauteed in sesame oil. Of course I had to add my obligatory handful of coriander leaves and tzatziki on the side.