Polenta based Pizza- Great for those clean, GF moments.

After a little cardiac scare and post the hectic Christmas and New Year season, I've decided to really step it up in regards to my health. I've always eaten quite well, but I often over indulge in the good stuff and drink a bit (or more) of alcohol here and there. I also usually go out for dinner at least once or twice a week and despite that the food I choose is vegan, I am under no pretences that it is indeed healthy.
I must admit I also haven't exercised in a while, unless you call dancing until my legs hurt in the wee hours of the morning exercise. It's hard to find the time when I'm trying to balance work, my art and my social life (read that as letting my friends and family know that I love them, not just being up for a party).
I know. I know. Exercise is something I need to make time for, but honestly... I sometimes find it boring. No matter how much I love riding to work, I've been riding the same paths to work for a few years. No matter how much I love bikram yoga, it's the same poses over and over. What do you do to keep yourself entertained?
I'm trying to find a gym that has classes close to my working hours and is near my place of work. I am also trying to start a little home gym. We'll see what happens. I think my aim will just be to move for an hour a day at this stage. One thing I do love is dancing around the house. Surely that works?
I am also cleaning up my food intake. I've stopped drinking alcohol. I've increased my intake of greens and am steering away from any processed foods whatsoever.
I found the idea for this recipe in a little book called "Clean Start" by Terry Walters. It seems to have a more macrobiotic outlook which I can really appreciate. Everything in it is cooked in someway, even the salad I ate yesterday. I appreciate raw foods but on a day like today where you can forget that it's summer, I like something warm in my belly. The book is great in that it has different seasonal recipes containing all the food that the season brings forth.
This pizza is a great idea. I took the idea for the base and just added my own toppings. I don't know about you, but I always just use recipes as a guide and substitute with whatever I have in the cupboard and so for this reason, I will just tell you how I made the base, what I added as a topping and you can change it up however you see fit... And it's gluten free. I've made a few changes to the original recipe for the polenta to make it more tasty and silky. Hope you like it.

Polenta Pizza

Time: About an hour.
Serves: About 8.

Pizza crust:

• 4 Cups of veggie stock.
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
• 1 teaspoon dried basil.
• 1 teaspoon oregano.
• 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.
• 1 and a quarter cups of polenta.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Place the veggie stock in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the oil and herbs and stir. Whilst stirring, add in the polenta. Keep stirring until it thickens and becomes smooth. 

Take a large oven tray and line it with baking paper. Spread out the polenta until it's about as thick as a pizza base. Like this: 

Set aside or place in the fridge until it's firm. Once it's firm, add your usual toppings and place in the oven and bake at 180C or 350F for about 40 minutes or until the toppings are cooked. 

I added tomato paste, portabello mushrooms, red onion, capers, red capsicum and a cheesey cashew and polenta topping with baby spinach and fresh basil. I also added a balsamic glaze over the top. You can add whatever makes you happy. :)

Serve warm and take the leftovers for lunch. x

A little late, but Easy, Vegan Fruitcake.

You are  a fruitcake.

Just joking! How was your Christmas? Good, I hope.
Me? I finished nightshift at the hospital at 7:30 am had a nap and then awoke to some amazing presents (not that that's what it's all about) from my favourite person in the world. We then scuttled off to Gordy's mum's house for lunch and then my mum's house for dinner. They both went to so much trouble to make me a wonderful meal. So beautiful.
Last week, we went to a Christmas lunch put on by a friend. As I had been working nightshift, I hadn't prepared any food to bring with me. The savoury food was easy when it came to finding something vegan. I had mushrooms and a bean salad. When it came to dessert, I thought I would only be eating the fruit, until my lovely friend told me of the ingredients in the fruitcake that she had made. The cake was tangy and delicious and sounded simple to make.
I went home and googled  the recipe. I looked at quite a few different ones and read all the comments to come up with a recipe that took all of their trials and tribulations into account. It was so delicious. I fed it to my family for dessert on Christmas night and not one person made a comment about it being vegan, as they usually do. They all quite enjoyed their cake. This recipe is probably a little late in timing but it's a good one to remember, none the less. It makes a relatively healthy snack, even if you bake one and cut it up into pieces to freeze for work and school lunches.

Time: Overnight to soak, ten minutes to prepare, 1.5 to 2 hours to cook.
Serves: Many. About 16. 

Ingredients:

• One kilo (2. 2pounds) of dried fruit.
•  2 Cups of orange juice. I've seen that some people find this too tangy. If you're not a fan of the tang, maybe try half OJ, half water or half apple juice.
• 2 Cups of self raising flour.
• Half a teaspoon of cinnamon.
• Half a teaspoon of cloves.
• Half a teaspoon of nutmeg.
• One Tablespoon of rum (pirate talk, optional).

Method:

Soak the dried fruit in a bowl with the orange juice overnight.
The next day, add the other ingredients to the bowl and give it all a good stir.
Now, you can either make one cake or two. I made two medium sized loaves and took one to work and one to the family dinner. Make sure whatever pan you put them in is either non-stick, well greased or lined with baking paper so the cake doesn't stick.
Place in the oven at 160C/ 320F for an hour. At this time, check that the cake is cooked  by sticking a skewer in the middle of the cake. If it comes out clean, it's ready. If not, place back in the oven and cook for a further 30 mins. Repeat the skewer action. It should be ready if you have made the loaves, but one whole cake may take another 30 minutes.
All ovens are created different. You know your oven better than I do so have a play and see what works for you. The cakes shouldn't need longer than 2 hours.

Serve with custard and enjoy any time of the year. x

A short and sweet recipe for Mustard Pickles.

It is  a glorious day here in Adelaide. Today, I plan on doing some painting and getting my art on before I host a drawing group tonight at Suzie Wong's Room.
Yesterday, I had a mad cooking day in case you didn't see all of my Facebook status updates. Myself and my lover had moseyed on over to the Torrens Island markets where we bought a ridiculous amount of food including a box of mushrooms, 14 punnets of strawberries and so much of a whole bunch of stuff for a lowly $30.
Yesterday I made mushroom stroganoff, mushroom pate, mushroom soup, mixed vegetable curry, a saag paneer for my lover, strawberry and vanilla bean jam, strawberry gin, apple chips, dehydrated strawberries and what will hopefully be rum and raisin chocolate fudge. I'm still working on the fudge recipe. I think I added too much milk initially. It's a work in progress at this stage but I swear I will get you the recipe as soon as it works.
I also made these Mustard Pickles. I love them because they remind me of picnics on sunny days with cute little sandwiches and bike rides along the river.
They are super easy to make.

Time: 15 Minutes prep. A night for the cucumbers to get all soft. A day to sit and get all pickle like.
Makes: 3.5 standard pasta sauce type jars full. 

Ingredients:

• 5 Cucumbers, sliced.
• 2 Red onions, halved and then sliced.
• 1 Tbs Salt.
• 1 Cup of raw caster sugar. 
• 2 and a half cups of apple cider vinegar.
• 1 Tbs of mustard seeds.
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric. 
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander.

Method:

Place the cucumbers, onion and salt into a container with a lid and leave in the fridge overnight. The next day, wash the salt off in a colander and then dry with paper towel.

In a saucepan, add the vinegar, sugar and spices over medium heat. Heat through until the sugar dissolves. This should take about 5 minutes. Add the cucumber and wait for little bubbles to start appearing in the liquid. Take off the heat and place in sterilised jars. Place the lid on and set aside for one day for all the ingredients to get to know each other. Keep in the fridge once opened. 

Serve on sandwiches, toast, in a salad or with your favourite nut cheese.  

Raspberry and Almond Cupcakes fit for a Bird.

Today we had the Cake Liberation Front meeting. We are kinda lacking in members who attend, so if you feel like eating cake once a month with me and other vegans, hit me up for the details. I made these. I had none of the correct ingredients and substituted pretty much everything and made these super moist, dainty morsels of deliciousness.
I'll bring the cake if you boil the kettle.

Time: 10 minutes prep. Half an hour to cook.
Makes: 12.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of plain flour.
• 1 cup of spelt flour.
• 1 cup of coconut milk.
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla essence.
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• 1/4 cup of raspberries.
• 1/4 cup of chopped almonds.
• 1/3 cup olive oil.
• 2 Tablespoon of corn flour.
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda.
• 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
• 12 whole almonds.
• 24 currants.

Method:

Place all of the ingredients (except the almonds and the raspberries) into a bowl and mix together well. I like to use a hand blender. If you don't have one of these, start with the dry ingredients and gradually add in the wet until the mix is well combined.
Take out your greased muffin tray or 12 patty pans and fill each one until 3/4 full.
Place an almond in the middle of each one and the currants on either side, so they look like little birds.
Bake at 180C or 350F for half an hour, or until you can poke a skewer in one and it comes out clean.
Serve with a smile and a cup of tasty tea.

Cannellini Bean Pasta Sauce with Olives, Capers and a hell of a lot of Garlic. xx

It's 4:51 AM. I have spent tonight drawing, watching episodes of Luxury Comedy and New Girl and cooking this pasta sauce. Although it is really delicious even if I do say so myself, where is the fricken greenery? That is one problem with being between night shifts. There is no where to buy lettuce at 3 AM. This pasta sauce is made of a bunch of things I had laying around. The capers were a bargain 75 cents for a giant jar and the beans I buy in bulk, so all in all this is quite a frivolous meal. You can eat the beans with out the pasta but hey, I love carbs. 

Time: 10 minutes prep. 30 minutes if cooked in a pressure cooker, 20 minutes on the stove top, 4 hours on high if cooked in a slow cooker. 

Serves:6-8.

Ingredients: 

• One onion, chopped.
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced.
• One capsicum, sliced.
• Half a cup of olives.
• One quarter of a cup of capers. 
• Three cups of dried cannellini beans, soaked overnight in water and drained.
• Quarter of a cup of olive oil.
• Half a cup of tomato paste.
• Four cups of water. 
• One pinch of salt.
• One pinch of pepper.

Method:

Place all of the ingredients in a pot/ pressure cooker/ slow cooker. 

If using a pot on the stove top, bring to the boil and let simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.

If using a pressure cooker, place the lid on and bring to pressure. Reduce heat and continue cooking for half an hour. Reduce the pressure and the sauce should be ready.

If using a slow cooker, place all of the ingredients in the cooker and cook on high for 4 hours.

Good night, fancy world.

Sweet dreams xx

All Natural (I mean, for real) Apple and Nutmeg Muesli Bars

I am on a trip at the moment of being as frugal as I can so I can get my arse back to the UK in time for June. I also want to buy a house some time in the next year. As someone who has been a student for longer than I care to remember (I have a few pieces of paper which will tell you I am apparently smart) I have not had any savings plan to speak of. I am doing exceptionally well to date. I have been riding my bike instead of taking the bus. I have been buying all my fruit and veggies once a week at the markets and making a myriad of delicious things to preserve the food and keep me and my lover going for a couple of weeks. I spent about $25 and made sun dried tomatoes, pasta sauce, marinated roast zucchini, apple chips, marinated roast capsicum, and these muesli bars. And I still have heaps of delicious fresh foods left.

Here is the recipe for these delicious and healthy muesli bars. They are fat free and sugar free. All of these ingredients I had already in my pantry. You can substitute the fruit, seeds and spices for whatever you have in yours.

Makes: 12

Time: 30 Minutes.

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of rolled oats.
• 1/4 dessicated coconut.
• 1 Cup of dried apple.
• 3/4 cup of pitted prunes.
• Half a teaspoon of nutmeg.
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds.
• 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds.
• Half a cup of water.

Method:

Place all of the ingredients into a blender and blend on high until all of the ingredients clump together.
Form into muesli bar shapes with your hands.
Place on a baking tray and bake at 180C or 360F for 20 minutes.
Allow to  cool.

Store in an airtight container.
Should keep for a week.

Dehydrated Pear & Almond Crackers.

The omni's in this house loved the smell and the taste of these little crackers. They are perfect with hommous or just on their own.
I often use my dehydrator and my slow cooker to cater for the excess fruit and veg I find. Last week, I found a huge bag of pears for $2 at my local markets. Right now, I have some of these little dudes stewing in the slow cooker and instead of making the usual dried fruit, I made something sexy and delicious- these darn crackers.
I've never been a massive fan of dehydrated crackers after a batch I made that were predominantly flax seed. That stuff makes my stomach do back flips.
These on the other hand are tasty and easily digestible. They're also a little sweet and somewhat cookie like.

Time: 10 minutes to prepare, 8 hours to dry.
Makes: One medium container full. I know that's not really a good example... Let's say the equivalent of four cups worth if they were stacked on top of each other.

Ingredients:

•6 Small to Medium Pears.
•One cup of almonds that have been soaked in water overnight and drained.
•Half a cup of dates, which have also been soaked in water and drained.
•Half a cup of buckwheat.
•One tablespoon of cinnamon.
•One tablespoon of sweetener, like agave, rice syrup, maple syrup, etc.
One small pinch of salt.

Method:

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

I actually placed the almonds and dates in a blender with two cups of water and blended for about 4 minutes and drained through a sieve/ cheesecloth/ brand new dishwashing cloth. This liquid is almond milk. Store it in the fridge.
Use the leftover almond meal for the crackers and placed them in the blender with the other ingredients.

Once smooth, take the ingredients and spoon into your dehydrator.
My dehydrator doesn't have sheets, so I place baking paper down on the trays.
Spread the mixture out. You want a thin layer- not too thick. About half a centimetre. You could make one giant cracker that needs breaking up as I've done, or many small round ones depending on how you lay the mixture down.

Put the dehydrator on and let it do it's thing for about 8 hours or until dry.
Once dry, break into cracker size pieces and store in an air tight container.
Should keep for about a week.

Pickle My Beets.

Beetroot. I love the Australian drawn out way real ockers pronounce the word. "Beehd-rouhd". Wow. The isn't even a phonetic way to pronounce the way we say it. I used to say beetroot properly, pronouncing all my t's with air and dignity. I found the hilarity in pronouncing the word in the garish ocker way and I tell you, it's stuck. Every time I say it, I have a little giggle. I can't help myself. It brings a little smile into the world of others, too.

This pickled beetroot recipe is great for salads, picnics or even just munging out on armed with nothing but a fork. I seriously just devoured some of these and it's only 7:45 am.

Time: 15 minutes.
Makes: One large jar.


Ingredients: 

• 3 peeled medium to large beetroots cut into about 6 to 8 pieces each. Obviously, adjust if they are smaller. You want large chunks. 
• A saucepan of boiling water, set to medium- high.
• A cup of apple cider vinegar.
• A Tablespoon of olive oil.
• A teaspoon of agave, or rice syrup, or molasses, or corn syrup, or raw sugar. You get the deal. A teaspoon of something to sweeten. 

Method:

Place the beetroot in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes or until you can easily stab them with a fork. 

Drain off the water and place the beetroot back in the saucepan with the other ingredients.

Bring to the boil and then simmer for about 3 minutes. If using sugar, make sure that the sugar has dissolved before removing from heat.

Take the pan off the heat and place the contents in an air tight container. I like to use recycled jars. 

Allow to cool and store in the fridge. 

These should keep a fair while, however they are so tasty they may not last that long. Keep the leftover juice in the jar for a bright pink salad dressing. 

Vegan Rum Balls!

I have put my hand up to make the rum balls at work this year. I always get teased by my so-called friends because even though I've been making what I've been calling rum balls since I was able to use a spoon, my family's recipe is quite deadly. I have since (as in, today) discovered that what I was making was in fact, rum butter. Rum butter is delicious! It's icing sugar, rum and veggie butter mixed together and rolled into balls. We put these on our fruit mince pies and devour. But... anyway.

These rum balls I have made here are the more traditional ones that we are all used to. They are actually freaking delicious. I have them sitting in the fridge now and I can't wait to eat more of them. These rum balls are super easy to make, too. This would be a good one to get the kids involved with. 

Makes: 24

Time: 15 Minutes.

Ingredients:

• One packet of vegan sweet biscuits.
• 3 Tablespoons of cocoa.
• 1 Cup of currants.
• 1 Teaspoon of vanilla.
• 2 Teaspoons of rum.
• 2 Teaspoons of raw sugar.
• One third of a cup of veggie milk (I used almond milk).
• A cup of shredded coconut.

Method:

Place the sugar and the milk in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring the whole time. As soon as the sugar has dissolved, removed from heat.

Place all of the other ingredients in a blender and blend until the mix is crumbly. Keep blending and  slowly add the milk. If the mix is not dry enough, add some coconut until the mix is dry enough to form into balls. 

Scoop out heaped teaspoons of the mixture and roll in coconut until you have used all the mixture.

Store in the fridge. 

Have a Merry Christmas, guys! :) xx

Vegan Maple Roasted Pecans with Roast Pumpkin and Garlic Cream Cheese Salad

Sometimes my body just screams for salad. Something crunchy, creamy, healthy and delicious. These pecans are phenomenal. They are just so good that I'm even considering making some and placing them in little gift bags for people for Christmas. And they are so simple. Delish. This recipe does look complicated, but it's really just cooking time. I choose to think of cooking time as time I can be doing other things, like dancing around the house. The ingredients and simple and so is the method. Trust me. You want to eat it.

Makes: 2 Serves.
Time: 10 Minutes prep, 45 Minutes cooking and 2 Minutes to throw it together.

Roasted Pumpkin Chunks

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of diced pumpkin.
• 1 Tablespoon of olive oil.
• A few shakes of the old salt and pepper.

Method:

Place the pumpkin on a tray and rub the olive oil all over the little suckers. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the top. Bake in the oven at 180C/ 360F for 45 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.


Maple Roasted Pecans


Ingredients:

• Half a cup of Pecans.
• 1 Tablespoon of Maple Syrup.
• Small pinch of salt. 

Method:

Place all of the ingredients on a baking sheet on a tray and mix together with your hands.
Place in the oven next to the pumpkin at 180C/ 360F for 15 Minutes.
That's them done.


Next the Garlic Cream Cheese.

I'm usually opposed to adding tofu to things. I think this is because when I first went veg in 1992, The taste of tofu was terrible and mum used to add it to everything. I drowned out the taste with tomato sauce. Tofu is now one of my favourite things. It's delish. Honestly though, the tofu in this dish is offset by the fresh garlic. I love garlic. Feel free to adjust if you aren't really a garlic person. Oh, and you could use white beans instead of tofu for a very similar effect if soy is not your thing.


Makes: About 2 Cups.
Lasts: About a week in a sealed container in the fridge.


Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of ground cashews (Use a coffee grinder or a spice mill or a super heavy mallet. Ground cashews make everything so creamy. It's a worthwhile investment.)
• Juice of one lemon.
• 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.
• 1 and a half cups of silken firm tofu or cooked white beans.
• 2 cloves of chopped fresh garlic. 
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped.
• A few shakes of pepper and salt. 

Method:

Add all of these ingredients to a blender and blend until creamy. Stop occasionally to scrape the sides down.

Now the salad:

Ingredients:

• All of the above plus a few fistfuls of shredded iceberg lettuce. 

Method:

Place the lettuce into two bowls. Place half the pumpkin and pecans on each. Add one Tablespoon of the cream cheese. 

Eat and enjoy! xx

Raw Christmas Pudding Flavoured Muesli Bars...

This one is for you, Nina!

The original plan was to make apple and cinnamon muesli bars. I had no apples and no cinnamon and I am trying my hardest to save money for a deposit to buy a house. The "saving money" part is the hardest thing in my life. I don't know where it goes. I spend hardly any money on groceries. I stopped driving my car. Where do you go, dear pennies? Well, anyway. Back to the story. What I do have in my cupboard is dried currants and nutmeg. Mmm... These muesli bars are so sweet and when i closed my eyes, remind me of the richness of a Christmas Pudding. Get in the spirit people! You know me. Any excuse to celebrate.

Time: 10 Minutes prep plus 20 Minutes cooking time.
Makes 16.


Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of dried Sultanas.
• 1 Cup of dried Currants.
• 1 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.
• 1 Cup of Oats.
• Half a cup of sunflower seeds.
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence.
• Half a cup of coconut.
• 2 Tablespoons of light veggie oil, such as canola.

Method:

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend on high, pushing the sides down regularly. You want it to become sticky and be able to form into bars without falling apart. 

Once this is done, line a baking tray with non stick paper. Scoop out enough mixture to form into a bar, about 2.5 cm/ 1 inch wide by about 7.5/ 3 inches long. It can be about 2.5 cm/ 1 inch thick, too. 

Place the bars on the tray and bake at 200C/ 400F for about 20 minutes.

Leave to cool on a wire rack and store in the fridge. They should last for about a week. 

Raw Food, Vegan Breakfast Scramble.

I'm on a little health kick at the moment. I don't know how it happened. I went from a macrobiotic/ raw food vegan to one that craves cupcakes, sandwiches and beer. You can't say that I'm not in tune with the cravings of my body. That's for sure.

After a Wednesday night spent drinking a vast amount of vodka & soda and somehow dancing on stage from the beginning until the very end of the Flaming Lips concert dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, my body informed me very politely that it didn't enjoy this hedonism anymore. It was craving fresh, nutrient dense food. Food that adores my digestive system as opposed to destroying it. Thus, here I sit on yet another health kick. I'm feeling good.

Health kicks are a funny thing. They imply a duty to our health that make it seem as if, at other times, we have been wayward, little rebels with nil to no will power. This isn't the case. I just enjoy living. Sometimes I enjoy a sugar high. Other times that feeling makes me feel like I’m spinning around fast, looking at the sky. Puke city. It's all about balance.

This brings me to this breakfast scramble. I am staying away from processed foods and at this current time, trying not to eat too much high GI food. Normally, I would have either a fruit salad or a soup for breakfast. I've never been a cereal person. I wanted something savoury, but not fried. I wanted something that was fresh, but not salad. Ah ha! Thank you, raw food revolution.

Makes: 4 serves:
Time: 10 minutes.
Keeps: Approx. 4 days in the fridge.
Ingredients:

• Half a cup of cashews. (Use 1.5 cups of seeds if you have a nut allergy.)
• Half a cup of sunflower seeds.
• Half a cup of walnuts.
• One clove of garlic, chopped.
• Half an avocado.
• One sprig of spring onion, chopped.
• One third of a cup of capsicum, chopped.
• Two tablespoons of parsley.
• Half a teaspoon of turmeric.
• Quarter of a cup of water.
• One third of a teaspoon of rock salt.
• A few shakes of pepper.

Method:

Throw all of the ingredients into a high powered blender and blend for a few minutes until the mixture comes together. Stop occasionally to scrape the sides down.
You may need to add more water, although you don't want the mixture too smooth. It should be kind of chunky.
If you don't have a high powered blender, one trick I use is to grind the nuts and seeds in a coffee grinder beforehand to make a fine powder. This really helps get that creamy consistency and a coffee grinder only costs $40, as opposed to two weeks wages.

Serve on a bed of lettuce and alfalfa, or with crackers.

It always surprises me how tasty and flavoursome raw food can be.

Vegan Gingerbread Moustache Cookies xx

Movember is a fantastic time of year. Not only do all the men in town get to grow and sport the coolest moustaches, they are also raising awareness  of men's health issues, especially prostate cancer and depression. Men a renowned for not seeking medical attention until it is too late and this is so sad and unnecessary. Asking for help proves that you are a genuine human being and I have no idea  why anyone would give that a negative connotation.

To help others, you have to help yourself first.

So in a fit of jealousy for my lack of ability to grow facial hair (ok, kinda. Not really) and to show my support, I bought these cute moustache cutters online and made these gingerbread moustaches.

Makes: Many! It depends on how big your cutters are. I actually cut the mixture in half, wrapped one half in glad wrap and put it in the freezer.
Time: 10 minutes prep, 15 minutes to cook, 1 hour to rest.


Ingredients:

• 3 Cups of plain flour.
• 1 Cup of veggie margarine.
• 1/2 Cup of cocoa.
• Half a cup of veggie milk (I used rice milk).
• 1 Tablespoon powdered ginger.
• 1 and1/4 cup of brown sugar.
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

Method:

Mix all ingredients really well. You can either use a food processor or a wooden spoon to do this. It will turn into a  dough. Kneed the mixture for a couple of minutes. Place in cling wrap and put in the fridge to rest for an hour. Take out of the fridge and place of a floured bench.

Using a rolling pin covered in flour, roll the mixture out until it's about 7 mm thick/ 1/4 of an inch thick. 

Cut the mixture out with your cutters and place on a baking sheet.

Place in the oven at 180C/ 350F for 15 minutes or until the sides appear firm to touch. The middle will still be soft.

Take out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Enjoy! xx

Crunchy, Golden, Hot, Reduced Fat Chips. Xx

Time for a little bit of comfort food now that it's a warm Sunday afternoon. I would have to say chips are one of my favourite comfort foods. Simple. Delicious. They really hit the spot. Here is how to make chips that are crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle but not soaked in fat.

Time: Five minute prep, seven minutes to boil and then thirty minutes to cook.
Serves: One as a main, Two as a side.


Ingredients:
• 4 potatoes, sliced into rectangles about one and a half cms/ half an inch wide and as long as the potato itself, is.
• Two tablespoons of oil.
• Salt and Pepper.

Method:
Once you've cut the potatoes, place them in a saucepan of water and bring them to the boil.
Let simmer for five minutes.
Carefully take them out of the water and drain.
Place them on an oven tray on a sheet of baking paper. Drizzle the oil over them and using your hands, make sure the oil is completely covering them. You could use a cooking spray here, too.
Be careful. These little chips can be quite soft and you don't want them to get all mushy.
Cover in salt and pepper.
Place in an oven at 240C or 465F for half an hour or until the chips are golden.
Serve with tomato sauce. Delish.

Vegan Passionfruit Shortbread Kisses xx

These little morsels of bliss melt in your mouth. Who doesn't love and adore the beauty of passionfruit? These biscuits are so cute as well you'll have to share them with others so they can tell you what a great cook you are. You could even give them away as gifts, they are just that cute. And seriously, they are not at all difficult to make. Pretty easy really. Especially if you own a food processor. I heart my food processor.

Time: 10 minutes prep, 15 minutes to cook.
Makes 12.


Ingredients:

• Half a cup of plain flour.
• Half a cup of self raising flour. 
• 2 Tablespoons of corn flour.
• Half a cup of veggie butter.
• 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar.
• One teaspoon of ground ginger. 

Filling:

• One cup of icing sugar.
• One tablespoon of passionfruit pulp.
• Two teaspoons of veggie butter. 

Method:

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and pulse until the mixture becomes a dough. Alternatively, place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix really, really well. You may need to knead it with your hands. 

When combined, get out your oven tray and place a baking sheet on the top. Take the mixture, one teaspoon full at at time and roll them into a ball. Place the balls on the baking tray and then flatten with a fork. Do this over and over until there is no dough left.

Place in an oven at 180C or 375F for fifteen minutes. Take out of the oven and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Now, the icing. Place all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir with a fork until well combined. 

Place one teaspoon of the mixture on the flat side of a biscuit and then place another biscuit on the icing to make a bit of a biscuit sandwich. Do this for all of the biscuits. 

Now, Lick the bowl. xx 

Vegan Orange and Poppy Seed Muffins xx

Hello November! Or as some like to call it, Movember. In honour of my hairy male cam padres, I have procured some very special cookie cutters which I will share with you later in the month. 

For now, I would like to share these bad boys. I took them to work last night and was told things like "You should start your own bakery." I would. If that didn't entail getting up at 2 am. I'm not an early riser at the best of times and honesty, even though I adore the bounty of baked goods these fine people have to offer and believe that they are extremely talented individuals- Bakers, nothing personal, but you are nuts. I'm guessing it's one of those professions where you have to really love your job for all the hard work and crazy hours you do. That's kinda how many people think about my job, but hey. That's another story. 

Back to the whole "you should start your own bakery thing" before my night shift brain left me wantonly sidetracked. That is testament to how good these little fellas are. I had none of the usual "oh.... they're vegan?" lines. Just plain "These are delicious". A definite winner with the omnivores. 

Enough rambling. On with the show.

Time: 10 minutes prep. 25 minutes baking. (Yep, that's 25 minutes of blissful nothing or fantastic multitasking up your sleeve.)

Makes: Lucky 16.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of plain flour.
• Three quarters of a cup of raw sugar. 
• 1 Tablespoon of baking soda. (this did say 4 teaspoons, but just to be sure!)
• One third of a cup of apple sauce (this will be in the sauce section of your supermarket).
• Three quarters of a cup of veggie milk (I used rice milk).
• One third of a cup of light oil (I used canola).
• Two teaspoons of orange essence (in the baking section, near the vanilla essence).
• One Tablespoon of poppy seeds (in the herb section). 

Method:

Place all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Using a hand blender, mix them all together until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. It will thicken like a normal cake batter should. 

If you don't have a hand blender, just stir really well and try to get as many lumps out as you can. You may want to add the ingredients bit by bit.

Grease a muffin tray and add about a tablespoon of batter to each one, or half fill each hole. 

Place in an oven at 180C or 375F for about 25 minutes or until the cakes have browned and you can poke a skewer in them and have it come out looking clean. 

Place on a cake rack to cool completely. 

The icing goes a little something like this:

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of icing sugar.
• 1 Tablespoon orange essence. 
• 1 Tablespoon of veggie butter, such as nuttelex.

Method:

Mix in a small bowl with a fork until the ingredients have come together and are looking creamy and you can create peaks with the mixture. Place about a tablespoon onto each muffin and top with poppy seeds. 

Alternatively, you can pop a very small/ thin slice of orange onto each muffin before cooking and they will come out looking fab. 

Turkish Delight Cupcakes... Vegan Mofo Day 28...

Vegan Mofo is almost over! How sad.
I made these cupcakes last night and took them to the Cranker for Annie's Birthday. Might I just say they are entirely delicious and quite a success. Beware of the monster sugar rush.


Makes: 12
Time: Forty Minutes. 


Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of flour.
• Three quarters of a cup of raw sugar.
• 3 teaspoons of baking soda.
• One third of a cup of apple sauce.
• Half a cup of veggie milk (I used rice milk).
• One third of a cup of light oil (I used canola).
• Half a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
• Half a cup of cocoa.
• 2 Tablespoons of rose water.

Method:

Mix all of the ingredients is a bowl, preferably with a hand blender so that it's all lovely with no lumps. 

Pour into a greased muffin container or 12 patty pans.

Bake in an oven at 180C or 375F for about 20 minutes or until the cakes are springy to touch and you can poke a skewer in them and they will come out clean.

Place on a cake rack to cool completely before topping with icing.

The Most Important Part: Icing.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups of icing sugar.
• 2 Tablespoons of rose water.
• 1 Tablespoon of veggie butter, such as nuttelex.

Method: 

Mix in a bowl with a fork until the ingredients have come together and are stiff.

Place about a tablespoon full onto each cake and top with something pretty. 

Vegan Smoked 'Bacon' Style Tofu Bits. Vegan Mofo Day 26... xx

I wouldn't serve these to an omnivore. I did and he said 'That tofu tastes... Chewy.' I, on the other hand, really enjoyed this little number. I had it for breakfast alongside some homemade baked beans and then I had it in a salad and then I had it in a wrap... Well, you get the drift.

Time: 10 minutes.
Makes: As many as you like.


Ingredients:
• Super Firm Tofu cut into thin strips- as many as you need.
• 2 Tablespoons Smoked Paprika.
• A few shakes of Pepper.
• A few drops of Liquid Smoke if you can get it (very optional- doesn't really change the taste that much and is hard to come by in Australia. I found it in the Asian grocers on Gouger St next to the Lions at the China Town entrance in Adelaide.)
• About a tablespoon of oil for frying. You really don't want too much. This is more of a 'dry fry' kinda thing.

Method:
Cut the tofu into thin strips- about half a cm thick- I think that is quarter of an inch?
Place them in a bowl and rub with the paprika and pepper.
Add the oil to a fry pan over medium to high heat.
Add the strips and on each one place a drop of liquid smoke if you have it.
Fry each side until it starts to look as if it's bubbling a blackening just slightly.
Serve as you like. Xx

Tomato and Avocado Bruschetta Of Champions. Vegan MoFo... xx

What could be better than the taste of bruschetta? Ha! See what I did there? If you have not had bruschetta before it is something you should really put on your to-do list. Its simple, easy and most of all freaking delicious. Having this for breakfast makes me feel quite indulgent, when really, it's actually quite healthy.

Time: 5 minutes.
Serves 2.


Ingredients:

• 2 Large Tomatoes, diced.
• 1 Avocado, diced.
• A small handful of basil leaves, chopped, sliced and diced.
• 4 Pieces of Sexy Bread (preferably continental as seen in the picture, but you can use any).
• One clove of garlic, cut in half.
• Olive oil, to drizzle.
• A few shakes of salt and pepper, to taste.

Method:

Get your grill cranking. Rub the clove of garlic all over that there bread and pop the bread under the grill. 

Keep an eye on it so you know when it is ready to turn. You want it slightly brown- not burned. 

Whilst this is happening, put your tomato, avocado, basil, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix.

Take the toast and place two slices on one plate and two slices on another plate.

Top with the avocado and tomato mixture. 

Drizzle a small amount of olive oil onto each slice. 

Eat and enjoy. 

Marinated Eggplant (Aubergine)... Vegan MoFo Day 16.

Is Australia the only place in the world that calls an eggplant an eggplant? It's a pretty funny name. I suppose it is an egg shaped fruit on that plant. Aubergine just sounds so much more... sexy.
Let me know.


Makes one small jar.
Time: Ten minutes prep, thirty minutes cooking time.


Ingredients:

• Two eggplants, sliced into strips about 2 cm wide (a bit smaller than an inch) but keep the length as long as you can.
• Enough olive oil to cover the eggplant when in the jar. Maybe half a cup.
• Salt and pepper.
• 2 Fresh garlic cloves.

Method:

Add the strips of eggplant to an oven tray and drizzle a small amount of olive oil over it. By a small amount, I mean about a tablespoon. Use your hands to get the oil to cover the eggplant. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Pop in an oven at 180C or 340F for about half an hour or until slightly browned.

Take the eggplant strips and garlic cloves and put them in a clean, sterilised jar. To sterilise a jar, pop it in a saucepan of boiling water for a few minutes and then drain. Be careful not to get any of the boiling water on you.

Cover the eggplant in the oil right to the top and seal the jar. Let sit for a minimum of a week to marinate. The longer you can leave it, the better.

Serve with crackers, in a salad or pasta. Delicious! And yeah, let me know what you call an eggplant. :) xx