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| That hand belongs to my nephew who was "helping" me take the photo. |
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Day 3 - Stuffed Capsicum
Last night I had dinner at mum's house for an early Father's Day get together. Mum cooked up a big feast for our ever-growing family. Roast pork was on the menu for the rest of the clan but mum very kindly made stuffed capsicum for me.
Dessert was Berry Bliss. Yum!! There was cream for those who wanted it. Judging by the amount smeared on their faces, some of the nieces and nephews found it as useful as a cosmetic as for eating. The fruit was so delicious I don't think it needed any adornment.
Thanks mum for accommodating your vegan apprentice daughter. You're the best! xxx
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Day 2: Bangers and Mash - Vegan Style!
Friday nights I get home from work after 7pm feeling tired and hungry. So Friday night dinner needs to be quick and satisfying.
Enter...... Convenience food!
I am sure baked beans on toast will make an appearance sometime this month, but last night it was Sanitarium vegie sausages. There is a range of flavors but in my opinion the Rosemary, Sage and Parsley are pretty darn yummy.
If sausages (or their vegan equivalent) are not cooked on a barbeque they really should be accompanied by mash. Mmmm creamy, tasty mash.
And what would bangers and mash be without gravy? More convenience in the form of instant gravy.
Dinner took about 15 minutes from start to the table. I chopped the potato and sweet potato very small so that they would cook quicker as they take the longest. The other veggies took only a minute or two to chop and were cooked in the microwave.
I have hair-brained dreams of doing away with my microwave and go all purist-like and avoiding all packet foods with their artificial ingredients and planet un-friendly packaging.
But for now - convenience is a pretty high priority. And as this dinner was quick, cheap and ticked all the boxes for variety of colourful veggies and protein content - I have no complaints.
Enter...... Convenience food!
I am sure baked beans on toast will make an appearance sometime this month, but last night it was Sanitarium vegie sausages. There is a range of flavors but in my opinion the Rosemary, Sage and Parsley are pretty darn yummy.
If sausages (or their vegan equivalent) are not cooked on a barbeque they really should be accompanied by mash. Mmmm creamy, tasty mash.
And what would bangers and mash be without gravy? More convenience in the form of instant gravy.
Dinner took about 15 minutes from start to the table. I chopped the potato and sweet potato very small so that they would cook quicker as they take the longest. The other veggies took only a minute or two to chop and were cooked in the microwave.
I have hair-brained dreams of doing away with my microwave and go all purist-like and avoiding all packet foods with their artificial ingredients and planet un-friendly packaging.
But for now - convenience is a pretty high priority. And as this dinner was quick, cheap and ticked all the boxes for variety of colourful veggies and protein content - I have no complaints.
Friday, September 2, 2011
Day 1: Veggie Burgers and Wedges
So it is actually Day 2 of 30 Day Blog September but I am about to tell you what I had for dinner last night. And that is how this is going to work. Because that is easier for me, and hey, why make this harder for myself than it has to be? So if you want to know what I am having for dinner tonight you will have to come back tomorrow. Glad we got that sorted.
Last night I was in a photo taking mood and so here is last nights dinner in great detail.
Slice the potatoes into quarters, then each quarter into 2-3 wedges.
Shake the potatoes in a bag (old bread bags are perfect for this) with 1-2 tablespoons of oil and any seasoning that takes your fancy. I used a garlic infused oil that my lovely mother bought me at a food festival last year, and about a tablespoon of "bush spice" that was in a spice rack that my lovely sister gave me.
Last night I was in a photo taking mood and so here is last nights dinner in great detail.
Mix together 1 cup of bean burger mix with about half a cup of water and 1/2 tablespoon of dark soy sauce. Set aside to allow the beans to soften. Recipe here: Best Bean Burgers
Slice the potatoes into quarters, then each quarter into 2-3 wedges.
Shake the potatoes in a bag (old bread bags are perfect for this) with 1-2 tablespoons of oil and any seasoning that takes your fancy. I used a garlic infused oil that my lovely mother bought me at a food festival last year, and about a tablespoon of "bush spice" that was in a spice rack that my lovely sister gave me.
Place the wedges in a single layer on a baking tray. Bake for 35-45 minutes at 220oC, depending on how crunchy you like your wedges. Turn once about half way through cooking.
Prepare your fillings. I used beetroot, pickles, carrot, avocado, mushrooms and lettuce.
The yummy rye bread rolls I bought were square. Which is no problem for homemade burgers - just shape the patties to match the size and shape of your rolls. I always shape mine on a plate and then use an egg flip to transfer it to the frying pan.
The burgers where fried in a splash of oil with the mushrooms. It is
important to cover with a lid while frying to catch the steam which
helps the burgers to cook. No-one wants to bite into a too-crunchy
soybean.
I prepared the buns with spreads (mustard, avocado, tomato sauce),
beetroot and pickles while the burgers were frying. And then I put this
into the oven for a few minutes which warms them up nicely.
5 minutes on each side - perfect!
Assembled and ready to serve!
A sneak peak inside my burger. Quite a tower!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
30 Day Blog September
During September I am going to try to blog everyday. Actually, no, I am going to blog everyday.
Thanks to Daniel of Good Reason Blog for the inspiration and the cool graphic which of course makes it official!
So, to make it manageable for myself, I am going to blog what I have for dinner for the next 30 nights. Now if anyone asks you "But what do vegans eat?" you can just point them in this direction. I am sure you will find this very handy because of course you get asked that all the time. Or is that just me that gets asked that?
I also plan to blog a little more than just a blow by blow account of a month of dinners. In particular I want to spend some time blogging about my experiences as an apprentice vegan so far. And I will make a few more posts on my reading journal blog and my hodge-podge-&-have-a-rant blog.
But at least on the days when I am lacking in spare time, inspiration or both I will still be able to write a quick blog à la "For dinner tonight I had ......" and so keep up with the challenge of 30 Day Blog September.
Thanks to Daniel of Good Reason Blog for the inspiration and the cool graphic which of course makes it official!
So, to make it manageable for myself, I am going to blog what I have for dinner for the next 30 nights. Now if anyone asks you "But what do vegans eat?" you can just point them in this direction. I am sure you will find this very handy because of course you get asked that all the time. Or is that just me that gets asked that?
I also plan to blog a little more than just a blow by blow account of a month of dinners. In particular I want to spend some time blogging about my experiences as an apprentice vegan so far. And I will make a few more posts on my reading journal blog and my hodge-podge-&-have-a-rant blog.
But at least on the days when I am lacking in spare time, inspiration or both I will still be able to write a quick blog à la "For dinner tonight I had ......" and so keep up with the challenge of 30 Day Blog September.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Rhubarb and Apple Crumble
It is rhubarb season. I love rhubarb. Especially when it is baked in a crumble or pie!
Crumble is such a simple and quick dessert to make. And I can pretend it is healthy because of the fruit and because I add oats and nuts. I am trying to avoid eating too many "empty calories" so this dessert is easier to justify than say chocolate cupcakes! (More on the subject of chocolate cupcakes coming soon).
Ingredients:
400gm Rhubarb
2 apples - I think Granny Smiths are best for crumbles and pies
1/4 cup freshly squeezed citrus juice - lemon, lime or orange all work well.
1/3 - 1/2 cup castor sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 tablespoons of corn flour
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cocconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
100gm margarine
Optional - 1/2 cup nuts. I find that walnut pieces or slivered almonds work really well.
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180oC
2. Trim the ends off the Rhubarb and cut into 2cm pieces.
3. Peel the apples, remove the core and cut into similarly sized pieces.
4. Place in a baking dish. I use a 21cm square glass dish.
5. Sprinkle the cornflour, castor sugar and citrus juice over the fruit and stir to coat well.
6. In a large bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients.
7. Use a knife to "chop" the margarine into the dry ingredients. And then use your hands (wash them first of course!) to rub the margarine in until it is well distributed.
8. Take a handful at a time of the crumble mix, squeeze it into a lump and place on top of the fruit. Repeat until all the crumble is on top of the fruit. You will need to press it down and spread it around a bit to cover all of the fruit.
9. Bake for 35 minutes. If your dish is quite full some juice may drip over the edge so put a tray underneath to avoid a messy clean up.
10. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then serve with soy vanilla icecream or soy custard or both!
Crumble is such a simple and quick dessert to make. And I can pretend it is healthy because of the fruit and because I add oats and nuts. I am trying to avoid eating too many "empty calories" so this dessert is easier to justify than say chocolate cupcakes! (More on the subject of chocolate cupcakes coming soon).
 | |
| 400gm of Rhubarb and 2 Granny Smith Apples. |
400gm Rhubarb
2 apples - I think Granny Smiths are best for crumbles and pies
1/4 cup freshly squeezed citrus juice - lemon, lime or orange all work well.
1/3 - 1/2 cup castor sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 tablespoons of corn flour
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup cocconut
1/2 cup brown sugar
100gm margarine
Optional - 1/2 cup nuts. I find that walnut pieces or slivered almonds work really well.
 | |
| Can you peel an apple without breaking the piece of peel? |
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180oC
2. Trim the ends off the Rhubarb and cut into 2cm pieces.
3. Peel the apples, remove the core and cut into similarly sized pieces.
4. Place in a baking dish. I use a 21cm square glass dish.
5. Sprinkle the cornflour, castor sugar and citrus juice over the fruit and stir to coat well.
6. In a large bowl combine the remaining dry ingredients.
7. Use a knife to "chop" the margarine into the dry ingredients. And then use your hands (wash them first of course!) to rub the margarine in until it is well distributed.
8. Take a handful at a time of the crumble mix, squeeze it into a lump and place on top of the fruit. Repeat until all the crumble is on top of the fruit. You will need to press it down and spread it around a bit to cover all of the fruit.
9. Bake for 35 minutes. If your dish is quite full some juice may drip over the edge so put a tray underneath to avoid a messy clean up.
10. Allow to cool for 5 minutes then serve with soy vanilla icecream or soy custard or both!
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Mmm for Moussaka
I have been making a very special layered eggplant dish for years from Alison Holst's Meals without Meat. I have plans to veganize it. But for now, whenever I have a yearning for a layered eggplant extravaganza I have a go-to recipe that I found in Veganomicon. I just love saying the name of that book. Veganomicon. Nom, nom, nom!
Happily, here is the recipe on the Post Punk Kitchen Website: Eggplant Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream. So you too can bake this wonderful dish. Thanks PPK for being so generous with your recipes on line.
This is not one of those throw together for a quick dinner kind of recipe. It is a little fiddly. But it is well worth the effort. And, if there is just two of you in the house, like me and dear husband, then you will have instant dinner for the next night or two. It reheated pretty well in the microwave.
The Pine Nut Cream really is fantastic!! Although I will be very, very careful with the salt next time. The recipe calls for "1 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste." I thought I would start a bit lower and so added ~ 3/4 teaspoon and it was still a bit too salty for us. But once that salt has hit the food processor there is no undoing it. So I suggest starting with even less, I think 1/4-1/2 teaspoon will probably do the trick for me next time. Is that American taste buds like salt more than we Aussies do? I often find I have to reduce the salt a bit when cooking from an American cook book. If anyone else has made this (or ever gets around to making it) I would like to hear how much salt you added "to taste".
Apparently the extra pine nuts for garnishing are "optional", but personally, I strongly recommend a generous handful of pine nuts on top. They toast to perfection while the dish bakes.
Will I make this again? Definitely!
Happily, here is the recipe on the Post Punk Kitchen Website: Eggplant Potato Moussaka with Pine Nut Cream. So you too can bake this wonderful dish. Thanks PPK for being so generous with your recipes on line.
This is not one of those throw together for a quick dinner kind of recipe. It is a little fiddly. But it is well worth the effort. And, if there is just two of you in the house, like me and dear husband, then you will have instant dinner for the next night or two. It reheated pretty well in the microwave.
The Pine Nut Cream really is fantastic!! Although I will be very, very careful with the salt next time. The recipe calls for "1 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste." I thought I would start a bit lower and so added ~ 3/4 teaspoon and it was still a bit too salty for us. But once that salt has hit the food processor there is no undoing it. So I suggest starting with even less, I think 1/4-1/2 teaspoon will probably do the trick for me next time. Is that American taste buds like salt more than we Aussies do? I often find I have to reduce the salt a bit when cooking from an American cook book. If anyone else has made this (or ever gets around to making it) I would like to hear how much salt you added "to taste".
Apparently the extra pine nuts for garnishing are "optional", but personally, I strongly recommend a generous handful of pine nuts on top. They toast to perfection while the dish bakes.
Will I make this again? Definitely!
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