Sweet Freedom Giveaway!!!

I am in Adelaide this week visiting family and friends. Its really lovely to see people. But that is not why I am posting, I was checking out my favourite blogs this afternoon and Ricki from Diet, Dessert and Dogs (one blogger that I admire a lot) announced that her long awaited cookbook, Sweet Freedom, is going to be released on the 15th of May. I have been following the development of her book on her Sweet Freedom blog and I must say some of the desserts look to die for (and they will be much better for you than a lot of other dessert recipe books).

Anyway - to celebrate the release of her book, Ricki is giving away free copies (hard copies and ebooks) to lucky readers. If you are interested, you should head on over to her blog and leave a comment.

Jessy's Sweet and Spicy Adzuki buddah bowls

I am sorry I haven't been posting for a while (apart from the other day). I have been flat out with work and although I have been cooking - it has been later in the evening and the light in our kitchen isn't that great and so many photos are coming out very blurry. But not this one!!

I love food in a bowl - its just very comforting - and with winter creeping up on us I think I will be making a lot more heavier/bowl friendly meals over the next few months.

I was feeling like something a bit different for dinner - I had some broccoli and kale and then I saw Jessy's recipe for sweet 'n sour adzuki buddah bowls and I knew that it was meant to be.

I love adzuki beans because they don't take that long to cook and they have a really distinctive flavour - now they don't win in my favourite bean contest (that is easily butter beans and chickpeas) but they are pretty good (but aren't all beans good??)

These bowls are awesome - I didn't have any cashews or sriracha but I did put in a little hot sauce. I also couldn't be bothered removing the veggies from the pan and then working with the beans before mixing it all back together - after the veggies were cooked I just shoved in the beans and then heated through.

I served this over buckwheat beause I love it and don't eat it enough. Mmmmmm it was wonderful - but then all of the recipes of Jessy's that I have tried are so it is no surprise. If you haven't seen Jessy's blog Happyveganface you should totally check it out!!!

Polenta and spinach lasagne

I bookmarked Susan's recipe for Polenta lasagne with Portabellas and Kale ages ago.
I have to laugh - I remember reading that she made it twice in the one week and I thought that it sounded like too much work - and then this last week I made it once and Nat decided that I had to make it again for a dinner party that we were having 2 nights later.

Oh my goodness this recipe ROCKS - it was so easy and so yummy. The photo isn't that great because the light isn't the greatest in our kitchen and its getting darker earlier. Also, this is the leftovers as I didn't want to be taking photos while everyone was waiting to eat. Susan has some beautiful photos though.

I made the quick microwave polenta using Susans directions and used frozen spinach instead of kale. I also used my own pasta sauce which is simple and very yummy.

This recipe was also great for the dinner party because I could make the marinara sauce, the cheese sauce and the polenta the night before and as soon as I got home from work I just put the whole thing together in no time flat!!!

I recommend this recipe to anyone!!! I think this is going to be a regular dish in our house from now on!!

Easy Falafel Salad

I was in Canberra for work last week and returned quite sick. I think it was a combination of being in air-conditioning all day and night and also sitting next to sick people in my training courses. This week and next week Nat is away for work so don't expect to see to much creation on my blog.

The day I left for Canberra it was quite warm and Nat and I felt like salad for lunch.
We had some leftover falafel from dinner the night before and so we had Tassie Oak Leaf Lettuce, Tassie Tomatoes, Cucumber, red onion and falafel with tahini drizzled over the top. It was so good and refreshing - I think I will make it again as soon as the weather warms up again.

The falafel was from Vegan With a Vengence. This recipe is AWESOME!! I think I know it off by heart now.

Rocket, Walnut and Orange

I have been working at a market stall on Saturdays in return for some organic fruit and veg. Occasionally at the end of the day, if some things haven't sold and will not keep we get given them to take home. This last Saturday I was asked if I wanted to take home a bag of rocket leaves. As I am always needing to increase my leafy green intake I said yes.

I googled rocket salads and, well nothing was really taking my fancy (that and/or I didn't have the ingredients on hand). Eventually I found this recipe. I only had rocket so I couldn't use any other greens. I made a few other changes - I didn't use any oil (I lightly toasted the walnuts in a dry pan). I also only made the recipe for me - so I only used a few walnuts and half an orange. I took this photo before I put on the balsamic vinegar because it didn't look as nice then.

Rocket is sooooo bitter - I know why you need to put sweet fruit with it. It was barely edible. I still had about 3/4 of the package left (and I was still hungry). I made it again except I microwaved the rocket for about 25seconds. then I mixed in the orange pieces, walnuts and balsamic vinegar. I didn't take a photo but the slight cooking of the rocket took the edge off the bitterness and I really enjoyed my second bowl of this salad.

Mum's Zucchini and corn stew

I have for you all another of those 'mum' recipes. There are recipes that my mum used to cook all the time and are tried and true and just yum. This is the first time I have made this since I moved out of home (about 3 years ago) - I don't know why I haven't made it for Nat yet - I guess I have had other things to make - or never had all three main ingredients (kidney beans, zucchini and corn) on hand together. My kidney beans were a little different in colour to what you find in cans (more purple) but they are still wonderful.

I served the stew over some quinoa but it is also wonderful over rice or cous cous. Nat cleaned up his plate and by the time I was home from work the next day he had also devoured all the left overs.

The copy of the recipe that I have is handwritten and I don't know where it came from - so apologies for not giving credit where credit is due (that includes if mum is the creator)

Mum's Zucchini and Sweet-corn Stew
1 onion - chopped finely
2 cloves garlic- crushed or minced
3-4 medium zucchini's - sliced (mum had written 450g of zucchini)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cummin
1 cup sweet corn kernels
2 cups (or 1 can) red kidney beans - drained and rinsed
1/2 large or 1 small red capsicum cut into 1cm cubes
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 - 1 tsp chili paste (to taste)
sea salt to taste

1. Heat a small amount of oil (or water) in a large saucepan and saute onion 5-10mins until soft and transparent.
2. Add garlic, spices, red capsicum and zucchini and cook for a further 5 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, sweetcorn, beans and chili paste.
4. Simmer for 10-15mins.
5. Serve over rice, cous cous or quinoa.

Pay it Forward

Have you heard about Pay it Forward?? Well, Jeni Treehugger was selected to Pay it Forward and I was lucky enough to be randomly selected by her to participate.

So what does it mean?? It means that within a year I will be receiving a homemade gift from Jeni and then I get to pass on the joy of giving by selecting 3 of my readers to send a gift (and so it goes on and on). How awesome!!

So... if you would like to receive something homemade and from Aussie just leave a comment to this post and I will select 3 people randomly. I will post anywhere in the world.

The three lucky people will then receive a gift within a year.

So what are the conditions for participating:

You must have a blog
If you want to participate you must be willing to post a handmade gift to three different bloggers within the next 365 days
You must leave a comment to this post.

I will close off the entries on the 31st Jan and post about the three winners in early Feb.

Oh I am so excited about being part of this.

Easy Rosemary Roast Potatoes and Pumpkin, Chickpea and Zucchini Burgers

Once again I am sorry for not posting very often. Full time work is taking up a lot of time.

But enough of that - For christmas I got given Now Vegan by Lynda Stoner. I had seen the cookbook before but had not really had a good chance to have a look - until now. It looks awesome. I haven't had much of a chance to cook much out of it (I plan to over the next month or two) - but the photos are beautiful - the recipes look easy but also very presentable to dinner guests and she even has gluten free and sugar free recipes.
Last week I was having some friends over and I planned to make Veganomican's Lemony Roasted Potatoes (as this has been a hit every time I make it) - but I didn't have any lemons. I remembered seeing a recipe for Rosemary and Garlic Roasted Potatoes - and within 40-50 mins they were done. All my dinner guests went back for seconds and Nat requested that I make it again very soon. Two nights later I made it again (so I could take a photo and for Nat to enjoy). I served it up with some Pumpkin, Chickpea and Zucchini Burgers. This recipe was annoying and I had to make a lot of alterations. The finished product was wonderful though.

Rosemary and garlic roast potatoes with pumpkin,
zucchini and chickpea burgers

The changes I made to the burgers were: replaced the egg with Organ No-egg egg replacer. I also added about 2 tbsp of ground flaxseed and about 1/2-1 cup of flour because the mixture was just WAY too runny. Next time I make them I think I will roast rather than boil the pumpkin.

Anyway the meal was a lovely one. More posts soon - I promise!!

Vegan Mayo Recipe - finally!!

Potato Salad with corn, spring onions, seitan and vegan mayonnaise (recipe below)

Well the day has finally arrived where I put down my mayo recipe.
It is not as thick as regular mayo - but the taste is pretty good (having said that - I haven't eaten real mayo for a VERY long time so I think it tastes like what I imagine it would taste like and Nat loves it so it works for us.

The reason I have had to come up with a mayo recipe is that all the ones I have seen use so much oil - and I am sure that it would make a better texture - but with the amount of mayo that we eat - it would not be healthy at all.

We mainly use this on sandwiches and potato salad.

Anyway - here is the recipe. I kind of based it on Vegan Dad's recipe but used silken tofu instead of soymilk and oil.

Low-fat vegan mayo recipe
1 300g silken tofu
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar (I use raw sugar)*
1/2 tsp mustard powder*
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp vinegar (I use white wine vinegar)

Combine all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and process for 1-2mins. Adjust seasonings to taste (I sometimes add a little more salt and sugar and lemon juice. Chill before serving. I have stored this in the fridge for up to a week. Sometimes water forms on the top - just stir it back in before using it.

*I have used dijon mustard as well but I reduced the sugar a little bit when I did that.

If you are not afraid of adding oil to your mayo, you might want to also check out Vegan Dad's Recipe.

6 month anniversary and PIZZA

Sorry I have been neglecting the blog - camera went MIA for a little while and so although I was cooking a fair bit, I didn't take any photos of it.

But I am back - welcome to 2009. I am going to try and be a little healthier in my cooking for the next little while (trying to shed xmas festivity weight).

But first - today Nat and I celebrated our 6month wedding anniversary!!! The time has just flown by.

I asked Nat what he wanted for dinner to celebrate and he wanted pizza. I had never made pizza before - and I had the recipe from VWaV so I decided to give it a go.

IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!
For all those people like me who think that pizza is too hard its not!! I don't like any of the soy cheeses available in Aussie and so I didn't think it would be so good without cheese - it was so yummy.

It is easy and so SO worth it. We are going to be eating pizza a lot more in this house (at least once a month) - and once we have got a few nice pizza combinations going we are going to have a pizza party!! I need to get another pizza tray first though!!




I used the VWaV pizza dough and sauce recipes and then topped it with the following:
sundried tomatoes
olives
onion rings
pineapple
kittee's seitan, cubed
capsicum
vegan parmesan cheese (I don't think this is necessary for a good pizza - we just had some in our cupboard)
BBQ sauce
mushrooms

The finished product - isn't it awesome!!

I would love to hear your favourite topping combinations for pizza (especially if you don't use fake cheese).
Have a great 2009