Sad times, comforting foods

Hi all, I don’t really know how to write this but here I go… You may have noticed my absence for the past few months. The reason being is that my father died on 17th April. Prior to that I was working hard, stressing lots and going for lots of pre-baby testing. So when it happened I was completely blind sighted. I was so wrapped up in my own life that I never imagined this could happen.

Since it has happened I found it hard to return to normal life. I stopped cooking, blogging and enjoying life in general. It has been a very sad and confusing time due to the circumstances which are very complicated and painful to talk about. I have had to take some time away from work and slowly I am trying to grief and get back to some kind of normality.

My father was unique to say the least. He was charismatic, entertaining and the most determined person I know. He has left a big hole in our family which won’t ever be filled. He was also the proud creator and owner of Pasta al Naturale, the gluten free pasta factory in Melbourne.

Over the past few months I have been collecting photos of some of the brighter moments in life. Although I haven’t had appetite for food or much motivation in general I am happy that my wonderful partner Marco has been pushing me to get out when I can.

Since everything happened I have travelled down to Melbourne a couple of times for the funeral and the mass. In between visiting with family I did manage to get out occasionally for some vegan eats. I manage to visit Mister Nice Guys Bake Shop a few times to get my sugar fix on. I also brought some cupcakes back for my family who really enjoyed this vegan alternative.

variety of cupcakes

Pebbles (Raspberries + white chocolate cake w coconut frosting + raspberries)

Peppermint Mocha – already slipped

Curried Tofu égg’ salad Bagel {curried tofu, homemade mayo and chives}

While I was in Melbourne I drank a lot of coffee with my caffeine addicted family and went out occasionally for brunch. Here are some of the vegan eats I managed to find not far from my grandparents home in Brunswick.

Vegan Breakfast Tortilla from Small Block, Bruswick East

Roasted Vegetable Panini and Soy Flat White from Brunetti’s, Carlton

Foccaccia Roasted Tomato, Capsicum & Mushroom from Crumbs Organic Bakehouse, Ascot Vale

Foccaccia Roasted Tomato, Caramelised Red Onion and Black Olives from Crumbs Organic Bakehouse, Ascot Vale

Joan’s Baked Beans with Organic Multigrain Bread, Pope Joan, Brunswick East

Bonsoy Cappuccino, Pope Joan, Brunswick East

I also managed to visit Shakahari Vegetarian Restaurant again. This is probably my favourite Vegetarian restaurant open after dark.

Avocado Magic – avocado wedges and red capsicums rolled in thin eggplant slices then ‘tempura’ fried in a rice batter, served with a jade green sesame coriander puree

Special- Eggplant Tagine with Spiced Rice, Fried Onions, Peas and Toasted Almonds (can only really remember it tasted really good)

Laksa Hebat- organic japanese udon noodles, young spinach, mushrooms and bean sprouts in a ginger flower and lemongrass flavoured, midly spiced coconut stock, topped with fried tempeh, tofu, seitan and fresh herbs.

When I got back from Brisbane Marco took me to the The Cardamom Pod at Broad Beach to cheer me up.

Dahl, Saffron Rice, Vegan Mousakka

Veggie Curry, Saffron Rice, Spinach and Paneer Samosa and Tomato Gravy

Raw Peanut Butter Slice

Raw Raspberry Lime Cheesecake

He also took me to Ironbark Superfoods Cafe at Samford with our mums for some coffee and dessert. I loved this place. The raw desserts were some of the best I’ve tasted.

For my cousins birthday I was invited out to dinner to the Turkish restaurant Efes One. I was a bit worried there would be nothing for me there, but I managed to get Vegetarian Platter. This included Hummus, Falafel, Dolmas, Fresh beans and Grilled Eggplant, Zucchini and Potatoes.

Then on 2nd of July it was my birthday again. I wasn’t happy to be another year older, but Marco cheered me up by taking me to my favourite vegan cafe, Green Edge Cafe for Breakfast.

Baked Beans on Toast- sour dough topped with guacamole and homemade baked beans

The Other Scramble -tofu scramble with kale, tomato, and capsicum served on toasted Turkish with guacamole.

After that we took a road trip to Byron Bay. I finally got to see the lighthouse. The view is absolutely amazing from up here. It really is a must see if you visit Byron.

We stopped into OzyMex Cafe for a quick snack. I got a soft taco with beans, guacamole and salad. So delicious and very cheap! This a great place for a quick lunch and has gluten free, vegan and dairy free options.

After that we went to dinner at Kinoko Sushi Bar Restaurant. They also have a few of vegetarian and vegan options. Sorry forgot no photos of dinner. I really loved this place though. Probably my favorite Japanese restaurant I’ve been too. After that we had dessert at Bella Rosa Gelateria Espresso Bar. They have a great range of vegan flavors to choose from. My favourite is the Dark Chocolate Sorbet.

The next day we visited Manna Haven again. I got the most amazing Gluten free golden waffles served with fresh berries, maple syrup, berry coulis, and cashew cream. Silly Marco got a sausage in bread at the Byron Bay markets before and was regretting that choice. Lucky for him this was a big enough serve to share.

Before we left we visited The Source Bulk Foods. I loved this place! I bulked up on all different organic grains, legumes and flours. The sales assistant mentioned they may be opening up a store in Brisbane soon! I really hope so because they had the best range of bulk foods I’ve seen and the prices were pretty good as well.

So since being back I have been trying to get back into cooking. Since I have found it hard to get back into the kitchen I have been trying to push myself to make some dishes from my favourite cookbooks. Hopefully I will be back on track soon to share some of my own recipes.

Tempeh Piccata from Chloe’s Kitchen (Chloe Coscarelli)

Lentil Stew form The Kind Diet (Alicia Silverstone)

Indian Lentil-Cauliflower Soup from Oh She Glows (Angela Liddon)