Brunch at Grub Street and Tofu Scamble with Sundried Tomatoes and Kale

What I look forward to most on the weekends is doing brunch with Marco. In the area that we recently moved to there are lots of funky little cafes that offer different unique breakfast options. This weekend we visited Grub Street, a popular suburban cafe in Gaythorne. This was our first visit, so we were curious  to see why this little cafe is always so busy and has such great reviews. I was also very excited to try their vegan option.

I ordered the Carrot pancakes with roasted corn puree, rocket, corn relish and avocodo. Besides being dairy free and vegan, this dish was also gluten free. From what I could tell these pancakes were made of carrot, red onion, capscium, cumin, coriander, fennel seeds and chickpea flour. They were so dense, but not really heavy. The corn relish was also amazing and sweet, so it perfectly complemented the savoury pancakes. It was absolutely delicious and definitely made Grub Street one of my of new favourite cafes.

When we don’t brunch out on the weekend, there is one special dish that Marco always likes me to make. This recipe is Tofu Country Scramble from Kris Carr’s Crazy Sexy Kitchen recipe book. In fact last weekend I made it for some visiting meat-loving tofu-fearing family members. They actually preferred my tofu scramble over my mum’s scrambled eggs. So you guess which one was left over and which was gobbed up quick.

This morning we decided to do brunch again. But by the time we drove over and realised that the cafe we wanted to go to was closed because they hadn’t reopened for the new year, Marco was about to murder me. So  I suggested another cafe, however they had already swapped to the lunch menu. I was willing to stay but Marco really wanted eggs. Instead he suggested we go back home and he would ‘help’ me make tofu scramble. So thats what we did. It was so satisfying and the money we saved in eating out paid for 4 bags of groceries.

I slightly adapted the original recipe and added kale, red onion and shallots. I love the flavour combination of the nutritional yeast, sun-dried tomatoes and tofu. I think this recipe taste better than regular scrambled eggs, which can be rubbery and tasteless and other tofu scrambles that can be watery and not really convincing. It is a great way to include some green vegetables first thing in the morning. I usually enjoy this dish with grilled turkish bread (like Marco did this morning), but today I just enjoyed it with some creamy avocado and it was just as good.

Tofu Scramble with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Kale (vegan, gluten free, nut free)

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium red onion, diced

2-3 shallots, diced

10-12 sun-dried tomatoes, diced

500 g medium-firm organic tofu (pressed and crumbled)

1 large handful of red or curly kale, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons gluten free organic soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

3 heaped tablespoons nutritional yeast

sea salt & black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Heat a pan with olive oil  on a medium heat. Then sauté the red onion and shallots for a couple of minutes before adding sun-dried tomatoes. Continue to sauté till the onions start to soften.

2. Add the crumbled tofu and sauté for another couple of minutes until the tofu starts to brown a little.

3. Add the kale, soy sauce, turmeric and nutritional yeast, sea salt & black pepper and cook until the kale has wilted.  Serve immediate.

*Serves 4

Spiced Orange French Toast

This morning I decided to give the Vegg another chance. A while back I tried to make a fritata with it, but I didn’t have the correct measurements and it turned out a little runny. Today’s outcome was much better. I adapted this recipe from Gluten Free French Toast. I’m still getting use to my electric stove, so it took a few attempts before I got a nice golden french toast. I really missing my gas stove! Maybe if I keep burning Marco’s food he will agree to get a new stove top sooner…

Spiced Orange French Toast (vegan, gluten free, soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

3 teaspoon Vegg powder

1.25 cup plant milk (coconut, rice or oat; almond or soy if you can tolerate)

2 teaspoon corn flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon all spice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

2 tablespoon orange juice (more to serve)

orange slices

1 teaspoon agave nectar (more to serve)

canola oil spray

6 slices of bread

Method:

1. Place Vegg powder and  1/2 cup of the non-dairy milk in the blender.  Scrape down the sides if powder gets stuck on the sides.

2. Add in corn flower, vanilla, cinnamon, all spice, nutmeg, cardamom, orange juice, agave and rest of the oat milk.

3. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl.

4. Heat a non-stick pan and spray with oil.

5. Dip the bread, one at a time, into the mixture and place into the pan. Let it cook for a couple of mintues till golden on one side, then turn the bread over and cook the other side.

6. Drizzle the french toast with orange juice and agave and serve with extra orange slices.

*Makes 6 serves of french toast.

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Happy Blogiversary!

Today is Live Blissful’s 1 year Anniversary! I can’t believe my vegan journey has made it this far. A year ago I really didn’t know if I this was something that I could actually do. Although I’m not completely perfect, I have managed for the most part to completely change my diet as well as my reluctant fiance’s.  Now that I have made it a year I know that this is something that I can live by long term. I really want to thank all my fellow bloggers and readers for your encouragement that has kept me going.

Over the past year making the change to vegan has not been completely smooth. Although I have achieved more then I thought I would. I have discover new ingredients and different ways to cook without needing animal products. I have made a conscious effort to buy animal free products. I have also found and sampled many vegan/vegan friendly cafes and restaurants around Brisbane and other Australian cities.

The biggest challenges I  have faced over the past year seem a lot less insignificant now, then when I first began this journey. Unkind comments and awkwardness from family and friends were probably the hardest thing to swallow. But I learned to stop apologizing, because choosing to live a healthy life is not something to be ashamed of. The second biggest challenge was the feeling of despair every time I could not find something to eat in a restaurant. Now I try to make more informed choices when choosing a restaurant. When I have been invited out I try to organize something special with the chef and usually leave feeling happy and satisfied. As for cravings, these have been probably the easiest thing to over come. My tastes have really changed and I don’t really crave the same textures and flavors that I use to.

Another anniversary that I almost forgot about was Marco and my 6 year Anniversary. It actually fell on the 19th, but we both forgot. Now  we are engaged I’m not sure which anniversary we are meant to celebrate. Maybe we will just celebrate all of them. We had a pretty quite weekend. Poor Marco has had work at 4 am. So I wanted to make him some home cooked meals that I know he would like. I was going to also make a cake, but after he found a mysteries  jumbo muffin in my fridge (not sure where that came from), I thought we could both do without.

This breakfast was inspired  by the loads of apples in my fridge crisper. I only usually use green apples for juicing. But my mum keeps buying all these red apples that no one eats. This was surprisingly filling and very creamy. In fact I’m about to have it again for morning tea now.

Raw Apple Breakfast Pudding (vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon agave (or other natural sweetener)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 apples

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons flax seeds

2 teaspoons chia seeds

fresh fruit to garnish

Method:

1. In a high speed blender add the cashews. Once they are starting to break down, then add the water, agave and vanilla extract. Don’t worry if its not really smooth.

2. Roughly grate the apples with the skin on.

3. Add some lemon juice to the grated apples so they don’t go brown and taste fragrant.

4. Combine the apple with the cashew cream. Stir through some flax seeds and chia seeds

5. Serve raw apple pudding with fresh fruit to garnish

*Serves 2

This stew was inspired by all the leftovers veggies that needed to be used. I cooked up so many organic split kidney beans a few days back and then nobody was there to eat them with me.

I have never done a dumpling topping before. I was just flicking through a Jamie Oliver cook book and saw different stew toppings. I added Cheezly White Cheddar Style, which gave it a really nice savoury flavor. This is something else that I needed to use up. One bad thing about vegan cheeses is that they don’t last many days after opening.

I really loved the dumpling topping. This is definitely something I will make again for my next stew. It tastes so lovely and savory and just as nice as having fresh bread with an oven hot stew.

Kidney Bean and Vegetable Stew with Cheddar Dumplings Topping (vegan, nut free)

Ingredients for Kidney Bean and Vegetable Stew:

2 tablespoon olive oil

2 large brown onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

1/2 bunch shallots, diced

2 sticks celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

4 baby or 1 red capsicum, diced

1/2 cup white wine

1 teaspoon sweet hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)

1 teaspoon lemon thyme leaves

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced

1 can good quality tomato pulp

2 zucchini (diced)

2 cups cooked kidney beans

2 cups vegan chicken liquid stock

sea salt & black pepper to taste

Ingredients for Dumplings:

200 g self raising flour

100 g grated Cheezly White Cheddar Style/vegan cheddar

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced

6-7 tablespoons ice cold water

5 tablespoons Nutellex Lite/vegan butter)

Method:

1. Heat a large oven proof pot with olive oil. Then add onion and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes and as it starts to brown, add celery and shallots and cook for a further 5 minutes.

2. Add carrots, capsicum and white wine. Continue to cook until the wine is absorbed.

3. Add the paprika, liquid smoke, lemon thyme, bay leaves and parsley.

4. Saute the vegetables for a couple of minutes, then add the tomato pulp. Continue to cook until the carrots start to soften

5. Add the zucchini, kidney beans, liquid stock, sea salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil, then leave on a simmer for 30 minutes. 

6. In the meantime preheat the oven to 180 degrees. 

7. Before placing the stew in the oven, prepare the dumplings. In a large mixing bowl add flour, cheddar and parsley. Then add the nutlex and mix it through with your hands. Then add cold water one tablespoon at a time, until it forms a dough.

8. Roll the dough into about 12 balls.

9. Top the stew with the dumplings on the outer edge.

10. Bake for 30 minutes, then serve.

*Serves 6

Pizza, Soup and a Chocolate Berry Breakfast Suprise

A  couple of nights ago we got invite out to dinner with some friends. But with the rainy weather and my cold feet about going somewhere that didn’t cater to me, we decided invited them over for homemade pizzas. We had some leftover pizza dough so last night I made the most delicious pizza with a few simple ingredients. This wasn’t the main event but to accompany this Red Lentil and Root Vegetable Soup.

For breakfast I prepared the most delicious overnight oats. I included a few extra healthy ingredients such as cacao, maca, chia seeds and goji berries.  I nice to be able to have guilt free chocolate oats for breakfast.

Just as I was writing this post, I got a call about a job. I’m going in for an interview tomorrow. I only send in an application yesterday to them for a different job, but they liked my previous work experience in mentoring and in a call centre. Fingers crossed they hire me!

Browned Onion and Garlic Pizza (vegan, gluten free option, soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

pizza dough for 1 pizza (wholemeal or gluten free)

1 large brown onion, thinly sliced

1-2 tablespoons olive oil (plus more to brush pizza)

2 garlic cloves, diced

1 tablespoon fresh/dried rosemary

sea salt & black pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

2. Heat a large pan with olive oil, then add the onion. Saute for 4-5 minutes or until onion has softened, but not browned (Its best to use a nonstick pan for this).

3. In the meantime roll out pizza dough and place into a pizza pan/stone. Brush base with olive oil. (If you are using a pizza pan brush that with oil before placing the pizza ontop, so that the base will brown)

4. Take pan off the heat, then add garlic and stir though the onion.

5. Top pizza with the onion and garlic. Then sprinkle some rosemary, sea salt and black pepper.

6. Bake pizza for 15 mins or until the base is cooked and the onions are lightly browned.

*Makes 1 pizza

Red Lentil and Root Vegetable Soup (vegan, gluten free, soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

1 large brown onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

1 swede, diced

2 parsnips, diced

2 red skinned potatoes, diced

1 sweet potato, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground ginger

4 cups vegetable/vegan chicken liquid stock

sea salt to taste

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot, then add the vegetables and spices. Saute for a couple of minutes.

2. Add the liquid stock and bring to the boil, then cover and place on a simmer. Cook for 20 mins or until the vegetables begin to soften.

3. Add the red lentils and sea salt if you need. Continue to cook covered on a simmer, until both the lentils have cooked and the vegetable are completely cooked.

4. Take off the heat and puree the soup with a bar mix, until you have the desired consistency. If the soup is too thick add some filtered water to thin it out.

5. Reheat on the stove to you are ready to serve.

*Serves 6

Chocolate Berry Overnight Oats (vegan, gluten free, soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup instant/rolled oats, preferably organic

3/4 cup plant milk (coconut, rice or oat;  almond or soy if you can tolerate)

1/2 cup mixed frozen berries

1 tablespoon cacao powder

1/2 tablespoon maca powder (optional)

1 tablespoon chia seeds

1.5  tablespoon maple syrup (I used blueberry maple syrup)

1 teapsoon goji berries to serve

1 teaspoon cacao nibs to serve 

Method:

1. Combine the oats, milk, frozen berries, cacao, maca, chia seeds and maple syrup in an airtight container and stir to combine all.

2. Seal the container and place in the fridge over night.

3. In the morning serve with goji berries and cacao nibs. If you don’t have these any other dried fruit, nuts and/or dark chocolate chips would go nice. If the consistency of the oats is too thick add a dash of milk.

*Serves 1

Peanut Butter Pancakes for two

Good morning guys! Today Marco decided we should to have something a bit more decadent for breakfast. So I came up with these delicious peanut butter pancakes. They are gluten free and packed full of flavor. Pancakes really aren’t my forte, but I am getting a bit better at cooking and flipping them. I topped mine with raspberry jam. Marco preferred Dairy free chocolate spread, but even without they are sweet enough. I think I better slow down on sweets. This raspberry jam made my heart race.

Peanut Butter Pancakes (vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Ingredients:

1 cup gluten free plain flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 tablespoon coconut sugar or evaporated cane sugar

1 cup water

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup natural peanut butter

1/2 cup plant milk (coconut, rice or oat; almond or soy if you can tolerate)

canola spray oil

raspberry jam to serve

Method:

1. In a large  mixing bowl,  add gf flour, baking powder, sea salt and  coconut palm sugar. Use a whisk to combine.

2. In a smaller mixing bowl,  add water, maple syrup, and peanut butter. Whisk so that peanut butter has broken down a bit.

3. Add the wet mixture into dry mixture and stir through

4. Add the soy milk to the mixture and stir with a wooden spoon till you have a wet thick batter. Do not over mix the batter, it should have some lumps.

5. Heat a nonstick pan on medium heat and grease with canola spray oil. Then add about 1/3 cup of the batter. Smooth it out into a pancake shape with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook pancake for a couple of minutes, then when the top starts to firm up, flip the pancake and cook for a further 2 mins, or until it is cooked through.

6. Repeat till you have 6 pancakes and serve with raspberry jam or other preferred sweet spread.

*Serve 2, makes 6 pancakes.

Japanese Favourites

Good evening all! Tonight I tried to make two of my favourite dishes that I have never made before, Sushi and Japanese Curry.

I have always been a bit scared to make sushi. Years ago my brother and I tried to make it, but we didn’t realise you need sushi rice and rice wine vinegar. Our tuna sushi with basmati rice tasted pretty bad, so I thought I would leave it up to the experts. Marco was also very scared about me making sushi when I suggested it a while ago. He was nervous I was going to ruin sushi for him. Well that was until our friends mentions that they made sushi at home. Then he had hope I could do it too.

Making sushi was much easier then I thought. I made 3 large rolls that I cut up into bite size pieces. Half were filled with avocado, for Marco and the rest was filled with avocado and shiitake mushrooms. Not very adventurous  but it was my first time so I thought I would keep it simple. I followed this recipe, Avocado Sushi with Cucumber, but this is also a great site for recipes and tips, Make my sushi. My sushi turned out quite good. The only thing I know for next time is to not putting so much rice, as it is much harder to roll if you have to much.

I was actually planing to fill one of the sushi rolls with Wakame. When I saw this Dried Seaweed salad in the packet at the Japanese Grocery store I thought it would taste like it. But no, this stuff is completely different. It is a mixture of different seaweeds that you soak and then dress, like a salad. It didn’t taste too bad on the side with tonight meal, but I think I will try to find a dressing to go with it as tastes like the sea.

For the main event tonight I finally got around to a recipe that I have had on my Pinterest for a while, Japanese Curry with Edamame. I slightly adapted the ingredients in the recipe to give it a more richer flavor. I couldn’t find any organic or non gmo edamame. In fact, I have never seen any before in Brisbane. There are only the frozen edamame from China available at Asian grocery stores. So I decided to use frozen broad beans instead.

This recipe doesn’t taste exactly like the packet Japanese Curry, but it does have a nice strong flavour.  I have been eating Japanese Curry since the first Japanese sushi train popped up in my local shopping centre when I was in primary school. However, as much as I love it I never order it any more  Since I became aware of all my intolerances I avoid anything that may have  milk products or flavour enhances. The only packet version available here, that I think most restaurants would also use, is S&B Golden Curry. This recipe is a great substitute though and you won’t be disappointed in the flavour department.

I got the idea to make Eggplant Katsu from when I fried eggplant for Eggplant Parmigiana. When I made that dish I used corn crumbs. This recipe uses panko crumbs, which makes it all the more taster on its own. It is a really great substitute for fried cutlets and goes well with the curry.

Japanese Curry with Broad beans and Eggplant Katsu (vegan, gluten free, nut free)

Ingredients for Curry:

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 onion, chopped (about 2 cups)

4 carrots, cut into ½-inch-thick half moons (about 2 cups)

2.5 tablespoons curry powder

2 teaspoons garam marsala

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 cups vegan beef liquid stock

4 creamy golden/yukon potatoes, peeled & cubed (about 2.5 cups)

1 small green apple, peeled & grated (about 1/2 cup)

3 tablespoon ketchup

1  tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon white miso paste

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup broad beans (fresh or frozen)

Ingredients for Eggplant Katsu:

1 medium eggplant, washed & peeled

table salt

tapicoa flour

sea salt

1/2 cup soy milk

panko crumbs

canola oil

Method:

1. In a large heavy based pot, heat canola oil over medium heat. Then add onions and sauté for 7 to 9 minutes, or until lightly to brown.

2. Add carrots, and sauté  for a further 5 minutes. Add a little big of water if the pot gets too dry.

3. Add curry powder, garam marsala and garlic. Cook for 1  minute. Add a little water if the spices stick to the bottom of the pot.

4. Add vegan beef stock, potatoes, apple, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and miso. Stir through.

5. Bring to the boil bring, then place on medium-low heat to simmer with the pot slightly covered.  Cook 30 minutes or up to an 1 hour if you have time. The potatoes need to be cooked through.

6. In the meantime, prepare the eggplant. Cut the top and bottom of the eggplant so that it can stand up. Then slice the eggplants into 6-8 fillets.

7. Sprinkle table salt on the eggplant, to allow the bitterness and moister to come out. Leave for 10 mins.

8. While you are waiting for the eggplant boil the broad beans then rinse with cold water, peel and set to the side.

9. Wipe the salt & moister from the eggplants fillets, then batter with tapioca flour, sprinkle with seasalt, dip in soy milk then batter in panko crumbs.

10. Fry the eggplant fillets in canola oil, then leave on a paper towel to drain the oil.

11. By now the curry should be ready, so add the broad beans and heated through.

12. Slice the eggplant fillets.

13. Serve Japanese Curry topped with the Eggplant Katsu and with Steamed Rice.

*Serves 6-8

Before I go, this a recipe I came up with this morning.  It is a nutritious breakfast that is gluten free, sugar free and goes nice with nut butter.

Apple Oat Rösti with Sunflower Seed Butter (vegan, gluten free, soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

1 green apple

1/2 cup instant oats, preferably organic

1/2 teaspooon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon coconut oil plus more

sunflower seed butter (or other nut butter if you can tolerate)

Method:

1. First peel, slice and grate the apple.

2. Then grind the oats into a flour.

3. Combine both the grated apple and oat flour in a small bowl and add cinnamon. Stir through. If it is too dry add some of the leftover apple juice from grating or a little water. Divide into 3 balls

4. Heat coconut oil in a small pan and add a ball of the mixture. Press it down in the pan with a spatula or with your fingers. Cook for a couple of minutes on both sides on medium-low heat.

5. Serve rösti with nut butter or a sweetener.

*Makes 3 rösti

 

Coconut Pancakes with Pomegranate

After being so good for so long its ok to be a bit bad right? I have never been good at making pancakes, crepes, omelettes or anything you have to flip. So after making those perfect Tiramisu Pancakes,  a couple of days ago, I wanted to try again. So I tried to veganise another pancake recipe that I saw on Jamie Oliver’s website, Coconut pancakes with pomegranate jewels. If you aren’t a big fan of coconut cream on its own, try making a whipped coconut cream or using vegan coconut yogurt. I was in a hurry and wanted to make this sugar free so my coconut cream was a bit more runny. Marco liked it, but he also added some jam ontop for more sweet, I don’t think he needed it but he is a sweetaholic. The addition of pomegranate seeds and lime zest also bring a freshness as well, can be omitted if you don’t have any.

Coconut Pancakes with Pomegranate and Coconut Cream (vegan, gluten free option, soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat, plain or gluten free flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

8 tablespoons ground dedicated coconut (just grind shredded coconut in processor)

1/2 teaspoons sea salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

3/4 cup water

canola spray oil /coconut oil

1/4 cup coconut cream (left in fridge overnight) or coconut yoghurt

agave to taste

seeds from 1/2 pomegranate

lime zest (optional)

Method:

1. Take a large bowl and add flour, baking powder, ground coconut, and salt. Whisk together.

2. In a smaller bowl add water, rice syrup and vanilla extract. Whisk together.

3. Add wet mixture into dry mixture and whisk until just combined. Don’t over mix, as there should be some lumps.

4. Heat a nonstick pan over medium-high heat, spray with oil. Pour 1/3 cup batter onto pan. When bubbles begin to appear in center, flip the pancake. Cook on the other side until it is lightly browned. Cook for another minute so it is cooked all the way through.  Continue with the rest of the batter.

5. In the meantime take the thick part of the coconut cream and add some agave to sweeten it.

6. Serve pancakes with a dollop of coconut cream/yogurt, lime zest and pomegranate seeds.

*Serves 2-3, makes 6 pancakes

If breakfast wasn’t sweet enough I dropped into The Cupcake Parlour and had a Vegan Vanilla Cupcake with Fairy Floss Icing.

Doggy Days, Pancakes and Black beans

I haven’t posted in a few days, since I have been quite stressed out. I have still been cooking, but not anything too exciting. I have been stressed because a couple of days ago I caught my crazy religious fanatic neighbor on my property trying to scare my dogs, by screaming and barking at them. I had a big argument with him and had to call the police. This is not the first time he has barked at the dogs. Both my dogs hate him and go crazy when ever they see him walk in the street. However, this is the first time I found him inside our front gates. After the police spoke to him they  realized he was crazy. They told him the next time he trespasses into my property or makes a public nuisance by barking at the dogs, then he will get charged. I know this isn’t over. He intend going to the council about my dogs barking and being ‘dangerous’. I’ve spoken to the council, so I just have to wait now and hope they side with me. Who could ever thing these two little guys are dangerous. I took them to the dog park today. They haven’t been in over 6 months, so I was a bit scared what would happen. But they were really good. Well Albie did have a tussle with the first dog that arrived. But then ten more arrived, so he realized he had to get along with them, because he was out numbered. I just can’t believe how big he has grown. He was the biggest dog there today. It was funny seeing a couple of the dogs run straight to him, since he was the biggest. Once they got the ok from him, they knew they wouldn’t have any trouble with the others. Little do they know how much of a baby he is.

A couple of days back when this all happened. I had plans of making Nachos with Black Bean Chili from scratch. However, it got to late and Marco thought it was better we bought the Nacho Topping and Corn Chips, since he was too hungry to wait. We used Old El Paso Nacho Topping, with Pinto beans and Mission Corn Chips. Both of these products weren’t too bad. I don’t usually buy Mexican products anymore, but I was happy with ingredients in these ones. For the cheese sauce I used Avocados and Ales recipe, Vegan Nacho Cheese. This is a really delicious nutritious alternative to using store bought melty cheese. I promise you won’t be able to tell the difference with the taste and texture. I will definitely make this vegan cheese alternative again. I served this with the leftover Cashew Sour Cream and Guacamole  So happy avocados are back in abundance at the moment.

I have still been juicing everyday. Marco is also really been enjoying the juices and is getting use to eating raw vegetables for breakfast. Our favorite combination is Apple, Orange, Spinach, Celery, Carrot, Broccoli, Lime, Beetroot and Spiralina. I also love ginger, but Marco is not a fan. Other ingredients I have added include Plums, Zucchini, Parsley, Pumpkin, Cucumber, Mandarin and Lettuce. I really like the taste of lettuce and plums. But still not a fan of parsley.  So what have been the outcomes? In 7 days my skin cleared up and I can actually sleep at night and don’t wake up until 7 hours later, when I feel really refreshed. I also don’t feel like I need coffee. In past 20 days I have had one after having a terrible headache for a couple of days. I think I had coffee withdrawal, since the headache disappeared after I drank coffee. But I haven’t had another headache. Unfortunately, my skin is not as perfect as it was, since I gobbed up two jumbo Anzac Biscuits, that Marco’s boss made. I was told that it was dairy free, but turns out they weren’t and that the guy didn’t realise butter was dairy. So I will be juicing my way back to better skin again.

Yesterday, I took a break after 20 days of juicing and made Tiramisu Pancakes for breakfast, from Chloe’s Vegan Desserts.  These were amazing and hands down the best pancakes I have ever made. You can find the recipe here. I used whole wheat flour and used vanilla extract instead of dark rum. Although this batter is not sweet, since it only calls for maple syrup, the chocolate chips sweetened it nicely.

Tonight I made a Cuban classic, Black bean Soup or Sopa de frijoles negros. This rich, spicy soup is typically prepared in Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Brazil and other nations in Latin America. The ingredients usually present are black beans, salt, ham hocks, onions, garlic, tomatoes, chili peppers, powdered cumin seeds, oregano and vinegar. It is often pureed smooth or can be left more chunky and rustic.

I looked at numerous recipes to come up with the right ingredients. I am not sure how authentic mine is, but it tasted really, really good. It had almost a meaty texture and taste. It also got Marco’s seal of approval, he had two serves. I also made Homemade Nachos (baked corn chips) to go with it. I used suckitupnotin recipe, Homemade Nachos. Instead of Garam Marsala, I used Cumin. Other then that I followed the recipe. I recommend not cooking them any longer then 12 mins, as the longer they cook the harder they go.

Cuban Black bean Soup (vegan, gluten free, soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, diced

1 serrano chilli, diced

1/2 green capsicum, diced

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground cayenne or chili powder

1 teaspoon dried oregano

450g cooked black beans

4 small tomatoes, diced

3 cups vegetable liquid stock

1 tablespoon lime juice (and more to garnish)

sea salt & black pepper to taste

2 shallots, diced to garnish

coriander leaves, diced to garnish

red capsicum, diced to garnish

vegan sour cream to garnish (Cashew Sour Cream)

Method:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add red onion, garlic, serrano chili and green capsicum. Saute for 4-5 mins.

2. Add cumin, cayenne and dried oregano. Saute for 2 mins.

3. Add black beans, tomatoes and liquid stock. Bring to the boil, then place on a simmer and cover for 30 mins.

4. Add lime juice, salt and pepper and cook for another 10-15 mins.

5. Puree half the soup with a bar mix or processor, then combine again and reheat.

6. Serve soup and garnish with shallots, coriander, red capsicum, vegan sour cream and fresh lime.

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Sweet Blueberry Semolina Porridge

Its been raining a lot here in Brisbane and I really felt like a warm porridge. Something I have never used other then for pasta is semolina. I looked at a few different recipes that used semolina, water and milk, but I wasn’t sure how many people they served. So I just thought I would experiment and see what happens. It is very much like cooking polenta, but it comes out a lot thicker a lot faster. It was really delicious, especially with blue berry maple syrup! This is a quick easy breakfast that takes no earlier preparation and will warm you up and keep you satisfied for longer.

If you love warm porridge then also see my Vanilla Maple Breakfast Polenta.

Sweet Blueberry Semolina Porridge (vegan soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

1 cup water

3 tablespoons semolina

1/4 cup plant milk and more to serve (coconut, rice or oat; almond or soy if you can tolerate)

1 teaspoon coconut sugar (or raw sugar)

serve blueberry maple syrup and fresh berries

Method:

1. Place water, semolina and milk in a small pot. Bring to the boil then let it simmer for 3-5 mins or until thick. Add more soy milk if it is too thick.

2. Serve with a drizzle of cold  soy milk, blueberry maple syrup and fresh blueberries

*Serves 1

In search of good Indian food and experimenting with Tofurky Smoky Maple ‘Bacon’

Hi all! I haven’t blogged in a few days. I have been busy with work and uni. Since making Indian food a few day back I have been craving more, so I have been out to eat to Indian a couple more times. I checked out Top in Town Pure Vegetarian at Mt Gravatt, but to be honest I wasn’t terribly impressed. It wasn’t that the food was bad, but it wasn’t great either. The service wasn’t very good and the food was just from a hot box and the samosa we ordered was microwaved. I guess it was very cheap, but not good enough to recommend.

We were still craving good Indian food, so last night we took Marco’s niece and nephew to A Night in India at Carindale. These kids have never tried Indian food before and are usually a quite a bit picky with stuff they haven’t tried, like most kids. Recently we have taken them a couple of times to a Chinese restaurants and they love fried rice and bubble teas. The little boy loved it so much that China is now his favorite country. So we thought we would see how they would go with Indian food. First the papadums came out and I told them it tastes like a big potato chip. So they hesitantly tried them and before long they were all gone. Then the curries came out with the rice and the naan bread. They were a bit hesitant to try the curries as well, since they haven’t seen anything like that before. But they agreed to try a tiny bit. I was surprised how much they loved the curry. They ate what was on their plates and then went for more. They also loved the rice and naan. The rice they would eat with the curry, but dipping naan into the curry was a bit too strange for them. I was really proud of how grown up they were and happy that we have some new food buddies for when we need our Indian hit.

Last night I decided to try something I haven’t had before. Alu Dhall Palak is now my favorite curry. Its got dhall, potatoes and spinach in a fragrant spiced sauce. It was rich and saucy and was loved by the whole table.

Alu Dhall Palak

Something else I wanted to share with you guys was my review of Tofurky Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh, that I bought last week end from the Green Edge. I have never been a huge bacon eater, as I remember my mum telling me when I was little that bacon and butter is bad for your heart and the fat with suffocate it. She was saying that for my brothers benefit, who from a little boy would want to have a man size Sunday breakfast. But I was the only one that those kind of comments usually actually effected. So going without bacon (as great as it smells) hasn’t been too hard for me. The only vegan bacon I have tried previously is  Redwood’s Cheatin’ Rashers, which I posted about a while ago (Fakin Bacon). That one didn’t have that strong taste or smell of bacon, but had a kind of rubbery texture liked overcooked bacon.

So what do I think about Tofurky Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh? I loved it. The texture is not bacon like at all, it is tempeh after all. But the flavor of it is amazing. It’s not as sweet as I thought it would be, rather it has a delicious smokey savory flavor. Although it doesn’t taste like bacon, the after taste does, which was a bit strange, but good. It feels like I just ate bacon, except without the guilt.

So far I have made tried it grilled in a skillet with olive oil and topped on a salad of mixed salad, tomato, red onion, cucumber, vegan mayo, vegan cashew parmesan and mango. This salad was so delicious on its own, but the ‘bacon’ took it to a whole new level and the protein from the tempeh kept me full for hours.

Mixed Salad, with Mango and Maple Smoky ‘Bacon’

For brunch today I made Banana Wholemeal Pancakes, topped with pan fried ‘bacon’, agave and strawberries. I have never had bacon with pancakes before. In fact I think its kind of weird, but I thought why not be different for once. It was deee-lusicous! I can see why this savory and sweet combination is so popular, except mine was guilt free.

Banana Pancakes with Smokey Maple ‘Bacon’  (soy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

2 overly ripe bananas

1.5 cups wholemeal, spelt or unbleached white flour

2 cups plant milk (coconut, rice or oat;  almond or soy if you can tolerate)

3 tablespoons brown rice syrup (or other natural sweetener)

canola spray oil

Tofurky Smoky Maple Bacon Marinated Tempeh (or home-made)

agave or maple syrup

fresh fruit to serve (optional)

Method:

1. Peel the bananas, then place the flesh into a bowl and mash the banana with a fork. Continue to mash till most of the lumps are gone. If can want you can blend them to make them less lumpy.

2. Place the mashed banana in a mixing bowl then sift in the flour. Stir it through well. Then add the soy milk and brown rice syrup. Whisk until it is a consistent batter.

3. Heat a non-stick pan and add spray oil. Then ladle the batter into the pan and cook on both sides for 2-3 mins or until golden brown and cooked all the way through.

4. Heat the Smoky Maple Bacon in a not stick pan with spray oil. Cook on both sides for 1-2 mins.

5. To serve place pancakes on a plate, then add the Smoky Maple Bacon, top with agave and fresh fruit (optional).

* Makes 8-10 pancakes