Monday, July 29

Chocolate Breakfast Milk Recipe

Now in my opinion, anything that starts with 'Chocolate Breakfast' is already a winner. Sometimes I find that I don't have time to make AND eat breakfast though, or sometimes I'm just not that hungry. That's why I love smoothies, because even when you're in a rush or not feeling very hungry, you still need to eat something for breakfast. Lately my life has been a bit hectic and I've come up with this breakfast milk recipe, it's quick, easy, and surprisingly filling.

300ml soy milk
1 1/2 tbsp rolled oats
1 tbsp cocoa powder

1. Put all ingredients into a blender and pulse for a couple of minutes until smooth and combined. Drink immediately.

Variation: try adding half a banana and/or a scoop of chia seeds for a thicker more smoothie-like drink.


Happy drinking! :)

What I'm eating: Godzilla's BBQ chicken pizza

For those living in Adelaide, there is a fantastic take-away pizza place on Brighton Road called Godzilla Pizza. You can read more about them in Places I Love to Eat in Adelaide but basically they are a pizza bar where any pizza can be made vegetarian or vegan. They also have vegan desserts that I have yet to try.

Well, the other night Jeff and I went to Jeff's parents' house for dinner, only to remember that dinner had been cancelled. Despite being on a tight budget at the moment, we decided to treat ourselves by going to Godzilla anyway. Normally I get a vegan Supreme or Meatlovers pizza (ironic, I know!) but this time I decided to be adventurous and try something different so I got a BBQ Chicken pizza.

Well, as usual it was lovely! I ate the whole thing in one sitting! So if you're in Adelaide, I highly recommend you get yourself a tasty Godzilla pizza!


Happy eating! :)

Monday, July 8

What I'm eating: Nutella for grown-ups

I have a confession to make. One of my favourite past-times is eating Nutella straight out of the jar with a spoon. I'm somewhat of an addict. However, Nutella contains milk, so I stopped partaking in this guilty pleasure when I became vegan. However, I'm now back on the Nutella and I'll tell you why!

Another of my mum's fantastic purchases from Everything Vegan was Rawtella, raw vegan Nutella. It is amazing. It is addictive. It is almost all gone.

My partner Jeff and I have been calling Rawtella 'Nutella for grown-ups' because it has a much more sophisticated taste than Nutella. Slightly more bitter, slightly more complex, with a fantastic natural nutty taste. I would liken the experience to going from eating cheap, mass produced Cadbury family blocks to eating high quality, silky smooth, small-scale handcrafted chocolate. All I can say is, phwoar!

If you live outside the Adelaide area and would like to nab yourself some or you live in Adelaide but have a fear of leaving your house (that's ok, I don't judge) you can purchase a jar of chocolate-hazelnut heaven online through Everything Vegan's virtual store, Vegan Online.



Happy eating! :)

Monday, July 1

Lentil stew recipe

I like a nice stew on a wintry evening. This one is hearty, warming, nutritious, and has been a favourite of mine since I was a child.

Serves: 4-6

3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, diced
4 carrots, sliced
4 sticks celery, diced
2 zucchini, sliced
1 punnet mushrooms, quartered
1 clove garlic, minced
400g tin diced tomatoes
120g tin tomato paste
6-7 cups water
1 1/2 cups brown lentils
2-3 bay leaves
Salt and pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and zucchini and saute for 10 minutes.

2. Add remaining ingredients to the pot, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for 1 hour. Check the stew halfway through cooking, stir, and add more water if necessary.


Happy eating! :)

What I'm eating: Tofutti cuties!

Tofutti sure do come up with some strange names for their ice-creams. So far I've had Flowers, Marry Me, and now Cuties. So what are Cuties? They are vegan ice-cream sandwiches. They are delicious. They also are actually quite cute because they are quite small. Naww, baby ice-cream sandwich!

*Ahem* anyway, my mum bought us a box during her recent visit to Everything Vegan and, in less than a week, they have all disappeared. The ones she got us were mint choc chip flavour but the Tofutti website tells me that they also come in vanilla, chocolate, cookies n cream, key lime pie, totally vanilla, and wild berry. Mmm... I think I have a lot more research to conduct on this product...



Happy eating! :)

Perfect pancakes recipe

One of life's great joys is making a batch of pancakes for breakfast on the weekend, I mean, when else is it socially acceptable to have a dessert for breakfast? This is my favourite pancake recipe, veganised from Eat Well, Stay Strong: a nunga cookbook for healthy living. It works every time and has very little sugar - though you wouldn't know it! I like them topped with strawberry jam, cinnamon and sugar, lemon and sugar or, of course, the classic maple syrup.

Makes: 2 large or 4 smaller pancakes

1 cup self raising flour (sometimes I use half white self raising and half wholemeal self raising and then tell myself that they are healthy pancakes)
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup soy milk
Egg replacer made up to the equivalent of 2 eggs (I use Orgran brand)
Vegetable oil
Nuttelex

1. In a bowl mix together the four and sugar.

2. Make a well in the centre, and then add milk and egg replacer. Whisk until batter is smooth.

3. Heat a little oil in a frying pan over medium heat and add a small knob of Nuttelex. When the fat is hot, spoon batter into the frying pan (I find it best to use a soup ladle).

4. Cook until bubbles form on the top (a pancake ready to flip looks a lot like a crumpet) and then flip and cook the on other side.



Happy eating! :)

What I'm eating: Tofutti cheese slices on toast

Recently my mum went to her new favourite shop, Everything Vegan on Wright Street in the city (which I have still yet to visit!) and bought me a whole bunch of goodies. Among them was a packet of Tofutti cheese slices, which is basically your typical individually wrapped 'plastic cheese' except vegan.

While I don't like them just on their own, I have had them in sandwiches and they were very nice. However, I then used them to make some cheese and vegemite on toast. Oh my god, they melt so well and are so delicious! I actually can't get enough of this lately. The texture is great, unlike any other soy cheese I have tried on toast under the grill, and it melts properly - with bubbles and everything. I highly recommend trying them!

PS. If you don't live elsewhere in Australia (i.e. not in Adelaide) then you can still shop at Everything Vegan, go to their webstore Vegan Online. I have shopped there before the physical store was opened in the city and they have always been great.



Happy eating! :)