What I'm eating: kinda bacon

Another of my new treats from my Everything Vegan shopping spree was this packet of 'Kinda Bacon', bacon bits made with coconut (of all things!).

Oh. My. God. Salty, smokey, crunchy, fatty, amazing.

I never was a fan of bacon. I never really ate any pork products as a child in fact, excluding certain thinly sliced, extremely lean ham, even then I wasn't really a fan of it. However, I was always an avid muncher on bacon bits, which used to be produced by Masterfoods (and were vegan), but sadly they stopped making them a couple of years ago.

I've been very upset about this for a long time, I even wrote on their facebook page begging them to bring the bacon bits back (sad, I know). However, I think that Kinda Bacon has healed my broken fake-bacon heart.

Totes amazeballs is, I think, the only accurate way to describe them. The smokiness is so yummy, almost spicy, and my God, they should come with a warning as they are highly addictive! Jeff had to actually physically remove me from their presence as I couldn't stop myself from going back for "Just one more little bit". It was the only way to stop me!

After that, I managed to control myself and I tucked them into the back of the pantry so they'd stop looking at me. I succeeded in saving them until we made baked potatoes and then I again relished their salty, fatty, loveliness. On our baked potatoes we also put Nuttelex, capsicum, pineapple, cashew sour cream (homemade), and grated strong cheddar Sheese:

I just had another "little bit" of these bacon bits before sitting down to write this post.

Just so that the taste was fresh in my mouth so I could write an accurate review.

I fear they may not last much longer...

Happy eating! :)

What I'm eating: Redwood Thai fish cakes

One of the things that I picked up during my recent shopping spree at Everything Vegan was this packet of Redwood Thai fish cakes:

We had them along with some steamed vegetables and rice and they were quite yummy. The texture was fish-like but the flavour wasn't very fishy (this might have been a good thing as I'm not sure I could stomach fish after 7 years of not eating it!). The Thai flavourings were very nice, though they were quite spicy so if you're not into that or you're looking for something to serve to little ones then this product might not be for you.

On the whole, B+, would eat again.

Happy eating! :)

Everything Vegan shopping spree

Yesterday I was very lucky and my lovely mum treated me to a shopping spree at Adelaide's vegan supermarket, Everything Vegan (if you don't live in Adelaide, you can buy from their online shop at Vegan Online).

Though I have bought from them online before and my mum is a regular customer, it was the first time I'd actually been there myself. It was really cool and pretty reasonably priced considering how much we got. Most importantly, the owners also own and run Freedom Hill Sanctuary, the only farm animal sanctuary in South Australia, so I'm more than happy to throw money at them (even though in this instance it wasn't my money!).

I got a few old favourites and staples (such as savoury yeast flakes, Amy's Soups, Soyatoo whipped cream, Cheatin' Chicken and my favourite lip balm, Yaoh hemp seed oil in blueberry), and also lots and lots of new things to try. So watch this space as I'll be reviewing the products as I try them. Mmm... I'm looking forward to it!

Happy eating! :)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Besides getting chocolate for breakfast, Easter is really a non-event in our family. However, this year my mum had us over for a special Easter Sunday breakfast, which was very nice.

When we arrived, the first priority was the Easter egg hunt! Yes, I am in my mid-20's and I did move out of home several years ago, but the Easter bunny still visits (as does Father Christmas for that matter). I guess that's what happens when you're really really good...

He left little clues everywhere...

Until finally I found this beautiful basket full of vegan Easter goodies!

After that, we all settled down for a lovely breakfast. My mum had made her own hot-cross buns from scratch for the first time and they were delicious. She made chocolate ones and fruit ones, and also had fruitless ones from Bakers Delight (theirs are vegan as are Coles brand) because she knows that I don't like the fruit ones. However, her fruity ones were delicious and I didn't eat a single fruitless one! We also had these great big juicy strawberries, and lots of cups of tea.

After spending time at my mum's house, we went to Jeff's parents house where I received a whole tonne more chocolate plus a box of Ogran Itsy Bitsy Bears which are basically vegan Tiny Teddies. I think this lot will keep me going for the rest of the year!

How did you spend your Easter? Did the Easter bunny come to your house? I hope he was as generous to you as he was to me.

Happy hoppy eating :)

Pink milk smoothie

If you've ever seen Charlie and Lola or read the books, you'll know that pink milk is very very special. Unlike normal pink milk though, this yummy smoothie is also very healthy.

Serves 1

1 banana

handful of fresh raspberries

1-2 handfuls of strawberries

4 tbsp coconut yoghurt (I use Coyo brand)

Amber agave syrup (to taste)

250ml soy milk

1. Put all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

2. Take in that pink milk deliciousness.

Happy drinking :)

Adelaide Festivities Part 2: WOMADelaide

Missed the last installment? Click here: Adelaide Festivities Part 1: Soundwave

Being unabashedly hippy, one of my favourite events of the year is WOMADelaide, a 4 day celebration of world arts and culture held in Adelaide's beautiful Botanic Park. Also, being brought up by an unabashedly hippy mother, I've been attending WOMADelaide since I was a child!

Psst... that's me dancing

The festival is very family friendly, there's a great kids' section with lots of activities and performances, all stages and stall areas are 'no smoking' areas, and it's a very relaxed and positive atmosphere - no drunk swearing people, and no one asking you to breastfeed in the toilets. Oh, did I mention that children 12 and under get in for free?

Plus, I think it's great for children to experience the world and all of its magnificent cultures. All around there are children laughing, playing, dancing, and climbing trees. You hear them discussing the music, performances, and ideas being presented, and adding in their own perspectives. Being a massive hippy and also an early childhood educator, I just think that it is so important for children to be exposed to these things. It really shapes them into the inclusive, worldly, ethical, conscious, and active participants in society that we want them to be (or should want them to be!). I am lucky enough to have a much younger sister (she's 12) and I have really enjoyed watching her become the wonderful person she is today through experiences like WOMADelaide. I had a very proud moment this year when she headed off towards the social justice and activism area saying "Now, let's go sign some petitions!" (For Christmas last year she also donated money to OXFAM instead of buying us presents).

There are so many fantastic acts to see, lots of stalls, and even workshops that you can do with the performers. This year, they were also running hour-long yoga sessions in the mornings. I jumped at that opportunity and found it such a lovely way to start the day; doing yoga under some beautiful shady trees while fruit bats chattered in the branches above. What a relaxing experience!

However, as my sister put it, "WOMAD, you come for the music but you stay for the food". How right she is. WOMADelaide is the biggest eating event on my calendar. In fact, Jeff and I save up money specifically so that we can gorge ourselves on the abundance of delicious sustainable and multicultural food.

This year the event attracted 90,000 people over the 4 days. That's 90,000 educated, ethical, environmentalist, barefoot hippies like myself so you can bet your life that there was a lot of vegan food on offer!

Here's what was going down, down to my belly that is:

First off, a lovely warm chai, which was followed by many more. All chai sold at WOMADelaide is made with soy milk.

Next, a handmade spring roll filled with some kind of mushroom. I noticed the nice texture that the mushroom gave the spring roll but mushroom-hater Jeff didn't and ate his all up saying how delicious it was. Little did he know his nemesis lurked inside...

I also had some mushroom in these tofu cold rolls. My goodness they were yummy, and filling!

Something that I find such a novelty, the drinking coconut. These were very popular. The coconut water inside is so refreshing and then you can scrape away the coconut flesh inside with your spoon and eat it, a big hit with the children of WOMADelaide! I really like the texture of the fresh coconut flesh.

I paired my coconut water with this cinnamon and sugar bread AKA cinnamon doughnut. I was so glad that the stall selling these was back this year, as they weren't there last year.

In the evening, I had a sago and fresh fruit dessert (you can find a recipe to make your own sago here).

Lastly, I couldn't go past the Hare Krishna's feast of rice, vegetable curry, and kofta with tomato chutney, even though I'd just had one the week before at Soundwave!

Happy eating! :)

Out of the mouths of babes...

A couple of days ago I was privy to this interesting exchange between some 5 year olds at the school I work at.

Their class had recently hatched some chicks as part of the Living Eggs program (which is extremely cruel, unethical, and not endorsed by the RSPCA! See the following links for more information: Oppose Living Eggs Facebook group, Edgar's Mission, PETA Australia).

First, some background information: My experience in early childhood education has taught me that a favourite game between children of this age is the "Who likes...?" survey. Children ask "Who likes (topic or item)?" and they all put their hands up if they like it, and so on. Usually the topic is food and as you can imagine there is a lot of silliness involved and it invariably ends up at "Who likes to eat poo?" This was the game being played in this scenario.

4 children (2 girls and 2 boys) were sitting around a table doing a pasting activity. While working, they were playing the "Who likes to eat...?" game. After a few quick-fire rounds, one boy asked "Who likes to eat chicken?" All of the children put their hands up and giggled. "Who likes to eat baby chicks?" he asked. More giggles and a resounding "Ewww!" from everyone at the table, including the questioner. Next, "Who likes to eat big grown-up chickens?" the boy asked with a smile. The other children's faces were about to break into more laughter but then they faltered, the boy's smile slipped, they all avoided each others eye contact, and their body language indicated awkwardness. "Well... I do sometimes" said one girl, her voice sad. They all silently went back to work before one of them brought up a new subject of conversation.

I found this exchange really sad. Children know in their hearts that eating animals is wrong, there are so many examples of this and it is clear to see everyday if you look, in little exchanges such as these. Yet they are taught by others in society that they should blind their hearts to animals' suffering and the blatant wrongness of ending another's life so that you can indulge in its flesh.

There is so much more that I could say about this issue and so much more that I could pull out from this brief moment in time in the lives of these 4 young children. Instead, I'm going to say nothing. I'm going to leave this moment in time as it is, for you all to see, and ponder in your own minds.

Adelaide Festivities Part 1: Soundwave

Starting with the Tour Down Under in January and running through to Oz Comic-Con in April, Adelaide becomes a very very busy place! Between those times, there's the Adelaide Fringe Festival (and its mini festival - the Adelaide Street Theatre Festival), Adelaide Festival of the Arts, Clipsal 500 V8 racing, WOMADelaide, and numerous music festivals (Big Day out, Day on the Green, Soundwave, Future Music Festival).... I've probably forgotten other things as well. Anyway, you get the picture, very busy time of the year!

As well as seeing a few Fringe shows and attending a few street events, the major events on our festival calender are Soundwave, WOMADelaide, and Oz Comic-Con. First up, Soundwave.

For those who don't know, Soundwave is a metal/punk/hardcore/grunge music festival and in Adelaide it is held in one of the many large parks that surround the city. It is almost always extremely hot (last year it was over 40 degrees C) and with so many people walking on the grass it becomes very dusty very quickly. However, this year the weather was very nice, the dust mostly stayed down, and I didn't get sunburned, so it was very pleasant! I also got hugged by a stranger because I was wearing my Black Sabbath concert t-shirt and she was at the same concert and had the same t-shirt at home. Apparently "we are connected now".

I saw Placebo, Alice in Chains, Alterbridge, Living Colour, and Richie Sambora, popped my head in on Korn but got bored and ended up leaving, and watched an hour of Green Day who I've seen before anyway. But my absolute favourite performance and the reason I was there this year was Rob Zombie.

But I digress, this is not a music blog, it is a food blog and a vegan one at that. 'What did you eat Kayla?' I hear you ask, 'do the metal/punk/hardcore/grunge types prove a market for tasty vegan food at their music festivals?' Why yes, being largely cheery anti-establishment types, a large number of Soundwave patrons are vegan or vegetarian meaning that there are plenty of vegan options - not just hot chips! This also means, I learned, that the Sea Shepherd stall is the busiest of all and very hard to get into!

So what did I eat? Well after a hearty breakfast of a large fruit smoothie and baked beans on wholemeal English muffins to set me up for the day, I started with a smoky Cajun tofu wrap:

It was actually really funny because unlike the chicken and beef wraps, the tofu ones were made fresh to order (which is better and the service was really fast anyway). However, I don't think that the people at this particular stall had expected such a demand for veg*n food, in the approximately 4 minutes that I was waiting for mine, 8 other people ordered tofu wraps as well!

When the sun started to shine down in the early afternoon with its strong, burny rays, I relaxed under a tree with a lovely frosty fruits ice-block:

Then in the evening, I filled my hungry belly with a feast of rice, mixed vegetable curry, kofta balls and tomato chutney thanks to the Hare Krishnas:

All in all, an excellent day of food and rocking out.

Happy eating! :)

What I'm drinking: green juices

So recently I blogged about cooking quinoa and dried beans for the first time. It was a shockingly un-vegan admission, that I had never cooked either of these foods before (I'm sure the gasps reverberated across the world as the news spread from vegan forum to vegan forum). Well hold onto your chairs because I'm about to drop another bombshell; I had also never made a green juice or cooked with kale before!

Now don't get me wrong, I'd eaten (and drank) these things before but I'd never actually made them myself. More due to our very very small student wages than anything else. Recently though, a lot of work has flowed my way and consequently the death-grip on our food budget has relaxed slightly. This means that we are now able to buy a whole load of different fruits at once, and at the same time, our local Woolworths has recently begun to stock kale. Yay!

So finally I was able to experiment with green juices. I didn't play around with the 'green things' (just stuck to the kale for the initial flavour experiments), but hopefully in future I can explore that as well. I did vary the types of fruit and fruit juices I put in though (note to self: don't use strawberries as the redness mixing with the green-ness makes for an unappetising brown-ness), and this one is my favourite so far:

1 banana

Large handful of blueberries

Large handful of kale

Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon

A bit of water

Another thing I experimented with was adding 3-4 tablespoons of cocoa powder to this particular juice (and leaving out the lemon juice). It was really yummy and would be great to try if you have little ones with an aversion to green juices!

I think that this would also be great with a bit of ginger added. Your could even make a ginger tea by boiling some grated ginger in water, straining the ginger out, putting the tea in the fridge, and then using that instead of water. I might have to try that myself actually!

I've been having these juices for breakfast and following them up with baked beans on an English muffin. I feel that my energy levels have really improved and so has my mood, ah the wonders of fresh produce!

Happy drinking! :)

What I'm eating: a variety of fruit!

While we normally buy bananas, apples, and even occasionally grapes, buying a whole bunch of fruit is usually beyond our means, and expensive fruit such as berries are rarely, if ever, within our financial reach. Our meager student wages allow us to scrape by with just the staples, and a few of the cheaper fruits and vegetables. Sadly I must say that at the harshest of times whole days go by where we do not eat any fruits or vegetables at all (which is why we eat at our parents' houses once a week!).

However, I've recently had an influx of work (and thus an influx of money, hooray!) meaning that we can now afford to buy some grocery items that were previously luxuries, such as a variety of fruit! This has also led to some interesting explorations and discoveries, namely my newly acquired taste for blueberries.

I've always hated blueberries, all berries except strawberries for that matter (which aren't actually berries anyway!), but something made me decide to give them another shot. Wow, now I love blueberries! It just goes to show, you can't try a food enough times because your taste palate is always developing and changing.

A current favourite is overnight oats (I double the recipe) topped with blueberries, strawberries, and amber agave syrup.

I've also been enjoying fruit salads, such as this one of watermelon, rock melon, honey dew melon, strawberries, red seedless grapes, banana, mango, and blue berries - topped with coconut yoghurt and passion fruit. Talk about eating a rainbow!

These may seem like small, inconsequential and everyday foods for some people, but I have to say that I feel like a queen being able to go to the supermarket and load up my trolley with a whole heap of fruit just because it's yummy! Every time I eat it, it feels like such a treat and every time I open my fridge I smile at all the fresh produce in there.

Too bad that uni goes back in a week and so the money will dry up. Enjoy it while it lasts I say! This is my last year of uni (finally!) and so hopefully this time next year eating a fruit salad won't be such an exciting occasion!

Happy eating! :)

Superheroes and the vegan lifestyle

My partner, Jeff, is a big comic book fan, Spider-man being the absolute favourite. While sitting on the lounge last night, I had a sudden realization; that one of the most famous quotes from the Spider-man comics, the creed that he lives by if you will, 'With great power comes great responsibility', is a very vegan message.

When one has the power to extinguish life and cause pain, one also has the responsibility to protect that life. When one has the ability to recognize and avoid actions that cause pain and suffering to others, one has the responsibility to do so.

Believing that I couldn't possibly be the first person to notice the parallels between the messages of Spider-man and the vegan lifestyle, I took to the internet and found Go vegan save the world: 8 similarities between animal rights activists and superheroes by Vegan Rabbit. This essay makes for an interesting and engaging read, especially if you have children who love superheroes (as I'm sure ours will!), and could lead to some great discussions with children.

Mexibowls - a dinner of firsts!

Last night I decided to try a delicious-looking recipe for a 'mexibowl' which I found here on Vegan Eats and Treats (the second one).

As shocking as it may sound for me to admit this, this was the first time I had ever cooked quinoa (apart from an instant packet one once) and it was the first time I ever cooked using dried beans. Yes, I know! How have I got to this stage in my life and never done either of those things? The answer is because I was scared. I was scared that it would be too hard, it would take too long, and I might mess it up.

To cook the quinoa, I found some great instructions at The Kitchn and followed them religiously! I cooked it in Massal Chicken Stock (which is vegan, obviously), and it was the best quinoa I've ever had! I could have eaten a whole bowl of it just by itself.

I was planning on just using a tin of black beans, as suggested in the recipe, but I couldn't find them anywhere, tinned or otherwise! After having a look online, it seems that tinned black beans are near impossible to get in Australia, and dried ones are hard to find as well. After looking around a couple of supermarkets, I instead settled for dried adjuki beans (also known as azuki beans). Having never cooked with dried beans before, I thought it would be a really drawn out experience, but after researching how best to cook them, everything fell into place.

After soaking the beans for 2 hours (and going away and reading), I boiled them for an hour (and read some more), then just cooked the rest of dinner as if I were using tinned beans. It was so much easier than I had imagined. I mean, yes it does take more time, but when I'm home anyway, it doesn't inconvenience me at all.

After years of avoiding cooking with these two very popular foods, I now don't know what I was so afraid of! Dinner was delicious and I will definitely be cooking quinoa again, and using dried beans!

PS - another first: the recipe suggests using lime juice in the guacamole, I've never done this before so I tried it and it was yummy.

Happy eating! :)

Frogs' eggs (AKA sago pudding)

When I was little, this dessert was one of my favourites. Frogs eggs! With a name like that, how could anyone not be intrigued? The look and the texture really was just what I imagined frogs' eggs to be and it absolutely delighted me. However, it was a rare treat as my mother always said that it was too much work to make. Recently though, I remembered frogs' eggs and discovered that it is actually quite easy to make! Hmm... my mother has a lot to answer for... Go on, leap in and give frogs' eggs a try! I also dare you to find a child who won't eat it, or at least try it (and sometimes that's a victory in itself!)

Here is my veganized recipe for frogs' eggs, known to most people as sago pudding. Sago are small, white starchy balls that can be purchased from the supermarket or a health food store. They're also known as tapioca pearls and turn clear when cooked.

Serves: 2 large serves or 4 smaller serves

1 cup sago
3 cups water
1 cup coconut milk
4 tbsp castor sugar

1. Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the sago, stir well, and reduce heat to low. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

2. Add the coconut milk and sugar, stir well, and heat back to a simmer. Simmer for 5-10 minutes until sago balls are completely clear.

I like to eat this dessert hot, but it will actually become a solid jelly-ish substance if chilled in the fridge. This makes it great for moulding and means that it can be made ahead of time and presented in a really impressive way. When cold, it's nice with fruit or any number of syrups and is perfect for a summery dessert.

Happy eating! :)

What I'm eating: chocolate peanut butter cake

It's that time of year again, Jeff's birthday which will shortly be followed by my birthday. For his birthday cake this year, Jeff chose a chocolate peanut butter cake from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Joy of Vegan Baking. The recipe is for cupcakes but I just made it in a big cake tin and doubled the cooking time.

Well, the cake is absolutely delicious but the chocolate peanut butter frosting that goes with it is divine! We have some icing left over too... probably not for long...

Happy eating! :)

Warm banana and chocolate dessert recipe

Ok, I know that this looks really gross but hear me out... it's not.

Now anyone who reads this blog will know that I'm a big fan of chocolate and comfort foods, so of course chocolate comfort foods are the highest tier of deliciousness in my book. This recipe is one that I dreamed up recently and it is a new favourite to eat snuggled on the lounge with a blanket and a movie. I like to think that this dessert is also a healthy dessert... it does have bananas in it after all... that makes it healthy, right?

Serves 1

1 large banana
Vegan choc-chips (I use Sweet William)

1. Cut banana in half length-ways and arrange in a bowl like a banana split.

2. Sprinkle with choc-chips and microwave on high for 2 minutes.

3. Stir and enjoy.

Happy eating! :)

Chocolate cheesecake recipe

Greetings one and all! I have not posted for quite a while as I have been working on a research project. However, I now find myself with a couple of hours free and so I thought I'd make up for my absence by posting an amazing chocolate cheesecake recipe slightly adapted from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's fabulous and never-fail cookbook - The Joy of Vegan Baking.

Makes one 23cm cheesecake

For the filling
Egg replacer made up to the equivalent of 4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1 cup vegan 'milk' chocolate chips (I use Sweet William brand)
690g soy cream cheese (at room temperature)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For the base
1 cup crushed vegan cookies (I use Ogran Outback Animals Chocolate Biscuits which I get from Coles/Woolworths and use a food processor to crumble them)
1/4 cup Nuttelex, melted

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and lightly oil a springform cake tin.

2. In a bowl, mix together the cookie crumbs and melted Nuttelex until will blended. Firmly press mixture into the bottom of the cake tin. Set aside.

3. Using a food processor, whip the egg replacer and the water together until it's thick and creamy. Set aside.

4. In a large bowl and using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and egg replacer mixture until smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

5. Melt the chocolate chips either in the microwave or using a bain-marie. Add melted chocolate and vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture and blend thoroughly.

6. Pour mixture into the springform tin with prepared crust and bake for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely. Transfer to a serving plate, cover with cling-wrap, and chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, though preferably overnight.

7. Eat, and eat, and eat that absolutely delicious cake!

Happy eating! :)

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! :)