Excuses..and some photos to make up for it!

I haven’t been a very good blogger. Vegan MoFo was a total fail. I had keyhole cholecystectomy (gallbladder surgery) in November, and was off food for a while. Also, I moved back to NZ, I’m at University in Dunedin to ursue my goal of studying Forensic Science. But I still love food!! I’m thinking of doing some poor student recipe posts..since I’m a poor student now.

Here are a few photos of pre-student food adventures:

Panko-Stuffed Portobello Mushroom

Cherry Ripe Chocolate Cake

Tempeh Bacon and Banana-Maple Pancakes

Vegan Lasagne

Here’s my recipe for yummy vegan lasagne..

Lasagne:

1 medium brown onion

2 cloves garlic

2 c red lentils

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 c water

4 T olive oil

1 red capsicum

1 large zucchini

1 t dried thyme

1 t dried marjoram

salt and pepper to taste

approx. 6 vegan lasagne sheets

Bechamel Sauce:

2 c soy milk

2 T cornflour

1/2 c nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius. Heat the olive oil in a pot, dice the onion and fry until soft and translucent. Crush garlic and add to onions, fry for 2 mins while stirring. Add dried herbs and stir. Add red lentils and canned tomatoes, then add the water. Stir and bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 mins. Dice the capsicum and add to the lentils. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for another 10-15 mins. Make sure there’s enough water so it doesn’t stick to the bottom and remains saucy.

While waiting, heat 1 cup of the soy milk in a saucepan, do not boil.  Disolve the cornflour in the other cup of soy milk and add to the saucepan. When heated, add the nutritional yeast and stir. Simmer gently until the desired consistency is achieved.

When the lentils and sauce are done, take a square/rectangular baking dish, add lentils, lasagne sheets, lentils, bechamel sauce..etc in that order to the top, finishing with lentils. Peel the zucchini and slice into long, thin strips with the peeler. Arrange the slices on top, like cheese. Or you can add cheez if you’d like. Bake in oven for 15-20 mins until lasagne is soft.

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Dark Chocolate-Ginger Birthday Cake

This is a divine moist and flavoursome chocolate cake that I’ve adapted from Easy Vegan Cooking by Leah Leneman. I’ve baked this for 2 birthdays so far, including my mum’s. For the frosting I used Dutch cocoa powder instead of regular dull supermarket cocoa. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is less acidic, darker, sophisticated and more mellow than the other stuff. It is also way cheaper when you buy it at a bulk-store.

Here you can see the difference between regular cocoa powder (top) and Dutch-processed cocoa powder (bottom).

I also added almond essence to the cake mix before baking because it brings out the flavour of the chocolate. I used a mixture of grated ginger (from the jar), icing sugar and vegan margarine to sandwich the 2 layers. I decorated the top with frosting and crystalized ginger.

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Vegan Smoothie for Breakfast?

Smoothies. It’s the ultimate healthy/convenient breakfast food.  Even for lunch, dinner or as an energizing snack during the day.

I don’t like eating in the morning, especially if I’m up early or in a rush. I like smoothies for breakfast, because they’re fast and easy to prepare and you can gulp them down in time to catch the bus. All you need is a blender,  some fruit and an imagination. You can experiment with all kinds of flavour combinations, fruits, green leafy veges, yogurt, spices, juice. (Although, I did put turmeric in a smoothie once and I do not recommend it!)  One of my favourites consists of: banana, soy milk/yogurt, cinnamon and matcha (green tea powder).

I had this one for dinner tonight: frozen mixed berries, soy milk, cranberry juice, fresh strawberries, kiwifruit, acai berry powder and LSA mix.

Vegan MOFO III

The third Vegan Month of Food will be here very soon! Spanning across the entire month of October, my blog will be updated with vegan-y goodness every day. So get ready.. stay tuned.. watch this space and all that stuff.

Muffins!

Mmmm muffins, one of the few things worth waking up for..

I had 2 over-ripe oranges so I made these Orange Choc Chip Muffins that I adapted from a non-vegan recipe.  I love the orange aroma and the way the choc chips melt as you eat them straight from the oven.

Orange Choc Chip Muffins:

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

2 Tbsp orange zest

1 cup semi-sweet vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius or 400 degrees fahrenheit. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a medium sized bowl. Combine orange juice, orange zest, oil and sugar in another bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just moistened. Do not overmix. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill muffin tray and bake for 20 mins.

I also made these.. one of my favourite muffin recipes from Veganomicon;  Applesauce Oat Bran Muffins.  They’re healthy and full of fiber and yummy cranberries. They’re made with freshly ground spices so they smell awesome when you break them open and sniff them. Yes, I sniff muffins. Leave me alone.

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Natural Instinct

In my quest for going all-natural, I stumbled upon Natural Instinct one day in a local pharmacy. I bought the body wash because it smelled so good, now I’m hooked. After my Organic Care  scalp-care shampoo ran out today (which, by the way I was not too impressed with, because 1) it still contains SLS! and 2) the regular organic care shampoo and conditioner is better.) I decided to invest in Organic Instinct Shampoo & Conditioner – a bit pricey though at $11.95 each for 500mL and $19.95 for 1L. It contains pure essential oils and organic herbs, with no harmful SLS, parabens, animal products or artificial anything. Plus it’s not tested on animals. They don’t just have body wash and shampoo..they also have cleaning products and sunscreen!