VeganMoFo 2016 #25: Creamed Corn Pizza

25th: Vegan Memories – What was your first vegan meal? Or the one you remember the most?

I am pretty terrible, I have no idea what my first vegan meal was. I had a couple of failed attempts at veganism, but then decided that third time would be a charm. I went off to do prac work and took only vegan food with me (well, what I thought was vegan food, I am sure there were ingredients in there that I didn't yet know about). But I don't really remember what that food was. Or what most of my first vegan meals were. I do remember that there was a potato soup I used to make a lot when I first started using my cookbooks, and there was also a lasagna I used to make (with Kingland vegan cheese... oh, it has a special place in my heart.) But then I remembered something way more fun.

I am going to go back even further in time for a few years, to when I became vegetarian. Because I certainly remember the first thing that I ate when I went vegetarian. I went vegetarian for ethical reasons, but it would still be three years before I realised that eggs and dairy were horrible, that vegans aren't extreme, and that I can indeed live without cheese. Though these days there is so much fabulous vegan cheese available, I enjoy cheese far more than I ever have before!

What was the first meal? I made a pizza. And while I don't remember exactly everything that was on the pizza, I remember that I put creamed corn on it. Because creamed corn is pretty delicious. I am pretty sure the rest of the ingredients on the pizza would have been vegan, except for the cheese. But that is an easy fix these days! So here is my vegan creamed corn pizza.

I bought a pizza base from the shops (they are not that great, but I didn't have time to make one from scratch), and I used creamed corn as my sauce for the base. I topped this with some juicy slices of portobello, my favourite trashy black olives, and some pineapple. I am a devoted pineapple on pizza fan. I don't care what you say! I sprinkled a whole bunch of Daiya Mozzarella, and baked.

It was really good, in a fabulous trashy kind of way. Go me! I think I have not eaten creamed corn on pizza since that day, but I think it should make a more regular appearance as a pizza topping from now on.





What is your pineapple on pizza stance? (The correct answer is that you are for pineapple on pizza.)

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



So we come to our final cycle through kitties of my life. There are only six days left, so I will just be sharing the six who are no longer with me. Dim Sim and Sahara are still very much right here! I refer to this photo of Mo as her 'glamour shot'! Mo was with us for 10 years, before a tragic accident took her from us. I credit this black beauty with kick-starting my life long love of cats, which spilled over into my love of animals. So probably Mo can take credit for me being a vegan today. A pretty good effort for a little black cat.

VeganMoFo 2016 #17: Shades of Brown

17th: Something Rare – What colour do you rarely eat? Make something that colour!

I eat a lot of different colours quite regularly, I love colourful meals. Though definitely some more than others. I had already used pink for my sad attempt at a monochrome meal, and it was also the base of my multicolour meal. Maybe I don't use so much yellow, but I had just used that for my colour contrast meal. I do eat brown food, but probably not that much and certainly only as a smaller part of a meal. So the only thing for it was to just eat a whole bunch of brown food all day long. For MoFo.

After a breakfast of peanut butter on toast, I turned my thoughts to lunch. Foodmill is a local company that makes pies, sausage rolls and other baked goods. I recently picked up a bunch of their frozen pies on special, so decided to give the Mushroom Pie a go. Served with some HP sauce, for maximum brown. The verdict? Meh. Unfortunately the filling of the pie lacked that really mushroom flavour that I was after. I have another four flavours of pie in the freezer, but in future I will stick to their absolutely delicious custard tarts.





My afternoon snack was much better. I was in Melbourne at the beginning of the month (I will have full posts of all the food I ate down there once MoFo is over), and I brought home a chocolate croissant from Smith & Deli. They make the greatest croissants! So flaky, so buttery. I just wish there was a bit more chocolate filling.



I'll admit, dinner did deviate from the entirely brown theme. But I won't talk about that here, that was for another MoFo prompt!

But then I was back on track for dessert. I picked up a couple of bars of Seed & Bean chocolate in Melbourne, and got another couple as a birthday gift from my friend Jess. Chocolate is brown! I ate the Monsieur Truffle one, which was nice and crunchy from the little toffee bits inside a nice dark chocolate.



What is your favourite brown food?

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



A photo of a young Mo, my first ever cat. Apparently she loved to sit on her 'lap blanket', which was an old towel.

VeganMoFo 2016 #9: Ethiopian (African Menu from Vegan Without Borders)

9th: Something Different – Cook a cuisine you’ve never tried before. Or, one you don’t make often enough.

I think I am the only vegan left who has not tried Ethiopian food. It isn't anything against it, it's just the the opportunity has never arisen. I have planned to go a couple of times, but things have come up. So today's challenge was the perfect chance to try and make some myself! Sticking with my trusty Vegan Without Borders, I noticed that the main dishes from the African Menu were all Ethiopian, so it seemed like fate.

Injera: My first time making injera was also my first time eating injera, so I didn't really know what to expect. I fermented it for two days (the recipe recommends 1-3 days, with longer being better), and it had a sharp, yeasty smell. Mine didn't go very big, I know they are normally huge so you can put lots of things on them. Taste-wise, they had a faint beer taste. And mine turned out very dark, but that was just the colour that my teff flour was. They were good with the things scooped up in them, though didn't love it on their own. I need to eat some that I didn't make to know if I got the flavour right.
Rating: :| (it was fine, but I am just not sure if I got it right)



Spicy Lemon Chickpeas (Fasting Eggs): This was described as ;like an Ethiopian-spiced lemony hummus, only better'. The chickpeas are mashed and mixed with the seasoning. I used a chopped scallion in place of the red onion (raw onions are not my friend), and I left out the jalapeno. So, given that I just used a teeny sprinkle of chili powder, they weren't really spicy. But that is how I like it. This was lemony and tangy and yummy.
Rating: :)



Chickpea and Kale Wat: This was a tasty stew, with onion, carrots, chickpeas and kale, plus yummy spices. I made mine very mild, of course. There is not a lot of liquid in the finished dish, so it makes it the right consistency for scooping up with injera without getting too sloppy. I made a half batch of this, which will make 2-3 serves depending on if you are serving it alone or with the rest of the menu
Rating: :)



All piled onto a plate!



Caakiri Pudding with Pineapple: This is not an Ethiopian dessert, but it was with the rest of the menu so I may as well! This dessert ended up kind of like dessert soup, it was very liquid. I am not sure if that is how it was meant to be. First up, because I was cooking for my gluten-avoiding brother, I used some GF couscous. It turns out the GF couscous is corn-based. I found the recipe calls for way too much water for cooking the couscous (I had to drain mine after, even with the switch to GF couscous the basic couscous:water ratio on the packet was the same as if for wheat). Right after soaking, the corn couscous was still a bit crunchy when I added it to the rest of the ingredients (vanilla yoghurt, oat milk pineapple and spices). However, I had made it early in the day, so it softened up nicely while waiting for dessert. It was perhaps a little firmer in texture than regular couscous, but it was still nice. I loved the almonds and mint as garnishes, the mint I think is essential to finish the dish. (Side note, I am totally wondering if I can use the corn couscous as grits for my US recipes, as it is coarser than polenta and I can't find grits here).
Rating: :)



I had a fun time putting the menu together. It was pretty simple and turned out to be a lovely spread. I just need to eat some actual injera and then practice some more!

Have you had Ethiopian food much?

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



We are circling back around to the start of my kitty all star line up. Back to sweet Mo, my first cat. It is a tough life being the cat of very young person, but thankfully Mo was always very tolerant of my youthful and enthusiastic hugs!

VeganMoFo 2016 #1: Pizza party!

1st: Your favourite food – What is your favourite food? Make it and share!

Hello everyone and welcome to VeganMoFo 2016! I am so excited to be taking part in another great year of vegan food fun times on the internet. This year, I am going to be following along with the daily prompts again. I had a lot of fun with them last year! I'll be sharing a mix of round ups, eating out and cookbook fun times this month, so I hope you enjoy!

For the first day, they ask us to share our favourite food. This is hard, because I love many many many foods! But there is one that I am always excited about (even though I don't have it very often... I must change this). When everyone was arguing about tacos vs burritos last year (I am burrito, sorry tacos), I knew there was one food that could eclipse them all.

Pizza! Is there anything really that is better? You can put anything on a pizza, so any other favourite food can be turned into a delicious topping. And then you can eat it as a pizza. And then the next day you can eat the leftovers cold, which is something I love about pizza. People who reheat their leftover pizza... why you so strange?

I am sharing a short round up of some of my favourite pizzas, both purchased and made. But there are so many more I could share!

One pizza I dream about on a regular basis is the Melanzane Pizza from Gigi in Sydney. This pizza is life changing! So delicious, so simple, so needs to be in my mouth right now! I've had it three times (once at each visit) and it never disappoints.



Last year when I went to Austin for VVC, I was so excited to try the Detroit-style pizza from Via 313. I got their classic cheese pizza (with vegan cheese), and it was really delicious. Definitely lived up to the hype!



Here is one I made, the Broccoli and Cheddar pizza from Vegan Pizza by Julie Hasson. If you love pizza you need this book! It has my go-to dough recipe in it.



I love Seattle, and if you love pizza and are in Seattle you must visit Pizza Pi! Last time I got their Mac and Yeese (mac and cheese, Yves canadian bacon), and I added pineapple and black olive to it to make a Mac and Cheese Hawaiian pizza... so trashy, so delicious!



And of course, one cannot forget Sizzle Pie! This delicious pizza was worth burning my mouth for at 1am after a late flight into Portland. And now they have a shop in Seattle as well!



Oh pizza, I love you! There are a few places in Brisbane that have vegan pizza that I am very keen to go and try out. I will report back when they do!

What is your favourite pizza topping? Do you love cold leftover pizza as much as I do?

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



For this year's MoFo kitty theme, I thought I would share with you all the beautiful cats who have shared my life. There are eight in total, from my very first kitty through to my current beloveds. That very first kitty was called Mo, and she was a beautiful little black cat. She is responsible for my love of cats, and for my soft spot for black cats!

VeganMoFo 2011 #23: '1000 Vegan Recipes'

1000 Vegan Recipes
Robin Robertson, John Wiley & Sons, 2009



(Can you see Gizmo's foot in this picture as well?)

Welcome to thunderdome. 1000 vegan recipes, all in one book. I don't know if there is a larger vegan cookbook out there? You've read how much I loved Vegan Planet, so this book was always going to be mine. I ordered it off the Book Depository, and was so excited when it came. The book is a hardcover, and what you see above is the book in its nifty little dust jacket. This looks odd to me, because I use the book so often that I don't keep the jacket on it. In fact, I have been through this book so many times that parts of the binding have come away - I love that!

Some people find this book intimidating... so many recipes, where to even start? Don't be intimidated, just jump on it. You have to start somewhere, so pick something that catches your fancy and you will be on your way. I am hoping to one day make all 1000 of the recipes, so far I have made just over 25% of them.

The book is divided into an Introduction (including much of the usual about vegan diets), the recipe chapters, an index of fast recipes, menus (yay!), resources, recommended reading and an appendix. There are so many sections for each chapter, I thought I'd list in dot points to give you a better idea of the book.

*Appetizers and Snacks: Snacks, Dips and Spreads, Cold Appetizers, Hot Appetizers
*Salads: Leafy Green Salads, Vegetable Salads, Potato Salads and Slaws, Bean, Grain and Pasta Salads, Fruit Salads, Salad Dressings
*Sandwiches, Pizza, and More: Sandwiches and Wraps, Burgers, Fajitas and Burritos, Pizzas, Calzonies, Strombole, and Turnovers,
*Soups: Vegetable Broths, Clear Broth Soups, Hearty Soups, Creamy Soups, Cold Soups
*Pasta and Noodles: Pasta and Noodles, Pasta with Tomatoes, Pasta with Pesto, Pasta with Vegetables and More, Lasagne Eight Ways, Baked and Beyond, Stuffed Pasta and Dumplings, Asian Noodles
*Main Dishes: Beans, Grains, Tofu and Tempeh, Seitan, Vegetables, Stuffed Vegetables
*Vegetable Side Dishes
*Breads: Yeast Breads, Quick Breads, Biscuits, Muffins, and Scones, Flat Breads, Crakers
*Desserts: Cookies, Brownies and little Bites, Cakes and Cheesecakes, Pies, Tarts, Crisps and Cobblers, Puddings and Parfaits, Fruit Desserts, Nice Creams, Sorbets and Granitas, Dessert Sauces and Frostings
*Breakfast and Brunch: Breakfast Casserole, Frittatas, and More, Pancakes, Waffles, and French Toast, Cereals, Breakfast Sides
*Sauces, Relishes, and Condiments: Brown Sauces, Tomato-Based Sauces, Other Savoury Sauces, No-Cook Sauces, Chutneys, Pestos, Salsas, Condiments and Relishes, Marinades and Rubs

So, I have posted about a zillion photos already from this book. What I will do here is show photos of five star recipes I haven't posted before. I will have a list of all my other five star recipes below as well. Remember, five stars just means my absolute favourites, there are many excellent recipes in this book. My four star rating means still very good!

Smoky Chipotle-Pinto Hummus


This is a delicious, smoky bean dip. Is perfect with tortilla chips. It would also be great on nachos with some guacamole and sour cream.

Cheezy Cashew-Roasted Red Pepper Toasts


I made this the other day for an event I was having (will post more on that after MoFo) and it was the hit of the show! I know what you are thinking... Susan used capsicum? Well, yes... occasionally I enjoy roasting it and blending it up into other things. It doesn't taste bad then and it doesn't hurt my stomach. This spread is OUTSTANDING! A trillion stars! I took the cheater route here and found some cute vegan mini melba toasts to serve with it instead of making toast shapes. MAKE THIS! (Left over spread is also great stirred through quinoa with some broccoli and tofu!)

Indonesian-Style Potato Salad


Two of my favourite things - potatoes and peanut sauce. Yum!

Summer Berries with Fresh Mint


This is very sweet and refreshing. Cherries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries in a tangy, minty dressing.

Creamy Tahini Dressing





This is a great dressing, very thick and delicious. And also used to make the Best. Salad. Ever. Quinoa, baby spinach leaves, grape tomatoes, olives, roasted cauliflowers and smoked tofu chunks all mixed up with this.

Beans Bourguingnon


This is great with crusty bread rolls.

Country-Fried Tofu with Golden Gravy


I made this one cold winter's night when comfort food was in order. The gravy here is delicious! I only 'country-fried' some of the tofu, the rest I pan-fried.

"Ka-Pow" Tofu


This recipe makes use of Nothin' Fishy Nam Pla, another recipe in 1000 Vegan Recipes. The Thai basil is beautiful here. Use carrots instead of capsicum, and serve over rice with greens.

Creole Tempeh


This simple sauce is delicious. Served with rice and greens.

Seitan Pot Roast


I made this one Sunday, and I felt so domestic putting a beautiful pot roast on the table! I reduced the cooking liquid afterwards to make a delicious sauce. The prepared horseradish on the side is great too. I served this with Baby Spinach with Lemon and Garlic, also from the book.

Seitan and Broccoli Shiitake Stir-Fry


This is a really simple stir-fry, but it is amazeballs.

Seitan Noodle Casserole


So yummy. I cooked the pasta towards to end so it was still fresh and hot when mixed it. It bakes up beautifully.

Mango-Cashew Balls


This is one of the suggested variations on the Apricot-Walnut Balls. They are heavenly.

Orange-Coconut Cake


This beautiful cake is HUGE! 9 x 13 inches. So you may want to halve it. On the other hand, I would suggest making all of it so then you can eat more! I made this for a friend's birthday this year. The icing is a cream cheese based coconut and orange concoction. This is a version of Ambrosia cake, and Robyn mentions that she leaves off the tinned mandarin segments because she doesn't like them. I kind of do like them, in a trashy way, so they could be cute here!

Scrambled Tofu with Chiles and Salsa


A great tasting way to start the day/ The tofu scramble keeps well, so you can make up a batch and then reheat it over a few days. Avocado makes a great additions here too.

Two very special mentions need to go to these two recipes, even though I have already blogged them before.

Soy-Glazed Tofu


You know when you need a tasty protein side but you didn't think ahead to marinate some tofu overnight? This will give you deliciously flavoured tofu in an hour. A very simple marinade is heated up and poured over the tofu slices, left for half an hour and then baked for half an hour. The marinade is simple but very yummy, and will suit any sort of cuisine. It is also great in salads or sandwiches. Just this week I took some of this chopped to work just as a snack. I have made this so many times, you will too!

Tempeh Bacon


Robyn makes tempeh bacon almost instant here - no need to marinade, so it is ideal when you tempeh bacon in a flash.

Here are the names of other five-star recipes that I have already blogged:
Lemony Rice-Stuffed Grape Leaves
French Onion Pastry Puffs
Chopped Salad
White Bean and Broccoli Salad with Parsley-Walnut Pesto
Puttanesca Seitan and Spinach Salad
Eight Treasure Barley Salad
Ginger Soy Vinaigrette
Cheezy Tomato Macaroni
Sesame Soba Noodles
Autumn Medley Stew
Green Tea Rice with Lemon Snow Peas and Tofu
Millet, Chard, and White Bean Casserole
Ginger-Peanut Tempeh
Rustic Cottage Pie
Sesame-Baked Vegetables
Asparagus Dijon
Creamy Cauliflower
Corn Fritters
Shiitake Snow Pea Stir-Fry
Rosemary Fingerling Potatoes with Caramelized Shallots
Chocolate-Rum Coffee Cake
Vegan Tiramisu
Pan-Fried Spuds
Basic Brown Sauce
Vegan Aioli
Spiced Tomato and Peach Relish
Ginger-Soy Marinade

Phew! As always, to see more photos of food I have made, you can click on the 1000 Vegan Recipes tag at the bottom of this post, or click on a photo to go to my flickr site, and click on the 1000 Vegan Recipes tag there.

Overall this is a great book! There is something for everyone in here, and it is full of great meal ideas that will keep you entertained for a long time!

(% 1000 Vegan Recipes Blogged: 17%) <- a running tally of how many recipes from this book have appeared on my blog!

There are a few other blogs dedicated to this mighty book:

My Adventures Testing 1000 Vegan Recipes
Cooking From 1000 Vegan Recipes - has not been updated for a while, but lots of good pictures and comments.

Do you have 1000 Vegan Recipes? How many recipes have you made?

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post


Another trip down memory lane. This is a baby me, showing my love for cats at an early age with my first kitty Mo.

Vegan MoFo 2011 #5: 'How It All Vegan'

How It All Vegan
Tanya Barnard and Sarah Kramer, Arsenal Pulp Press, 1999




I am sure many of us came across this book during out vegan beginnings. I found this book one day at Glebooks on Glebe Point Road in Sydney, and promptly bought it. Then I spent the afternoon back at uni reading it between lectures.

The book is a paperback, and its size and shape means it stays open easily. There are no photos of recipes. Contents include Introduction (including the stories of how the authors became vegan), Alternatives and Substitutions, Vegan Milk and Beverages, Vegan Soups and Stews, Vegan Salads and Dressing, Vegan Sauces and Spreads, Vegan Side Dishes, Vegan Entrees, Vegan Breads and Muffins, Vegan Desserts, Vegan Odds and Sods, Vegan Kids Stuff and Vegan House and Home. The appendix includes a list of non-vegan ingredients that often lurk in food.

Amusing anecdote time: In Australia, we call appetisers entrees, and then we have main courses. So when I was first looking at the contents of this book, I was confused why there weren't any main courses, and why the entrees were so large! Now, of course, I know that entrees = mains, and the world makes sense again!

Now, onto some of my favourites.

Aunt Bonnie's Lively Lentil Stew


This is one of my mother's favourite dishes of all time, and is frequently requested. It is easy to make, smells great on the stove and delivers a warming and filling dinner. Great on a cold night.

Vegetable Pasta Salad


Sometimes the simple things are the best, and this delicious pasta salad proves that. It is deliciously fresh tasting, packed with zucchini, green onion, peas (my substition for icky capsicum), tomato, snow peas and fresh herbs (but you could add whatever you wished). The salad is then tossed with faux parmesan cheese (or just use nooch), which puts you in pasta salad heaven!

Hole Moly Hummus


This is a great hummus recipe - it is packed full of flavour. Onions and loads of garlic are sauteed lightly before being blended into the mix, which really seems to add something special.

Roasted Garlic Potatoes


A fairly straight forward and simple recipe, but totally delicious.

Brilliant Baked Beans


I like this recipe, but I am including it in the superstar photo line up because my mother (who loves baked beans) loves this recipe. It was her most asked for baked bean recipe for ages (though it has since been displaced by the recipe in Vegan Planet). It is very saucy, and not sweet at all, which I like.

Parmesan Crusted Veggie Sandwiches


Hello delicious sandwich. Packed with mayo, mustard, avocado, tomato and sprouts in the inside. Then the outside is coated with a cheesy mixture and it is fried until crisp and golden.

Blue Banana Muffins


My notes for this read 'so very amazing', and that they are. I threw in some more blueberries than asked for to make it extra berry. I think just by looking you can tell that these are pretty awesome! I haven't made any banana baked goods for ages because the cost of bananas has been ridiculously high in Australia of late.

Chocolate Rice Crispy Squares


Oh my, these are fantastic. These were the first rice crispies I ever made as a vegan. The recipe is made in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Amusingly, it says it makes 6 large or 12 small bars. I don't know what sort of sugar tolerance these people have, but I cut it into 60 small bars, and nibbling on one of those was just right!

Here are a few more five star recipes that I don't have photos of:

Kieran's Favourite Rice
Ginger Bread
Zucchini Bread
Original Pepper Tofu Jerky

OK, so this book is generally pretty good. Most of the recipes I made were fine, though few were outstanding. I also found some of the recipes a bit bland. I tried making the burgers in here and they did not stick together well. I also tried making the cream cheese recipe in here and I am not sure exactly what happened, but it was fairly inedible. The baking section is pretty solid, however.

Do you like to read cookbooks like novels when you get them?

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



This is a photo of my first every kitty Mo. She was very tolerant of young Susan.