VeganMoFo #7: Recipe Round-Up - Getting toasty warm with The New Vegan (and BSG rave)

Just squeezing in a post for today. The reason being that I have just spent my evening watching the finale for Battlestar Galactica - finally! OK, this is going be a food post but first let me geek out a little bit. I am a science fiction and genre TB geek. I was introduced to BSG by my television mentor Brendan (seriously, the man has the most outrageously spot on taste in TV shows) sometime during my last year in Sydney. I had seen a few episodes late night on normal TV, but if you haven't started watching from the beginning it is way too confusing. It is, however, one of the best and most incredible shows ever. The arc of the story is phenomenal, and absolutely everything pays off. A couple of months ago I bought my limited edition shiny black box of the complete series, but I hadn't seen the final three episodes yet. I then introduced it to my mother and my brother, both now firm BSG fans (yay), and we have been doing a BSG marathon ever since. The moral of this story is: Go and by the complete series of BSG. Now. Don't accidentally get the old one though, because that is lame. The new one - one of the best things you'll ever see!

Now, where was I... oh yes! Food! So, today I am going to be talking about some recipes from The New Vegan. I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with this book. Or a like-hate relationship. I have made some food stuff from it, but pretty much every second recipe reads like an omni recipe but with the word 'veggie' written in front of the pork/lamb/shrimp/cheese whatever. Super heavy on the processed stuff! Also, one of the recipes called for bonito flakes, which last time I checked was fish. So, hmmmm....

But as I said, I have made some nice stuff from it. Some of that nice stuff has been in the form of some damn tasty toasted/grilled sandwiches, a few of which I present to you today!'


Portobello Mushroom Sandwiches are delicious. Rather than being a whole fried portobello, there is a mixture of mushroom, basil, balsamic vinegar and (if you want to) red capsicum. On bread with mayo, parsley, mozzarella, lettuce and tomato. Nom-tastic!


The Monte Cristo 2000 is a fairly simple combination of cheese, vegetable seasoning and faux turkey slices (though I used Redwoods Cheatin' Chicken) sandwiched between bread. The entire sandwich is then fried in parsley butter until golden on both sides. With a classy cherry tomato skewered through the middle. And some fries on the side (there was some salad too).


Ahh, the classic Grilled Cheese Sandwich, a classic. It really doesn't need a recipe, but I must make as many recipes as I can! This one sprinkles vegetable seasoning into the sandwich, which makes it quite salty. This sandwich is also fried in Nuttelex. I enjoy my grilled cheese sandwiches on the side of some delicious soup - often tomato!


This delectable concoction is a Rancho Scripps Patty Melt - yum, yum, yum! A burger patty (mine is a Fry's one) with 2 cheese slices, scallions and mayo that is then placed under the grill (or broiler for the Americans) until it is delicious and melty and wonderful. And then skewered with some olives and a dill pickle. Again - all class. ;) But it is fantastic!!

For all the cheese, I used Tofutti slices - either mozzarella or American style. The book calls for all fancy types of cheese - almond Jack (I don't even know what that is), provolone and so on. I can't get that variety so I just use what I have, and it works out fine!

Cute Cat Photo of the Post

This is the lovely Possum, or more accurately a pretty awesome close-up I was able to get of his beautiful hind paw. Lovely!

Now I am off to bed. I am exhausted because yesterday I helped out at a Twilight/New Moon convention that my friend was organising. It was interesting to be on the helping side of things, normally I am attending conventions like the great big geeky fan girl that I am. But Twilight exists for me to mock it, so I had no problems forgoing the fan experience to help out. Still, I ended up doing numerous food and drink runs (including a memorable 18kg work of drink bottles I carried for far too long) and now even now I am still exhausted and quite sore. I think the gym tomorrow will call for some gentle exercise, some stretching and perhaps some sauna. ;)

Who else here is a total geek? Don't be shy! Geek girls are totally hot. Hee!

VeganMoFo #6: Recipe Round-Up - Vegan Planet

Who else is experiencing a bit of VeganMoFo landslide effect? My unread items in Google Reader are in the hundreds, and I haven't even added all the blogs yet! But I will persist, even if I am reading them into the new year. ;) I am also trying to comment on as many blogs as I can!

Tonight I am going for an old and easy favourite - a selection of dinners from Vegan Planet. I still have so many photos awaiting upload from this book! Lets see what tasty noms lay in store...


Adzuki Beans and Winter Squash Saute is incredibly simple to make, with just a few ingredients and seasoning, but is incredibly tasty! I served it with some brown rice and sauteed broccolini.


On its own Vermicelli, Chickpeas and Vegetables with Creamy Curry Sauce is a little bit on the bland side, until you serve it with some Three Fruit Chutney! What a great combination. The first time I made this I used 200g of fried rice noodles and it made 4 stupidly large servings, the second time I used 100g and it was a bit too saucy. So probably 150g of dried rice noodles or there abouts is the right amount.


This delicious combination - Old-Fashioned Baked Beans, Skillet Cornbread with Smoky Chiles, Red Flannel Cole Slaw and some greens for good measure. The beans were amazing - a great spicy and rich sauce. My mum loves all things baked beans and declared this her favourite recipe so far! The cornbread was smoky and spicy and delicious as well. Great toasted the next day with some vegan margarine. I had just received on order of Mexican foods in the post so this was the first time I was using canned chiptoles in adobo - yum! The salad was quite nice - interesting and with a cooling sweetness. I was feeling lazy so after cooking the beets I just shredded them through the food processor with the rest of the vegetables rather than cutting them into matchsticks by hands and it was all awesome.


Belgian-Style Seitan Stew with Dark Beer provided a lesson for me in which vegan beer I could buy. I ended up getting Toohey's Old (the recipe called for dark beer). I found this a bit sweet, next time I would decrease the sugar and/or increase the amount of beer.


This was a great combination! Marjoram-Scented Artichoke and Chickpea Stew served with Focaccia with Black Olives and Rosemary. The stew is fantastic! It uses the Super-Rich Vegetable Stock as a base and it is well worth making this rather than using powdered stock - it has a great flavour! This was also the first time I had made focaccia. I used the Traditional Pizza Dough recipe, which worked great. Together (with a green salad, of course) it was amazing.

Cute Cat Photo of the Blog


This is Pepper. Pepper was the first cat I ever speyed, while I was on rotations during my final year of vet school! She was a kitten the clinic was rehoming. It was a bit scary, but I am happy to report that everything went well and a few days later she was off to her new home!

VeganMoFo 2009 #5: Howdy Pandowdy!

When I bought Veganomicon it introduced me to the term 'pandowdy', something I had never heard before! Apparently it is like a pie with only a top crust that you then cut up and smoosh a bit partway through baking. I googled some pictures, which helped a little. Vcon has a recipe for a Mango Pear Pandowdy, and as mangoes are just coming into season, it seemed as good a time as any for some culinary adventures.



Verdict - it was pretty delicious! The cutting and slight smooshing you give to the crust does add a certain something special as opposed to just a plain pie crust over it, but you may need to be careful not to smoosh it too much, you need the nice flaky pastry contrast somewhere! It was pretty scrummy. Plus it is a fun word to say!

Cute Cat Photo of the Post


Sahara, my Abyssinian, is a contortionist kitty. This is her basket. When she came to live with me, the basket came too! She used to sleep in it all the time, now she ignores it a lot but everynow and then gets back in it for old time's sake. Se certainly can twist herself into bizarre and interesting shapes!

VeganMoFo2009 4: Survey says...

So I have been MIA on VeganMoFo for the last few days. I have had three exceedingly hectic days at work, the clinic is just insane at the moment! But I didn't want to go three days without posting, so I offer you this!

This survey has been doing the rounds (originally from Whoa Wren) so I thought I would weigh in as I have really been enjoying reading other people's responses.

1. Favorite non-dairy milk?
I generally drink So Good Lite soy milk but I also love oat milk. I have also tried almond milk (but it tasted like sawdust so I am going to try making my own) and quinoa milk (too sweetened for me). I try and avoid non-lite soymilk because the creaminess reminds me of full cream milk a bit and pre-vegan high amounts of dairy fat made me feel really ill.

2. What are the top 3 dishes/recipes you are planning to cook?
Cannot choose. I am so busy this week that I am going 6 days without cooking for myself! I have Friday off so I need to come up with some awesome menu, suggestions?

3. Topping of choice for popcorn?
I don't really eat popcorn. It gets stuck in my teeth. Just thinking about it makes my teeth feel cranky. But someone did mention nooch and fill as a topping combination, which sounds about up my alley. Not into the sweet stuff!

4. Most disastrous recipe/meal failure?
Mostly just baked goods falling apart (never use silicon for cupcakes!) and accidentally burning the bottom of things by being distracted. Once I accidentally put twice the amount of chilli powder in a soup (I was halving the recipe but forgot to halve the chilli!) that ended up FRYING my mouth.

5. Favorite pickled item?
Burdock root and ginger.

6. How do you organize your recipes?
I have shelves of cookbooks in the kitchen. Each week I go through, pick out the recipes I want to make and tag them with a sticky note. Then I write down my menu plans in my menu plan notebook and write a shopping list. Once made, I have a 5-star smiley face rating system and also make notes on the sticky note which is stuck next to the recipe in the book (I am physically incapable of defacing a book). For recipes from the internet I have them filed in categories on my computer.

7. Compost, trash, or garbage disposal?
Trash *sigh* I would love to do compost but I am living at home at the moment and my mother is afraid of compost. She thinks it will smell and attract rats. I am trying to convince her about a worm farm.

8. If you were stranded on an island and could only bring 3 foods...what would they be (don't worry about how you'll cook them)?
Only three? Can I say soybeans (mwahahah), avocado... ummm.... blueberries? I can't actually pick. I can't choose. I would probably try and swim back to the mainland for my food choices and then drown in the process!

9. Fondest food memory from your childhood?
My mother's 'tuna glug' - rice, tinned tuna, cream of mushroom soup, sweetcorn, peas and cheese all microwaved into wonderful, comforting glory! I hope to veganise it eventually.

10. Favorite vegan ice cream?
Coconut icecream from Green Gourmet in Newtown, Sydney.

11. Most loved kitchen appliance?
Hopefully it will be a shiny new KitchenAid mixer in beautiful marshmallow pink that I'll be getting for my birthday next month!

12. Spice/herb you would die without?
Garlic.... garlic me up. Vampires beware. I love the smell! After I chop it I love the smell on my fingers - is that wrong?

13. Cookbook you have owned for the longest time?
Technically 'The Teddy Bear Cookbook', a really cute (non vegan) cookbook I had as a kid that had different recipes for different occasions, all with photos of dressed up teddy bears enjoying the food! The Vegan Cookbook was my first vegan cookbook, but is a bit yawn. Probably the Complete Vegan Cookbook and Easy Vegan Cooking were the first vegan cookbooks I bought and actually started using regularly.

14. Favorite flavor of jam/jelly?
Strawberry! I love strawberry! Preferably conserve, with bits of strawberry all through it. Not into 'jelly', blergh.

15. Favorite vegan recipe to serve to an omni friend?
Lasagne - there are so many varieties and it is fairly non-confrontational. For my more adventurous omni friends, I'll give almost anything a crack and they'll come along for the ride.

16. Seitan, tofu, or tempeh?
Tofu, probably, with tempeh a very close second. But I love the versatility of tofu.

17. Favorite meal to cook (or time of day to cook)?
Dinner, mainly because this is where I have the most time to create really awesome meals. But I love to cook anytime. Brunch is fun.

18. What is sitting on top of your refrigerator?
Box of medicine, cat food (if you leave it on the bench it will be on the floor in the morning - Gizmo and Sahara are a team of sneaky when it comes to getting more food) and The White Box (a box where any open cookies, nuts, dried fruits etc for snacking go - I have a separate stash of all of these that I use for cooking).

19. Name 3 items in your freezer without looking.
Frozen beans (navy and black-eye at present), lemon juice frozen into tablespoon servings and edamame.

20. What's on your grocery list?
Avocados almost constantly - I go through a lot of them!
Otherwise it depends on what I am cooking that week!

21. Favorite grocery store?
Ummm... Macro in Sydney! In Brisbane Flannery's and Fundies are not too bad. But for my regular daily shopping I'm afraid to say that I generally go to the majors - Coles and Woolworths.

22. Name a recipe you'd love to veganize, but haven't yet.
See above re. my mother's Tuna Glug

23. Food blog you read the most (besides Isa's because I know you check it everyday). Or maybe the top 3?
I check a lot everyday. My google reader list is huge.

24. Favorite vegan candy/chocolate?
Hmmm... I know it isn't particularly exotic but I always lvoe Lindt 85% dark chocolate. I like it dark and bitter.

25. Most extravagant food item purchased lately?
I've found vegan licorice bullets that are $5 per 100g, and they are not light. Ummm... pure maple syrup is about $9/cup here, though I do get that fairly regularly!

26. Ingredients you are scared to work with?
Making my own fresh pasta!

Sadly, no pictures of food or cats. I am just slamming this out quickly before bed (I am on call at the clinic right now). I promise to make up for it soon!

VeganMoFo 2009 #3: Cutlets of GLORY!

Well MoFoers, I don't know about you but I have been a busy little bee reading as many blog entries as I can - and I have still only added blogs up to the letter D! I hope to add up to at least G tonight, wish me luck!

I'm on call tonight at the clinic, so just a quick post today. I thought I might talk about the wonders of a very simple creation - Vegetation's White Bean Cutlets with Sage and Garlic. One word - NOM! I love these so much. They are quick, easy, delicious and versatile. I can almost never find fresh sage, so I tend to increase the amount of dry sage and then add another fresh herb as well - parsley is really nice, I also added chives once for fun!

So... wanna see?





Very tasty! Very delicious. Above they are nestled alongside some Fusilli with Roasted Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts from Vegan Planet. Leftovers are also amazing on burgers, in sammiches and even just on their own, bread free, next to some salad or rice or vegetables or all of the above!

These really do make an excellent accompaniment to pasta dishes to add a bit of protein and make dinner a bit more tasty. Here's another example:


Here they make a fantastic fried to some Fusilli with Beats and Sautéed Asparagus with Garlic from Vegan Italiano.

Seriously - make them!

What are your favourite patties, burgers or cutlets to make?

Cute Cat Photo of the Blog


Today we delve into the archives again - yes, that is a young Susan... again. But ignore me. Look at that little black cutie patootie is Max. Max was my second cat, following the tragic demise of Mo. We got Max from the Cat Protection Society as an older kitten. His mother was feral, and he was feral for the first weeks of his life. This really showed - he was not one for cuddling or smooching. Very much and eat and out cat. However, he did take time out in his busy schedule to play table soccer with me. I'm pretty sure he won - I suck at that game. All random swinging the players and no actual strategy! Unfortunately we only had Max for six short weeks before he passed away - suspect hit by car but we can't be sure. Dad and I found him dead on the driveway on Valentine's Day morning after a terrible storm. Poor Max!

VeganMoFo 2009 #2: Recipe Round-Up - Veganomicon

Hello happy MoFoers! Day two have arrived, and I have been busy trying to keep up with all the amazing posts going on today! I have been delighted by all the delicious food and lovely stories people have been sharing. The bloglines feed isn't working too well for me, so I am in the painstaking process of adding every MoFo blog to my Google Reader (the export doesn't work for me either). I have just finished adding blogs that start with the letter C! Rest assured, I will be adding everyone and reading and commenting as much as possible.

I wish I had a snazzy theme for my VeganMoFo, some people are being so clever and creative! I have just not been that organised, so I will continue with my regular random blogging and just keep up the frequency.

Today I thought I would do a round-up of some Veganomicon recipes I have been making lately. Vcon is the book that just keeps on giving, as you can see by looking at these delicious dinners...


This is Curried Udon Noodle Stir-Fry, which is absolutely delicious and wonderful and should be made by everyone now and then often. I would strongly suggest using dried udon noodles rather than the ones that are sold soft, the texture is so much better! Chewy and fabulous instead of smushy.


The star of this dinner was Israeli Couscous with Pistachio and Apricots and it was my first time using Israeli couscous. It is fantastic, a really nice texture. I found the overall flavour of it to be quite subtle, and some might find it a little bland. But that is easily changed by adjusting the seasonings. And did I mention the texture? Also on the plate are some roasted sweet potato, roasted asparagus and some baked tofu that had been marinated in one of the Vegan Vittles marinades.


This was such a fun dinner! Firstly, there were Tamarind Lentils, which are delicious and tangy. This was my second time making these, the first time I had used the wrong sort of tamarind - it was more the pulp than a puree or concentrate and still contained seeds (which I didn't realised) so eating it was a danger for all teeth. This time though I had my nice smooth concentrate, so it was fantastic! There is also Sauteed Spinach and Tomatoes, which is simple and fast and a lovely way to get some greens in. But what is that pile of green goop? It is Cilantro-Pureed Rutabaga (or Coriander-Pureed Swede for those of us in Australia). Absolutely delicious! I found that I had to process the mix quite a while for the cilantro to distribute enough to give that lovely green colour. Finishing off the meal was some basmati rice.


For a cold winter's day, a big bowl of Cholent really hits the spot. By favourite part of this was the large TVP chunks, which take on a ridiculously tasty, slightly chewy texture and just made me want to eat it all day! With big chunks of potato and carrots, plus some peas and lentils - how could anyone go wrong?


This was a quick dinner I made before having to go and be on call (blergh) at the clinic. It is Pasta e Fagioli, which is easy to make and has a fantastic fresh taste. It also taught me about plum tomatoes. I had always assumed they were roma tomatoes, which it turns out is correct! Apparently because they are less juicy and seedy than other types it makes them ideal for canning and sauce making. Learning and growing is fun! Next to it is a Caesar Salad from Vegan Vittles, which was lovely. I had already made the caesar from Vcon, so wanted to try another version. It was good, but the Vcon one does have that edge with the garlic croutons!


Say hello to Spicy Tempeh and Broccoli Rabe with Rotelle, though us Australians would call broccoli rabe broccolini instead. This was actually the VERY FIRST thing I ever made from Vcon! I revisited it again last week, and was reminded why I had given it a five star rating - it is fantastic! I served it along side Pear and Endive Salad with Maple Candied Pecans. This was my first time using belgian endive, which is also sold as witlof here depending on which shop you go to. It is a really nice flavour - a slight bitterness, but quite a lot of moisture and really great. The sweetness of the pear and the candied pecans really combined well. The only thing I would suggest is that when making the candied pecans, you really don't need the whole 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Only pour in as much as it looks like you need. Maple syrup is way too expensive to be wasting, or at least it is in Australia!

Cute Cat Photo of the Post

This is actually two cute photos. This little guy came in to the clinic to be castrated. These photos were taken later than afternoon, after he had woken up. Obviously he is still a bit groggy! They have been taken through the bars on his cage so as not to disturb him.


No, he is not licking his surgery site. He has actually fallen asleep with his nose down there!


But he did wake up to have a little stretch! Hee.

Keep up the VeganMoFo-ing, it is fantastic!

VeganMoFo 2009 #1: How I became a vegan (and a menu)

Wow, I cannot believe that it is already the start of VeganMoFo 2009! Hot on the heels of AusNZVeganMoFo, that is a lot of posting and a whole lot more reading! It's very exciting. For the full list of blogs participating, you can head on over to here to catch up on all the action.

For this first day of the worldwide VeganMoFo, I thought I might talk about how I came to be vegan. I haven't really discussed it here before! I would love to say that as soon as I was born, I held my little fist in the air and proclaimed my veganism. However, being born in a non-vegan family and lacking the necessary cognitive and vocal abilities, this did not happen. My mother works at the University of Queensland, and when I was little I used to go in to work with her sometimes. They have some lovely ponds there, and I remember seeing some beautiful fluffy little ducklings and something clicked in my mind. I first (yes, I use the word first) went vegetarian when I was in Grade 6. I was not super strict though, and had no idea about a balanced vegetarian diet. In Grade 8 or 9 I became quite anaemic and ended up eating meat again. Though I still refrained from eating duck! *sigh* False start number one!

In Grade 11 I decided to become vegetarian again. And this time it stuck. I still remember the first meal I made for myself - it was a vegetarian pizza and it had tomato, mushroom, corn, asparagus and cheese on it. I made this decision two weeks before going away on a Duke of Ed camp to a sheep station in rural Queensland! It was a fairly vitamin-free week of potatoes, pasta and cheese, but I would not be swayed. As time went on, I came to learn more and more about hidden animal ingredients. I avoided gelatine, I started questioning places about the type of oil they used, I only ate 'vegetarian' cheese. After school I went to Wagga Wagga to study equine science (random, I know) and I met a girl in my course who was also vegetarian. All the time I thought more and more about the different ways animals were used in food production. But I still considered going vegan to be 'extreme' and a bit 'crazy'. Oh, I know! Slap me now! But deep inside I knew that vegan was the right thing to do. All production animals lives end in slaughter, and I knew that no living and sentient creature should have the entire value of their being based on what they can produce. I did try and go vegan a couple of times in the first year, but swayed back each time. I didn't like soymilk. I hated tofu. Whatever, excuses!

In 2000 I had to go on prac work at a horse stud just outside Brisbane. I was staying there and had to take my own food. This was it, I decided! I packed my bags with soymilk and other vegan foods, and decided that I would just give myself no other option for the duration. And it stuck - I transitioned into vegan and there I have joyously remained! It was the time of the Sydney Olympics, so although I don't have an exact date I consider September to be my veganversary. The big decade is coming up next year!

OK, that is enough waffling on for the moment. If you are still reading, thanks! I hope to share some more of my vegan journey with you throughout this month. But, let's get down to what it is all about - the food!


Oh yeah! This is the Roman Goddess Menu from Veganomicon! Chickpeas Romesco, Saffron-Garlic Rice and roasted green beans. The chickpeas are saucy and delicious - there is almond meal in the sauce to make it a little bit creamy. But my favourite part is the rice - amazing flavour and the toasted almonds give it a fantastic crunch. I could just eat this on its own. Amazing!


The suggested dessert was Chocolate-Hazelnut Biscotti. This was my first time making biscotti. For some reason it seemed really hard in my head, I don't know why. Bake a GIANT rectangular cookie, slice and bake it again! When mixing, it is meant to resemble a stiff dough, but on a 32 degree Celsius day it was not playing ball. Nothing 10 minutes in the fridge couldn't fix though! After the first baking of the giant cookie, it says to let it cool for half an hour before cutting. I found that the middle of the cookie was still warm and crumbly after this, so I sort of sliced bits off the end, let it sit for a bit, sliced off some more end and so on. Again, it could have been because of the hot day. But the verdict: delicious! Much nicer than some of the vegan biscotti I have bought, which have been dry and dusty.

Cute Cat Photo of the Post

This is my very first cat Mo. And that is a two year old me, hugging her close! There are a lot of photos like that, which me hugging her. She was an exceptionally lovely cat and very patient with the kiddies. Mo passed away when I was in grade 3 after being hit by a car. She was around when I was in the womb, and I think my entire cat lady existence grew from having this beautiful lady in my earliest years.

This has turned into quite the long post! I will try and keep most of them a bit shorter - I know we all have 400 blog posts to read each day for the next month! Happy VeganMoFo all!