Recipe Round-Up: Vegan Brunch

I have all of Isa's books, and love them, but Vegan Brunch is my least used one. I'm not sure why, I love brunch and the recipes look amazing! But I realised I haven't even done proper round up from it yet. I've posted a few bits and pieces from it which you can see here, but this is the first round up. I really need to fix that, because I have a bunch of stuff I want to make!

Fennel Breakfast Risotto with Smoky Shiitakes: I made this for dinner, for not brunch. I do enjoy making risotto, but I feel it is more an evening activity. Unfortunately, I found the flavour of the risotto a bit flat, plus the chopped fennel seeds gave it a weird gritty texture. The shiitakes were a good addition, though I found to be very salty. That kind of worked with the bland flavour of the risotto. I had risotto left over, so I made cheese stuffed arancini for lunch the following day, which was actually be best thing I did with it.
Rating: Risotto :|, Shiitakes :)





Grilled Marinated Asparagus Tofu Omelet: The book has a basic recipe for omelets based on silken tofu and chickpea flour, and flavoured with black salt and others. There is then a list of a whole different lot of filling variations, or you can make your own. The omelet was very easy to make, and held together and flipped well. I chose the grilled marinated asparagus option, stuffed with asparagus and topped with a miso tahini sauce. It was outstanding!
Rating: :D



Sesame Scramble Tofu and Greens with Yams: We don't get yams, so I used sweet potato here. I chose kale as my leafy greens,and used a whole bunch chopped up and cooked down. This is quite a simple recipe, once you have baked and cooled the sweet potato, but is very satisfying.
Rating: :)



Paprika Rosemary Roasted Potatoes: Another simple recipe with a heap of flavour variations. The combination of paprica, cumin, and rosemary is outstanding!
Rating: :D



Toasted Coconut and Mango Muffins: These are a lovely not-too-sweet snack. The mango flavour comes from chopped dried mango, and the coconut is both toasted coconut shreds and some coconut extract.
Raging: :)



Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Do you ever look at your sweet little baby and wonder how you got so lucky to have them in your life? That is me every time I look at Dim Sim. How am I so lucky?

Eating Out: Grown's First Birthday

I am super behind in posting some of the food I have been eating. What's new. I've been mixing it up a bit by swapping between recent and past eating adventures in my posts, most of the time it doesn't make much of a difference unless there has been a menu change. This one is super dated though, to September last year. Yikes! Mum and I went to Grown on their first birthday. They had a very special menu for the day, so it doesn't really matter too much that I posted it so late because unless you were there on the day, these special items were not available before and have not been available since. As seems to be the tradition, it was a rainy day when we were there. Every time the two of us has been it has been raining! Now when it is raining, we always want to go to Grown. Anyway, you can see other Grown adventures here.

I had the 'I Can't Live Without Cheese' Cheeseburger, that had confit jerusalem artichoke, cheddar, pickles, and mustard. I also took the option of adding on a hashbrown, because why not. I didn't realise that this didn't actually have a patty, just the confit jerusalem artichokes. That plus the hashbrown made for a very starchy burger. But it was tasty. I couldn't really taste the cheese though, which was sad for a cheeseburger.



My mum is obsessed with their tofu scramble, she has it every time we go. She was sad that the tofu scramble was not available on the special menu, but perked up when she realised they had a scrambled tofu wrap. The same delicious scrambled tofu with spinach and sesame cheese in a wrap.



We also shared some Triple Cooked Hand Cut Fries with Aioli, because you should always maximise your potato intake. They were salty and good. Pictured in the background is the hashbrown that Mum had on the side of her wrap. Because see above re potato intake.



Other special items on the birthday menu included Brioche Fairy Bread, a Where Do You Get Your Protein Burger (with a walnut, black bean, and zucchini patty), the But Plants Have Feelings Too Burger (with a fried polenta patty), a three scoop sundae, and a banana split. It was pretty fun! Grown continues to thrive, and is obviously well on the way to their second birthday. I love having this place in Brisbane, it is something special and I love it!

Grown - 21 Buchanan Street, West End - 07 3036 7213

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



One little cat sitting at the table. Dim Sim rarely is interested in the table of what goes on top of it. Sahara used to love sitting on a chair or on a lap. I popped Dim Sim on this chair when I was putting her down from a hug walk, and she stayed and watched me for a little bit.

Recipe Round Up: Vegan Bowls

I just really love eating out of bowls! Vegan Bowls by Zsu Dever is another great bowl book. In fact, it was my first vegan bowl recipe book. I've already posted about it couple of times, and you can see those posts here.

Corn Tortillas: OK, so not a bowl. The book does have a few basics. Buying corn tortillas here is terrible, no matter what you do they always tear and taste weird. As I'm not GF, I often just use flour ones instead. Or, sometimes, I make my own! I don't have a tortilla press, I have to roll them out, and as you can see they aren't pretty. But they are tasty and they don't tear.
Rating: :)



Roasted Zucchini and Mushroom Pilaf Bowl: The pilaf here is a mix of quinoa and orzo pasta, which is mixed with roasted vegetables (mushrooms, zucchini, corn) and greens (I used spinach instead of the suggested arugula or watercress). I also left out the chile/ This is a fairly light dish, and you could easily add some chickpeas to bulk it up. It is good served with nutritional yeast, hummus, and toasted almonds on top.
Rating: :)



Southern Beans and Grits Bowl with Collards: This bowl has three parts: grits, collards and carrots, and a bean saute made that is then mixed with a simmered sundried tomato broth. Grits aren't a thing here. We have polenta, but I understand that grits are a different texture... grittier? I did find some GF cous cous made from corn, essentially a coarser polenta, so I decided to give it a try. I only had one cup of these, rather than 1 1/4, so I decreased the liquid accordingly. The grits are creamy, and also have some miso in them. We also don't have collards here, so I used kale. This meant instead of boiling the kale, I first cooked the carrots and then sauteed the kale with them.
Rating: :)



Sweet and Spicy Eggplant-Zucchini Bowl: Zucchini and eggplant is tossed with a marinade and grilled, before being stir-fried with other vegetables and sweet and spicy sauce. Of course I made mine more sweet than spicy! I used my inside little George Foreman Grill for the grilling, and unfortunately overcooked the eggplant a little. So it was a bit smooshy, but still good. The recipe is served over rice (I used brown instead of white and cooked it in the rice cooker) and topped with pan-fried cashews (though I just used some dry roasted ones straight from the packet). I also served mine over some baby spinach. I got three servings.
Rating: :)



Spicy Ginger Polenta Bowl with Bock Choy and Chickpeas: Creamy seasoned polenta is topped with pan-fried chickpeas, bok choy, and a ginger and soy broth. Again, I decreased the spice considerably! The recipe calls for baby bok choy to be halved and pan-fried, but I could only get a big one so I chopped it up and stir-fried it. The recipe also calls for 2 cups of cooked chickpeas, but I just used one tin (which is about 1 1/2 cups). The recipe says it serves 2-3, and I was cooking for 2, so it worked fine.
Rating: :)



Tex-Mex Risotto Bowl: This risotto made a lot, enough for about 6 serves (the recipe says serves 4-6). It is a complete meal in itself, with lots of vegetables as well as black beans. The broth is lightly flavoured with chipotle (it was meant to be puree, but I just used a light sprinkle of powder and I also decreased the salt), and as always I found the risotto process to be very soothing to make with all the stirring.
Rating: :)



Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



'Oh mother, what is with all the photos of other cats... and a dog? I am really just quite miffed. But I still love you.' Let us get back into some photos of my beautiful princess (who definitely didn't accidentally step in her own poo this morning), Dim Sim.

Cruelty Free Shop April 2019 Vegan Mystery Box

I can't believe that I am almost through my six month subscription to the Cruelty Free Shop Vegan Mystery Box, only one month to go. It is coming up to easter, so lots of chocolate. Plus some other stuff. Also, there were 11 things in the box this month, exciting! So let up open up and peer inside my penulitmate box.

• Chocolate Coated Marshmallows: I actually bought a packet of the strawberry ones of these a few weeks ago, but I haven't tried either one. Still, funsies!
• Remedy Lemon Lime & Mint Kombucha: I didn't know there was shelf stable kombucha, but apparently there is. Remedy is not one of my first choices for brands, because it is sweetened with stevia and that gives it that gross after taste. But of all the stevia brands out there, it is the least offensive. Their lemon and ginger one is quite dry and has minimal stevia. I suspect this one will be quite sweet, but I will try it anyway.
• Boulder Canyon Chips Hickory BBQ: I already ate these. I am not the biggest fan of chips, but these were good. Not to oily or salty, nice flavour, very crunchy.
• So Free Easter Bunny: Did I mention it was Easter soon?
• Booja Booja Truffle Hazelnut: I love Booja Booja! Plus they are normally super expensive, so hooray!
• Sweet William Easter Bunny Face: Can we all just agree that Sweet William is a gross brand and that their chocolate isn't even really chocolate anyway because for some reason it has soy flour in it?
• Leda Gojo Biscuits: Little two packs of Oreo-style biscuits.
• Zuii Gradual Tan Body Lotion Sachet: Hahahahahaha. This pale skinned red head will give this a miss, thanks. I like my skin pale.
• Chocolate Ginger Bread Bunny: Oh hey, did you know it is almost Easter? But this is fun, I love gingerbread. And chocolate gingerbread is also great.
• The Gluten Free Food CO Parm Cheez Smoky Maple: This is based on coconut milk powder (why?), but I have it on authority that it is not very coconutty, but is very sweet. So I will consider carefully where I use it.
• Provamel Organic Banana Flavoured Soy Milk: Strawberry milk is my favourite, but I also love banana. I just hope it is not too fake tasting.

Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



A sweet brown Burmese named Rosie.

Eating Out: Sattva Yoga Cafe

Sattva Yoga Cafe is in West End, where else, but is a bit further out from the main hub. It is a really lovely, calming space. It has a studio for yoga classes and meditation, if that is your jam, but it also has an all vegetarian, mostly vegan, cafe. And that is definitely my jam. I've been a few times.

At my heart, I am a basic vegan, and I cannot go past the lure of satay tofu. Warm tofu, brown rice, salad, veggies, and satay sauce. This was everything I hoped it would be. It also comes in a burger form, that I will try at some point, but honestly the bowl is where my heart lives/



They have a small selection of sweet treats, with several vegan options. I really enjoyed this Passionfruit Melting Moment, and I also had a good Monte Carlo from there at another visit as well (no photo of that).



Most excitingly, they have a large selection of different lattes, all of which can be made iced (important in the hot Brisbane weather), and which tickle my fancy for silly drinks. The iced Rose Pistachio latte on soy milk is divine! (Note, if you are looking on their website it says it contains honey, this is an old menu and it has been changed to be completely vegan by using a different sweetener).



I also enjoyed a Falafel Bowl (falafels, brown rice, salad, hummus, babaganoush, pita chips, tahini dressing). Though instead of pita chips, it had corn chips... not quite the same but still fun.



They have a selection of juices as well, which is nice on a hot day. Especially if you have just been to a sweaty bikram yoga class. The Thirst Quencher with watermelon, apple, and cucumber lived up to its name. For some reason, they seem to serve their juices with two straws. Paper straws, yes, but that really is unnecessary waste.



One of the most fun items on the menu is the Loaded Hot Dog.This baby has not one but two hot dogs (pretty sure they are the Vegie Delights ones), topped with cashew cheese, avocado, beetroot hummus, rainbow slaw, chilli lime ketchup & pumpkin turmeric mustard. I got them to sub out the chilli lime ketchup for regular non-chilli ketchup. This is huge and loaded and impossible to eat with your hands!



I recently had the chance to stop by and pick up some lunch unexpectedly from there to bring back to work. I tried the Sattva bowl. It is meant to have a beetroot chickpea patty, roast veggies, beetroot slaw, beetroot hummus, and vegan cashew cheese. I am not really sure about the cashew cheese, it certainly seemed more like an almond or tofu ricotta. But it was still tasty.



I also tried the iced Vanilla Matcha Latte with soy milk. Unfortunately, the matcha was not strong enough. I was expecting more flavour.



Sattva is definitely a place worth checking out. I want to continue working my way through their lattes, and also enjoying some more satay tofu!

Sattva Yoga Cafe - 320 Montague Road, West End(Entry through Australian School of Meditation & Yoga, Corner of Beattie & Skinner St)

Cute... Doggo Photo of the Post??



Wait, this is not a kitty! No, this is Loki. On one of my visits to the cafe, he was there hanging out. He was cool. But don't worry, back to kitties in the next post!

Recipe Round-Up: Vegan Bowl Attack

Vegan Bowl Attack is the first cookbook from awesome blogger Jackie Sobon (of Vegan Yack Attack). The book is divided into chapters for breakfast bowls, snack bowls, soup and salad bowls, entree bowls, dessert bowls, and some basic recipes. This is the first proper round up I've done of this book, but you can see one of the recipes I've already posted about here.

Apple Pie Smoothie Bowl: I continue to have my ongoing texture issues with apples is smoothies. No matter how powerful my blender is! I also made the rookie mistake of forgetting to chill my apples first, so it wasn't as cold as I would have liked. As well as apples, this has frozen banana and gets the colour from spinach. I made a half recipe and got one serving. The apple crumble topping, made from almonds, dates, cinnamon, and salt, was the real star of the show!
Rating: :|



Peanut Butter Pretzel Oatmeal: Peanut butter pretzels are one of life's greatest joys, but used to be very hard to find here. The only place I knew was Smith & Deli in Melbourne, so I would buy several large bags to bring back to Brisbane with me. I made a half recipe of this, which made for a small serving. Though due to being packed with peanut butter, it was quite filling. The crumbled PB Pretzels on top were a fun addition.
Rating: :)



Spicy Sesame Brussels Bites: Of course I didn't make these spicy. I made them mild. I had some cute little baby Brussels sprouts, which was enough to make a half recipe. I only needed to bake them for about 15 minutes because of their size. These are glazed in sesame oil and ginger, then tossed with a rice vinegar dressing.
Rating: :)



Sweet Potato Eggplant Curry: This is packed full of sweet potato and eggplant, as you'd expect, but also tofu, onion, and jasmine rice. The recipe calls for coconut oil, but of course I used something else. I used light coconut milk and water instead of the 400mL tin of regular coconut cream, and I decreased the curry powder and used a mild one. If doing this, I'd recommend decreasing the salt as well, as I found it a bit salty and I suspect it is because I had fiddled with the heat of it. I did end up needing to simmer this for about an extra 15 minutes as it was more soupy than curry-like in consistency, but then it thickened up beautifully. A one pot meal, though I served it over some baby spinach. Peas would also be a good addition.
Rating: :)



Cashew Crusted Tofu Stir-Fry: There are three parts to this recipe: The cashew crusted tofu, a vegetable stir-fry, and some cooked quinoa to serve it over. The vegetables include bok choy, broccoli, carrot, and sugar snap peas (I used snow peas instead), as well as capsicum (which I of course left out and added extra brocolli), in a very simply sauce. I struggled a bit to get my tofu well crusted and browned, the ground cashew and rice flour coating seemed to just want to fall off in the pan when I was frying it, but it was still nicely flavoured. I only got three serves worth of vegetables out of this, but four serves of tofu. Use the extra in sandwiches or chopped in a salad.
Rating: :)



Buffalo Chickpea Mac 'n' Cheeze: This recipe requires a bit of prep work in that you need to make the Cheezy Cheddar Sauce first. This is a cashew based sauce, and comes together very easily. It is used in a number of recipes in the book. You may also need to make the Irresistible Ranch Dressing first, though I just used some bottled Daiya ranch dressing. Buffalo is a flavour I approach with caution due to being spicy. So I made my buffalo sauce with just a teeny bit of Franks, and added in some tomato juice for the rest of the volume. It worked well. The chickpeas are coated and baked. I didn't heat the sauce first, rather waited until I added it to the cooked pasta and then heated it up so it didn't get too thick. The mac and cheese also has celery and cos added to it. My celery was off, so I ended using some quickly sauteed chopped broccoli stem. The lettuce in the hot mac and cheese was a bit odd, I'd skip that next time, but overall very tasty.
Rating: :)



Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



This ridiculous cutie is Olivia, a tiny foster kitten one of our nurses is raising. Some horrible person left this tiny angel in a letterbox! Can you even believe it? But she is now safe and warm and loved and fed and such a little prima donna! This photo was from two weeks ago, and is is already so much bigger!

Midweek Munchies

More fun food times!

The World Vegan Day haul I posted in my last MM post had a jar of Nutty Bay Mushroom Cashew Cheese, which was phenomenal! A few weeks later, my friends gave me all their other flavours for my birthday. They are so good! My favourites are definitely the mushroom one and the garlic one, but they all great. The olive one was like mild tapenade, which I liked because I often find tapenade itself a bit too overpowering.



This lasagne was another freezer meal from the sadly no longer Shaggy's Vegan Shack. And it was really delicious. It was meaty and cheesy, and the top layer of pasta had just gone that little bit crispy, which I love.



A bunch of Upton meals. This Thai Curry Noodle was really a bit too spicy for me. Plus such a teeny serving, with a lot of packaging (the noodles, sauce, and fried shallots all had their own plastic). I served it over some spinach.



I used their BBQ jackfruit to make the Curried BBQ Rice Bowl with Agave Mustard Sauce, which had roasted curried sweet potato (I used a small amount of mild BBQ sauce), kale (I used spinach), BBQ jackfruit, and rice. Sadly, the BBQ jackfruit itself was a bit too spicy for me! Why make BBQ spicy? But it was a nice bowl.



I had super high hopes for their Bacon Mac and Cheese. But I was pretty disappointed. I had heard that stove top had better results than microwaving, so that's what I did. But the pasta was weird and chewy, there was hardly any bacon, and the sauce was OK but needed to be more. Oh, and two servings? No way. Not even one serving!



I had also got these Dairy Down Under snack packs in my WVD shopping extravaganza. The cheese one was good, though I would have preferred regular crackers to the GF rice crackers. The cream cheese was very weird though, I didn't like the taste so definitely wouldn't get this again. Tofutti cream cheese still reigns supreme!



Cute Kitty Photo of the Post



Meet Jed! Jed was brought in as a stray and surrendered to us. He is the sweetest guy, and loves lying around with his tummy exposed. He also loves having his tummy rubbed! The good news is that he will eventually have a wonderful home to go to.