A while ago I got sent this very sweet care package from a friend and her partner's cat.
For the first time ever I saw fresh tomatillos available! Normally I have to order canned ones from the American or Mexican online shops. I found these at Coles, and bought some to make a few dishes with. I can't find them anymore, so I hope it is just that they are seasonal and will come back eventually, and not that they have been taken away for good.
I had tried the New York Style Daiya Cheesecake a few years ago in the US. But of course, my heart beats for strawberry. Even though they have coconut oil, Daiya products seem to not make me sick compared to other coconut fatty things. So the cheesecake was OK as long as I just had a little bit. These are hilariously expensive here, but they were on sale for half price so I finally got to try my strawberry one. I am glad I waited, because they are hilariously small. Anyway, I topped mine with some homemade rhubarb berry jam, whipped rice cream from a spray can, and some fresh strawberries. It was nice, though once was enough for me.
In one of my Vegan Mystert Boxes I got some satay paste. I made a couple of stir fries with it, including this one with pumpkin, cabbage, green beans, and tofu. The instructions were along the lines of 'add coconut fat, then more coconut fat, then some extra coconut fat', but I ignored that and just sauteed in grapeseed oil and then added some light coconut milk to the paste to make the sauce.
I have had mixed results with the Linda McCarntney range. I hate their sausage rolls, and their sausages are meh. But I found the pies on sale at Woolworths, and I do love a good meaty pie. Happy to report that the pies were quite good, and definitely hit the craving I had.
And finally, a burger. This time it was a Vegie Delighs Classic Not Burger. It is mild, tastes a bit like a chicken burger (but not exactly, they also have a chicken burger). This was one of the first vegan patties on the market, years ago, so it was fun to revisit. With mayo, spinach, and tomato.
Cute Kitty Photo of the Post
Gizmo loved looking out of the sunroom to watch birdies in the back yard.
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Sweet Gizmo! Looks like you had some great meals and snacks! What a fun care package! The cheesecakes are hilariously small, made even more hilarious by the size of the box that it comes in. I can forgive them because they do taste seriously amazing and authentic. The pie looks so good!
ReplyDeleteYes! When I took it out of the box I was looking at the size of the cake compared to the size of the box and I just had to laugh.
DeleteYour comments on the satay recipe cracked me up!! My tummy also has a fine line what’s ok and what’s definitely not when it comes to coconut fats although i do love the flavor so much - moderation seems to be key.
ReplyDeleteFunny that you can get the linda mccartney range yet it’s not available in the US, though not sure if we’re actually missing out....
those daiya cheesecakes are great for a special occasion (omfg ordering a vegan cake here is just $tupid), still blows my mind there is such a thing
Ttrockwood
I find the Linda McCartney range hit and miss, though apparently the Quarter Pounder burgers are amazing so I will have to try them. I think that Australia tends to get the UK and European brands before the US. I guess there has to be some benefit to still being part of a monachy. ;)
DeleteI love a savory pie!
ReplyDeleteAre those tomatillos $12/kilo? I feel so sorry for you!
That is the price! I guess they are a 'specialty' item so they can charge whatever they want for them. If they come back, they are certainly something I will be using sparingly! Though all food in Australia is pricey.
DeleteWhat a nice care package! I still haven't gotten around to trying the Daiya cheesecakes yet; the toppings you added to yours sound perfect!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that the toppings made the cheesecake special. Without them it would have been fine, but for the price you want special.
DeleteThose Daiya cheesecakes are pretty pricey here too, so I can only assume they are crazy out of control there. I think I got it once or twice. My husband loves cheesecake but I haven't found a vegan recipe I really enjoyed, yet.
ReplyDeleteTry saving the tomatillo seeds, they are pretty easy to grow. It always cracks me up because my CSA always have rouge tomatillos growing throughout the farm, where they use to be planted.
Oh, if I can get tomatillos again I will try and save seeds and see if they can survive my black thumb.
DeleteThe cheesecakes are full on AU$20 here. I got mine on a half price special, which for the size is still a lot. I certainly won't be buying them at full price.
I agree. The Daiya cheesecakes are SO SMALL. We got one to share with family for Thanksgiving one year. Needless to say, the slices had to be tiny, and most people didn't get one.
ReplyDelete