Eat More Vegies

Efendy, Balmain

2012-01-04T16:59:00.000+11:00

I had been planning on treating S to a nice dinner at Harvest for ages, and Christmas Eve seemed like the best time to do it. To my horror, Harvest decided to close that night for their summer break. So I had to quickly find somewhere else local that was a little bit fancy (but not too over the top), with a good amount of vegan food on the menu.

After a lot of research I decided on Efendy in Balmain. As a Turkish restaurant focusing on the mezze style of eating, I was confident I would be well served.

The restaurant is in an old mansion on the top of a hill in Balmain and has a really lovely courtyard out the front. The evening was fairly mild, so we chose to sit outside.

Because it was Christmas we decided to start with a cocktail. This was the first thing I liked about Efendy - their cocktail menu is just a little bit different, with all kinds of exotic & delicious sounding concoctions offered. I chose this Fig Martini - complete with candied fig in the bottom. It was mind-blowingly good.

While enjoying our cocktails I started to feel nervous about the food situation, because the menu only seemed to offer a couple of salads & one main that were vegan-friendly. After talking to the waiter however, we realised that there was a whole range of mezze on offer that weren't listed on the menu. We decided to choose a few things to share.

Including this red lentil mash.

A mung bean salad.

This absolutely divine capsicum-flavoured hommus.

And this plate off the dinner menu, which included a rice & tomato stuffed pepper, a rice-stuffed vine leaf, and a tomato & onion stuffed eggplant.

To help scoop up all the deliciousness we ordered some Pide. This was super tasty & fresh out of the oven - just beautiful. Word of warning though - the Pide dough isn't normally vegan - it's made with yoghurt. Luckily, they had some spare & were able to make a fresh batch for me, but it would probably pay to advise them you are vegan when booking to avoid any disappointment.

The waiter sadly informed me that nothing on the dessert menu was vegan, but I doubt I could have fit anything in anyway. So we decided to enjoy some proper after dinner drinks instead. I chose a Croation Cherry Liquer - yum!

I really enjoyed our dinner at Efendy - the service was spot on, vegan isn't a dirty word and the atmosphere is lovely. Most importantly, the food was delicious - so many amazing flavours, super fresh & obviously prepared with care & attention.

My only criticism (and it's a small one) is the lack of music. It would be really nice to have something traditional playing in the background to really boost the atmosphere.

Efendy
79 Elliott St (corner of Darling), Balmain
Tue-Fri, Lunch & Dinner; Sat-Sun, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
www.efendy.com.au

3 Weeds Bistro, Rozelle

2012-01-04T16:21:00.000+11:00

3 Weeds is one of the closest & nicest looking pubs to us in Rozelle, so it's a bit surprising it took us so many weeks to check it out.

But we got there, & I'm glad we did. The pub has been made over into the standard inner-city trendy affair, but maintains a really nice vibe. Out the back is the Bistro - the high ceilings & glass make it feel like more of an enclosed beer garden. As with most trendy bar menus these days, there isn't a lot of vegan choice on the menu, but happily they do have one fully vegan choice - the Spiced Chickpea & Pumpkin Salad with Spinach, Green Beans, Rocket & Lemon Tahini Dressing.

I really enjoyed this salad, but it definitely didn't live up to its description in the menu. No green beans for a start. The chickpeas weren't spiced (not that I could taste anyway), and most disappointing of all? No lemon tahini dressing! I suppose they had run out of the nice stuff, because the salad had just been dressed with olive oil & salt/pepper. Oh well, it won't stop me going back for a drink & it doesn't stop me recommending 3 Weeds to you as a nice quiet bar to while away a few hours with friends.

3 Weeds
197 Evans St, Rozelle
Tue-Sat 6-10pm; Sun 12-3pm
www.3weeds.com.au

About Life, Rozelle - Take 2

2012-01-04T16:09:00.000+11:00

After a couple of weeks in Rozelle, I quickly realised that apart from Iku, About Life is the best place to get a yummy vegan lunch. And, having tried pretty much everything on Iku's menu over the years, I'm happy to keep revisiting About Life for now.

This time, I tried the Quinoa pie. It was tasty, packed with lots of vegetables & nicely seasoned. Unfortunately it was reheated in the microwave instead of the oven, so what should have been delicious vegan wholemeal pastry was basically just soggy pastry. The pie came with what seems to be the standard side serving of tomato relish, which is really tasty, so no complaints from me there.

As I mentioned earlier, there isn't really a lot of ambience here, given it's location inside a grocery store, but if you're after a quick, healthy & tasty lunch, you should give them a try.

About Life
605 Darling St, Rozelle (they also have another store in Bondi Junction)
Mon-Thur 6am-8pm; Fri 6am-7pm; Sat & Sun 8am-5pm
http://aboutlife.com.au

The Little Marionette, Balmain

2012-01-04T16:01:00.000+11:00

One of the greatest pleasures of moving into a new area is exploring all the new cafes, bars and restaurants on offer. Luckily for me, Rozelle & Balmain seem to have an endless supply. One of the early places I checked out was The Little Marionette in Balmain. I took a girlfriend there for lunch after reading many many reviews about the best coffee & lunch spots in the area. A few mentioned a unique service - coffee delivery to the park over the road. And I reckon that's pretty cool.

When I got there, I could see why they might extend their business to the park - it's tiny tiny tiny. Only 3 tables. But oh so cute. The menu is also pretty tiny & there's nothing on the menu that is vegan by default. But when has that ever stopped us?

I ordered the Avocado & Mushrooms on Toast - I think this had feta or something like that, so I skipped that & asked for tomato instead. It was really enjoyable - the mushrooms were nicely marinated & rich in flavour & my coffee was strong enough to match them.

I wouldn't recommend you make the trip out of the city for the amazing vegan food on offer here, but if you're in the area, you should definitely stop by for a coffee.

The Little Marionette
1 Booth St, Balmain
Mon-Fri 6.30am-4pm; Sat 7am-4pm; Sun 8am-4pm

Baked vegies with a difference & a truly awesome salad

2011-12-04T19:57:00.000+11:00

Here are a couple of simple, yet really yummy, meals I have eaten in the last week.

This is a meal my special man made me to welcome me home from NZ. It's based on Carla's Stuffed Butternut Pumpkin. This is a pumpkin stuffed with rice, chickpeas, capsicum & onion. The only thing we would have done differently is bake the pumpkin for longer, because it was a little bit firm. But, overall, delicious & a fantastic idea - thanks Caral!

Rather than waste the pumpkin flesh that had been scooped out, S mixed it with the leftover chickpeas, & fried it up with some onions, then stuffed the remaining capsicum & baked it for about 30min. Yum.

This is one of my all-time favourite salads. It's stupidly simple - literally just mix a bunch of baby spinach with a tin of drained chickpeas & a couple of finely chopped tomatoes. Add a splash of olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar & some salt & pepper. This was our main meal, so to fill it out a little I picked up a ciabatta & baked some croutons to throw in.

I love croutons. Seriously, how awesome are they?

About Life, Rozelle

2011-12-04T16:02:00.000+11:00

So I've found myself living in Rozelle. It's a lovely part of Sydney & the walk down Darling St through Balmain offers hours of potential eating & shopping. Of course, the first thing I did was check out the vegan eating options. The obvious one is Harvest Vegetarian, which is top of my 'must try' list. Unfortunately I'm also currently unemployed & expensive meals are temporarily off the agenda.

But, day 1 at my new home & I was still full of optimism about my employment prospects, so splashed out on lunch at About Life, Rozelle's organic supermarket. Like many organic stores it has a cafe attached, with a fair amount of vegan offerings on the menu.

I chose one of the breakfast options - the Scrambled Tofu.

This was different from the usual cafe fare. Soy sauce was absent from the sauce, which made me happy, and the tofu was instead flavoured with turmeric, cumin (I think) & something else I couldn't put my finger on. I actually enjoyed the toast most of all - thick & crusty & wholesomely satisfying.

Being part of a supermarket, there's not a whole load of atmosphere, though out on the verandah it is quite pleasant. I'd recommend it as a good spot for a quick lunch or snack, rather than a destination.

About Life
605 Darling St, Rozelle (they also have another store in Bondi Junction)
Mon-Thur 6am-8pm; Fri 6am-7pm; Sat & Sun 8am-5pm
http://aboutlife.com.au

Vegan eating NZ - and the rest

2011-12-01T14:50:00.000+11:00

To finish up my vegan eating in NZ posts, here's the rest of the vegan treasures I found along the way.

This Felafel Pita at Felafel Gourmet in Nelson was divine. I'm a big fan of sauce, and as you can see, this baby was absolutely loaded up with tahini sauce & chilli.

Felafel Gourmet
195 Hardy St, Nelson
Mon-Thu 9.30am – 5.30pm; Fri 9.30am-8pm; Sat 9.30am-4.30pm

From memory this Pizza & Salad lunch special at Winnies in Queenstown was only $10 - very good value. This is the Caprico without cheese. Not the tastiest (the sauce could have done with more flavour), but it did have a nice crispy base & wasn't short on toppings.

Winnies
7 The Mall, Queenstown
7 days, 12pm-late
www.winnies.co.nz

The Roasted Zucchini & Lentil Salad (without the feta) at Dux de Luxe in Queenstown was really good. It was a warm salad & had a nice balance of leafy greens, lentils & other assorted salad ingredients. The dressing was good too. Dux is a cool place - I recommend it for a quiet beer at the end of the day (before the DJ starts).

Dux de Luxe
14 Church St, Queenstown
7 days, 12pm-late
www.thedux.co.nz

The ol' favourite - Avocado & Tomato on toast. I don't remember the name of the cafe, but it was a really funky little place in the main street of Wanaka.

Probably the biggest surprise of my whole trip. Stumbled into this place after arriving late into Fox Glacier. In such a small town, I really didn't expect much in the way of choice, but Cooks Saddle Cafe & Saloon had this Lentil Stuffed Capsicum listed as vegan right there on the menu - no changes required! It reminded me very much of nutmeat in texture & flavour & was very similar to the meals I make at home. A very pleasant meal to end a long day of driving.

Cooks Saddle Cafe & Saloon
19 State Highway 6, Fox Glacier
7 days, 11am-late (hours are seasonal, so call to check 03 751 0700)

Finally, this is a pretty standard Roast Vegetable Panini at Shoreline Cafe in Kaiteri. There was a false start with this one. I had asked for it without the ricotta & pesto (from memory), but it came out covered in melted mozarella (which wasn't listed on the menu). I took it back, apologising for not having specified no dairy (I'm always forgetting to do that & I really should have learnt my lesson by now). The waitress was pretty friendly about it & I was soon delivered a fresh meal. I really hate sending meals back (we've all heard the stories about chefs spitting in the food), but in this case there was nothing I could do to avoid the cheese & I was really hungry.

Shoreline Cafe
Corner Inlet & Sandy Bay Rds, Kaiteriteri
Summer - 7 days 7.30am-10.30pm; Winter - 7 days 10am-5pm (call to check - 03 527 8507)

Vegan eating NZ - post Milford Tramp

2011-12-01T14:20:00.000+11:00

Have you ever done a tramp in NZ? Or a multi-day hike anywhere in the world? If you have, you'll know that after 4 days of eating the same food, you'll be craving something different in a big way. That's how I felt when we got back to Te Anau after completing the Milford Tramp.

First thing on the menu was one very long, very hot shower. It was awesome, the best shower I have EVER had. I was so in love with that shower I wanted to marry it.

Anyway, moving on, second thing on the menu was a nice glass of whiskey - which definitely hit the spot. And third thing on the menu was a hot, tasty meal. The Ranch in Te Anau provided just that. It's not a fancy place - just a country cafe/bistro/pub playing some pretty bad country music. But it was warm, the staff were friendly & they had vegetarian nachos on the menu. All i had to do was pass on the cheese & I was delivered a beautiful, tasty, crunchy, hot plate of goodness. The topping was the best thing about these nachos - with a whole mix of sauteed vegetables & beans.

The Ranch Cafe & Bar
111 Town Centre, Te Anau
7 days, 12pm til late

The fourth thing on the menu had to wait until the next morning - a real coffee. NZ is like France - they do bowls of coffee. Bowls of coffee are so awesome. Especially when you haven't had a real coffee in 4 days... sigh :-)

Vegan eating NZ - Otago Rail Trail

2011-12-01T13:55:00.000+11:00

When we headed off on our adventure on the Otago Rail Trail, I wasn't expecting a whole lot in the way of vegan food. After all, once you leave the big cities behind in Australia, you're pretty much left with chips or salad at the pub. Not so in NZ. Not only is vegan not a dirty word, I actually found that people went out of their way to please me. Obviously, there were a couple of times when I resorted to a bowl of wedges at the pub, but considering we were on the road for 4 full days, that's not too bad.

Here are a couple of the highlights, starting with the Dunstan Hotel in Clyde. This is a baked potato stuffed with stir-fried vegies. I asked for no dairy & voila! This monster of a meal was promptly delivered. Awesome. I struggled to finish it, but forced myself to swallow every last mouthful, because I was worried I wouldn't see that many vegetables again for the next 4 days. I was wrong (happily).

Dunstan Hotel
35 Sunderland St, Clyde
7 days 11am-11.30pm
www.dunstanhotel.co.nz

My other highlight was the Oturehua Tavern. Grahame & Liz run this awesome country pub & were our saviours after we were caught in 30min of drenching rain on the final leg into town. After settling into our room & changing into dry clothes, we wandered into the pub in our socks, put our shoes by the fire to dry & pretty much spent the rest of the evening curled up next to the fire sampling the local reds.

Having been told I was vegan (because our room came with breakfast), Liz very kindly went out of her way to make me a special lentil pie (& also made the bro a vegetarian version of the same pie). It was so awesome I can't really describe it in words. Because it wasn't just that the pie tasted good (& it tasted really really good). It was the friendliness, the welcoming atmosphere, the willingness to go out of their way to please & the feeling of having a warm, delicious meal at the end of a long day's cycling.

I highly recommend paying Grahame & Liz a visit. If you're planning to visit for lunch or dinner I would call ahead because I don't think there's anything vegan on the menu, but the tavern is equally worth a visit for a drink & a good chat.

Oturehua Tavern
Main Rd, Oturehua
Not sure about opening hours - give them a call 03 444 5856

Vegan eating NZ - Wellington

2011-12-01T13:35:00.000+11:00

After 3 weeks in NZ I was pleasantly surprised with how well I was eating. I knew from prior research that Auckland (which I didn't even get around to visiting) & Wellington were going to be good, but I was a bit unsure about the rest of the country.

Here's a summary of the vegan eats I sampled in Wellington at the beginning & end of my trip. Starting off with a snack at Matterhorn. Matterhorn is all dark wood, dim lighting & trendy as can be. I liked it, but would have felt more comfortable at a laid-back bar. We got there too late for the full menu so had to satisfy ourselves with the bar snacks (there isn't really a whole lot more choice on the other menus for a vegan anyway). There are a couple of vegan options in the snacks - I went for the White Bean & Lemon Dip with Crispy Pitas & Spring Onion Relish.

This was yummy - not much different from what I make at home, but then, I wasn't at home was I?

Matterhorn
106 Cuba St, Wellington
Mon-Fri 11.30am-late; Sat-Sun 10am-late
www.matterhorn.co.nz

While discussing where we should go for dinner one evening I discovered Southern Cross. This pub/bar has a very vegan-friendly menu, making it oh so easy by actually marking the suitable items with the goold ol' 'v' for vegetarian or 'vg' for vegan. Love it. First visit I chose the Homemade Dips with Olives & Toasted Bread.

Not super-fancy, but everything it promised to be - there was a kumara & a beetroot dip & all the breads were really tasty.

The bro went with something a little more adventurous - a Stonegrill with Marinated Tofu, Veggies & Sesame Soy Noodles. The stonegrill is a volcanic rock heated to 400 degrees celsius, which you then use to grill your own meal. It's pretty cool. And also very tasty.

On my second visit I wasn't as hungry, so chose the Warm Winter Salad of parsnip, pear, walnuts, greens & marinated tofu. It was a big meal & extremely satisfying. Really hit the spot.

I loved this place. The vibe was great, the staff were friendly, the service was efficient & the music was cool. You should definitely put it on your Wellington list.

Southern Cross
39 Abel Smith St, Te Aro, Wellington
No idea what their hours are, but you could give them a call - 04 384 9085
www.thecross.co.nz

Here we have one of the vegan breakfast options at the Maranui Cafe - the Scrambled Tofu with Avocado. There was way too much soy sauce on this - especially for a breakfast dish. But I loved the avocado toast - it went some way to balancing out that overwhelming salty flavour.

Maranui is a really cool cafe with great staff, great music, a laid-back vibe & fantastic views over the harbour. There's not a great deal on offer for vegans, but the coffee is good, so I recommend you at least give it a go.

Maranui Cafe
Maranui Surf Life Saving Club
The Parade, Lyall Bay, Wellington,
7 days, 7am-5pm
www.maranuicafe.co.nz

Last but not least is the Wellington stalwart - Midnight Espresso. For an omni cafe, this place is uber-vegan friendly. There's loads to choose from - whether you want a quick counter snack or something more substantial off the menu.

On my first visit I was just after a refreshing drink & decided to ask if their milkshakes could be made vegan. The answer? Yes they can. And to replace the dairy ice-cream they used avocado... aweseome! So here is my Vegan Raspberry & Avocado milkshake - super creamy, beautifully rich & even a little bit good for me :-)

My second visit to Midnight was at lunchtime & I was starving after a morning of tourist-type activities. I chose the vegan nachos. They came loaded with vegan goodies - beans, olives, jalapenos, salsa, avocado, vegan mayo & hommus. Yum yum yum!

Wellington knows how to do cool without pretension like nowhere else I've ever been & Midnight is no exception. Friendly staff, awesome laid-back vibe, good music (of course) & a menu that will leave you wanting to come back again & again until you have tried it all. A must for any veg*n in town.

Midnight Espresso
178 Cuba St, Wellington
Mon-Fri 7.30am-late; Sat-Sun 8am-late

Sydney Cruelty Free Festival

2011-11-03T15:05:00.001+11:00

Last Sunday I was lucky enough to be in Sydney for the Cruelty Free Festival. I stopped off early in the morning to have a quick look around, but having just eaten a big breakfast, I decided to head off to do some work & return later in the day.

By the time I got back it was about 2pm & my tummy was rumbling pretty loudly. After umming & ahhing for a while I decided on the spinach & mushroom gozleme for lunch.

The gozleme was much more filling that I anticipated, so I had to walk around a bit before I could face dessert. There was SO MUCH to choose from. Cupcakes, cheescake, brownies, icecream, pastries, cookies, I was overwhelmed with choice.

In the end I couldn't go past the vegan cornetti (cream horn). Look at that beauty!

The pastry was super-light & flaky, filled with a delicious soy cream. I'm normally not a big soy-cream fan, but this one was nice.

Because there was so much choice I decided to have a second dessert course. This is a hazelnut Hungarian pull-apart pastry. It was their last one, so even though I only wanted a half, I got the whole thing for $5 - bargain! It was huge - about the length of a paper towel roll but much wider. And it was still warm from the oven - I had to stop myself from devouring the whole thing & making myself sick.

After another day of eating way too much I settled down on the grass in front of the main stage to watch some bands. It was so nice I abandoned my plans to move on and stayed for the rest of the afternoon. I was lucky enough to catch one of my favourite Australian artists - Diana Anaid.

Diana is a long-term vegan and animal rights activist. It was the perfect end to the festival to lie in the sun and listen to her beautiful music.

Thanks CFF organisers! Hopefully next year I'll be able to help out as well.

More Sydney vegan eats

2011-11-03T14:50:00.000+11:00

I had one of those moments when I was uploading the photos for this post (all of stuff I ate on Saturday). I suddenly realised, 'holy crap, that's a lot of food!'. As one friend said, it's OK, you're on holiday. I like her thinking, but I'm not sure that I can justify the 'I'm on holiday, I'll eat whatever I want' thing for 3 months (and counting)... It's just so exciting to be in a new place - I want to try everything and I want it now!

Anyway, lets talk about the food. Next on my list of Sydney vegan-eats was Naked Espresso in Newtown. I was extremely tempted by the giant fry up and the Aussie vegan feast, but I decided to be sensible and went for the BLAT instead (using redwood vegan bacon). It came as an open sandwich with a side of vegan mayo & Dijon mustard. This was tasty, but I was left feeling a little dissatisfied. I think it's because this is the kind of meal I can make easily at home. When I go out for a meal I like to get stuff that's a bit different, or fancier than what I can be bothered to do myself. Not that I'm blaming Naked, I should have put more thought into my order.

I checked out the vegan pizzas on the Basil Pizza menu while I was there and I can't wait to get back and try them!

Naked Espresso
126 King St, Newtown
Sat-Sun 9am-2pm
www.cafenaked.com

For lunch I went back to my old Sydney backup - Iku. This time I opted for a change to my regular mezze box and got a rice ball wrap. It was all kinds of delicious, mainly because there was no skimping on the sauces. There were 2 different sauces in there, something tahini-ish and the other mayo-like and there was heaps!

Iku Wholefood
Various locations throughout Sydney, check website for opening hours
www.ikuwholefood.com.au

S & I met up with a couple of friends in Newtown for dinner & by the time we wandered down King St & chose Arabella - a Lebanese restaurant that K had visited before, we were all starving. Hence these photos are of the carnage left behind after our feast - we just couldn't wait for the photos to be taken!

This is what's left of my Fatoush - the salad was loaded up with beautiful deep-fried flat bread and tons of olive oil & lemon juice - yum yum yum!

The dips - only two of which were vegan - the hummus on the left & the garlic on the right. The waiter (possibly the owner?) had said originally that since we had ordered so much food he would 'bring us some dips'. This implied to all of us that they were complimentary. We were wrong - they were on the final bill. Oh well, they tasted good!

My fried cauliflower with tahini dipping sauce. I'm a huge fan of cauliflower but I've never eaten it like this before - I will be in future because it was delicious!

Two lonely felafels that no-one could squeeze in. I think these were my favourite dish - they were super-crispy & came with a side of pickled vegetables and the same tahini sauce I had with the cauliflower.

Just as we were all groaning & moaning about having eaten too much, the bellydancers came out (I think they are there Saturday & Sunday nights). I would have like to stay for the entertainment, but the others were all pretty tired so we said goodbye.

The food at Arabella was really really good - for that reason alone I'll go back. The service was friendly & efficient and there was a pleasant atmosphere. The prices are fairly high but now that we know how much you get for your money, next time we won't order so much.

Arabella
489 King St, Newtown
7 days 5-11pm; Fri-Sun 12-3pm
www.arabella.com.au

O Organic Produce, Surry Hills

2011-10-30T19:36:00.000+11:00

On my quest for a vegan breakfast in Surry Hills, I happily stumbled across O Organic Produce - a recommendation from Mandee at Cupcake Kitteh. I have since discovered they have 2 other stores - at Bondi Westfield & Wynyard station.

O has that healthy, friendly vibe you get in most organic places. Lots of timber, lots of smiling staff and nice chilled music. We were there for breakfast, but I was sorely tempted by the array of takeaway lunch treats in the cabinet - the salads looked amazing.

I've actually been a couple of times now - it's the kind of place I know I will go back to again and again until I have tried every vegan thing on the menu.

On the first visit S got his favourite juice - apple, carrot & ginger. It was delivered quickly & was as fresh as you would expect.

I didn't have to think much about what to order for breakfast - the vegan french toast was a no-brainer. I was very curious to see how it would stack up to the Monk Bodhi Dharma version (see 1 & 2).

It stacked up well. The bread was super fresh, perfectly fried & topped with lovely sweet fresh fruit, toasted coconut & agave syrup. I still have a soft-spot for that vegan cream cheese at Monk Bodhi, but this version has to be at least equal for flavour.

There was only one hiccup - they forgot my coffee and when I finally got it after I had finished my breakfast the milk was burnt, which wasn't the nicest end to the meal.

Visit 2 went off without a hitch. This time I opted for savoury - organic baked beans on sourdough, with a soy banana smoothie.

The beans were really really good. The sauce had tons of flavour - based around their zucchini & tomato chutney and there were lots of nice fresh greens to balance the heavier, spicy flavour of the sauce.

O Organic Produce
487 Crown St, Surry Hills
Mon-Sat 7.30am-4.30pm; Sun 8.30am-3.30pm
www.organicproduce.com.au

Crave Sushi, Terrigal

2011-10-30T13:24:00.000+11:00

Just a quick note to tell you about a new cafe in Terrigal. Crave Sushi has taken the place of a cafe (which I can't recall the name of) that was stupidly trendy & overpriced.

Unfortunately it seems to have maintained the status quo. While the staff were very friendly the day we visited (in complete opposition to what other reviewers have described), the prices are high, even for Terrigal standards. This is no fine-dining Japanese restaurant and offers nothing different from a standard Japanese takeaway that you would get on every corner in Sydney & Melbourne.

But, it still offers vegans another choice on the Coast, so I thought I should share. Here are the vegetarian inside-out rolls - crammed with lots of yummy tofu & fresh vegies.

I would still recommend vegans go to Body Fuel for a decent meal, but, if you find it closed (as we did), Crave at least offers a healthy alternative.

Crave
16 Church St, Terrigal
7 days, breakfast & lunch; dinner on the weekends in summer (call for exact times - 4384 6751)

Bodhi, Sydney

2011-10-30T13:11:00.000+11:00

I'm taking advantage of my time in Sydney to check out every vegan-friendly offering that I can, just in case I don't make it back.

So far I have squeezed in 2 trips to Bodhi. Many others have been before me - check here for a start.

On our first visit I forgot my camera and it was way too dark to take any photos. You'll just have to take my word for it - the Sweet Vinegar & Soy Glazed Crispy Shitake Mushrooms were divine. Unfortunately there was a bit of a hiccup because I had actually ordered the Asian Stuffed Shitake Mushroom, but really wasn't concerned as the meal I ended up with was so yummy. S ordered the Peking 'duck' pancakes. This was also great, though I'm not a huge fan of mock meat, I could definitely appreciate the flavours.

The second visit to Bodhi was last weekend. We had initially tried to visit the Night Noodle Markets - part of the Sydney food festival - but after a quick walk around couldn't see anything particularly vegan-friendly at any of the stalls. Plus, the crowds were huge, which you can kind of see in this terrible photo I took with my phone.

Since we were already in the park, we decided to head back to Bodhi. Unfortunately I forgot my camera again, but we had a little more light, so I was able to take some very blurry shots.

This time I ordered the Mushroom, asparagus, red capsicum, soft tofu and cashew nuts tossed in a creamy coconut lemongrass sauce in an asian pastry. The flavours were unbelievable!

S got the Malaysian curry with lychee, asparagus, pineapple, snow pea, tofu, bamboo shoots and pine nuts. This was the first curry I have tried with so many sweet flavours - I really enjoyed it.

We have had great service on both of our visits to Bodhi - the staff are very attentive (it could border on annoying for some, but for me didn't reach that tipping point). The setting is beautiful, under the old moreton bay figs and I really can't imagine a nicer place to be on a warm summer's evening.

Bodhi
Lower Mezzanine Level of Cook and Philip Park (Between St Mary’s Cathedral and the swimming pool)
2-4 College St Sydney
Lunch 7 days 11am-4pm; Dinner Tue-Sun 5-10pm
www.bodhi.id.au

Truman Cafe, Albert Park

2011-10-30T12:49:00.000+11:00

My Melbourne office has just moved from South Melbourne to Albert Park and I quickly made it my business to discover the local food & coffee delights. I reckon I hit the jackpot on day 1. Truman Cafe seems to have only opened a few months ago, but in true Melbourne fashion, already has a loyal local following.

The first reason for that must be the coffee - perfect every time, smooth, strong and delivered in cute retro style.

The second reason is the atmosphere - a little bit retro, a little bit warehouse, a little bit bayside and with funky, chilled music all day long.

The third reason doesn't have a photo - it's the staff. Every single person I met over 3 days was super-friendly, helpful, efficient but laid-back at the same time and just all-round charming.

The menu doesn't have any outstanding choices for vegans, but it's not too bad for this part of the bay. On the first morning I ordered the sauteed mushrooms on toast. I think they came with feta, so I asked the waitress if that could be left out. She immediately asked if I was vegan, which I loved - it gives me confidence when 'vegan' isn't a foreign word. It turned out that the mushrooms were pre-cooked in butter, but as it wasn't busy the chef was happy to make up some fresh without the butter for me - what outstanding service!

The second meal I at was the now standard cafe fare of avocado & tomato on sourdough. A simple dish, but the freshest ingredients plus loads of avocado made it something special.

And then, once I spotted the pepper grinder I kept finding reasons to add more... and more. Just look how cute it is!

My final meal didn't get a photo - it was just a quick serve of toast on my way to the airport. I can't wait to get back to Melbourne now - Truman is the kind of place that becomes your home away from home. Vegans, don't go there expecting a feast, but I still recommend it based on the coffee, service & overall vibe.

Truman Cafe
381 Montague St, Albert Park
Mon-Fri 7am-5pm; Sat-Sun 8am-5pm

Blue Corn, St Kilda

2011-10-29T15:52:00.000+11:00

I recently got to revisit Melbourne for a working weekend and took advantage of the opportunity to catch up with friends while I was there. For dinner one night I met a friend at Blue Corn in St Kilda. Despite having lived in St Kilda & Elwood for many years, I had never eaten at Blue Corn, mainly because of the prices. It's not overly expensive by any means, but it was always out of reach for my student-poverty lifestyle at the time.

I can't believe I waited so long. Blue Corn is AWESOME! My friend convinced me to have a margherita to start - isn't it beautiful?

I ordered the dips, which came with cornbread, corn chips & olives. It was huge, just as Carla had described! I loved the variety in flavours too - from memory the dips were guacamole, tomato/capsicum, hummus, olive & I really can't remember the fifth one. The cornbread was super-fresh & delicious too.

We had dessert at home, which was a mouth-watering bowl of fruit salad with lemon sorbet. In my opinion, the absolutely most perfect way to finish off a gorgeous meal.

I definitely recommend Blue Corn for south-side vegans - in my opinion it easily stacks up to Trippy Taco. The atmosphere is fun and the staff are friendly and laid-back, all in all a great place to hang out for the night.

Blue Corn
205 Barkly St, St Kilda
Mon-Fri 6-11pm; Sat-Sun 9am-11pm (these opening hours are unconfirmed - best to call them to check - 9534 5996)

Funky Pies, Bondi

2011-10-29T15:31:00.000+11:00

Since I've been hanging around Sydney more I figured I may as well get out there explore this city's vegan offerings. While not quite as vegan-friendly as Melbourne, and with quite a reliance on Asian-inspired food (which I like, but don't love), I have been pleasantly surprised at what I have found so far.

On the day S & I completed the Coogee-Bondi walk, I made sure we timed it so we could visit Funky Pies for lunch. I have eaten their pies many times in Melbourne, but I was itching to visit the cafe after reading these reviews by Melbourne bloggers last year.

I was also happy to finally try the one pie I have never been able to get my hands on in Melbourne - the Eezy Chic 'n' Cheezy. I opted for the less-healthy option of mushy peas, mash & gravy (in place of salad).

As you can see, the pastry is super flaky & the pie was nicely browned on top. The filling delivered what it promised - chunks of 'chicken', broccoli & mushrooms in a creamy sauce. While I enjoyed it, it's not my favourite Funky Pie (that honour is still held by the classic Funky Chunky for now). I think the flavours probably weren't strong enough for me. The cafe itself is small, but has a great vibe with friendly staff. They also sell a range of vegan-friendly products alongside their own pies.

For dessert, I couldn't go past the brownie. Unfortunately, I left it in my bag all day and it melted a little bit. I realise that this photo doesn't look very appetising - but check out all that coconut oil! Cholesterol-free deliciousness!

I still haven't managed to get to Funky for their weekend breakfast, but I'm determined to try those pancakes, so stay tuned!

Funky Pies
144 Glenayr Ave, Bondi Beach
Mon-Fri, 7am-8.30pm; Sat-Sun 11am-8.30pm
http://funkypies.com.au

Blue Mountains noms

2011-10-10T19:25:00.000+11:00

I have just spent a lovely weekend in the Blue Mountains. The mountains are a haven for all kinds of alternative lifestyle types, but unfortunately there's not a lot of vegan noms on offer. There have been a couple of vegetarian cafes up there in the past, but I think the last one closed down a few years ago.

Lunch on day one was a picnic in the middle of one of our walks. After walking for a couple of hours this sourdough pumpkin seed roll with falafel, hummus & olives was unexpectedly delicious.

That night we headed into Katoomba for dinner & after walking the main street and checking all the menus for potential vegan fare, we decided on Cafe Zuppa. It had a promising listing of vegetarian mains. Sadly, none of those were vegan-friendly, but the staff were quite friendly & helpful about it. I chose the vegetarian pasta (no cheese). This was a huge bowl of tasty fettucine smothered with semi-dried tomatoes, artichokes, olives, eggplant & onion. Not mind-blowing, but tasty & very filling.

After dinner we stopped off at The Carrington for a drink. This gorgeous hotel has only recently reopened after extensive restoration work. I could easily have sat in front of the fire all night, but eventually we had to make our way home.

The next day we picked up some lunch at the Leura Markets. There was a mexican food stall with a clearly advertised vegan wrap. I love supporting businesses that make it easy for vegans so I happily tried one. It was really tasty - the tomato & bean mix was pleasantly spiced & topped up with lentils, zucchini & eggplant. Along with a simple fresh salad & nicely toasted flat bread it was the perfect antidote to the cold winds that were blowing through the mountains that day.

Arrivederci Italia

2011-09-30T17:31:00.000+10:00

On my last day in Venezia I visited the Rialto Market. It's been running in the same spot for about 800 years. So you know, just a little bit of history. This 1kg bucket of figs was only 2 euro. 2 euro! I found a quiet spot to sit & devoured most of them straight away.

From Venezia I caught the train back to Milano, where I'm staying with a friend for my last 2 nights in Italy. Yesterday I wandered around the city, looking at shops mainly. About 2pm I was getting very tired & I spied a gelato bar. I haven't managed to find any soy gelato since Roma, but there was something about this place. I totally scored - not only did it have soy gelato, but a range of fruit sorbets as well. I chose Cinnamon Soy Gelato & Fig Sorbet. I had no idea something could taste so good. The fig sorbet was possibly the yummiest thing I have ever eaten. So fresh & creamy & just plain delicious!

The shop looks quite plain from the outside - I couldn't even find a name for it anywhere on the window.

My final food experience was dinner last night with my friend. Of course I had to have one last pizza, and I decided on the Porcini without mozzarella. So good - simple & perfect.

So, that's the end of my Italian food adventures for now, but I'm already planning my next trip back here, so watch this space.

So nice I went there twice

2011-09-28T04:30:00.000+10:00

Check it out. Second visit to Gam Gam in 3 days.

Israeli appetisers again - this time a slightly different selection. From bottom left up we have: Carrot & raisin salad again, falafel (drool...), new choice - marinated eggplant, another new choice - marinated zucchini & onion salad, tomato salad again, chilli sauce again, hummus again (double drool...), chickpea & celery salad, and finally something else new that for the life of me I couldn't place. It was something really familiar, so familiar I can't even name it. Something silly like onion or apple, something I eat almost every day. I blame my holiday brain - I spent nearly the whole meal trying to puzzle it out & forgot to ask the waiter (I was also a little scared just in case they looked at me stupidly and said 'ummm, it's potato.'

Love you Gam Gam, until next time, arrivederci.

Italian desserts

2011-09-27T03:56:00.000+10:00

Apart from Il Margutta, the other main reason I was looking forward to Roma was for the gelato.

As you can imagine, the stuff is EVERYWHERE in Italy. And almost none of it is vegan friendly. But, I had done my research & had found out about Il Gelatone weeks before. It was our last day in Roma and I was worried we wouldn't make it. Thank god we did.

Look at it - heaven in a cup. They have a clearly labelled section of soy gelato, with about 12 flavours. I exercised extreme self-control & chose just 2 - coconut & pistachio. Oh. My. God. You must go there. 'Nuff said.

After dinner in Trastevere my friend S was feeling like some more gelato & we happened across this place near the ancient quarter. I could not believe my luck when I realised that Il Dolce Sorriso had 4 or 5 soy gelato flavours! What are the odds!

This dripping mess is apple & chocolate. What a combination. Wow.

Finally, to finish is more of stuff I enjoyed throughout Sicilia - granite. Almost every gelato bar (and many cafes) serve granite throughout Italy, but I have found it to be quite different away from Sicily. On the mainland it's more what we call a slushie - basically superfine crushed ice with a heap of syrup. I'm not as much of a fan as the syrups are usually quite sickly sweet.

Just check out the colour on this strawberry granite I had in Florence - that's pure sugar right there :-)

Not long to go in Italia now, so can't say for sure whether there will be any more food adventures. Next stop - Australia - followed closely by New Zealand. So stay tuned.

Self catering in Italy part 2

2011-09-27T03:44:00.000+10:00

A very short post, following from my earlier one about self catering. We didn't have kitchen facilities in Roma, which was a shame, but in Firenze we had a cute 1 bedroom apartment with a stovetop in the kitchen. Being in Tuscany, all we needed to do to ensure a delicious dinner was pop into the supermarket next door & pick up a few essentials.

This is mixed vegetable pasta with cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, green olives & fresh rocket. Served with a dash of balsamic & some salt/pepper. I think it's one of the best meals I have ever eaten - and that includes the leftovers I ate cold as a salad the next day for lunch. Ahh, Tuscany, I have fallen in love...

Slightly less fresh and a little less tasty were these soy desserts I picked up in Roma. Seeing the '100% vegetable' label on anything pretty much guaranteed I would give it a try. These were supposed to be some kind of creme caramel with toffee sauce. The reality was a slightly greyish looking blob of stuff which looked extremely unappetising.

They also had a strong soy flavour, barely disguised by the huge amount of sugar. All I can say is, when in Rome, don't go there.

Some more vegan treats in Italy

2011-09-27T03:07:00.001+10:00

Another couple of weeks have past and they have been filled with food, as you would expect in Italy.

First up we have my first proper vegan experience of Italy. I was eagerly awaiting Roma as I knew there were a few vegetarian restaurants and cafes scattered about. We went to Il Margutta on the first night. Most of the produce is organic and it's all seasonal. By page one I had decided on my meal - the vegan degustation - a mini-meal of 4 courses.

First course was a trio of gazpacho - left to right - melon, green pepper & basil, and red pepper. It was accompanied by vegetable crudites & basil sorbet. So light, fresh & tasty - and such a relief after eating heavy pasta & pizza for weeks!

Second course was a small pasta dish - but it was so light I hardly noticed - this was green onion, pea & cherry tomoatoes. Simply seasoned with olive oil, salt & pepper. Perfetto.

Third course was seitan steak with a baked rosemary potato. This was a bit of a surprise, as the rest of the menu was quite light & summery. It was still delicious though - I really love seitan and I'm too lazy to cook it at home, so I was very happy.

The final course was dessert - a trio of sorbet with fresh fruit. Left to right - passionfruit (I think with mint?), melon, and strawberry. These were delicious - strawberry was definitely my favourite. All up, a fantastic meal, and at 30 euro, not bad value, especially considering the location of the restaurant in the ritzier end of town.

Most of my meals out in Italy have consisted of making do with the pizza & pasta on the menu. On night 2 in Roma, we were too tired to walk far, so chose a small, fairly touristy, restaurant near the hotel. It was a good choice - the waiter spoke excellent English, so I was able to ask whether the pasta was made with egg easily (the penne wasn't). This is Penne Arriabiata. It had a good kick to it, but nothing that took away the awesome flavour of the fresh tomatoes. Accompanied by a free glass of sparkling wine, at 8 euro very good value.

On our last night in Roma we headed to the restaurant district - Trastevere. I actually felt like a salad, after so much pasta & bread over the previous few days. We found a very cute little restaurant with this massive mixed salad on the menu. It was exactly what I needed!

Next we have skipped a few days to Venice. There are a couple of vegetarian-friendly places in Venice, but this is the only one I have visited so far. Gam Gam is an unassuming kosher restaurant in the former Jewish ghetto.

I went with the recommendation of previous vegan diners & asked for the Israeli appetisers without egg. This feast is what was delivered to my table - left to right: Spiced carrots & raisins, felafel (one of the best I've ever tasted), chickpea & celery salad, tomato salad, marinated mushrooms, chickpea & pepper salad, hummus (so smooth & so good), hot chilli sauce, and baba ghanoush.

This meal was divine. After nearly 4 weeks of Italian food I was so happy to eat more like I do at home. And the best bit was the produce is super fresh - we're in Italy after all. I really hope I can go back to Gam Gam, but more importantly, if you're ever in Venice, make sure you find it.

Eating out in Italy

2011-09-15T21:19:00.000+10:00

I knew before I arrived in Italy that my dining-out choices were going to be limited. I wasn't too worried, as my budget doesn't really stretch to lots of expensive meals anyway. But there have been a few memorable meals in the last couple of weeks.

Starting with the drinks - espresso! At home, I drink soy lattes, but soy milk isn't very big over here, so I've happily been taking advantage of the cheaper espresso option everywhere. As one friend joked - I like my coffee like my heart - bitter & black :-)

Vino - this is the house white & red from a small place we visited on our first night in Palermo. It was local & very nice. I think the small carafe cost about 5 euro.

Here we have the more refined glass of local vino bianco, watching the sun go down over the Amalfi Coast from Vivaro wine bar in Praiano. The owner, Gennaro, is very lovely, happy to chat & wouldn't let me pay for the wine. Although I think I accidentally promised to go dancing with him on Friday night...

Granita is every in Sicily, and there is no better way to cool down. I obsessively sought it out everywhere we went. Here is our first - fragola (strawberry) & limone.

Limone & menta (mint). The mint syrup in this one was too sickly sweet by the end.

This is caffe - tasted like it was made with real espresso, rather than syrup. Very strong, but it hit the spot.

Because I can't eat the pasta here (it's all fresh & made with egg), I have been eating a lot of pizza. It's usually the cheapest thing on the menu too - usually 3-5 euro for a whole pizza.

Australian pizza can never live up to the Italian stuff. I think the secret is in the tomatoes - all the sauce is made fresh each day.

This is from a small restaurant in Palermo & was listed as Boscaiola - mushrooms & tomato.

This is from a small takeaway in Agrigento - I can't remember the name but it was packed with spinach, rocket, tomatoes, olives & mushrooms. I had to get this one 'senza formaggio', but it made no difference to the flavour.

This is probably my favourite so far - a potato pizza (senza formaggio) from a tiny place in Catania. The potato pizza in Sicily (and maybe all over Italy?) is made with chips, rather than slices of potato. At first I thought it was strange, but now I'm totally sold on the idea - fried food on top of pizza is sooo good!

One thing I found out about before I arrived in Sicily was a local snack called 'Panelle' - chickpea fritters. 'Pane e panelle' (literally, bread with fritters) is a street snack - though we didn't see it served everywhere we visited. These little pockets of deliciousness are simply chickpea flour, salt, pepper, oil & water, all deep fried to perfection & served with a squeeze of lemon. I can't wait to get home & try the recipe myself.

The best meal I have had so far was at a great bar called Re di Bastoni in Taormina. This is the vegetable platter from the antipasto menu. So much food! On the side was a fresh garden salad of lettuce, tomatoes & corn. Then there was artichokes, sundried tomatoes, eggplant & olives. The only downside were the little tomatoes, which I thought were stuffed with breadcrumbs. Unfortunately they were stuffed with some kind of fish. When I bit into one, I thought I was going to throw up. I haven't eaten meat, even by accident, for 13 years, so I was a little upset. I don't blame the bar though - I should have asked what everything was. To top off that huge platter they also gave me a basket of bread! It was a wonderful meal, washed down by a few cold beers & accompanied by a chat with the lovely bar staff Massimo & Paolo. Great evening all round.

Finally, of course there are many things I can't eat. Mostly, it doesn't bother me. But some things look so yummy, like these pretty marzipan fruits which you see all over Sicily.

And this entire cupboard of sweet pastries in Erice. Drool...

I know there are a few vegan-friendly places in Rome, including at least one proper restaurant, so stay tuned for more news from this vegan in Italy!

Self-catering in Italy

2011-09-15T20:38:00.000+10:00

I knew once I started researching vegan eating opportunities in Italy that my choices were going to be limited. Compared to other countries, there are few vegetarian listings on sites like Happy Cow, and my search of blogs didn't uncover much.

Despite all that, I've actually been eating quite well for the last 2 weeks. I've adopted the 'keep it simple' attitude and have been using a mix of self-catering, buffet breakfasts and the occasional meal out.

In Milano, with the luxury of a full kitchen in C's apartment, we were able to prepare meals like this - penne with fresh pesto. So easy to make - we ground up some almonds & walnuts, added finely chopped garlic, a slurp of olive oil & tore up a bunch of fresh basil & some spinach leaves. Delizioso!

For breakfast (when it's not provided by the hostel) and lunch/snacks throughout the day, it's a whole heap of fruit & some almonds for protein.

Check out the price on these bananas - 60c for 5! I've been eating tons of them because they're so cheap - I'll probably have withdrawals when I get back to Australia.

In hostels with a kitchen it's easy to prepare fresh salads. The produce here is so fresh & tasty - especially the tomatoes. I have never tasted tomatoes like these in Australia. This salad is simply mixed leaves, tomatoes & chickpeas, dressed with olive oil & salt/pepper.

Not being able to afford eating out every day has actually been a great chance for me to get healthy & do a mini-detox. I don't feel deprived of anything, plus the heat over here means that eating heavier, cooked meals just isn't appetising.

An airport vegan

2011-08-29T14:33:00.000+10:00

Here I am, hanging out at Gate 36, Sydney International Airport, about to board a flight to Italy. Times have changed & I love that I can now sit here & choose from three different free wifi providers.

Sydney airport has been upgraded recently. I'm not into the shiny brand name stores they have, but I was pleased with the bigger food court. I was actually able to get a pretty decent vegan meal before my flight.

I skipped the antipasti & primo, diving straight into secondo, which is this fetching mixed salad pack from Sumo Salad.

It's a mix of Lentil Tabbouleh & Roasted Pumpkin with Chickpeas.

I really enjoyed these salads - I could taste that they had been made fresh that day. The seasoning was pretty simple too - lemon juice for the tabbouleh & sesame oil for the pumpkin from memory.

From secondo I skipped to dolce - here we have the 'Lychee Crush' from Boost Juice.

I haven't seen these on the menu before (not that I frequent Boost Juice - I think I've been once in the last year), but I still wanted to try it. I added the 'immunity booster', which promised a hit of echinacea, vitamin C & some other stuff. I have no idea if it will do me good, but I'm suffering from a head cold at the moment, and the thought of a 30 hour flight with blocked sinuses isn't a nice one. So I've been trying every natural (and in the last day some less natural) remedies to try & combat it. It's working OK, but unfortunately I haven't kicked the cold completely.

Anyway, having never had a lychee smoothie before, I was curious about the health benefits. Turns out lychees are high in vitamin C & also contain flu-fighting properties. Go lychees!

Next stop - Italia! So stay tuned for tales of my search for vegan goodies in the land of food.

Something new

2011-08-16T18:17:00.000+10:00

Pssst. I've started something new. It's over here.

You'll still find me hanging out here at Eat More Vegies occasionally, but mostly I'll be over there.

Hope to see you soon!

Something raw, something cooked

2011-08-16T17:39:00.000+10:00

I'll start with the raw. Last month I attended a 3 day vegan yoga retreat at Hepburn Retreat Centre (formerly Continental House). It was a truly inspiring experience, I only wish it had lasted for a full week. I met some amazing people, cooked/ate some amazing food & chilled out with yoga sessions in between. One of the things I took away from the weekend was that I want to start incorporating more raw food into my diet. The raw philosophy makes perfect sense to me, and anything that helps me incorporate more whole foods into my diet can only be a good thing.

At this stage of my life I can't imagine ever going 100% raw, but I also remember thinking I'd never go vegan when I was vegetarian for all those years. I guess the lesson there is never say never. For now, I'm taking small steps, which includes replacing at least 1 cooked meal a day with a salad or smoothie, plus upping my fruit intake generally. I'm also trying to replace cooked sweets with raw ones.

These Sunny Cashew Apricot Energy Cookies caught my eye immediately. I mean, seriously, how good do they look!

OK, OK, mine don't look that good. In fact, mine kind of crumbled as soon as I even went near them with a knife. A combination of not grinding the mix fine enough, not freezing for long enough & a lack of binding liquid. You should check out the photo on the recipe page though - they really do look amazing.

I tell you what though, they tasted awesome. They're very similar in make-up to the many varieties of fruit balls I've made. Except the cookies are sans added sugar & freezing them changes the texture to make them slightly crispy & yum!

Given that I'm not 100% raw yet :-), I gave this Vegan Zucchini Frittata a try for dinner last night.

I added tomato to the top and I'm glad I did as I think the extra flavour was needed. Don't get me wrong, the frittata is tasty, definitely improved with a nice garden salad on the side. Unfortunately, it didn't really hold together & turned into more of a scrambled tofu once it hit the plate. But, given the healthiness factor, I'll probably make this again.

Iku Wholefood, Sydney

2011-08-15T13:32:00.000+10:00

There's one thing that Sydney does better than Melbourne when it comes to vegan eating - Iku Wholefood.

There's nothing particularly fancy or mind-blowing about Iku, it's just tasty, nutritious, vegan food. And there are heaps of them scattered throughout Sydney CBD & suburbs. It would be great to see the franchise extend to Melbourne. Unfortunately, their business model is based around preparing all the food centrally in Sydney & delivering to the stores each day. Obviously, the food can't be sent to Melbourne, so there goes that idea - unless there's a rich business person out there who wants to set up an Iku kitchen in Melbourne for me?

Last week I visited the Pitt St Mall Iku & got the mixed pack (I can't remember their name for it).

They also have a salad pack, but I love the variety in this one. It had heaps of deliciousness to try. There was a nori roll, rice-paper roll with curried tofu (excellent addition), marinated tofu, rice ball, polenta bake, some other kind of bake, cabbage salad, lots of green leaves & 2 sauces. My favourite sauce was the mustardy one - I could easily eat this on its own. The other was a chilli sauce - tasty but pretty standard.

As a treat I also got a Marabba - described as a 'pistachio & rose water flavoured almond meal & semolina biscuit'. It just tasted like an orange flavoured shortbread to me, but it was still nice.

A few reviews I have read say that Iku's quality has gone down recently. This may be true, I don't go there often enough to judge. I still love their food though - I'll forgive a lot to have the choice & convenience that Iku offers.

Iku Wholefood
Various locations throughout Sydney, check website for opening hours
www.ikuwholefood.com.au

The Bamboo Buddha, Holgate

2011-08-12T12:31:00.002+10:00

There are 2 places on the Central Coast where vegans can get a decent meal. The first is Gnostic Mana in Woy Woy, blogged about here. The second is The Bamboo Buddha in Matcham/Holgate. As luck would have it, I'm currently working in Woy Woy & living in Matcham, so in terms of vegan noms, I'm not doing too badly :-)

The cafe is nestled in an oasis of gardens, gallery/gift shop, tiny native nursery & really is a pocket of serenity. I'll let the photos do the talking.

This is the first entrance from the road.

You then cross a small courtyard to the second entrance.

Some of the outdoor seating.

There's no table numbers - just colour-coded buddha statues. It's a cute idea, but does make it difficult for the wait-staff to find the tables in the large open space.

The important bit - the food. The one let-down? No actual vegan items on the menu. It's something I've never experienced in a vegetarian cafe. The waitress (who happened to be the owner) couldn't tell me if anything could be made vegan & had to ask the chef. The chef was very friendly & came out to speak to me - recommending 2 items that could be made vegan by removing certain ingredients - a burger & a curry.

I was happy with the chef's suggestions, but still annoyed overall. You see, I'm one of those people who doesn't like to cause a fuss. I enjoy being able to order straight off a menu without having to go through the whole rigmarole of talking to a chef or making substitutions. Normally, a vegetarian cafe is the one place where that can happen. Unfortunately, there's also no vegan dessert options.

Anyway, moving on, I went with the chickpea & lentil burger, made vegan by taking away the sour cream. This was delicious - heaps of fresh salad, a lovely relish & scrumptious toasted macadamias. My dad - a staunch meat-eater - had one too & even he enjoyed it!

Here are some more photos of the beautiful surrounds - greenery.

This man-made creek meanders through the cafe & gardens.

One of the decorations.

Despite my complaint about the menu, I still think this is a place worth visiting the Central Coast for. The only thing to keep in mind - it's mostly outdoors so ideally you should visit on a sunny day. There is some undercover seating - but it's not enclosed & can get chilly.

The Bamboo Buddha
221 Wattle Tree Rd, Holgate
Wed-Sun, 9am-5pm (now possibly open 7 days, according to a new sign outside the cafe)
www.bamboobuddha.com.au

Gnostic Mana, Woy Woy

2011-08-11T18:40:00.002+10:00

So, I've left Melbourne, maybe temporarily, maybe forever, I'm not too sure yet. I'm about to head overseas for 4 or 5 months, so the food posts will dwindle a little, though there's bound to be some great vegan finds along the way.

I'm starting a new travel blog, which I'll tell you about soon, but for now I'm back in my old stomping ground of the Central Coast, NSW.

Gnostic Mana is part of Gnostic Corner*, a small urban hippy haven in the sometimes rough environment of Woy Woy (the town so nice they named it twice!).

Woy Woy has really copped it over the years, particularly from comedians (everyone from Spike Milligan, whose mother lived there & who famously described the town as the 'largest above ground cemetery in the world'; to Felicity Ward, who went for the more modern styling of 'a train station wrapped in a titty bar'). Poor old Woy Woy. Sure, at night it can get a bit dodgy, but it has actually grown into a pretty nice place in recent years. It's surrounded by beautiful national parks & has lots of lovely waterfront to enjoy.

And Gnostic Mana is definitely worth making the trip for. It's not a 100% vegetarian cafe, but has lots of vegetarian & clearly-marked vegan options on the menu. The staff are friendly, the coffee is probably the best on offer on the Coast (not outstanding, but at least consistent), the food servings are large & the atmosphere is comfortable. They have lots of outdoor seating too, like this courtyard:

which has this mosaic on the wall that I love:

Here's just a few samplings from the menu - I'm working in Woy Woy at the moment, so there's been more visits than these that I have forgotten to photograph.

A vegan roast vegetable wrap. Tasty, but I was disappointed as the menu promised toasted pine nuts, and they were missing. A nice, light lunch.

The scrambled tofu. Simply served with spinach, rocket, sundried tomatoes & turkish toast with Nuttelex (I love cafes that serve Nuttelex - these small touches really make the difference). A couple of things stood out for me - the seasoning largely comes from tabasco, not soy sauce as is usually the case. This provides some pleasant heat & makes for a lighter taste overall. Also, the tofu is grated, not cubed - this also makes the meal lighter & somehow tastier.

The best thing on the menu, in my opinion - Vegan Breakky Wrap. This was all kinds of awesomeness I can't put into words. So stupidly simple yet so delicious. Fresh toasted Turkish bread, mushrooms cooked to perfection, fresh baby spinach, a hash brown & tomato relish (which I think is the secret ingredient). This is such a wonderfully healthy alternative (except maybe the hash brown - but you know, it's good to have a small amount of fried food sometimes) to the breakfast offerings made by certain fast food chains and I love it! I also suspect it would be a winning hangover cure.

Last but not least, Gnostic also has a range of vegan baked treats - I've managed to resist so far - but I just love that they are there if I want them.

Gnostic Mana
31 The Boulevarde, Woy Woy
7 days, 8am-5pm
www.gnosticmanacafe.com.au

* which also includes an organic grocer, a natural therapies practice, a florist, a gift shop and a hemp clothing shop.

Cocoa Oatmeal Muffins

2011-08-10T13:41:00.004+10:00

A baking post to mix it up.

Looking for a way to use up some pantry ingredients, I found this recipe online & veganised it.

Cocoa Oatmeal Muffins

1 1/4 cups plain flour (I used half wholemeal, half normal)
1 cup caster sugar (you could use half applesauce, half sugar, or another natural sweetener like agave syrup)
3/4 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 TBS baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 egg replacers (I used Orgran)
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup Nuttelex, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup nuts, chopped finely (I used walnuts)

Preheat the oven to 170C & grease a 12 hole muffin tin. Stir together flour, sugar, oats, cocoa, baking powder and salt in large bowl.

Beat egg replacer, soy milk, Nuttelex and vanilla together in a small bowl. Add wet mixture and nuts to the dry ingredients, stirring until just combined.

Spoon the batter into the tin bake 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean.

I've lost the photo of these muffins so you'll just have to take my word for it - they're awesome. Chocolatey, wholesome (if you use wholemeal flour & natural sweeteners) & no-fail so far. Also a real crowd pleaser - I took multiple batches of these to work & they always got eaten on the same day.

Mega Cafe Catch-up Part 3

2011-08-09T12:52:00.002+10:00

The third & final instalment in my cafe catch up posts from Melbourne. Pretty much all these photos are crap - sorry about that.

This is the avocado on toast at Wee Jeanie. I've blogged about this cafe before, and visited many, many more times without blogging. This meal comes with loads of fresh rocket, a yummy tomato relish & fresh lemon.

I just love this place. The service is always outstanding, it has a fantastic vibe and the coffee is by far the best in the west. Sure, the vegan options are pretty light on, but in the western suburbs you take what you can get. Keep up the good work guys!

Wee Jeanie
50 Anderson St, Yarraville
Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30am-4.30pm

For a quick lunch in the city, it's hard to go past The Organic Food & Wine Deli. Yes, I think they are a tad over-priced, and the service is mostly miss, rarely hit. But since Soul Food in Equitable Place closed down, it's one of the only sit-down places with lots of vegan choices on the menu. My favourite thing here is the tofu burger, but I've eaten it so many times I thought I should try something different. So I did - this is the vegan kashmir pie. It was OK - not as flavoursome as the burgers and heated up in the microwave, which is annoying because it made the pastry go soggy. But healthy, filling & warm. One warning - stay away from the coffee, I've never had a drinkable one here.

TOFWD
28 Degraves St, Melbourne
Mon-Fri 7am–7.30pm; Sat 8am–6pm; Sun 9am–5pm
www.tofwd.com.au

Last, but not least is this small vegan special plate at Gopals. I have a confession to make. I'd never been to Gopals. There, I've said it. I never went in the 4 1/2 years as a uni student. I never went in the 2 1/2 years working in the CBD. Then, 4 days out from leaving Melbourne, I found myself in the city at dinnertime & I decided to take the plunge. Without too much thought I went for the vegan special on the board - about $10 I think - it included a drink & a selection of the vegan items from the buffet plus a dessert. From memory there was a dahl, mixed vegetables, rice & a salad.

This is the dessert - It was some kind of apple/pear pudding. Delicious & just the right way to finish. Gopals is a no-frills place, but the atmosphere is pretty good - especially if you sit at one of the window-tables overlooking Swanston St. The servings are big, the food is healthy & everyone is friendly. I would definitely go back.

Gopals Vegetarian
1st floor, 139 Swanston St, Melbourne
Mon-Sat, 11.30am-8.30pm

Mega Cafe Catch-up Part 2

2011-08-08T15:35:00.000+10:00

Whoa, nearly 3 months between posts. This week I'm making a huge effort to get this blog up to date. Because I have another project underway, which I'm itching to tell you about.

Here's some food porn of meals eaten in the last 6 months or so.
This was a meal shared with friends at the (then) newly opened Merri Table & Bar - part of the CERES complex in Brunswick. This was some kind of tasting plate made vegan. It included some yummy vegetable tempura, a carrot & cabbage salad, tomato salad & delicious fresh figs. The drink was recommended by the waiter & was probably the highlight - from memory I think it was a fresh plum crush.

The space here is fantastic - light & airy, pretty minimalist. We took advantage of a warm day & sat on the balcony. My only real complaint about The Merri is that for a restaurant aiming for sustainability, there wasn't an awful lot of vegan choice on the menu. However, I have just checked their winter menu - it seems to have improved a fair bit with the vegan & vegan option items clearly marked. They're off to a great start & I would definitely go back.

The Merri Table & Bar
CERES Environment Park, Cnr Roberts and Stewarts Streets, East Brunswick
Wed-Sat 12-9.30pm; Sun 10am-3pm
www.ceres.org.au/themerri

Here we have what must surely be the ultimate in vegan food porn - the big vegan breakfast at Soul Food Cafe. I've always experienced pretty hit & miss service at Soul Food, which is a shame, because their food is awesome & the servings are always huge. This breakfast includes scrambled tofu, mushrooms, tomato, spinach, hash browns, as well as toast with Nuttelex.

Soul Food Cafe
273 Smith St, Fitzroy
Mon-Sat 8am-11pm
www.soulfoodcafe.com.au

Next up we have another serving of the veganised Poached Pears at Monk Bodhi Dharma. The service had improved this time. I'm making the call that this is the best sweet vegan breakfast you will find anywhere. 'Nuff said.

Monk Bodhi Dharma
Rear 202 Carlisle St, Balaclava
Mon-Fri 7am-5pm; Sat-Sun 8am-5pm
www.monkbodhidharma.com.au

Finally, a gratefully found vegan pasta salad in Wangaratta. I needed to kill 2hrs before a train back to Melbourne & had tramped around most of the cafes in Wangaratta when I finally found this one. Unfortunately, I can't remember the name of the cafe! It was in Ovens St & had a lovely courtyard out the back. The salad was really good too - just the right amount of olive oil & simply seasoned with salt, pepper & fresh basil.

Mega Cafe Catch-up Part 1

2011-05-14T16:45:00.008+10:00

Just because I haven't been posting, doesn't mean I haven't been enjoying lots of yummy vegan food these past few months. So here's a snapshot of some memorable meals.

First up, Yamba. Went there for a mini break with Mum & Dad in February. It's an awesome place. I'd describe it as Byron Bay 20 years ago. A cool little surfing town, with a nice mix of laid back beach vibes and (perhaps surprisingly) excellent facilities, cafes, bars etc.Sassafras Pasta & Pizza Restaurant is a cute little Italian-inspired place in the centre of town. The staff were friendly without being overbearing, efficient and knowledgeable. These little bread rolls were lovely - a nice twist on the traditional garlic & herb breads. They come with a range of spreads, which unfortunately aren't vegan, but never mind, the bread is, and it's crusty & hot & yummy.After asking the waiter if the Penne Pesto was vegan I was assured without him batting an eyelid that it was & that he would ensure it wasn't served with any cheese. Quick, easy, the man definitely knew how to provide good service. This meal was simple & delicious - I was just so happy to be able to get such a lovely meal in a small town.
Sassafras Pasta & Pizza Restaurant
16 Coldstream St, Yamba
7 days, 5.30pm til late
www.yambarestaurant.com

Here we have another serving of the Grigons & Orr Marinated Tofu. Flavoursome as always. Have just read a review over at Where's the Beef that mentioned a new menu - I guess that warrants another visit!

Grigons & Orr
Corner Queensberry & Chetwynd Streets, North Melbourne
7 days, 7am-5pm
grigonsorr.com.au

This lovely mess is the small lunch plate special from Friends of the Earth cafe. I can't remember exactly what was on there - some kind of dahl with rice, a couple of different salads, and something to do with potatoes. I do remember it was cheap (around $8 I think), filling, nutritious, organic, and tasted pretty damn good. I highly recommend FoE for a quick bite if you're ever in the neighbourhood.

Friends of the Earth
312 Smith St, Collingwood
Mon-Fri, 10am-6pm; Sat, 10am-4pm; Sun, 11am-4pm
melbourne.foe.org.au

Sweet Treats

2011-05-09T19:33:00.009+10:00

Here's a few sweet treats I've been baking lately. First up - the most recent.These are the 'Raspberry Oatmeal Bars' from The Joy of Vegan Baking.Another great recipe from a great book - everyone at work loved them too. The only change I made was to use Mum's home made plum jam (thanks Mum!) as I didn't have any raspberry. I'd recommend this one to people looking for a quick & easy sugar fix - it's a good basic recipe, using ingredients you'll have in the pantry.
This is a veganised version of caramel slice, made because I needed to use up some soy condensed milk. As you can tell from the photo the caramel was too runny. So runny I didn't end up taking the slice to the afternoon tea I had cooked it for. I read somewhere to add cornflour to the mix to thicken it, which I did, but it didn't really work. Oh well - we live and learn.
And here are some Oatmeal Apple Pancakes with Blueberries. I really like these - it's another quick dish, and also surprisingly nutritious - good for a weekend breakfast. Warning - they are pretty sweet, so stay away if you're normally a savoury person. The recipe comes from a free iPhone app which I have posted about before - Whole Foods Market.

Oatmeal Apple Pancakes

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup applesauce
1 egg replacer (I use Orgran - flaxseed would work really well)
2 TBS maple or agave syrup
1 TBS Nuttelex

Combine oats, applesauce, egg replacer & syrup in a food processor & puree to make a smooth batter. At this stage, I added 1/4 cup of frozen blueberries & pulsed a few times to chop the berries.

Melt 1/2 TBS of the Nuttelex in a large frypan over medium heat. Working in batches, drop 2 TBS of batter into the pan to form 5 pancakes, spacing them a couple of inches apart. Cook, flipping once, until golden brown & cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining Nuttelex & batter.

Serve warm with your favourite pancake toppings.
Finally, these are Chewy Muesli Squares - kind of healthy with those wholegrains, nuts & seeds but also kind of not with all that sugar & Nuttelex. Delicious though :-)

I'm not sure where this recipe came from - let me know if I've stolen it from you.

Chewy Muesli Squares

1/4 cup cup golden syrup
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup Nuttelex
1/2 cup soft brown sugar
2 cups breakfast crisp (I used weet bix)
2 cups puffed brown rice
1/2 cup cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds

Melt golden syrup, peanut butter, Nuttelex & sugar in a saucepan over low-medium heat & simmer for 5mins. Combine with remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Press this mix firmly into 20x30cm shallow tin. Refrigerate until firm & cut into squares.

Sunday brunch

2011-05-08T12:40:00.004+10:00

Here's a nutrient-packed brunch recipe for you. It comes from an Iphone app - '21-day Vegan Kickstart'. The app is basically a meal plan designed to help people transition to a vegan diet. It's got some good ideas & a few interesting recipes - so, even if you've been vegan for a long time like me, it can help you get back into healthy eating habits.Spinach and Mushroom Frittata

1/2 cup water (I used 1 TBS olive oil instead)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups sliced mushrooms
2 tsp dry basil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp celery seeds (I didn't have any, so just left them out)
1 package frozen spinach, thawed (I used half a bunch of fresh spinach)
1 package silken tofu (about 300g)
2 TBS dry couscous
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tomato, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees & grease a 9 inch pie dish. Heat the water or oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Add the onion & garlic & cook until soft, about 5mins.

Add mushrooms, basil, salt, pepper, nutmeg & seeds. Cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are soft, about 5mins. Stir in spinach & cook, stirring often, until mix is very dry. Remove from heat.

In a food processor or blender, process tofu until very smooth. Add to spinach mix, along with couscous & soy milk. Stir well.

Pour the mix into the dish & arrange the tomato slices around the outside edge. Bake 25mins, remove from oven and let stand 10mins before serving.

The frittata was tasty, but there are a couple of things I will change next time:

Adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast - for flavour & colour.
I didn't let the spinach mix dry out enough - meaning the final product was a bit watery.
Using half silken & half firm tofu (or firm tofu mixed with soy milk) - to help the frittata firm up a bit - it didn't come out of the dish neatly.

Overall, this was a satisfying meal - it would be great with some potatoes or avocado or maybe even a salad on the side. For me, there's a bit too much prep involved for a lazy Sunday morning - but if you have someone to share the workload with, you'll be enjoying your brunch before you know it :-)

The other positive? It's healthy, probably much healthier than Chelsey's pancakes, which I had for breakfast yesterday. They were delicious though :-)

Wee Jeanie, Yarraville

2011-05-06T19:56:00.010+10:00

I know I've been AWOL for quite some time. I won't go into details, suffice to say life has been chaotic and difficult.

However, this is worth coming out of hiding for. The long awaited new addition to the Yarraville cafe scene has finally opened - and it's called Wee Jeanie - how cute!

Rumours about Wee Jeanie began a long time ago. The building work went on for months. Then they took the covering away from the windows so we could all peek in & get excited about what was forming behind the glass - here's a photo from that time. Then, one cold day, I walked past & realised it was finally open. I went in straight away to sample the coffee. I was expecting good things - after all, it's the same people that are behind Corner Shop, and the same lovely Coffee Supreme.

I wasn't disappointed - my soy latte was perfect - strong but not bitter, smooth, creamy, hot but not scalding, delivered with a smile.

The space is lovely - small but cosy, natural materials, clean and simple. The music choice has been great every time I've been in and the staff are always friendly.

There's also a lovely courtyard with a beautiful glass-topped table.

After a few more coffees, I finally got around to visiting for lunch a week or so later. There isn't an extensive menu - the idea behind this cafe is to pop in for a takeaway or a quick bite. There are a range of sweet things & salads in the cabinet, plus a short menu - the food is simple, but good. Vegetarians will have no trouble eating here, and vegans aren't left out either. I have noticed a couple of different vegan salads - a lentil one plus the one I sampled below. I'm not sure if there will be a vegan salad option on offer every day, but you can always go with the avocado on toast option if pressed.

So, the food. This is a Chickpea, Roast Zucchini & Sumac salad, with a side of Rosemary Bread (complimentary). It was truly awesome. Perfectly spiced, with nutty chickpeas, soft zucchini, rocket and spring onions. So simple, yet so so delicious. The bread was AMAZING too - fresh & crusty & perfectly flavoured with rosemary & salt.

Wee Jeanie
50 Anderson St, Yarraville
Tuesday to Saturday, 7.30am-4.30pm

Against Animal Cruelty Event

2011-03-04T13:40:00.006+11:00

It's been a long time between posts, not sure why I can't get back into the groove this year...

Here's an exciting event coming up at Altona Library - the youth organisation Australian Teens Against Animal Cruelty (ATAAC) & Edgars Mission are celebrating Youth Week & helping to inspire a new generation to live a cruelty free life. Please come along - even if you're no longer a 'youth' - I'm certainly not :-) - & bring your friends!

More info & bookings at http://againstanimalcruelty.eventbrite.com

Exciting initiative from ALIA

2011-01-28T19:54:00.003+11:00

I don't often post about library-world anymore, but an exciting announcement was made yesterday & I didn't want to let it pass by.

ALIA has just announced that members now have access to over 60 specialist LIS eBooks, thanks to a new partnership with EBL.

This is great news for the profession & for the association. I have at times questioned the value of my ALIA membership, and to be honest, for the last 12 months, have only kept it up because it's a requirement of being a Committee member (which I do enjoy - mostly for the people).

Members have had access to LIS journals for a while now, but I haven't accessed them much - unfortunately most of the journals I'm interested in reading these days have a 1 year blackout or are abstract only. The journal service is something I would have LOVED when I was at uni and in my first couple of years in the profession.

This new e-book service is something I will definitely be taking advantage of - we even have concurrent access rights - so no waiting! The titles I have in mind to start with are:

Fundamentals of library supervision - since I've recently stepped back into a management role
Librarians as community partners : an outreach handbook - because my new job is all about outreach
How Green is My Library? - because my new job is all about the environment

Thanks ALIA - you've made my day!

Here's a random library photo from my archive - this is the Bibliothèque Municipale d'Amboise.

So, what does a vegan eat for Christmas?

2011-01-26T17:57:00.002+11:00

Yes, I know this post is a month overdue...
Christmas this year was at my Mum & Dad's house in NSW (unfortunately D had to stay behind in Melbourne).

I started the day by drinking some of these (old-fashioned G&Ts):and some more of these (Midori splice - so 90s!):Then I baked a lentil & walnut loaf to go with Mum's yummy roast vegies. The loaf wasn't all that memorable so I won't post the recipe here - it was just one I found via Google on the day. I was a bit tired so didn't bother with any gravy or toppings.
Dessert was fresh fruit salad with some gelatine-free jelly that Mum had kindly made for me.
So there you have it, Christmas over for another year - simple and stress-free, just the way I like it :-)

Mega post of pre-Christmas baking

2011-01-14T11:36:00.005+11:00

Rather than spam you with individual posts, here's one big catch-up post of everything I made in the lead-up to Christmas.

This is Potato Wedges - I just cut up the potatoes, put them in a baking pan with a slurp of olive oil, then sprinkle some salt/pepper/rosemary over the top. Then I bake them at about 190C for 30-40min - delicious!The cauliflower is Lisa's Roasted Cauliflower. This didn't turn out so well for me - but I didn't follow the recipe properly so it's definitely my fault :-). I didn't have any onion & I used a little too much sesame oil & rosemary so the flavours were all out.

Here are some gingerbread men I made from The Joy of Vegan Baking. I made them to take to a pre-Christmas afternoon tea but they were barely edible so didn't make it out of my kitchen :-(This is the first thing I have made from my favourite cookbook that didn't turn out. I think it was the molasses - the recipe called for 2/3 cup, and I used blackstrap molasses. I should definitely have used a lighter molasses or less of the blackstrap because the flavour was so overwhelming I had to bury them in icing to make them edible.

Because my gingerbread men didn't work out, I made these lovely Orange & Blueberry Muffins instead, also from The Joy of Vegan Baking.These were perfect - more like a cupcake than a muffin & the orange & blueberry were just perfect together. The recipe is for Lemon & Blueberry, but I only had an orange on hand & citrus is easy to substitute, so I wasn't disappointed.

This dish is Creamy Mushroom Pasta (see recipe below). I don't make it often, but I really do like it. The sherry is the secret I think - it really lifts the flavour of the mushrooms.
Creamy Mushroom Pasta

500g pasta (I used wholemeal penne)
2 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp dry basil
1 tsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry thyme
3/4 cup cooking sherry
2 TBS soy cream cheese (I use tofutti)
1 cup soy milk
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta until tender. Saute onions in a little oil over medium heat for 5mins, until translucent. Add mushrooms & stir until heated through. Add herbs & season to taste.

When mushrooms are cooked, add sherry & mix in cream cheese. Let reduce a little & add milk. Add garlic & continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Serve over the pasta.

Nearly at the end now - this is a salad I threw together one night after a tiring day at work. I was in a hurry so served it slightly warm, but it would be equally good cold.First, I sliced a zucchini thinly, placed the slices in a baking pan, sprinkled olive oil over the top & baked it for about 15mins. Then I sliced 1 bunch of asparagus & blanched it in boiling water for about 1min. Then I tossed the asparagus & zucchini together in a bowl with baby spinach, 1 diced tomato & 1 can of chickpeas. I poured a little more olive oil over the top & added salt & pepper. It was really good, which is always a relief when I'm making up recipes as I go - I haven't had much success with this in the past.

Last but not least, here are some Felafel Burgers from my other favourite cookbook - The Vegan Table.The recipe suggests baking or sauteing these in a frypan. I chose the baking method but they turned out a little dry. Still yummy in a wrap though - I think we had these with hummus, tomato & spinach.

Salad, Rum Balls & Indian from a packet

2011-01-14T11:18:00.002+11:00

I know, I know - I've been AWOL for a few weeks. I won't go into details - just that I really needed a break. What follows will be some quick catch-up posts so I can get on top of the back-log of food. This post is all about stuff I have bought.

First up - this is a salad I picked up when desperate for a quick lunch between job 1 & 2 a few weeks before Christmas.It's from Passionfoods in South Melbourne, a great organic grocer just at the back of the market. They sell all the usual stuff in terms of groceries, but also a range of prepared hot & cold meals. This one is the Organic Tofu Rice Noodle Salad with Pam Shoy & Sesame Tahini Dressing. Quite a mouthful to say and quite delicious to eat. All you can really see in the photo is the sesame seeds on top, but underneath the salad was filled with scrumptious tofu, crisp fresh vegetables & perfectly prepared noodles.

Moving on to dessert, we come to the Leda Chocolate Rum Balls.. I've seen these in the supermarket a number of times but they're a bit pricey so I've never bothered to buy a packet. The urge to impulse buy overtook me before Christmas though, so I finally got around to trying these.They were pretty good - extremely rich as you'd expect. They didn't blow me away & I still prefer the Leda biscuits - especially the Minton ones.

Finally, a supermarket purchase that didn't go so well. I've blogged about microwave Indian meals before. I usually prefer the Maharajas Choice ones but decided to try something new & went for the Tasty Bite Spinach Dal.You can probably tell from the photo that it wasn't the most appetising meal. The colour put me off & it tasted pretty bland, so I'd recommend staying away.

Pasta sauce 2 ways

2010-12-26T13:27:00.003+11:00

In an ideal world I would make all of my pasta sauce from scratch. After all, it's easy, cheap, healthy & it freezes well.

In reality I'm just not that organised at the moment. So, when we inevitably resort to a jar of pasta sauce for dinner, our preferred choice is the Cherry Tomato & Basil from Sacla Italia.
This sauce is full of flavour, filled with lots of whole cherry tomatoes and has a pretty simple list of ingredients with no hidden nasties. An added bonus is it's readily available in regular supermarkets.Here, we used it as a pizza sauce, a job it performs remarkably well. This is a pita bread pizza with capsicum, mushroom, pineapple, olives and some diced cheezly. Normally I don't put cheese substitutes on pizza, but I had the end bit of a cheezly roll to use up.
The next evening we had pita bread pizza again - something you couldn't really do with regular calorie & cholesterol soaked pizza. This time the toppings were baby spinach, olives, mushrooms, capsicum, pineapple & creamed corn. All I can say is, yum!
The second use for our favourite jar of pasta sauce was to make a lazy-person's lasagne - specifically Chelsey's Meaty Lasagne.

I really liked this recipe - particularly the pine nuts on the top for something a little bit different. The flavours were everything you would expect from a traditional lasagne, but obviously much healthier due to the lack of dead animals :-)

The only thing I changed was doubling the white sauce quantity - I like my lasagne very saucy. Next time, I'll probably make even more again - there wasn't quite enough to spread on the top as I would have liked.

Sweet delights

2010-12-25T16:28:00.002+11:00

Here's 2 different desserts that I have picked up from other bloggers. One is super-healthy & deceptively simply & the other is not so healthy, but still pretty easy.

First up, Banana Soft-Serve. If you haven't discovered this awesome dessert yet, you must do it now. Go on - go and freeze some bananas because you need to try this.

I first found out about this dessert about a year ago from Tahn. I have to agree with Tahn - this post really will change your life.Look at that creamy goodness!I sifted some cocoa over mine - a lazy substitution for a chocolate sauce topping.

The second dessert I discovered was vegan honeycomb. K was the trendsetter, and it has since been re-blogged by others. I had no idea honeycomb was vegan by default, nor that it was so easy to make. Needless to say, I'm pretty damn excited now that I know.Here's my honeycomb just out of the pan - so golden & beautiful!Here it is half-covered in melted dark chocolate - I wanted to try some of the honeycomb on its own to really taste the flavour. I also didn't put chocolate on the bottom as K did, again, preferring to taste more of the honeycomb rather than the chocolate.Finally, here's some of my honeycomb chunks - perfect! It really melts on your tongue too - just like the store-bought stuff!

Grigons & Orr

2010-12-13T06:29:00.002+11:00

I discovered this corner-shop cafe just after it opened, but that was in my pre-blogging days. We probably went there half a dozen times & for some reason stopped visiting regularly about 6 months ago.

That was a mistake. When thinking of yummy vegan breakfast options, I think Grigons & Orr is the closest cafe to home we have. The coffee is also great (served in gorgeous vintage china) & the service is relatively fast & friendly enough for an order-at-the-counter-grab-your-own-cutlery kind of place. The atmosphere is lovely - they have done a really good job recreating the corner store vibe. It's tucked away in a quieter pocket of North Melbourne, so don't go there if you're into people watching - this place is better for a laid-back Sunday breakfast.

Two warnings - this is a friendly-weather only place as the majority of the seating is outside. I think there are 2 tables inside, but it's pretty cramped in there. It also gets very busy, so you may find yourself waiting for a table if you turn up later than early morning.

On this visit I again chose the marinated tofu, with toast (it doesn't come with toast, so make sure you ask).This is a delicious meal - crispy flavoursome tofu with spinach & mushrooms & just the right amount of soy marinade.

There's also a couple of other vegan (or veganisable) options on the menu, so I highly recommend you check it out!

Grigons & Orr
Corner Queensberry & Chetwynd Streets, North Melbourne
7 days, 7am-5pm
www.grigonsorr.com.au

Pearl Oyster the second

2010-12-07T06:39:00.003+11:00

A couple of weekends ago, we returned to Pearl Oyster (here's the first blog visit). The specials board wasn't looking very vegan-friendly, so I spent a long time looking through the regular menu. The only thing that caught my eye was the Avocado Baguette, but since I ate that last time, I was determined to get something different.

In the end I went with the marinated mushrooms on toast. I wasn't really in the mood for mushrooms (for some reason, the taste of mushrooms can sometimes make me feel quite sick - I wonder if other people feel that too?). These turned out to be field mushrooms & came with some lovely roasted spring onions, garlic, rocket & lemon.As always, the service was outstanding, the coffee even better & the food was divine. Thank you Pearl Oyster, you make me very happy - but I would be even happier if you moved to Yarraville :-)

Pearl Oyster
114 Miller St, Thornbury
Mon,Wed-Sat 8am-4:30pm; Sun 9am-4pm

La Panella, take 2

2010-11-30T07:02:00.004+11:00

La Panella, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
1. This light, buttery, chocolaty vegan croissant.2. This sweet, sticky, jam-filled chocolate vegan donut.

3. The 10 vegan sausage rolls we bought for $1.50 each for D's lunch this week.

I could go on, but if you're vegan in Melbourne, you know what I'm talking about. In the end we walked out with 10 sausage rolls, 3 jam tarts, 1 caramel slice, 1 chocolate donut & 1 chocolate croissant for $22!

You can read about 1 of my previous visits here. And yes, there was another visit to Pearl Oyster - review coming soon.

La Panella
465 High St, Thornbury
Mon-Fri 6am-6pm; Sat 6am-5pm; Sun 6am-4pm

And that's it from me for a few days - I'm exhausted after all this vegan mofoing!

Beany Pasta

2010-11-29T06:34:00.003+11:00

Only 2 days of Vegan Mofo to go. I let it go at the end of last week - just too tired & too busy...

In an attempt to clear out the old vegies in the fridge, I threw this pasta sauce together last night. I make variations of it all the time - sometimes using lentils or chickpeas instead of the kidney beans & always with a different variety of veg. This one turned out really well - I'm glad we have leftovers for tonight.Start by dicing your vegies - I used 1 onion, 1 celery stalk, 1 carrot, 1 zucchini & 1 cup of mushrooms. Cook the onion, celery & carrot in some olive oil with 1 clove of crushed garlic for about 7 mins, until they're nice & soft. Then add the zucchini & mushrooms & cook another couple of minutes.

Add 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of kidney beans (drained & rinsed), about 1TBS of balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp dry basil & salt/pepper to taste. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, about 20mins, until thick & rich. Serve with the pasta of your choice (I used wholemeal spaghetti).

The most important meal of the day

2010-11-25T06:41:00.004+11:00

Is breakfast of course! During the cooler months, my daily breakfast is porridge with LSA, blueberries & soy milk (plus a little swirl of maple syrup for sweetness). Sometimes I use brown sugar instead, and I've often wondered which is the healthier option. I'm time-poor though, so I haven't done any research into it.In the warmer months, my daily breakfast is a couple of weetbix with LSA, soy milk & fruit - strawberries or bananas or both. No sugar necessary for this one - I find bananas do the sweetening just fine on their own. Sorry, I don't have a photo of that one, because I ran out of bananas yesterday & I figured a picture of a bowl with mushy weetbix wasn't going to be all that interesting (not that the rest of this post is!).

On an unrelated issue, the space bar on my laptop isn't working properly. I really hope it doesn't get worse, orallofmysentenceswilllooklikethis...

Mess, Glorious Mess

2010-11-24T05:39:00.002+11:00

You may have noticed a theme emerging in my meals over the past couple of weeks (or maybe longer). If you haven't - I'll tell you - it's one of simple, lazy, and sometimes not-so-healthy meals. That's because life (mostly work-life) is so busy at the moment I don't have time to think about preparing proper meals anymore. I'm hoping the wind-down to Christmas will provide some relief, but we shall see.

Dinner last night proudly continued the theme - look at this awful mess - isn't it beautiful! It may not look like it, but this is Nachos - simply corn chips, topped with heated up refried beans, tomato salsa (store-bought) & creamed corn. I've found creamed corn to be a great substitute for sour-cream and/or avocado in these kinds of meals.

Mix & Match Potato Salad

2010-11-23T06:34:00.002+11:00

I really felt like potato salad on Sunday night but I didn't have the right ingredients for any of my recipes. So, I decided to piece something together using inspiration from all of them. Luckily I succeeded & the result was this delicious & filling dinner.Mix & Match Potato Salad

1kg kipfler potatoes, peeled & chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 TBS semi or sun-dried tomatoes, chopped finely
2 TBS capers
1/3 cup macadamias, roasted & chopped roughly
1 cup mixed frozen corn & peas, thawed
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 TBS lemon juice
1 finely chopped scallion (I didn't have one, so added a dash of onion powder)
Salt & pepper to taste

Cook the diced potatoes boiling, salted water until just tender, about 10-15min. Drain well. Add all of the salad ingredients to a large bowl & toss gently (I used my hands to make sure I didn't break up the potato).

To make the dressing, whisk the olive oil,lemon juice, scallion/onion powder & salt/pepper really well until it becomes thick. Pour over the salad just before serving & mix gently.

I actually served this salad warm because, as usual, I'd left making dinner too late & was hungry & impatient. I think it was really lovely warm, but I'm sure it would make a nice cold salad too.

In hindsight, I could have left the corn/peas out, but please don't leave out the macadamias - they give such a lovely texture & really made all the difference.

Scrambled Tofu take 2

2010-11-22T06:22:00.002+11:00

It's been while since I made the old favourite so I decided that Sunday breakfast was the time to resurrect it. It was pretty similar to this version.In there was half a sliced red capsicum, a finely diced tomato, one grated carrot, one finely diced celery stick and about 1 1/2 cups of quartered button mushrooms. One of the reasons I loved scrambled tofu so much is the way you can just throw in whatever veg you have in the fridge - I probably got my entire day's servings in one meal! And, I don't have kids, but I get the feeling it would be a great way to trick them into eating their vegetables.

The spice mix was a bit of everything thrown in - 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp dry basil, 1 tsp ground coriander, a splash of liquid smoke & about 2-3 TBS of tamari.

Poetic Pizza

2010-11-19T08:10:00.004+11:00

I'll admit there's nothing particularly poetic about this pizza. But when I typed 'adjectives starting with p...' into Google it came up and I thought it sounded good :-)Just a quick post - this is a takeaway pizza from my local - Godfathers Pizza. It's a vegetarian without the cheese. Simple. $7. Delicious.

Another stir-fry... ho hum

2010-11-18T06:21:00.002+11:00

I had chopped up all the vegetables to make some kind of pasta dish on Monday night but changed my mind at the last minute & turned to my old recipe collection for inspiration. I was particularly looking for a way to use up asparagus & green beans. I found this simple recipe for stir-fried sesame vegetables. I normally make my stir-fries the same way, but I figured a little change couldn't hurt.
This is the recipe as I had it written down (no idea where it came from!), but I improvised with the ingredients I had on hand. I really enjoyed this meal - it's just a little different from my standard stir-fries. I think it was the asparagus that really made all the difference.

Stir fried sesame vegetables with rice

1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup long grain white rice (I used brown rice)
1 TBS Nuttelex
1 TBS sesame seeds
1 TBS peanut oil
225g fresh asparagus, trimmed & cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large onion, sliced (I used green beans & zucchini instead)
140g sliced mushrooms
1/2 TBS minced fresh ginger
2 tsp minced garlic
2-3 TBS soy sauce, to taste (I used tamari)
1/2 TBS sesame oil

In a saucepan combine stock, rice & Nuttelex. Cover & bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low & simmer for 20-25mins, until liquid is absorbed. (I used brown rice & found that the absorption method didn't work as well, so just keep an eye on it).

Place the sesame seeds in a small frypan & dry-fry them over a medium heat 3-4mins, until golden brown.

Heat peanut oil in a wok over med-high heat until very hot. Add vegetables, ginger & garlic. Stir-fry 4-5mins or until vegetables are tender but still crisp. Add soy sauce & cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat & stir in sesame oil & seeds. Serve over rice.

The Monster Calzones

2010-11-17T09:01:00.002+11:00

In all the years I have been baking I have always stayed away from making my own pizza dough (or any bread for that matter). I think I may have tried it once & failed, so since then whenever we have home-made pizza it's always on a pita-bread base.

But last weekend I had an afternoon to fill so I decided to give it another go. I chose the Spinach & Tofu Calzones from Vegan Planet. The recipe uses a traditional pizza dough and a pretty standard spinach & tofu 'ricotta' mix.

I was so surprised at how easy it was to make the dough! I checked it about 10 times during the hour that it was rising & was so excited to see it getting bigger, then when it was time to roll it out I was like a little kid. It was just like the dough I see in pizza shops - smooth & stretchy & beautiful! So, I think I'm a convert to home-made pizza dough now... it's just a shame you need to leave it for that hour, because it pretty much means I'll never be able to make it on a weeknight.Now for the Calzones themselves. Firstly - they were huge! The recipe said to split the dough in half & make 2, so that's what I did. I think next time I'll split it into 4 (or maybe even 6). The dough cooked beautifully though - all golden & crispy, just the way I like it.D & I both found the filling a bit bland. It needed a fair amount of sauce to make it interesting. Next time I will probably use the tofu 'ricotta' recipe from The Vegan Table, which I have previously made here.

Jam & Oats make a muffin

2010-11-16T06:23:00.003+11:00

Here's another recipe from my favourite cookbook author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. These are the Jam-Filled Oat Bran Muffins from The Joy of Vegan Baking.Following the theme of everything else in the book the recipe is quite easy. The muffins are filled with oat bran, oat milk, walnuts, cinnamon & strawberry jam - which sounded like a winning combination to me. The oat milk was optional, but I'm glad I used it - I think it gave a nice rich flavour to the finished product.As you can see from the photo above, I probably wasn't careful enough when dropping my jam into the batter, because it mostly ended up seeping out the sides of the muffins, making them stick to the pan.

That also meant that when cut open, my muffins didn't look nearly as pretty as Colleens did.They did taste pretty damn good though. The only downfall for these muffins was that they didn't hold up too well the next day. They lost the nice crumbly texture & quickly became quite moist & dense. So just make sure you have some friends around to help you polish them off on the day you make them :-)

A bucket of hommus!

2010-11-15T06:35:00.003+11:00

That's right, no need to adjust your computer screens. That really is a 1kg bucket of hommus! Now, I'm sure it's been possible to bulk purchase hommus for decades, but I've never seen it, so bear with me through this period of excitement.Last week was not a particularly foodie week for me - I was just too tired from too much work. I was wandering the aisles of the local supermarket, looking for something easy & snack-like for dinner when I saw the bucket - I knew I had to have it. It's Yumi's brand, which I really like anyway, and it was really cheap - only about $6-7 from memory.I teamed the bucket up with a more suitably sized Spicy Pumpkin Dip (love this one!) & some toasted turkish bread for the laziest dinner I know how to prepare. At least it was a little bit healthy.

And I promise that most of the bucket is still in the fridge - it's got a January use-by-date - and I think I'll probably need that long to get through it.

A frozen burger

2010-11-12T07:15:00.003+11:00

I know I missed posting yesterday, and it was for the same reason that I made this cop-out dinner last night. In one word - work. It's tiring me out & there's no sign of things slowing down soon - I'm exhausted!This is a Sanitarium Not Burger, which went through a period of not being vegan due to egg white in the mix, but are OK again now. I actually quite like these - they have a pleasant flavour & a nice crispy coating. They're also cheaper than many other brands(& are actually the only brand available in my local supermarket).

Simply served on a wholemeal grain roll with tomato, lettuce, wholegrain mustard & tomato sauce - a very satisfying meal. I still feel like a cop-out though, knowing how easy it is to make home-made burger patties. These ones from K & Toby look particularly good.

Daylesford delights

2010-11-09T21:02:00.007+11:00

D & I headed off very early Saturday morning to have breakfast in Daylesford. I was looking forward to visiting Himalaya Bakery again after a year or so away. Unfortunately they're closed at the moment & I was devastated. Our stomachs wouldn't stop rumbling though, so we had to keep up the search for food.I remembered a nice meal at Frangos & Frangos, but that must have been lunch because when we looked at their breakfast menu there wasn't anything particularly veganisable on it. In the end we trudged back down the hill to Harvest Cafe. This is an organic cafe and grocer and we had eaten there before but remembered it being quite average.

This time we were pleasantly surprised. We were told on arrival there would be a long wait so we nabbed ourselves a table by the window & settled in. I'm glad we decided to wait because the food was great! I ordered the Vegan Scrambled Tofu, which came with spinach, capsicum & olives. It was flavoured quite simply but perfectly (with tamari I think). I thought the side-salad was a bit strange on a breakfast plate but I was so hungry I ate it all anyway. The kalamata olives were also quite overpowering and are probably more suited to a lunch or dinner-style scrambled tofu. The toast was delicious & they even gave me Nuttelex!D ordered the Vegetarian Omelet, which had cheese, spinach, mushroom & tomato inside. His also came with a side salad (which he didn't eat). He said the omelet was quite tasty - definitely better than last time.As you can see from the photos the serving sizes are large - just the thing to satisfy a big appetite after an 1.5 hour drive. The prices are around mid-range, but since the cafe is organic, I actually think are quite reasonable. The staff are friendly and it's also a handy place to go if you need to pick up some vegan goodies on the way out from the grocery store. The only thing they could probably do better is the coffee - mine was OK but D couldn't finish his.

After breakfast the weather had turned gorgeous so we took a stroll around the lake where I saw this very cute duck.I think ducks are probably my favourite animal - isn't it beautiful!

Harvest Cafe
29 Albert St, Daylesford
Mon-Sat 8:30am-5:30pm; Sun 8:30am-4pm
http://harvestcafe.net.au

Meditteranean Pasta

2010-11-09T06:48:00.002+11:00

There's nothing particularly mind-blowing about this dinner - it's just an example of one of the quick, simple meals I eat when I'm not feeling particularly inspired. Despite that, it remains one of my favourites (I practically lived on this when I was a student), and it can easily be adapted for whatever veg you have in your fridge.For this one I chopped 1 onion finely, diced 1 large carrot, diced 2 stalks of celery & diced about 1 cup of mushrooms. I fried the onion, carrot & celery with a crushed garlic clove & a tiny bit of chilli paste in olive oil for about 5 mins. Then I added the mushrooms & cooked them for a couple of minutes. I added 1 can of diced tomatoes, a slurp of balsamic vinegar (you could also use red or white wine), a pinch of dry basil & some salt & pepper. I turned the heat down & let it all simmer for about 20-30mins until the sauce was nice and thick. While that was happening I cooked some wholemeal spaghetti & that's it!

I often add some protein to this sauce - lentils or kidney beans - but I wasn't in the mood. I also added some chopped black olives to my sauce after serving (D hates olives).

The leaning tower of pies

2010-11-08T06:34:00.002+11:00

It's a funny story really. A little while ago I had a bag of mushrooms to use up so decided to make some of my lentil & mushroom pies for freezing. Everything went well until I got a bit impatient when I was trying to freeze them. I put them in a container all stacked on top of each other while they were still warm. This must have created some kind of unbreakable bond, because now, whenever I try to get a pie out of the freezer for dinner, I can only get 3. The pies in the photo below have actually been defrosted & heated in the oven & still wouldn't come apart!So, D & I have had to resign ourselves to eating 3 at a time. Obviously, we save them for those times when we are starving - lucky they're not full-sized pies. The important part in all of this is the pie itself. This is my basic recipe. I've tried Carla's and Cindy's pies this year, both of which I loved, but this is my own quick and easy favourite recipe. It relies mostly on frozen & canned food so I pretty much always have the ingredients on hand.

Lentil, Mushroom & Pea Pies

1-1 1/2 cups mushrooms, finely diced
1 can brown lentils, rinsed & drained
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 can diced tomatoes
Salt & Pepper to taste
4 sheets puffy pastry, thawed

Heat a little olive oil over medium heat in a frypan. Add the mushrooms & cook a few minutes, until just starting to shrink. Add the remaining ingredients to the pan & cook, stirring occasionally, about 10-15mins, until the mix has thickened.

I use my pie-maker for these, so at this stage, just cut out your pastry & fit it to whatever pie-making device you are going to use. Add some filling, pop a pastry lid on it & bake for as long as it takes for the pastry to turn golden brown (if baking in the oven, just use a moderate heat - it will probably take around 15mins).Here's a pretty terrible shot of the filling. These are definitely best enjoyed with some good old tomato sauce.

Mum's scones

2010-11-05T14:00:00.001+11:00

I've been eating these scones ever since I can remember - it's my Mum's recipe & it seems like she used to make them at least once a week (but it was probably more like once a month). Then I grew up and started making scones myself. And then I became vegan, but that was OK because the recipe was easily veganisable.

This time I made them for breakfast - they only take about 30min from prep to eating.The photo makes it seem like there are tons of the things - but I used a small cutter (5cm I think) so they're really more like mini scones.

Mum's Scones

3 cups SR flour
½ tsp salt
3 TBS Nuttelex, cold
1 ½ cups soy milk

Preheat oven to 210C & grease or line an oven tray.

Combine the flour & salt in a large bowl, then rub the Nuttelex in with your fingertips until the mix resembles breadcrumbs. Add milk & mix until it just comes together.

Turn dough onto a floured board & pat out until 1-2 inches high (don't overwork the dough). Use a floured scone cutter or glass to cut out the scones. Place them onto the tray with edges touching & brush the tops with a little extra soy milk. Bake 10-15mins until golden & they sound hollow when tapped on the top.

I know there are lots of ways to customise scones but I pretty much just leave the recipe alone - after all, I know it works!My toppings of choice are jam (this is Raspberry) & Nuttlex with Marmite. D thinks putting marmite on them is disgusting but I really like it and no matter what he says I don't think I'm crazy :-)We had a few scones left over after breakfast, so they served as afternoon tea as well. This is raspberry jam again with some Soyatoo Whipped Cream. I haven't had the cream before & I don't really like it - too much of a soy flavour for me. I definitely wouldn't serve it to a non-vegan.

Fox Hotel, Collingwood

2010-11-04T06:30:00.003+11:00

After reading about Cindy & Michael's first visit to this recently revamped pub in Collingwood I was hooked. Not only do they serve up multiple vegan options - they're interesting options. Then I read about their most recent visit & discovered they also have a rooftop beer garden & was desperate to visit. We finally made it on Monday night - after all, I need to gather subject matter if I'm to keep up with Vegan MoFo (that's my excuse & I'm sticking with it!).

It's worth noting what seemed to be an extensive beer menu - I saw at least 2 pages of international beers & there may have been more. I rarely drink these days, but when I do my beer of choice is Coopers Sparkling. D chose one of his current favourites - the Little Creatures Pale Ale.The prices here are on the high side for a pub (but definitely worth it), so we chose to share an entree - the Mushroom & Tofu Gyoza. They arrived quickly & were delicious. The mushrooms gave most of the flavour to the filling & I really liked the dipping sauce (it was based on soy sauce, but had something added). How do you split 5 gyoza between 2 hungry people? Well, I let D have 3 & I compensated by eating the green stuff.For his main, D chose the Whole Field Mushroom Lasagne with Three Cheeses. He really liked this but wished the lasagne serving had been bigger. Of course, with that cheesy sauce I couldn't taste it so can't give you much more detail on the flavours.There was a hiccup with my meal - I ordered the Thai Tofu Balls with Asian Coleslaw & Satay Sauce - but initially received the Marinated Tofu Steak with Wasabi Mayo. I'm not a fan of spicy food, so, even though it looked quite good, I did send it back. I have to say, the service was outstanding. I received my correct meal within 10 minutes & the staff let me know what was happening the whole time - big ticks!

This meal looks impressive - strangely there were a few spring rolls on the plate, but they tasted great, so I'm not complaining :-) The balls had a nice flavour & a perfect golden crunchy crust. They may have been a bit bland on their own, but with the satay sauce & salad this meal receives a gold star from me! If you're on the northside I highly recommend the Fox to you - friendly and attentive staff, efficient service, outstanding food and a fantastic vibe.

The Fox Hotel
351 Wellington St, Collingwood
Mon-Thur 3pm-late (kitchen 5-10pm); Fri-Sun 12pm-1am (kitchen 12-10pm)
http://thefoxhotel.com.au

Best vegan quiche ever!

2010-11-03T10:59:00.002+11:00

I originally got this recipe from a vegetarian forum & it's a real winner. It ticks all the boxes - quick, easy, healthy & delicious. It also tastes equally hot & fresh from the oven; or cold for a picnic the next day.

The base of the recipe is a besan (chickpea) flour batter (which also makes an awesome omelet - but you will need to wait for another day to see that recipe). From there you can pretty much add whatever veg you like. The original recipe uses onion & tomato, but I play around with it, using whatever I have in the fridge. This one had onion, broccoli & tomato.My Best Vegan Quiche

1 cup besan flour
1 ½ cups water
2 TBS olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
Pinch dry basil
1 red onion, finely diced
1 tomato, finely diced
1-2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 220C & grease a springform quiche pan. Press the pastry into tin (my pan is quite large so I always use 2 sheets of pastry). Prick the base & cook 15mins, until puffed & lightly browned.

Whisk the flour, water, oil, salt, pepper & basil well. Pour the batter into the cooked pastry crust. Sprinkle the tomato & onion over & bake 45min, until golden & firm to the touch.

That's it! As I said above, use whatever veg you like in this - but keep it simple & don't use too much - the pastry crust won't hold too much once it's all puffed up.

Why horse racing is bad

2010-11-02T16:58:00.007+11:00

It's the 2nd day of Vegan MoFo & I have a couple of foodie posts ready to go, but since today is the Melbourne Cup, I thought it would be more appropriate to comment on the tragedy of this so-called 'sport'.

I'm actually just going to share some information from Animals Australia since they have already said everything I wanted to say.

Firstly, I love this poster they have made - it made me smile & really goes to the heart of how I feel.Image from Animals Australia - Say 'Nup' to Melbourne Cup.

For a more serious message please watch this video to learn the truth about this horrific industry.

You can read more about this issue here.

And if you have any feelings left whatsoever, please join me in boycotting the 'Race that Stops a Nation' - this year - and every year to come. Sign the Pledge and make it real.

World Vegan Day wrap-up

2010-11-01T06:23:00.006+11:00

Another year, another World Vegan Day celebrated in Melbourne - at the Abbotsford Convent again. This year I decided to go at lunch-time so we could enjoy the hot food. Never again - early is definitely best!

First, the food. D chose a Funky Pie for lunch - this is the Chilli Non-Carne. We initially lined up for about 15 minutes to get this - they told us there weren't any. So he got a Spicy Thai instead. Then, when he started to eat it, he quickly realised it was still frozen - not cold - frozen. Last year, we got the pies & they were still cold in the middle. We can deal with cold, but this was a little silly. So, he lined up again to get a new pie & this time they had some Chilli Non-Carnes ready. It was still only luke-warm, but I think D was determined to enjoy it after all the hassle.I had wanted a Funky Eezy Chic 'n' Cheezy pie, but they didn't have any, which I'm glad about, because I got this awesome Potato & Olive pizza instead. It was made by Crumbs Organic Bakehouse, but I think was being sold as part of the Lentil as Anything stall (the signage was confusing). This was only $3.50 (compared to the $6.50 pie) & was crunchy, hot & delicious. Underneath the potato slices was a layer of caramelized onion & garlic - yum!Dessert had to be Fritz Gelato. D chose a scoop of Go Bananas, and I got 2 scoops (because I couldn't decide on a flavour). This is Bounty & Passionfruit Kick. What can I say - perfect as always.After lunch we fought our way through the crowds to look at the stalls & I picked up a couple of things, but I really couldn't be bothered with the stress of it all so we didn't stay long. I did pick up this Jokerz bar before we left though (it's like a vegan snickers). It was so good - I'm just glad they're so expensive ($4.50) - because I could really get addicted!Things I liked at WVD this year:

It was more spread out. The music had it's own stage area which meant you could hear yourself think in the other areas.
There was a good variety of stalls again
It's great to see so many people in one place celebrating veganism

Things I didn't like this year:

Slightly chaotic & disorganised again. The main reason I went was to see the talks - particularly Eating up the World by Bruce Poon. We got there right on time but we couldn't find the talks area anywhere. Initially, we followed the signs. They led us into the courtyard area where all the hot food stalls were. No talks. So I asked the information desk - they told me to go upstairs. Still no talks. By this stage it was 15mins in to the talk so I gave up. On the way out we saw other signs for the talks area that were pointing in a completely different direction.
The courtyard area is too small for the hot food stalls. Once you added the long queues for Vegi-licious, Funky Pies & Fritz to that small space, chaos followed.
Still no seating for people to sit & eat. Which meant people were trying to stand & eat plates of curry while avoiding the mass of other people who were still trying to get their hands on something to eat. If it's at all possible, getting the hot food stalls out of that confined area would be a really good move.
Parking! It's nothing to do with the WVD organisers - parking is always horrendous at the Convent. I'd love to be able to catch public transport there, but it would take us about 2hrs & we always have other stuff to do before or after so will probably always end up driving.

Overall, I'm sure the WVD organisers will count yesterday as a success & good on them for all the hard work!

Potluck success.

2010-10-26T06:38:00.007+11:00

I attended my first potluck on Sunday & I had a fantastic time! The food was all delicious & I loved how generous everyone was. Thanks to Kristy, we also have photos to prove it.

I made the Mocha Peanut Fudge. It was the first time I had made it & I actually found it a little bit too rich, but other people seemed to like it. Here's another photo of some of the fudge that may not have made it to the potluck :-)It's not one of my recipes, you can thank Alice over at Vegan Zest for Life for this one.

I also made one of my favourite salads - Asparagus & Risoni. It's a lovely spring salad that's really quick & easy, recipe below.

Asparagus & Risoni Salad

250g risoni
2 bunches asparagus, ends snapped off
2 cups peas (fresh or frozen)
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, picked, washed & finely chopped (I only ever use 1/2 a bunch, but if you love parsley, feel free to use the whole bunch)
1 large lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to season

Cook risoni 8mins, until al dente. Drain, place in a large bowl & drizzle with a little oil to prevent sticking.

Peel & blanch asparagus in boiling salted water 2mins – remove with a slotted spoon & put in iced water to stop the cooking. Drain & slice thinly on an angle.

Repeat the blanching process for peas, blanching just 30secs. Add asparagus, peas & chopped parsley to risoni.

Finely grate lemon rind & juice the lemon. Add to salad & season well with salt, pepper & a generous drizzle of oil just before serving.

A couple of things became clear when I was making the food for the potluck:

I needed a double-boiler. I was using a plastic mixing bowl that didn't quite slot into the saucepan properly & there were a couple of times when I nearly lost a complete bowl of fudge.
I needed a citrus juicer. I had the top of one, but not the bottom. And the top doesn't fit neatly into any of my containers or bowls, so it's really difficult to juice things.

After the potluck, I made a quick pit-stop at David Jones in the city - I have a voucher to use up. A lot of the kitchen stuff was 40% off until Sunday, so I wanted to pick something up before the sale ended. Here are my new goodies - a lovely Esteele double-boiler (that happens to fit perfectly into my existing large saucepan) & a cute little juicer.

Oh, and I've decided to participate in Vegan MoFo this year - I hope I can find enough to write about!

The joys of Thornbury

2010-10-25T18:13:00.008+11:00

First to get the confusing part out of the way. Pearl Oyster is a cafe at 114 Miller St, Thornbury. Don't believe the 2011 Australian Veg Food Guide which tells you that it is at 238 High St, Thornbury. If you go to High St you won't find anything like this awesome cafe at that address.

Now, the back-story. Last weekend, I woke pretty early & felt like going somewhere different for Sunday breakfast. I already know that most of the cafes in the Australian Veg Food Guide don't open on Sunday mornings, but I double-checked anyway. The closest I could find was Pearl Oyster which opened at 12pm, which I thought was way too late for breakfast... right? D was fast asleep though, so I decided to read for a little while. I ended up reading for a long while, and before I knew it, it was 11.30am & suddenly Pearl Oyster was a possibility!

I had a feeling we had been there before & I wasn't wrong - when we pulled up out the front we both experienced deja vu (this was after I had established through lots of Internet searching that it was in fact on Miller St, not High St). I was excited though - I only had fond memories of enjoying the sunshine & excellent service in their back courtyard. This time the weather wasn't so sunny, so we were promptly seated inside & delivered perfect coffees.As other reviewers have pointed out, they have quite a few vegan options on the menu, including tofutti cream cheese. I took full advantage of this & ordered the Avocado, Cream Cheese, Tomato Chutney & Rocket Baguette, substituting Tofutti for the dairy variety.This really hit the spot - it was fresh, creamy & easy to eat. D chose some kind of omelette - I think it had spinach, chilli & crispy fried spring onions. He enjoyed it, which is the main thing.I really recommend Pearl Oyster - even though their opening hours are a little restricted (***EDIT*** - see hours below, clarified by Bella, one of the chefs - not so restricted after all!), it's worth the effort to get there. The service is friendly & fast & the food is fresh, delicious & a little bit different.

Here's something to get your mouth watering - we couldn't possibly visit Thornbury & not pay a visit to La Panella. We've been there a few times before, but because we live so far away it's been quite a while. That's probably a good thing, considering the range of calorie & fat-laden vegan desserts they have!

This time we picked up about 10 cold sausage rolls for D's lunch - $1.50 each (I will never get over how cheap this place is)! Plus a cream-filled eclair for my dessert on the way home.Look at that cream! This actually didn't taste that great - there wasn't enough sugar in the cream & it was a little bit bland.

And because I'm a sucker for icing, I also got a strawberry-jam filled donut for later. It only lasted until after dinner that night - happy to report that there was no shortage of sugar in this one!Pearl Oyster
114 Miller St, Thornbury
**EDITED** Mon,Wed-Sat 8am-4:30pm; Sun 9am-4pm

La Panella
465 High St, Thornbury
Mon-Fri 6am-6pm; Sat 6am-5pm; Sun 6am-4pm

Curried Barley with Vegetables

2010-10-18T19:18:00.006+11:00

Here's a nice healthy dinner for you - a little wintery, but hey, after Melbourne's weather the last few days that's what I'm feeling like.

I had a pumpkin, some broccoli & potatoes to use so when I saw this recipe I was a little excited - no substitutions necessary! Once I tasted it I knew it needed a little more flavour though - I think using vegetable stock instead of water would probably do the trick. Chickpeas would also make a nice protein addition if you were in the mood.

Curried Barley with Vegetables

1 ½ cups pearl barley
1-2 TBS Nuttelex or other dairy-free margarine
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp curry powder
½ tsp garam masala
2 large potatoes, peeled & cubed
375g pumpkin, cubed
4 cups water (or vegetable stock - see my note above)
250g green vegetables, cut into bite-sized chunks (I used broccoli)
Salt, to taste

Rinse barley under cold water until water runs clear, drain. Heat Nuttelex in a large saucepan, add onions & stir until golden, about 3mins. Add garlic, curry powder & garam masala & stir 1min.

Add barley, potatoes, pumpkin & water/stock. Cover, bring to the boil, then reduce heat & simmer 10mins.

Add green vegetables, cover again & simmer a further 10mins, until vegetables & barley are tender. Season to taste with salt.

This will serve between 4-6 people, depending how hungry they are, so adjust the amounts if you're cooking for 2. It was simple, filling & tasty - 3 of my prerequisites for a good meal.

Freestyle Espresso

2010-10-18T06:28:00.003+11:00

I discovered a new cafe on Saturday. It was about 2.30 & I was heading from the Altona job to the South Melbourne job & needed to squeeze in a late lunch somewhere. The office is very close to the market but I've already sampled most of the cafes in the immediate area & was feeling like something a bit different. Then I remembered that my boss had told me about a new cafe that had just opened up in a laneway street opposite us. That cafe is Freestyle Espresso & it is brand new - only open 1 month.I knew as soon as I walked in that I was onto a winner. The cafe is light & airy yet funky at the same time. There was great music playing, a mouth-watering display of sandwiches & cakes on display & an all-round good vibe. I approached the counter & was greeted by a super-friendly waiter. Then for the scariest part for any vegan trying a new cafe for the first time - the menu. It isn't extensive & there isn't a whole lot of vegan options on there, but my eye was drawn to the Crushed Avocado & Roast Cherry Tomato on Toast with Lemon Zest. It happened to be just what I felt like so I didn't even ask about the possibility of veganising the other dishes. The staff are really friendly though & I'm sure they would be happy to adjust.I sat down & looked around - I noticed in the corner some shelves with sauces/chutneys/jams etc for sale. I didn't have much time to soak up the atmosphere because my soy latte appeared quickly & it was perfect - creamy & smooth - it disappeared in no time. My meal came out before I'd finished my coffee & looked so cute with the tomatoes still on their stem!I know this is a pretty standard dish in most cafes these days but Freestyle have made a couple of changes to make their version something special. Hidden in all that fresh avocado is tiny pieces of spanish onion, lemon zest & fresh parsley - just enough to add little bursts of flavour that perfectly complemented each other. The tomatoes were perfectly cooked & were super-fresh - very sweet & very delicious.

Freestyle reminds me of the laneway cafes in the CBD - with a bit more space. I really wish it could be kept a secret so that I can keep enjoying it, but know that it will be over-run in no time, which is also good I guess - it's nice to see people trying so hard succeed.

Freestyle Espresso
6 Union St, South Melbourne
7 days, 8am-4pm
www.freestyle-espresso.com.au

'Tuna Salad' 2 ways

2010-10-17T19:06:00.003+11:00

I've just worked 7 days in a row & can't believe I have a week of posts to catch up on again! I'm looking at photos from last Sunday & it's like a lifetime ago.

Last Sunday was such a beautiful sunny day that I was in the mood for salad by dinner time. Since The Vegan Table is like my bible these days, I immediately started flicking through it, looking for inspiration. I didn't get very far in when I came across the 'Better-Than-Tuna Salad'. It's a combination of flaky chickpeas, vegan mayo, capsicum, carrot, celery & walnuts. I had never eaten tuna salad before I was vegetarian so I can't compare to the cruelty-ful version, but I can say that this salad was delicious! It's also another versatile one - as long as the chickpeas & mayo are in there, I'm sure you could add & subtract ingredients to cater for what you have on hand. The salad is crunchy & creamy at the same time & also quite delicately flavoured. The mayo plays an important role - the brand I used wasn't fantastic (it was a sunflower oil one I saw in the organic grocer), so make sure you use a nice one to get the most out of this recipe. I'd recommend Kingland - it's the closest to the original version.The next night the salad was recycled because I was feeling lazy - here it is with some lettuce on corn tortillas, with a re-heated & squashed chickpea & mushroom sausage (that I cooked ages ago) on top. Of course, there's also the obligatory tomato sauce, because I'm a firm believer that it goes with everything (kind of like lemon). There was nothing particularly special about this dinner - it was just a functional meal to get the necessary nutrients in at the end of a long day.I may as well squeeze in a dessert while I'm at it. I made these fruit balls on Monday night as well I think (my memory is failing me). They're a version of these Apricot & Walnut Balls. I didn't have enough walnuts or apricots, so used about 1 cup of walnuts, almonds, cashews & brazil nuts; and 1 cup of mixed dried apricots & dates (soaked in hot water for 10mins). I threw the whole lot into the food processor with a dash of lemon juice & about 1tsp of agave nectar & processed until smooth. The mix was quite soft, which made it difficult to roll in the coconut - but they firmed up pretty well after an hour or so in the fridge.

Sunday breakfast in 4 parts

2010-10-10T12:09:00.005+11:00

Step 1 - Get yourself a copy of The 4-Ingredient Vegan. There's a copy at Melbourne Library Service - I know because I asked them to buy it. Once you have the book - flip to the recipe for the Morning Muffin Sandwich & cook the tofu as described - it's delicious & super easy - basically just fry some tofu slices in Nuttelex with Nutritional Yeast flakes, salt & pepper until nice & golden. Toast some muffin halves & lay the tofu slices on the bottom halves.
Step 2 - As per the instructions in the recipe, wilt some fresh or frozen spinach - I used rainbow chard. Pile it on top of the tofu.
Step 3 - Get a copy of The Vegan Table (also available at Melbourne Library Service) & whip up the Vegan Hollandaise Sauce. Spoon a decent amount of the sauce over the spinach.
Step 4 - Place the remaining toasted muffin halves on top & devour!This was a truly awesome breakfast, the most satisfying I've had in a while. The hollandaise sauce was a little thick - the recipe requires using a saucepan & then moving it all to a blender, but I found this took too long which meant the sauce cooled down & thickened up (plus it's really hard to get out of the blender). Next time I'll just make the sauce all in the saucepan & use a good whisk. I'm also really glad I added the hollandaise - the muffins would have been too dry otherwise.

A vegan breakfast at Empire

2010-10-10T12:08:00.003+11:00

After reading here and here about Empire Cafe's new vegan menu I knew where I was heading on Saturday morning! I dragged D out of bed early & we made the trek across town, arriving just after they had opened.

It was very exciting to have a whole menu to choose from - it doesn't happen very often. I was in a savoury mood, and even though the ham & cheese toastie from the lunch menu sounds awesome, I decided on the 'Spanish Eggs without the Eggs'. This was described as beans in a napoli sauce, topped with herbed mushrooms, crumbled vegan cheese & served with ciabatta toast. D went with the 'Eggs with 3 sides' - choosing Hash Browns, Avocado & Tomato as his sides.My meal was huge! The beans & mushrooms were swimming in a massive bowl of napoli sauce that also hid lots of lovely chunks of vegan cheese (cheezly I think?). The sauce was full of flavour - though very rich for that time of the morning. I couldn't finish it all. Which was a shame, because I had been eying off the vegan cupcakes on the counter but just couldn't do it after such a huge breakfast.

Unfortunately there was a hiccup with D's meal - his eggs came out served with bacon & tomato, instead of hash browns, avocado & tomato. He was a little upset - but sent it back & a few minutes later was happy again, commenting that his breakfast was also delicious & a good size for a change.

Service is friendly & efficient & though the prices are higher than others in the area, the portion sizes make up for it. The coffee is strong, but not outstanding - it's all about the food.

Empire Cafe Gallery
295 Sydney Rd, Brunswick
Open for breakfast & lunch (possibly closed Tuesdays?)

After breakfast we made a quick trip to the CERES market for some fresh veg & just enjoyed wandering around in the sunshine for a little while. Then it was on to my next mission for the day - herbs. I basically kill all plants that I come into contact with, but I'm determined to at least try to have some fresh herbs on hand this summer. So we drove back across town to Poyntons in Essendon. I have heard about this nursery before - it sounded lovely & it was! We spent a nice half hour or so wandering through the plants, soaking up some more of that wonderful sunshine. Finally, I had to make a choice - you can see below Rosemary on the left, Italian Parsley in the middle & Mint on the right.
Don't they look lovely! I'm heading back soon to pick up Basil & Coriander, then my herb garden will be complete.

Coffee Trial Day 4 - Exprezzo

2010-10-10T11:51:00.003+11:00

This was the last cafe I tried for my trial & it probably has the worst name. It looks pretty new (& I couldn't find any information about them online so I think they must be). They have done a nice job on the decorating - the inside is very inviting with warm colours, chandelier lighting & colourful prints on the walls. They also play real music which is a huge plus.It's the smallest of the cafes I visited but there is still plenty of space inside plus a few sunny seats outside. On a side-note - as much as I love the feeling of discovering a new 'hole-in-the-wall' cafe in Melbourne's laneways, sometimes I prefer to know that I'll be able to get a seat. None of the truly great cafes in the CBD stay secret for very long which means that unless you can get there at dawn to stake out your place, you'll be moving on to find somewhere bigger. So I have really enjoyed trialling all these cafes where I know I'll always be able to find a quiet corner to hide away.
The coffee? Unfortunately not good. It's very hot, but also very bitter. A soy latte in a mug is $3.80 ($3.50 normal size).Same old story with the menu - a few choices for vegetarians but nothing for vegans. I'm sure they would be happy to whip up some toast or a sandwich if you asked - the staff are very friendly. The few times I have been to Exprezzo they have been very quiet - even when I went at lunch time. The location probably isn't ideal - opposite the station, but possibly a little too far from the main shopping strip to attract passing pedestrian traffic. I hope they survive because they are doing so much right.
Exprezzo
92 Railway St South, Altona

Coffee Trial Day 3 - Melissa Cakes

2010-10-09T16:30:00.003+11:00

This cafe is the closest to my new place of work, so I have been there quite a few times now, even though I prefer the coffee elsewhere. Melissa Cakes definitely has the least atmosphere of all the cafes I visited. It's a big space - with heaps of indoor & outdoor seating. There isn't much in the way of decorating & they have the radio blaring all day (not sure which station - something commercial with a poorer music selection than Triple M).The staff are pretty friendly, but service can be pretty hit & miss. On the mornings I have been there they tend to have long chats with the locals (and each other), rather than worry about the queue of people - which can get quite long. I've been there around mid-afternoon a couple of times & it was much faster - different staff, I guess.
My regular order is a soy latte in a mug which is $3.80 - this is a photo of a normal size which was $3.50. The coffee is average - very hot & very strong but not too bitter. It's better than Artichoke, but not as good as Creme. It suffers from the too-much-froth syndrome like all the others.
The menu is deli-style - OK for vegetarians but vegan options would be the ol' toast with sides for breakfast or a salad sandwich for lunch. I got excited when I saw some gluten & dairy free cakes for sale - unfortunately they still have eggs in them though - so not vegan :-(

Melissa Cakes
34 Pier St, Altona
7 days, 6am-11.30pm

Volunteering

2010-10-08T19:02:00.003+11:00

I need some help again!

I'm thinking about giving up some more of my (already quite stretched) time by doing some non-professional volunteering. I already work 2 jobs & volunteer on two committees for my professional association, but I feel like I'd to do something more personal. I'm still not sure I'll be able to manage it, but the thought is growing.

I'm trying to decide between Friends of the Earth (Melbourne) & Vegetarian Victoria. Does anyone have experience working or volunteering with either organisation & can you offer any advice? I'm completely open to your sales pitches :-)

Thanks!

Coffee Trial Day 2 - Artichoke Deli

2010-10-06T06:01:00.003+11:00

I went to write up the rest of my reviews on Wednesday morning only to discover I had somehow deleted all the notes I had made on my phone - so frustrating! So I've had to go back & start again... but that's what I'm like, always happy to suffer for the cause :-)

The name of this cafe is really appealing (who doesn't love artichokes?) & the logo - which you can just about make out in this photo - is pretty too - it's a very versatile vegetable! It's also repeated on the wallpaper inside - so I'm thinking they probably got the wallpaper first & adapted the logo from there.The interior is inviting - really bright with lots of seating options. One downfall is the music (or lack of). The Artichoke Deli, like many other cafes in Altona, chooses to play the (commercial) radio rather than music, which kind of destroys the atmosphere. Yesterday morning it was Triple M & it was loud. I don't know about you but I just can't deal with Eddie McGuire at 8am.

It's a pretty big cafe, but it gets busy, so you might find it difficult to find a seat at times - particularly on Tuesday, which is market day. There's just the one table outside & it's a nice sunny spot, so I think it will get nabbed pretty quickly as the weather continues to warm up.The service is friendly & efficient but the menu is similar to the others - OK for vegetarians but not much for vegans. As the name implies it's a deli-style cafe so you can get the normal things like quiche & pasties & sandwiches. Breakfast would definitely be limited to toast with sides & for lunch the best option would be a salad sandwich.

The coffee isn't great - I've had a couple of passable ones, but yesterday it was so strong & bitter I almost couldn't finish it. My soy latte in a mug was $3.80 - the one in the photo is a normal-sized soy latte I had last week which was $3.50 I think.Artichoke Deli
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm, Sat 8am-4pm
71 Pier St, Altona

Coffee Trial Day 1 - Creme Lounge

2010-10-05T19:27:00.003+11:00

OK, it's time to stop putting off these reviews. I recently started a new job in Altona. Before I even took the job I scoped out the local coffee options because it's VERY important to me to have somewhere nice for my morning coffee :-)

But I needed a more structured approach (I am a librarian after all - research & structure are my lifeblood). So, over the last couple of weeks I have been working my through the cafes of Altona trying to find the best coffee. I'll say this straight up - Altona is not the most vegan friendly town. I haven't had a meal in any of these cafes, though I have checked the menus in each & come to the conclusion that the only way to eat in any of them would be to stick with the basic sides (boring!) or make significant alterations to the dishes - something I hate doing.

Day 1 was Creme Lounge. (Apologies in advance for the photos in all these reviews - it's the curse of the phone camera again)This is definitely the 'trendiest' of all the cafes I visited. It has a nice atmosphere inside (quite dark), with lots of timber furniture & soft music playing. It's huge so no worries about not getting a table & there's also plenty of outdoor seating. At the back of the cafe is a bakery - Holy Bread - which I haven't tried, but would no doubt be a good place to get a baguette or sourdough loaf. The breakfast & lunch menus are both long with quite a few vegetarian options, but nothing vegan (you could always do the toast with sides for breakfast or chips with a salad for lunch).

Creme has had a number of bad reviews, but I haven't experienced anything like what has been described (though my experience is quite limited considering I haven't eaten there). The staff are friendly enough & service is quick. The outdoor seating also provides a nice a sunny spot in the morning.Now - the important part - the coffee. My soy latte in a mug was $4.30 (the most expensive of the cafes I tried). It was creamy, slightly bitter & warm but not hot, so you can't sit on it for a long time unless you enjoy cold coffee. What you can't tell from the photo is the amount of froth on top - at last 2cm worth - which was a common problem everywhere I went. I'm starting to think I should order a cappuccino instead - at least I'll get some cocoa to enjoy with my froth :-)

Creme Lounge
60 Pier St, Altona
7 days, 7am-10pm

A spring take on the weekly lunches

2010-10-03T18:29:00.005+11:00

Well, we had to wait until October, but we're finally starting to see some blue skies & sunshine in Melbourne. This means I'm changing my weekly lunch from a stew to a salad (I actually changed last week but was rewarded with a miserable cold & rainy day so I'm ignoring that). This week I chose wholemeal cous cous as my grain base (the one thing I find it difficult to get enough servings of is grains, so I always try to make sure my lunch includes them). To the cous cous I added a can of chickpeas, a couple of stalks of finely sliced celery, a grated carrot, 1/2 a finely diced red capsicum, 1/2 cup mung bean sprouts, 1/4 cup frozen peas, 1/4 cup frozen corn & a slurp each of olive oil, balsamic vinegar & lemon juice. I added some salt & pepper for good measure & there you have it - a healthy & filling lunch for the week in about 10 minutes!D's lunch is some delicious Spinach & 'Cheese' Rolls which I saw here. How do I know they're delicious I hear you ask? Well, I might have tested one or two - you know, just to make sure I wasn't giving D dodgy food :-) These taste just like the ones I used to buy from the local bakery before I was vegan. Using the Tofutti also makes these really easy to make, although you could probably substitute a tofu 'ricotta' with equally good results.

Breakfast food for dinner

2010-10-03T18:11:00.005+11:00

I was all out of inspiration on Thursday night but was also desperate for a quick & healthy dinner. Staring into the fridge I saw a selection of fresh veges & a block of tofu. Now, I've only ever eaten scrambled tofu for breakfast - over toast - as a kind of substitute for scrambled eggs (a much healthier & tastier alternative!). I figured it would be easy enough to bring the dish into the evening with the addition of a whole lot of vegetables & some stronger flavourings. Here's what I came up with - D & I both devoured it so it must have been delicious :-)Scrambled Tofu with Attitude

1 block firm tofu, rinsed & dried (you can press it if you have the time)
1 leek, finely sliced (you could use onion)
1 carrot, grated
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/2 red capsicum, finely sliced
2 tomatoes, finely diced
2 handfuls baby spinach
1/4 cup mung bean sprouts (optional - I just added them because they came with my veg delivery & I don't know what else to do with them!)
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp minced chili (I used the jar stuff, you could also use powder or flakes)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 TBS soy sauce, to taste
1/2 cup vegetable stock

Crumble the tofu into a bowl. Heat a little oil in a large frypan & add the leek, carrot, celery, capsicum & garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5mins. Add the tofu & all the flavourings & cook another few minutes. Add the remaining vegetables & cook until the spinach has just wilted & most of the liquid has been absorbed.

Here's a photo of my breakfast this morning - D is away again so I can freely indulge my sweet tooth :-) This is the 'Fast & Fabulous French Toast' from The Vegan Table.I LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! Everything I have made from it has worked out so well! This french toast really was fast & fabulous & super simple to make. It's just soy milk, no tofu (which is good because my local supermarkets don't stock silken tofu so I rarely have any in the fridge). I warmed a handful of frozen blueberries with a teaspoon of agave syrup to serve this with - they added just the right touch of tartness to the sweetness of the toast & maple syrup.

A whole lot of new stuff

2010-09-29T06:08:00.005+10:00

Firstly, apologies for the lack of interesting posts - I have just started a new job & life is hectic. A few other things have happened too - my regular vegie delivery company Garden Organics has decided to stop their delivery service! I am very disappointed because the quality of their produce was so good, but I do understand that you can't continue to run a service that isn't commercially viable. So I have had to find a new supplier & after a lot of online research, I decided to try The Green Line again. Last time I used them I found them to be slightly less in quality & quantity.Here is my delivery this week - the quantity is definitely less - about 2/3 of what I was receiving. Quality seems OK though, we got:

Carrots
Celery
Potatoes
Sweet potato
Chard
Bok Choy
Baby spinach
Mung bean sprouts
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Red Capsicum
Cauliflower

With a fridge full of fresh veg, I sat down with one of my new favourite cookbooks - The Vegan Table - to find something that I could make for dinner. It presented so many options, but in the end I decided on Aloo Gobi (Curried Cauliflower & Potatoes). This was really delicious - so many lovely flavours from the spices & the little heat from the chilli was perfect. D approved too, so I know it must be a good recipe :-)Finally, look what turned up in the mail last week - the brand new edition of The Australian Veg Food Guide!
I love that it's now a national guide, not just Victoria, & also that there are so many new places for me try out. I also love the consistent icons to indicate vegan friendliness & the inclusion of cafes in a list even if there is no review - more choice is always better! Just a couple of minor things the editors could consider for the next edition:

A suburb index at the back. I was going to Ballarat the other day & I knew there was a veg restaurant there but couldn't remember the name. The only way to find it was to flick through the Victorian section until I found it. So an index would really help (this could also be the librarian in me talking).
Maybe a map like the Cheap Eats/Good Food guides use? That would be particularly useful if you were travelling to an unfamiliar area or even if you were just somewhere like Fitzroy with so many options - if one cafe was closed or too busy you could quickly look at the map to find another nearby.

Risoni Salad

2010-09-27T20:03:00.006+10:00

The sunny weather yesterday inspired me to make a salad for lunch this week (I'm so sick of winter-style stews). Of course, lunch time today rolled around & it was pouring with rain, about 14 degrees & blowing a gale - perfect weather for a salad! Melbourne really does my head in sometimes :-)

Unfortunately the fridge was pretty bare, but I did manage to scrape together enough ingredients to make a fairly healthy salad. I really love risoni, but I know refined pasta isn't all that good for me, so I don't eat it all that often. This salad is really simple & completely adaptable. I would normally add more fresh vegetables like capsicum, peas or asparagus but since I forgot to put my vegetable delivery in last week I was really scraping the bottom of the vegetable crisper. The simple oil, lemon & seasoning dressing for this is really delicious. Risoni Salad

1 cup risoni
2 carrots, peeled & grated
3 celery stalks, chopped finely
3/4 cup sliced black olives
1 400g can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
3 TBS olive oil
3 TBS lemon juice
Salt & freshly cracked black pepper

Cook the risoni until tender (about 10 mins). Toss all the ingredients together & refrigerate before serving.

Continuing with D's birthday celebrations, we got takeaway for dinner last night - his all-time favourite meal - pizza. Now, we have some pretty nice pizza places in the West, but I've been disappointed to find that most of the 'gourmet' places add milk to their pizza bases. So, we usually just get Pizza Hut. It's cheap, veganisable & fast. One thing I don't like at Pizza Hut is the sauce - it's just tomato paste without any extra flavour - not even some oregano.

I got the Veggie Pizza Mia - it's supposed to have mushrooms, sundried tomato & capsicum, but mine didn't have any sundried tomato which was disappointing. I took away the cheese & added pineapple & olives. This is another gripe I have - why do I get charged for adding pineapple & olives, even though I took away the cheese? Surely I should at least get one extra topping for free when I'm saving them on such a significant ingredient! Oh well, I chose not to say anything last night, so I guess I should stop whinging :-)

Le Chien again

2010-09-26T15:24:00.003+10:00

Today is D's birthday so he got to choose the breakfast venue. He loves our 'Seddon breakfasts', so I wasn't surprised by his choice. This was our third visit to Le Chien since I started blogging regularly. You can read about the first & second visits.

I got my regular 'Lots of Avocado & Tomato on Sourdough' (no butter), but this time I remembered to take a photo!Although I've previously said I get sick of this dish, I was so in the mood for it this morning (I think it was the beautiful sunny morning - sun always makes me feel like avocado). It makes me happy that they serve it with lemon - I LOVE lemon & have it with pretty much every meal. D went with the scrambled eggs with chilli, plus tomato & avocado as a side.

As previously reported, I love Le Chien - it's got the best coffee in the west (by far), plus a great atmosphere & great service. The vegan breakfast options are limited to the avocado, beans or the toast with sides varieties, but sometimes it's more important to have a consistently good local cafe.

Watch this space for a review of the coffee options in my new work locale - Altona!

Corn & Pea Turnovers

2010-09-22T18:24:00.002+10:00

This is a simple recipe I made earlier in the week - it's not all that exciting, but I pretty much love anything made with pastry, so I was still very happy :-) I can't remember where the recipe came from - possibly a magazine...

Corn & Pea Turnovers

1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tomato, finely chopped
200g mixed frozen corn & peas
1/2 cup hommus
2 sheets puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 200C & line a baking sheet. Heat a little oil in a frypan & cook the onion & garlic for a few minutes until softened. Add the tomato & cook 1min. Add the corns & peas & stir until just thawed. Remove from the heat & set aside.

Cut the pastry sheets into 4 squares. Spread each square with a little hommus in the middle, then pile some of the corn/pea mix on top. Fold 2 opposite corners of the square together & squeeze to seal, then repeat with the remaining 2 sides. Squeeze along the sides to seal. Bake 15-20mins until golden brown.As you can see, some of mine came apart because I tried to put too much filling in them. I'd also recommend using a small onion as I used a large one & it was a little too much. Feel free to add herbs & spices too - salt, pepper obviously, or a little cumin, coriander or even curry powder would work nicely.

The weekly lunches

2010-09-20T06:23:00.003+10:00

I combined D's weekly lunch & dinner last night by making some Spicy Black Bean Burgers from The Vegan Table. These are quite tasty - even though I did go very easy on the chilli (I'm not a fan of hot food). I also didn't have any red capsicum, so substituted half a tomato instead. The mix is quite soft & can fall apart easily, so you'll need to be gentle. This is another recipe where you shouldn't skimp on the flour/polenta coating - it really makes them easier to handle.And my lunch this week? A quinoa stew - pretty much like this one, with carrots, celery, tomato, corn & chickpeas. I also used red quinoa - I much prefer it to the white variety - it has a nuttier flavour

Strawberry Coconut Bread

2010-09-19T20:39:00.007+10:00

I bought a really big punnet of cheap strawberries from the market on Saturday - turns out they were cheap because most of them were bruised or on their way out. So I decided to make this bread - I've made it a few times in the past & it's super easy & pretty hard to stuff up. I don't know where the recipe came from, so apologies if I'm stealing anyone's idea. To intensify the strawberry flavour, you could serve this this with some fresh strawberries or even a strawberry coulis. Cashew cream would also work well.Strawberry Coconut Bread

1 punnet strawberries
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tsp bi-carb soda
Pinch salt
3/4 cup caster sugar
1/2 cup dessicated coconut
2 egg replacers, lightly beaten (I use No-Egg)
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup light olive oil (I use half oil, half applesauce)
3/4 cup cup buttermilk (just add about 1/4 tsp of white vinegar to soy milk)

Preheat the oven to 180C & grease or line the base of a loaf tin.

Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender. Sift the flour, soda & salt into a large bowl. Stir through the sugar & coconut. In a separate bowl mix together the egg replacers, essence, oil & milk.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients & add the wet ingredients. Mix until it just comes together. Fold through the strawberries - stir only 2 or 3 times - you want the swirly pattern to stay.

Pour into loaf tin & bake 50-60mins until golden brown & a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Dust with icing sugar to serve (can be served warm or cold).

I also added a mashed banana to the mix because I had an over-ripe one, but the flavour of the banana does tend to overwhelm everything else.

Slow Down, St Kilda

2010-09-19T16:56:00.005+10:00

We headed across town this morning with the intention of visiting Galleon for breakfast (I LOVE their scrambled tofu). Unfortunately we got there around 10.30, which is too late for a Sunday - there were already people lined up down the street waiting for a table. I was disappointed, but thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try Slow Down! again. We first visited over a year ago & I remembered getting a delicious stuffed capsicum dish & was sure I saw other vegan options on the menu.

Unfortunately, the menu has changed, and none of the vegan dishes I remembered have made it onto the new one. The philosophy of this cafe is organic, local, sustainable & ethical. I think it's kind of funny that the majority of dishes on the menu at an 'ethical' cafe are based on meat & the remaining few are dairy or egg-centric. Anyway, we had already sat down & the atmosphere inside is great, plus they have good coffee & attentive service; so we decided to try & make the best of it.

I chose the Avocado & Lime on Rye Toast (minus the feta). Not what I felt like at all, but it was the only meal on the menu I could veganise - there wasn't even the normal 'toast with sides' option. D opted for the scrambled eggs with cheese. The coffees came out quickly, but the food took a while. I didn't mind too much this morning though - as I mentioned, this place has a great atmosphere - I think it would make a perfect dinner venue, if only the menu was more vegan-friendly :-(When the meals arrived I was pretty disappointed - you probably can't tell from the photo, but mine was tiny! And the toast was cold & tasted quite stale (which I think was a result of my meal sitting on the servery for about 10mins while they waited for D's eggs to cook). D didn't like his eggs either - he said they tasted like macaroni cheese. To top things off, when we got the bill, I noticed they had charged me 90c extra for soy milk! Way way way over the top!

In summary, I don't recommend Slow Down! for vegans but vegetarians will find something to eat, even if they won't have much choice. The atmosphere & service are both great, but the organic menu means the prices are higher than other places in the area.

Slow Down!
56 Acland St, St Kilda
Breakfast from 8am every day; Dinner Wed-Sat from 5pm
www.slowdown.net.au

A delicious pumpkin curry

2010-09-12T19:30:00.004+10:00

I figured I may as well go for the trifecta with my new favourite cookbook - The Vegan Table. I had a pumpkin to use, so I flicked to the index & the first thing I saw was the Pumpkin Curry - perfect! This is basically a pumpkin dhal & it's delicious! The ginger adds a lovely freshness while the coconut gives it a slight sweetness. It would be perfect with some fresh coriander, so I'm looking forward to trying it again in the warmer weather when I'll have some on hand.D doesn't like pumpkin & hates rice, so I compromised & we got a couple of naan breads from our local Indian takeaway to scoop up the curry.And here's a random photo of my breakfast this morning - a cheezly & tomato toastie with wholegrain mustard - yum!

On a roll with Patrick-Goudreau

2010-09-11T15:02:00.003+10:00

Sticking with my pledge to make sure every meal I make uses the veges from the delivery box, I made another meal from The Vegan Table last night. This time it was the Spinach & Tofu Lasagne. I didn't have any lasagne sheets in the house, so made cannelloni instead & I also substituted fresh Chard for frozen spinach (I just wilted it first) & it tasted fantastic! The tofu 'ricotta' is such a simple recipe that tastes amazing - I have a feeling that it would work really well in spinach & 'ricotta' pasties as well.

The recipe calls for 4-6 cups of tomato sauce or passata, so I made up a sauce using another recipe in the book - Basic Tomato Sauce. I left out the carrot & celery & substituted red wine for the balsamic vinegar. The result was a deliciously rich tomato base for the Cannelloni. I was going to grate some cheezly over the top, but was too lazy, so just sprinkled a little Nutritional Yeast over about half-way through baking instead.My only tip would be that if, like me, you end up with 2 layers of cannelloni tubes, make sure you spread a little sauce in between the layers. The sauce will help to cook (i.e. soften) the dry pasta. Unfortunately I didn't do this last night, so the bottom layer of tubes were a little tougher than the top :-)

Creamy polenta

2010-09-11T14:50:00.003+10:00

For my birthday I got a cookbook from my favourite cookbook author Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. Her (relatively) new book is The Vegan Table, and the recipes in this are just as simple & yummy as in her previous effort, The Joy of Vegan Baking. The only thing I don't like about it is the structure - it's organised into seasonal dinner party menus, rather than by type. This makes it hard to quickly flick through if you're just trying to find a recipe for a soup or a main course.

Anyway, after reading this post earlier in the week I decided the Creamy Polenta & Mushrooms dish would be the perfect way to use up the rest of the mushrooms in my fridge.It didn't disappoint. I substituted a couple of things (I didn't have any balsamic vinegar, so used a tiny bit of cider vinegar and I also used rosemary instead of the other herbs listed in the recipe). As the Veganator pointed out, you need to work quickly with this one to prevent the polenta getting too gluggy, but all that means is that you will get to enjoy your dinner that much sooner!

Purple Pies

2010-09-06T19:55:00.002+10:00

OK, so the pies weren't purple. But the side dishes I served with the pies were VERY purple. When I decided to make 2 purple sides I thought it would look cool, but they ended up looking kind of strange (& D was very suspicious). Of course, as we all know, colour doesn't affect taste!I finally got around to making Cindy's I-can't-believe-it's-not-meat pies. My gravy was a mix of Massel 'beef' stock & red wine, with extra flavouring added by vegan worcestershire sauce & black pepper. It didn't thicken up much (even when I added extra cornflour), so next time I'll probably use slightly less than the 2 cups of liquid. I also used about double the quantity of mushrooms because I have a whole bag of them in the fridge that need to get used.

I served the pies with a purple cauliflower mash - which ended up looking kind of grey because most of the lovely purple colour seeped into the cooking water. It was still delicious though - I just mashed it with a dash of the cooking water, olive oil, some salt & pepper. Next to the mash is steamed purple cabbage - mixed with olive oil, salt & pepper - yum!

The verdict? A delicious, pretty simple dinner. Next time I'll probably follow Cindy's suggestion & make a cheat's gravy with powder :-)

Beany goodness

2010-09-05T17:18:00.005+10:00

I know it's still freezing cold in Melbourne, but I'm getting sick of stews, so decided to make something a bit different for lunch next week. I've been eyeing off this recipe for Bigilla for a while so thought I'd make some Hummus to go with it.That's the hummus in the front - in my opinion it's the best dip ever invented. No wonder it's been around for so long. The bigilla is in the back - I didn't have any fresh parsley on hand so substituted with fresh rosemary - delicious!Along with carrot & celery sticks these dips make the perfect healthy lunch!Because I was away last weekend my schedule was all mucked up, so I got my veg delivery on Friday instead. A good selection this week:

Rainbow Chard
Leek
Purple cauliflower (I'd like to make a cool purple mash with this)
Potatoes
Zucchini
Carrots
Celery
Corn
Broccoli
Pumpkin
Rosemary

Fried Rice with a difference

2010-08-31T19:36:00.005+10:00

Despite my best efforts before I went away I still have a few vegies in the fridge to use up - cabbage, broccoli, carrots & celery. I read through my recipe books but didn't find anything too inspiring, so decided to make Fried Rice with Crispy Fried Tofu. This recipe is completely flexible - just substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand.
Fried Rice with Crispy Fried Tofu

400g firm tofu, cubed
1 TBS tamari
1 TBS sesame oil
Liquid smoke (optional)
1 1/2 cups brown rice, cooked & chilled
1/4 red cabbage, sliced thinly
1 head of broccoli, broken into small florets
2 small carrots, julienned
1 stalk celery, julienned
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp minced ginger
2 TBS soy sauce
1 TBS sweet chili sauce
1 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS sesame seeds

Press the tofu to reduce the moisture content, then mix the tamari, sesame oil & a few splashes of liquid smoke in a bowl. Add the tofu & toss to coat. Marinate up to a few hours (but for at least 10min). Heat a small amount of peanut oil in a wok over high heat. Add the tofu & fry, stirring frequently, until the tofu is crispy & golden brown (around 10mins). Remove the tofu from the wok & drain on paper towel.

Add the vegetables to the hot wok, along with the garlic & ginger - stir-fry for a few minutes, until starting to soften. Add the rice, soy sauce, sweet chili sauce & lemon juice. Stir-fry another few minutes. Add the tofu & sesame seeds & cook until heated through.

The touristy stuff

2010-08-31T14:52:00.012+10:00

I had a really lovely weekend in NSW, not least because of the weather. It was blue skies & warm sun the whole weekend, with temperatures in the high teens - perfect winter weather!

Mum & Dad live on a small property & it was so nice waking up to the sound of birds in the morning instead of car doors slamming & people yelling at each other. Here's the view from the front verandah of the house. I really took these surroundings for granted when I was growing up.
Yesterday the family went to the Gosford Regional Gallery & Edogawa Commemorative Garden in East Gosford. Entry is free - the gallery contains 2 small rotating exhibitions & a foyer space that local artists can hire for displaying their work for sale. The gorgeous gardens adjoin the gallery. A few of my friends & cousins have been married here over the years & I can see why - it's very serene here. There are meandering pathways, small wooden bridges over the lakes & streams & a waterfall.I lay on this bench for quite a while & soaked up the beautiful sunshine.The 'Tea House'There is also a pair of resident ducks - I LOVE ducks - I think they're probably my favourite animal.After the gardens, we all went to Body Fuel cafe for lunch - in Gosford this time. I went with the veg Vietnamese Rolls again - and again forgot to take a photo! You'll just have to trust me - Body Fuel is awesome!

Gosford Regional Gallery
36 Webb St, East Gosford
7 days, 10am-4pm (gardens 9.30am-4.30pm)
www.gosfordregionalgallery.com

Bay Cafe, Toowoon Bay

2010-08-31T14:25:00.003+10:00

I was in NSW on the weekend for my Dad's birthday. The whole family went out for dinner on Sunday night to the Bay Cafe in Toowoon Bay. This is a seafood restaurant, but the website advertises a separate vegetarian menu.

The veg menu has a fairly good range of entrees & mains, including the standards like Vegetable Stack & Vegetable Lasagne, but also Nasi Goreng & Stuffed Capsicum. I went with the stuffed capsicum & asked the waitress to make sure it wasn't prepared with any dairy products.

My stuffed capsicum was presented beautifully. It was on a bed of mashed something - it was hard to tell what it was because it was completely flavourless (it was orange & was probably a mix of potato & sweet potato). The capsicum was stuffed with rice (which didn't appear to be flavoured with anything) & topped with tempura asparagus & mushroom. Unfortunately the meal overall was a bit bland. And, unbelievably, despite having specifically requested no dairy products, it came out covered in melted cheese! I was dumbfounded, but really didn't want to cause a scene, and was able to cut the top of the capsicum & remove the cheese. Sometimes I really feel like banging my head against the wall & screaming!The service at the Bay Cafe is friendly & efficient & the meals came out quite quickly. It's a BYO restaurant, but they don't charge corkage, which is a nice change.

The Bay Cafe
141-143 Bay Rd, Toowoon Bay
Dinner 7 days, Lunch Thur-Sat
www.thebaycafe.com.au