easy… too easy.
These days, we live in an “easy” world. I know it may not seem it at times, but really, we have things pretty sweet. Technology is an amazing thing… the internet, all these crazy smart phones, it blows my mind. The extent to which we are consumers in this day in age actually scares me a bit… there’s just so much stuff you need these days.
3ish weeks of a dodgy internet connection, and the whole world is crumbling… can’t pay bills, keep in touch or get the latest news. Shows how dependant we have become. Now I’m not knocking the internet, man I love the web (obviously)… I think my trouble lies with the laziness living in such a consumer-driven, “easy” society creates.
I get looked at like a weirdo, because I try and DIY a few things… natural skin care for example. Simple household cleaners. Making food from scratch (!)
‘Oh you could just buy that.’
Yes, yes I could… but I want some sort of control over what goes in my mouth, on my skin, around my home. Now I’m not talking the extremes here; I just want to feel as if I am not a complete slave the these scarily huge companies which produce everything from bleach to body moisturiser. Creepy.
‘Oh, you can get that for like 80c from the store.’
Yes, yes I could, but I’m talking about quality…. knowing what is going into whatever I’m making. Knowing the process. Realising the impact on not just my wallet, but on the earth.
Ok ok, I didn’t want to get all high and mighty here – that’s not my intent, I was just pondering the effects of the high-paced (no time) convenience-based (easy, no questions asked) time we are living in. It’s interesting, that’s all. I think it’s on the brain for me (how easy and disposable everything has become) as we’ve just been through a period of one thing after the other breaking down/dying. These days, it’s cheaper and easier to just buy again, brand spanking new. Nothing is built to last…. getting it repaired, why bother?
Anyway, in the spirit of slowing down, and trying to do something from scratch… I made this dip. I soaked and cooked the beans from dry, and used fresh cilantro (coriander) from my veggie patch…. hooray! I know it’s silly, but it made me feel somewhat good rather than just slapping down $3 for a store bought plastic tub of goo.
Coconut Black Bean Dip:
(Vegan, gluten, wheat, soy, nut and cane sugar free)
- 1C cooked black beans
- 1/4C nutritional yeast
- 2T tahini
- The juice and zest from 1/2 a lime
- 2 cloves of crushed garlic… use less if you like. I like garlic.
- 1/4C coconut milk
- 1/2t salt
- 1/3C fresh cilantro (I always use the stems too, so much flavour… just wash well as cilantro tends to be sandy/gritty)
- Black pepper to taste
- 1/4C dried chilli flakes
- Blend all ingredients until smooth.
Tis good, tis good.
On the subject of being a weirdo and doing things not quite the “norm”…. can anyone guess what my latest favourite snack is?
fridge scraping frozen fudge
I think Viper has died and gone to Heaven… a particularly meaty and creamy Heaven at that. His parent’s are staying with us for a few days, and let’s just say it’s not very vegan-friendly around these parts at the moment, with an influx of pork and pavlova. It’s hard not to feel like a weirdo when the norm is NOT the ‘rabbit food,’ I tend to favour.
It’s strange if you are used to cooking vegetarian/vegan meals when every dish is centered around meat as the star…. it’s like vegetables/pulses/beans are not real (satisfying) food, just back- up dancers or something. There’s always that panic that no one is going to be full enough after ‘just a salad.’
I often think about how many new and exciting foods I have discovered by cutting out meat/dairy etc. People assume that in adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet you are ‘cutting out,’ many products. In my experience, I have actually started eating more variety than ever before… and I feel the benefits tremendously. If anything by becoming vegan, my creativity and passion for good food has hit a new high. Inspired indeed.
Well, it seems like a little circle of inspiration is going on… from a glowing lady, to a tea bagging one, and ending up from the back of the fridge. After reading T’s post, a fudge craving was born. We all know I can’t stick to a recipe, and have a compulsion with not letting food go to waste.
Misty loves almond milk… making almond milk creates a bit of waste… OK a lot of waste in the form of nut pulp. What to do? What to do? Get inspired, that’s what. If you don’t have almond pulp on hand, then I highly recommend you check out Angela’s site for the original inspiration.
- 1 large banana
- 1/2C rawalmond pulp (from making almond milk)
- 1/2t sea salt
- 3T cacao
- 10 medjool dates
- 1/2C oat flour
- 1/4C milk (I used rice)
- 2T coconut oil
- Blend all ingredients together until smooth.
- Push mix into a lined tuperware container and place in freezer for at least 2 hours… or until hard.
- Tip out, slice into pieces and enjoy.
- Store in freezer, as it melts quickly!
Let me just say this “fudge” is awesome on top of hot oatmeal… it may induce a bit of brain freeze, but the pain is worth it, trust me.
On the topic of all things inspiring… my new veggie patch is up and running… eggplant, courgette, squash, beetroot, coriander, oregano, basil, mint, dill – very very exciting. If all goes well (and Boosty doesn’t eat all of my plants – she’s gotten 3 basil plants so far, stupid Boosty) we will be eating home grown organic veggies before we know it. Hurrah.
sneaky pumpkin pie pudding
Misty is too young to work out what I feed him is healthy… Ha. I find it’s a lot harder to convince fully grown adults to try something healthy. Maybe it’s just the word healthy that freaks them out… the assumption that because something is good for you, it’s going to taste terrible. Or it’s rabbit food/bird seed/grass clippings. Yeah, I’ve heard all the jokes. Ha, ha. they’re getting pretty old now. Bite your tongue, Lou, bite your tongue.
Why do people get excited over food that is laden with sugar/trans fats/white processed flour/additives/E numbers?
‘Oh I’m being so naughty eating this, but it’s so delicious I can’t help myself!’
Yeah, I know your brain + mouth are telling you that it’s tasty, but is the impact on your body really worth it? What happens after years and years of eating in this way? Your taste buds are trained into thinking they need sugar/artificial flavours/trans fats to enjoy food. No wonder you screw your face up when offered a fresh salad or piece of fruit.
I’m not even going to start on a rant about kids that are fed this way from day dot… how are they meant to know that it’s not real food?
The best way to try and coax people into eating something relatively good for them is to not announce that it’s healthy. Sneaky? Who me?
Anyway, this recipe sneaks in a lot of nutrition packaged up as a pumpkin pie pudding. It’s also a good way to introduce a “new” ingredient (buckwheat) for those unfamiliar with one of my favourites. For fussy babes and boring adults alike, dressing anything up as a dessert can help in tempting those terrified of anything labelled “healthy.” Anyway, I don’t need any convincing, so I actually use this as a spread… a cereal topper… with fresh fruit…. or just as is by the spoonful.
Pumpkin Pie Pudding
(Vegan, gluten/wheat/soy/cane sugar/nut free)
- 1 + 1/2C cooked pumpkin
- 1/2t mixed spice (pumpkin pie spice)
- 1/4t sea salt
- 2Tcoconut butter (or sunflower seed butter/almond butter if you’re not sensitive)
- 6 medjool dates microwaved for 2 minutes in 1/4C water
- 1/3C soakedraw buckwheat groats (soak over night = covered with water… rinse off the ‘goo,’ discard water, and you’re ready to go).
- 2t maple syrup (or honey/rice syrup)
- 1/4C milk (I used almond)
- Blend in a food processor until smooth.
If you’ve had 3 hours sleep and 2 really really blow-your-face off strong coffees, maybe you could play with cookie cutters and make towers like me. Loser.
the value of the scrape
Obviously, I’m a fridge scraper. I have problems when it comes to wasting food. OCD problems… I can’t stand seeing food go to waste… it actually gives me anxiety. Nowadays, instead of having a panic attack, I choose to approach scraps of food as a challenge… what can I create?
At the moment, it’s hot so I am eating a lot of salads…. sometimes I can’t be bothered doing so much chewing. I have got into making “salad creams” out of bits and pieces. (Ah bless you, food processor, you may be a relic, but you serve me well).
Let’s say that a salad cream is in the middle of a dressing and a dip. Actually, it’s like a runny-ish salad sauce but that doesn’t sound as appealing now, does it? Basically, I put scraps into the food processor, whizz it all until smooth and then shove a glitzy name on it. No one will ever suspect it was leftover roast veggies hanging out at the back of the fridge in a forgotten tupperware when you present them with a ‘Sweet Potato and Garlic Salad Cream.’ Snort.
This isn’t really a recipe. It’s just more of an ‘idea,’ for you all…. I’m a big fan of intuitive cooking, and using what you have on hand. Obviously, if you have all of the ingredients listed below then go for it… otherwise next time you have some lurking left overs, make them into something entirely unrecognisable.
Salad Cream Notion:
- 1/2C cooked chickpeas (or any mild bean… cannelini, butter bean, kidney, black eye bean etc)
- 1/2C cooked sweet potato (or pumpkin… actually most cooked veggies would work… chargrilled red peppers or eggplant even)
- 1/4C nutritional yeast
- 1/4t + 1/8t sea salt
- 1 clove garlic (or more, I like it really garlicky but I’m a freak)
- 2T apple cider vinegar
- 1/4C water
- 3T olive oil
- 1/4-1/2t wholegrain mustard (optional)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Blend everything until very smooth.
If you haven’t tried this stuff, I suggest you do. It’s like crack for food.
So onto more important issues other than the tail ends of tea-time… I was going to write up a whole separate post for this, but I just had to seize the moment, you know?
If you are new to fridge scrapings, then you may not be aware of my kitchen experiments for a couple of cool kiddies that live on a very restricted diet due to a condition called EE.
This post, this post and this post should get you in the know.
I’m trying to focus the small amount of spare (Misty Napping) time I have into creating an E Book of recipes for kids who suffer from EE. It’s pretty challenging to say the least, with only a handful of ingredients to work with, but I am up for that challenge. It’s funny how I worry about being isolated as a vegan…. but I have the luxury of being able to CHOOSE what I will or will not eat.
Will or will not versus can and can’t.
Something to ponder perhaps? A lot to be thankful for, you bet.
eating and pondering
It’s funny how people can bond over food or their shared food dislikes… or the flip side… ‘You like what on your toast?’ (thinking: freak). My brother and sister in law knew it was lurve when they discovered the had a matching trifecta of food hate:
- Bananas
- Peanut Butter
- Vegemite
I know, right? They are like 3 of my favourite things. (thinking: Love them, but freaks… how can you not like any of those 3!?!) That’s the joy of individuality and personal preference, right?
Food is one of those things that the real joy is in sharing the experience together. A joint sensory bonding if you will. I feel as if I am cutting myself off from a slice of that at times by putting my foot down in a dietary sense.
When you declare yourself “vegan,” are you isolating yourself? In a way, yes… you become the minority among a population of meat/fish and dairy product munching humans. Speaking of those munchers, Viper is never going to give up any of the things I just listed; at times I feel as if I have severed some kind of invisible link in the food-sharing sense. Is that weird? Am I over-thinking?
I have come to terms with the fact that I am always going to be the ‘odd one out,’ at the dinner table… the one having a slightly altered meal… I have come to terms with this, yes, but I am not comfortable yet. There is still that awkwardness of feeling like I have to explain my choices. Feeling separated.
I suppose I need to focus on the foods Viper and I can still share together and both enjoy. Create some new special occasion dishes that will have fresh memories attached… dishes that hopefully Misty will love and request in the years to come.
Focus on the actual sharing… not what we are sharing, no?
Anyway just a thought… something to ponder – anyone with similar circumstances out there? No recipe today, but I will let you in on a strange looking but wicked tasting combo I have been enjoying.
This spirilina spiked cashew cream (I made a ton of extra… pictured on top of a Mixed Berry Coconut Cake) stirred into banana soft serve… Misty approved for sure.
If you don’t know the method of making banana soft serve, I hope you have enjoyed living under that lovely rock, but it’s time to come out and partake in the real world. Basically, freeze down some chunks of banana, chuck in a food processor (I always add a pinch of salt and a pinch of xantham gum but that’s entirely optional) and whizz until it resembles soft serve ice cream. It’s awesome particularly with the crazy humid hot weather we are experiencing at the moment.
There you go, photographic evidence. Scooped up with some sort of fruity cracker is approved too.
trash talking
Viper will eat anything. It’s pretty good really, I have 2 human (Viper + Misty) and one canine (Boosty) food-disposal units living with me… and they’re not very fussy. Viper happily chows down on my somewhat ‘interesting,’ vegan concoctions… his only demand is that it tastes good. So far, there have only been a few disasters.
Viper isn’t like me, he will seriously eat anything.
I used to bring home a lot of rejects from my years of cafe work… old stuff (for Boosty) plus experiments that didn’t quite work out… usually baking. There was once a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake that got slightly over-cooked so didn’t look presentable enough to serve up at the cafe. Still ridiculously delicious, but asthetically not too pleasing. I knew Viper would love it, as he has a bit of a sweet tooth for treats- particularly to accompany his after dinner cup of tea.
The cheesecake was a hit, overcooked and all. Viper was stoked.
Now, I’m talking about a full sized cheesecake here… about 30cm in diameter, and about 15cm high. White chocolate, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, butter and biscuit crumb base… you know the drill – incredibly rich. Viper was in heaven. Sometimes Viper doesn’t know when to stop. It gets to the point he has to lie on the carpet, hold his belly and moan. This is a typical occurence after Christmas lunch.
After he had put an impressive dent in the overcooked (yet delicious) cheesecake, Viper declared he needed to put the remaining dessert in the trash… he couldn’t handle it in the fridge, taunting him with it’s smugly indulgent smile. I said what I always do, ‘You have no self control.’
So the cheesecake ended up in the bin.
For about an hour until Viper got hungry again, when he asks me, ‘Is it wrong to get it out of the bin, it’s really good.’ I say nothing. Just the usual raising of the eyebrows.
The cheesecake came out of the bin. At this point I vocally absolved myself of any connection with said cheesecake and Viper for the rest of the evening.
At least it wasn’t being wasteful.
On that note, Viper put in a request for a non-sugary, somewhat healthy something that tasted ‘treat’-like but wasn’t too unhealthy. Apparently he is worried his night time habit of chocolate coated peanut/almond/raisins/licorice bullet-munching is rotting his teeth (sugar overload). I had some unsweetened 54% chocolate (that’s as far as Viper will venture over to the dark side) and so the following recipe was born… not quite a cake, not quite a brownie… I’m not sure what it is, but Viper said it was just what he was after.
Chocolate and Mixed Berry Viper Bites:
(Vegetarian, soy, nut and cane sugar free)
- 3/4C frozen (or fresh) berries
- 1/3 cup milk (dairy or non dairy… I used cow for Viper)
- 1/4C honey
- 1t vanilla extract
- 1/4t salt
- 3T cacao (or cocoa) powder
- 2 eggs, lightly whisked together
- 1/4C coconut oil
- 1+ 1/2C wholemeal self raising flour (a gluten free self raising flour blend would be a good sub)
- 100g chocolate, chopped into chunks ( I used unsweetened)
- Pre heat oven to 170 degrees C (reduce this if using fan forced setting… 160 should do it).
- In a blender, blend first 6 ingredients together.
- Combine berry mix with eggs, oil and chopped chocolate.
- Fold in flour, taking care not to over mix and pour into a lined baking tray (I used a 20/18cm).
- Bake at 170 degrees C for 15-20 minutes (under cooking it slightly with make it more ‘brownie’ like).
- Cool on a wire rack.
frugality and feeling flat
I don’t know why, but this week I’ve had no spark. No oomph, no pizazz… you know what I mean? I just feel a bit flat, slightly unmotivated, sort of like I’m wading through concrete a little bit.
I’ll blame hormones; they’re the usual scapegoat.
Anyway, I find cooking gives me focus when I’m feeling like this. Something to concentrate on, stir up a bit of creativity, plus you get something (hopefully) yum to eat at the end. It’s funny; I find the less ingredients I have on hand to work with in these situations, the better the outcome. It’s as if restricting the ingredient options encourages more creativity, as I have to ‘think outside the box.’ Works for me anyhow, as my kitchen supplies are running seriously low at the moment. I’m actually on a frugality binge, and the challenge of using up as much as possible before I purchase new products has become the new obsession.
I don’t even have white rice left in my house… just some coconut flour and a bag of oats. No fresh fruit, a few carrots, the tail end of a bag of dates and some cashews that I hid from Viper because I am mean and greedy. We do have a pretty healthy supply of Viper’s beloved Teevee snacks though (chocolate covered peanuts, sultanas and licorice bullets) Ick.
I was inspired by the beautiful Emilia and her recreation of a StarBucks blueberry muffin. I love this girl as she reminds me of me… passionate about healthy food without sacrificing flavour or fun… also her love of wine and cocktails, bless. If you haven’t checked out her blog, Wine and Butter, do so… she’s hilarious and her recipes are fantastic (especially for you non vegans/vegetarians).
Berries, I have. A few super-foods are never a bad idea… antioxidants, ahoy. So here’s to a grain free colourful treat that may just be the bright spark I’m missing this week. This would be a great treat for kids… anything obnoxiously bright always works (I think this was Misty’s first taste of pure sugar… yip, he LOVED it… eyeballs dilating….)
Purple People Eater Green Monster Cakes (Mixed Berry and Spirilina Coconut Cakes)
(RAW, Vegan, gluten/seed/soy/wheat/cane sugar free)
Makes 4 individual cakes.
- 1C frozen mixed berries
- 1/2C coconut flour
- 1/8t sea salt
- 3t agave (or 30 drops of vanilla stevia liquid)
- 1/2t vanilla extract
- 4t coconut oil (helps them set).
- In a food processor, pulse all ingredients.
- Pack very tightly into moulds, and chill in the fridge.
- Top with…
- 6 medjool dates soaked in 1/2C water
- 1/2C cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained
- 3t agave (or any liquid sweetener… 15drops stevia liquid)
- 1/4t spirilina powder
- 1/4t sea salt
- Drain cashews, but reserve the water that the dates soaked in.
- Blend everything together until silky smooth.
- Dollop on coconut cakes, chill in fridge until ready to serve.
- Garnish with more berries if you like.
Yes, it looks scary, but the whole ‘eat the rainbow,’ advice is one that rings true. Wonder what the by-products of truly eating a rainbow would be? Hmmm. Colourful for sure. Happy weekend.
timing
Sometimes getting through the day boils down to timing. The right thing at the right time. Seems like the timing is slightly off kilter in the fridge scrapings household at the moment.
Misty’s body clock thinks 4:30am is a great time to start the day. I don’t think I like Misty’s body clock very much. Tried the old ‘put him in the big bed’ with me and Viper in a vain attempt to get a few more precious minutes… ended up getting kicked in the face about a hundred times by a tiny (yet powerful) Misty-foot.
Sometimes too much of something is not a good thing. Is it wrong I hid Misty’s favourite “Where’s Spot?” book as I had to read it to him about 50 times this morning? I’m not exaggerating for dramatic purposes here either. There’s only so much Spot one Mama can handle… yeah yeah, he’s hiding in the basket, I get it. OK, I’m a bad Mama but I will lose my mind if I have to read it again today… hiding it was the only solution – out of sight, out of mind…. or going out of my mind…. sleep deprivation; I’m seeing spots.
My timing was off last night too. I had made a lentil curry, and at the last minute decided we needed lime pickle to go with it. I have a heap of limes at the moment, but that’s not much help considering lime pickle takes months if you want to do it right. Ummm yeah, slightly off timing- wise Lou. Anyway I have my lime pickle happening now, but for last night, we had to make do with mango chutney.
Sun Cooked Lime Pickle
- 6 limes, each cut into 8 wedges.
- 4T sea salt
- 1t tumeric
- 2T rice syrup (or agave/honey/raw sugar)
- 2t ground ginger
- 1t dry chilli flakes
- 1t mustard powder
- Combine everything in a jar and leave in the sun during the day to “cook.”
- Alternatively, store in a warm, dry place like a hot water cylinder cupboard.
- Leave to mature for around 2 months.
Fridge Scrapings Zuccinni + Red Lentil Curry
(Vegan, gluten/cane sugar/wheat/corn free)
This is seriously a meal to make when it’s getting to the tail-end of the week, and grocery shopping day is looming. Read: not much left in the pantry/fridge. Items like dry lentils, cans of tomatoes/coconut milk/veggie stock are always cupboard staples in my kitchen… so combining these with whatever vegetables you have hanging around makes for an easy fridge scraping style meal. I went with zuccinni, but sweet potato/pumpkin/potato would be delicious if added when you introduce the stock/canned tomatoes into the mix. Sweet corn, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, eggplant, cauliflower – basically any vegetable (or even apple is great in a curry) will work in this recipe. Just don’t cook the veggies to death, please. A handful of baby spinach leaves chucked in just before serving is always good too.
- 1t garam marsala
- 1t ground cumin
- 1/2t ground coriander
- 1/2t ground ginger
- 1/2t tumeric
- 1t coconut oil
- 1 brown onion
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- 500ml vegetable stock
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 300ml coconut milk
- 2t rice syrup/honey/agave/raw sugar
- 1c dry red lentils
- 1/2t dry chilli flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2-1t sea salt (depending on your stock/taste)
- 3t tomato paste
- 4 large zuccinni, grated
- Juice of 1 lime
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Dry toast your spices until fragrant (first 5 ingredients listed). Set aside.
- Soften onion and garlic in the coconut oil until they be fragrant, do not brown them.
- Add in your can of chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and stock liquid. Return your toasted spices to the mix, along with the bay leaf.
- Bring mix to the boil, add in dry lentils and reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer for around 20 minutes, or until the lentils have soaked up most of the liquid.
- Add in coconut milk, rice syrup, lime juice, extra salt and chilli flakes.
- Continue cooking until the mix reduces again… around 10 minutes or until you are happy with the consistency – the longer you cook it, the thicker it becomes.
- Stir in grated zuccinni – this will not need much cooking at all… just fold through for a few minutes to soften.
- Finish with freshly ground black pepper. Remove bay leaf before serving.
- Dish up with basmati rice/brown rice/quinoa/millet… whatever you have. Viper was most disappointed our pantry-scraping didn’t turn up any pappadums. Sorry dude. Naan/paratha/roti or any style of flat bread would be awesome too.
jaffas
When I think of the combination of orange and chocolate, I instantly think of Jaffas. Also, sucking the orange off them, and throwing them at unsuspecting people sitting in front of me at the cinema (when I was about11 and very naughty) so they get a glob of gooey chocolate in the back of the head. I think it is a Down Under thing (New Zealand and Australia)… anyway a Jaffa is a little ball of dark chocolate coated in a orange candy shell. You suck off all of the orange flavour until the shell goes soft, then you gently bite through until you reach the yummy rich dark chocolate. Let it all go melty and gooey in your mouth… that’s right. That’s how I do it (or DID it, I don’t think I’ve had a Jaffa in about a million years).
They turn your tongue orange too, which is always fun when you’re kid poking your fluro tongue out the car window at strangers.
Anyway, this post has nothing to do with Jaffas, really – that was just a short explanation of the title of the following recipe for those who aren’t familiar with such sweets.
Childhood sugar-induced frenzies aside, orange and chocolate is one wicked combination… and yes, I have given in to all the hoo ha and posted something sweet and chocolatey (kind of) for Valentines Day (awwww). Vomit (romance makes me gag). At least this treat will not leave you bug-eyed and twitching after consuming way to much of the usual sugary Valentines Day sweets.
Jaffa Buns:
(RAW, vegan,seed /cane sugar/corn/wheat and gluten free)
- 1 apple, cored, peeled and chopped.
- Zest and flesh from one orange (not pith please… that’s the white stuff)
- 6T + 2t oat flour (finely ground oats)
- 5T coconut flour
- 2t almond butter (optional… I had actually just made almond butter in my blender and couldn’t be bothered cleaning it. Lazy).
- 1/4t + 1/8t sea salt
- 1/4t + 1/8t ground cinnamon
- 2T cacao nibs (or chocolate chips)
- Zest your orange, then remove skin. Cut out the pieces of pith, and combine with all other ingredients except your nibs (or chips) in a food processor.
- Pulse until a ‘dough’ forms.
- Remove from food processor, and stir in your chocolate. Let the mix chill in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
- Roll into balls/buns/whatever shape you like. They could become Jaffa Sausages if you really wanted them to.
Cacao Cashew Icing:
(RAW, vegan, cane sugar/gluten/wheat/corn/seed free)
- 10 large dates soaked in 1/4C water (KEEP the water for the mix!)
- 1/2C soaked and rinsed cashews
- 2T raw cacao powder (or cocoa)
- 1/4t + 1/8tt sea salt
- 1t vanilla extract
- 3t agave (optional or to taste)
- Drain and rinse your cashews.
- Combine with dates (AND the water you soaked the dates in) and all other ingredients in a food processor.
- Blend until super smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl if need be.
- Dollop on top of your buns. ooooo saucy.
So I hope all of your romantic, loving dreams come true today. Me and Viper bought ourselves a dishwasher as a symbol of the pure and CLEAN love we have for each other and the fact that I HATE hand washing, and HATE has no place on the day of LOVE.
things
I think it was the gorgeous Heather who tagged me in one of these question/quiz thingymebobs circling around at the minute. I’m never one to stick to recipes or rules… so I’m just going to list some incredibly random stuff.
- I’m blind as a bat…. I wear contacts usually but I can barely see 30 cm in front of my face without them or my glasses.
- I hate anything to do with romance. Makes me gag. It’s going to be interesting getting married. I may laugh in Viper’s face.
- I eat, on average about 5 carrots a day. Have done since I was about 15. Love carrots. Yes, I am slightly orange.
- The Clash are one of my all time favourite bands… Joe Strummer is my idol (Misty’s middle name is Joe).
- I hated mushrooms until about 5 years ago when I moved to Australia. Weird.
- Everything tastes better with salt. Lots of salt.
- I have a thing for men with big noses. I love that guy from ‘The Pianist’. Also Colin Firth, OK he doesn’t really have the biggest nose, but when he played Mr Darcy in BBC’s Pride and Prejudice he was divine.
- I get black teeth after only 1 sip of red wine… seriously, it’s not a good look. And I LOVE red wine. Lou Lou Black Mouth.
- My body craves yoga and kombucha, and I’m not just saying that to sound hip.
- I can do some pretty good (weird) voices, noises etc. Sometimes I reckon I should be on cartoons. Viper thinks I’m a freak. Misty enjoys my voices, and my duck noise.
- I played the trumpet for 10 years.
- I just realised that I’ve been spelling Avocado AVACADO for ever. I always wondered why the spell-checker pinged it. I told you I’m not very smart. Loser.
- 3/4C cooked sweet potato
- 1/2 an avacado
- 1/4t + 1/8t sea salt
- 1 + 1/4t lime juice
- 1/2t apple cider vinegar
- 1/2-1 clove crushed garlic (depending on your tastes, omit if you like).
- Blend all ingredients until very smooth.
Sweet Greens Salad:
Serves 2 as a light starter or side dish.
- Recipe from above
- 1 +1/2t olive oil
- 2t apple cider vinegar
- 1/4t sea salt
- 1 + 1/2C chopped rocket leaves
- 2C grated raw zuccinni
- 1C edamame
- More lime juice if desired
- Lots of freshly ground black pepper
- Whisk recipe from above with the extra salt, cider vinegar and olive oil.
- Toss through the vegetables.
- Season with black pepper and lime juice.
Vegan. Stay at home Mum of Misty. Yoga teacher in training. Passionate about REAL food - creating it, eating it, sharing it. I can never stick to a recipe.
