Bean Casserole

Now that I have a slow cooker I'm keen to start experimenting with it! I made this bean casserole last night and it was delicious and simple.
This can be done on the stove top or in a slow cooker.
I used mixed beans and lentils and soaked them for 24 hours prior. Then I cooked them before the casserole for 4 hours in the slow cooker with stock but you could just as easily cook them with the casserole.

Bean Casserole

Ingredients

1/2 onions, diced
1 cup mixed beans & lentils (pre soaked and/or cooked)
2 potatoes, diced
3 carrots, cut into rounds (I used rainbow carrots)
small bunch of English spinach, chopped
handful of Swiss brown mushrooms
enough vegetable stock to cover the vegetables (around 1 litre)
1 clove garlic, crushed


Method

In a small pan (or large pot if not using slow cooker) fry onions & garlic in a small amount of oil until onions are clear.
If using a slow cooker, add all ingredients (and onion/garlic mix) to the slow cooker and set for 4 hours.
If using the stove top, transfer onion/garlic mix to a large pot and add in potato, carrots, beans and stock.
(If not using pre cooked beans then just add the beans for 30 minutes, then add potato and carrot).
Bring mixture to boil then turn down to a low simmer for 15 minutes.
Once potatoes are cooked through add in the mushrooms and spinach and allow to simmer until excess liquid has simmered off.
If you prefer a liquidy casserole then just wait till mushrooms and spinach have heated through.
Serve with some crusty bread.

Helen's Vegan Mince

I found this vegan mince by Helen's Kitchen which is already seasoned at Harmon's. Perfect for anything that calls for mince. We used it on nachos (twice!) and was DELICIOUS (and gluten free)!!

"Chicken" Nuggets

You can use this recipe for vegan chicken nuggets, fingers or strips. Adapted from Vegan Dad blog.

"Chicken" Nuggets

Ingredients

Makes 24 nuggets

1 cup gluten free gluten substitute

1 tsp vegan poultry spice

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups gluten free bread crumbs

2 tbsp nutritional yeast, crushed between your fingers

1/4 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground flax seed

1 1/2 cup soy milk

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Method

1. Whisk together flour and spices in a bowl. Whisk together water and oil and a separate bowl and add to flour mixture. Stir and bring into a dough. It's rather hard to knead this dough, so I stretch out the sides and then fold them into the centre. I then press down to mold it back together again. This works the gluten and helps mix everything together.

2. Roll dough out into a long log, about 12-14 inches long. Let rest while you mix together the bread crumbs, nutritional yeast, tumeric, and paprika in one bowl, and the flax seed, soy milk, oil, and vinegar in another.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, line a baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with oil.

4. Slice dough into 24 pieces (about half inch each). Press down a bit to get a nugget shape, dip in soy milk, then lightly roll in bread crumbs. Repeat with all pieces of dough.

5. Re-dip nuggets back in soy milk (let it soak up so you get a thick breading), and roll again in the bread crumbs. Press the nugget into the crumbs to get a nice thick coating and to maintain the nugget shape. Place on baking sheet.

6. Bake for 10 mins, flip, then bake for another 10 mins. Flip again and cook for 4 mins, then flip and cook another 4 mins (this keeps the breading from browning too much).

7. Serve with dipping sauce of you choice. These are a bit chewy when they are piping hot, but firm up nicely when they cool down a bit.

A NOTE ON BREADING: the key to a good breading is to keep one hand wet and the other dry. Use one hand to dip the nuggets and place into the breading. Shake the bowl to coat the nugget in crumbs, then use your dry hand to handle/press the nugget.

Eminence Beauty Products

I had a gorgeous facial in Fremantle using Eminence products. It's all natural and made in Hungary, all ingredients are grown in their organic farms so there is 100% no testing on animals and they use sustainable farming. Unfortunately there are a few products that contain either beeswax, milk or honey. I've made a list of the non-vegans ones at the bottom.

During my treatment they used;

Bright Skin Cleaners
Stone Crop Hydrating Mist
Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant
Bright Skin Masque

The following products of theirs are NOT vegan (seems like a lot but they have SO many products);

• Clear Skin Collection
• Pear & Green Apple Yoghurt Body Wash
• Naseberry Cranberry Yoghurt Body Wash
• Citrus Lip Balm
• Rosehip & Maize Exfoliating Masque
• Apricot Masque
• Garlic & Tomato Masque
• Pink Grapefruit Vitality Masque
• Quince & Ice Wine Masque
• Raspberry Pore Refining Masque
• Sour Cherry Masque
• Tokay Ice Wine Masque
• Stone Crop Masque
• Tomato Lycopene Masque
• Herbal Clay Treatment
• Menthol Rosehip Treatment
• Sweet Red Rose Treatment
• Grape Antioxidant Serum
• Green Tea & Guava Fortifying Serum
• Strawberry  Rhubarb Hyaluronic Serum

All these masques are vegan;

• Blueberry Soy Repair Masque
• Bright Skin Masque
• Calm Skin Amica Masque
• Chocolate Mousse Hydration Masque
• Clear Skin Probiotic Masque
• Coconut Cream Masque
• Cranberry Pomegranate Masque
• Eight Greens Phyto Masque
• Firm Skin Acai Masque
• Hibiscus Calendula Hydrating Masque
• Key Lime Vanilla Age-Defying Masque
• Lime Cleansing Masque
• Lime Stimulating Masque
• Linden Masques
• Mandarin & Rooibos Antioxidant Masque
• Naseberry Treatment Masque
• Pear & Green Apple Masque
• Pink Grapefruit Clarifying Masque
• Primrose & Melon Balancing Masque
• Pumpkin Latte Hydration Masque
• Strawberry Rhubarb Masque
• Sugar Plum Revitalizing Masque

A Vegan in Utah....

After my first week in Utah I have discovered some pretty awesome products I wanted to share...

Galaxy Nutritional Foods Vegan Mozzarella tastes like cheese and melts - hooray!

Seriously melty!!!!

Silk Organic Soy Milk - tastes just like real milk!

SoyRizo - Vegan Chorizo

New Planet Gluten Free Raspberry Beer

Newman's Organic Dark Chocolate - 54% Dark is vegan and tastes divine, so creamy!

Thug Kitchen

Just wanted to share the blog (and FB page) Thug Kitchen promoting veganism in a whole new way...so funny. (Language warning!)

A Week in Perth

Sorry for the neglect but I've been in Perth on vacation - yay!
Here was the vegan taste that my Perth has to offer...


Fremantle Chocolate's Dark Chocolate Chips were the creamiest dark chocolate I think I've ever had...

Paws Vegan Cafe in Perth CBD had plenty of choice for gluten free too...

Raw Pizza

 

Raw Mixed Salad 

Lovely Soy & Agave Stir-Fry we made...

Vegan margarine brand that my friend used...

Lunch at Rottnest Hotel, Rottnest Island

 

Fennel & Pear Salad which I will try and copy :)

Dinner at Zapatas, Fremantle...Soft Tacos

Brunch at Swan Valley Cafe - an amazingly beautiful vegetarian cafe.

This was the Big Breakfast...

And the Buckwheat Pancakes...

Scrambled "Eggs" we made for brekkie one morning...

Thai Vegan Cuisine stall in the Fremantle Markets...stuffed tofu, yummy!

Soy & Agave Stir-Fry

This simple stir-fry can bemade with whatever you have lying around. This sauce also doubles for a great tofu marinade and skewer sauce.

Soy & Agave Stir-Fry

Ingredients

2 serves Tofu of your choice (I used Japanese style cooked tofu)
1 head broccoli
2 carrots, sliced
1 capsicum chopped (I used red)
Handful of mushrooms, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 handful baby spinach
oil for frying (I used macadamia)

For sauce
2 Tbls agave syrup
2 Tbls soy sauce (I used tamari)
1 tsp mince garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1 Tbls sweet chilli sauce (optional)
1 tsp sesame oil (optional)


Method

In a large frying pan or wok heat 1-2 Tbls oil untilon a medium-high heat.
Add onions and garlic and fry unil clear.
Meanwhile whisk sauce ingredients together in a bowl. Add more of any ingredient to taste.
Add tofu and carrots and fry until tofu is browned and carrots are soft.
Add other vegetables last to keep the crunch.
As soon as they are heated through take off heat and stir through sauce.
Serve with rice or rice noodles.

Vegan Scrambled Eggs

Pictured here with Tempeh Bacon, wilted baby spinach and avocado slices. Delicious with Vegan Hollandaise Sauce;

Scrambled "Eggs" with garlic mushrooms and steamed spinach;

Pictured here with gluten free toast and garlic mushrooms;

Vegan Scrambled Eggs
Serves 2

Ingredients

1 tub silken tofu (or crumbled firm tofu)
1 tsp ground black salt (Kala namak) or fenugreek and curry powder
salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large fying pan add a tsp oil and once at a medium heat add tofu.
Once tofu has heated through add fenugreek and salt and pepper.
Cook for as long as you like (if you like running scrambled eggs don't cook long, if you like them browned slighty cook for longer)
Served here with gluten free toast and garlic mushrooms.

Vegan Lunchmeat Pasta Sauce

I used my leftover Vegan Lunchmeat to bulk up a plain pasta sauc, like mini meatballs, and served it with Garlic Bread instead of pasta. I used some vegan Parmesan cheese to top.

Vegan Meatloaf Pasta Sauce

Ingredients

For sauce;
1 large jar tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
1 Tbls mixed herbs
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbls sugar
1 clove garlic, crushed

For filling;
Vegan Lunchmeat, diced or crumbled
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
oil for frying


Method

For filling;
In large frying pan heat the oil on medium and fry onions and garlic until onion is clear.
Add Vegan Lunchmeat and fry until gold brown then remove from heat.

For sauce;
In a medium saucepan heat through tomato paste and red wine on a low-medium heat.
Use tomato paste jar to add some hot water to the mix thinning it out to desired amount.
Stir through garlic, sugar, herbs, salt and pepper.

Once sauce is heated through stir through filling and serve with pasta or garlic bread.