Yet another recipe

I'm feeling the need to move my recipes to a new blog. They don't have much to do with what this blog is supposed to be about so i think i'll begin a blog specifically for my concoctions! Here's what i just made for lunch... It's always still a surprise to me that vegies can taste so good. I grew up on plain steamed or boiled vegetables accompanying meat of some kind, so it's a wonderful discovery to make that they can taste so delish. I'm enjoying the creative side of it too - i can pull just about anything out of my fridge or freezer and whip something up that i'll actually enjoy eating!

Cauliflower and haloumi

Ingredients:

about a cup of cauliflower chopped into fairly small florets

olive oil

haloumi cheese

vegetable stock, about 100mls

half a cup of frozen peas and corn

a handful of baby spinach

a diced garlic clove

Method:

Put a little olive oil in a pan on medium heat

Throw in some diced garlic

Slice up some haloumi cheese and push the garlic to the outer edge of the pan and cook the haloumi in the centre

Remove the haloumi when it’s golden brown

Add some cauliflower florets to the pan and stir through the garlic

Add some peas and corn (I used frozen)

Add some vegetable stock (liquid)

Add some baby spinach

Mix it up

Pop the lid on and turn down to simmer for around 10mins

Cut the haloumi into small chunks

Add back to mix and serve

yummmmmmmmmmmmm

Sprouting

I popped into Mrs Flannery's today and came out with a new toy...

I got inspired to buy it after having a delicious salad that Rach made last Friday, with sunflower sprouts.. they're so different to other sprouts and so yummy but when i found them in the refrigerated section at Mrs F's for $5 for 100gm i thought it could be too much of a luxury to buy them as often as i'd like... so i went to the mini greenhouse section and found one i can grow my own sprouts in. It's three tiered and looks like this:



So our unschooling activity will definitely be encompassing sprouts for the next few days!

I'm really into the food thing at the moment.

I also got all these yummy things to add to my slow cooker oats - i got some black dried apricots which are sulphate free, organic dried figs, organic dates and steel cut oats instead of rolled oats. I'm going to put these dried goods together with some other goodies in my fruit basket from my organic coop, so we are going to have a really yummy warm breakfast tomorrow.


I will update with satisfied smiles of the childers eating their porridge :)

I've also added another recipe to my Recipe Compilation post from a while back. I made a really delish dish yesterday with eggplant, whole tomatoes cut in half, garlic, stock and Maldon salt. So so yummy i think i'm going to make it again right now after thinking about it!

Is it the food?????

Now, next subject, what is with this wonderful buzzing flowing hyped up exciting and expectant energy flying about the place at the moment? It's LOVELY! Full moon coming? Blue moon month? Is it just me and Amy feeling it and basking in it? Does anyone have any other suggestions? :D

Until talking to Amy and finding out she was in the same boat with lovely jubbly feelings going on, I had been putting this wonderful feeling of wellbeing and increased energy down to a change in my eating habits!

For the past week and a half I've only been eating organic produce... and even if the feeling of wellbeing is not due to this, i know it's contributed!

I have never eaten just organic fruit and veg before and it has dawned on me how full of vitality i am since eating ALIVE and wholesome food. I LOVE my coop day (it's Thursday) and am thrilled as i pull out each item from my box of goodies.

Why am i so excited about fruit and veg?

• It's a community based coop business.. local farmers, local produce.
  
• Being local, it's fresh, fresh, fresh and delicious.
  
• I love getting a box for the whole week and having a huge cook up that night before i can even finish finding space in my fridge for everything.
• I love thinking about and planning what i can make with this and that... and how to stretch the things i love (like mushrooms) into days and days worth of cooking.
• I love getting things i wouldn't normally buy at a store - and the challenge it brings when preparing meals. We had lovely radish salads last week - something i've never made before, but hey i've never bought radishes before!
• Organic fruit and veg SMELLS so damn good, tastes good and it feels so nourishing!
• I am once again a happy vegetarian and what else WOULD excite me apart from fruit and veg? :)
  

So you know how they say that cars that run on premium fuels have better performance? This lil engine is humming away and instead of clocking up more k's as i move forward, i feel i'm turning back the dial!

I feel like I am what i eat right now :D

Oh oh! I have congee in the slowcooker right now... having it for breakfast for the first time tomorrow and what a wonderful way to use up bits and bobs of vegies out of the fridge!

A new to-do

Most of the things I've been wanting to do are now in the works, so it's time for the next list!

• I need to get onto the organic coop - for $45 per week i get a box of fruit and veg that should sustain us all.
• I am going to cut out the small amount of meat I've occasionally been having, and go back to being vegetarian. As of yesterday!
• I am going to overhaul my medicine cabinet and make it a natural health cabinet.
• I am going to begin each day listening to sacred sounds
  
• I am going to write down the other things i had in mind for this list as i think of them cos right now i am BLANK! hehehe
  

recipe compilation post

Vegetable lentil dish

1 onion
1 red capsicum
1 zuccini
2 mushrooms
1 tbsp of green curry paste
1 tsp vegetable stock
1 can of lentils
1 shoot of eschallot
1 tbsp oil

dice all vegies
heat oil in pan, add onion and eshallots,
add curry paste and cook till fragrant
add capsicum, zucc, mushroom
stir and cook for a while
then add a splash of water to get curry paste off bottom of pan
add lentils
add some vege stock
stir well and serve


SUPER MOIST EGG FREE CHOCOLATE CAKE

1. 5 cups of all purpose flour
3 tablespoons of sifted good quality cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup white or vegan brown sugar
0. 5 teaspoon salt (optional)
5 tablespoons canola oil (can substitute with any veg. oil
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup cold water

By far the most surprisingly deeelightful cake. This recipe is great for adults and for kids ages 3 and up.
1. Put your flour into mixing bowl, add cocoa, baking soda, vegan sugar and salt and mix well.

2. Make three deep holes in the dry mixture. Into one, pour the oil, into the next, pour the vinegar into the next, pour the vanilla.

3. Pour the water into the bowl, over all of this--- making a great big mess.

4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together until there aren't any more lumps and pour into a 9 inch by 9 inch baking pan, two inches deep, that has been greased and floured.

5. Bake at 350 for about half an hour, test with a fork.

Enjoy this delicious cake. You will be surprised at its moistness and richness!!!!! It can be cooled and iced with your choice of icing or can be enjoyed on its own. The batter can also be used to make cupcakes!!

TIP OF THE DAY: for an instant cake, have the premeasured, premixed dry ingredients at hand, then simply add the wet ingredients when you want a fresh treat! It makes a great birthday cake! Hey, it even freezes well!

Preparation time: 15 min. + 30 min. baking

Oatmeal chocolate chip

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (6 oz)
1 cup chopped pecans, if desired


1. Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until blended. Stir in vanilla and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in oats, flour, baking soda and salt; stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
2. Onto ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart.
3. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.

Eggplant, tomato and garlic (cooked with organic ingredients)
4 or 5 ripe tomatoes, cut in half
1 medium eggplant, sliced
1 can of organic 3 bean mix, drained
1 large clove garlic, diced
spag bol herbs
Maldon salt
1 cup or so of Vege stock (liquid)

Heat oil in oven proof pan
Preheat oven to 250degrees C
Place tomatoes cut side down and fry - sprinkle with salt
Dice garlic and add to tomatoes
Place slices of eggplant in and sprinkle with salt
Fry for a little while and then turn vegies over.
Salt again.
Add some stock, enough to moisten vegies and continue to cook on medium heat for 5mins or so with a lid on but not completely closed.
Add the bean mix
Add enough stock to nearly cover eggplant slices, with tomato not completely covered then take the lid off the saucepan and place it in the oven.
Cook at 250 for about 5mins and then turn it right down and take it out of the oven after another 5mins.
Check how moist or dry it is - the idea is that the stock should evaporate and flavour the food as it does. If it's dry, add more stock after taking it out of the oven and stir and place the lid back on.
so so so so so delish...........