For those not yet in-the-know, edible hemp is not of the same variety as the drug cannabis seed. Full of omega-3 oil goodness, plenty of vitamin B, C, and E, magnesium, iron, friendly vegan proteins, and the anti-inflammatory properties that come with GLA (gamma linolenic acid) and with no risk of getting high (which may or may not be a plus depending on your personal proclivities) since it’s from a different plant, you’ll want to be nomming on these… but you can’t in Australia! Government says no. So technically these seeds are for informational purposes or pet food only… which is hilarious for several reasons, including this:

Hemp seeds are often found in breakfast cereals and snack bars overseas. But what can you do at home with hemp seeds? Well, I think the flavour is somewhere between pine nuts and sunflower seeds. Here’s a few very basic ideas… (for informational purposes or pet food only…)

Vegan ice cream!

Chuck ‘em in smoothies!

Sprinkle them on soups and salads and consume with Hello Kitty cutlery!

Hemp Foods Australia also sells hemp oil, protein, information and recipe books, farm tours (want!), and some Versativa snack bar products. Subscribe to their blog if you’re after some incredible recipe ideas, or download their free 130 page eBook… STUFF! Love it.

Giveaway!

If you’d like some magical raw fresh seeds from founder Paul Benhaim at Hemp Foods Australia please drop a comment with a nifty hemp seed recipe idea: the most creative idea gets a pack of raw hemp seeds! (It doesn’t have to be a complete recipe.) (For informational purposes or pet food only…) Comment here!

(Soz, Aussie residents only this time… but I’ve got a gluten-free baking cookbook up for grabs next!)

I’ve got reviews + giveaways for Australian hemp seeds and a gluten-free baking book coming up in the next few posts. But first, a few photos I’ve snapped since the 2nd baby + moving to “The Outback.”

Free advice: don’t take the gravel road to Darwin in the wet season. It’s a river.

Because SCIENCE!

Mindil Beach Markets

Eating lotsa fruit in the tropics

Nightcliff foreshore

Fresh tempeh & market foods and chai

Vegan BBQ by the bay

Birthday balloon fest

Monsoonal monsoon is all monsoony

Local celebrities already

Superbaby

Out the bedroom window

Down by the performing arts centre

Wave pool

Wharf Precinct

The “gravel road” to Darwin in “the wet”

Burning colours, Litchfield National Park

Tolmer Falls, Litchfield NP

A hazy Darwin in the distance
Charles Darwin NP

Fruit from Tropiculture farm, including caramel sapodillas

Darwin was bombed more heavily than Pearl Harbor

Leave guns & rocket launchers in museums, people.

Colourful colours

Get yo’self an even deathlier death, post-croc attack

Cycling in the tropics again.
Less rickety bikes than my Thai adventures.

Real pirates have tree frogs, not parrots

Garden investigations

In a hammock in a thunderstorm

Garden gong

Harry Houdini questioning my assertion
that cats do not belong on coffee tables.

Dusk in the garden

Dark storm clouds rolling in…

Termite mounds.

That’s not a termite mound. THIS is a termite mound.

Home to box jellyfish and crocodiles.

Nightcliff pier

It’s too pretty to sit inside in the air-con

Thai vegan market grub for lunch… Spicy!

Greens, Rapid Creek Markets

“But what are you going to eat up there?”
Ahahahahahaha food.

Massive dam is massive

Blackwater River, NT

Who’s for a swim?

It’s an intense landscape… with lots of tropical fruit farms just down the road!

If you, too, are in The Top End or might be heading this way for travels in the future, please check out the new meet-up/activisty Facebook group: Darwin Vegan Society.

You can still catch me on Twitter if you want a (sporadic) chat!

Due back in May!

Are you participating? There are 700 blogs contributing to the Vegan MoFo this year! Amazing.

Between a 3 month old, a toddler, and moving to the Outback, I’m going to have a tough time keeping up!

Say hello to Christy Morgan from The Blissful Chef!

She has a smashing new recipe book coming out called Blissful Bites that you can preorder now!

What inspired your new book Blissful Bites?

Over the years as a business owner (meal delivery, personal chef and teacher) I created many recipes and wanted to be able to share those with others. So I started blogging and joined the Meatless Monday campaign to showcase my healthy, vegan macrobiotic-influenced recipes with the world. I felt like I had something to share that wasn’t out there already; a philosophy that mixed veganism, macrobiotics, raw food, allergy-free diets, and a general sense of well-being from food. When I ate in a clean way I felt better than ever and wanted to share that experience with others. So that is when The Blissful Chef was born, and Blissful Bites was conceived from that.

Blissful Bites is for anyone that wants to experience pure bliss or happiness. The food we eat affects everything about us, from our mood, our energy, how we look and feel physically and how good our overall health will be. So Blissful Bites shows home cooks how to cook in a way that is nourishing to all those parts of us. It’s available for pre-order now on my website and anywhere books are sold.

Tell us about macrobiotic veganism! How compatible are macrobiotic and vegan styles of eating?

Eating vegan means avoiding all animal foods, while macrobiotics is a food system and philosophy based in Chinese Medicine. Some practitioners choose to be vegan and some do not. I was vegan before I learned what macrobiotics was all about and now I incorporate the cool things I’ve learned about macrobiotics into my diet and lifestyle. Important elements are eating organic, local, seasonal foods, eating in balance, staying away from sugar and processed foods, and really understanding how diet, the body and it’s organs, and the mind work together to create harmony in our life.

Mixed Berry Couscous

Favourite foods/ingredients combinations you discovered as a macrobiotic vegan?

Once I got into macrobiotic culinary school I learned about so many different foods I would have never discovered just being vegan. Sea vegetables, like dulse, arame, nori, and kelp, are a big thing missing from traditional America diets. Although they are an acquired taste, the health benefits of sea veggies are immense. They have more trace minerals that most foods, are alkaline to the body, and help reduce cholesterol. There’s a chapter in Blissful Bites devoted just to sea vegetables. (Ed. note: I love sea vegetables! Not so common in Australia, either. Wakame is my favourite!)

Is it easy to eat-out as a macrobiotic vegan? What are your favourite restaurants?

Eating out as a vegan can be hard, period. But even the times where I’ve been to a non-veg restaurant here in Dallas, the staff and chef have been very accommodating. I always call ahead of time to make sure they are some staples that are available vegan; like if they have beans or rice that are vegan, if corn tortillas are available, if I can make adjustments to menu items. Usually no matter where you eat, there is something available vegan. Last week I went to a Mexican food restaurant and made my own bean tacos with guacamole, tomatoes, lettuce, black beans on corn tortillas. It was delicious and no trouble for the kitchen.

I prefer to eat and support purely vegetarian and vegan restaurants when possible. Locally I love Spiral Diner, Cafe Elite, and Kalachandji’s. Other of my fave vegan restaurants are Bouldin Creek Cafe and Beets Cafe in Austin, Native Foods and Stuff I Eat in Los Angeles, Prasad and Vita Cafe in Portland, Kuhn Churn in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and Woods Marche Cafe in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Ed. note: I’ve been to Kuhn Churn! Hooray!)

Raw Choc Mousse!

Why should people try macrobiotics and/or veganism?

In my opinion, a whole foods, plant-based diet is what’s best for us mentally, physically, and spiritually, following this diet does the least harm to living creatures and to our planet. So everyone should give it an honest try, at least 30 days to see how easy it can really be. I think if people stick to the basics: whole grains, beans, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds; then it isn’t hard at all to be vegan. No matter where you live or what your budget constraints are you can get those basic elements of the diet with no problem.

If anyone is interested in learning the exciting principles of macrobiotics I highly recommend Hip Chick’s Guide to Macrobiotics and Macrobiotics For Dummies. These are more modern books that explain macrobiotics in an easy to understand manner. Many of the old school books are outdated and do not apply to our modern society as much. I really encourage vegans to check out these books to improve on their health and general well-being.

What inspired you to go vegan? And stay vegan?

I had many vegetarian friends in college so when I graduated I decided to give it a try. It wasn’t until I watched the Meet Your Meat video on PETA that I went vegan overnight. I was shocked by what I learned about dairy cows and egg-laying hens. I couldn’t believe that so much torture could happen to that sector of food production so it only made sense to go fully vegan.

I started to teach myself how to cook and eventually attended a macrobiotic culinary school called The Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts. My mission in life is to help others eat healthier. I started my business, first with a vegan meal delivery and personal chef service cooking for people like Alicia Silverstone. Then I started teaching cooking classes, which empower others to take charge of their health and well-being. Teaching is my passion and starting my blog was an extension of that.

One of your favourite recipes, please!

In Blissful Bites, each chapter has an icon for Fan Favorites and Chef Favorites. Probably my favorite recipe in the whole book is Coconut Bliss Granola made into a parfait with berries, bananas, and the Key-Lime Soy Yogurt.

Coconut Bliss Granola

Makes 8-10 servings

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup shredded dried coconut, unsweetened
1 cup brown rice crispy cereal
¾ cup sliced almonds
½ cup walnuts, chopped if whole
¼ cup sesame seeds
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Dash nutmeg
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
½ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Pinch sea salt
1 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Mix all dry ingredients, except raisins, in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together wet ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and combine thoroughly. Transfer to a 9×13 glass casserole dish and evenly smooth across the top. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in raisins. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool.

Not-so-Fried Pineapple Rice

Anything else you’d like to see/hear more about from the vegan community?

It’s such an exciting time to be vegan and be part of the movement. I appreciate all sectors and believe we all play a role in helping others and changing lives. I’d like to see everyone work together and support each other.

Thank you, Christy! I’m looking forward to your cookbook! Your dishes look amazingly tasty…

Are you a fan of macrobiotics? Tell me about your experience in the comments! I’d love to hear more about it.

Family photo

Outfit by Grandpa

Grumpy sleep!

And that’s a very-newborn Charlie.

Plenty more photos to come on my Flickr.

I’ve got a couple of My Favourite Vegan posts in the works, too – stay tuned!

Annnnd back to making coconut macaroons while little Charlie naps peacefully… QUICK.

… You are Australian? Just checking!

Leigh cooking!

What are you working on at the moment?

I’m working on my second cookbook, currently with the working title of Wrapped in Pastry – it’s a set of recipes using shortcrust, puff and filo pastry to create pies, tarts and rolls that are vegan, mostly soy free and can be made gluten free.  I am publishing through aduki independent press, who also published my first cookbook Vegan Indulgence.

I think my favourite recipes so far out of this new book are Creamy Chickpea, Leek and Mushroom Pies, Party Sausage Rolls, Cherry Strudel and Lemon and Passionfruit Tart. Though my brother in law, who is doing the photographs, loves the Hummus and Roast Vegetable Tart, and my testers seem to en masse adore the Peanut Butter Caramel Blueberry Pie! (Ed. note: OH MY. Glargh.)

Are vegan cookbooks and classes a successful form of activism?

I guess it depends upon your definition of success.  With the cooking classes, I think one of the biggest successes is that they are usually fully booked out.  I’ve had at least one student tell me that she’d transitioned from vegetarian to vegan because of the cooking class and the recipes provided.  I also had a workmate who attended one of my classes as part of his transitioning from omni to vegan.

With the cookbooks, for me the main success has been the testing of the recipes on my workmates!! It’s great to provide dishes, especially sweets, that are vegan and have omni workmates respond so positively to them.

I think that cooking classes and cookbooks are a great positive form of vegan activism because they can be non-confrontational, they don’t ask people to make the switch immediately, but they provide an emotional centre to the concept of veganism – food is so intrinsically tied to our emotions, which is why so many omnis are so resistant to veg*nism, because it strikes an emotional chord.  This emotional centre can lead people to thinking more closely about what they consume and why.

Also they show, again and again, that vegan food is inventive, tasty, fresh, fun, easy and definitely not boring!

What sort of people attend your cooking classes and vegan cookbooks?

Vegan birthday cake!

Everyone who comes along has different reasons for doing the classes and takes different things away from it, but I’ve had the pleasure of hearing from students that they’re still using recipes and techniques from the classes months and even years later.

I’m not so sure about who buys vegan cookbooks, but I’d say it’s much the same range of people – with the rise of lactose intolerance and other allergies, lots of people are looking for alternative sources of recipes.

And, obviously, all of my family and friends, vegan or not, have bought my cookbook

Any exciting new foods you’ve discovered as a vegan?

Well, nooch, of course.

I think that the main thing I’ve gotten over the years I’ve been vegan is a renewed appreciation of legumes.  There are so many legumes available and so many different used you can put them to, and they’re so packed full of nutritional goodness!! My idea of a heavenly meal is a salad of chickpeas, steamed broccoli, lemon, chilli, Braggs and sesame oil. Possibly sprinkled with nooch.

The favourite meal that I’ve come to is vegan macnnotcheese – I love making this meal in all of its different permuations: nut based sauce, nooch based sauce, miso based sauce, white bean based sauce, vegan cheez based sauce, with chili on the side, with peas or tofu, covered in breadcrumbs… (Ed. note: SO MANY options! Sheesh! Veganism = abundance!)

Ingredients wise, I’m thinking Braggs, cashews, gluten free flours, quinoa….

And finally, cuisine wise, Latin food has been much more inspiring since I stopped slathering it in cheese and sour cream (blech).

What inspired you to go vegan? And stay vegan!

Very tasty vegan curry

However, over the years of being vegan I’ve gained more insight into why being vegan is important, and I’ve begun reading more literature about animal rights and animal liberation, and the vegan movement, and I find that both horribly depressing (because some humans can really suck) and incredibly inspiring.

Other ways I retain inspiration is to see those vegans around me doing amazing work – writing, blogging, cooking, freeing animals, fighting whalers, running animal shelters, demonstrating for animal rights… It is immensely inspiring about being part of a movement that is wholly based in love and a desire for a positive and ethical world for all beings.

Would you be a culinary artist if you didn’t go vegan?

I definitely don’t think that I’d be writing cookbooks or running cooking classes if I wasn’t vegan.  My interest in food, my cookery skills, and my desire to share food and recipes and techniques with others increased exponentially after becoming vegan – probably because once you become vegan, so many people comment on how boring/lacking in protein/dull/difficult etc being vegan must be.

I became overwhelmed with the need to shout from the rooftops ‘Oh hell no!! Being vegan is awesome!”, and was lucky enough to find a community college willing to support the classes, and to stumble across an Australian veg*n publisher willing to publish my recipes.

One of your favourite recipes, please!

I love Indian feasts, lots of flavoursome easy vegetable and legume curries, breads and scented basmati rice.

This is a recipe that I adapted from ones that usually use paneer – replacing paneer with firm tofu is a fairly obvious choice, but I think it’s the spicy spinach sauce that makes the dish.  Serve with steamed basmati rice – for something a little different, cook the rice in vegetable stock and drop in a stick of cinnamon and some lightly crushed cardamom pods.

You can stir through a little tahini at the end instead of finishing with the Nuttelex.

Tofu Saag

• Nut Free
• Gluten Free
• Preparation & Cooking Time: 40 minutes
• Serves 4 to 6

Saag or Sag is a spinach and/or mustard leaf-based curry dish eaten in India and Pakistan with bread such as roti, naan or rice. Saag can be made from spinach, mustard leaves, or other greens, along with added spices and sometimes other ingredients such as paneer. On some menus, this dish is also referred to as saagwala. Saag/Sag however can be a catch-all term for various green-leaved dishes. Sag Aloo (potato) is a common dish in Western Indian restaurants and take-aways.

The traditional addition of cubes of paneer – home made cottage cheese – has been replaced with cubes of fried firm tofu.  Quartered mushrooms or chopped steamed potato (aloo) could also be used.

½ cup onion, roughly chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
1 large red chilli, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 cup tomatoes, roughly chopped
3 packets frozen spinach
1 teaspoon Nuttelex
½ cup vegetable oil
2 cups extra firm tofu
6 whole cardamom pods
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 to 2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons Nuttelex

Place the onion, ginger, chilli, garlic and tomatoes into a food processor and process into a paste (or pound into a paste using a mortar and pestle or chop finely).  Set to one side.

Cook the frozen spinach as per the packet instructions – steam with a little water and a teaspoon of Nuttelex  until completely thawed.  Set to one side.

Place a deep sided frying pan over a high heat and pour in the ½ cup vegetable oil.

Cut the extra firm tofu into 1cm square cubes.  When the oil is ready – a piece of tofu place into the centre begins bubbling and cooking immediately – deep fry the tofu in batches, removing from the oil when the edges begin to go golden.  Drain on paper towel.  When the tofu is all fried, remove the frying pan from the heat, and remove any floating or burned bits left in the oil.

When the oil has cooled, pour into a heatproof container.  Of this oil, pour back into the frying pan ¼ cup.

Heat over a medium high heat.  Add the cardamom pods and fry until the oil becomes fragrant.  Remove the cardamom pods from the oil.  Add the onion/ginger/chilli/garlic/tomato paste and fry for 2 minutes.

Add the dry spices – coriander, cumin, cinnamon – and stir through.  Add the spinach and 1cup of water and cook for 15 minutes, adding more water as required.  The sauce should be not too liquidy.

Remove from the heat and blend with a stick blender until smooth and bright green.  Stir in the salt, 2 tablespoons Nuttelex,, and fried tofu, and place back on the heat for another 5 to 10 minutes, stirring constantly.

What would you like to see more of in the vegan community?

I’d like to hear from vegans living in remote areas or young vegans living with omni families, or vegans living in places like the Nederlands or Scandinavia, and how they cope with the restrictions, and what sort of activism they get involved in.

Would be great to see a piece about the internet community of vegans – I think it’s such a boon to such a small community to have somewhere where our voice sounds loudly.

And lastly I’d like to add: go vegan! It’s fun, healthy, ethical, fulfilling, life saving and the most positive step anyone can make with their lives. Plus vegans are really hot.

Hell yes. We are all really, really, ridiculously good-looking.

And how awesome is saag? I love it. Green = life.

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★ Thanks for reading! ♥

Gluten-free vegan banana muesli pancakes

Serves 2-3 (2 hungry adults + a toddler)

½ cup rice flour
⅓ cup besan/chickpea flour (or buckwheat)
¼ cup arrowroot or tapioca starch
¼ tsp cinnamon/nutmeg/allspice/mixed spice/your favourite!
½ cup gluten-free muesli*
1 large banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp gluten-free baking powder
1½ cups rice milk (or soy or almond)
oil for cooking (I used coconut)

Mix together the flours, starch, cinnamon, and baking powder, sifting out any lumps and/or aerating with a whisk. Stir in the muesli.

In another bowl (or in a blender!), mash the banana and combine with the vanilla and milk.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry ingredients gently until “just mixed.” If your muesli contains liquid-absorbing ingredients like oats, you may need to add more milk to achieve a thick, slightly-runny (but not too runny!) pancake batter consistency. If you have time, let the batter “rest” for 5-15 minutes or so (I use this time to make juice or a smoothie, a pot of tea, and temper the pan).

Heat oil in a frypan. Cook 3-4 small pancakes at a time over low-medium heat for a few minutes each side, flipping when they begin to bubble. (When cooked, cool them on paper towels to soak out a little of the oil if you like.)

Serve with syrup and seasonal fruits and nuts or nut cream! Hooray.

You can double this recipe, cook up a bigger batch – they reheat a-ok. But there’s nothing like fresh pancakes!

*My muesli was a mix of oats, raisins, slivered almonds, pepitas, and dried fruit.

What’s your favourite pancake topping? Tell me in the comments! I forgot I had fresh strawberries when I made these, d’oh! But I’m loving the heck outta date syrup lately.

Thai Tofu Laab: tofu loaded with greens & herbs

Over-eating soy? Over-eating almost anything is going to catch up with you eventually, but the problem with soy arises when people eat too many processed soy products, not good quality foods containing whole-beans. The fact is that everyone – vegan and non-vegan alike – who eats processed food is eating some soy – it’s used as a filler and binder and protein element in so many foods, including most of the “meat” products on fast food “meatlovers” style pizzas! This is not just a veghead issue.

Organic and non-GMO can be important, depending on what part of the world you live in: north America grows an awful lot of dodgy soy intended to feed livestock, some of which ends up in the human food supply, whereas it’s extremely difficult to find any soy products in Australia that aren’t certified organic!

As far as the anti-soy hype goes: if it’s not peer-reviewed and backed by a comprehensive study – and somehow it never seems to be – forget about it. There are plenty of companies in the business of animal exploitation who can gain customers from building up the anti-bean drama. So! Here are some happyfuntimes soy links backed by peer-reviewed science-type love:

Processed soy? A gajillion soy icecream flavours at Green Gourmet restaurant in Sydney, Australia

♥ “Based on the bulk of the evidence soy appears to be perfectly safe for nearly all healthy individuals when it is consumed in reasonable amounts. We would say that a reasonable amount of soy is two to three servings per day. ”
- Is It Safe to Eat Soy? by Virginia Messina, MPH, RD & Mark Messina, PhD

♥ “Now the largest study to date on soy’s effect on breast cancer suggests that eating soy, even in large amounts, may not be harmful after all, and may even reduce recurrence and death from the disease.”
- Study: Eating Soy Is Safe for Breast-Cancer Survivors by Alice Park, TIME Magazine

♥ “In addition to reducing the risk for breast cancer… soy also provides benefits for preventing prostate cancer, lowering LDL cholesterol, and improving menopausal symptoms. When you add up all the research on soy, there is no reason to think that two servings per day are harmful to most people, and good reason to think soy will provide some health benefits.”
- Soy: What’s the Harm? by Jack Norris, RD & its companion piece: Response to Not Soy Fast

♥ “From Dr. Andrew Weil: ‘There is no scientific data suggesting that soy consumption leads to mineral deficiency in humans.’ Fallon, Enig, and the other WAPF (Weston A. Price Foundation) writers have failed to provide any evidence at all for this claim.”
- Finally, The Truth About Soy by Leo Babauta., Zen Habits blog

A Varied Diet is ALWAYS Important

This is not just in relation to soy. Mix it up! 2-3 servings of soy a day is recommended by the dieticians above. Personally I don’t eat soy every day, but it’s up to you. I prefer raw almond and other nut milks in-general, and use rice or oat milk in hot drinks and baking. Like raw recipe guru Ani Phyo, I use soy sauce (Nama Shoyu, Bragg aminos, or tamari) and miso as condiments. I eat a serve or two tempeh or edamame most weeks, and tofu every other week. I’ll try foods that contain processed soy if I’m eating out or if I find a new vegan product at the stupormarket or health store, but it’s not a regular occurrence. In general, due to my preference for a high raw diet, I tend to eat (and drink!) lots of leafy greens instead of nomming on lots of legumes and beans.

Miso salad dressing & Edamame

The next best: organic GM-free tofu, organic soy milk made from whole beans (you’ll find something like “whole soy beans” as opposed to “soy protein” in the ingredients list). Malt-free/sugar-free soy milk can be great, but it’s probably not a taste sensation for vegan n00bs! Green soy milk made from young soy beans (edamame) does exist, but it’s hard to come by, and has a slightly “green” flavour.

If you still want other protein-laden food?

Alternatives to soy: Products made from beans, legumes, and nuts, and there are HEAPS to choose from: milks made from rice, oats, loads of different nuts and seeds (more below); cheeses made from nuts, seeds, other beans and chickpeas; “meat” made from gluten (if you’re in to that) – in Australia we get more gluten-free soy-meats imported from Asia than gluten-based seitan; “meat” made from processed mushrooms; all sorts of roasts and burger patties and whatnot made from lentils and other beans… Other beans? Yeah, just a few! Check out the extensive range of legumes, nuts, peas, and whathaveyou at Cook’s Thesaurus.

I’m not really into protein supplements – with a high-carb intake I don’t find it necessary, even when rockclimbing and breastfeeding – but lots of active and raw people like it. A couple of high-quality vegan protein supplements are:

Vega Sport Performance Protein: recommended by professional vegan bodybuilders (Robert Cheeke) and athletes (Brendan Brazier)! Vega also has a supersexy all-round multi-nutrient supplement powder in Vanilla Chai flavour to add to smoothies that I LOVE, even though I’m generally not a fan of supplements: nom nom!

Sun Warrior Protein – This one is raw as well, so if you’re not in to cooked, this one might be for you! You can also get pea and rice proteins from bulk bins at your local health shop or co-op if you’re looking for an alternative with a kinder pricetag.

Soy miso alternatives: barley (rich and dark), various rice grains, chickpeas, corn, azuki beans, amaranth, and quinoa.

Varied noms: almond scramble (front) & tofu scramble (back)

Read more about my milk machine and check out some photos, plus my raw Creamy Nut Milk recipe.

Do you care about how much soy you eat? Or what type of soy? Have you encountered any anti-soy drama personally? … Such a fascinating bean! Tell me about it: in the comments!

Apple Pie Pancakes

I usually go with Banana & Brazil nut pancakes from Ani’s Raw Food Essentials, but without access to a dehydrator and a hankering for something different, I found these marvellous cake-pie hybrids from Sarah Kramer’s La Dolce Vegan! and put sliced banana and date syrup on top. Epic nom. They were rather huge and filling. Next time I’d make tiny pikelet-sized cakes.

Lemon Cranberry Poppyseed Muffins

Another recipe from Sarah Kramer’s La Dolce Vegan!. I’m more of a raw/flourless cake fan, but I made these for a friend who had a birthday last week. He doesn’t like chocolate, but likes orange and poppyseed cake, so I went with something similar, yet different! Lemon and cranberry is a great combination of flavours. The recipe only called for lemon essence, but I added some lemon zest for extra… zest! And it was LOVERLY.

Cacao Energizer Smoothie

Loaded with coconut! As I’m heavily pregnant, I thought a bit of extra Lauric acid might be nice – it’s only found in coconuts, palm oil, and breastmilk! A very tasty smoothie from Ani’s Raw Food Essentials. I like to replace most of the cacao/cocoa in recipes with a nice, pungent carob. Carob is high in calcium and cacao is high in magnesium, which are minerals that get absorbed together, so mixing carob with cacao is just super. And if you’re an oddball who doesn’t like carob (make sure you’re buying high-quality pungent organic carob for awesome flavour!), combining it with even a tiny bit of cacao makes it taste extra-chocolatey. I also swapped flax out for chia in Ani’s recipe – and only used half the amount. Chia super-high in omega oil goodness and calcium, and I find it blends better.

Arugula salad with Kreamy Miso Dressing

A lovely light Japanese salad from Ani’s Raw Food Asia that I served with edamame and soba noodles. Simplicity. Traditionally made with spinach, but we have arugula in the garden, and Ani suggests a spinach and arugula combo as a tasty variation on the original. Arugula is also a lovely “bitter” green that’s not very bitter, but still excellent for promoting better digestion.

Japanese Meal: Sautéed Tofu Wrapped in Nori (+ Ginger Sauce) & Potato Onion Miso Soup & Blanched Greens (+ Sesame) with rice

I’m always surprised how quick it is to prepared a few Japanese dishes! All of these are from Japanese Cooking: Contemporary & Traditional, which is a great vegan cookbook. “It’s so hard to be vegan in Japan,” people say, and yet there are vegan people in Japan and veg restaurants all over the country. I’ve heard “it’s so hard to be vegan in Australia,” too, and it’s bloody easy here at “the ass-end of the world,” so whatevs, dudes!

This cookbook is one of my favourites. Japanese food is tasty yet simple, easy to digest, and usually gluten-free: the food is a comfortable fit with my high-raw diet. There’s plenty of soy in this book, but most dishes are traditionally-prepared, so the serving sizes are usually sensible! And a goodly portion of it is fermented. (And soy isn’t bad for you!) It’s a very fresh style of eating as far as cooked food is concerned: almost everything is quickly prepared, very little oil is used in-general (besides sesame for flavour), nothing is overcooked. But the best part? Alice LOVES the food – it’s super child-friendly.

Book Giveaway!

Congrats to Jamie who won the 1st book in my epic book giveaway: The Vegan Girl’s Guide to Life! Hooray!

This week I’m giving away Living in the Raw: Recipes for a Healthy Lifestyle by Rose Lee Calabro.

“Follow easy suggestions for how to sprout and dehydrate a host of beans, grains and seeds and use them in conjunction with fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices to create nutritious, healing foods. Over 300 recipes are given for everything from breads, crackers, cakes and ice cream to appetizers, hearty main dishes and soups. Includes sections on setting up a living foods kitchen and why a raw foods diet will help anyone feel and look great. Rose Lee Calabro has been eating raw foods for over ten years and has developed a large repetoire of amazingly flavorful, life-affirming foods. She is also the author of Living in the Raw Gourmet and is working on a living foods dessert book.”

If you want me to send Living in the Raw to you, just tell me about your favourite fresh fruit, veg, or raw food: in the comments! The most mouth-watering answer (or a random answer from among the tastiest) will win.