Vegan Chocolate Avocado Mousse...they'll never know!

Serves: 4-6 (6 is pretty modest but it is very rich so it's hard to eat a lot!)

Ingredients:
1 avocados
1/2 banana
5ml vanilla extract
70g cocoa powder (adjust as necessary for your taste).
60ml maple syrup

Method:
Place all ingredients into a food processor, blend until smooth. Spoon into glasses.
Eat and dissolve into a chocolate covered bliss!

Creamy without cream Pumpkin Soup?! YES PLEASE!

Creamy and DeliciousPumpkin and Red Lentil Soup!!!

Serves 4

It's December and "summer" here in Melbourne but the weather is so freakin' unpredictable I am still eating soup!! Lucky I have the recipe for the best pumpkin soup ever in the world...or I would actually cry.

NOTE: From now on I will try to include options for those of us following Ian Gawler's "healing" diet. This diet was originally designed to assist cancer patients on the path to good health but will benefit anyone suffering a chronic illness. Personally, I am using it to prepare my body for spinal surgery (to remove this pesky arse tumor) and prevent it from ever coming back!

Ingredients:
1 Tbls olive oil (Gawler option: just saute in water)
1 long red chilli
1 onion, finely chopped
850g butternut pumpkin, chopped
1.5 litres vegetable stock (Gawler: use water or salt reduced stock)
125g (1/2 cup) red lentils
1 Tbls tahini (Gawler: omit)
extra red chilli and cold pressed olive oil to garnish.

Method:
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the chilli and onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until translucent. Reduce the heat to low, add the pumpkin and cook, covered for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Increase the heat to high, add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the red lentils and cook, covered, for 7 minutes, or until tender.

Process the soup in batches in a blender or with a hand blender, add tahini and blend until smooth. Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with chilli and a drizzle of olive oil.

Silverbeet is more than Spinach's dorky cousin!

Almost vegan...Silverbeet and Potato Pie

It's difficult changing up your diet in such a dramatic way but friends and family have been amazing (although dubious at times) at accepting my new found vegan experimentation. Recently I was handed a gigantic pile of silverbeet. A vegetable I have never really had too much to do with. It always seemed to me like spinach's dorky cousin but I took the challenge of cooking something palatable head on! I wasn't aiming for a giant success, just something that could make it down the gullet, but I was VERY pleasantly surprised with this recipe.


Ingredients:
200 g young silverbeet or rainbow chard
Sea Salt
150 g Potatoes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 finely chopped Onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped Parsley
1 cup roughly chopped Walnuts (OR for a non vegan version you might like to add your favorite cheese; ricotta, feta and mozzarella are all great options!)
1 tsp nutmeg
Freshly ground Pepper
1 large Egg (for a completely vegan meal use equivalent egg replacer)
Approx. 6 sheets filo pastry, thawed

Method:

1. Wash silverbeet. Separate silverbeet stems from the leaves, then roll up the leaves and slice finely. Trim stems, chop finely then cover with 1 Tbls salt and set aside in a colander. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, boil potatoes in lightly salted water for 15-20 minutes until tender, then drain, and dice into 1cm cubes.

3. Preheat oven to 180°C and lightly oil a medium casserole or tart dish.

4. Combine silverbeet with potato, onion, parsley, walnuts and nutmeg, then add salt and pepper to taste. Note: add cheese now if using. Whisk egg with 1 tablespoon oil and add to silverbeet mixture.

5. Line baking dish with 5 sheets of filo pastry, let overhang from the dish a lot and brush every second layer with olive oil. Spoon in the filling. Fold the overhanging edges of filo pastry back over the top of the dish to cover. If it doesn't quite cover it all you may use an extra sheet or two on top, brushing with oil as you go. Brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.

6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.

This recipe is delicious on its own or serve with a fresh tomato salad.

Fuck carrot juice, eat cake!

So since the juicing we have kilo upon kilo of carrots in the basement just piling up, ready for me to drink. But after a week of carrot juice 5 times daily, one kinda gets to realize that carrot juice is the worst thing ever known to man and that carrots should all die!! So I am looking for new and interesting ways to use carrots. I am maintaining the vegan diet (as animal protein is shown to promote cancer and disease growth) but the juices made me feel really sick and bloated so I am not sure they are the best method for me. This is a trial and error process after all and I need to fully tune in with my body and listen to what it needs...right now? It needs cake!!!


This recipe is taken from the Blossoming Lotus-Vegan World Fusion Cuisine cookbook that has been collecting dust in my shelves for years.

Cosmic Curl Girl's Carrot Cake:

Dry
3 1/4 c Spelt Flour
2c Sucanat (Abbreviation for sugar cane natural. I used maple syrup to taste. About 3/4 c.)
1 1/2 c Raisins
1 Tbls Baking Soda
3/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp Sea salt
1/4 tsp Allspice

Wet
1 3/4 c carrot juice, fresh
1/2 c filtered water
1/3 c ginger juice (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger and equivalent filtered water)
3/8 c Safflower oil
2 Tbl Apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Vanilla extract

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180 degree C
2. Place all dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients and whisk together.
4. Pour wet mix into dry and stir to combine. Pour into a well oiled 29cm spring form pan and bake for 60 min or until a toothpick comes out dry.
5. Allow to cool completely before icing if desired.

Icing: This will be awesome with your typical cream cheese icing but if you are going the whole hog with the vegan thing try this with me!

Cashew Creme Frosting

1 c cashews
2/3 c coconut milk, or more to reach desired consistency.
1/3 c dates
1/2 tsp vanilla (or the zest and rind of half a lemon for a fresher taste)

Preparation

Place cashews, dates and vanilla a food processor or blender with 1/2 c coconut milk and process until smooth, adding coconut milk as necessary until mixture is smooth and still thick.

Refrigerate for 20 mins before frosting the cake.

Rustic Greek Panzanella

This is one of the sexiest salads I have ever seen. Admittedly (and shamefully) I am not a huge fan of tomatoes...or cucumber for that matter (yikes!) BUT I appreciate the magic that a salad of colours so vibrant they could rival the rainbow, can provide. It can make the fussiest of salad eaters' jump in with amazing gusto. It helps that it also includes the most delicious rustic bread soaked in oil and to-die-for feta cheese!

Let me know if this one is good enough for the upcoming TV appearance!

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa-How easy is that? By Ina Garten

Serves 4

Ingredients:
¼ cup good quality olive oil
3 cups, roughly torn rustic bread (great for using up day-old bread!)
Salt
½ Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced 1cm thick
1 yellow capsicum, seeded and large-diced
½ punnet cherry tomatoes, halved
½ small red onion, thinly sliced in half rounds
100g Greek Feta cheese (or your favorite, but this is just gorgeous!)
Approx. 15 olives, pitted

Dressing:
½ cup good olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper

Method:

Heat ¼ cup olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the bread, sprinkle with salt and toss to coat with the oil. Cook over medium heat for several minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp. Set aside.

Place the vegetables in a large bowl and toss together.

For the vinaigrette, combine vinegar, garlic, oregano, mustard, 1 tsp. salt and ½ tsp. pepper in a small bowl and whisk together. Whisking constantly, slowly add the ½ cup olive oil.

Add the bread, feta and olives into the vegetable mix and pour over the vinaigrette, toss lightly. Set aside for 30 minutes for the flavours to develop. Season to taste and serve at room temperature.

Note: This is to-die as a side with lamb or beef skewers with some Greek yogurt or on its own as a main.

Burghal Wheat and Grilled Veg Salad

Next week I will be filming a cooking segment for the wonderful Melanie Jade’s spanking new Variety show and I’m on a mission to find the perfect dish! The show (aired on CH 31) is based around music, dancing, fashion and all things fun and energetic. So I need a dish that is going to be able to provide that energy for other dancers, musicians and busy people on the go, whilst still remaining healthy and most importantly de-lish! Let’s experiment together. Let me know your favourites from my choices and feel encouraged to suggest something for us all to try! Today we have...

Burghal Wheat and Grilled Veg Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup burghal wheat
1 Tbls. Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, bruised with the flat blade of a knife to break the skin (OR roast in the oven for added sweetness)
1 baby fennel, remove core and slice (keep leaves and add to herbs)
5 broccolini spears, chopped into 3cm fingers
4 scallions spring onion, peeled and chopped in 3cm fingers
½ red onion, sliced
6 pitted olives, chopped
1 large handful, finely chopped herbs; parsley, mint, leaves from fennel- these are delicious with a light aniseed flavour.
Rind of 1 lemon

Dressing:
Juice of 1 small lemon
4 Tbls. olive oil
1tsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare the burghal wheat as per packet directions and set aside.

2. Heat a BBQ or griddle pan to medium-high. In a bowl toss the fennel, broccolini, spring onion, red onion and garlic cloves (if not previously roasted) in the olive oil and place on the griddle pan to cook. The vegetables will cook at varying times; approximately 5-10 minutes, just keep an eye on them, we are looking to produce those wonderful dark char-lines while softening and wilting the veg.

3. Once the veg are cooked remove from the pan and place in a large bowl. Add the prepared burghal wheat, olives, herbs and lemon rind.

4. Dressing: In a small bowl combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk with a fork. Pour over the burghal and vegie mixture; toss to coat.

Let me know what you think! Is this the winning salad?

Robust Tomato Spaghetti

Sometimes all a girl needs is a nice glass of red wine (it’s ok, I read in ‘Foods that Fight Cancer’ that all them antioxidants are good for me! Yay!), some trashy tellie and a heaping bowl of the richest, heartiest spaghetti to make her night complete.



Serves 4
Ingredients:

2 Tbls olive oil
½ brown onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
45gm tin anchovies, roughly chopped
1 tsp. Paprika
Fresh or dried chilli to taste (For dried, about ½ tsp)
1 carrot, grated
¼ capsicum, diced
½ cup red wine
1 x 425gm tin chopped tomatoes
½ cup fresh basil, roughly torn
Salt to taste (anchovies are naturally quite salty so make sure you taste, taste, taste as you go, so you don’t go overboard!).
400gm dried spaghetti
100gm parmesan, grated

How to:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for several minutes until opaque and becomes soft. Add the garlic and anchovies and cook to dissolve the anchovies, about 1 minute. Add the chilli and paprika and toast until fragrant, another minute. Add half the red wine and stir.
2. Add the grated carrot and capsicum and cook to soften. Add the tomatoes and the rest of the red wine and allow to simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce reaches desired consistency. If the sauce becomes too thick or dry, simply add some water. Add the fresh basil after 5 minutes and continue simmering.
3. Meanwhile bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Prepare spaghetti following packet instructions. Drain.

To serve:

Divide the spaghetti between four bowls and do the same with the sauce. Top with parmesan and a few extra sprigs of fresh basil to garnish. Pour yourself a lovely glass of red, curl up on the couch and watch Gordon Ramsey yell at some folk. Enjoy!

Fresh Pasta and a Smoke Bomb of Flour

I love my girlfriends. I love the way they keep my smiling, I love cocktail nights and I love being surrounded by opera singers and breaking out into song at any given moment. But for all of their wonderful traits, my gorgeous girls are hopeless cooks, (sorry girls)! I recall Amy and Emma dropping by for dinner, turned cooking lessons and Amy struggling to peel a parsnip... I knew I was in for a long night!

Lately I have been experimenting with my new pasta maker and absolutely loving the results so when our next girly movie night came around I eagerly suggested we have a play with it. Within minutes of me briefly showing the girls how to work the machine the kitchen had been hit with a smoke bomb of flour, plenty of laughter and much excitement as to what deliciousness was coming.

I whipped together a pesto sauce, Emma sautéed mushrooms (even commenting that she was pretty sure she could manage it on her own one day!) and Amy ran around taking photos, because of course we must document this momentous occasion!

It was a fabulous night finished with a feast of fruity sorbets, piles or Oreo biscuits and a Disney classic to boot.Here is the delicious recipe we enjoyed that night so you and your friends can have a just as much fun as we did.


Serves 4

Fresh Pasta: of course you can use dried or buy fresh pasta if you don’t have a pasta maker.

Fresh pasta dough is as simple as can be. I always follow the 100g flour (‘OO’ if you can get it) to 1 egg per/person rule. So if you are serving four people it would be 400gs flour to 4 eggs. Simple!

Whisk the eggs lightly in a small bowl. In a large bowl add the flour and make a well. Pour in the eggs and stir with your fingers to combine. You’re going to get dirty here so enjoy it! Once the dough begins to come together remove from the bowl and kneed on a lightly floured bench until smooth. If it is too sticky add more flour, if too dry and crumbly add another egg.

Feed through the machine in batches that you can handle and take it too your desired thickness, I like level 7, not too thin, not too thick. Then it’s up to you how you want to slice up those gorgeous pasta sheets! You can use one of the pre set cuts or roll it up and slice how you want. We used tagliatelle for this batch.

Pesto:

1 bunch basil (reserve about 10 leaves for decoration)
40g pine nuts, toasted
2 cloves garlic, crushed
¼ cup olive oil
Good squeeze of ½ lemon
¼ cup grated parmesan
Decent pinch sea salt and pepper to taste

Pesto is all about taste. If you’re like me and you‘re a salt lover you can add more. If garlic or lemon is your thing, go wild! Here is my basic recipe, now have a play and make it your own.
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and whiz it up until herbs are roughly chopped and everything is well combined. If it seems too thick add more oil or water to thin it out. Taste, taste, taste!

To serve:

Boil a large pot of water, add salt. You may have to prepare the pasta in a couple of batches as to not over crowd the pot. Add the pasta and cook for 1- 1 and a half minutes. Seriously, this is all it will need. Remove and drain.

Add to a large serving bowl and toss with pesto to coat. Top with shaved parmesan and a few springs of fresh basil.

Options: You can always all extras to something as simple as a basic pesto topping.
Try any combination of the following:

Fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
Pitted kalamata olives
Marinated mushrooms or sautéed mushrooms
Prosciutto
Sun dried tomatoes
Fresh rocket