chocolate. crackles.

go crazy! these involve little heat (30 second in the microwave) and simple ingredients. i couldn't ask for more from a summer dessert that can take me back to my childhood in three seconds. not being made with copha (ick – hydrogenated freakishness!), these won’t stay super solid at room temperature (above 20 degrees) but are way tastier and healthier.

4c puffed rice cereal

0.75c icing sugar, sifted

1.5c desiccated coconut, toasted til light golden brown in a dry frying pan

250g coconut oil

0.25c cocoa powder

in a large bowl, mix the rice cereal, sugar, cocoa and coconut.

in a medium bowl, melt the coconut oil in the microwave (30-60 seconds). pour oil into dry ingredients, stirring gently til well combined. line muffin trays with patty cases, then poon mixture into cases and refrigerate until firm. 

obsession: singapore noodles

singapore noodles became a home staple after a pleasant visit to a suburban chinese restaurant. this recipe is easiest if all the ingredients are all ready to go. optionally, cut 150g of firm tofu into 1cm cubes, and lightly pan fry and serve on top of noodles.

slice vegetables into 0.5-1cm thick slices and set aside in a large bowl:
1 green capsicum
2 medium carrots 
quarter of a small head of green cabbage


then:
3Tbs oil (coconut or olive)
0.25c mild curry powder
0.5tsp hot chilli powder
0.25tsp salt
2tsp grated ginger
half a medium onion, thinly sliced

heat oil on high in wok or large frypan; add other ingredients and stir, cooking for 20 seconds before adding vegetables. fry on high heat for 5 minutes; empty into large bowl. turn wok to lowest heat.

then:
pour boiling water over 150g of rice vermicelli (the really thin ones- i like wai wai brand) in a large bowl. soak for 2 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water. drain well.

heat a further

3Tbs oil (coconut or olive)
0.25c mild curry powder


in the wok, then add soaked noodles and stir thoroughly (tongs work well). then add the veggies back in, stir well and add

3Tbs soy sauce
fried tofu (if using)

before serving!

personal pineapple linen lunch bag for ms P

toasted coconut cookies

from the very, very wonderful "vegan cookies invade your cookie jar". delicious, but not as good as the macaroons...

paella, mi amor

this was a lot easier than i imagined; especially since it makes quite a lot (and could be easily increased). a great dinner party dish! or just eat it for lunch and dinner for a week.

extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves of garlic, crushed
200g mushrooms, thickly sliced
1 red and 1 green capsicum, cut into 1cm wide strips
3 tsp smoked paprika
3 tsp turmeric (or splash out on a few threads of saffron- soak in hot water before adding)
2 tsp ground rosemary/thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1c chopped cauliflower florets
1c chopped tomatoes or a cup of passata
3-4c vegetable stock
2c Valencia or Arborio rice
lemon wedges and marinated, sliced artichoke hearts to serve
optional to serve: tofu or other sausage

large frying pan
large saucepan/stock pot

in a large frying pan, gently fry the mushrooms, a little salt and pepper in 2 tablespoons or so of oil for about 5 minutes; transfer this mixture to a large bowl for now.

put another tablespoon or two of oil in the pan you've just emptied, heat for 30 seconds on medium and cook the onion,  capsicum and smoked paprika for 3-4 minutes. add the cauliflower and tomato, cook for 2-3 minutes then add this to the mushrooms.

keep the stock warm in a small saucepan or microwave. gently heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in the large saucepan and add the rice; stir well for about a minute to coat evenly with oil. as for a risotto, add the warm stock a ladleful at a time, stirring well until each batch of liquid is absorbed. the rice should be pleasantly al dente (about 30 minutes).

if using, prepare tofu or other sausage if using. serve the rice, top with sausage and garnish with an extra sprinkle of smoked paprika, artichoke hearts and wedges of lemon.

post punk princess warrior brooch for ruth

espresso almond biscuits

1Tbs ground flax seeds

2Tbs soy milk

0.25c agave or maple syrup

0.25c coconut oil, warmed to liquid

1tsp vanilla essence

1tsp ground cinnamon

80g ground almonds

1c plain flour

 2Tbs finely ground coffee

0.5tsp bicarb soda

0.25tsp salt

heat oven to 165C. with a fork, whisk flax seeds and milk in a large bowl. stir in sweetener, oil, vanilla and cinnamon. in a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients with a whisk. add to wet ingredients and mix until combined. form rounded teaspoons of mixture and place on baking sheet, flatten to 1cm thick. bake for 10-13 minutes. 

i wonder if these could be made into pfeffernusse...

sheep lover's pie

i can't really remember what i put in this, but it was delicious and this was the general direction of the recipe. this is such a deeply satisfying dish!

1c cooked lentils

1c TVP (soaked in 2c boiling water for 5 minutes)

optional: vege sausages, chopped in to 1cm chunks

0.5c each finely chopped carrot, celery

1 small leek or half a small onion

3 cloves of crushed garlic

dry herbs (oregano, parsley, sage)

salt, pepper to taste

olive oil

2Tbs plain flour or cornflour

0.5-1c vegetable stock mixed with 0.25c red wine

1 tin (450g) tin tomatos or equivalent of passata

1c frozen peas

mashed potato

fry the carrot, celery, leek/onion and garlic for 5 minutes on low-medium heat. add 2Tbs extra oil, then flour. fry for 1 minute, then whisk the stock and wine a little at a time until thick. add more flour and liquid, continuing to whisk to make a thick gravy.

add tomato and lentils/TVP/sausage and peas. put in casserole dish, top with potato and bake for 15 minutes.

agedashi tofu

agedashi tofu, so delicious! i first started making this while living in a beautiful share house with lovely japanese people and this amazing lady and the memories return so fresh when i make this special dish.

i use firm tofu, not drained and pressed so that the texture is somewhere between extra firm and silken.

soup/sauce

per person:

1tsp vegetable stock powder

1Tbs finely chopped arame or other fine seaweed

1-2tsp tamari, or to taste

300ml boiling water

optional: shredded carrot, celery, leek, finely diced pumpkin

heat all ingredients in a small saucepan; keep warm until serving

potato starch

tofu

oil for frying

to serve: steamed rice and finely chopped spring onion, greens only

cut the tofu into 2cm cubes; dredge in a small dish of potato starch and fry on low-medium heat immediately. turn so that each side is cooked for about a minute, ensuring that the sides colour minimally if at all (turn heat lower if needed)

serve sauce in small bowls, and sit tofu in sauce. sprinkle with spring onion and eat immediately!

definitive, ultimate fig leather

fig dilemma.

the last two years, i've made fig jam (delicious, but there's only so much jam i and my associates can eat, and i usually end up with a fridge still full of last year's batch when the new season rolls around), and i wanted something portable and unusual (ie something i wouldn't buy) to preserve and enjoy this bounty. there are many, many recipes and techniques available on the net for making fruit leather, and even specifically fig leather, but none had sufficient detail. i have compiled my learnings for DEFINITIVE, ULTIMATE FIG LEATHER

• surprisingly easy but requires patience (about 6 hours' worth)
• don't underestimate the weather- pick a sufficiently cool (and preferably dry) day as the stove and oven will be on a while. also get a book or dvd to fill in the time, and a timer.
• the recipe below makes two 40cm x 30cm sheets; but if you can, double the recipe to make 4 trays and fill your whole oven because the amount of work is the same, and unlike jam, your whole proceeds may very well disappear in an afternoon
• the amount of sweetener is probably not very important; figs being very sweet as it is, i wonder if one could do without sweetener altogether
• an oven thermometer is very, very useful for this recipe. a dehydrator with a reliable temperature gauge would also do well

2-3kgs figs, rinsed

2-3Tbs lemon juice

0.25c agave syrup

3Tbs ground cinnamon, aniseed (optional)

halve or quarter figs; remove pithy top of stem. cook figs in large saucepan (8-10L) sealed with lid on low heat until some juice is released- about 10-15 minutes. remove lid, stir and cook on medium heat (gentle simmer), stirring every few minutes with a wooden spoon (so it doesn't stick) for the next 30-40 minutes. 

set oven to 50C. if oven only goes to 80C-100C, prop the door open 1-2cm with a wooden spoon or other item.

figs should be mushy. remove from heat for a minute, blend with a stabmixer in the saucepan until there are no bits of fruit; the seeds won't blend, and give a nice texture. stir in the lemon juice and agave nectar, and stir every minute over medium-low heat for a further 20-30 minutes until mixture is thick (ie the mixture doesn't slide back together immediately when a spoon is drawn in a line through the centre of the mixture).

spread half the mixture 0.5cm thick on a silicon baking sheet sprayed lightly with oil (or a cookie sheet covered with baking paper sprayed with oil). allow for 1-2cm border free from mixture; spread the rest on a second sheet. if using, sprinkle top with ground cinnamon and aniseed.

place on upper racks of oven for 3-4 hours until the leather is not too tacky or soft to the touch; there should be very little give. during this time, you may want to rotate the sheets front to back (my oven is hotter towards the door), and top and bottom trays (as heat rises and will dry the top tray more than the bottom). 

remove each sheet one at a time from oven temporarily. lightly spray a piece of baking paper (one for each sheet of leather) with oil and lay on each sheet of leather. lay a chopping board or other flat item on top, then flip the lot over and peel the silicon/baking paper bottom carefully off the leather. return the leather now on the baking paper to the oven for a further 30-45 minutes, or until the centre is not tacky to touch. switch the oven off and leave the door closed for 1-2 hours.

to store, cut with a sharp knife into stips and layer alternating with baking paper in an airtight container in the fridge.

pakora!

it's so easy to love these crunchy, tasty patties of veggie goodness! a very flexible recipe and fairly quick to make too.

1c chickpea (also called besan) flour

1c mashed sweet potato (or mix of plain and sweet)

1c chopped cauliflower

1 small onion, finely sliced

1tsp each ground cumin, turmeric, coriander seeds, chilli powder

0.5tsp salt 

oil for frying

serve with salad and mango chutney.

mix everything in a bowl. shallow fry heaped tablespoons into patties; turn after a couple of minutes, flatten with a spatula and fry for about 5 more minutes.

new from old necklace

thank you to the lovely miss s for the two necklaces and bracelet that formed the basis of this necklace!

sheets and stockings

hooray for upcycling!!
 

for the necklace, i cut open a leg of a pretty, watermelony mesh stocking into a 3cm wide strip and as long as i wanted (about 40cm). i encased large, faceted plastic crystal beads in the stocking, wrapping the fabric around each bead then sectioning them off with soft wire or sewing thread.

the flower brooch is made of 10 equal circles of happy, floral flannel sheet; leave one circle flat, fold the next circle into quarters to form a triangle, then stich or hot glue to the base circle. continue folding the circles and overlap them to form the petals. attach a button in the centre and a brooch pin on the back.