Vegetarian Chatter

[Kazbah]

Just made a very cool vego pasta for tea ... it's not vegan, but I'm sure it could easily be so ...

Ingredients:

375g pumpkin, cut into small cubes

500g pasta

1 tblsp butter
1 onion, chopped finely

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tblsp honey
1 cup cream

1/2 cup parmesan, grated.

Steam / boil / microwave pumpkin until just tender.

Add pasta to boiling, salted water and cook.
Meanwhile, melt butter in pan and gently fry onion until soft & golden.

Add garlic & cinnamon, fry for another minute.

Add cream, pumpkin & honey and cook until warmed through & slightly reduced

Stir parmesan through gently until melted, season with salt & pepper.
Drain pasta, return to pan and stir through sauce gently.

Serve with shaved parmesan and chopped chives.

[luna moth]

I had a yummy green vegie risotto last night - leek, zucchini, spinach and peas. Then I loaded it with toasted pine nuts (we have a glut at the moment due to DH and I both thinking the other hadn't bought any) It was SO good!
Then afterwards, we had a caramel banana self saucing pudding - a practice run for some friends coming over next week. It was also really good. So rich, so very deadly

[*Ash*]

I am definately going to have to get in to risottos.

Kazbah,I love creamy pastas (although we use coconut cream or non-dairy cream cheese these days) and I really like pumpkin with wholemeal wheat or spelt pasta.

Ok, basic scone recipe:

1.5 cups of plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup of nuttelex
1/2 cup soy milk

My tweaks:

I prefer to use wholemeal self raising flour, and I still add the baking powder (helps them to rise better). Obviously,the dough requires a bit of extra soy milk when using wholemeal flour. I suppose you could add sugar too, but we would usually have jam or golden syrup on them so I think that is enough sweetness for us.

Tonight I added 4 cloves of garlic to the dough, so that we could have garlic scones with our goulash. I am on a real scone trip at the moment! The kids enjoy helping and they are quick to make. Before this week, I honestly hadn't made them for about 2 years. I try not to use much nuttelex in our food. I mainly use it for baking. We don't have it on toast, I use flaxseed oil or avocado instead.

Now Snuggly, you can't tantalise us with your rich and deadly dessert without even giving us a rough guide as to how to make it! You should know better by now

I hope everyone is well.

[krysalyss]

I finally got to Tian Ran on the Gold Coast (chinese vegetarian). It is to die for. I loved it and the people were so lovely too. Took my brother who does eat meat and he thought it was awesome.

[*Ash*]

Oooh,we loveTian Ran too. We go every time we are on the Gold Coast. We have been known to eat there 3 nights in a row when staying on the GC!

So, tell me. What did you have?

[krysalyss]

I had sweet and sour 'fish', salt and pepper tofu, and greens with chinese mushrooms. Sooo yummy!

[luna moth]

Caramel banana self saucing pudding....

To make caramel sauce, melt together 50g nuttelex, 1 1/2 cups water and 1 cup brown sugar over medium heat.

In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup SR flour, 1 cup almond meal, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 super-ripe bananas, 75g melted nuttelex and 1/2 cup soy milk. It should be pretty stiff. Dump it in your baking dish, pour sauce on top, bake 40 mins at 160 degrees. Enjoy in small doses cos it's SOOOO rich!

[Cherished]

Hi girls I've been pretty slack posting on this thread lately! I would like to share a recipe that dh made up for pumpkin soup.... I know there are a million different ways to make pumpkin soup and it's not that exciting but here it is

Pumpkin (who would have guessed lol)
Fresh ginger
Fresh coriander
powdered coriander
cajan spice
mixed herbs
salt
coconut cream/milk

Add as much of the spices etc to your own taste and enjoy with a spash of fresh lime juice over the top, a swirl of the coconut cream (for looks) and a sprinkle of cayenne peper We also don't completely mash up the pumpkin because we like ti a bit chunky here and there and I have also added red lentils when I have made it

YUM YUM YUM to the self saucing pudding!!! AND I want to go to this vego place on the Goldie too.... If I am ever down there I will check it out

[NaNa]

Hey!
Can I join the fun? I think I might have something to contribute here... I'm a vegetarian, and a chef. I've been vegetarian most of my life, had a few lapses as a teenager, but went back to being vego from the age of 17. There are a multitude of reasons for being vegetarian, so I don't need to list mine. And besides, two thirds of the world's population is vegetarian anyway, whether by choice, faith, or economic circumstance.
I've worked for places like Tofu Shop International in Melbourne, CERES, Lime Tree Cafe (in Dubai), a brief stint at Soul Mama, a childcare centre, amongst a few other non-veg establishments (gotta pay the bills, even if it means grilling steak - not many options for specialist veg chefs outside Melbourne!) and have owned and operated a cafe/deli on the Sunshine Coast, Qld, for a few years too. Other chefs often ask what type of food I like to cook most, and they don't understand when I say vegetarian. They somehow believe that to be limiting ("what, salad??") but really it allows so much creativity and endless inspiration because I can cook something from any country in the world. All cultures have peasant food that is predominantly vegetarian. It's nourishing, comforting, interesting and healthy, and best of all, it's cheap. So I like to stir the pot a bit (pun intended!) and challenge other chefs to prepare a meal from only 5 ingredients, and none of them has a face or a pulse. These days tho, I just refer myself a cook, since there's a lot of ego and nonsense associated with the title of chef. It's not that rock 'n' roll!
As for me, I don't do mock meat. I just don't feel the need to replicate the texture of meat. But I can certainly see it's place, and it's fantastic for a lot of reasons. Especially cooking for kids. Peer pressure can be full-on! And satisfying those cravings for those who are just used to it. I guess I'm just used to avoiding gluten products, since so many customers of mine were coeliac.

Whoever asked about Lamyong products, they're pretty good! The Nasi Lemak is good and spicy!

Anyway, that's been quite a rambling post for me! I'll come back and post recipes as I think of it. I have bazillions!!

P.S. I was once briefly married to a guy from Rocky, who was a fitness instructor/body builder and also vegan. At the time, it certainly helped dispell the myth that all vegetarians are pale and anaemic and eat only brown rice and lettuce... but like they say, you can take the boy out of Rocky but you can't take the Rocky out of the boy! He went back to eating meat (and became considerably more aggressive. Coincidence??) and we have since divorced.

[luna moth]

NaNa I am so excited I wet my pants a little bit! Welcome aboard! I used to live near Tofu Shop
lol at the "what, salad?" Story of my LIFE! I am SO sick "So what DO you eat?"

In other news, got a bit shirty with someone at work today who said "you should appreciate these (salmon cakes) you're vegetarian" and then proceeded to tell me you could be vegetarian AND eat chicken. This issue seems to be worse in Brisbane than it was in Melbourne. Or is it just me?

To put some sort of positive note on this rant-a-licious post, I made white bean dip for work today - pusually a winner, but today I put lemon juice in it and OMG I am in LOVE! I used canned cannellini beans (not usually my style, but was using work kitchen, which sucks) juice of 2 lemons, rosemary and garlic. I ate so much of it that you can probably smell my garlic breath from Rocky

[NaNa]

Please, no pants-wetting on my account!
I find you get that "vegequarian" thing everywhere. I just got back from overseas, and apparently fish is a vegetable in France. Bet you didn't know that!! According to one waitress - "it's not meat, so it must be a vegetable." argh!
Oh, I love skordalia made with white beans and tonnes of garlic! I put mint and cumin in mine sometimes.
On the dips theme, here's a rough recipe for the bestest beetroot dip ever. Normally I am allergic to anything this pink but it's too delicious to resist!
1 medium sized beetroot, peeled and chopped (raw is best)
handful of dill &/or mint
garlic clove
slosh of tahini
splash of pomegranate molasses
cumin
salt and pepper
lemon juice
olive oil
Whack it all in the blender and whizz it till it's a paste. Throw in some chickpeas if you want, or some yoghurt if you do dairy, just to make it stretch.
This is awesome with bread or vegie sticks, but I love it on a sandwich with grilled eggplant, tofu (or haloumi) and rocket. Vitamin Pink!
oh, I forgot to mention, I can't do quantities...

[*Ash*]

Hey NaNa, Welcome Welcome! Great to read your 'story'. I look eagerly forward to your recipes.I get where you are coming from regarding mock meats. I once had someone say to me 'why do vegos want to eat something with the texture and taste of meat?'and before I could answer, a non-vego piped up with 'they are not opposed to the taste [of meat], just the killing'. And I thought, yeah, couldn't have said it better myself. I do love the mock 'beef' at Tian Ran,its main ingredient is mushroom actually. And my 2.5 yr old son loves vegie sausages. But he has never had a real sausage so I don't think he would ever think of it as 'fake meat'.

Yeah,snuggly,I am with you on the fish and chicken 'vegos'. I often get, 'but you do eat fish don't you?'. So, how were the salmon cakes?! Can't comment on the Mel/Bris issue, but isn't it commonly said that QLD is about 20 years behind the rest of the country?

Cherished 1,I am making pumpkin soup on Saturday night,I am going to use some of the ingredients you suggested.I always throw in a handful or 2 of red lentils,and usually some fresh ginger,and I love it with coconut cream. Will try cajan and mixed herbs.

Has anyone seen a new doco called 'Meat the Truth'? It's about the environmental impact of animal agriculture. I have just got hold of a copy. Haven't seen it yet.Will let you know what it's like.

[krysalyss]

Hi guys and welcome on board NaNa

I have to say I like a good mock meat done well. But I remember making vietnamese spring rolls for my dad and he kept referring to the tofu as mock meat. I kept telling him just to think of it as tofu - not pretend meat!

I was watching cook and the chef a couple of days ago and Maggie was making Tripe something. Simon was obviously not keen at all. When he ate it, it was actually really nice and he said "It tastes like tofu!"
I thought it was hilarious to have it said the other way round for once instead of "of that tofu isn't bad it tastes like chicken"

[Cherished]

YAY NaNa! So excited to have you here! I'm gonna make your dip on the weekend as dh and I always have raw fresh beetroot in the fridge for juices and we love to put it raw in our salads too as it adds a splash of colour and it's deliciously sweet (but not too sweet) for a change in a regular salad mmmmm I can taste it now with a glass of red wine? btw where on the sunshine coast were you?

Girls I too find the fish/chicken vego hilarious! A lady at work was telling me on Wed that her friend is vegetarian ?but? she eats fish! I very politely told her that her friend isn?t vegetarian then and she just couldn?t comprehend that I was at work so I didn?t want to go on with it and I love my client she is a sweet heart so I didn't want to be rude either but is surely is very entertaining to watch and listen to those fish/chicken eating vegetarian stories!

Snug Bug I nearly wet my pants reading your post!

Well I can't wait to make that self saucing pudding and the orange cake!

Alisha Enjoy your soup and I might try to get a hold of a copy of that meat doc too...

ok I'm at work and nearly got sprung before! so I'd better get off BB

[luna moth]

With you on the no quantities thing NaNa. I cook by feel. (And taste, and looks etc)
I looooooove mock meat - hardly ever eat it though, especially now that we are without car. We tend to just have it when visiting my parents in Sydney or DH's in Melbs. We go through sausage phases, usually depending on how much other stuff we buy at the supie.

We have a birthday at work today and managed to score a vegan cake, from someone who didn't even know I was vegan - she was just worried about allergies! It's got huge chunks of apple in it and is cinnamony good, so I'm having a good time we'll talk waistlines later...

[Cherished]

We have a birthday at work today and managed to score a vegan cake, from someone who didn't even know I was vegan - she was just worried about allergies! It's got huge chunks of apple in it and is cinnamony good, so I'm having a good time we'll talk waistlines later...

HAHA Snugbug it's a shame 2 of the girls in here are also on the weight loss thread But I can't talk, a client bought me a apple and cinnamon slice/cake thing on Tuesday that she had made so I ate it What a score though that you got a vegan cake!

[NaNa]

cherished1 - I grew up on the Sunny Coast, in Mudjimba (I see everyone else thinking "where???"). Our deli was in Paciffo. It's still there (Soul Foods) but the new owners are probably not completely understanding of the name. Still a few of my old recipes on the menu, as far as I know. I'm visiting up Gympie way at the moment, coz my folks moved up here. It's a foodie paradise - NOT! And some areas of QLD are definitely entrenched in the 70s, or possibly a parallel universe. A friend of mine was visiting on a cattle station, and the owner said the fridge was full of food, help themselves. Well, the fridge was full of steak. She asked if there was any salad, to which he replied, "yeah, there's some eggs there..." Priceless.

I saw that Cook and The Chef the other night too, just briefly. I have to give Simon credit for being a vego chef. It's a hard industry to be in, and be successful, when you're vegetarian. It involves so much knowledge and handling and tasting of meat, and you really have to just not make a big deal out of it or you get so much flak. At least in my experience, anyway. I've had to prepare and taste so much stuff that I really didn't want to, so bravo to him for not gagging on the tripe! Or maybe he did, and it's in the out-takes!

Does anyone else have Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian book? It's so great, even without photos. I'm such a fan of gastroporn and beautifully styled food and everything (I'm a graphic designer too), but her books are so nicely written and there's all these little stories about where the recipes come from...

I must dig out some vegan cake recipes for you all when I get home next week! I'll need some sweet treats and cheering up too as I'm going to be embarking on an elimination diet for me and DS (coz he's so hyper-xtreme-turbocharged it's scary!) and it's going to be such a challenge for me, getting thru even a week with no spices and no broccoli, spinach, mushrooms, onions... blah blah the list goes on. Depressing!

[luna moth]

NaNa, I have a great elimination diet cookbook - you probably don't need it, but if you want to PM your address I will happily post it to you. It just has really good ideas for the basic stuff (some of it is junk) I bought it in an op shop for $1, so not too precious about it!
I'd be a great vego chef, I reckon, because I did love meat when I ate it, and it was really hard for me to give up completely - had a gradual 2 year wind down time! Now, I don't feel like I need it to make a meal complete, obviously! And I have never ever craved it, but, if there were some way to make it ethically agreeable (a contradiction, since there isn't) I'd go back to it, I think.
Do not tell my mother or MIL any of this!