oh my, what a pie

Well 'tis the season. Melbourne is f-f-f-freezing at the moment and there's nothing more warming than a yummy pie. Last week I baked this recipe from taste.com.au (minus the egg wash), and it was pretty good. So I decided to try it again but change it a bit.

The original recipe is a bit dry, so I ended up adding another half cup or so of Massel vegetable stock. I also added two teaspoons of tomato paste and fresh parsley.

I made 5 small pies instead of one big one, and to get the shine on top I baked them for 5 minutes or so then used spray oil on top and baked them for another 10 minutes - or until golden brown. Also, I used double the mushrooms (because I luuurv mushrooms) and a little less potato.

They were so very delicious - I'm drooling just looking at the pics! They're a slow cook but so worth it. My new favourite winter dish.

The recipe is a great base too, you could really add whatever you wanted to it. I'm going to be experimenting more with this little ditty.

Trying New Things - Curry

image from BBC Good Food

I've never cooked curry - and I never order curry when I'm out. I always figured curry would be difficult and/or time consuming to make. UNTIL a friend sent me this link to an awesome free recipe for a chickpea, tomato and spinach curry. It was easy to make and absolutely delish! And the leftovers the next day were even better. 

Give it a go - you'll love it.

Berry Crepe Stack

I'm not a massive sweet tooth (contrary to this being my second dessert post in as many weeks) but when I do get a hankering for sugar - I tend to go a little overboard. These are really easy to make and look great. I found the most amazing boysenberry jam a while ago from New Zealand company Anathon. It is super sweet and goes beautifully with fresh strawberries. You can really use any mix of jam and berries you like though - I promise it will still be delish and leave you with a sugar headache.

What you need;
(makes about 10 small crepes, enough for 2 people)

1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
vegan margarine
berry jam
1 punnet fresh strawberries
icing sugar for decoration

What you do;

1) Mix the flour water, soy milk and sugar til all the lumps are gone. Then cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

2) After 30 mins, heat a small crepe pan to medium and melt a small chunk of margarine to cover the base. Add a ladle of crepe mix and wait for it to turn slightly translucent before flipping.

3) You can put a tiny bit of margarine on the crepe before you spread the jam. Add sliced strawberries with a sprinkle of sugar to one of the layers.

4) When you've finished the stack, cover the top with sliced strawberries and dust some icing sugar on top.

Easy peasy.

Trying new things - Organic soup

from www.pitango.co.nz

I came across Pitango soups the other day. I had the one pictured, minestrone soup with heaps of vegies. I do like making my own soups, but for a quick fix when you're too tired or sick to whip up a batch yourself, this one's quite good. Pitango also have a few other vegan options like pumpkin and tomato & thyme. They've got some tasty looking organic hummus on the website too.

I've been making and eating lots of soups lately as winter creeps up on us. There's nothing like a hearty soup with some crusty bread to warm you up on those chilly winter nights.

Cheers, M

mum's hearty winter soup

My mum made me this soup recently - it's a rich, flavoursome, hearty winter dish. I've always loved my mum's soups and I'm chuffed to share this one with you. It might not be the prettiest thing, but it's oh so delish.

What you need;

1 onion finely chopped
1 cup of pumpkin diced
1 small sweet potato diced
2 sticks of celery chopped
1 white potato diced
½ cup of green split peas
½ cup of green lentils
½ cup of red lentils
250g tin of 4 bean mix
4 tbsp pearl barley
1 vegetable stock cube





Method;

1) Put the split peas, lentils and barley in a bowl of water and leave to soak while preparing the vegetables

2) Light fry onion and celery in a little olive oil. When onion has browned, add 1 ½ litres of hot water and a vegetable cube

3) When water is boiling, add all the vegetables and the lentils and barley. Simmer for 1 ¼ hours. Give it a stir every now and then and add more water if needed.

4) Finally, add the drained 4 bean mix and simmer for a further 15 minutes

I haven't had a chance to make it myself yet but mum assures me it will turn out just like hers if I follow the recipe.

Thanks mum xx

delicious *free* choc cake recipe

Well, I haven't had much time to cook lately due to starting a new job. I was interstate last week spending time with my new colleagues and it turns out my new boss is vego! She made a delicious vegan chocolate cake for morning tea. She was also kind enough to forward the recipe so I decided to whip up some cupcakes for a bbq yesterday. Thanks Amanda :)

Here's the recipe at Allrecipes.com.au.

These pics are my own. I made the icing with 2 teaspoons melted vegan margarine, about 1 and a half cups of icing sugar, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and a bit of warm water to get a smooth consistency.

They turned out soft, spongy and delicious. The recipe link is for a full cake, so for cupcakes I only cooked them for about 20-25 minutes. The mix made about 20 cupcakes.

This recipe is so fast and easy and you would have most of the ingredients in the cupboard already. No excuses then! Give it a go.

La La Soup

Yeah that's right - that's what I call it; La La Soup. It started as Asian Soup A La Marian, but over time has morphed into La La Soup. - 'Cause that's how I roll. So, now that I've shown you a small glimpse of my neurosis, here's the recipe for my famous La La Soup - the soup to eat when you think you're getting sick, or when you're already sick and want to burn that mother virus outta yo self. Check it.

What you need;

half a head of cauliflower
a small broccoli
a big carrot (or 2 little ones)
2 juicy lemons
crushed ginger
crushed lemongrass
5 or 6 cloves of garlic ... yep, I like garlic
1.5 litres boiled water
1 massel chicken stock cube
1 massel veggie stock cube
hot chilli (either fresh or powdered)
fresh coriander
1 cup jasmine rice

What you do;

1) First things first, put the stock cubes in the boiled water and sit aside so the stock dissolves.

2) Heat some olive oil in a pot then fry the crushed garlic and about 2 teaspoons of crushed ginger (I use the stuff in a jar). Add the chopped carrot, broccoli and cauliflower and fry for around 5 minutes.

3) Add the stock/water to the pot, bring to the boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add the juice of two lemons and about 1 teaspoon of lemongrass (if you're using the crushed stuff from the jar - if it's the sliced stuff from the jar, you can use a bit more).

4) Add as much chilli as you like and let simmer, covered, for about 15-20 minutes or until the veggies are cooked to your liking.

5) Meanwhile, cook your jasmine rice.

6) When the veggies are done, add a bunch of chopped coriander to the soup. Serve on a bed of jasmine rice.

I always keep a batch in the freezer so I can do emergency soup-drops when friends are sick. Lately I've started blitzing the leftovers (not with the rice) and having it with crusty bread the next day. Deelish. Between the garlic, the lemon and the chilli, you should be feeling better in no time!