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.