Oh oh oh it's magic!

I have made it my end of year resolution to make all my friends birthday cakes from now on.

The first one up was my friend Wayne Blane a.k.a Mr Magic man. He's one of my bestest bestest friends and he's a super awesome magician to boot. The theme for his cake was pretty easy.

Alakazam!

This was two layers of the Jelly Doughnut Cupcake recipe from Veganomicon. Slathered in the middle was Raspberry Jam and then topped with rolled icing. The cards were made with the same rolled icing and then decorated using food colouring and a very steady hand. Wayne LOVED it (he had three slices!) and I have to say I was pretty impressed too. I'm really looking forward to making all my friends cakes - I have some super awesome ideas already!

GO VEGAN!

Vegan MoFo 2009 Day #27: Do you ever get that sinking feeling? (or not as the case might be)

These are not the Jelly Donut Cakes from Veganomicon that went wrong because my jam didn't sink. Nope. These are "A zombie sucked out my eyeball" cakes. (incidentally - if anyone can shed any light on the reason why my jam didn't sink I would appreciate it. I followed the ingredients EXACTLY except I used sunflower oil instead of canola because I can't buy canola or rapeseed oil anywhere). Anyhoo - they taste AMAZING! I've had four already. BURP!

GO VEGAN!

GO MoFo!

Pumpkin Ziti with Caramelised Onions and Sage Crumb Crust.....

....or something like that. Firstly I didn't have any Pumpkin and secondly I didn't have any Ziti (which is a type of Pasta doncha know!!) but as if those two minor things would stop me from making something I want. This recipe is of course out of Veganomicon and it's the first time I've made it, though I've had my eye on it a while, especially after having seen a fair few bloggers post about it. Two Vegan Boys Vegan Deliciousness

To name just two ('cos I can't remember where I saw the others!!)

First let me introduce you to my Butternut Squash

It was blinking HUGE. I wish I had weighed it now, but ohh well...lah dee dah. This was the only one I managed to grow this year - and it was a total fluke at that. Let me explain. When my compost bin is full I have the habit of chucking my Veggie scraps over our wall. "WHAAAAT!" I hear you cry. "Your poor neighbours!!" Well fret not - I don't have neighbours on the left of me - what I have instead is a patch of waste land that is used as a walk through. The bit right next to our wall is off the path and is left to go wild. At some point last Autumn some Butternut Squash Seeds were in the Veggie scraps and a Plant was born. Cool Huh! I accidentally pulled this beaut off the stem when I was turning it over to get the sun on the underside - but there was no need to panic as they will carry on ripening off the Plant. It has been sat in my kitchen for MONTHS and today was the day to eat it up. I cut it in half and baked one half of it still in it's skin (this is by far the easiest way to do it - have you ever tried peeling a Butternut??Not easy) and used this to replace the Pumpkin that the recipe called for. I had loads of Puree left over so that has gone in the freezer (I reckon it'll freeze OK) and I still have half a Butternut in my fridge which I'll probably end up just roasting. YUM! Anyhoo - here's the result

Let me tell you this was totally scrumpalicious!!! Lots of work involved (especially if you're doing your own Pumpkin/Butternut puree) BUT it was so worth it.

I did change the Cashew Ricotta recipe a bit as well because I don't know if it's the brand of Tofu I use or what - but it always has a slight Banana taste to it - honestly - I'm not going mad (going??!!) Mr treehugger said the same thing (about the Banana taste not me going mad - pay attention!!). So this time I omitted the Lemon Juice, Dried Basil (only cos I didn't have any - I used Oregano instead) and I added some Nooch and Marmite. Let me tell you - I'm gonna make it like this all the time now - SOOOOOO much better.

And I have managed to find a really nice Vegan Bread that was pretty similar to the one I used to buy but without all the nasties natch! YAY! Catch ya laterz y'all - hope you're all keeping warm and well. xxx Todays song is the theme tune from Bod - I can't help it - it's what's in my head.

Well rested and Raring to go!

Oooh it was weird not typing vegan MoFo as the title.....it felt so natural to do so.

Well it's November chaps and chapesses and the days are getting as short as they are cold. Nature tends to kick in and take over our bodies through the Winter Months - making us crave stodgy foods that will help keep us warm with some extra insulation. I don't know about anyone else but I am amply insulated enough as it is and after MoFo all my body was craving was SALAD!! Yep - you heard me - nice crisp green Lettuce Leaves with a juicy red Tomato and LOADS of Cauliflower Salad to boot. Boy was it ever good and I'm going to have the same for lunch today as well. It's interesting to note that it is all raw too!

RAWR!

And as promised prior to Halloween, a photo of the Spider Cake I made.

He looks good but I wasn't impressed with the Cake mixture and would NOT make this again. I only own Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance cook books so I rely heavily on the interwebs for recipes - if anyone has a tried and tested and LOVED Sponge Cake recipe you could share with me I would be truly grateful. Thankfully everyone was well inebriated when he got sliced up and failed to notice what I noticed - maybe my taste buds are more sensitive than omni's anyway? Who knows! I didn't like it and that is enough for me, or maybe EVERYONE didn't like it but were all too polite to say!! Maybe I have scarred them against Vegan Cake for life!! Oh the paranoia has set in!!

Vegan MoFo Day 27: Rose Elliot Made my Dinner

Not literally you understand, but it was her yummy recipes that I used and I wanted to grab your attentions.

First off was Falafel and totally inspired by happy vegan face. The cool thing about Rose Elliot's The Supreme Vegetarian Cook Book is that the Falafel recipe gives a Vegan option too. YAY! I'm guessing it's totally unethical of me to type the recipe in this here blog but lucky for us, but not so lucky for Rose, Jim Carson has totally put her recipe on his blog. Thanks Jim! Instead of using chicken periods to bind all the otherwise scrummy ingredients just use 2 tablespoons of Chickpea Flour as a binding ingredient and as a coating for the Breadcrumbs you just make a batter mixture using Chickpea Flour again, mixed with a little water. Simple. These were served with Guacamole from Rose Elliot, warm Wholemeal Pittas from the Supermarket, Cauiliflower Salad from the Oxfam Vegetarian Cookbook (thanks 'lil pea), Simple Salad with the Spicey Mustard Dressing from Veganomicon and a Tomato Salsa that I just threw together using a tin of Plum Tomatoes, Green Pepper, Onions, Green Chilli, Garlic and Olive Oil. Total yumness. The Cauliflower Salad is really easy and really good - though a lot of people don't like the thought of raw Cauliflower I urge you to give it a try. The secret is to chop ALL the ingredients up really really fine. Yeah - I know you all look fine when you chop things up anyway! LOL! Today's song is The Wombles of Wimbledon thanks to Becks from I am not a rabbit! Need I say more!

Oooh yeah - check out her Apple Pie Crumble creation - the rabbit is a genius!!

Vegan MoFo Day 24: Mexican can can

Yes I can can.

Tonight's veritable feast was all out Mexican nosh - my favourite! I made: Guacamole (though I used proper Garlic because I can't imagine Guacamole without it - it's not right, and I didn't use Cilantro 'cos Mr treehugger Hates it with a capital H) Queso (this was good) Salad - this was just 4 different types of Lettuce, Cherry Plum Tomatoes and Spicy Mustard Dressing from Veganomicon Doritos Spicy Beans and Vegetables - this was Courgettes, Aubergine, Peppers (green and red) Onion, Carrot, Sweetcorn and Kidney Beans in a spicy Mexican Salsa. And Tortillas

Guacamole (how cute is my dish!!) and Queso

It was soooo blinking yum I couldn't stop eating and now I can't move. Sorry there's no more pictures but they came out even more crappy than usual and I wasn't gonna faff around when all that good nosh was waiting to be scoffed! Today's musical melody is totally AWESOME!!!

The music is by Session and that is all I know. I have googled and googled these guys to no avail but this song totally has me hooked! Into the treeeeeees

Vegan MoFo Day 1: Vegan Mousakka ka ka

GOD I freaking LOVE Mousakka! The fact that it CAN be quite a time consuming meal to prepare is a bit of a shit for putting people off making it but I am living, blogging proof that it CAN be done in an hour plus baking time - so and hour and a half altogether! WooHoo! Of course I sneakily had some Tomato Sauce stashed away in my freezer for such an occasion as this, which cuts down the cooking time and preperation quite considerably. The Aubergine and Courgettes I usually bake in the oven but this time I fried them in a big pan with very little oil. Saves LOADS of time. The White Sauce is a variation of the Cashew Ricotta from Vcon which I have tweaked by adding Soya Milk. This makes it easier to use in this way, as a kind of Bechemel Sauce, but doesn't lessen the taste in any way what-so-ever. The overall verdict is...YOU HAVE TO MAKE THIS RECIPE!!! Your tastebuds will love you for it! Vegan Mousakka serves 4 Ingredients For the White Sauce: 1/4 Cup Cashews 10 oz Firm Tofu 1 Cup Soya Milk 4 Basil Leaves 1/4 Cup Olive Oil Juice from Half a Lemon 1 Clove of Garlic For the Tomato Sauce: Half a Recipe Serving of Tomato Sauce Handful Mushrooms, sliced Half a Medium Onion, sliced 2 tbsp Olive Oil 1 Aubergine (Eggplant) 2 Courgettes (Zucchini) 4 Slices Nutty Wholemeal Bread Method Wash and thinly slice the Aubergine and Courgette. Rub Salt on each side of the slices of Aubergine and leave in a colander for half an hour. When ready rinse well with water and gently pat dry with a kitchen towel. Fry the slices of Aubergine and Courgette in a little drizzle of oil in a big frying (skillet) pan. You will need to do this in batches. Depending on how big your pan is it will be about 4 or 5 batches. Fry on each side until a nice golden colour is obtained and set aside to cool. In a saucepan pan add 1 tsp Olive Oil and fry the sliced Mushrooms and Onion for 10 mins stirring regularly. Add the Tomato Sauce and cook on a gentle heat for 20 mins. In an oblong baking dish place a layer of Aubergine, then a layer of sauce, then a layer of Courgette. Cover this in another layer of sauce then finish off with the remaining Veg (which will vary depending on how thin you sliced your Aubergines and Courgettes - but it really doesn't matter). Now to make the White Sauce. Place the Cashews, Garlic, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice in a blender and whizz for a few mins. Then crumble in the Tofu and add this the blender with the Basil and Soya Milk. Whizz until smooth. This does make a thick sauce so be careful not to add too much milk - you want a spreading consistency NOT runny like a typical White Sauce. Scoop out and spread over the Mousakka, a knife is handy to help with the spreadage. Whiz up the bread to make breadcrumbs and sprinkle on top of everything. You might like to drizzle the breadcrumbs with some Olive Oil - I know I do. Cook in an oven set to 200 degrees for 10 mins then cover the top with some aluminium foil. Cook for another 25 mins. Enjoy!!

Eggplant Rollatini with Spinnach and Toasted Pine Nuts

Man oh man I can hardly move with my belly so stuffed. Made yet another awesome recipe from Vcon - Eggplant Rollatini with Spinnach and Toasted Pine Nuts. This is just soooo freaking awesome I don't know where to begin. You'll just have to make it for yourself - it's the only way. I made a bit of a boo boo whilst making this. Well in actual fact I made two boo boo's. The first one was that I fried the breaded Eggplant and then proceeded to bake them as well!! As I put them in the oven I thought there's no way I'm gonna spray them with more oil - there's plenty (and then some) in them already and there's NO WAY they'll bake for 20 mins what was Isa and Terry thinking!! I decided to bake them for 10 mins instead and whilst they were in the oven I then read the recipe properly. The fact I'd already read the recipe through a good few times (like ten times) obviously hadn't made any difference - the recipe states that you EITHER fry them OR bake them....NOT BOTH YOU FOOL!!! *ahem* The second boo boo wasn't quite as silly - I whizzed up the Pine Nuts in the blender because I thought you added them to the breading mixture and there was no way they were gonna stick to the Aubergine if they were left whole!! THEN I realised as I was assembling everything together for the final stage of the dish that you add the Pine Nuts when you add the Spinnach and roll them up. DOH! But we live and learn as they say and I've learnt to read a recipe and understand it completely BEFORE setting foot in the kitchen. I didn't use riccotta either I finished up the last of the Besto Pesto.

Absolutely delicious dish and one I know I'm gonna make over and over again!

Served with some Fresh Asparagus (possibly last of the seaseon *sniff*)

Today I are mostly Panic Buying Tofu

For anyone who has been to Spain you will appreciate my predicament on how hard it is to buy vegan products here, excluding Madrid and Barcelona. For those of you who haven't it is bloody hard and I deserve a medal. To my sheer delight (and the delight of the other thousands of British expats who live on the Costa Blanca) Iceland have opened a store in my town. AND IT IS FREAKING AWESOME! Not that I ever shopped there when I was in the UK, but having lived here for 7 years I do miss certain British foods - you know like Branston Pickle and stuff like that. I visited there for the first time last week and you can imagine my delight when I espied silken tofu on the shelf. I can buy the unsilken type quite easily from my local health food shop (which has been my saving grace) but I have NEVER seen the silken type. So I bought some to try. Now it is vacuum packed which isn't ideal but hey - beggars can't be choosers right, I used it in the Ceaser salad recipe in Vcon which requires silken tofu and OMG!! It is AMAZING!!

Gratuitous shot

If you haven't tried this recipe I implore you to - it is in my top favourite recipes EVER!! And I notice that most desserts require silken tofu so I am quite excited about all the yummy recipes I can now make with my new found supply of the silken stuff. I'm now planning on going to the store today to buy ALL the packs they have on the shelf because I'm frightened that if a product doesn't sell well they will discontinue it - and that would destroy me - so hence why I am panic buying tofu.

Vegan Cook Books

It seems men (my boyfriend in particular) CAN take hints and act on them. Amazing as it seems, my constant hinting at what I'd like for my birthday was duly noted and bought to fruition. HURRAH! Two cook books I have coveted for months and months are now in my possession. Veganomicon and Vegan with a Vengeance - both by the lovely Isa Chandra Moskowitz - super punk vegan cook who was joined by Terry Hope Romero (I just LOVE her name) in the creation of Veganomicn. I have been dying to get my hands on a vegan cookbook ever since turning vegan - which was seven months ago and these two don't disappoint. Tonight we had the Portobello Salad with Spicy Mustard Dressing from Veganomicon. And WOW!!! This is an AWESOME recipe! I didn't put the shrooms on top of the salad as the recipe suggested cos I think they are a work of art in themselves. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again.