Upcoming vegan happenings in Sydney

My goodness but I've neglected this blog, haven't I?

Many things have happened since I last posted in here, the most vegan-centric of which being that I became a shareholder in naked espresso, Sydney's premiere vegan breakfast cafe, so have been very busy with managing the cafe as well as working full time.

Some fun stuff is happening in my personal life too, but that's neither here nor there :)

So the combination of the above has equalled lax blogging.

However!

I am here to spruik some great vegan happenings in Sydney:

1. Sydney Vegan Bake Off, February 14, 2pm to 4.30pm

The inaugural Sydney Vegan Bake Off will be held at naked espresso on Sunday February 14, in conjunction with my publisher, aduki (www.aduki.net.au).

Doors open at 2pm for submissions, judges are Lisa Dempster, Helen Falzon (the 5 year old daughter of Charles, the owner of naked espresso) & (rock god) Steve Kilbey. I hope I do not faint from the OMGSteveKilbey!!ness of the day ;)

More details, including a poster (should you wish to poster up your neighbourhood) and a submission form, can be found at the aduki website. Hope to see you there!!

2. Introduction to Vegan Cuisine, March 27, 10am to 4pm

I'll be running a vegan cooking class via the Sydney Community College on Saturday March 27 from 10am to 4pm. Ingredients organic where possible, cost for the day (including ingredients) is $139. For more details and to enrol, go here.

I'm settling on the menu for the day - everything that my students will cook - & this is what it looks like at the moment:

Bruschetta
Classic
Garlic scented lightly toasted bread (sourdough or gluten free) topped with fresh tomato, basil & garlic in olive oil & balsamic vinegar
Avocado & Marinated Mushroom
Garlic scented lightly toasted bread (sourdough or gluten free) topped with lemony mashed avocado & herb marinated mushrooms.

Pesto Pasta Salad
Classic basil pesto – basil, pinenuts, olive oil & garlic - tossed with pasta, fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers & white beans.

Pesto Quinoa Salad
Spinach, rocket & walnut pesto tossed with nature’s greatest protein source, quinoa, as well as chickpeas & green stuffed olives.

Quiche
Classic spinach & rocket quiche, where eggs and cream are replaced with heart healthy silken tofu & roasted garlic, all encased in a savoury shortcrust pastry.

Caramelised Onion Tart
A deeply savoury white bean, roasted garlic & nutritional yeast filling is topped with sweet & flavourful caramelised onions, in a gluten free savoury shortcrust pastry.

Portobello Burgers with Caramelised Onion & Tempeh Bacon
A burger with the lot: marinated Portobello mushrooms, seared & baked, in a burger with the classic trimmings (beetroot, tomato, iceberg lettuce) & topped with tempeh bacon & caramelised onion jam.

Rice Paper Rolls
Fresh & easy, rice noodle discs filled with bean vermicelli, shiitake mushrooms, spicy eggplant & tofu, spring onions, carrots, mint, coriander & sprouts, served with a garlic-chilli-soy dipping sauce.

Risotto
An Italian classic with a twist, Arborio rice cooked in a tomato stock, spiked with mushrooms & served with a salad of fresh tomatoes & basil, dressed in balsamic vinegar.

Lasagne
Hearty & comforting, layers of a deep & rich tempeh sauce, a thick béchamel sauce & lasagne sheets make a delicious traditional lasagne, served with roasted garlic & herb bread & a green salad.

Tiramisu
Double baked vanilla cake fingers are soaked in liquer spiked espresso, layered with a vegan take on vanilla mascarpone & dusted in rich dark cocoa.

Choc Cherry Squares
Cocoa-rich cake squares studded with sour cherries & chunks of dark chocolate & topped with a decadent soy cream cheese & chocolate icing.

Vanilla Soy Milk & Vanilla Ice Cream
I will demonstrate making vanilla soy milk with 3 ingredients – soybeans, vanilla pod & water – in a soy milk maker. This vanilla soy milk will be sweetened with maple syrup & made into vanilla ice cream with an icecream maker. This is simply a demonstration of how easy it is to make a healthy vegan icecream from 4 ingredients, with some patience & great kitchen equipment!!

September Sydney Vegan Bake Sale

Just a quick note - we'll be running the Sydney Vegan Bake Sale again on this Saturday, September 26.

Come by the DIY markets in Newtown between 8am and 3pm - outside Newtown Neighbourhood Centre, opposite Newtown Station - and buy some tasty vegan goodies!!

Your money will be going to Donkey Welfare with Heart this month!

Cruelty Free Living Festival - November 1, 2009

The Cruelty Free Living Festival is happening at Belmore Park again this year, which is great news after the huge response and turnout last year!!

I'll be doing a dessert cooking demonstration (last year I did biscuits, am puzzling out what to do this year - any thoughts?) and also be helping out at the Naked Espresso stall, where we'll have Primal Pies, coffee, vanilla slice and lots more - come by for a chat!!

You want to find out more? Click here and enjoy the awesome!

One Day Cooking Course - November 21

Yes, it's been a while since I've posted anything, but distracting things have been happening and distracting me. I'll try to get back onto the blogging bandwagon, but I can't promise anything soon...

However! I will be running another Introduction to Vegan Cuisine class (the one in August was a screaming success, I must say!) in November - Saturday 21 to be exact.

Here's the link for the course description and to enrol - Introduction to Vegan Cuisine.

Here's the rundown:

"Veganism, a lifestyle where there is no consumption of any animal products whatsoever, is a rapidly growing subculture. Due to its’ strong ethical grounding, alignment with healthy eating principles and minimal impact upon the environment, it appeals to many different people for many different reasons.

Vegan cuisine is bright, tasty, easy and satisfying, and incorporates flavours and techniques from cultures around the globe.The course will cover nutrition, a range of cookery techniques, and act as an introduction to all things vegan – as well as showing how easy and healthful vegan cuisine can be!

Organic and in season ingredients will be used where possible.

So if you are interested in learning more about vegan cuisines and ways of incorporating it into your everyday lifestyle, then this is the course for you.

Agenda

Why vegan?
What are vegan ingredients, where do I find them and how do I use them?

Students will receive comprehensive information booklets and recipes, and cook a vegan feast that will be enjoyed by the whole class.

Recipes will cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert dishes, inspired by cuisines from around the world. "

I always have a great time running these classes, and this will be an intensive day, as I plan on cramming as much cooking as possible into the 6 hours!!

The class is run in Leichhardt and starts at 10am and runs to 4pm, and the cost is $129.

Queensland Adventures 2 - Lunch at My Heart Garden

My Heart Garden...what a wonderful place! It's in St Lucia, near the UQ campus, and the moment that I walked into the sunfilled, fresh smelling and very calm shop, I was ready to sit and relax and eat until I couldn't walk. Which is just as well, as that's what we ended up doing!

Our host for the day was Kapila and the lovely woman in the kitchen was Durba - there was a lovely (and very ego boosting whilst entirely embarrassing for me) moment when Susan told Durba that I'd written Vegan Indulgence and Durba got very excited because she has a copy at home and was really happy to meet me. And I her, and Kapila, they were both just so friendly and sweet and totally engaged in what they're trying to achieve with My Heart Garden.

Also very good about having a photo taken to celebrate the wonderful time I'd had there.

So. The important stuff. The fud.

I was so happy because OMG I wanted to eat everything and couldn't (but did try very hard to do so), so if you are in Brisbane you MUST go there and try as many things as possible!!

Many foods!!



I got one of the little Not Sausage Rolls home to have as midnight snack (I ate it and a peanut butter chocolate cupcake that Susan made me in the hotel bed whilst reading the third Sookie Stackhouse novel - I'd read the first on the plane and the second the previous night. It was at that moment that I realised that I was on holiday....)


There are many more yummies on display, but you'll just have to go and experience them yourself.

Anyhoo, Susan and I both had the Bliss Burger, a wonderful lentil patty on a bap with mango chutney and vegan mayonnaise and salad and peanut sauce and NOM!

Another shot, I hear you say? Oh well, okay then.

Then Susan and I decided to attempt to break the most-desserts-eaten-in-one-sitting record, by sharing the following four (yes, four) desserts.

Chocolate cake with chocolate icing, heated up so that the icing turns all saucy

Banana Pudding Brownie (yes, from Vegan with a Vengeance)

We rested for a bit after finishing these ones - here we are halfway through our first round:

*ding ding* Second Round!!

Maple Pumpkin Cheezcake (with bonus Susan-taking-food-porn shot in the background)


Finally, the piece de resistance, the Nanaimo Bar. This was...head explodingly sugary (seriously, I had to take painkillers after eating it - so very worth it!), but also really tasty and definitely addictive. I had never had a Nanaimo Bar before, but my understanding is that it is a Canadian delicacy brought recently to these distant shores. My thanks, Canadians, for bringing this ridiculously sweet sweet to my attention!!

Of course, my favourite thing about going out to eat with other people who have food blogs - taking photos of food in public places is not as weird when both of you are doing it.


We sat and groaned and drank peppermint tea and regretted (but not really) the dessert craziness, before rolling off to Susan's place (where there was much cat worshipping of Sahara, Gizmo and Dim Sim), and then heading (much too early for our poor stomachs) to Loving Hut for the last meal of the day - and the meal that would defeat Susan!! But more of that later...

My Heart Garden
Shop 5/225 Hawken Drive (opposite Coles)
St Lucia 4067
Telephone: (07) 38708898

Queensland Adventures 1 - Breakfast at Alibi Room, Brisbane

I just spent a week in Queensland, starting with visiting family and friends in Brisbane and culminating in doing the catering for my uncle Rod and his wife Margaret's shared 60th birthday party and 20th wedding anniversary in a grand venue at Peak Crossing.

I took lots of photos and have lots of stories, so each of the experiences gets a separate (picspam) post!

I arrived in Brisbane on Monday, and had lunch with family on my father's side - my grandfather, my cousin Janet and my aunt Margaret (who I haven't seen in at least 30 years) - at a Lebanese place in West End, and then met my not-cousin, Rod's wife Margaret's son Leif, for coffee and many vegan chats - he and his partner Lyndal are vegan and very excited about having an all vegan feast at the shindig I was catering, and I was very excited to have other vegans attending!

Tuesday was devoted entirely to eating my way around vegan Brisbane. I abandoned my diet for the day and had a great time being led around vegan Brisbane by the lovely and talented Susan.

We started the day with breakfast at the Alibi Room in New Farm.

We had the Kombi Driver's breakfast, a giant plate containing hash browns, vegan bacon, vegan sausages, scrambled tofu, baked beans, spinach, mushrooms, tomato and sweet potato chips. We got the smaller size for "one" and split it between the two of us, which was more than enough food. I can't imagine getting the double sized one for "lovebirds" and trying to finish it!! I got a coffee, which was okay, but I have been spoiled by the brilliant coffee and (sadly left-the-country) barista at naked espresso in Sydney...

Some photos:

The initial decimation of the Kombi Driver's plate:

My plate and coffee

The house made hash browns were freaking amazing, and the scrambled tofu was better than I was expecting, spicy and herby.


Susan ignoring me whilst she noms and I take photos...


All in all, despite the lack of "vegan toast", a pretty good start to the day.

We went to Fundies for supplies for the shindig (but where I actually just got almonds in dark chocolate arglenom), a magic shop where Susan got a plush sleeping sickness and a sparkly pink Slinkee and Sol Bakery to grab sourdough for the shindig (best.bread.ever).

Then, it was off to enjoy a marvellous lunch at My Heart Garden, which is the subject of my next post!

Sydney Vegan Bake Sale - July 25

Remember the Sydney arm of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale and how well it went? Well, we've decided that we're going to run a regular bake sale, with the profits to different animal charities every month (or whenever we run them).

To kick off this fabulous plan, we're going to be at the Newtown DIY Markets on Saturday July 25, from 8am to 3pm (or when we sell out!!), with a wonderful range of donated vegan baked (and hopefully some raw) goods...

I'm planning on making my signature sweeties, melting moments, as well as a couple of types of choc chip cookies, and I'm hoping to get the time to make some cherry pies and (possibly) custard fruit tarts.

If you want to keep up to date with the Sydney Vegan Bake Sale is doing, there are some great internet resources:

The blog - Sydney Vegan Bake Sale
The tweets - SydVeganBkSale (while you're there, feel free to follow me also - ZuckerBaby is my name everywhere!!)
Facebook - Sydney Vegan Bake Sale and the event July Sydney Vegan Bake Sale While you're on Facebook, come and join Vegan Sydney!!
If you want to help out, by either baking/making something, or by relieving us so that we can run away to get coffee/food/go to the loo, email sydneyveganbakesale@gmail.com

Looking forward to seeing lots of folks there!! It'll be another great day for Sydney's vegan community!!

I love it when a plan comes together

Ever since I started this new diet thing, I've been noodling about with a macncheez replacement recipe. I started off with an idea lifted from Veganomicon's Mac Daddy, which uses a cheez sauce made from stock and nooch, and adds crumbled and flavoured firm tofu to the sauce and pasta to provide body and depth.

Since I wanted to use firm tofu as the centre of the casserole, I couldn't use white beans in the sauce to thicken it, so decided on cauliflower as a nice thickening agent.

Below is the tasty result of my random trains of thought....

Cheezy Tofu & Cauliflower Bake

Ingredients

Flavoured Tofu

• 150g firm tofu
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon Braggs
• 2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Cheezy Cauliflower Sauce

• 170g cauliflower
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon Braggs
• 1/3 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon mixed savoury herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme)
  
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
  

Topping

• 20g sesame seeds
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celcius.

Flavoured Tofu

Crumble the tofu to a mixture of textures - small bits, larger bits, and all bits in between. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Set to one side.

Cheezy Cauliflower Sauce

Steam the cauliflower until tender. Put the cauliflower, crumbled stock cube, water and lemon juice into a medium saucepan over a medium-high heat, and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is falling apart. Take off the heat and cool for five minutes. Whizz until smooth and thick with a hand blender.

Place back on the heat and add the rest of the ingredients, mix well. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes.

Layer the flavoured tofu and cheezy cauliflower sauce in a small casserole dish. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top and drizzle with the olive oil.

Bake until bubbly and the top has crisped a little, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

I ate this with a green & mushroom salad, tasty good times.

Cauliflower Soup with Tempeh Croutons

As it's winter, I'm beginning to explore a range of soups for dinner. I mix a protein with vegetables and seasonings, whizz with the blender and boom! Soup in 30 minutes.

This soup is fine by itself, but the smoky tempeh croutons really make the dish sing.

Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

• 70g white beans
• 150g cauliflower, cut into florets
• 20g spring onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small chilli, minced
• 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon mixed savoury herbs (heavy on the sage)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1 tablespoon barley miso
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 to 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Method

Steam cauliflower until tender.

Heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Saute spring onion, garlic and chillies for one minute. Add the beans and coat with the spring onion. Add mustard seeds, mustard, herbs, cumin, coriander, miso and mix together into a paste. Cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes. Add water and lemon juice, mix together well, and bring to a simmer for ten minutes.

Add the steamed cauliflower and simmer for another ten minutes. Take off the heat and cool for five minutes. Using a hand blender, blend until as smooth as possible. Place back on the heat, stir in the nutritional yeast and simmer for another two minutes, stirring constantly.

Serve topped with the tempeh croutons (recipe below).


Tempeh Croutons

Ingredients

• 100g tempeh
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
  

Method

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celcius.

Mix the liquid smoke, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar and water into a small saucepan and put over a low heat and slowly simmer.

Cut tempeh into 1/2cm slices, and then into 1cm wide croutons. Put the croutons into the warm marinade and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Take off the heat.

Pour 1/2 tablespoon olive in a baking dish. Pour in the tempeh and remaining marinade and make sure that the tempeh is in a single layer.

Bake until the tempeh is sticky and dark golden and the marinade has all evaporated.

Cool until the soup is ready.

Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale!!

I've been so excited for the last couple of months, knowing that the Sydney arm of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale was coming up.

I got involved in the bake sale thanks to Mandee's invitation, and she, Michelle and I met up a couple of times and talked on the intarwebs, organised a time, a place, a charity (WSPA) and what we were going to make. Mandee also got a whole bunch of other vegans on board to bring along yummies to sell as well. We also tried to figure out what we'd do with the leftovers and decided to take them to work to sell to workmates.

I decided to go with a biscuit theme, and spent 5 hours one night after work churning out four and a half dozen large chocolate chip cookies (variations on my standard recipe) and 5 dozen melting moments - some gluten free and some chock full of gluten.

Gluten Free Double Chocolate

Gluten Free Classic Choc Chip

Classic Choc Chip

Double Chocolate

Gluten Free Mocha Chip

Vanilla Melting Moments, awaiting their icing. I also made chocolate, passionfruit and gluten free lemon (and chocolate) melting moments.

Mocha Chip

And (finally!) Choc Chip & Almond Chunk

Mandee has a great wrap up of the day itself, which was amazing and brilliant and so much fun and I met so many lovely people (boy, vegans are way pretty and shiny and fabby, aren't they?) and we raised $908.70 for WSPA!!!

I'm hoping that we'll be able to run a bake sale again sooner rather than later. Not that I've already started planning what I'd make or anything (cherry pie, custard tart, almond cookies, sausage rolls - anyone?)

One Day Cooking Class, Open for Enrolments

Just a quick one (I have a report on the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale and a lovely soup recipe to share - tomorrow, I hope!) to let folks know that if they're interested in getting a fun and tasty introduction to vegan cuisine, I'm running an one day class on Saturday August 29.

Here's the rundown:

"Veganism, a lifestyle where there is no consumption of any animal products whatsoever, is a rapidly growing subculture. Due to its’ strong ethical grounding, alignment with healthy eating principles and minimal impact upon the environment, it appeals to many different people for many different reasons.

Vegan cuisine is bright, tasty, easy and satisfying, and incorporates flavours and techniques from cultures around the globe.

The course will cover nutrition, a range of cookery techniques, and act as an introduction to all things vegan – as well as showing how easy and healthful vegan cuisine can be!

Organic and in season ingredients will be used where possible.

So if you are interested in learning more about vegan cuisines and ways of incorporating it into your everyday lifestyle, then this is the course for you.

Agenda

Why vegan?

What are vegan ingredients, where do I find them and how do I use them?

Students will receive comprehensive information booklets and recipes, and cook a vegan feast that will be enjoyed by the whole class.

Recipes will cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert dishes, inspired by cuisines from around the world. "

I always have a great time running these classes, and this will be an intensive day, as I plan on cramming as much cooking as possible into the 6 hours!!

The class is run in Leichhardt and starts at 10am and runs to 4pm, and the cost is $129.

You can enrol here.