Survey 2!

Liz rocks and so do her surveys, so when she posted a new one, we had to jump on the bandwagon and fill it in.

1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose?
A: I don't really have a choice, I pick up whatever I can. Australia is very poor in organic, and "Australian made" could mean two time zones away.

C: Depends. I go for organic if it has been produced in Europe (this is mostly France, Spain or Italy). Otherwise, I go for local.

2. Favourite way to prepare potatoes:
A: Oven-baked potatoes with mixed herbs.

C: Oven-baked potatoes with cumin and rosemary.

3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)?
A: Generally not. I mostly use the pre-marinated stuff or use it blended.

C: Yep, usually. It just has a better texture. Also, I like the confused reaction on people's faces when they go "what are you doing?" and you get to respond "what do you think I'm doing? I'm pressing tofu." Most of the people around me can barely identify tofu and it's fun weirding them out.

4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family:
A: We don't really have traditional recipes... My mum cooks, but rarely anything that takes time or effort. She doesn't bake. My Grandmother makes Christmas pudding (a recipe from her mother), but it doesn't really work vegan, so we'll have to come up with our own.

C: My family can't really cook as such, but my grandmother has a rocking pannekoeken (pan-size Dutch pancakes) recipe that comes close to being a tradition.

5. Any food allergies?
A: Alcohol and onion give me a mild headache, but nothing serious.

C: Nope.

6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go?
A: Dunno... I'm not used to the whole fancy restaurant lark. I tend to panic if the mains cost more than $12. I guess Mamma Mia's in Vianen is nice. So's the Green Gourmet in Newtown, but much less swanky.

C: I think De Kas in Amsterdam or Kop van 't Land in Dordrecht. I haven't been to either yet, but they look fancy and are supposed to be really good.

7. When you have a cold, what do you crave?
A: Food. And sleep. Also television.

C: I actually have a pretty bad throat ache right now and a bit of a cold. I currently crave lots of fresh fruit. Also, bed and being unconscious in some way.

8. What kind of water do you drink? (Filtered, spring, tap, etc.)
A: Tap. Australian water tastes nice. Buying water wrapped in environment-destroying plastic, at exorbitant prices, does not seem like a good idea to me. Children's teeth especially are getting worse for the first time in decades, due to drinking bottled water. You need fluoride!

C: Tap. I'm addicted to tap water and drink a couple of half-liter bottles of the stuff a day. Dutch tap water is the cleanest in Europe.

9. Name a flavor of soda you'd love to see:
A: I don't particularly like soft drink myself. I don't drink it, so making a flavour for me would not be business savvy for the companies.

C: I don't drink soda, but I would love to see munchkin-tofu flavoured soda. I imagine it would be sweet, but somewhat bitter.

10. If the recipes you ate as a child were compiled into a cookbook, what would the title be?
A: Various Dead Animals on Rice: Sometimes Pasta with Tomato Sauce.

C: Vegetables Smothered in a Sauce of Some Description.

11. If you were allowed to grow one food that can't grow in your climate, what would it be?
A: I think adding another failed crop to my household's rather enviable list of failed crops would be cruelty to plants.

C: Bananas. I don't buy bananas, because they're grown so far away. I miss them a lot. Same goes for oranges. I did actually use a banana (for the first time in months) to make pancakes a couple of days ago, but I shouldn't have and I felt all guilty.

12. Favorite type of mushroom?
A: Swiss Brown. They're so cute when you cut them in half! I imagine they're the sort of mushrooms that gnomes and pixies would sit under.

C: Porcini, purely because it's called "squirrel bread" in Dutch.

13. Most frustrating part of your kitchen?
A: The lack of bench space and all the mess. People leave their rubbish everywhere. Neither my brother nor my father have mastered the art of putting stuff in dishwashers. Mum has too many gadgets that she OMGMUSTHAVEONTHEBENCH. Plus, the trolley we have for extra bench space is covered with notes, building samples, toys and other assorted detritus.

C: I have no freezer and no oven. I have to go visit my parents to do baking.

14. Last food you burned?
A: I can't really remember... Ooh, fruit bread. I put it in the oven and started reading blogs...bad idea. It was like a lump of coal. Still tasty if you cut an inch off the crust, though.

C: Toast, I think, but it was a while ago. I forget about my food failures quickly, though, fortunately.

15. Usual response to a veg*n's favorite question, "But where do you get your protein?":
A: I don't actually get this question a lot, thankfully. Most people I know seem to have realised that beans are protein, at least.

C: I do get this question sometimes. I would love to be able to say "Grass!," which is by far my favourite answer, but I'm usually too cowardly to say that and patiently explain that, actually, a variety of dishes can serve as a complete, reliable source of protein.

16. If you were baking your own birthday cake today, what flavor would it be?
A: I will in fact be making my birthday cake soon. Cheesecake! Probably lemon.

C: A coconut carrot cake, I think. I will also be making my birthday cake soon.

17. Favourite brand of chocolate chips?
A: Woolworths homebrand cooking chocolate. I haven't found vegan chocolate chips yet...

C: You can't really get chocolate chips in Holland, for some reason. My favourite brand to chop into chips is Green & Black's Dark Chocolate.

18. You have $200 of your tax return reserved for Williams Sonoma - What do you buy?
A: I regrettably would not be able to buy anything. They don't ship outside the states. Damn America-centrism. In an ideal world where Williams Sonoma stopped ignoring the rest of the world and shipped outside of America, I'd replace my whole kitchen.

C: I would probably let Adele decide, since she's Williams Sonoma-obsessed. I think she'd get much more of a rush out of it than I would.

19. Do you plan your menus in advance? Any tips to share?
A: Very rarely. I might have an idea of what I'll make, but we buy enough food that I don't need to limit myself like that (advantage of living in a family of 4, all with different food preferences). Often it will also depend on how lazy I'm feeling. One tip I'd give is: freeze leftovers in ziplock bags. It's so easy to just heat up one portion when you're tired and don't want to cook.

C: Most of the time, because I get a random bag of organic vegetables from a local organic shop every week. By buying it like that, it stays affordable, but it also means I always pretty much know what I'll be making for most of the week.

20. You have 3 minutes before you have to leave the house and you're starving- What do you eat?
A: I would also grab fruit. Maybe a banana.

C: I'd grab whatever I have in terms of fresh fruit. Probably, that would be an apple or two or a pear.

21. If Martha Stewart, Paula Deen, and Rachel Ray got into a fight, who would win and how?
A: I have never seen any of these people (only heard of them) so I honestly couldn't say.

C: I don't know the other two, but Martha Stewart has done time, so she would knock both out with her prison knuckle dusters, spelling "LOVE" and "2COOK."

22. If you eat oatmeal, what do you add to it before serving?
A: Linseed, mostly. A bit of black treacle if I'm feeling extravagant.

C: A bit of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins.

23. If you got to travel to one country and learn all the traditional dishes there, where would you go (ignore commitments in your current place of residence)?
A: India.

C: India.

24. Favourite late night snack?
A: Hmm... that's a tricky one. I'd have to say ice cream.

C: Soy ice cream and fresh fruit.

25. Favourite springtime food?
A: Pancakes, because that's when Coppe's here.

C: Spring is usually still quite cold here. Roasted vegetables.

26. Favorite food-related magazine?
A: I don't read any... most are too meaty.

C: I don't really read any either. Too expensive to get one regularly.

27. Which do you prefer: shoyu, tamari, conventional soy sauce, or Bragg's Aminos?
A: Japanese soy sauce. It's lower in salt that other versions.

C: I haven't had the good fortune of trying anything other than conventional soy sauce.

28. What vegetable or fruit do you dislike the most?
A: Celery. That stuff is truly foul. Seriously.

C: I like all vegetables and all fruits (even celery)!

29. Name a holiday food you look forward to all year long:
A: Pepernoten!

C: Christmas pudding. We make it together every year when Adele is over for Christmas.

30. If you could convert anyone to veganism with your magic wand, who would you convert?
A: Richard Dawkins. Then he'd be perfect.

C: Noam Chomsky, then he'd be perfect.

Triple Chocolate Chip Biscuits

I've found vegan white chocolate! It's an organic rice milk white chocolate made by BonVita. They also make plain rice milk chocolate. White chocolate has always been my favourite, though. Having discovered all these chocolates, I decide to put them to good use and make triple chocolate biscuits. For the dark chocolate, I got some of my favourite stuff, 70% Green & Black's.


To turn them into chocolate chips, I chopped them all up. Here's a shot of my mound of chocolate.


I adapted a recipe Adele looked up for me for the biscuits. I simply replaced the egg with 1/4 cup of soy yoghurt and 1/4 cup of soy milk. I also turned the 1 1/4 cup of sugar listed into a 1/4 cup. The biscuits were very nice and plenty sweet, so I don't think you need it at all.

I used all whole wheat flour. This was tasty, but I think I could make the biscuits prettier with plain flour. So I'd like to try that next time.


Triple Chocolate Chip Biscuits (makes 9 large ones or about double for small ones):

1/2 cup and 1 tbsp (125 g) of plant-based butter
1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of soy yoghurt, preferably vanilla-flavoured
1/4 cup of soy milk
1 tsp of vanilla essence
1 tsp of baking powder
1/2 cup chopped white chocolate
1/2 cup chopped milk chocolate
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate

Pre-heat your oven to 180 C. Beat together butter, sugar, soy yoghurt, soy milk and vanilla essence. Sift together flour and baking powder. Add to the butter and sugar mixture and fold in chocolate.

Drop on a baking sheet in tablespoons or teaspoons, depending on how big you want them. Leave a generous amount of space between the spoonfuls.

Bake for 10-15 mins. Allow to cool until the chocolate has become solid again.

Caramelised Witlof and Walnut Salad

Witlof is one of the trademark vegetables of traditional Dutch cooking. This is what it looks like:


It is also known as chicory. It is usually used in casseroles, but my favourite way of preparing it is caramelising it and serving it with some walnuts. Walnuts and witlof really go well together. It seems to be one of those natural combinations.


Caramelised Witlof and Walnut Salad (serves 1):

1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp plant-based butter
3 heads of witlof
1/2 cup of walnut
some lettuce leaves
1 tbsp fresh parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Take off the base of the witlof and cut out the hard core. Sauté the leaves in the butter and sugar for 8-10 minutes or until caramelised. Stir in some parsley and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with walnuts and lettuce leaves. I used iceberg lettuce, but use whatever takes your fancy.

Pannekoeken and a Puppy

I made pannekoeken yesterday. I'm sure I've talked about them before. They're Dutch pancakes, and they're basically thick crêpes.

The batter is really easy. Blend some soy milk and a banana together and mix with flour until it has the consistency of tomato soup. Ladle into a pan. Tilt the pan so it spreads all over. Fry for a couple of minutes, flip once dry on top and fry for just a bit more.

Dust with powdered sugar and eat!


Also, here's a puppy. They're running around my parents' house at the moment.

Appalling Dinners

My parents are currently renovating the bathroom, so we've had builders in and out of the house for weeks. And one of the builders for some reason turned off the storage freezer (I don't know why we have two... my parents buy too much food). This basically means that tons of food melted and needed to be eaten. My parents have been cooking meat with disgusting gusto...

...and I've been eating frozen leftovers and package vegetables. Tonight I had leftover Thai takeaway tofu, leftover pasta and frozen peas and corn. It was surprisingly edible, but quite appalling.

So yeah, that's why I've not posted.

In other news, PM Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generations of Australia. Well overdue, and a fantastic gesture from an incoming government. If you aren't familiar with Australian history, then you should know that successive governments committed a genocide against Aborigines from the late 1800s to the early 1970s. It's an appalling piece of history and the effects are reverberating in Aboriginal communities today. John Howard, in his 11 years in office, did all he could to avoid that simple word - sorry. But now it has been said, and hopefully we can all move forward, and close the gap between indigenous Australians and the rest of us.

Kohlrabi Adventures

Yesterday, I came to face to face with a kohlrabi. I had no idea what to do it, having never cooked with it or eaten it before.

It looks weird too.


See?

I started looking for kohlrabi recipes. There aren't really many. I did find a warning on Fatfree Vegan Kitchen to cut it deep when peeling (the fibrous skin isn't nice). Also, apparently, they're very nice raw.

So, I went back to my kohlrabi, eyeing it suspiciously, peeled off a bit of skin with a knife and cut off a small chunk. After studying this small piece of greenish white vegetable for a bit more, I popped it in my mouth.

So.

It is tasty. Surprisingly, it's really tasty. It's like raw cauliflower apple. I decided then my dinner was going to be a salad.

This is my first attempt at a kohlrabi salad.


Kohlrabi Salad (serves 1):

1 small kohlrabi, peeled well and cut in small chunks
1/4 of an apple, cubed
1/2 a carrot, quartered and cut in small slices
1/2 a parsnip, cubed
1/2 a red onion, finely chopped

For the dressing, I added a little dash of Tofunaise with salt and pepper. Not much, though.

It was tasty, but I'm still thinking about what I could do to take it to the next level. In the meantime, at least now you know what to do with kohlrabi.

Cherry Clafoutis

Sorry for not posting for ages. About half a day after my last post, I came down with a bad case of gastroenteritis. So, after being curled up on my bed in pain for a few days, I had to go back to school. Which wasn't actually too bad, just not the best way to get over a stomach bug. I didn't feel like eating (I don't think I ate for four days) and even looking at food blogs made me feel sick.

But I'm better now, and school is actually enjoyable again. I've made the giant peanut butter cookies from V'con, which were predictably delicious. Unfortunately I took them to school and they were eaten before I could take a photo. Another win for vegan junk food.

Yesterday, I was getting bored of writing study notes, and mum suggested that we go to my aunt's for dinner. Naturally, as I am a shamelessly self-promoting vegan, I offered to make dessert. On a whim, I decided to make clafoutis. I've never made it before, nor eaten it.... so this was a stab in the dark.

Luckily, a tasty one. (all the good looking ones got eaten, so I apologise for the slightly wild looking cake)

I used the pound cake recipe from V'con, then spooned it into tartlette cases, then poked some canned sour cherries into the top. Next time I'd halve the cake recipe and replace half the flour with ground almonds, to take them up to the next level.

I overfilled the cases slightly, so I'd warn anyone trying this: this batter rises. Seriously. It rises lots.

They were still delicious. They were so light and delicate, with the cherries adding a tart/sweet burst of juiciness. Both my mother and aunt lavished them with praises. They taste best warmed up a little in the microwave.

You've all probably got Veganomicon by now, so I won't type up the recipe. It just goes to show how versatile the recipes are, though.

Vegetable Love: Cauliflower Couscous with Basil Leaves and Avocado

SusanV, off the famous Fatfree Vegan Kitchen, is hosting a Valentine's Day Vegetable Dish Contest. The idea is to make a healthy, low-fat dish, because, well, ultimately it is much more romantic to eat good food, feel good and to live long together. Also, vegetables = sexy.


Valentine's Day is one of the more frustrating things in a long-distance relationship. It doesn't feel as intimate or satisfying when you can't see the smile on the other's face.* So, this is partly also an attempt to make that feel more immediate. Had you been here, this is one of the things I would have made you.


It is a salad of cauliflower couscous with herbs, avocado and a simple dressing. It is light and healthful. The raw cauliflower is almost creamy, especially with the small chunks of avocado, and I think it complements the fragrant basil and parsley leaves really well. Anyway, here's the recipe. Oh and sorry about the imprecise measurements, I tend to make my dressings in splashes and dashes.


Cauliflower Couscous (serves 1):

1/4 head of cauliflower, in florets
3 tbsp basil leaves, chopped
3 tbsp parsley leaves, chopped
1/3 cup watercress, chopped (pick off the leaves and discard the base of the stems)
1/3 cup of avocado, cut in small chunks

a splash of sunflower oil
a dash of vinegar
a dash of salt
a dash of pepper
a dash of coriander
a dash of thyme

Blend the cauliflower, until almost fine-grained. Mix in the basil, parsley, watercress and avocado. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and spices. Add the oil and stir. Before serving, drizzle the vinegar over the couscous and toss for 1 minute. Garnish with basil leaves.

*I know, webcams. Poetic licence, people!

Muesli Muffins

I've been wanting to make muesli muffins recently, so I was hunting around for a good recipe. After a bit of fiddling, I've settled on the one below, my adaptation of a muesli bread off Baking Bites.


I used my own home-made muesli: an organic seven grain, nut and seed-filled mix with a few raisins added in. (*looks smug* My muesli has more grains than your muesli.)

I subbed applesauce for the egg, used whole wheat flour and took out the sugar. I know, I know, that makes it sound way too healthy to be nice, but the raisins keep it sweet and they're actually really tasty.

I'm planning to try them with whole wheat spelt flour and some dried apple and apricot.


Muesli Muffins (makes 6 large muffins):

1 cup muesli
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup applesauce (I used lightly sweetened cinnamon applesauce, you could use unsweetened instead and add 1 tsp of cinnamon and a bit of sugar)
1 1/2 cup soy milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup raisins

Pre-heat the oven to 180 C. Combine the muesli, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir together the applesauce, soy milk and oil. Add the flour mixture and be careful not to overmix. Fold in the raisins. Spoon a couple of tablespoons of mixture into each muffin cup and bake for 25 minutes.

Petits Pains à l'Ail et au Persil

Fanny, off foodbeam, put up these beautiful little garlic breads a while ago. Then, someone off some vegan blog made them as well and I realised I had to make these. I've forgotten what blog that was, but thank you, mystery vegan blog person!

These suit me perfectly. They involve bread and kneading dough, herbed butter and, most important of all, a long and pretentiously swanky French name.


Essentially, you make a fairly simple bread dough and put in layers of parsley-y garlicky butter.

The only real change I made was using whole wheat flour. They'd be a bit lighter with plain, but I don't think it makes much of a difference.


They're exceptionally easy to veganise, very tasty and the recipe is versatile too. You could easily imagine these with a light pesto or even a vegetable filling.

Eating with the Rabbits

I discovered this blog today. It's another member of the Dutch Vegan Family (although the only other Dutch vegan blog I really know is vegalicious).

So yeah, go check it out. It will be appearing in our bookmarks section when I update it.

Also, tell me about any other Dutch vegan blog (or any worthwhile v*gan one, really) you know. Remember, we invented clogs, the precursor of the modern vegan shoe!

Mediterranean Olive Bread

This is our favourite recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking, hands down. We made it three to four times when Adele was here.

It's a quickbread with sundried tomatoes and olives. We also added some flax seeds (though the recipe already has some ground flax seed in it) and we turned them into muffins!


They are really flavourful and will grace any Italian meal. They've become one of our staple savoury treats.