Delizioso spaghetti a casa

Behold! Last night's dinner. I am so so proud of this dish. It was a case of "What do I have in the house" but turned into so much more. Since the Italians stayed with us I've been taking my friend Fulvio's advice when it comes to pasta - you can never have enough olive oil or salt. It really is so important if you want to make a truly authentic tasting pasta (or salad, or pizza or ...) and since my diet is pretty low in other fatty foods, I feel no qualms glugging on the oil occasionally.

So, onto the specifics: I crammed the food processor bowl full of silverbeet, four cloves of garlic, a handful of raw cashews, a very generous slosh of oil and a good sprinkle of salt. I let that buzz away until fairly smooth, scraping down the sides occasionally. Then I tipped in a can of tomatoes and a few cooked black beans I had leftover and let it rip again. I crisped up some capers in a frying pan with a little oil and set them aside. Then while my spaghetti was cooking I tipped the sauce into the caper pan and allowed it to simmer for about 10 minutes. It changed colour from pale green to a darker murkier colour, and the garlic lost it's raw sharpness. Just before taking it off the heat I stirred in some more salt and a fair sprinkle of nooch. Into the sauce went the pasta, then the capers sprinkled on top. Heavenly! I'm still patting myself on the back.

Chilled out

My ingenious way to beat the heat: don't cook. Or if you do cook, plan it when the weather is as its coolest. This was my plan of attack with Thursday night's dinner. I wanted to make a cooler, more refreshing version of this meal, and I knew the day was going to be a real gross one so on Wednesday night I did a little sneaky preparation. I cooked the black beans on Wednesday day, and whipped up a batch of basic polenta (1 1/2 cups rice milk/water to 1 cup fine polenta) and spread it in an oiled tray to set. Then on Thursday day I threw 3 tomatoes, one green banana chili, 1/4 of a red capsicum, the juice of half a lime, about 1 1/2 cups chopped coriander, salt and a little water into the food processor until fairly smooth. This made for an incredible, fresh zingy salsa. I chilled that in the fridge until it was time to eat. I cubed the polenta, sprinkled over the beans, spooned loads of salsa on top, and to finish - chopped cucumber, avocado, more coriander and lime. After shoveling down a bowl full of this I felt so fresh, cool and revitalised. Yay food again!

The saga continues

It's too hot. Too damn hot. When it gets this hot I:

a) get grumpy, lazy and sweaty (gross);

b) believe the world is actually out to get me and cannot believe everyone else is able to function normally (thus increasing aforementioned grumpiness); and

c) don't really feel like eating.

Essentially, the heat turns me into another being. Evil Pip, Bizarro Pip, Summer Pip, call her what you will, she's just not me. That explains my recent lack of posting. I just haven't been eating anything, let alone anything blog-worthy. Unfortunately this hasn't done my health much good. A nasty cough and sinus infection have been keeping me up at night, so I've made an effort to eat at least one really good meal a day, usually dinner. I load my plate up with veggies, complete proteins and any other vitamins I can squeeze on there.

This was last night's effort: bean burgers using the Black bean burger recipe from *my favourite* Veganomicon, on wholemeal La Panella buns with sauteed veggies in a coriander dressing. Not too heavy, the veggies were still a little crunchy, and the dressing was nice an tart from the juice of a lemon. The burger patties, on the other hand, were pretty disappointing. But then again, what a surprise! I subbed borlotti beans for the black beans, but for everything else I followed the recipe exactly. I was left with a pretty bland bunch of burgers that had a slightly off-putting, gag-inducing stringy chewiness to them thanks to the gluten flour. Anyone else have this trouble? Tim said he liked them, and once in the burger with some dressing and tomato relish they were passable, but I won't be making this recipe again. There was no mention of any seasoning, which I think they needed, and the chewiness was really unpleasant. Tonight's dinner will be much better, trust me!

My aid in staying sane - icy cool water with a whole lot of lime.

ABR (Another brownie recipe)

I'm back! I'm sad and missing my guests, but I'm getting by. I've already started planning my trip to Italy for next year! Just before they arrived (and the weather began to slowly and painfully assassinate me) I made these brownies from a recipe I've had hanging around for eons. I tore it out of a Tescos 'vegetarian special' catalogue I had for some reason back when I first started baking vegan. I always wanted to make them but was put off for some reason. I guess because they required a few fiddly steps like simmering dates. It's true you'll find yourself using more bowls than is usually required when making brownies, but these make for a really lovely, naturally sweetened slice perfect just out of the fridge. I may be devoted to this recipe from Bread & Honey, but it's always nice to have a choice.

Makes about 16 brownies

225g stoned dates

125g dairy-free marg

1 tbs ground flax seeds mixed with 3 tbs warm water

1 very ripe banana (extra black and squishy, please)

1 tsp vanilla extract

125g chocolate chips

75g plain flour, mixed with:

2 tsp baking powder

Put dates in a saucepan and add just enough water to cover. Simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 180C and line a 11x7" baking pan with greaseproof paper.

Melt the chocolate by placing it in a bowl that fits snugly into a saucepan containing a little simmering water. Continue simmering and stirring until melted, but take care not to get any water in the chocolate as it will ruin. Set aside to cool a little.

In a large bowl, beat together the dates and marg with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the banana, flax mixture and vanilla and mix well. Add the chocolate, then fold in the flour using a metal spoon. Pour batter into pan and bake for 35-40 minutes until fairly firm. Allow to cool before slicing and serving.

Stacked in our favour

Anyone else think my titles are becoming just a little too punny? No? Well never mind then. This glorious, colourful mountain of yum was dinner for Tim and I a few nights ago. Black beans stewed with onion, garlic, red and green capsicum, coriander and a little cumin, sprinkled with sprouted lentils, nacho Cheezly ($5 from World Vegan Day!) and fresh coriander. All this on top of baked polenta squares. But wait - there's more! I sprinkled grated Cheezly on the polenta BEFORE baking it, thus "nachofying" it (it's a scientific term I created. I can do that because I'm a scientist*). Oh yeah.

You probably won't be hearing from me for a few days. I have five Italian gentlemen staying with me, but you can see it all from here.

*Scientist in training. Not really though.

Avoiding "Cup Fever"

One pot luck down, one more to post. On Tuesday (aka Melbourne Cup Day, aka State Sanctioned Animal Cruelty Day) Tim and I attended a house warming gathering for our friends Kirk and Chad. They, along with Chad's sweetheart Rotweiler Raga, have just moved in with Emily and her Staffy Dallas. I took along a broccoli quiche made with broccoli from our garden. I used the recipe from Vegan Brunch (I'm powering through that book!), as I was so impressed with the caramelised onion version Kristy made the night before. The quiche had a really lovely texture - nice and firm whilst still being creamy. The inclusion of raw cashews added a subtle nuttiness to the filling. I had enough filling and pastry dough left over to make two mini quiches, that Tim and I will be enjoying later this week.

Tim made a batch of chocolate crackles, using coconut oil instead of Copha. It gave them a much lighter texture and a cleaner taste.

Kristy made oven-baked wontons filled with Tofutti Better than Cream Cheese, spinach and chives. These were delicious, the Tofutti tasted so much like ricotta!

Emily made a big boozy punch filled with fresh fruit, which I helped myself to all afternoon. She also fired up the barbecue, serving marinated tempeh, soy sausages, tofu and gigantic field mushrooms.

Bec made an amazing, creamy chocolate ripple cake that tasted a lot like a Vienetta ice cream cake.

Kirk made blueberry coconut muffins, with the biggest blueberries I have ever seen.

Craig brought a big mushroomy chili with Mountain bread on the side for dippin'.

There were a few other dishes which I failed to photograph, including a beautiful purple salad and some barbecued chili fruit kebabs from Jo, but this pasta salad was definitely a highlight for me. For years the taste and smell of dill has made my stomach turn, yet I found this creamy dish full of crunchy veggies irresistible. I think I helped myself to 4 or 5 serves of this!

I also brought along some homemade dog biscuits for the pooches, but that's another post.

Salicylate-free pot luck + white bean, caramelised onion and asparagus tart

What is up with that title? Never mind that it's too long - what the hell is a salicylate? Salicylic acid is a naturally occurring plant hormone that is found in a lot of fruits, vegetables and processed food. Some people have a sensitivity to salicylic acid. Reactions can vary from mild to extremely severe. There's a fair few recipes and websites on the internet for people with salicylic acid sensitivities, but as a few Melbourne vegan found out recently, not only are most painfully boring and bland (most spices contain the acid) but an alarming number of them suggest things like boiled chicken (ick!).

On Monday night Craig and Bec hosted a dual-purpose pot luck - to christen their new home and to create a bunch of tasty recipes for Bec's brother James who has a salicylate intolerance. All pot luck attendees were given a copy of a spread sheet James had devised listing the foods that were acceptable, those that could be used in small amounts, and those that were completely out. Many of us were amazed at the number of things James couldn't eat. All fruits except bananas and peeled pears were out; no citrus; no tomatoes, capsicum, basil, olive oil, eggplant, zucchini... Thankfully, legumes, most beans, tofu, garlic and onion were ok, so many of us had a starting point.

When I read the list I immediately starting forming a recipe in my head. Several alterations later and I came up with this:

White bean, caramelised onion and asparagus tart

pastry for one pie crust (recipe to follow)
3 cups cooked canellini beans
1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, sliced very thinly
1 cup chopped chives
8 stalks asparagus, tough ends removed
4 tbs plus 2 tsp rice bran oil
3 tsp malt vinegar
salt to taste

Chop the asparagus spears into little chunks. Heat 1 tsp of oil in a fry pan over medium hear. Add half the garlic and the asparagus and saute until the asparagus is tender. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
Heat another tsp of oil in the same pan and add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden and caramelised. Set aside to cool.
In a food processor blend the asparagus, chives, and the rest of the garlic with 3 tbs oil, 1 tsp malt vinegar and 2 tsp salt until relatively smooth. Scoop into a large bowl. Place the cashews in the food processor and blend until they resemble coarse crumbs. Add the beans, 1/3 cup water, 2 tsp malt vinegar and salt to taste and blend until smooth. Add the onions and blend briefly until combined.
Add the bean mix to the asparagus and fold together.
Preheat the oven to 180C.

Take dough out of the fridge and roll out on a floured surface into a circle 2" larger than your pie dish. Flip the dough into the dish and gently ease it into the corners. Trim the excess. Try not to stretch the dough too much to prevent it shrinking.
Fill the pie shell with the filling and bake for 35-40 minutes or until it starts to brown around the edges.

Shortcrust pastry
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup marg
pinch of salt
ice water
Place the flour and salt into a large bowl. Add the marg in chunks. With a plastic spatula or pastry knife, cut the marg into the flour (like a chopping motion) until the mix resembles coarse crumbs. Add the water a little at a time, folding it in until the pastry comes together into a ball. DON'T add too much water. Wrap it in cling wrap or baking paper and place in the fridge for at least 45 minutes.

Try to keep the dough and your utensils as cold as possible for flakier pastry.

And what did everyone else make? Tim put together a pear pie, using the apple pie recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking (minus the cinnamon and nutmeg).

James made "white man sushi" - Mountain bread filled with rice and other goodies.

Kristy and Toby made a caramelised onion quiche adapted from Vegan Brunch, and fudgecicles that I went mad for - I'm making these soon!

Cindy made an amazing pasta bake (I'm a bit of a sucker for these) using chickpeas and cashews as a base.

Craig made a giant pasty filled with roasted veg, and a nut slice slathered in cashew butter and maple syrup.

Danni and Steph brought a pasta salad with a creamy parsley dressing, and a sweet semolina halva pudding.

Bec's "failed" attempt at pasta sauce resulted in a rather tasty casserole baked over rice, and she made a saffron dahl.

Emily didn't stay for long, but she brought chocolate cookies.

James and Bec's sister brought a banana bread.

For more Salicylate-free recipes, check out this site.