The Rawmazing Race: Waldorf Salad in New York

Tonight I'm in New York, sitting in a posh restaurant with Donald Draper, wearing a fab frock and looking glamorous having ordered a stylish and ever popular Waldorf Salad...Who am I kidding? I'm sitting with my husband on the sofa watching an episode of 'Ello 'Ello and not in any state of glamour at all. But I am eating a Waldorf salad.Yes, I know it's just a salad. But this is one of the most famous salads in the world and was created at the Waldorf in New York some time in the 1890s. A typical Waldorf salad contains copious amounts of egg layden mayo with celery, apple, and walnuts (with or without lettuce). Tonight, I made some cute Waldorf stacks and drizzled raw vegan mayo made with cashews over the top. It was pretty yummy if I do say so myself, and the cashews add some protein, good fats, iron, zinc, and copper to my nutritional intake for the day. The walnuts add some folate, B6, and thiamine. So have a go at this little salad and make your own raw vegan mayo.

To make the mayo, I blended raw cashews, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, water, and a little nutritional yeast. I just added  a little at at time until I found the balance I liked, but used probably 2/3 cup cashews. Leftover mayo will make a great dip for some veggie sticks tomorrow!

So where to next on this raw vegan plate hopping adventure? Not sure, but stay tuned!

Sprout & Bean Catering Shenanigans

Ready for food!

Cups and saucers

Picnic blankets and cushions

Mrs Sprout and Mrs Bean in action!

I know, I've been terribly slack, only one post this week. I promise, I'll make it up to you. Last two weeks have been a little bit crazy with Sprout & Bean doing a couple of parties, but tired though we are, it's amazing getting great feedback and people who want to know more 

about us and are interested in hiring us in the future. Last night was a 30th birthday party for a friend, and we had a lot of fun styling and getting our vintage crockery and whatnot.  Unfortunately we didn't really have the opportunity to take more photos, but you can see the picnic baskets and cute bottles of lemonade in some old drawers. Mr Sprout found us a swag of picnic baskets for props and we have some vintage thermos that added to the picnic afternoon tea theme.  We provided the props and the vegetarian and vegan options and were delighted that people loved what we offered. Mrs Bean made an assortment of gluten free choc ganache tarts and some cappuccino mousse pies, I made the usual gluten free goats cheese tarts, and for dinner we made an assortment of yummy salads, haloumi skewers, and chickpea Caesar bites, and marinated pumpkin pieces. And dessert...we did a sundae bar with an assortment of toppings like raspberry curd, lemon curd, vanilla sugared almonds, choc hazelnuts, ganache, and caramel sauce with proper sundae glasses. Want to hire us? ;)

A little while ago we also did a Tiki-tacular night which was also a heap of fun. It was a fundraiser night for Quizworks ministry and although it was a little cold being the end of March, those who came made it a great night. The event was held in the churchyard of St John's in Ashfield, and we had lots of curious onlookers walking by (obviously wishing they could join in)and some donated even though they weren't part of the night which was great! It was a great opportunity for us to link our beliefs in vegetarian food for compassionate and environmental reasons with people who are sharing Jesus with kids - after all, Jesus is all about being compassionate! We did haloumi skewers with lychees and cherry tomatoes; mini pineapple pizzas, a tiki- slaw created for the night; a green salad; coconut lime rice; and huli huli tofu. Dessert was a little boat with a mini coconut creme brulee in a shot glass, a raw vegan choc truffle, and a pineapple shaped cookie. 

Mr Bean having a good time at the bar

The dinner..or part of it, as you can see quite a bit got eaten!

Dessert boat

Mr Bean, Mr Sprout, and friends handwork in setting up the atmosphere 

Mini pizzas

The bar

Rawmazing Race: Chilli Wraps in Acapulco

Life has been very busy of late juggling a full time job on top of catering work, but hey - it will all be worth it when I can eventually concentrate on catering only. I didn't get much of a chance to post any more baking, but Bake My Day will probably be resurrected at a later date.

So, being the 1st May, the Rawmazing Race has now begun. This may not be a coherent trip around the world as such, depending on what I feel like eating and ingredients readily available. I also want to try and do easy recipes that don't require a lot of special equipment, and preferably, something that doesn't require a great deal of time, so not  a lot of dehydrating sort of stuff. Since I have a heap of fresh tomatillos, first stop is Acapulco on the coast of Mexico. The menu? Chilli wraps - easy to do without a tortilla.

Ingredients

2/3 cup walnuts, crushed

1/4 cup sunflower seeds, crushed

1 cup fine chopped mushrooms

big handful chopped spinach

1/2 cup grated carrot

approx 10 soaked semi dried tomatoes

1 fresh tomato

1 clove garlic crushed

1/2 tsp chilli powder

handful fresh coriander leaves

1 cup chopped tomatillos (or fresh tomatoes)

1 small onion

Large lettuce leaves for wrap

1 mashed avocado

Method

Soak semi dried tomatoes in warm water for 10 minutes, then puree.

Crush nuts and sunflower seeds- if you don't have a food processor or a mortar and pestle, fold into a clean tea towel and bash with a rolling pin or a tin of beans or whatever you have...

Chop mushrooms, onion, tomatillos, and tomato, grate carrot and chop spinach.

In a bowl, combine all ingredients including chopped fresh coriander, garlic and chilli powder. Add a little water, cover, and leave in fridge until ready to use. I made mine in the morning and it was perfect for dinner, the flavours had gone through really well.

Take a large lettuce leaf such as a cos or iceberg, spoon the chilli down the centre, and top with mashed avocado and tomatillos (or tomatoes). Fold over and eat!

This was super easy, it only took me about 10 minutes to make, and I could make it in the morning and all I had to do was spoon it into a lettuce leaf and serve. It was warming too with the chilli in it, so perfect for cooler evenings. Plenty left over for lunch as well! It is rich in vitamins B-6, A,C, and E, copper, manganese, selenium, iron, and zinc. It also has a  protein from the nuts and avocado, so it's good all rounder.

The Rawmazing Race

I planned on posting so much baking. But alas, things got in the way...like the flu which somehow I got  and although I have told it the relationship is over and to please leave,  it just doesn't listen. Must be  a man flu then ;) huh? It is my own fault. I stopped having green smoothies for breakfast, and eating naughty things, and I guess my body just decided it couldn't stand up to the germs that have been circulating at home and the office for the past 6 weeks and all the white blood cells must have waved their little white flags and surrendered. So, it just goes to show the amazing power of green smoothies and raw vegan food, because I got through last winter with not a sniffle - the minute I slacken, I'm in trouble. So, while I'll be putting up a few more baking posts before April is over, I may not necessarily be eating much of it. I'm sure the Beloved won't mind, and neither will the boys at work on a Saturday morning - more for them!

So with that in mind, and a need to ahem, drop a few kilos, May will be all about raw. So, what's the Rawmazing Race all about? It's about me, trying to get really good fuel into my body, so that it heals itself, and getting my fitness back up to scratch. It's not easy for me partly due to having had my thyroid removed - this gland controls your metabolism. But, I have had great success before with mostly raw food and a really good workout plan. So, the mission? To lose some flab and feel fab. How am I going to do it? Race around the world via my plate and explore some tastes from around the globe in raw form. At the end of the month I should be feeling much better! The posts will probably not be as pretty as my other ones, as photos of dinner without natural light never really look that great - but it will be a chance to document what I eat. Wish me luck!

Go Ahead, Bake My Day: Vegan ANZAC Biscuits

For any of you readers not in our hemisphere, Anzac biscuits are more Aussie than Vegemite, and we take these very seriously. Like, protected by law seriously. The acronym ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and was first used during WWI. The story goes, the biscuits were made by soldiers wives and shipped overseas as they contained ingredients that would store for a long period and not spoil. The beautiful thing about these is, they already contain no eggs, so I just had to sub the butter to make them. Due to the scarcity of eggs during the war, eggs were left out and golden syrup or treacle was used as the binder. They are very popular in Australia, and with ANZAC Day coming up on Wednesday I thought this would be a good time to make them. Let me make one thing clear: these are a biscuit, not a cookie, as these are Australian and cookie is an American term (in any case I always think of cookies as softer and heaped, whereas biscuits are thinner, hard, and crisp - but I digress). The official recipe is actually controlled by the Retired Serviceman's League and the term ANZAC is protected under Australian law - the only exception to use the term is for these biscuits! To call these Anzac biscuits they must conform to the original recipe.  (Subway learned all this the hard way a couple of years ago and were forced to remove the biscuit from the menu). Any kind of commercial venture must be approved by the RSL - there are only a couple of companies allowed to use the name officially.

Anyhoo, these beautifully crisp biscuits  are well worthy of being veganised and I hope you make a batch! Unfortunately, my Aussie grandparents are no longer with us, but making a batch of these for yours, or perhaps a serviceman (or woman) and giving to them on Anzac Day would make a lovely pressie.

Ingredients
1 cup plain flour
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons golden syrup
100gr copha
40gr nuttelex
2 tablespoons boiling water
1 tsp bicarb soda

Method
Mix in a large bowl flour sugar and rolled oats.
In a large saucepan melt copha with golden syrup and nuttelex ( I found the two different fats best substituted butter when the biscuits were cooled).
In a separate bowl or small jug, mix boiling water and bicarb.
Add to hot copha mixture - watch out it will foam (hence there need for a large saucepan)!
Pour into dry mixture and stir rapidly to combine.
Drop small teaspoonfuls on a baking tray well apart - these guys really spread during baking which I absolutely forgot when I made the first batch and ended up with one giant biscuit, but that's OK, Mr Sprout will eat them.
Bake in a 170C oven for about 12 minutes until golden brown.
Leave on the tray for a few minutes before you slide them off onto a rack to cool. They won't come off until the fat and sugar cool and solidify so don't even attempt it until they have cooled somewhat!

There are lots of variations, including adding coconut, or macadamias, but I wanted to make these to the original, because remembering our ANZAC soldiers is what the day is all about. And since it's all about Aussies, dip your biccie in a cuppa of Twinings limited edition Australian Afternoon Tea, a blend by former PM Kevin Rudd. And while I'm giving it a plug, can I also add that 10c from every pack of this sold goes to Kev's charity of choice, which happens to be the RSPCA! See Kev's plug here for the comp held last year for the winning blend, which involves his own animals "trying" the tea :)

Autumn Planting - Garlic and Shallots

Finally, finally, I was able to get into the garden on this long weekend and tidy up, as well as doing some planting. The corn is ready, and the tomatillos have finally ripened (better late than never). Since I have a plot of coriander fresh salsa is on the menu.

. I've covered the pumpkin as the nights are getting a bit chilly and I have three enormous ones that are not quite ripe. It is nowhere near the 18 pumpkins I harvested two years ago, but some are better than none! And being so large, I may even have to cut up and freeze what I don't use straight away or the Beloved Mr Sprout will get sick of all the pumpkin soup, and corn and pumpkin pies.

I planted a nice big patch of purple Monaro garlic, as well as a patch of golden and red shallots. I know the shallots will do better than my poor onions planted last winter, and I can use the tops at the same time as they grow. The varieties chosen are suited to the cooler mountain climate, and having grown before, I know these will flourish. When choosing a variety check if it is suitable for your zone! Quite often garden centres carry plants unsuitable for the zone you are in (for example I saw corn and tomato seedlings the other day, totally unsuitable for planting here now). Both plantings are in a sunny spot in well drained soil, flatter or root end down, deep enough to just cover the bulbs 15 cm apart. The beds were fertilised with litter from the chook shed, so I won't need to do anything else with them for awhile! These have gone into the tomato beds to rotate my crops and prevent diseases building up in the soil. By October, I should have garlic for harvest.

Go Ahead, Bake My Day: Vegan Strawberry Scones Forever

I dehydrated a batch of strawberries, but it wasn't quite what I was after. So rather than wasting them, I put them into a scone. Have these with a dollop of sweetened vegan cream cheese. Listening to "Strawberry Fields Forever" doesn't make them taste any better, but having a scone is certainly British enough to warrant having a splendid afternoon tea in a nice frock. Maybe make a cucumber sandwich or two to go with them?

Ingredients

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

100gr dairy free margarine

2 tablespoons golden syrup

50 gr dried strawberries

approx 1/2 cup soymilk, water, or ricemilk

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Sift together flour and baking powder.

Rub in margarine, to the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs.

Add chopped dried strawberries, and mix through.

Add soymilk, just enough to draw the mixture together to a soft dough, you don't want it runny, and form the scones quickly, not handling the dough more than necessary. I get 10 smaller scones from this.

Put in a greased tin with sides, not on a tray, just touching.

Bake for approx  20 minutes.