Cookbook Mondays: Juice Feasting and Gazpacho Juice

The last week of MoFo was hard for me. I didn't post as much, I was feeling pretty run down, but also uber excited about helping with the wedding of the lovely John and Emma from Sweets Workshop  last Saturday. Thanks to some indulgent eating through the month, overeating at the wedding (how could I not?) and a few late nights, I am feeling quite the granny. I'm hoping the juicing will promote some good healing in my body, I've been suffering from bad joint pain throughout my feet on waking and if I've been sitting for awhile, and since I detest going to the doctor so much, I hope maybe its just a flag my body is waving at me telling me to take care of it better. 

Last time I went raw for a whole month I slept better, felt better, and lost 7kg. I'm not sure why I didn't continue with it, maybe I just wasn't ready. This time, I've decided to try a juice feast to try and do some serious healing in my body, and maybe I can get back on track. My aim is at least 21 days, but if I feel that I should extend at the end of that, I may go longer. 

But what is a juice feast you may ask, and how is it different to a juice fast? Basically, the aim of a juice fast is to restrict calorie intake, but a juice feast is about abundance - the aim is at least 3-4 litres of fresh pressed vegetable and fruit juice per day. The Beloved isn't doing it with me, but seems to be ok with me making him a really big salad for dinner with something really easy on the side so I don't have the torture of cooking something I can't eat. 

Yesterday was my first day, and I was still feeling pretty whacked out from the weekend. I drank about 3 litres over the day, and ended up having a nap in the afternoon (which I never do!) I'm still feeling pretty ordinary today, and expect to remain this way for a few more days before I perk up again. 

I did have a really nice gazpacho juice for lunch from Vegetable Juices by Joanna Farrow that I picked up a year or two ago, I'll be using it a lot to keep the juicing interesting and also to make sure I have as much different produce as possible. So here goes, wish me luck! 

Cookbook Mondays: Artisan Bread

A while ago I found a book called Artisan Breads  by Jan Hedh. I immediately bought it because I was suckered in by all the beautiful bread in the book, and also the recipes for bread made from wild yeasts. I have another bread book written in the early 70's which has taught me a lot about breadmaking, but it was pretty standard sort of recipes. Since Jan is a Swedish baker I was sure I would learn new skills and recipes, and they would be a success. But then it lingered on the bookshelf, because learning a new bread recipe takes time and patience, and at that point I had none. 

A couple of weeks a go I began a raisin starter from the book. 

The recipe called for honey as well as sugar but I omitted it in the hope it would work anyway. I had no idea the French usually make sourdough with a honey and raisin starter, so now I know! It worked and a week later my jar of raisins was bubbling like champagne, and the jar opened with a pop! You can see the bubbles in the photo below.

 I went ahead making the 'mother' and then the 'chef' which sounds complicated but really it wasn't, I just put it into the Kitchenaid with the dough hook on and timed it. I do like making the actual loaf by hand, or at least finishing it by hand though. Breadmaking is such a tactile process and you really need to 'feel' the dough turn into elastic. I made the dough for a wheat and rye loaf on Friday night, and left it overnight, hoping I had done everything right and it would rise. Phew... it did! I baked it off Saturday morning and we enjoyed it as part of a brunch. I made the Beloved have the first slice in case it was a disaster LOL. I was so pleased it worked the first time, and I'm going to keep making different bread from the book. If you like making your own bread and have the time to do it I would recommend it. Not all the recipes are vegan but many are easily adaptable and he explains the chemical process so the right substitutes can be made. Happy baking!

Cookbook Mondays: Choco Chia Shake

I have a confession to make. I don't eat properly when I'm by myself. I eat too little, just snack, and mostly can't be bothered. It's not that I eat junk, I just don't eat enough, and I eat snacky things like vegemite on toast, or just a banana. The Beloved has gone away for a few days and so this week I'm making an effort to eat properly while the hubby isn't here. He knows I do this and will undoubtedly ask what I've eaten. So I decided I would have a look in Gorilla Food by Aaron Ash. I like raw vegan, and some stuff is truly amazing, but I mostly can't be bothered soaking, sprouting, and dehydrating something that will take four days before I can eat it. Plus, by the time its ready its more than likely I want to eat something else. If I'm going to eat raw, I like simple fast recipes or just eating au naturale -give me a whole pineapple, or half a watermelon or whatever. I like the Gorilla Food book because it has a really good combo of fast and simple, and more complex. I decided a shake would be the perfect thing, but I wanted something comforting. Let me tell you, I think The Oh My Choco Chia Shake is the best choc shake I've ever had! Serious. Vegan or otherwise. And my gut is thanking me for it, even better! It's rich and creamy thanks to some cashews (which I didn't have to soak- phew!), not overly sweet (even better, my face isn't going to tingle from a sugar rush), and I got two servings of fruit and a protein boost (ha, its a complete meal bonus points!) It's like drinking a chocolate pudding its so velvety and delicious. If you are going to buy a raw vegan uncook book I would definitely recommend this one simply because of its variety and intensely flavoured recipes. I'll be making this shake over and over again I know!

Cookbook Mondays: Pom Pom Sushi

Last year I bought Kansha by Elizabeth Andoh. If you like Japanese cuisine but are always trying to work out what is and isn't vegan then I highly recommend this book. I bought it once again because I was suckered in by the beautiful photography and mouthwatering descriptions, but also because I hadn't come across a specifically vegan Japanese cookbook before.  I've made a few things from it and it is always delicious. The Beloved has grown fond of sushi lately, so for dinner I've made some red and white miso soup, and Pom Pom Sushi that looks so freakin' cute! They are really easy to make, so if you have never tried making your own sushi rolls, or you have tried and failed, have a crack at these. The idea is that you use up left over bits and pieces and wrap them around the balls of sushi rice. I had bok choi leaves, carrot, avocado, mushrooms, pickled ginger, capsicum, and some red lettuce which I used for mine. I think the more colours you have the prettier it is! 

Cookbook Mondays: Coffee & Cocoa Cereal

I decided to keep going with Cookbook Mondays during MoFo because I would really like to keep this habit! The Beloved really wanted me to have a go at making Simon Bryant's Coffee & Cocoa Cereal from Vegies so since I was busy with coffee and chocolate yesterday I thought it would be good to make use of the coffee shots while he was making them. The only thing non vegan in the recipe was honey, so I substituted rice syrup and it was fine. I couldn't get hold of wattleseed but I don't think it made a huge difference. I would like to try it with the wattleseed when I order some online. It's not overly sweet, which is good because I don't like really sweet cereal.

This recipe has no less than eight - yes EIGHT shots of coffee. The Beloved loves coffee, so it suits him to a tee, but if it were for me I would make it with far less! Simon says it should take a couple of hours in the oven to dry, it took about three.  Next time I'll make it in the dehydrator and leave it over night so I don't have to keep checking it. Definitely a gourmet breakfast, but if you are a coffee lover you will adore it! 

Cookbook Mondays: Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Red Onion Jam

I don't know why people don't like Brussel Sprouts. Is it because they have only eaten them boiled to a yellowy mush and forced to eat them as a child? I fear many such vegetables have been shunned and mocked, the last to be picked as part of a team, or left on the bench while the other more cool and hip fruit and veg get to be in the spotlight. Kale which is so in right now ( I mean Donna Hay jumped on that band wagon after all) was once left to wilt on the bench, and it now has more glamour than the Kardashians. Sprouts and kale are cousins after all, so why not give the Brussels a shot ?

Simon Bryant is one of my favourite chefs, and although he is not a vegetarian does some pretty fantastic work in making them appealing to the carnivorous lot. I loved watching him with Maggie Beer on The Cook and the Chef, he always seemed to balance out Maggie's meat and dairy rich meals with a large helping of vegetables. Add to that a good sense of humour about "cheffy showing off" and a love of really good produce from paddock to plate. I snapped up his book Vegies  as soon as it came out, and we have tried a few recipes - its probably one of my favourite food porn books. He also happens to be a fan of the poor sprout, so we tried his roasted Brussels Sprouts with Red Onion Jam. I omitted the egg yolk and cheese,  and subbed dairy free margarine and soy to make the white sauce. I already had a jar of homemade red onion jam in the fridge, so making it was a snap. It was absolutely DELICIOUS! the jam really makes this dish in my opinion, the sauce is the subtle carrier. Honestly, if you don't like sprouts, give this recipe a try. You may just be converted.

Bon appetit!

Cookbook Mondays: Chocolate Fudgey Oatmeal Cookies & Blackstrap Gingersnaps

Chocolate Fudgey Oatmeal Cookies

 Admittedly I'm not posting this on Monday, but I can assure you, the Beloved's Treat Tins were full to bursting on Monday! First off are the Chocolate Fudgey Oatmeal Cookies from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar.  I knew these were going to be super choc and super sweet just by reading the ingredients, and hence the Beloved would like them. They taste great, and are very fudgey, and moist. If you are going to make these, don't get too alarmed if the dough is more like batter! I found it was quite runny, but let it stand for 10 minutes for the oats to soak up the moisture, and the dough was fine.
There isn't any mention of this in the recipe, so just a heads up if you're going to make them.

Blackstrap Gingersnaps

Next I made the Blackstrap Gingersnaps. I was looking forward to these because I quite like ginger biscuits, and they aren't overly sweet. They taste really good, there is a bit of a back note of bitterness from the molasses to balance out the sugar, and they are lovely and gingery. To make them more snappy I would personally make the dough a little firmer to roll out and cut out the cookies so they are thinner and more like biscuits (that's Aussie biscuit, not American biscuit for those of you in the northern hemisphere). I did find with these ones that I had to add more flour than the recipe called for to get a dough firm enough to roll into balls, somewhere between 1/2 to 3/4 cup, so keep that in mind if you have a crack at these ones too. 

I'll keep going with Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar for a couple more recipes and then switch it up with another recipe book, just to keep me from getting bored with the one book :)

Cookbook Mondays: Choc Chip Cookies & Carrot Raisin Spice Chewies

I won't be the first to admit it, but I do have a slight cook book addiction. Previously, I would snap up magazines and cook books that I knew in my heart of hearts I would likely rarely (alright I'll be honest NEVER) use or barely scratch the surface of. I was suckered in by all that food porn, the pretty pictures and the delicious descriptions. Occasionally I might get some out, flip through and vow to make something...but would usually end up making something else instead. and that's sad, because there is a lot of work that goes into cook books and I only think it fair to actually genuinely try to make a dent in the recipes of every book I buy. Otherwise, what's the point? And how will you ever learn something new?  So now that I'm a SAHW and part of my job is to keep the Beloved's treat tins filled, I decided to start blogging Cookbook Mondays. I'll be making something from a cookbook I own at least once per week and posting my success or failure. 

To start off with I decided to go with Isa and Terry's  Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar because lets face it, if my hubby was a puppet he'd probably be the Cookie Monster. I have made a few cookies from the book with success before, but there are so many the logical thing to do was start from the beginning.

Choc Chip Cookies 

Hmmm. I was a little disappointed because I have used various recipes of Isa and Terry's and they are nearly always spot on for measurements. I was very surprised when I made the cookie dough and discovered it was more of a thick batter consistency. After double checking my quantities and not having made any errors, I started adding in more flour. I ended up using close to 3 cups instead of the original 1 1/2. Even allowing for humidity etc I can't understand why the batter was so wrong. After baking they turned out OK, not too sweet, although I hadn't increased the sugar to make up the flour, but that was OK by me because I'm not a super sweet tooth. It is a good basic vegan cookie, but lacking in a buttery choc chip cookie flavour if you know what I mean, so I probably wouldn't use this particular recipe again.

Carrot Raisin Spice Chewies

I really liked the flavour of these guys, and again, not overly sweet so I was pretty happy to dunk them in my EGT (earl grey tea). Like they say in the book, they are best eaten the day they are made, as they dry out a little, but I'm a dunker so being drier later on wasn't an issue. The only discrepancy with them was the recipe said to leave two inches between cookies (presumably as they would spread) but mine did not spread at all, so on my second batch I flattened them out so they weren't mounds. I did make the drizzle but did it in orange not lemon as I already used orange in the cookies and didn't want to be wasteful. Really good, I will definitely make them again (when I've worked my way through the rest!)