Raw Vegan Exhilaration with Lisa, Vegie Bar, and Kombucha: Melbourne Day Four

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Hannah

My first three days in Melbourne were wonderful, filled as they were with friends, food, singing, new shoes, and much laughter.

But none of that was why I booked the trip to Melbourne. The real reason was that, last year, a certain Canadian blogger announced that she’d be visiting Australia during her world trip. I suggested meeting up, but didn’t really think it would happen. After all, this blogger was – and is – amazing, inspiring, vibrant, and beloved-by-so-many that I honestly didn’t think she’d even know who I was, let alone want to go gallivanting with me.

Except she did, and she did, and that’s how I ended up spending two perfect, perfect days with Lisa. Lisa, my (to borrow words from her post about our adventures, because I can’t think of better) long-lost soulmate.

Lisa and I were to to start our double-day-date at Vegie Bar, which Dan assured me was an easy walk away: “Leave the house, cross the road, turn left, find [a particular] road, then walk straight until you hit Brunswick Street”. However, because I am very clever, I left the house, crossed the road, turned right, got lost, and was late to Vegie Bar.

Luckily, though, Lisa was also running late (see? long-lost soulmates). After an excited hug, we settled down in Vegie Bar’s sun-lit courtyard. We knew we’d be ordering from the daily Raw Food Specials menu, for while I’m an excited novice in the world of raw vegan delights, Lisa is one of its queens. (She’s taught raw vegan classes across Asia, New Zealand, and Australia, not to mention in her native Toronto, and I’m certain that no one could leave a class of hers without feeling enthusiastic about raw food. She’s that effervescent and inspiring.)

You’ll have to forgive the lack of detailed food notes; I was too caught up in the incredible, exhilarating, wonderful feeling that is connecting with someone at a level that lifts your heart and soul, yet also feels like comfort, to focus on tasting notes.

We shared two dishes, the first of which was the Raw Pizza. The flax and seed base was more delicate in texture and flavour than I expected, but worked really nicely with the rich sweet raw tomato sauce, creamy avocado, brine-y olives, and fresh basil.

Vegie Bar’s Raw Falafel Salad, however, was the clear winner. Of the day, of the week, of my life. (Hyperbole? Me?) The crunchy-but-not-dry crumbled falafel made of nuts, seeds and spices, combined with the coconut sour cream, nut-based “parmesan cheese”, fresh salad mix, and surely not a little bit of pixie dust, tasted exactly like I remember falafel feasts at Middle Eastern restaurants tasting, except better: more zingy, more vibrant, richer, more energising.

After lunch, Lisa and I decided to do exactly what we both love to do whilst travelling, which is walk for hours, exploring. (And, in this case, talkingtalkingtalking.) We poked around Books for Cooks, Trippy Taco, shoe stores (in the hopes of finding vegan shoes), and every health or grocery store we wandered past.

We found a Secret Room, but I can’t tell you what was in there.

It’s a secret.

After a good hour or so of wandering in the summer heat, I started dreaming of something refreshing. Lisa and I ducked into a little organic store, and oh! Oh! Oh!

Kombucha! I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw bottles of this adored-by-American-and-Canadian-health-bloggers’ drink in the store’s fridge, because I was under the impression it wasn’t available in Australia. I bought it for a bit of a laugh, as I’ve read of people “forcing” themselves to drink Kombucha. I didn’t really expect to like it.

With my first sip, I fell utterly, utterly in love. Hand over heart, Kombucha is one of the best drinks I’ve ever tasted (along with coffee and water; I’m a simple girl). It’s fizzy, tangy, sweet-yet-sour, amazing. I understand why people mightn’t like its vinegar-y flavour, but I used to drink white vinegar straight as a kid so this is pretty much the drink of my heart.

I even drank the scoby. Lisa, weren’t you proud of me?

Suitably refreshed by our magical Ginger Kombucha elixir, Lisa and I continued traversing the Collingwood area. At a certain point, though, I listened to my soulmate intuition and quietly asked Lisa, who was staying somewhere without Internet, whether she might like to relax at my brother’s place and check her emails.

It’s always good to trust your intuition. It was Lisa’s idea to buy a plethora of Aussie-grown fruit on the way to my brother’s place and make ourselves fruit platters fit for royalty, which just goes to show that it’s good to trust another’s intuition, too.

The Fruit Gods were clearly on our side that day, because everything here – mango, pineapple, cherries, white nectarines, red plums, passionfruit – was the epitome of sweet, tangy, crisp, fruit deliciousness.

It was a fittingly sweet end to a wonderful day, and the only reason I let Lisa get on the tram afterwards was knowing we were meeting again the next day. But that’s a story for another post.

January Nibbles, Just [Not] Like a Koala

Posted on January 28, 2012 by Hannah

This post arises from the fact that I am both similar to and very different from a koala.

What koalas and I have in common is that we both spend a large portion of our waking hours eating (or thinking about eating), but we diverge in the sense that koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves forever and ever, whereas I crave novelty on my plate.

Luckily, I have friends (human friends, even) who support me in my quest for delicious, new, and often From-The-Overseas treats. For example…

In the package of goodies that Heidi put together for me whilst gallivanting around America, I found a vegan fruit and nut bar that appealed to my raw vegan dessert tendencies. Pure Bar’s Wild Blueberry Bar is made of dates, blueberries, walnuts, cashews, rice protein, agave, lemon and a few other little bits and bobs.

The taste is fruity with a subtle nuttiness, but more than anything this bar reminds me of my mum’s apple and boysenberry crumble, perhaps because her (gluten-free and vegan, no less) recipe has walnuts in the crumble. Heidi, thank you!

Can I tell you a secret? I actually bought this Cocopure Coconut Chocolate Chilli Goji Butter to take to Melbourne as a gift, but I accidentally left it at home. So when I returned to Canberra, I ate it. Can I tell you another secret? I think my subconscious made me forget to pack the jar on purpose. This was wonderfully rich with a fruity edge and the odd chilli kick. I finished off the jar with naught but a spoon direct to my mouth.

Tangent: if you’re a Whitey-McWhitester Paleface von Alabaster and you go out for breakfast at 9:30am and spend an hour and a half in the not-even-that-bright-sun, you will turn into a Whitey-McWhitester Burntface von Alalobster. If you then spend the next two days walking around for hours in the sun without applying sunscreen, you will find that two weeks later your shoulders are still faintly pink.

That has nothing to do with food or koalas, of course. Just a reminder to Slip Slop Slap.

I deeply, deeply, deeply love enormous bowls of raw vegetables. This one is topped with sun-dried tomato pesto. Also, do you like the green vase, cinnamon sticks, and 6-piece coaster set version of The Lady Of Shallot by John William Waterhouse in the background? My subconscious left them there on purpose for you.

Sometimes, if you go to a café and request Tabasco sauce, you will receive not Tabasco sauce but three little pots of tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, and sweet chili sauce.

The waiter was clearly flirting with me. I mean, three different sauces? That’s practically a marriage proposal. I bet he didn’t even spit in any of them.

This was the Thai Iced Tea that I-Hua’s Boy ordered at iSpicy. I think it will shock most of you to hear that this was too sweet for me. In fact, my tastebuds actually tried to hide upon encountering this drink.

At Komeyui, we received an amuse bouche (or the Japanese equivalent) of sweetened black beans. These were also too sweet for me. I powered on and ate them regardless, though, because, well, free.

This last is a lavender macaron from Farmer’s Daughter, which was not only pretty but helped make work taste more like an potpourri-scented underwear drawer. Who wouldn’t want that?

I think I might go make a cup of tea and keep reading my book now.

Question Time: What flavours would you like to see in a fancypants coconut butter? If it’s doable (that is, if you don’t say something like “hibiscus flowers picked at 2am on the night of the solstice whilst wearing a petticoat made of stardust), I might try to make it for you. By which I mean I’ll make it for me, but in honour of you.

The Strawberry Rose Smoothie Of My Dreams

Posted on January 26, 2012 by Hannah

This Strawberry Rose Smoothie is the most delicious smoothie I’ve ever made.

It’s the smoothie of my dreams.

(It could well be the smoothie of your dreams, too, if you’re willing to give it a try.)

Truth be told, this creation is actually the smoothie of my insomnia-before-the-dreams, as it came to me in a vision at 3am. (Right before I saw Gizmo’s shadow creep across my wall and, panic-stricken, completely stopped breathing. However, I soon remembered that Gizmo himself isn’t dangerous, and so I calmed down.)

In the shimmeringly hot summer day following that insomniac night, I couldn’t stop thinking about a frosty smoothie made with sweet strawberries, a hint of rosewater, creamy almond milk, and something, something, something to give it a jazzy edge.

I needed the jazzy, you see, because post-Melbourne life has been lacking in pizzazz.

There was the usual anticlimax of coming home after an exhilarating holiday, but that wasn’t all. There was also the strange mélange of sadness and guilt that comes with being the one who ends something. There was the uncertainty of a work situation in flux, the hopelessness of being unable to fix things for people you care about, and dropping a canister of sprinkles all over the kitchen floor. Sticky-crunchy-sadface.

But soon enough and sure enough, little things appeared to make life dazzle again. There was uncontrollable giggling over Facebook-banter with someone who’s popped back into my life. Texts and tweets from people who knew what was going on and wanted to send smiles and support. Promises to drink Butterbeer at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Chocolate. An email full of ridiculously cute animals and a link to this website (Thanks Jess; every time I read “Missing Missy”, I feel proud to be Australian*). Having enough sprinkles left to create a smiley face on my peanut butter toast.

And, of course, there was this smoothie. This perfectly sweet, zingy, creamy, frosty, fruity, perfect perfect Strawberry Rose smoothie, with its ruby strawberries, hint of rosewater, nutty almond milk, and dried tart cherries to gave it a jazzy edge.

My Strawberry Rose Smoothie was everything I wanted and imagined it to be. The small scoop of dried sour cherries nicely balanced the sweetness of the strawberries, and the rosewater and vanilla were subtle enough to create a taste that was not so much floral as queen-like and ethereal.

Yes, I just described the flavour of this smoothie as “queen-like and ethereal”. No, I don’t know what I mean either. All I do know is that, right at this minute, I’m walking on sunshine. And that’s all that matters.

Strawberry Rose Smoothie

Vegan, Dairy-Free, Optionally Raw
Serves 1

3/4 – 1 cup almond milk (homemade for raw version)
1/2 tsp rosewater, or more to taste
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (200g) frozen strawberries
2 tb (13g) dried tart cherries
sweetener to taste, optional

Throw everything in your blender and blend to the most glorious, pretty, refreshing, deliriously wonderful smoothie of happiness. If possible, enjoy whilst fluttering over exciting dreams.

Question Time: Have you ever dreamed up a recipe in the middle of the night? And what excites you about this coming year?

* Speaking of, Happy Australia Day! Vegemite Tim Tams Bonza Mate Beneath Our Radiant Southern Cross Damper Lorikeets Cockatoos Platypus Wattle Esky Hills Hoist How’s The Serenity to you all!

I’m submitting this to Ricki’s Wellness Weekend, and Lisa’s Allergy-Friendly Lunchbox Love, first time in weeks and weeks. Hurrah!

Chocolatepalooza: Lake Champlain Times Two and Whittaker’s

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Hannah

Today’s Chocolatepalooza post (back by popular demand!) has an alternate title to that found above. Behold:

Chocolatepalooza: The Chocolates That Didn’t Get Their Own Posts Because I Fail At Photography And Couldn’t Take Enough Sexy Photos Of Each To Justify To Enable Entire Posts Also Today I Ululated To Help Rid My Friend Of The Demon In Her Throat True Story Almost I Guess You Had To Be There Happy Chinese New Year Also Hello!

It’s probably a good thing that I chose the succinct title instead.

Lake Champlain Sao Thome 70%

Let’s ignore, for the moment, the fact that L.MiteMaster and L.TeachinginTaiwanGoddess sent me this and the following chocolate over a year ago, and focus instead on expressing a bottomless bucket-full of gratitude to them for so kindly congratulating me (with chocolate) for the PhD I soon after said farewell to. Dear L-squared, thank you for not making me send the chocolates back. I miss you both.

I’ve already reviewed the Lake Champlain Tanzania 75% they sent me to great acclaim, and happily found Lake Champlain’s Sao Thome 70% dark chocolate to be equally complex, nuanced, and engaging.

The aroma of this Sao Thome dark chocolate encompassed rich cocoa notes, redcurrants, beer, pineapple, lemon, and natural yoghurt. In other words, this chocolate forewarned of tanginess as a central thematic*.

Surprisingly, my first thoughts upon tasting this chocolate related less to tangy than woodsy flavours, but lemon and pineapple did appear. That said, I liked this Sao Thome far more than I usually like tangy chocolates, because there was so much else going on flavourwise: muscovado sugar, toffee, mocha, purity, lingering and full-bodied chocolatiness, golden syrup, brazil nuts, molasses. Yes, I enjoyed this dark chocolate.

* Wow. I really just wrote that sentence. “Central thematic”?! Sheesh.

Lake Champlain Spicy Aztec

It’s hard for me to review this Lake Champlain Spicy Aztec dark chocolate flavored with pumpkin seeds, cayenne, vanilla, and cinnamon. Why? Because I love it so, and because I bought it so many times while at UVA that tasting it now is like tasting memories. Memories like wandering UVA’s beautiful Jefferson-designed grounds. Sneaking bagels and cups of Cinnamon Toast Crunch out of Runk Dining Hall. Cheering on our football team (Wa-hoo-wah! Wa-hoo-wah! U-ni-V Vir-gin-i-a!). The apartment a family friend lent me for a week at the end of my exchange. Dancing to 99 Luftballons at 3am in the morning.

However, I’ll at least try to describe the taste for you. This Lake Champlain Spicy Aztec dark chocolate was rich and silky, perfumed throughout with the almost-fruity kick of cayenne, the beautiful sweet roundness of vanilla, and the warmth of cinnamon. The pumpkin seeds were fresh-crisp and nutty, and oh! I loved it so. Thank you, L-squared. Much happyface indeed.

Whittaker’s Dark Ghana 72%

I’ve used Whittaker’s Dark Ghana 72% previously in my Chocolate Date Meringue Torte, and would happily use it more often in baking if only my local Coles stocked it instead of the dastardly Cadbury. Laura, you get me, right?

The aroma of Whittaker’s Dark Ghana drew me in right away, with coconut and toffee bursting forth amidst the scent of swirling chocolate. Also brownie batter. Mmm, brownie batter.

The first sentence (if you can call it that) I wrote upon nibbling this chocolate was “marshmallows, malt… YUM YUM, what is that? something a little like burnt caramel but not burnt… condensed milk but darkdark”.

I also typed the following words: pain d’epice, cinnamon, smokiness, flourless chocolate cake, demerara, strawberry, vanilla.

I may or may not have simply been envisioning dessert by the end there.

And thus ends Chocolatepalooza the Second.

Question Time: Are you a fan of ululating? Or, at the least, of saying the word “ululating”? If not, I think you should find an empty room and get some shriek-warbling out of your system. Do a bit of wild dancing, too. And then come back and answer the questions again.

Coconut Pecan Pie Muffins, Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Hannah

When other kids were playing team sports after school, I was enmeshed in music. Piano lessons, music theory classes, clarinet lessons, clarinet ensemble, piano practice, clarinet practice, eisteddfods, music festivals. I’d also sing to my mum as she played chauffeur, although it wasn’t until last year that I took up singing in a less haphazard way.

A large portion of my childhood memories relate to music. The friends I made through clarinet, the first piano teacher who scared the willies out of me and the second piano teacher who became a dear friend. The nauseating butterflies before piano and clarinet exams (less so theory exams), and the giddiness afterwards when I got to call my grandparents and dad and tell them that, thank heavens, I hadn’t “failed” by getting less than top marks. (But this isn’t the place to talk about ridiculous over-achieving perfectionist tendencies.)

I remember once, after a piano exam, Mum and I stopped at a cafe to celebrate my results with something sweet. I remember standing at the bakery case and pointing to an individual pecan pie, drawn in by its golden-brown nuts bathed in a glossy sugar syrup.

I remember not liking the pecan pie at all. It was too cloying and too one-note, and the pastry base was stodgy, crumbling, and lacking in flavour. Yet despite this disappointment, I held out hope for one day finding a pecan pie that tasted like I dreamed it would.

These Coconut Pecan Pie Muffins aren’t a true pecan pie, but by golly gee whiz willikins! They are rich and sweet and nutty and cinnamon-tinted and glorious and definitely a dessert-muffin rather than a breakfast-muffin which is always a good thing.

The dessert-aspect is why I ate most of these muffins warmed up in the microwave with a hearty scoop of Vanilla So Good soy ice cream. (Well, I also ate them this way because following the original recipe’s baking time resulted in uncooked-at-the-bottom muffins that I wasn’t comfortable taking to work as per my original plan and therefore had to warm up to cook a little bit more to eat all by myself, but shhhhh. We shan’t speak of that.)

My first pecan pie experience may have made my heart cry, but these gluten-free and dairy-free Coconut Pecan Pie muffins taste like what I imagine the acme of pecan pies would taste like. Except better, because of the crackly top, moist, soft, nut- and coconut-studded crumb, and dairy-free ice cream.

Plus, I didn’t have to steel myself against the stern eyes of an AMEB examiner to get to these muffins. That’s a win right there.

Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free Coconut Pecan Pie Muffins

Adapted from Tasty Kitchen
Makes 8 (next time I might try making 10-12 smaller muffins)

1 cup (220g) packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (75g) gluten-free flour (I used Orgran. Normal flour will also work.)
3/4 cup (80g) chopped pecans
1/3 cup (35g) shredded/desiccated coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cups softened dairy-free spread or butter (I used Nuttelex)
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and/or line a muffin pan.
In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar, gluten-free flour, pecans, coconut, and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, beat the Nuttelex and eggs together until smooth. (I recommend using hand-held electric beaters for this. I started out with my arm and a whisk, and That. Was. Stupid.)
Stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared cups until they’re about 2/3rds full. (You may want to make more than 8; I should have, in retrospect.)
Bake muffins for 25-35 minutes*, until cooked through. Leave muffins in tins for 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack.

* Yes, I know this is a huge time difference, but I baked mine for about 28 minutes and they were, as mentioned above, still very gooey (read: uncooked) at the bottom. Depending on your oven and whether you make 8, 10, or 12 muffins, you may want to cover the tops with foil and bake them for longer. I will confidently state, however, that these coconut pecan pie muffins are incredibly delicious even when not entirely cooked through.

Wayfaring Chocolate

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Monthly Archives: January 2012