Apparently I can cook (without a recipe).

I'm a strict recipe follower well at least until i have made it enough that I can play around with it.

Tonight though i wanted to make something similar to a dish i had at a local restuarant, and i searched online and was unable to find a similar recipe so I decided to make it up and its not too bad and super quick to make.

I call it butter garlic beans (couldn't think of a name)

2 tablespoons nuttlex (vegan margarine)
garlic (as much as you like, i used about 2-3 cloves)
1 teaspoon of veg stock powder
1/2 cup of water
400g can chickpeas
400g can kidney beans
400g can cannellini(white beans)
a handful of baby spinach leaves
salt
pepper

Heat nuttlex and garlic for a few minutes. Add beans, stock, and water and bring to boil, simmer for 5 minutes and stir in spinach leaves

Add the essential salt and pepper and serve on rice.

Serves 2.

The one thing i would add to it next time would be an onion, but i simply didn't have any this time.

Apparently Baby cat likes toffuti ice cream too.

World Vegan Day

I went and ate and ate and spend all my money.

There were so many people. We arrived just before 2 and you could barely move in some sections and the line for veggie burgers was always long.

Unfortunately no tofutti ice cream though. They only had their cream cheeses to sample and empty ice cream cartons and tubs to tease us with.

I fell in love with Bombay bliss bags.

I also like the look of the yoga retreats, cooking classes and even their vegan recipe calendars available at mukti in Hepburn Springs. Mmmm i could handle a trip to Hepburn springs.

Plus I discovered another vegan beer range.

Food wise, I managed to fit in a choc jam donut, very filling 'schnitzel' burger, chocolate, wonton(free), five spice tofu(free), satay 'chicken'(free), and a cherry and chocolate muffin.

Its a good thing i skipped breakfast.

I also bought an over the shoulder bombay bliss bag(good for going out), save babe t-shirt, orgran biscuts and some other little things. Plus i got a henna tattoo on my hand.

All in all a good day.

Vegan Junk food 2

Ok this is going to be the last one for a while as I'm going off sugary snacks for a little while. I've going to be a better snacker I swear.




These are pricey but well worth it, well the mint ones anyway. I have brought two packs in the last week. They taste like a cross between tim tams and choc mint slices. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

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Btw, I apologise for the new word verification thing with comments, it just had to be done, my spam comments seem to be on the rise for some unknown reason and I'm sick of deleting them.

Happy Birthday Mr T!!!

Food food and more food in HK



The last time I was in HK I discovered some new foods which I love. The picture above shows the very last turnip cake (white-ish rectangle) on top of all the other yam cakes (which are nice but not as good as turnip cake). They are called cakes but really they are savory slices. I've told Mr T it would be much appreciated if he learned how to make it because I can't find a vegetarian recipe online. I'm not sure how I lived in HK without trying it but now I feel like i was missing out all along. Mmmm i love vegetarian dim sum. There is some thing extremely comforting about eating lots of little dishes.



I didn't actually eat this one but the sign is funny.



Dried mango and all sorts of other yummy things sold on the street.



Ja-ja (sp?). I love HKs dessert soups. I thought red bean or the almond one was my fav til I tried this one!

Speaking of food, MR T informed me when I was there that a tomato tofu dish that i was fond of was made mostly from ketchup/tomato sauce. I did some googling and found a recipe that sounded like it here. I tried it a few weeks ago and again last night and sure enough it tastes very similar to the same dish i had in HK. Who would have thought I could make a delicious sauce out of tomato sauce, soy sauce, ginger and not much else?

The real Mongkok

I worked in Mongkok for 6 months so I know the area a little better than some of the other areas in HK. It's such a crazy place and while the shopping is great (although stay clear of the touristy markets like the one pictured above) there is only so much even I can take before it starts to get really annoying. Something to do with excess crowds and the pollution that just drives you a little crazy. I've figured out the way to make it seem a little better though. Simply remember to stop and take little breaks enjoying desserts like this:

Lego version of mongkok sent to me by Mr T to make me smile.

As cute as it is. Mongkok is the most densely populated area in the world, somehow I don't think they have enough lego people in the pic :-)

My all time fav house-the 'mysterical/magical house'-Williamstown.

It's been a hard couple of weeks, with uni deadlines all coming at once and 'the decision'. The decision makes me want to cry somedays because there is no right decision and there are no guarantees and just the fact that its not just my consquences to live with but his too makes it incredibly difficult. Meanwhile at uni I have had one of the worst tests ever the mean result was 49% (I passed somehow!), a 2,000 word essay and as I told Erin I handed in 4,000 words of crap. Masters is not much fun!

Not surprisingly I woke up on friday with a ulcer, cold and very very bad skin. My body has had enough I think.

I have been dreaming lately about taking a holiday during the mid break holidays to Hong Kong. I could see my darling maybe even check out what he does at work, do lots of cheap shopping, hang with a few of my remaining friends in HK, enjoy the hot weather, eat at my fav veg places there like the $HK23place and maybe even get my hair re-straighened. Mmmmmmmmmm it would be great and just what I need too! There is however one little problem though: money!

My basil plant which is just staring to grow.

I have taken to bribing myself into doing tasks such as cleaning my room and doing homework.

Tonight I just had to buy Ben Lee's new album right there and then and at 9.30pm mind you. Thank god for Borders!

I have also found that am I already using blogger to procasionate with uni stuff.

So If you don't hear from me for a while i've gone off to buy new bribing items and am actually studying like I should be.

Footscray Market on Saturday

I went to footscray Market on Saturday against the advice of my brothers girlfriend who told me 'it stunk' and was 'dodgy' and that there was 'meat hanging up everywhere'. To which I replied 'I lived in Hong Kong for a year- I'm sure I can handle it'. I have to admit I still was a little hesitant but it was great. In fact I've decided I will go here instead of vic market in the future. Sure vic market is bigger and a little cleaner. But footscray market is cheaper, there are less loud men shouting out the price of everything and there are less crowds to contend with (well on a sat around 1pm anyway).

And for the record 'the meat hanging up everywhere' is separate from the fruit and veg just like at the vic market. I didn't notice much of a smell and it didn't feel dodgy at all.

Hong Kong- a view from my apartment in Causeway Bay.



Kung Hei Fat Choi!



or happy chinese new year (it actually translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous"-yes its all about money)



this year is my year- well the year of the roosters.