Apples and Peanut butter

This is something people either seem to have known about forever, or they find the concept so weird that when you mention it they just look at you funny and back away slowly.

Slice up some apples, grab some peanut butter, and use the apple wedges to scoop up the peanut butter. There’s a bit of an art to manipulating the peanut butter, but it’s one worth mastering because omnomnomnomnom.

‘Baked’ Potatoes

Grab a potato, wash it if you need to. Stab a bunch of holes in the top or slice a cross halfway through it. Microwave on high for a few minutes then stab it with a knife to see if it’s soft inside, it’s different depending on the size of the potato and the power of the microwave. Once you know the rough time, you can just do that.

Toppings - vegan butter/marg, hummus, crushed garlic or garlic salt, cashew cream cheese, brewers/nutritional yeast, chopped fresh chives or spring onion, the list goes on

Couscous

Instant couscous like you can get in most supermarkets is super quick and easy to make. It tastes like pasta (because it’s made of the same stuff), and you can flavour it however you want.

Boil water, pour a cup of boiled water for every half cup of couscous, leave it for a couple of minutes, add a pinch of salt if you want, and fluff it up with a fork.

For flavourings (if you want them) you could just add a dab of vegan butter or margaraine, a teaspoon of mustard, or a splash of whatever stirfry, curry, or pasta sauce you have in the cupboard.

Noodles

Instant noodles are awesome. The instant noodle cups are rough on the environment, so I try to avoid the ones with the styrofoam cups at least, or use noodles you can cook on the stove or in the microwave instead.

Sometimes finding your preferred noodles that don’t use animal unfriendly oil can be a bit of a challenge, but they’re out there! And there’s a whole range of noodles to choose from that cook almost as quickly as the instant variety (my favourite are these awesome ones made from sweet potato starch that are so springy you could use them for slingshots if you weren’t busy nomming them because they’re AMAZING with peanut sauce).

The flavour options can vary too. I’ve come across a fair few ‘chicken’ noodle packets that were accidentally vegan. If you just got plain noodles, or you’re mixing it up a little, here’s some of the easy sauces I like to use.

Sweet chilli sauce - make sure you drain the noodles for this one

Soy sauce - combined with sweet chilli sauce it’s really frickin’ good. You can drain the noodles or keep the water, either’s good.

Veggie stock - one cube to a cup of noodles (with water)

Barbecue sauce - just a little bit sweetens the noodles up nicely. Drain the noodles.

Peanut butter and soy sauce - A tablespoon of peanut butter, a splash of soy sauce, heat in the microwave (to melt the peanut butter) or stir straight through hot drained noodles, nommy. Add a bit of chilli if you like it spicy.

Optional extras

Frozen mixed veggies will also cook in roughly the same time as the noodles so long as they’re small, if they’re bigger, just put them in a few minutes earlier and then add the noodles to the boiling water.

You might find you like nuts and seeds in noodles, I prefer them in noodle dishes with thicker, more complex sauces, but that’s a personal preference.

Small TVP chunks will cook in roughly the same time as the noodles, and they flavour easily.

Sandwich type constructions

The humble sandwich. Cultures all around the world have developed technology to wrap some kind of delicious bread type scaffolding around other types of deliciousness. Pita pockets, Tortillas, Bagels, Burgers, Subs, the list goes on.

Some easy things to stuff in your bread type scaffolding:

• Fresh tomato slices, fresh Basil (optional), and hummus. It’s super simple and it’s delicious. Also great toasted.
• Banana sandwiches. I don’t know if this is a New Zealand thing only or what, but seriously, dry bread, or margaraine, or whatever, and banana slices. That’s all. It’s divine.
• Avocado and tomato. With a sprinkle of salt and a splash of lemon juice if you’ve got it. Also fabulous toasted.
• Tabbouleh. If you can get it easily ready made from the supermarket, this goes great on any kind of bread related construct. Also goes fabulously with hummus.
• Falafel. Microwave a few spoonfuls for a minute or two, add to bread, add tomato sauce, barbecue sauce, mustard, hummus, whatever. Devour.

Cracker type things

There’s all kinds of crunchy crispy nommy things out there - rice or corn cakes, rice crackers, water crackers, the list goes on.

Stuff to put on them or dip them in

• Peanut butter - surprisingly nommy on corn/rice cakes
• Hummus - unsurprisingly nommy on everything
• Fresh tomato (awesome with fresh basil)
  
• Avocado
• Olives - There’s two kinds of people in this world. The ones who love olives, and the unlucky ones who don’t have the joy of olives in their lives.
• Sliced banana - especially good on rice/corn cakes

Sticks, chips and dips

Stuff to dip with -

• Carrot sticks
• Celery sticks
• Corn chips
• Tortilla chips
• Toasted pita bread
• Mini spring rolls (raw or cooked)
  

Stuff to dip in -

• Hummus - it comes in a million flavours
  
• Pesto (just need to find a vegan one, or make your own :) )
• Mustard
  
• Salsa - home made or store bought
• Sweet chilli sauce
  

Toast

Much like the humble sandwich, perhaps even pre dating it, we like to put stuff on bread, all kinds of bread.

• Peanut butter - seriously. Just go buy some peanut butter and eat it
• Bananas - yep, sliced bananas on toast is amazing.
• Fresh tomato - Add salt, pepper (if you like it), and it’s divine
• Avocado - mashed on toast with a fork, a pinch of salt, and some lemon juice, it’s divine.
• Marmite - So about half the western world will know what I’m talking about. The rest will be dazed and confused. Google it. It’s awesome. Half of you will instantly hate it. Half of you will become helpless addicted to the magnificent mountain of b vitamins that is marmite. Also related to vegemite.
  
• Baked beans - Heat em up, pile em on.

Pretzels

They’re cheap, they’re crunchy (cept for the giant soft ones, which are awesome in their own right), and they’re little edible bows. what more could you want? They’re usually vegan friendly, but it’s worth checking the bag just in case.

Vegetables

Yep. Grab some veggies, I quite like cauliflower and broccoli, put them in a covered microwave safe bowl and heat on high power for a couple of minutes. Then add whatever sauces you like (there’s a whole bunch listed here)

If you don’t have a microwave or don’t want to use one, just add about two cm (just under an inch) of water to a pot, add the veggies and cover. Bring to the boil on high heat, let it boil for a couple of minutes, then drain the water and the veggies should be cooked and nicely crisp.

Before you get too excited, these do not have any special ‘herbs’ in them. I’m sure the internet has plenty of those recipes already though, if you’re that way inclined.

The thing about this recipe is it isn’t really a recipe so much as a big list of stuff you can pick and choose from to make brownies, most of it isn’t essential, but you’ll need at least some of it.

It can be made gluten free pretty easily, but it might be better if I just do a separate post for that.

What I like most about these brownies is how easy it is to pack all kinds of goodies into them. A while back my dr had me try a diet that was so restrictive I had about three protein sources in total. To make up enough protein, I started adding rice protein powder, ground linseed, and chia seeds to brownies, so I ended up with a rich, chocolatey treat that had 15% of my daily protein needs per serve. I ate a lot of brownies during that time. For protein *nod*.

Essentials

• Flour- Depending on your tastes you can switch out some of this for other stuff, but if you start out with two cups, you can swap out a maximum of a cup for other stuff.
  
• Cocoa- I find ¼ - ½ a cup is about what I like, but you can adjust according to your tastes
  
• Sugar- I like soft brown sugar, but white or raw will do fine too. I add ¼ - ½ a cup, but I don’t like my brownies too sweet, add more if you want.
  
• Oil or vegan friendly butter/margaraine - You’ll want about half a cup for this. If you’re not using peanut butter, you’ll want a bit more, and marg is better in that case.
  
• Salt- just a half teaspoon
  
• Baking powder - a teaspoon is about right
  
• Non dairy milk - A cup should do fine, but have more around for mixing. You can swap this out for water but I personally don’t like the taste quite as much.
  

Optionals

• Peanut butter - I much prefer the end result with peanut butter. It adds a richness to the brownies that is super nommy. It isn’t essential though. I usually add a couple of big tablespoonfuls to the mix.
• Vanilla essence - Personally I consider this to be essential, but you can do without it. A teaspoon is about right.
• Ground linseed - Often known as flaxseed, this serves a variety of purposes. It’s very high in protein and fibre, and it acts as a binding agent. Standard wheat flour should hold together ok on it’s own, but ground linseed can be very helpful. Add anywhere from a couple of tablespoons to a quarter of a cup. Add at least that much water as well.
• Chia seeds - Much like ground linseed but higher in protein. Expensive though, so I tend not to use much. I also notice if you do add a lot there’s a slightly crunchy texture in the finished product.
• Nut meal/flour - Almond flour and coconut flour or any ground nut type flours are really nice in this recipe. They have a really nice taste and texture. You can swap them out for the plain flour. I wouldn’t swap out more than half a cup of this type of stuff or it will get a bit grainy. If you do add something along these lines, add a little extra liquid and fat to help balance them out.
• Spices- I find cinnamon and nutmeg go really nicely in this. Just a tablespoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg is all that’s needed.
• Oats, Nuts, and Seeds - These are great sprinkled on top after cooking or added to the batter. They will affect the texture though, so just be aware :). Shredded coconut is nice in the same way. Walnuts go great with brownies, but anything along those lines will do nicely. You can swap these out for the flour.
• Pureed fruit and vegetables - I tend to tread carefully when adding fruit to this recipe. It tends to alter the flavour quite a lot, especially banana. But if you wanna give it a go, try a few tablespoons of applesauce, or mashed pumpkin and see how it goes.
  

Put it together

Grease a baking dish, or if you’re lazy like me, line it with parchment paper - make sure it’s oven safe, and preferably bio degradable. Set the oven to 180 Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Try to get rid of any lumps.

Add the wet ingredients, mix everything together. I usually add peanut butter and marg last.

You want the batter to be a little bit thin. Think pancake batter, but a little thicker.

Taste test, it should taste good in batter form, when it bakes it’ll be a stronger, richer flavour, but you should be able to adjust according to your tastes.

Pour into the tray. Pop it in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes, then check by stabbing with a knife or toothpick. If the toothpick/knife comes out clean, it’s ready. Depending on your oven you might need more time, so check regularly.

When it’s ready, pull the tray out, let it cool a look, use the parchment paper to lift the whole thing out of the tray, then slice (before or after cooling) and consume.

Can be topped with chocolate peanut butter icing.

Wary of whitesplaining/appropriating a food that is very much African/Middle Eastern, I did a bit of googling about it. There’s some very cool info about its history and how it’s made. Suffice to say that what us folks in the western world buy from the supermarket is the simplified version. But it’s the simplified version I’m gonna talk about in this post - because that’s what I use to make this recipe. And it’s super convenient (and I’m lazy). But seriously, go read about couscous and North African cuisine, it’s really cool.

This recipe has some similarities to Tabbouleh, but it’s a bit different.

Ingredients

Couscous - the make-in-five-minutes kind you can get at most supermarkets.

Fresh herbs - I particularly like mint and parsley, but any herbs you like are great

Any veggies you have lying around - I tend to stick to ones I don’t have to precook, but if you want to precook some, go for it :). I particularly like fresh tomato and raw carrot

Any nuts, seeds or legumes you have floating about - Again, I tend to stick to the kind I don’t have to precook, but precook away if it suits you. Sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etc are all great

Salt - just a pinch

Oil - just a little bit

Sauces - My personal favourites are a dollop of hummus, a splash of sweet chilli, and a teaspoon of wholegrain mustard. But you can add all kinds of sauces, or leave them out entirely.

Onion and garlic (optional) - These are pretty strong raw, so chop them finely unless you want to saute them for a couple of minutes first.

Lemon juice - Optional, fresh is best, but bottled will do too. You just want a splash or two. Maybe half a lemons worth to a decent sized bowl full (unless you really like it bitter)

Water

Method

Precook anything that needs precookin’

In a pot, bring about twice as much water as couscous to the boil, (or boil the jug and add it to a pot or bowl). Add a splash of oil and a pinch of salt, then add the couscous and cover.

Come back in five minutes. Go cuddle the cat, or the dog, and (if you’re me) pretend you never wanted to cuddle them to begin with when they don’t want cuddles.

Chop up the vegetables and herbs etc into small pieces.

Stir the couscous, it should be light and fluffy. Add everything else. Stir, and adjust sauces and herbs according to your personal tastes.

If you want the salad warmed through, you can stir it over medium heat for a few minutes, or put it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute on low to medium power.

Fight off anybody else trying to steal it.

Unless it’s the cat. Then you must render unto Felis Catus the things that are Felis Catus’. Unless there’s garlic or onions in it. Then you must protect your feline emperor at all costs.

Home made gravy is awesome. It’s winter here, so I’m slathering it all over roast veggies like it’s going out of style.

Important Ingredients

Oil - I like canola, any vegetable oil is fine though. I usually use leftover oil from roasting or frying something else.

Flour of some kind. Wheat, or corn flour will do fine. The only stuff I wouldn’t recommend is some of the really grainy gluten free flours.

Veggie stock - liquid is fine, just swap out the water for the liquid stock.

Soy sauce, marmite/vegemite, or brewers yeast. Or a combination thereof.

Salt

Optional ingredients

Herbs - I like thyme, oregano can be nice. Some people like pepper. Experiment to see what you prefer.

Garlic - remember that crushed garlic will be stronger in taste, so use less, and add it a little later than chopped.

Onion

Leek, spring onion, etc

Liquid smoke

Barbecue sauce

Non dairy milk

Quinoa, lentils, etc (these should be cooked beforehand)

Proceed thusly

• Chop up any onions, etc you’re planning to use. Half a onion would be plenty for a recipe this size. If you’re not using onions, skip this step and the next one.
  
• Fry the onions etc at the bottom of a pot, with a couple of tablespoons of oil (use this oil for the next step). Leave them in the pot with the oil once they’re going a little soft.
  
• In a small pot (or microwave safe bowl - this isn’t ideal if you’re using onions etc) mix a couple of tablespoons of oil with a couple of tablespoons of flour to make a thick paste. Don’t add too much flour, it will thicken up a LOT later otherwise and you’ll end up with way more than you need (gets me every time).
  
• Put the pot over medium heat (skip this bit if you’re using a microwave). Add a bit of water (or veggie stock), and stir it into the paste. Do this a couple of times until it’s thin enough for you to basically dump a cup of water in there and stir it in easily.
  
• Add a teaspoon of whatever herbs you want to use, add a teaspoon of stock power (if you’re not using the liquid stock). If you’re using soy sauce, add a teaspoon (soy sauces vary in strength, so experiment with the flavour), if you’re using marmite/vegemite, add half a teaspoon, it’ll take a bit to dissolve. Brewers yeast - a tablespoon. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of whatever other sauces you’d like to add. Go sparingly at first, the flavour will intensify as it thickens.
  
• If you’re using a microwave, now is the time to put the bowl in, and heat it on medium power for a few minutes.
  
• Keep stirring and heating for a few minutes till the gravy thickens. Adjust the flavour as you like. If you’re using herbs you might want to give it a little longer for the flavour to intensify.
  
• Add more water (or liquid stock) if you need to to get the thickness or volume you want.
  
• Pour over something delicious and consume.
  

Leftovers

The gravy will continue to thicken as it cools. I’ve found it stores fine for a few days in a jar in the fridge, and when I want itI just take it out, mix in some water and heat it up.

You can also add it to soups, casseroles, etc. The flavour tends to compliment any kind of hearty, winter warmer type dishes.

If I’m in a really lazy mood I’ll have it on toast (don’t judge me).

Pasta sauce can be expensive, at least over here. It’s decidedly cheaper to make your own, and pretty easy.

If you wanna go the whole nine yards and start from scratch with whole tomatoes - awesome, but put aside an afternoon for it. I’ll post a modified version of a friends basic pasta sauce recipe in the future.

Base Ingredients

• 2 cans of tinned tomatoes
  
• 3 tablespoons of crushed garlic (or about twice than much chopped)
  
• A few tablespoons of oil
  
• A pinch of salt
  
• Half a teaspoon of brown sugar
  
• Water as you need it
  

Optional Extras

• Onion, Capsicum, Mushrooms, Greens like Spinach or Kale
• Basil, Parsley, Oregano, Thyme
• Black pepper, Paprika, Cumin
• Brewers/Nutritional yeast
• Soy sauce

The Plan

Fry the garlic (and any extra fryables) on medium heat in the bottom of a big pot, once it starts to smell good, add the tomatoes, sugar and salt (and any herbs and spices), and stir. Add water as you need to. Bring it to the boil and let it simmer till it’s soft and the flavours are all merging nicely, add water as you need it to get the thickness you like.

If you like your pasta sauce chunky, use it as it is, if you like it smooth, run it through a blender, or in a pinch force it through a sieve - this will leave some debris behind, but you can throw that in the compost. If you want to smooth out the sauce and then add chunkier vegetables, you can always put the sauce back in the pot and heat the veggies through.

Use it all in one go, or keep it in tightly sealed jars. I find soaking the jars and lids in just-boiled water is a good way to get them clean. Just use tongs to get them out.

From start to finish this should take half an hour or less.

I thought I’d miss ice cream when I went vegan. But I didn’t, which surprised me at the time, but maybe that says something about dairy not being necessary for noms.

This base uses bananas. Just bananas. You can add whatever you want to it though.

Method

Chop up bananas - if you use older bananas the flavour will be stronger.

Freeze them

Put the pieces in a blender. Blend till smooth.

Serve.

Different flavours

Chocolate - Add some cocoa and vanilla essence.

Nuts - Add some nuts. Cashew nuts and pistachio nuts are good. Depending on how you want the texture, add at the start or finish.

Coconut - Add some coconut cream or melted coconut oil (I won’t be doing this myself until I can find a source that isn’t linked to animal cruelty. Don’t add too much or it’ll go runny.

Vanilla - Add a little non dairy milk and some vanilla essence.

Berries - Nom.

Caramel - Blend up some dates soaked in water to make a thick caramel flavoured sauce, and stir it through, or just add it to the blender with the bananas.

Storing

If you want to store the ice cream in the freezer, but aware that it melts faster than dairy ice cream, but reacts in much the same way - let it melt and freeze it again, it goes like ice. So put it in the freezer quickly. You can just blend it again though for the same result.

Dumpster diving is life!!

I made this vegan peach and pear cobbler out of fruit from the dumpster!❤

Living in poverty sucks but unlocked dumpster at grocery stores make life a bit sweeter.

Homemade, delicious, only around $3 for the whole burger

The Impossible patties were on sale at only $3.99 for 2! Got far too excited and had to get them. A few other things were on sale/cheap this week as well!

The bread was from the discounted bread section ($1.29 for 6 buns), the tomato was $.19 (used ½ for the burger), large hass avocado was $.89 (used ¼ for the burger). A sprinkle of Daiya Pepperjack shreds ($4 for the package, used $.25 worth) and a thin layer of organic kale ($2.69 for the .5lb package, so I daresay $.10).

Grand total: $2.93 for an Impossible burger.

Considering how usually the Impossible burgers I find in my area are around $12~14 dollars, with the Impossible Whopper at $6, this is an insanely cheap and customizable option.

Yay for home cooking and yay for discounts!