Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Sorry its quiet!

Sooo busy right now.. Stay tuned this week.
Greg

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Tomato love!

We eat A LOT of tomatoes in this house, and by that I mean that tomatoes pretty much have their own column on the monthly budget. But why not? They're packed with Lycopene, an awesome anti-oxidant that is well known for its cancer fighting and free radical flushing abilities. There's so much of the stuff that it's actually what makes tomatoes red. The good news is that its levels actually increase during processing. So if you prefer tomatoes crushed or juiced or pickled or any other way they are sold, you still get a big dose of the good stuff.


They're also just so versatile. The simple fact that you could have tomatoes 5 days a week, and never the same way twice just keeps it so fresh. (Hey Look, a pun).  Personally I could just eat them on their own, with a little salt and pepper. But Jenn loves it when I actually use them in a proper dish, so here's a quick, easy (and cheap) one I make a fair bit, and never get complaints.  It's almost raw and so it's very basic for those nights you want to eat healthy, but don't have much time.


You'll need: 3 ripe tomatoes 1 medium red onion 4 TBSP balsamic vinegar 1 TBSP soy sauce 1 tsp minced garlic 500gms spiral pasta Plus: some olive oil, chopped basil, salt and pepper. Now just cook the pasta according to packet directions. Whilst that cooks dice the tomato and onion, and just mix it well with the balsamic, soy, garlic, basil, salt, pepper and a good drizzle of oil. Stir it through the warm pasta and your done. Easy, Warm Summertime Balsamic Pasta Salad!

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy World Vegan Day!

As I'm sure most of you know, today is World Vegan Day, which in reality kicks off a month of awesome events worldwide. This month my Vegetarian Partner Jenn will be taking the Vegan Challenge, maybe blogging about it, and I for one am hoping it sticks!

To celebrate that, I'm gonna try hard to be less of a "Junk Vegan" and create some new, healthy and exciting meals for the month. Any success I have in that mission will of course be blogged.

So basically, no matter where you are I'm pretty sure that any Veg Groups in your area or capital will be holding some form of event this month. Get out there! Meet some new friends, eat some new food and have fun! This is Our day/month!

Thanks for reading!

Let's talk about the Lord

Lord Of The Fries that is. Ok. You HAVE to know this place, if you don't, you should. Serving arguably australias best vegan burgers, fries and monthly specials it's Vegan Australia's fast food Mecca. We don't ALWAYS have to be healthy right? Right! (but compared to the regular fare in fast food this stuff is nutritional gold anyway!) I just love the food here. It's my first stop on any trip to Melbourne.


Embarrassingly enough, last month in Melbourne I ate 7 of their burgers in a day, this is not JUST a display of my gluttony but an honest testament to how much I love their stuff.



The patties are perfect for our Vegan tastebuds. The buns are great.. Their sauces are infallible. And all the healthy stuff they throw on seems like they've just picked it from a garden in the kitchen.

So why the big fuss?

I'm highlighting LOTF today for sydneysiders who haven't had the pleasure.. FINALLY we have not one but THREE opening in NSW in the near future (Newtown, King's Cross and Sydney CBD).. And to me personally that is a very exciting thought.. (although my wallet will lose weight and my belt will gain some new holes.)

A lot of this post obviously sounds like a paid advertisement, but it's not.. I just really appreciate the work they do, and I love supporting stores that cater to our needs. Anyway, just wanted to show some love to the Lord.

Thanks Guys!

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Cruelty Free Festival 2011!



 The annual Cruelty Free Festival was on today, so obviously I was gonna be there! We arrived at about 12 o'clock and the festivities were already well underway. I don't know if anyone else gets this at Vegan/Animal related events but I always feel so at home when I'm around like minded people. I was well at ease as we stood in line to get our Funky Pies fix. We went with what we knew, so it was their 'Funky Chunky' all the way and it did NOT disappoint.

 This years food options were, as always, great and varied. The always popular staples of Golzemes and Bounty Burgers drumming busily away with crazy lines to match Funky's. There was also a great Vegan Thai spot  this year.

 Also garnering a well deserved mention is Rubyfruit, who always hit the spot for those with sweet teeth, like my favourite girls, (and yes, teeth, plural). Jenn and Zooey-Belle shared a delicious cherry coconut cheesecake that I tried with my not so sweet tooth, and I've gotta admit, it was awesome!

 Taking away was easy and good value aswell. We bought four Cheezly cheezes (mozzarella, blue) for an easy $20, which is great value for the brand and was the highlight of my take home shopping.

 As usual there was no shortage of entertainment on the stage, and for those social butterflies, in the speed meeting tent (which had a 'networking' focus this year). So we got to eat lunch with Zooey-Belle (who loves pie pastry) and listen to some great music.

 The other stalls (clothes, books, pet food and charity) were all out in force to celebrate and educate. We had a good time just walking around chatting away with plenty of new people.

We got to meet a new internet friend, Sarah, and her family (she runs a great blog over here) as well as getting some cool intros to other vegan parents from the Sydney Vegan Parents group.

All in all today was just an easy and fun day for our little family. Its yearly tradition, with a twist.. CFF never gets old.

Thanks Guys!


Ps. I'd like to thank my girlfriend Jenn (over at Belle & Me) for re-doing my blog, thanks babe!

Friday, October 28, 2011

Forgotten Recipe, Unforgettable dish.

Just found this picture in my phone and remembered how amazing this mousse by Jenn was! So good

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Introducing..

A few things you should know about me.

1. Typically I have been a terrible blogger, but recently my love for Vegan food/ cooking has been rekindled. So I'm gonna try harder.

2. I'm a Vegan Dad, I live with my partner Jenn and our amazing daughter Zooey-Belle Maebe. They are both Vegetarian, but living with me, they typically eat Vegan.

3. I'm probably the most unhealthy Vegan I know. I'm hoping the blog rectifies that and drives me to work a bit harder in the kitchen.

4. I took the family to Melbourne last weekend and it was pretty much a Tour De Food for us. So the first few posts will be about our finds there.

Including:
This Pie. From a bakery called La Panella. They are a Buddhist bakery and most of their products are Vegan (ALL vegetarian). I have missed pies a lot. The "mince" they use in this is PERFECT, the gravy is spot on and I was so excited I ate five over two days. I know the picture isn't much to go by, but it's the best I could get without it being constantly in my mouth. If you're ever in Melbourne, it's a must have.

Enjoy.