I’ve been substituting apple slices for bread lately to keep my starchy cards at bay (except I LOVE Brasserie Bread and get their bread delivered locally to me so I always have a heavenly loaf on hand).

Today’s experiment was a success – simple, yummy & perfect for a lazy Sunday.

Apple Bacon Cheese Snacks:

• Apple Slices – thin slices
• Vegie Delights Bacon Rashers – fried up in olive oil so crispy
• Simply Better Foods Soy Cheese w/ Chives – thinly sliced – this flavour is my favourite & goes well w/ apples.

Once you fry the bacon, make the sandwiches with apple slices & cheese.

Enjoy and make hubby happy – that’s the most important.

Till the next desperate attempt to cook something fast & delicious…

The other night, I cooked one of my best: Vegan Stroganoff – yum yum yum! The tofu/sour cream is divine – this time I put lemon in it.

But today – to mark the end (almost) of such a great month, I cooked Vegan Tacos. I love tacos – I especially love them because my mum is the Taco Queen. She’s been cooking them since I was born so they will always be special to me.

So I vegan-ed the recipe and I’m pleased to share:

Shells:
You can use pre-made but I don’t. I fry Corn Tortillas in extremely hot Olive Oil – watch your fingers. Let dry on paper towels.

Filling:
Vegan Meat – my new favourite it from Vegie Delights canned Casserole Mince. It’s in the Health Food section of Coles.

Kidney Beans – I used the mexican chili flavoured ones today but you can use Taco Seasoning, too. I added some extra Enchilada Sauce, too.

Vegan Cheese – the Low Chol Soy Bean Cheese from Kemeny’s in Bondi is superb.

Spring Onion

Avocado Cream Sause – I used the leftover tofu sour cream from Stroganoff (above) and added Avocado – basically it’s tofu, lemon, garlic, avo & cumin – blend until smooth.

You can add other onions (Mum LOVES onions), lettuce & tomato, olives, etc.

Isn’t the picture divine? It tasted even better. Rob agreed – he had a heap of them.

I’m sad to see Veganuary end, but I shall continue to create vegan meals and share. I love cooking vegan even if I don’t eat 100% vegan. It makes home life easy & healthy.

Adios & Via Con Comida,
Senorita Rohan

But tonight was a stay at home and cook for the Rohans night. I threw this recipe together quickly – it’s a slight variation of my baked cauliflower recipe - and goes to show that I can scrounge up anything from the fixin’s in our fridge and Rob will eat it. That’s why I love him so much.

Here’s the scoop for Fakin’ Bacon-tastic Mashed Potatoes:

Boil water – put cut potatoes in and cook until soft.

Fry Bacon – I LOVE Vegie Delights Bacon-Style Rashers from Cole’s. I used about 6 or so pieces in olive oil. Fry until crispy – as crispy as fake bacon can get. Let drain and cool – cut up into little chunks.

Boil peas.

Cut Spring Onions.

Shred Soy Cheese – Kemeny’s in Bondi has an incredible Low Chol Soy Bean Cheese. It’s out of this world and melts/tastes like REAL cheese. Huzzah!

Mash potatoes and put in baking dish. Layer peas, bacon, spring onions & cheese on top. A little dash of  cayenne pepper for the top and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes until cheese melts.

IT”S YUMMY and easy and fun and healthy. What more to life is there?

Happy Veganuary – but don’t despair! I’ve decided to continue with Veguary and Vegarch. I’ll keep cooking if you (my 3 readers) keep visiting!

Hasta la vista, baby and happy eating!

So super excited to start Veganuary that I had to post a delicious and mega-quickie recipe that will get you off on the right foot.

Sweet & Sassy and Berry Yummy Berry Smoothie:

Berry Mixture – I used frozen (you can use fresh) berry mix of Strawberries, Blueberries & Raspberries – about 2 cups

Chocolate So Good Ice Cream – about a cup

Vanilla So Good Ice Cream – about a cup

Mix in my FAVOURITE mixer – the Magic Bullet

You can add other fruit, play with the amounts of soy ice cream, or add orange juice/apple juice depending on your preferences.

It is SOY GOOD and makes a perfect mid-meal snack.

I loosely follow the Great Australian Diet by Dr. John Tickell where I try to get in 15 plant foods a day (grains, seeds, fruit & vege). This has 4.

Great boost to your day – great boost to mine!

Cheers & happy healthy plant eating,

kristin

I also like to share. So it is with the spirit of both of those, that I present to you my super secret but scrumptious Granola – to prepare for Veganuary – HORRAY!

This is my Pop’s and Pop-in-Law’s favourite (or so they tell me – and they wouldn’t lie to me, would they? Not if they want more granola, right??!!). So without further adieu…

Super Sweet & Sassy Granola – Kristin Style:

In a big bowl:

• Rolled Oats (I like organic)
• Mixed Nuts – broken in small pieces – Almonds are especially healthy
• Coconut Flakes
• Sunflower Seeds
• Olive Oil
• Maple Syrup
• Honey

Mix together with your hands until the Oil, Syrup & Honey cover all other ingredients. Heat oven to 150 (in Aus) and stir every 15 minutes. If your oven is too hot, cook at lower degrees. It will take about 45 – 60 minutes.

It’s ready when the oats are golden and taste crunchy.

You can add sultanas (raisins), dried cranberries or carob chips – you can even experiment with different kinds of nuts. The possibilities are endless.

This will keep for quite a while in a container in the fridge. Tastes awesome with soy milk.

I know this is delicious because when I make a new batch, Rob eats it for brekkie, lunch & tea everyday until I yell at him to stop eating it so fast. If that is not a positive testimonial, I don’t know what is!

Happy & healthy eating!!!

I do the “Vegan-essque” thing now — 3/4 Vegan — because the food is so magnificently delicious in Australia and Meat/Cheese seems to be sprinkled like yummy fairy dust into most dishes, bbq’s, etc.

But I’m ready for a little more action. I weaned myself off cheese earlier this year (hardest habit to break EVER!) and only have it occasionally – even Dominos delivers my pizzas with no cheese. HORRAY!

To kick off the pre-Veganuary festivities, I am sharing my super secret Sweet & Sassy Chili recipe. I like to eat this for lunch most days. Easy to keep a pot in the fridge for quick fixes.

In a frypan:
Vegie Delite Vegie Mince from Coles
Olive Oil
Spring Onions
Fresh Mushrooms

Once that is browned, add with the following items in a saucepan:
Red Kidney Beans (2 cans)
4 Bean Mix (1 can)
Fresh or Frozen Corn
Capsicum (I like to add a few different kinds for taste and make it look pretty)
Chili Con Carne Seasoning (sometimes with the Mexican food ingredients)
Pasta Sauce (I like Herbs & Spices in Red Wine or Garlic)
Can of Tomatoes (you decide which kind you prefer)
Minced Garlic

You can add more or less ingredients depending on how big your pot is. Let simmer for about 20 minutes but stir continuously as the mince sometimes sticks to the bottom.

It’s easy, simple, delicious & healthy.

Viola, it’s Chili – happy Veganuary!

I’m sure you’ve been wondering around, pondering why your life is missing something…in a haze, in a daze, in a box, with a fox…but I digress.

SO – once and for all, here is the ground-breaking (get it? because it has potatoes?!) recipe:

Boil 5 potatos (small-medium), once they are boiling, add 1/2 bag of frozen cauliflower. Bring to a boil again and cook until potatoes & cauliflower are soft.

Cook the bacon (I love Vegie Delights Bacon Style Rashers). I use about 6+ slices – depends on how much fakin’ bacon you like. Let sit on a paper towel & get crispy.

Add soy milk and butter (both vegan) to potatoes & cauliflower and mix – a hand mixer is one of the best tools to have in the kitchen.

Put potato/cauliflower mixture in oven-safe pan.

Layer cheese (I love, love, love Cheezly Mozzerella), fakin’ bacon and spring/green onions.

Bake until cheese melts – it really melts!

Serve to happy hubbie!
(I add mushrooms to mine since I add mushrooms to almost anything!)

If you are hosting a sport party or poker night for your darling partner, you can serve this along with these awesome nachos and sweet & sassy wedges.

Of course, everyone will know the difference, but it will still be yummy and if you serve enough beer, no one will complain.

Who wants to come over for poker?

So my latest concoction is a delicious Kristina Maria (that’s me) Margarita Pie – I made it Vegan free without any booze.

I first got the inspiration here: Weight Watchers Margarita Pie. I love Weight Watchers & attribute my healthy and fancy cooking skills to them.

Here’s the scoop:
Put a bag of pretzyls in the Magic Bullet.

Once pretzyls have been mashed, add sugar (I use Organic Raw Sugar)

Add 2 TBS of butter ( I use vegan butter, but you can use whatever your heart desires).

I added about a cup of Margarita Mix (you can use Sweet & Sour Mix or limeade or lemon/lime juice with a bit of sugar. Blend until the mixture is a little wet.

Put in pie pan, smooth with fork or fingers (I like to play with my food) and bake at 375 (or 200 in Oz) for about 5 – 7 minutes. After it cooks, put in fridge for about 10 – 15 minutes.

While that is cooking, put a carton of soy vanilla ice cream – I love So Good – (as an aside THANKS FOR PUTTING SO GOOD IN THE OZ MARKETS!) – where was I…..

Oh, put a carton of So Good Vanilla ice cream in the Magic Bullet (I have the blender attachment and it rocks) and add about a cup of Margarita Mix – blend to taste.

Put blender in freezer or fridge to chill while crust is cooling.

Once crust is cool, add blended yummy mixture and freeze until hard.

As I got to this last step, I realized that I just made Key Lime Pie…typical kooky Kristin – but since I used Margarita Mix, it’s Kristina Margarita Pie – that’s my story, thank you very much.

NOW – and here’s where it gets REALLY exciting – you can add tequila and triple sec/curacao to the ice cream if you truly want a buzz.

I tried it yesterday and it was very nice – it was different, unusual…(my latest love is Aus Kath & Kim. I wonder if Kath would serve this pie to her “hunk of spunk”. Regardless, Kristina Maria Margarita Pie will make you feel like a hundred bucks.

Ole!

Pad Thai
Stir fry veggies in olive oil:
broccoli
cabbage
carrots
spring onions, etc.

Cook noodles – I like mung bean starch noodles from the Asian section of the market or somen noodles.

Sauce:
Mix Tahini Sauce with honey, lime, garlic and soy sauce – you can use Peanut Butter instead of Tahini, if you please.

Mix veg with noodles and sauce – serve to your hearthrob (or in my case, HeartRob) and call it a night.

Goodnight Sweetheart, well it’s time to go….

I really don’t know how I had so much energy but I kept going and going and going…I think this was one of the weekend’s highlights.

Veggie Udon
Inspired by Homemade Chinese Soups(an awesome site!), I added a little bit of Kristin Krazy to make this masterpiece.

Stir fry the following for about 10 minutes in olive oil:
carrot
radish
celery
onion
parsely
rosemary
garlic
seaweed

Soak dried shitake mushrooms in hot water for 30 minutes.

Drain veggies/spices (put to side for another recipe like my Famous Veggie Soup).

Add soy sauce & oyster sauce to the broth along with the shitake mushrooms AND their broth.

Add Udon noodles to the broth and mushrooms – once noodles are cooked, serve and enjoy.

Horray!