Discobeans.

 

So I remember Discobeans as a Japanese sock shop but turns out it's even better now.

An art space/gallery/performance area and vegan-friendly Japanese eatery!

Yes, it's perfect.

We had TASTY dumplings that were ginger-heavy (love).

We also had fried mock chicken that tasted EXACTLY like KFC...

It  was served with soy sauce and vegan mayo.

Weird, but so freaking good.

These items were off the snack menu so it was $16 for both.

I will drag everyone I know here when I'm next in Northcote.

Green Field.

Needed a quick feed on Sydney Road a few days ago and Green Field delivered.

$7 lunch specials - don't mind if I do!

Satay veggies and tofu with rice noodles, I'll be back!

Yong Green Food.

Hello!

I just moved to Brunswick, Melbourne so prepare for the eating out section of this blog to explode :)

First up, Yong Green Food in Fitzroy - NOM NOM NOM.

I saw this place reviewed on easy as vegan pie and it went straight to my 'to try' list.

We had dragon bowls - brown rice with fresh salad/veggies and "beef" soy strips with chilli and sesame.

Served with tasty miso.

Dishes were $16 (a little more than my usual lunch budget) but worth every cent.

I felt healthy and satisfied!

Recent food adventures.

So we try and try to save money and cut down our dining out but it's just so hard!

Dining out is our favourite thing to do.

Go somewhere, pick tasty food, eat tasty food, no dishes to be done, total satisfaction.

Here are some recent meals.

Tempo is one of our faves for breakfast in West End.
The big vegan breakfast (not cheap at $18.95) has everything you want.
Sourdough toast, marinated tofu, hash brown, grilled tomatoes, asparagus, avocado, house bean mix, mushrooms and home-made relish!
NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM.
Add a pot of soy chai tea and I'm in heaven.

Sushi Kotobuki is my fave sushi place on south side.

Can't go past the vegetalian (menu typo greatness) with cucumber, cabbage, tofu, carrot avocado and sesame seeds!

A standard avo to accompany is a must along with a drowning in soy and pickled ginger.
My fave $5 lunch!

Jeff got a spoilt birthday adventure to The Green Edge.

Best (and possibly only?) vegan grocery store in Brisbane.

The addition of a little eat-in area and hot food menu was a WIN and resulted in a mushroom and "cheese" burger that was damn tasty.

I can never go past a no-bull pie (not pictured) even though they have so many great pie/roll options in the warmer.

Always so tempting to buy chocolates, ice cream and cakes when we go there!
There was a vegan bake sale that day and all funds raised went to animal rescue. 
CLEARLY I had to donate and buy a vanilla raspberry cupcake and a choc peanut butter one :)

My friend is addicted to Guzmen Y Gomez so I agreed to accompany him and suss the vego options.

I was worried that it couldn't possibly be better than Mad Mex.

Mad Mex always provides TAAAASTY burritos with Mexican rice, beans, salad, grilled veggies, guac etc.

Turns out Guzmen Y Gomez provides pretty much the same thing so that was good.

Slightly more expensive but also slightly more flavoursome.

I WANT MORE NOW.

Vege Rama.

So my boyfriend is OBSESSED with Vege Rama and has been for the past few years.

He will take any opportunity to pass through the city to get some.

Vege Rama is a food court vego eatery and is a total winner.

Cheap, fast, delicious and addictive.

We went there twice over the weekend much to Jeff's JOY.

The menu changes all the time (new curries/salads etc., the main dishes remain the same).

I can never go past the $5 brown rice with dal deal (looks a bit like vom but tastes a bit like AWESOME and is a huge bargain too good to refuse!!)

For the first time EVER I passed on the crispy kofta balls and instead tried something new (craziness) - the Mexican taquito with salsa.

Wow, this is the shiz.

It was crispy and filled with spicey beany goodness and the salsa was TASTY and fresh.

Jeff got the same three curry and brown rice deal ($9) that he always gets with a rice ball on the side.

The curries that day were dal, potato something rather and THAI PUMPKIN.

Thai pumpkin got capitals as it's THE TASTIEST THING YOU CAN PUT IN YOUR MOUTH.

Seriously creamy and rich and amazing.

So yes everybody - go to Vege Rama... now.

Middle Eastern Sunday.

So, yesterday I made hummus and falafel.

I MAY have been a bit heavy-handed with the salt in the hummus BUT, it was still delicious.

I followed this falafel recipe and this hummus recipe (I added a little lot extra lemon juice to the hummus as I like it zingy. I also added an extra garlic clove and a bit more salt.)

Total wins when combined with salad on a lavish wrap and eaten on the deck at sunset :)

BEHOLD!

It's the weekend!!

Conscious Chocolate.

I am yet to try this chocolate but it just made it to the top of my list.

Spice roasted chickpeas.

I've seen a few awesome looking spiced chickpea recipes floating around lately and have been stockpiling until the right meal comes along.

Constantly trying to eat healthy (a better version of a diet) I am always looking for tasty snacks with minimal calories (sweets/chips = NOT worth the extra time at the gym).

I've been making lots of salads lately too so spiced chickpeas would be a wonderful crunchy addition (healthy croutons!)

Anyways last night when I was making rice paper rolls I saw a can of chickpeas in the cupboard and thought "it's time, I DO have the million spices on hand..."

SO, behold - this recipe was a winner.

• 1 x 99c tin of chickpeas, drained
• A whole heap of tasty spices
• A dash of olive oil and;
• A trip in the oven

I MAY have eaten a lot of these straight off the baking tray but the rest will be for snacks/croutons :)

Seriously, give these a go - they're STUPIDLY yum. 

Rice paper rolls.

I make rice paper rolls pretty regularly as they're delicious, healthy and light.

Awesome for dinner, awesome for lunch - yes indeed.

I serve with a few dipping sauces;

• Sweet chilli
• Satay
• Chilli, ginger and garlic (from my Indian grocer)
• Soy, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and chilli flakes

I change up what goes in the rice paper rolls depending on what's in the fridge/what I remember to bring home from the grocery store.

This is the standard filling;

• Lettuce
• Vermicilli noodles
• Cucumber
• Carrot
• Marinated fried tofu/tempeh sticks (this was teriyaki tempeh)
• Fresh red chilli
• Crushed peanuts
• Coriander
• Squeeze of lime juice

They're a little tricky to roll (cause the paper is sticky and hates mistakes) but once you get going they become easier.

Now the countdown 'til lunch begins... 

Cauliflower and caramalised onion tart.

Wow you guys, epic recipe win!!

I've had this tart recipe on my 'to cook' list for about a year.

The tofu and nutritional yeast had put me off - I was a bit less into that stuff then.

I was mostly into fresh produce and legumes in the beginning.

A year into veganism and I'm feeling a bit more love for cooking experiments.

So, last night - it was time.

It may have taken two hours to make (am sure it will be faster next time when I'm not obsessively re-reading the recipe) but, absolutely worth it.

Not only was the tart DELICIOUS but it will make a fine lunch today and also won me many love points from the (incredibly spoilt) resident boy :)

PUT THIS TART IN YOU, seriously.

LOVE

This is a little slow to watch but it is really beautiful.

Priya.

 

Priya ready Indian meals = lazy lunch score!

I keep these in my desk at work with single serve brown rice bowls.

4 minutes in total in the microwave and $2.50 lunch.

I top with fresh squeezed lemon, yes indeed.

Mushroom barley soup.

So I cooked this the other night, it was pretty awesome.

Turns out both barley and shrooms are really low in calories too which is a win.

Although this dish is tasty, I think it needs something more.

Next time might throw in some shredded cabbage or zuchinni for extra goodness.

This will be a winter staple as it's super hearty and filling.

Vegan cider hunt.

So, here are a few vegan ciders (and a ginger beer) we've found.

Keep an eye out in your local bottlos!

Ykillamoocow.

Live in Brisbane?

Ykillamoocow has a stall at the West End markets on weekends.

The 'no bull' pies are the freakiest beef pie-tasting things ever (in the best possible way) and the pumpkin and barley sasage rolls are amazing too.

Tried a dagwood dog on the weekend and it was pretty delicious!

P.S the 'no bull' pies are also stocked at The Forest cafe in West End :)

Syndian.

Syndian burgers = delicious.

Not the cheapest patties available (4 for about $6-7) BUT seriously tasty.

Also

5 Dogs

No not that!!!!

THIS:

5 DOGS in Brunswick St Mall in the Valley is a complete win. They do a vegan hot dog complete with vegan cheese, BACON!, fried onion, all the toppings and condiments you could want on a delicious traditional tasting bun. SOOOOO GOOOOD. It isn't the cheapest at $9.00 but it is the best!

This is a photo of the non vegan ones but the vegan ones are just as jam packed and amazing looking :)

Oh AND the staff are awesome and completely happy to get you anything you like. So go GET A DOG IN YAH!

T is for Tasty and for Tempeh :)

Hey friends

Tempeh is the less popular but way more attractive brother of Tofu. It’s less processed, has more protein and fiber and actually has a delicious taste. You can buy is from health food stores and also now at Coles, at least the one in Toowong has it. I’ve used it for a while, as a meat substitute for Spag Bowl but last night I tried searing it instead and it is INSANELY good and crazy simply. I got this recipe here.

Ingredients:

1 pkg Tempeh

2/3 cups water

1/3 cup soy sauce

1-2 cloves of garlic

1” grated fresh ginger

Method:

Mix all the ingredients aside from the tempeh in a bowl. This is the marinade.

Cut tempeh into triangles, or any shape you like really. Then in a med/hot pan, brown the pieces on both sides, so that they’re nice and crispy. At this stage it’s up to you how much oil you want to use, I’m a believer in more is always tastier.

Add the marinade to the pan and let boil for 3-5 mins, then reduce and let simmer uncovered for about 25 mins. By this time all the marinade should be soaked into the tempeh but I did find my marinade absorbed quickly so just add extra water as needed.

It’s done!

I cut this up into stripes and we had it the next day on wraps for lunch. It was soooo tasty and filling. The flavour does remind me of my favourite meal as a kid, honey and soy chicken. My mum used to serve it with fried rice so next time I’m going to try adding a little rice syrup and serving it the same way as a main meal!