Sweetie Pie & Cuddle Cakes.

My friend Mai has just started a vegan and gluten-free cupcakes/cakes business called Sweetie Pie & Cuddle Cakes.

The grand opening was last weekend and OMG was it tasty.

Basically I stumbled into vegan HEAVEN and possibly found myself in a sugar coma about 23 minutes later...

It was worth it.

Check them out!!

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French lentil bolognese.

I've been making this bolognese for a long time and it's a proven winner.

It's hearty, rich and wonderful, PERFECT for an icy winter night.

I use this Veggie Num Num recipe but change the tin of condensed soup for a tin of diced tomatoes as I find the soup way too sweet.
It's GOOD.

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Scrambled tofu.

So my Soulfood scrambled tofu addiction was getting a bit out of hand...

My bank account can't keep up with my social life/eating habits some times.

This resulted in me experimenting with re-creating my caramelised love at home.

It changes depending on what's in the fridge but I've pretty much got this down to perfection.

I don't cook with specific measurements so bare with me and give this a go, it's YUM.

Ingredients;

Scrambled tofu

• 1 packet of firm/crumbly organic tofu

• 1 brown onion, sliced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup of mushrooms, diced

• Large handful of baby spinach leaves

• Small handful of fresh parsley, chopped

• Pinch of cumin

• Pinch of tumeric

• Pinch of paprika

• About 3tbs light soy sauce

• About 5tbs kecap manis (dark sweet soy sauce)

• S&P

To serve:

• Thick slices of sourdough toast

• Fresh avocado with lemon

• Cherry tomatoes

Method:

1. Throw the onion in a large non-stick pan with a good slosh of olive oil and brown over a low heat for at least 10-20 minutes until it caramelises (yes it's a long time to cook onion but it's worth it as the sweet caramelised flavour MAKES this dish).

2. Crumble in tofu along with mushrooms and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until shrooms are softening and garlic is aromatic.

3. Add spices and soy sauces, stir and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.

4. Throw in spinach and parsley and cook for 2 minutes, season with S&P.

5. Serve on toast with tasty sides and lot's of lemon juice!

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Mister Nice Guy Cupcakes.

Yeah so I am surprised at how long it took me to find these.

Nearly three months of living in Melbourne and I finally got my hands on some.

Mister Nice Guy provided some very nice vegan treats.

Pictured is banana/hazelnut/chocolate and chocolate/coconut.

Both were intensely enjoyable.

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CERES.

I'd been meaning to check out CERES Community Park for ages as my roomies love it.

Finally made it out there one sunny day when my mum was visiting and had the most amaaaaaazing falafel baguette (with roast pumpkin, olives, spinach, alfalfa and pesto! All grown organically on the grounds).

The cafe is very vegan-friendly and lovely to sit at (outdoor patio surrounded by bushland).

The park itself is really cool and has produce farms, animals everywhere, two cafes, a dam, an organic store, organic produce markets and some nice hippy stalls thrown in too.

Next sunny day I am going back for seconds.

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Heidi.

Move over Whittakers (not really, I still live you and your gooey peppermint perfection), Heidi is my new chocolate BFF.

This strange Lindt rip-off (packaging-wise) is DELICIOUS!

Dairy-free, super creamy and full of crunchy nuts and sweet pear essence.

AHmazing.

Available at the Brunswick IGA (have not seen anywhere else yet).