Millionaires' Shortbread

What?! Shortbread? But the whole point of shortbread is butter. How can you make that vegan and tasty? And the condensed milk and caramel!?

Well, naysayers, let me tell you something....come close..SHUT UP. You can make everything vegan. 

This recipe is great the tray was empty in two days.

I adapted it straight out of a Deliha Smith cook book that looks like it is from the 80's.

Ingredients: 

• 250g plain flour
• 75g caster sugar
• 175g margarine (for shortbread)
• 100g margarine (for caramel)

• 100g caster sugar
• 1 x cans condensed soya milk. I used this one from The Cruelty Free Shop 
• 
  
  

  Whittakers 50% cocoa bar.

  
  
  

  
  

  
  Method:
  
  
  
  
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180'C. Lightly grease a tin.
     
  2. To make the shortbread, mix the flour and caster sugar in a bowl. Rub in the margarine until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Knead the mixture together until it forms a dough, then press into the base of the prepared tin. Prick the shortbread lightly with a fork and bake in the oven until firm and very lightly browned. Cool in the tin.
  
  
  
  
  3. To make the caramel, melt the margarine, sugar and condensed soya milk in a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil, stirring all the time, then reduce the heat and simmer very gently, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes or until the mixture has thickened slightly. Pour over the shortbread and leave to cool.
  4. For the topping, melt the chocolate in a bain marie. Pour over the cold caramel and leave to set.
     
     
     
     If you give this recipe a go, I'd love to know how you got on.
     
     
     
  Au Revoir my Lovelies
  
  Rachael x

  
  

Edamame Pasta with 'not' Sun-dried Tomato Sauce and Artichoke

NOM NOM NOM!

Love Sun-dried Tomatoes, hate the price?

Here is my far cheaper version of a sun-dried tomato sauce that works great with pasta, but also perfect for bread, salads, and however else you like your sauciness. 

I paired this sauce with Organic Edamame pasta and artichoke. 

Ingredients:

- Your favourite pasta (I used Organic edamame, and mung bean Fettuccine) 

-A jar of artichoke hearts (This time round, I didn't use too many, maybe 6-7 chopped)

- 1/3 cup of olive oil

- A mix of the herbs you love the most. I used, basil, parsley, oregano, Rosemary, and paprika

- A teaspoon of garlic. 

-Half a medium red onion

- A tube of tomato paste

- Salt and pepper to taste.

I'm sure I could have made that look neater...

How to: 

- Get your pasta boiling. Mine took 7-8 mins.

- In a fry pan, heat your oil, then add your herbs

- Make sure not to burn your herbs, you just want to stimulate the flavour.

-Add your red onion (mushrooms would go great here too), and Artichoke.

This smelt like heaven.

- After a minute or so, lower the heat and add the whole tube of tomato paste. You want to cook this until the paste darkens.

- Once your pasta is cooked, stir it through the sauce and enjoy!

Main products used. 

Please let me know if you gave this a go. And remember you can use the sauce in so many ways. 

Au Revoir my Lovelies

Rachael x

Auckland Restaurant Month- Hectors

It’s Restaurant Month here in Auckland. Meaning that a lot of great places are joining in and offering deals to showcase their food.
Hector’s Restaurant, in The Heritage Hotel is a vegan staple.   You can see my review  from a year ago here

If you’re in Auckland, I urge  you to take full advantage of Restaurant Month. What better time to exercise those foodie taste buds? Visit   Heart of the City webpage to find out more about who is taking part.

Anyway, back to Hector’s. Last Friday evening, my partner and I made the impromptu trip to my favourite restaurant in Auckland.

Apparently you are meant to call more than an hour before hand, in order for the chefs to ensure they have all the correct ingredients, to take advantage of the Restaurant Month deal. But they were able to squeeze us in, and we are very grateful for that.

As always, our server was amazing. Herman looked after us, and was incredibly attentive- he gets all the points.

For $55pp you get a 3 course meal off of a set ‘Restaurant Month’ menu- there is a vegan and also a ‘normal’ menu to chose from.

With some vegan wine we got ready for a great meal.

Rockburn Riesling 

Macadamia Cheese and Poached Vegetable Salad with Beet Puree

Anyone who knows me, will tell you I hate salads, making this an odd choice.
  I won't lie, it was the word cheese that swayed me, not salad. Luckily though, there were no leaves in sight and who doesn't love a baby carrot?

I enjoyed this starter, it was light and the flavours were great. The cheese was a bit of a let down, kind of gritty, but I'm glad I chose the salad- try new things and all that.

Truffled Mushroom Tart, Hazelnut Salad, and Balsamic Reduction.

There is that word again, salad. I did eat a bit of it, but I chose this for the tart. I've had this dish before and LOVE IT. It's beautifully made, very flavourful. Ever since becoming vegan, I've had a love affair with mushrooms. They make such a great alternative to meat, so earthy.

This time, it was a bit heavy on the salt, but I haven't had that issue in the past (bear in mind I hate using salt, so I'm quite sensitive to it.)

Chocolate Mousse and Raw Hazelnut Brownie

 Chocolate, brownie, chocolate...and some nuts with freeze dried raspberry. The mousse was very decadent and I wouldn't have wanted more than what was served, as it's quite heavy. As for the raw brownie, it reminded me of soft granola and that is not a bad thing. I really enjoyed the addition of freeze dried raspberries too.

My partner had the fritters (I say my partner had, I did too)

Banana Fritters with Mango Sorbet and Ginger

What a lovely photo of my arm's shadow. 

The fritters  and sorbet weirdly matched the chocolate mousse. But what I really loved about this was the ginger syrup, it went perfectly with the mango sorbet.

 We really enjoyed our evening out at Hectors. it was a great chance to eat some loved food and also try something new. I intend on taking full advantage of what Restaurant Month has to offer Auckland.

So give Restaurant Month a go. You might find a new favourite spot.  



Au Revoir my Lovelies

Rachael x

Pumpkin Soup

I made this over the weekend for part of a 3 course Mothers Day meal. Not to toot my own horn, but it's delicious, and so simple. Perfect for the cold winter.

 Ingredients 

- ½ crown pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes 

-4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes 

-3 onions, peeled and chopped up 

-olive oil or vege oil, about 6 tbsp 

-3/4 tsp ground nutmeg 

-1/4 cup white sugar 

-salt and pepper to taste

-vegetable stock . 

- 2 tsp of smoked paprika

METHOD:

1.Sweat the veggies in the oil, nutmeg and sugar on a med to low heat until the pumpkin goes kinda mushy on the outside. 

2. Cover with vegie stock, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the veg is cooked. 

3. Let cool a little while then blend the soup in batches and put back into a clean pot and add a little more stock if too thick to thin it out, check seasoning, and add paprika.

And Ta Da, you are done. This freezes great, so make a large batch, split into Tupperware and freeze for a quick lunch.  

Let me know if you give this recipe a go.

Rachael xx

Ingredient of the Month- Quinoa.

Qu-I-no-A? Queen-O-A? Kai-O-noa?

Oh the ever elusive pronunciation of Quinoa. (It's KEEN-wha by the way.)

Quinoa has been around for thousands of years, though only recently has it become a popular ingredient, and dubbed a superfood. 

A complete protien, quinoa is the only plant food featuring all essential amino acids. It's also gluten free, low GI, low carbohydrate, and high fiber. It's pretty much a complete food. 

Whether you are a health nut, trying to lose weight, or are just after some good wholesome food, try quinoa. 

There is, however, a nack to cooking it. 

First off you need to make sure you give it a good wash as most don't come prewashed, and quinoa naturally has a bitter coating. 

You then boil it using a 1:1 water ratio. It will take between 10-15 mins to cook. What you're looking for is a small hook to begin to pop out- if, by this time, your water hasn't all been soaked up, strain it. Otherwise use a fork to mix the quinoa around, trying to get as much air in it as possible- you want fluffy quinoa.

Quinoa is relatively flavourless, the black and red varieties being more earthy than the white- and will also take a bit longer to cook. All 3 colours are natural, so don't worry about any possible bleaching. 

This is a really versatile food. It can be used in baking, as a replacement to potato, rice or pasta, added to soup, or bread. Here's a really basic recipe to get you started.

Ingredients:

1.1 cup of quinoa

2. 1 cup of water

3. 1 stock cube

4. Tin of chopped tomato

5. 3 cloves of crushed garlic

6. 1 medium onion

7. Handful of button mushrooms

8. 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika

9. Pinch of salt.

Recipe:

1. Chop the onion, garlic and mushroom to suit. 

2. In a saucepan add the quinoa, water, and stock and bring to boil.

3. In a fry pan, fry off your onion, garlic, and mushroom(filling the room with that amazing smell)

4. Add the tin of tomato and simmer until the tomatoes turn to a dull red.

5. Add paprika, and salt. 

6. Once you're satisfied with your quinoa, take it off the heat (sieve if you need to) let if cool for a minute or two, using a fork to stir it every so often. 

7. Stir the qunioa into the sauce and voila!

I hope you enjoyed this first Ingredient of The Month. Let me know if you try this recipe or what you love to do with quinoa.

Au Revoir my lovelies Rachael x

Current Favourites

As it has been a long time since I last posted ( a few months, I'm sorry) I think a favourites might be a good place to start.

Eco Store Hand cream.

Since realising that your hands are a dead give away of your age- as most people forget to take care of them- I've been addicted to hand cream and addicted to finding the perfect vegan one.

I tried a few.  But for the most part, I felt like they just made my hands smell nice. Nothing wrong with a nice smelling hand of course, but I need to feel like a hand cream is doing a bit more for my skin. So while on my way to work one day, I popped into the Eco Store and bought this lovely thing.

As with all of the Eco Store's products, the packaging is 100% recycled and carbon neutral. The other good thing about this brand is that they only use ingredients that are necessary- meaning no nasty chemicals or additives. 

I've been giving this light hand cream a go and really enjoying it. There is something therapeutic in taking a moment out to just care for your hands- because they do a lot, touch a lot and that all shows as you age. Everyone's hands deserve a little TCL. I even give my, gym-caused-callus-ridden, boyfriend hand massages to make sure they get looked after.

This formula is non greasy, meaning I can apply it and not have to worry about making everything I touch slimy- which is always nice. As it's a light moisturiser, I can feel it lets my skin breathe but gives it the moisture it needs. If you're in the market for a new hand cream or want to start taking better care of your hands- try the Eco Store. 

Sukin Nourishing Lip Treatment.

As the softening ingredient in most lip balms is bees wax- it can prove quite difficult trying to find a vegan friendly one. But not to fear, for I have found a good quality one!

Since discovering Sukin, I will admit I have become a little obsessed with them. You can see my review of some of their products here.

Like the Eco Store, Sukin is carbon neutral and free of dodgy ingredients. 

If you've ever tried Hurraw, you will understand when I say that although they smell nice- it did nothing does nothing for your lips. This Lip Treatment on the other hand, is great. The smell is rather neutral- just a hint of Shea butter.

I went years without a lip balm and got into the bad habit of biting my lips, meaning I was in need of this beauty. After using it two days, my chapped, sore lips were 85% better. It's incredibly hydrating, and it has great staying power due to its thick formula. 

I will be repurchasing this for a long time. 

Real Techniques- Core Collection.

I've wanted Real Techniques bushes for a while.  I mainly use the Eco Tools brushes that I bought a few years ago, and are still in really good shape (am hoping to get more on net trip to UK in Dec) but Real Techniques are renowned for their quality, I had to get my hands on some.

After having an issue with Fishpond over shipment of this collection, I decided to buy it from Life Pharmacy.They cost about $40 for the set of four.  You can find Real Techniques in most pharmacies. 

Core Collections features:

Buffing Brush: I've been mainly using this for press and loose powder.

Contour Brush: This I use for contour and press powder in small areas. 

Pointed Foundation Brush: I don't use this one unless I have the time. It's a pretty small brush so it can take a while to cover your whole face- I prefer to use my fingers.

Detailer Brush: This one is great for concealer in small areas or even for precision cream eye-shadow. 

What I really wanted to find out about these brushes was how soft they are, and also if they shed. No one likes a face covered in brush hairs when applying foundation. 

Luckily they leave my face brush-hair free. Obviously, the real test for softness and shedding will be time. 

I feel like I've been spoilt by using Eco Tools for so long. Although, Real Techniques are very soft, they don't really come close to the softness of Eco Tools. 

When it comes down to how well they do the job, I'm not going to pretend I am any sort of cosmetics expert. I don't really know what I'm doing, or what the real purpose of most brushes are, but I find my own uses for them and they work pretty well. They are easy to clean and apply make up pretty flawlessly. 

I am really enjoying using these brushes at the moment. You can definitely tell when you're using good quality products. 

I would love to add more Real Techniques to my collection.

Strawberries.

It's that time of year again. Who doesn't love the sign outside the grocers 2 punnets for $4?

Whether they are covered in sugar, chocolate, in a smoothie, fruit salad, or just as a snack on their own- strawberries are so sweet and beautiful at the moment. And the way the weather in Auckland is going at the moment- they are the only good thing about summer. 

Archie. 

Archie is by far my most favourite thing on this list. 

About 5 months ago, I got the idea in my head that I wanted a dog and within 2 weeks, Archie was living with us. 

We got him from The SPCA and apparently he and his siblings were found abandoned under a house. 

When we visited they had all been adopted apart from Archie (he was called Taffy at the time), we were told that no one was interested in him because of his unusual markings. Apparently he is a Staffy cross, but they can't be certain. We now know he has Boxer in him. 

His story tugged on our heart strings, so we had to meet him. He was subdued at first, but soon came out of his shell, and we fell in love. 

At 8 months old he is the most loving thing, very clumsy, and loves nothing more than a good snuggle. 

If you ever intend to adopt a pet, please check out The SPCA. And if there isn't one close to you, please make sure you do a background check on any place you might be looking to adopt from to ensure it's not a puppy mill or something similar. 

I hope you enjoyed reading my current favourites. Promise you won't have to wait so long again for an update. 

Au Revoir My Lovelies.

Rachael. x

Chia Seed

If you're vegan or a health nut, you've more than likely heard of Chia seed. I've been using them for over 2 years now and it dawned on me, why haven't I written a blog post on them yet?

Chia seed has been dubbed a super food, but they get stuck in your teeth- nobody's perfect.

Packed full of omegas, fiber, protein and antioxidants, and being able to boost the nutritional value of almost anything you add it to, there isn't really any reason you shouldn't be using Chia in your diet. 

What do you do with Chia?

- One of the most popular ways to getting Chia into your daily diet is by adding it to water. A great property of Chia is that it will fill you up for longer, meaning you can have it before you exercise, with water, and it will see you though. 

- Add Chia to baking to make you feel like your chocolate brownies are a little bit healthy.

- Another good way to use Chia in baking, is as an egg replacer. By adding a couple of teaspoons to some water, you can see how Chia gelatinises. This properly makes it a wonderful binder.

- And of course, you can add Chia to any meal/salad/smoothie you make. Adding texture, boosting nutrition and helping with the cooking process. 

 Why should you be eating Chia?

- It's a great source of omega 3, brilliant for veggies and people with fish allergies.   

-Chia fills you up for longer. Mixing a teaspoon with your breakfast will see you through until lunch, easily.


-Packed full of protein and dietary fiber, Chia, ups the nutritional value of anything you're eating. 

-Almost all of the carbs in Chia seed are fiber. This mixed with their ability to make you feel fuller, makes Chia great for weight loss.  

-It's versitle. Chuck some Chia in brownies, smoothies, salads, pastas, all manner of puddings and sauces. 

Chia seed really should be a staple in everyone's diet, vegan or not. Granted it's not cheap, but for such a wonderful nutritious food, Chia seed is 100% worth it. 

Vegan Creamy Pasta.

One of the things I never thought I'd be able to recreate, when I first became vegan, was a creamy pasta.

But through a bit of trial and error, I have come up with this moreish pasta dish.
Very simple to make and it pleases everyone, meat eaters alike. 

I use Alpro single cream in this dish, as I state below, you can use milk as an alternative but be warned that it will take longer to cook and the flavour will not be as rich. 

I also use Angel Food's Bellissimo Parmesan. I love this stuff so much, a great addition to any meal. 

Ingredients:

• 4 cloves of garlic
• Half a medium onion
• 4-5 meduim size button mushrooms
• Vege stock
• 1 carton of Alpro single soy cream (or 400ml of soy milk, this will be needed to cook longer) 
• 1-2 teaspoons of paprika 
• As much vegan parmesan as you fancy
• 1teaspoon Oregano 
• Knob of dairy free margarine.

Recipe:

1. Saute onion, garlic and mushrooms. 
2. Add a cup of vege stock and cook for a min
3. slowly add the cream or milk, stirring constantly.
4. Let warm though for 3-4 mins.
5. Add the paprika, you can add more of less to taste.
6. get your hands on some Angel foods Parmesan and go crazy.
7. stir it all though, then add oregano.
8. Cook until hot but do not let over boil. 
9. Take from heat and stir though a knob of margarine to thicken.
10. Mix pasta though and serve.
11. Spinach makes a great addition to this meal too.

Enjoy!

If you love this recipe as much as me or want to let me know how I can improve it, let me know, I'd love to hear any feedback!!


Au revoir my lovelies

Rachael xxx

June Favourites.

This month's favourites are a mix of new and old. I'm a creature of habit but I'm trying to make an effort to experiment with new products.

As always, all of this stuff is 100% vegan :)

Barry M Natural Glow Palette

I have been dying to try out Barry M since I  saw this video. I had no idea they had vegan options. Luckily, recently my parents went back home to visit family and bought me back this gem (as unfortunately, we don't have Barry M in NZ.) This cost £6-£7 from Superdrug. 
So happy was I when I got my hands on this, couldn't wait to put my face on.

Not very clear, I might do a tutorial soon.

  
I'm not one for very heavy eye make up, so I really like this palette. The pigment is nice, not super pigmented, but it is a lot better than most eyeshadow. I give it about a 8/10 for pigment. 

You can go for a heavier look than this, it's all about building the colour up.  I used the three eye colours on the right of the palette and the blush. Oh my, I love the blush. I've got very fair skin, and this colour suits it so well.

I'm really happy parents were kind enough to find this for me, I'm in love with it. 


Freefrom Double Chocolate biscuits.

For about 3 years, these have been my go to biscuit. They are $4 in countdown, in the health food aisle. 

 Vegan and gluten free, these are similar to Tim Tams or Penguin biscuits if you're in the UK, these things are amazing. 

 Sometimes gluten free food can taste of cardboard, not these. I, guiltily, can eat the whole packet. 
After something cheap to give you that chocolate fix? Just head to countdown, they work everytime. 


Natio Fizz Nail Polish 

This has been in my draw for a while, and only the last few weeks have I realised what a lovely colour it is. 
When you have short nails, it's a great colour. Very creamy pink with a beautiful  purpley/pink shimmer though it. I really like wearing this over a white tip as it make it look less harsh and more pearly. 



Leahey No Chicken Gravy

I bought this from The Cruelty Free Shop for $1. It was on special, nearing it's date. 
It had been sitting in my cupboard for a while, pretty sure it was past it''s best before when I ate it. Oh well, I've worked in the food industry for years, best before's are safe.... (hopefully)
 Friday was a wonderfully stormy evening, perfect for a roast dinner. 

To some of you this looks disgusting and weird, I know, but to me it is beautiful. A lot of gravy too. 

Back to the actual product. When I was a meat eater, I was never a huge fan of chicken gravy, I found it bland. I don't know whether it's because I don't have chicken flavoured things much, but I really like Leahey's gravy, I found it really flavourful. It's quite oniony, very similar taste to chicken crisps. I'm going to repurchase this next time I'm in the city. 


Hope you all had a good June, and I wish you a wonderful July. 

Au revoir my lovelies

Rachael xxx