Wednesday 2 September 2015

In My Kitchen September 2015

This month we welcome spring with its reinvigorating warmth.  September is the time to dig out the school hat for Sylvia to wear in the playground (or buy a new one as the case may be), for lengthening evenings that smell sweetly of jasmine, and to head off on holiday at the end of the month. 

This year is the first year in 5 years that I haven't participated in Vegan MoFo.  I decided that this year's MoFo list of themes wasn't for me but it was a relief not to have to find the time.  However I hope to still be posting some great vegan food on my blog (though some will be lacto-ovo vegetarian too).  Above is a vegan parmesan I made for a pasta dish that I will share soon.  It was delicious.  I photographed it in this lovely salt and pepper set that I bought at a trash and treasure sale as a child.

As I have mentioned before I have done some recipe testing for Leigh Drew's new vegan cookbook.  August saw me taking a break from recipe testing but towards the start of the month, I made these amazing sweet potato fries with pineapple sauce.  Not only were they very moreish when eaten like this, we also loved the fries and sauce in a wrap with salad.

We have been eating wraps more regularly lately.  When I have been busy I have been making sourdough flatbreads to keep my starter going.  I have also been making them as after school when Sylvia has brought home a friend each week after netball this term.  This wrap was made up of some spinach cauliflower fritters from the freezer, spinach, roast pumpkin, tomato and hummus.  So good!

Moving away from vegan light meals, I made this cheese on toast for lunch recently.  I piled some spinach and cherry tomatoes onto sourdough bread before topping with cheese and putting it under the griller.  It made for a lovely meal.

I was interested to see that the new Coles supermarket in Coburg North had a vegan/vegetarian/gluten free section including Amy's rice and beans burritos.  I bought one out of curiosity.  It was really delicious with some yoghurt, spinach and cherry tomatoes on the side.  However I don't tend to buy these sort of meals regularly.

I found these lovely dessert bowls in an op shop.  I'd been looking in other shops for something that is not too big.  So many bowls these days are a big as chamber pots.  These are just right for us.

Not technically the kitchen, though it does seem to find its way in, is Sylvia's new detangler brush (as recommended by my sisters).  It is the pink one on the right.  The bristles are a soft rubber unlike her more traditional hair brush.  I can't even bear to think of all the tears and screams I have endured brushing her hair every morning.  This new brush has made mornings so much easier.

More kids stuff.  Here is a SpongeBob SquarePants ice cream which looks nothing like the picture on the packet (or the cartoon).  Sylvia was most pleased to have it but then she only ate half and the other half sat in the freezer for another week before she finished it off.  The flavours were banana and chocolate with bubble gum eyes.  I have a 5-minute-and-spit-out rule with any sort of chewing gum for Sylvia though I prefer to avoid it altogether.

These goodies are from the new(ish) The Source Bulk Foods in Sydney Road Brunswick.  I finally got there to make those hard choices about what to buy. purchases there.  I was most excited to find it was a good place to buy coconut flakes (for facon and muesli).  I also bought macadamias, dark chocolate bullets (liquorice) and dark chocolate covered dried bananas.  So yummy.

In the nut shop in Coburg's Victoria Street Mall, I recently found that the smoked paprika was $2 for a 100g tub compared to $2.95 for a 50g packet in the supermarket.  Must remember this next time I need some.  I use a lot of smoked paprika.

E bought a bottle of Coburg Lager a while back because he was intrigued by a local beer.  We don't drink a lot of beer in our house, especially in winter.  Weeks later it is still sitting in the fridge waiting to be opened.  You can see why he only bought one bottle!

Our garden is already showing signs of spring.  The lavender is in bloom and we have some buds on the blueberry plant.  Although we have had a cold winter, it has been fairly dry so I hope spring and summer are kind to the gardens.  We need lots of heavy spring downpours for which Melbourne is renowned.

I was out shopping for leggings with Sylvia.  If she is not constantly getting them dirty, she is putting her knee through them.  We didn't find the leggings but we were both smitten with this cute pineapple mason jar.  It looks so perfect for smoothies but is actually rather big for them.  We are getting some use out of it though.
 
My sister Fran gave me some of these grapefruit from her in-laws' tree.  I was tempted to bake a cake or experiment with grapefruit juice in a tofu marinade but I went the easy route. We put some into our regular banana and strawberry smoothies.  It worked especially well with older sweeter bananas.

Lastly here is another smoothie I enjoyed.  It tasted all the better because Sylvia agreed to have some spinach in her orange, pineapple and banana smoothie.  Baby steps.  Baby steps.  I am way beyond baby steps so I stuffed more spinach in my smoothie once I had poured hers.

I am sending this post to Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial for her In My Kitchen event.  Head over to join in (by 10th of each month) and/or check out what is happening in other bloggers' kitchens.

35 comments:

  1. As always, your kitchen is a very tempting place.

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  2. Lovely photos! Everything looks so yummy, colorful and charming.

    I love the sound of those wraps.

    I agree with you about MoFo--it is so time consuming. I'm doing it this year after a 3-year blog hiatus, but I'm not super excited about the themes.

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    1. Thanks Rosa - Good luck with Vegan MoFo - it is all consuming but I have found it a great experience for finding interesting recipes, ideas and new (to me) bloggers. I am not sure I will get around as much as I'd like but hope to still enjoy some of the fun posts even if not writing them

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  3. Love those dessert bowls (and the lengthening evenings!)

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    1. Thanks Lisa - yes lengthening evenings is such a joy in Spring

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  4. So many fun things in your kitchen! That sourdough bread toast looks scrumptious! And that Spongebob ice cream looks very sad. I bought a Bubble O Bill a few years ago for a bit of a reminisce and it looked nothing like the packet.

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    1. Thanks Lorraine - The spongebob ice cream is sad - I think the idea of it is far more exciting for sylvia than the actual ice cream - which is proven by her leaving the leftovers for a week in the freezer

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  5. I like all your local references this month. I also went to that Source place in Sydney road and couldn't believe the high prices. Haven't yet been to the new Coles but hope its better than the old one- I shop for my mother in Pascoe Vale. I wonder if that is the same arcade in Coburg with the fab hole in the wall pie shop? The veggo pastie is the best in the world.

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    1. Thanks Francesca - I was buying stuff I don't regularly buy so I didn't notice the prices but I don't imagine I would shop there on a regular basis as we have some good bulk bin shops closer to me. The Coles in North Coburg was very flash - like it was putting on its best behaviour and trying to look like a market rather than a supermarket. I liked the veg/gf area but it would not replace visits to health food shops because it is so much processed food. I think I know the pie shop - will have to try the vegie pastie!

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  6. I love these posts and always look forward to seeing what's in your kitchen =)
    Those dessert bowls are so nice! And the pineapple mason jar is SO CUTE! I bet Sylvia loves drinking out of it. I'm digging the wraps and look forward to seeing your vegan parm cheese recipe.

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    1. Thanks Kimmy - I was going through a phase of wraps for dinner once a week but these habits don't last in our house though come summer they would be a great quick meal. I was pretty excited by my bowls and new glass - Sylvia loves it but the straw is already a bit wilted!

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  7. oh wow, where is that pineapple glass from! I love it! I'm laughing at poor unrecognisable SpongeBob there too :P Can't believe another IMK is due so I best get cracking-- thanks for the inspiration!

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    1. Thanks Faye - the pineapple glass is from Target. And I am shocked you didn't instantly recognise spongebob in the ice cream (ha ha) Will look forward to your IMK

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    2. I thought it was a modernised Bubble O Bill!

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  8. Isn't jasmin just the greatest smell in the world?

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    1. Thanks Shari - we have had a jasmine plant in the front garden that was all but destroyed when the fence was replaced and I am hoping it will reboot - apparently jasmine is quite hardy - because i love smelling it on spring evenings

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  9. I do love that Pineapple Mason jar. I've made some vegan parmesan with nutritional yeast, would love to see your recipe and compare, but I am loving how you have presented it. Sweet.. And I want a sweet potato chip! I better get on with my IMK post.

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    1. Thanks Shaheen - the vegan parmesan has nutritional yeast flakes (I love the stuff so much) and nuts so it is probably like other ones - I think I was so happy it worked with a pasta dish I made a few weeks back - I am not sure if Sylvia was so convinced - she loves parmesan cheese. I thought you would like my little gnomes - I loved them so much when I was little and they have moved about with me a lot since I left home.

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  10. I love those dessert bowls! Great find.

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  11. I have been making vegan parmesan lately too - it is so delicious! I love that little bowl the pineapple sauce is in - I have a thing for cracked glaze. I visited a source too last week - I have been trying more actively to reduce my household waste so trying to buy bulk where possible. Some of the items are really well priced and some are way over what I usually pay. I was attracted by all the choccies too! Got some bullets and some choc dried banana...yummm

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    1. Thanks Caeli - I really love that bowl too - I have a set of three which get pushed to the back of the cupboard and every time I find them it is like having them new all over again. The selection of chocolates in Source is too tempting - it was really hard to choose just two - I have promised Sylvia I will take her there some time.

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  12. LOVE the pics! All of the food looks great! Those gnomes are cute! And GOTTA LOVE fresh cut fruit!!!!
    http://MyBlissfulJourney.com

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  13. There is a lot to love here Johanna! The dessert bowls, sweet potato with pineapple sauce and hair ties are particular appealing, along with your garden. I hope you enjoy the first glimpses of spring.

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  14. The sweet potato fries with pineapple sauce sounds like a killer combo. Love your op shop bowls. I'm forever trawling op shops for interesting pieces.

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  15. I am totally in love with those sweet salt and pepper shakers. They remiond me of Enid Blyton stories.

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  16. Some interesting things in your kitchen this month Johanna - especially adore those darling dessert bowls - I totally agree about the size of bowls getting bigger and bigger - I love the etching on them. Jan x p.s. I have started the 5:2 diet after reading your post....are you still doing it?

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  17. I think the ice cream is very cute and I know my little guy would love one of those and that I'd have a challenge of a time trying to get that bubble gum off him in just five minutes. I love the lavender in your garden and yes, it's so lovely to be officially in Spring. The pineapple jar is very cute xx

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  18. What is with massive bowls? It's getting very hard to find decent smaller sized things that aren't to 'kiddie'. What a great find!

    That mason jar is very fetching. Your sweet potato fries sound delicious... the pineapple sauce is just the icing (sauce) on the cake (fries!).

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  19. You MADE vegan parmesan? I'm impressed! Can't wait to see the recipe....
    The Amy's Burritos are pretty good I agree, and as for the detangling brush, we would be in quite a mess without it in our house!
    You're kitchen is clearly a lovely, happy, interesting place.....Always a privilege to get a sneak peak! Thank you x

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  20. I nearly jumped off my chair when I saw you little gnomes/fairy set. I have a set of S&P woodcutters with a hut and some one broke one of the hats and I was heartbroken and am keeping my eyes open for a replacement. Not same as yours but I would imagine of same era. Those war;s and the toast are teasers indeed. :)

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  21. Your wraps look good. It's ages since we had any and looking at yours I wonder why. Thanks for the reminder.

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  22. Those sweet potato fries with pineapple sauce sound wonderful. I love a good wrap and yours looks delicious. Mark chocolate covered dried bananas, I must find some of them!

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  23. Johanna I'm loving the look of your sourdough flatbread! Do you have a recipe or link as I'd love to make something other than bread! I go to The Source Bulk Foods in Prahran - yes they can be pricey but they have some great stuff. Sharing with you next month the goodies I got! Great to see you for #IMK

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