Wang Wang Dumpling, Supercharger, craft and school holiday excursions

I look forward to the school holidays because it seems like that will be a break and then they are so crazy busy that I look forward to school going back because I think that life will be easier with Sylvia at school but it still doesn't slow down.

So here I am struggling to find time to blog because my photos need sorting because there are too many on my computer, my external hard drive is too full, I am doing some recipe testing for Leigh Drew and I have already had Sylvia home sick one day this term (which started on Monday).  And I just want time to listen to Jon Faine on the radio (after his 6 weeks leave) and read All the Bright Places which I am loving.  But let me squeeze in some time to write about some outings and craft sessions during the holidays.

Sylvia E and I saw the Minions movie at Melbourne Central.  It was lots of fun especially if you love 1960s Britain, as well as silliness.  Afterwards we went across the walkway for lunch at the Emporium.  I tried Supercharger for the second time.

Though others love Supercharger (Where's the Beef, Veganopoulous, The Good Hearted) I am still not won over.  I like that it is vegan and healthy.  However I find the menu overwhelming, the mixture of cold and hot dishes doesn't work for me and although I sort of enjoyed my meal in the holidays it was just too spicy.  I want to like it but I think I need to try other places in the food hall.  At least I was so full from the huge meal that I didn't need dessert because E and Sylvia chose frozen yoghurt, which is crazy in the current chilly Melbourne winter.

I have mentioned an outing to the city with Sylvia and her friends to the Immigration Museum.  They do such great craft sessions during the school holidays.  The session they went to was make your own pot plant.  It was probably just as well that we left them behind so we weren't carrying 5 paper pot plants through the city but they did look cute.

The kids then had a fun time at the museum with the replica ship, playing shipwrecks which seemed to involve carrying a drowned kid to a seat and then praying over them.  We also added some wishes to the wishing tree (top photo).

It was nice to see a few school friends at a NAIDOC craft session at our local neighbourhood house with a bonus playtime at the next door playground afterwards.  Sylvia asked if we could go back there next year.

After the NAIDOC session, we went into the library for a quick look at the books and a kindly librarian invited us to join in the craft session that was just starting.  She noticed the reluctant look on my face but by then Sylvia was racing towards the room.  There was no stopping her.  I usually love some craft but this was our third craft activity in two days.  Despite my craft fatigue, we had fun doing the CD animals.  I tried to make a green giraffe which actually looked more like a slug.  Sylvia made a cat and a whale.

Between the craft sessions we went to Wang Wang Dumpling for lunch.  It is the second time I have been there.  It seems odd to me that how this restaurant sits in the middle of a supermarket carpark.  It is convenient if nothing else.

Wang Wang Dumpling has no pretensions to be anything other than a suburban restaurant but it is friendly and clean with an extensive menu and delicious fried dumplings.  When we arrived there was a family group, a business meeting and a couple of friends.  I took the above photo after we had lingered and most of the lunchtime crowd had left.

The menu had a few vegetarian options such as fried rice, fried noodles, and Cindy mentioned they make their own noodles.  (See her review at Where's the Beef for the menu at the bottom of the post) I was there for a plate of dumplings.  However I was intrigued at the fried pumpkin cakes.  This sounded to me like the slices of pumpkin fried in batter that I get occasionally at a fish and chip shop.  Obviously this was my Anglo Celtic brain at work!

I was quite surprised that it was actually a fried pumpkin skin around a slightly sweet red bean filling.  I ate it with soy sauce but wasn't sure I should.  I was assured it was vegetarian but now wonder after a friend read me the ingredients of her red bean cakes which had lard in them.  If anyone knows about these pumpkin cakes, I would be interested to hear more.

Meanwhile Sylvia now can read enough to peruse the menu herself.  I was amused that she went straight to the drinks menu and ordered a strawberry milkshake.  It was huge and sweet but she seemed to enjoy it, even if she didn't get through it.

Then our vegetable dumplings arrived.  They were full of chopped vegies (carrot and cabbage?) and delicious.  Not quite up to ShanDong MaMa standard but I would return for more.  Sylvia had fun trying to work chopsticks and ate some dumpling skin.  It was a lovely meal though quite heavy with all the deep fried food.

Sylvia and I had a few other craft sessions.  She did some paper snowflakes at a holiday program so we made paper chains and snowflakes for our Christmas in July.  We also had a painting session early in the holidays when we were fresh.

I'd like to tell you more but I am off to try and sort out my photos.  Though the school holidays were busy, I really can't complain because we had lots of fun and we are lucky to live in a city that offers so much good food and great programs.

Wang Wang Dumpling
3/51 Waterfield St, Coburg
03 9354 0294

Stuffed nut roast for Christmas in July dinner party

As a lover of nut roasts, I sit up and listen when someone else tells me they have a favourite nut roast they have been making for over 25 years.  So when Kate of The Gluten Free Alchemist posted a favourite Stuffed Cashew Nut Roast I couldn't wait to try it.  While they are perfect for Kate at Christmas, I waited until our winter to make a nut roast for the winter solstice and another for Christmas in July dinner party.

I have posted 31 nut roast recipes in the eight years that I have had this blog.  Yet in all this time I have two types of nut roasts that have lingered on my to do list.  The long list has not had one stuffed nut roast nor one nut roast in pastry.  This nut roast is rolled up like a roulade.  Roulades intimidate me.  Yet Kate was reassuring that it wasn't so hard.

Finally I summoned up the courage to try this nut roast for a winter solstice roast dinner.  It wasn't so hard and it tasted amazing.  We had it with roast (white and purple) potatoes, roast pumpkin, boiled brussel sprouts and gravy.  It was delicious.  Sylvia even had a little nut roast.

My main concern was that there wasn't so much of a swirl as was so clear in Kate's slices of nut roast.  However I agreed with her that it sliced up beautiful and tasted amazing when cold.  In fact for a bit of fun I made my own roast dinner sandwich with some leftovers.  The Home Alone sandwich at the new Smith and Deli vegan sandwich bar has wowed everyone with a vegan American roast dinner in a sandwich.  This is my Australian version: nut roast, roast potato, roast pumpkin, peas and gravy.

When I made the nut roast for the winter solstice, I was already thinking about a Christmas in July dinner party I had organised with a couple of families from Sylvia's school this weekend.  It seemed the perfect nut roast to serve.  I prefer tried and tested recipes when cooking a meal for others, especially one that looks and tastes impressive.

A couple of days before the lunch, Sylvia and I made paper chains and paper snowflakes.  Do you like her idea of sticking a snowflake on the lamp?  On the morning before everyone arrived we dug out a little plastic Christmas tree, cds and some other festive touches.  I set our kitchen table for the adults and had the children sitting around the little table.  Sylvia helped me lay out the cutlery and E did a last load of dishes.

I wasn't sure exactly how many people we would have, given some illness and the possibility of a couple of last minute guests.  By the time everyone arrived it was pouring rain in a most wintery fashion and we had 6 adults and 5 children.  All the food was prepared and just needed a bit of reheating, other than chopping up brussel sprouts. Benchtops were cleared and serving dishes were laid out.

The previous day I had made nut roast (up to the chilling stage), gravy, gingerbread biscuits and chopped up the potato and pumpkin for roasting.  My mum would sometimes put the vegies for roasting into water in advance when preparing large dinners so I did this overnight.  In the morning I roasted the vegies for about an hour, cooked the nut roast, made pizzas and put the gingerbread stars together into a Christmas tree. 

I had decided that the children would need feeding first so I had the candy cane pizzas ready when they arrived.  I had tried candy cane pizza last Christmas and it was not quite right.  This pizza looked better because I baked the pizza with the tomato sauce on it and only put the cheese on it in the last 5 minutes.  However when I tasted some leftover pizza later I thought it tasted a little on the doughy side, possibly due to me messing with a favourite pizza base recipe.  The kids seemed to enjoy it.  In fact they loved all the festive touches.

Meanwhile I was reheating the nut roast , gravy, roast potato and roast pumpkin while boiling the sprouts.  Naomi brought along a bottle of red wine and a lovely beetroot, feta and greens salad.  By the time the adults were settled down to the meal and the kids were just about finished and creating mayhem in Sylvia's bedroom.

Everyone loved the nut roast.  Quite a few guests had never had one before.  They were impressed and few of us had seconds.  There was only a small crusty piece remaining when we finished our meal.  The kids were too busy running about to taste any but I think they sampled some roast potatoes.

I didn't get any photos of the inside of the nut roast at the Christmas in July.  I had thought I might photograph the leftovers but there was nothing worth photographing.  So instead here is another picture of the inside of my first nut roast which looks far neater because it was sliced cold.  You can see a bit of a swirl.  I hoped for more swirl in the second but I don't think it was any more obvious.

Swirl or no swirl, it was an excellent nut roast and you don't just need to take my word for it.  E thought it more cheesy than many of my nut roasts.  Being baked like a roulade meant it had more crispy edges and it is not too stodgy with the carrot filling.

For dessert Kerin brought over a tray of apple rose tarts.  They looked so gorgeous and were delicious with custard that I cooked up while they baked.  Sylvia was smitten with the custard but her friend said it tasted of nothing.  Kerin also brought along a bottle of Baileys Irish Cream which went very well with the tarts and warmed us in the dark wintery afternoon.

I had also made a gingerbread Christmas tree with my graded star cutters.  Sylvia had a lovely time helping to put this together and scattering cachou baubles over the tree.  I thought it would be a festive table decoration.  However Sylvia wanted it on the kids table and then it was removed from it while they ate pizza.  I was surprised that they kids demolished the tree, even with the gingerbread people that Kerin brought along.

We were pleased the skies cleared enough for the kids to run about outside while we had a cuppa.  Then it was time for everyone to find their coats and head home.  We did dishes and tidied up and then collapsed in front of the telly with some leftover pizza for dinner.

I am sending this post to Jac for Meatfree Mondays, Karen for Cooking with Herbs, and Michelle and Helen for Extra Veg.

More festive meals on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Christmas dinner for two with broccoli roulade
Festive vegetarian haggis wreath for New Year's Eve
Hubert the (vegetarian) hog’s head Christmas in July feast
Christmas day dinner with the family
Parsnip, cranberry and chestnut roast at Christmas dinner in Scotland 
A vegetarian Christmas dinner in Scotland
Winter solstice galettes and fruitcake

Stuffed cashew nut roast
Adapted from Kate at The Gluten Free Alchemist
Serves 6 - 10

Stuffing:
1 to 2 tbsp neutral oil (I used rice bran oil)
1 leek, diced
170g (about 2-3 medium) carrots, - peeled and grated
85g ground walnuts* 
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon dried sage
1 tablespoon honey
salt and pepper to taste

Outer layer:
225g raw cashew nuts,  finely ground
125g stale breadcrumbs*
125g grated vintage cheese*
1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped*
salt and pepper to taste
1 egg yolk
140 ml (¼ pint) milk

Extra whole raw cashews to decorate

First make the stuffing.  Fry leek in the oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes.  Add grated carrots and fry about 10 minutes until cooked through.  Remove from heat and stir in remaining ingredients.  Set aside to cool while you mix up the outer layer.

To make the outer layer mix all ingredients together to make a slightly sticky mixture.

Line a swiss roll tin with baking paper hanging over either long end.  Spread the outer layer over the base of the tin.  Then spread the cooled filling over the outer layer leaving about 2 cm on either long end.

Starting at the long end, use baking paper to assist you roll the nut roast up tightly.  It will be very fragile.  If there are any cracks, now is the best time to patch them up with your fingers.  Kate suggests smoothing over the seam where the rolling finishes but I find it easier to put the seam on the base.  Place cashews on top to decorate and wrap in baking paper.  Chill in fridge for at least an hour.  It can be made the day before and chilled overnight.

Unwrap from baking paper and bake on a tray for 45 minutes on 180 C or until golden brown.  (I turned my slow oven up to 200 C for half the time.)  Eat hot or cold.

*NOTES and VARIATIONS: 

• Any breadcrumbs will do. I used sourdough breadcrumbs and Kate used gluten free breadcrumbs.  The first time I made this I used a mixture of gruyere and cheddar cheese. 
•  The second time I made it I made my own breadcrumbs in the blender and put some fresh parsley in with it so it was chopped really fine, but this is not necessary.  
• The first time I used some celery and all the leek but the second time I used the white part of the leek.
• The first time I made it I had roasted garlic and added it to the outer layer which was great.  
• I would always use cashews for the outer layer but am still experimenting with the middle layer.  Kate uses skinned hazelnuts but I have used walnuts and pecans and have thought about using blanched almonds.  
• Kate spreads her filling on baking paper that is not in a tin but I find it easier to spread it on paper in a tin to determine the size.

Here are photos of making the nut roast - on the left are photos from the first time I made it and one the left are photos from the second time I made it:

On the Stereo:
White Christmas: Bing Crosby

Chocolate cake, cookies, birthdays and school holidays

I had just finished mopping the floor and Sylvia told me she needed to cover her doll's birthday cake with sprinkles.  What else is there to do in a nice clean kitchen other than make mess.  In a fun way of course!  Which just about covers everything in this post.  Let's talk about cakes, birthdays and fun times in the holidays but first indulge me in a little whinge about kids and their mess.

Some days there just seems no let up with kids.  No sooner is one load of washing away than the washing basket is full of her stained clothes.  As soon as I tidy our loungeroom, Sylvia pulls everything out to create another house.  Last night she was at a sleepover and returned with her glasses in her bag minus a lens.  It has since been found.  Phew! And I shouldn't complain because I have had lots of wonderful cuddles.

But I did love eating breakfast in 6 minutes this morning rather than watching Sylvia spilling rice bubbles all over the table and yoghurt flying everywhere.  In fact it sometimes seems more food finds its way across the kitchen than into her mouth.  After sweeping up the rice bubbles I grab the cloth to wipe yoghurt from the table and the floor and her clothes.  Next week we will be back to school mornings with the clock watching so that we get to school in time.  But enough whinging! 

Let's return to cheerier topics like birthdays.  Not only are kids messy.  They are also lots of fun.  (Hmmm ... I am sure these points are not unrelated.)  There have been lots of birthdays in the school holidays.  We went to the other side of the city for a birthday party at a kids play centre over the holidays.  Sylvia loved it so much that she decided that is where she will have her next birthday party.  (There are always many plans for her next birthday party.)

We also went to Geelong for the birthday of my niece.  The sparklers on Maddy's birthday cake were very impressive.  And the cake was lovely.  I took along some grubs which disappeared quickly.  Sylvia had a great time playing with her cousins.  It was hard to convince her to leave because she was having such a great time bouncing on the trampoline and throwing the netball about.  Yes, the girls were doing both at the same time.

The last birthday party was a school friend's and the theme was How To Train Your Dragon.  I was most impressed at her dad's first go at a novelty birthday cake in the shape of Toothless the Dragon.  It looked amazing.  I also loved the loaves cut into sandwiches with flags on top and skewers stuck out on the side like oars on viking long boats.  Sadly I didn't take any decent photos.  So instead I give you a photo of the foam sword and shield that each kid got to take home. How cool is that!

We had a trip to the supermarket where I bought white choc chips and dried apple for Sylvia and promised her that I would make choc chip cookies with them.  Then I worked out a recipe I could make, only to find it was quite similar to a white chocolate chip and ginger cookie recipe I made last December.  Obviously I like the ginger and white chocolate chip combination.

The big difference was that I used aquafaba in these.  While I find eggless cakes are fine, I often find that vegan choc chip cookies can be quite soft.  I wondered if the aquafaba might make them crisper.  I had great hopes with these ones.  They were round and airy when straight out of the oven.  Soon they had collapsed into chewy cookies with crisp edges.  By the evening they were disappointingly soft.  Despite the texture not being quite what I had hoped, they were delicious and very moreish.

The next day I took Sylvia on the train to the city with a few of her friends and their mums.  We did some craft and then had lunch.  I took along the cookies but by the time we arrived they were in pieces.  Which made for easy sharing. After lunch we went to the Birrung Marr park where they rolled down hills and got quite grubby.

Yesterday I finally made a cake that has been on my mind.  I made this chocolate coconut and date cake many years ago.  It is an intriguing recipe made with dates, tofu, coconut cream and honey.  Almost vegan.  Full of healthy ingredients.  I suspect these days the recipe would use coconut sugar instead of brown sugar.  However instead of the sugar and milk, I used some carrot jam.

Sylvia had requested a cake for Rosie's birthday.  (Rosie is her dolly getting most attention at the moment).  There has been much planning for this birthday.  Always planning for a birthday here.  The cake was so good that we were snacking on it while warm.  (Hence the odd shape.)  However strawberry icing was requested.  It went a little orange with the yellow margarine.

I thought some simple decoration might suffice but Sylvia decided to cover the cake with sprinkles.  And sprinkles never just go on the cake.  They go everywhere.  They are messy but they are fun too.  Just like kids.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Pot Pie with Lattice

Two year ago: Turtles and Pikelets - with gf buckwheat option
Three years ago: Patatas Bravas and Spanish memories
Four years ago: Cookie wands
Five years ago: Nutella Blondies
Six years ago: They Who Dare: Masterchef and Ricki’s Tagine
Seven years ago: Miss Marple’s Tea Room – cosy charm
Eight years ago: Peanut Butter Brownies

Chocolate coconut and date cake
Adapted from A Vegetarian Feast by Vikki Leng (via Green Gourmet Giraffe)

300g tofu, drained
270ml coconut milk
1 cup (155g) pitted medjool dates
1/2 cup carrot jam
3 tbsp honey
1 cup white self raising flour
1 cup wholemeal self raising flour
4 dessertspoons cocoa powder
*Icing, if desired

Blend up tofu, coconut milk, dates, carrot jam and honey.  (I used a high speed blender but if you don't have one you can use a blender or food processor and make sure the dates are chopped beforehand or even just add chopped dates later.)  Stir in flours and cocoa.  Bake in lined and greased 20cm square tin or 20cm round tin at 180 for 30 to 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack.  Icing is optional.

*NOTE: I pressed out strawberry juice of two strawberries through a sieve.  Then I mixed in about 1/2 to 1 cup of icing sugar and a large spoonful of margarine.

Gingerbread, white choc chip and dried apple cookies
And original Green Gourmet Giraffe recipe adapted from Joy the Baker and Vedged Out
Makes about 40 cookies

125g margarine (or butter)
1/2 cups castor sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp chickpea brine (aquafaba)
3 tbsp treacle
1 1/4 cups white plain flour
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried apple pieces

Cream margarine and sugars.  Beat in chickpea brine and treacle (I did the creaming and beating by hand).  Gently stir in flour, salt, bicarb of soda, ginger and cinnamon.  Fold in chocolate chips and apple pieces.  Drop heaped teaspoons onto a lined baking tray.  Bake at 180 C for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown (a little underdone is better than a little overdone).  Cool on the baking paper on tray for about 10 to 15 minutes until they firm up a little and then remove on baking paper to a wire rack to cool completely.  Best on the date of baking or the next day.

On the Stereo:
This is Hardcore: Pulp

Uforic Food Cafe on the road to Torquay

Last week I had my little niece up in Melbourne for a sleepover.  I drove her home and picked up my mum on the way to drop her off so we could have lunch on the way.  We stopped at Uforic Cafe on the highway to Torquay.  My mum had told me that the cafe had difficulty when there were roadworks on the highway last year so we wanted to support them.

Sylvia and her cousin had already had a swim in Melbourne and some food afterwards as I was worried that they would be grumpy if we waited too long for lunch.  They were a bit restless so I took them outside for a walk.

We didn't stay out too long as it was a chilly winter day with a cold wind whipping around us.  It didn't seem the best time of year to view the garden because the rose bushes had been pruned back into twiggy stumps.  I would love to see the garden in bloom during the warmer months.

The girls ordered milkshakes and scones.  I was pleased to be offered a choice of children's size milkshakes.  Sylvia found her caramel one too sweet but the two girls managed to finish the chocolate milkshake between them.

The scones were soft and fresh.  The girls ate them quickly.  My mum tried some of the raspberry jam on a piece of her bread and pronounced it to be excellent.  (She is rather fussy about jam.)  The only thing I found a little strange was that the cream was pouring consistency rather than whipped but Sylvia seemed to like it.

As the scone were part of a devonshire tea that came with a cup of tea.  So my mum had the tea with her cassoulet.  She was very satisfied.  I noticed that they had a selection of loose leaf teas, as well as jams and chutneys to purchase in the provodore section.

I ordered the Avo Smash.  It was far more impressive than most avo smashes I have had.  The avocado, tomato, spinach and goats cheese were served on a house made pumpkin polenta and poppy seed loaf and drizzled with caramelised balsamic vinegar.  I really liked the bread, which was gluten free and was lighter than regular toast.

We really enjoyed our lunch.  The food was delicious and the cafe had a welcoming ambiance with friendly staff, a pile of interesting reading and bright modern decor.  The cafe is next door to a garden centre.  My mum and I decided we need to make more time on the next visit so we can have some time to browse.  Finally, I was interested to read about Uforic and how it grew out of a food blog.

Uforic Food Cafe
Shop 3, 1135 Surf Coast Highway, Mt Duneed
[The highway between Geelong and Torquay]
(03) 5264 1717
http://uforicfood.com/

Jeanette's coconut date slice

Just as the Brits have their traybakes and Americans have their bars, Australians have our slices.  These are traditional baking or no bake sweet treats that have been made by generations for fetes, cake sales and lunchboxes.  The are usually easy to make and kids love them.

I stumbled upon this great article in the Age Epicure called Slices to Savour.  As well as lots of great recipes it has a wonderful introduction to slices that I highly recommend you read.  The author writes of the reassuring nature of the humble slice that has been comfort food for Smiths, Jones and O'Briens.

I have already shared many slices that I grew up with.  Chocolate caramel slice, Coconut ice, Hedgehog, Lemon slice, Marshmallow weetbix slice and White Christmas were all regular fixtures in my childhood and continue to be my comfort food.

Upon reflecting on them, I notice that they feature some common ingredients.  Condensed milk, Marie biscuits and various cereals are often included because these would be shelf stable pantry items.  The other ingredients are butter, sugar, dessicated coconut, dried fruit and other items that would be easily found in most traditional Australian kitchens.

In recent years I have discovered the rice krispie slice that seems so popular in America.  I love it because it reminds me of Aussie slices but it has problems a bit like our Aussie chocolate crackles (which use an old fashioned copha that I now avoid). It is traditionally made with marshmallows which have gelatine are aren't really vegetarian.  There is a great vegan alternative that I have made with nut butter but this makes it unsuitable for sharing in schools and cake stalls that are often nut free.

I was delighted to discover this date, coconut and rice bubble slice recipe that the editor had begged from the author of the Slices to Savour article.  This slice has the pleasing crunch of rice bubbles held together by fudgy dates.  The dates make it healthier than rice krispie slice but it had enough sugar and butter that I would not claim it is health food.  It was like wonderful comfort food.  I would beg for the recipe too.

I love this recipe so much that I want to share it widely.  I am sending it to Jac for Bookmarked Recipes; Camilla and Helen for Credit Crunch Munch: Kimmy for Healthy Vegan Fridays #54; Lisa, Lauren, and Danielle for Fabulous Foodie Fridays #58; and Emily for Recipe of the Week.

Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
One year ago: Mashed potato chocolate cake

Two year ago: Homemade lemonade and winter picnics
Three years ago: Sam Stern's Lancashire burgers
Four years ago: CC Orange, lavender and almond syrup cake
Five years ago: Lemon slice and some nostalgia
Six years ago: Slideshows, nostalgia and hedgehog
Seven years ago: Sparkles the rabbit cake
Eight years ago: Mexicale pie - an old favourite

Jeanette's coconut date slice
Adapted from Slices to Savour in The Age Epicure

1 cup dates*
1/2 cup sugar
90g butter*
4 cups rice bubbles*
1 cup dessicated coconut
extra coconut for sprinkling

Gently heat dates, sugar and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat (do not boil) for about 15 minutes until dates are mushy.  Stir in rice bubbles and coconut.  Spread into a lined slice tin*.  Sprinkle generously with coconut.  Chill in the fridge to set about 2 hours.  Return to room temperature and cut into squares.

*NOTES:  The original recipe calls for dried dates but I used medjool dates because I had them to use up.  Rice bubbles is what Australians call rice krispies.  I used a vegan margarine.  A slice tin is 18 x 28cm.  I found that if the slice was kept in the fridge, that it would shatter when cut or eaten.  It is best kept at room temperature to be chewy and fudgy.  I think ours lasted about a week.

I slightly changed the recipe because I was so sure the coconut would be mixed in with the dates and once I discovered it called to toss the slice in the coconut instead I was too set on mixing it in.  Tossing it in coconut seemed too much work so I just sprinkled it on top.  I would quite fancy trying it with melted chocolate on top. 

On the stereo:
Great Big World: Justine Clarke

In My Kitchen: July 2015

It is the end of the first week of the school holidays.  Sylvia has had swimming lessons at 9am each day.  I am glad the swimming intensive has ended.  Our chlorinated hair feels like straw after hours of swimming and I am looking forward to a sleep in.  On the upside we have had great fun, met great new people, caught up with a few old friends, and done some local shopping afterwards. 

One local purchase is this new saucepan that is between my largest saucepan and my stockpot.  I am often looking for a saucepan of this size.  It is the same style as my other Baccarat saucepans that I have had for 13 years and are in pretty good nick, albeit less shiny than my new saucepan.  I can't wait to use it.

A more impulsive purchase was this Iron Broo Tablet that we bought E when we were at the National Celtic Festival.  It was the usual tooth aching sweetness of tablet but I liked the slight flavour of Scotland's national soft drink, Iron Bru.  E said he couldn't taste it but I could.

A curious item in my kitchen this month is carrot jam.  My mum was gifted it by a friend and passed it on to me along with some quince jelly and apricot jam.  I am wondering if the carrot jam would make some interesting baking as I am not sure I will convince E and Sylvia to eat jam with grated carrot swimming in it. 

I have been shopping at CERES farmers market recently and find myself buying the cute vegies.  Purple potatoes (not pictured here), coloured carrots and Romanescu cauliflower.  I resist the bread because I often have my own loaves as in the picture above.  On a recently visit I was offered loose garlic cloves for a song so I took a handful.  And Sylvia picked me the flowers.

Here is the close up of the Romanescu cauliflower.  So pretty and strange.  I regret to say it went into a stew.  It surprised me at how well it kept its shape.  I do wonder how it would be to roast it whole like this roasted cauliflower.

Sylvia had a friend over for a sleepover recently and we made pizza for dinner and apple rose tarts for dessert.  I thinly sliced some roasted purple potatoes and baked them on one of the pizzas with some tomato sauce, and cheese.  The potatoes were really crispy like chips and were amazing on the pizza.

I have visited the new Smith and Deli twice because I happened to be in Fitzroy.  So expect a fuller write up in the not too distant future. On my first visit I purchased this chickpea, apricot and cumin.  Actually I am not sure I got the name quite right as there is no name or ingredients on it.  I guess this is what you expect when you purchase on the second day of business.  It was nice with lots of Moroccan flavours but I had hoped for chunks of dried apricot and there were none.  I also bought a block of Loving Earth's raw caramel chocolate and really loved it's creamy buttery flavours but it went before I could get my camera out.

Another new chocolate I sampled recently was this Toasted Coconut Chocolate from Madecasse.  It was nice but not quite what I was after.  I really love the Whittakers coconut block chocolate and hoped this would be a dark chocolate version with the coconut mixed into the chocolate.  The Madecasse block, however, was chocolate with a generous sprinkling of toasted coconut on the underside.

Possibly one of my favourite purchases in the last month was the Pure Harvest Coco2 Hazelnut Spread.  It is made of rice malt syrup, hazelnuts, coconut oil, cocoa powder, vanilla and salt.  I love a product with an ingredient list so simple that I don't mind typing it.  It is vegan, free of refined sugar, gluten free and tastes amazing.  If you want to compare it to Nutella, then Nutella is like a cream cheese spread and this is like a ganache.  Dark and rich and gooey.

I was inspired by a post on BuzzFeed about making pancakes with nutella inside.  Sylvia remembered it as kids will.  We tried it a couple of weeks back with our favourite banana oat pancakes and Coco2 Hazelnut Spread (above).  I thought the mixture might be too thick but it seemed fine.  I tried it again this week with vegan pancakes when Sylvia had her cousin over for a sleepover.  The batter was much thinner and harder to flip.  I think they were the messiest pancakes I have ever made but so yummy.

I have never heard of Annas [sic] Ginger Thins until I found them at an IGA supermarket recently.  According to the packet they are very famous in Sweden.  I can see why they would be.  They are crisp and melt in the mouth.  They were very popular in our house.

I love trying vegan cheeses and was excited to find Sheese in the IGA supermarket.  It was from Scotland and I wanted to like it.  But it ended up being thrown out because it didn't melt or taste nice and it had a weird after taste.  Sheesh!  Disappointing after trying Daiya and Biocheese and knowing how good vegan cheese can be.

Finally here is a sandwich I made for Sylvia for our one leisurely lunch this week.  Sylvia had a picnic in the front garden and ordered a vegemite sandwich with some fancy vegies.  When I gave it to her she told me that it looked amazing.  What a sweetie!

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.