Sushi with broccoli, edamame and pickled carrots - and the long weekend

The Queens Birthday long weekend is over and we are back in business but it was lovely to have a long break.  Yesterday we pottered around the house and did a bit of cleaning, a ride on the bike and made sushi for lunch.  I was relaxed enough to get creative with my fillings based on what I could find in the fridge: broccoli and edamade in aioli and pickled carrots!  Some photos of the long weekend are further down the post.

After trying pickled radishes recently and then seeing Choclette making pickled carrots, I decided the time was ripe to try pickling carrots.  We always have carrots in the house.  Sometimes too many.  I really loved this.  I think it would be great to make on the weekend and add it to sandwiches I made for work - or even to eat on the side with sandwiches.  The sweet, salty, sour combination seemed to echo the sushi seasoning.  But I knew it was ok because sometimes a vegetable sushi from the shopping centre has pickled vegies in it. 

I wanted some green too because green is good.  Broccoli and edamade worked with some aioli mixed through.  This mixture tasted so good that I could have just eaten it straight from the bowl.  We've been eating lots of broccoli lately≥  I decided it would be good to use it up before buying more.  Only when I went to the supermarket there was no broccoli left.  Luckily brussel sprouts are in season.

Then it was a matter of rolling everything up.  The main challenge here is that Sylvia loves to snack on sheets of nori.  There wasn't much left.  Only one sheet for me to roll up this sushi, despite me having enough filling for two.  I ate the rest of the broccoli mixture and some of the carrot on a crumpet with melted cheese on top.  These mixtures would make a great sandwich filling together if the weather was warmer.

I really loved these sushi rolls.  They were a little messy but so delicious.  I was pleased to manage to roll them up as I often do plain rice in nori for Sylvia and don't bother with filling.  Sadly it might take me until another long weekend to experiment again.  Meanwhile let me share a few photos of the weekend.

On Friday night we had Sylvia's friend for a sleepover.  The usual movie and pizza followed by pancakes the next morning.  I had promised to take them to Coburg Farmers Market after pancakes.  When we got there her friend's dad was there so we didn't need to take her home.  The produce at the farmers market is so beautiful.  I really loved these scarlet carrots.  And now I have played with pickling carrots I think they would look really beautiful if I use these ones.

We have enjoyed going along to the National Celtic Festival for some years and were up for it this year.  Sylvia and I went to stay the night in Geelong with my parents and went with them to the festival on Sunday.  It was a lovely sunny day and there was good spirit as usual.  Lots of craft and food stalls and the sounds of folk music as we wandered about.

We love seeing the Scottish and Irish dancers each year.  This year we were a bit late for the Scots but enjoyed the Irish.  The energy is infectious when they wear the hard shoes and stomp the beat.  The swing of the ponytails and the skirts as the feet move in time is just wonderful to watch.

After the energetic dance we were vicariously exhausted and went in search of lunch.  Sylvia loved the tattie scones and irn bru.  I had a nacho baked potato.  It was nice and looked pretty cool with the corn chip crown.  However it was a bit much sauce for me and I wished I had gone for the traditional as I missed the coleslaw.

Sylvia's had a had choice between the profertjes, doughnuts, and the chocolate fountain.  She went for the cup of marshmallows and strawberries covered in melted chocolate.  I suspect it was the messiest option.  If only I could have taken her to the washing up station for reusable dishes.

We avoided the temptation of the Scottish sweeties.  But there has been some chat of nostalgia about Tunnocks caramel wafers.  There was a stick of caramel fudge that made its way home.

We enjoyed browsing the stall and listening to the buskers, including a small Scottish pipe band.  Sylvia bought a Celtic pendant and my my mum bought a dress.  I really loved the flowers on the tree made of painted plastic bottles.

Meanwhile Sylvia's little bear was the best dressed of all of us. 

We brought home some yo-yos that Sylvia had helped my mum bake.  I wish I had some photos of the excellent dinner my mum made for us on Saturday night: a fancy spanikopita, Masterchef's Whole Baked Cauliflower with Almond Tarator, and apple and plum crumble with custard. 

Finally on Monday we had a quieter day at home to do some housework, eat sushi and go riding around the supermarket carpark because Sylvia is still getting used to her new bike.  She is far more expert at food styling.  Just check out the sushi she prepared for her dad.  I just look forward to when she enjoys some fancy fillings in her sushi.

More sushi recipes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Strawberry sushi with chocolate sauce (gf, v)
Sushi stack with carrot, tofu omelet and avocado (gf, v)
Sushi with sticky walnuts and edamame (gf, v)
Sushi with vegan salmon pate (gf, v)
Sushi rice salad (gf, v)

Sushi with broccoli, edamame and pickled carrots
An original Green Gourmet Giraffe

1/2 cup sushi rice
3/4 cup water
2-4 tbsp sushi seasoning
2 sheets nori

Pickled carrot:
(Adapted from Green Gourmet Giraffe and Tin and Thyme)
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp raw sugar
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 crushed garlic clove
1/4 tsp salt
1 large carrot, grated

Creamy broccoli and edamame:
1/2 cup broccoli
1/4 cup edamame (shelled)
1 tbsp and 1 tsp aioli

Cook sushi rice by placing in a small saucepan with one and a half times the amount of water.  Place a lid on, bring to the boil and then simmer (covered) for 15 minutes over a very low flame.  Turn off the heat and leave for 5-10 minutes.  When still hot, stir in sushi seasoning, to taste.  Set aside to cool.

Prepare pickled carrots by placing all the ingredients except the carrot in a small saucepan, bringing to the boil and pouring over the grated carrot.  Set aside to cool.

Cook broccoli and edamame separately.  Rinse in cold water after cookingRoughly chop the broccoli and roughly mash the edamame. Mix together with aioli.

Lay nori sheet on a bamboo mat.  Spread half the sushi rice over nori, leaving a line of rice free nori at the end.  Lay a line of broccoli and edamame along the middle and then a line of (drained) pickled carrot alongside it.  Use bamboo mat to help roll rice around the filling from the rice end and finishing with the rice free edge of nori to seal it.  Use a sharp knife to cut in half or into small pieces.

Repeat with remaining ingredients, but I had pickled carrot leftover which is great for sandwiches and salads.

NOTES: for this to be vegan, you will need a vegan aioli or mayonnaise, such as roasted garlic vegannaise.

On the Stereo:
Least complicated: Indigo Girls

Thai pumpkin, corn and chickpea stew

We have been eating a lot of stews to warm us up on these chilly winter evenings.  It also helps when I am tired and busy and battling a cold.  Today I share a serendipitous stew I made when my mum brought me some chickpeas and pumpkins.

Mum came to visit when I had just roasted big chunks of pumpkin.  I had thought of making sandwiches with the skins but instead we just ate them straight off the hot pumpkin and they were so good.  Once she left I had fun arranging the topping.
 

I was inspired by Lorraine's pretty soup soup toppings.  Then I decided to use parsley, basil and baby leeks (very like chives) from my back garden.  I love having herbs in the garden because herbs are so ridiculously expensive to buy.  But having them growing means needing to use them regularly to keep the herbs healthy.  This was a perfect way to use up some bits and pieces.  As well as herbs I had a couple of cherry tomatoes that were getting wrinkly.  I added toasted coconut and pumpkin seeds to echo the ingredients in the soup.  The toppings gave the soup some lovely flavour.

So this soup was a great sustainable venture.  I had actually been about to go and buy some vegies to make soup because I started to appreciate what was already available in my kitchen.  Which was a relief on a day when I was low in energy.  As well as using up some herbs, I also ended adding leftover tomatoes and cooked broccoli from Sylvia's dinner to the soup when I put away the leftovers. 

I really appreciated the leftover stew the second night.  I took the day off work and slept all morning and saw the doctor in the afternoon about my cough that has been bothering me and sapping me of energy.  These are the days when leftovers keep me sane.  It was a really hearty stew, full of flavour and very satisfying.  And so pretty to look at.  But let me confess that while I had lots of fun arranging the toppings, it was just for the camera.  The stew tasted just as good with them stirred it.  It is all about taste after all!

I am sending this stew to #G2BGF linky (run by Glutarama and the Gluten Free Alchemist) and Eat Your Greens (run by Allotment2Kitchen and The VegHog).

More Thai inspired dishes on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Corn fritters (gf) 
Easy vegetarian thai curry (v)
Skye's tomato and pumpkin curry with lime and coconut (gf, v)
Thai curry split pea soup (gf, v)
Thai style salad with noodles (gf, v)
Vegetarian Pad Thai (gf, v)

Thai pumpkin, corn and chickpea soup
An original Green Gourmet Giraffe recipe
serves 4

800g jap pumpkin (approx)
1 to 2 tsp oil
1 red onion, chopped
1 dessertspoon thai curry paste
3 cups vegie stock
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 400g tin)
400g tin creamed corn
250ml tin coconut cream
1 cup water, or as needed
1/2 tsp salt, or to taste
2 to 3 cups cooked rice

To serve:
1 tbsp each toasted pumpkin seeds, toasted coconut, chopped cherry tomatoes, chives (baby leeks), parsley, basil, according to availability and desire.

First roast the pumpkin with skin on in large chunks with a drizzle of oil and sprinkle of salt for about 1 hour at 220 C.  It is cooked when it is soft if you stick a knife in it.  Trim skin off and roughly chop.  (You can discard the skin but I highly recommend eating it for snacks or putting it in a sandwich.)

Fry onion in oil over medium heat until soft.  Stir in curry paste.  Add vegie stock, chickpeas and creamed corn.  Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Add coconut, about a cup of water, salt and rice.  Check seasoning and consistency and adjust salt and water as needed.

Serve and arrange toppings on bowl or just mix the toppings in.

NOTES:
I also stirred in some chopped tomatoes and chopped broccoli which worked well.  I used a few herbs because they are in my garden but if not then I would only put in a few different ones if they were available.  About 2-3 cups of pumpkin puree or roasted pumpkin could be substituted for the raw pumpkin if you don't have time or inclination to roast it.

On the Stereo:
The Boy with the Arab Strap: Belle and Sebastian

Apple carrot muffins (vegan)

When I saw Kari's apple carrot muffins recently I had all the ingredients and was determined to make them.  It took me longer than I intended.  So the apples sat in the fruit bowl sagging from neglect and the fridge remained full of carrots.  Then I had a window of opportunity between an appointment and taking Sylvia to swimming.  It was tight.  I literally took them out of the oven and rushed out the door (only to find that the pool was closed). 

When we returned home I found that leaving barely cooked muffins in the tin does make for soggy bottoms.  Once I returned them to the oven for 10 minutes I found they were really lovely.  Sylvia took a dislike to the carrot so I swore I will try these with parsnip.  E just was not keen.  Quite a few went into the freezer.

I can vouch that having some of these muffins in the freezer is comforting when you find that the kombucha has been finished by your daughter.  They are not pretty or decadent.  But they are on the healthier end of the muffin spectrum, vegan (if that matters) and taste good: fruity but not too sweet.

I am sending these muffins to Baking Crumbs, a collection of lots of baking blog posts.

More apple baking from Green Gourmet Giraffe:
Apple cider cake
Apple date and chia seed muffins (v)
Apple slice
Apple and white chocolate blondies
Beetroot, apple and walnut scones (v)
Cranberry, apple and butterscotch muffins

Apple Carrot Muffins
Adapted from Bite Sized Thoughts
Makes 12

1-1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp mixed spice
3 apples (or 3/4 cup applesauce)
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup oil
1-1/2 cups grated carrots
3/4 cup soy milk
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Peel and slice apple.  Stew in a small saucepan with a few spoons of water and a squeeze of lemon if you have it.  When apple is pulpy, mash with a potato masher.  Mine was still a little chunky.  It should make about 3/4 cup of apples but if it is under, top up with some maple syrup.

Mix ingredients (including stewed apples or applesauce) together and bake in a 12 cup muffin tray at 180 C for 20-25 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.

NOTES: I used half wholemeal and half white flour.  As they don't have much sugar they will not last long but freeze well.

On the stereo:
Just the Beginning: Grace Vandewaal

In My Kitchen: June 2018

Winter has been heralded by some recent chilly mornings, dark nights, a rough cough and not much cooking.  I've been making big stews that last for days.  Last week I decided that it was leftovers week because we had quite a few meals in the freezer. And my mum has brought down some of her leftovers for me.

We also had dinner from the fish and chips shop last week on a particular cold and busy night.  The above photo is of some serviettes we were given as a present from E's family (thanks Anne) in Scotland.  They are rather striking to have on the kitchen table and useful for chips.

Last weekend my dad came to help around the house with his drill and tool kit.  Lunch was a fairly simple matter of sandwiches with fresh bread.  I took my cue from Jac's carrot and spinach crunch lunch wrap and had a great sandwich with hummus, grated carrot, rocket and chopped cashews.  It was excellent.

Another good experience with my bread was making cheese on toast with leftover cheese sauce from mac and cheese.  It was a little like Welsh rarebit as I like some mustard in my cheese sauce.

As mentioned previously, I had a go at  Kari's vegan creamy tomato pasta sauce.  It went very well as a base sauce for pizza together with mushrooms, red capsicum, olives, cheese and rocket.  There is hummus in the sauce and I would like to experiment more with hummus on pizza.

A few weeks back Sylvia and I went to East Elevation for lunch.  I wasn't a big fan of the mushroom, lentil and gruyere pies that were on the specials board.  They looked great but there was too much mushroom for my tastes.  I think they would appeal to mushroom loves.  And I enjoyed the greens and roast potatoes served with them.  We both loved the chocolates on display and brought home a few chocolate teddy bears on a stick.

May was Mothers Day so I made a card for my mum.  Sylvia gave me some Smalt fudge which was excellent and I have yet to try the soap she gave me.

We went to Geelong for a Mothers Day lunch.  I took a salad based on one from Ricki Heller's Living Candida Free.  The recipe had cabbage, carrot, broccoli, red pepper and pepitas with a home made dressing.  I used a shop dressing but kept the rest of the vegies and it was excellent.  My mum made a wonderful beetroot, feta and walnut tart, cauliflower cheese and roast vegies.

Today we went to the Coburg Farmers Market which has moved from Coburg North to Coburg Primary School.  It is a much more central location and the school has lovely buildings and grounds.  It was a sunny day and lovely to be there.  We bought some Pink Lady apples from our favourite Three Bridges apples.

We chose the slightly blemished apples which are a bit cheaper.  I feel that it is important to support fruit and vegetables that are not quite right to fight the waste of farmers having to throw away good food that has slight blemishes.

Our other favourite stall is Cocoa Rhapsody.  They love to try new chocolates.  This strawberry white chocolate had some citrus flavours and a bit of texture from the coconut.  It was truly scrumptious.

And we brought strawberries.  They've been great for snacking on today.  We also bought some strawberry and apple kombucha, some apple juice and lovely big potatoes from Trentham that I baked and served with cheese and baked beans.

I am sending this post to Sherry of Sherry's Pickings for the In My Kitchen event, that was started by Celia of Fig Jam and Lime Cordial,  If you would like to join in, send your post to Sherry by 13th of the month.  Or just head over to her blog to peek into more kitchens. 

Sourdough cheeseymite scrolls

Ever since I have been doing my overnight sourdough bread I have wanted to try it in Australia's iconic cheeseymite scrolls.  It took me until a few weeks back to try it.  And then I needed another go last weekend to get it right.  I really love the cheeseymite scrolls from Bakers Delight using the classic Aussie combination of cheese and vegemite but there is something magical about fresh bread from my own oven.

We had a bit more time than we had expected on Sunday so it was a more leisurely morning that expected.  I was able to wash the sheets and change my doona ("burrito style").  After the cheeseymites were baked I took Sylvia and her bike to Officeworks and Bunnings.  With a cheeseymite in my bag in case we got hungry.

Now let me take you through the baking adventures of cheeseymites scrolls.

Firstly I make the overnight dough.  This was my first go at it.  And while it is great in bread loaves and rolls, I think it was a bit tough for the cheeseymites.  On my second go, I found that I forgot to put on the dough til I was going to bed and then forgot to add in some sugar and oil and had to knead it into the dough.  This is not recommended!

This is my first go at rolling out the dough.  It was too thick and you can see in the below pictures that there was not enough of a swirl.  Sylvia (who is often known to take her cheese slices out of cheese and vegemite sandwiches and leave them in her lunchbox) said there was not enough cheese.  Actually I think the amount of cheese on the dough was fine but the lack of scrolling meant you didn't get enough overall.

What I did get right with the first go at the cheeseymites is cutting it.  I took some dental floss (because I think we have fishing line somewhere but I couldn't be bothered hunting it out) and washed the mint flavouring off it and used it to cut the rolls into pieces.

Less successful was baking the rolls in the dutch oven I use to bake my loaves and bread rolls.  The cheeseymites came out quite misshapen looking.  I needed a bit more curves and less corners in the shapes.

Here is my flattened dough when I tried again.  On notable difference is that I patted it out on a sheet or baking paper.  This helped me to roll it (like one of those sushi mats) and made sure it did not stick to the table top.

A little tip I picked up when reading people who had already made cheeseymite scrolls is to mix the vegemite with a little water.  Compare the above picture of sylvia brushing on the watered down vegemite to the earlier photo of the sporadic dabs of vegemite .

The scrolls looked quite small when they were rising.  They rise a bit when baked but were never going to be the huge scrolls that Bakers Delight make; the scrolls that began our national obsession with cheeseymite in the 1990s.  (Or more accurately, took a traditional love of cheese and vegemite and coined a term for it and then a scroll to feed our need for this comforting combination.)

I forgot to put the cheese on top in the first batch and then forgot again when I put them in the second time I tried the recipe.  The second time I put the cheese on 10 minutes into baking.  It really did make a big difference.

And finally they were out of the oven and hard to resist.  I could have eaten them all in one day, they were so delicious.  Instead most of them went into the freezer.  They really are better fresh.  And they are great for lunches, especially when busy.  All I need to do on a busy morning is to give them a short blast in the microwave to start the defrosting and then pop them in the lunchbox.  Then at lunchtime I have a home-baked lunch to be proud of!

I am sending these cheeseymite scrolls to Honest Mum's Brilliant Blog Posts and A Mummy Too's Recipe of the Week.

More vegemite creations at Green Gourmet Giraffe: 
Cheeseymite puffs
Cheeseymite scones
Vegemite burger (v)
Vegemite fudge
Vegemite and poppy seed scones (v) 

Sourdough Cheeseymite Scrolls
An original Green Gourmet Giraffe recipe
Makes 15 scrolls


Dough:
150g of bubbly starter
285g water
20g olive oil
9g salt
5g sugar
500g of flour

To make into scrolls:
200g grated tasty cheese, divided
3 tbsp vegemite
2 tsp water

A few hours before making the loaf, take sourdough starter out of the fridge and feed it so it gets nice and bubbly. 

About an hour before going to bed (or first thing in the morning) mix everything together to make a sticky dough.  It is easiest to mix everything except flour first and then add flour.  Use hands to mix if required.  Set aside covered with a tea towel for half an hour.  Knead in the bowl for about 1 minute (sprinkle with a little flour if necessary).  Cover with greased clingwrap and leave at room temperature for 8 to 12 hours.

Scrape dough out onto a well floured board.  Pat the dough onto a long sheet of baking paper into a rectangle of about 45 x 30 cm.  It should be no more than 1cm thickness.  Mix vegemite and water and spread or brush over dough.  Sprinkle with about 150g grated cheese.  At the long edge, carefully roll up like a swiss roll using baking paper to support the dough until you have a long roll.

Use a non flavoured dental floss (I washed and dried mine) or fishing line to bring under the edge of the roll, wrap around the dough, cross over and swiftly pull the ends to slice pieces of about 1.5-2cm.  Place each piece or cheeseymite scroll on a lined tray about 1cm apart.  Cover with a piece of greased clingwrap.  Preheat the oven to 240 C and leave for about 30 minutes or more.  They will not rise very much but that's ok.

When it time to bake, remove the clingwrap and cover the cheeseymites with foil.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove foil, reduce heat to 220 C, sprinkle with cheese and bake for a further 20 minutes but keep an eye on them after 10 minutes to check they are not browning too much.  Once they sound hollow when tapped remove from tray and cool on a wire rack.

They are best on the day of baking, though can be kept for the next day.  If they are not going to be all eaten, freeze on the day of baking.

NOTES: I usually make two loaves with my overnight sourdough bread recipe.  When I made these rolls I made twice the dough but used half it for a loaf of bread and half for the cheeseymites.  I halved the dough for this recipe but if you want a loaf as well you could double the dough recipe.  I have made a vegan version of these rolls using vegan cheese some years ago and they worked quite well though I would put the cheese on only 5 minutes before the end of baking.

On the stereo:
Boy Child: Scott Walker

Sloth slice (Easy choc chip slice)

I grew up with a fine appreciation of the holy trinity of condensed milk, chocolate and coconut.  It was - and still is - in some of my favourite sweet food - hedgehog, grubs and mock turtle.  I decided to call this slice, Sloth slice because it is so easy and because there is something appealing about fun titles to food.

Once you have melted the butter, this slice is mixed in the tin and is even easier than the classic magic slice which has the biscuit and butter layer at the bottom and the coconut, choc chips and condensed milk at the top.  You just mix it all up and if you have chocolate melts to be used, you put them on top for some extra chocolate hit.  After all you can never have too much chocolate!

My one concern was that the hot butter would melt the choc chips.  Indeed some of them started melting but I added the butter slowly and so all were not lost.  I also noticed in my photos that there were some cracks when I pressed the batter in firmly.  Perhaps this is why some of the pieces had particularly sticky bottoms while others were not.

The resulting slice is very moreish.  It is a sort of kids slice (for the days when kids didn't have a whole range of dietary requirements) but my 9 year old turned up her nose.  She is mysteriously fussy some days.  It is a bit denser than a cake and rather sweet with the condensed milk crust.  And really really good when it is still warm.

It is a great slice for a topsy turvy weekend.  Today I helping my dad who is generously getting some work done around our house - he is great with his drill and saw and screws of all sizes.  We were all set to see friends tomorrow but it has been cancelled as they are off overseas soon and Sylvia's friend who had a sleepover here last weekend has come down with chicken pox.  So I am not sure what we will get up to but it is tempting to just sit at home and eat too much of this slice.  It is so delicious.

I am sending this slice to We Should Cocoa and Baking Crumbs (hosted by Jo's Kitchen Larder this month).

More condensed milk, coconut and chocolate recipes:
Cherry Ripe cake pops (gf)
Chocolate caramel slice 
Hedgehog - with condensed milk
Grubs (gf)
Mock turtle
Prince William's fridge cake (posh hedgehog)

Sloth slice (or Easy choc chip slice)
Adapted from MumLyfe

1 cup self-raising flour*
1/2 cup desiccated coconut
1 cup dark or milk choc bits
1 tsp golden syrup
125 g butter or margarine
400 g tin of condensed milk
Chocolate melts, to decorate (optional)

Preheat oven to 180 C.  Grease and line a 28 x 18cm slice tin.

Melt butter and golden syrup (easiest in the microwave 30 -60 seconds).  Set aside.  Mix self raising flour (*or 1 cup plain white flour and 2 tsp baking powder), coconut, and choc chips.  Gradually add the slightly cooled melted butter mixture so it doesn't melt all the choc chips.  Press down firmly.  Pour condensed milk over it.

Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Dot with chocolate melts if desired.  Cool in tin and then cut into squares.  Store in an airtight container but don't expect them to last long!

NOTES: I think this could be made vegan easily with vegan margarine (which I used). coconut condensed milk, and vegan choc chips.

On the Stereo:
Reading, Writing and Arithmetic: The Sundays

Street art in Melbourne: Brunswick 2017-2018

While I am busy, it seems a good opportunity to catch up on sharing some photos of street art from Brunswick.  It is a suburb that is always prolific in street art, with some pictures on the sides of large apartment blocks, such as the one above.

And for more pictures of Brunswick street art:

• Street Art in Melbourne #5 Brunswick alley
• Street Art in Melbourne #7 Brunswick miscellaneou
• Street Art in Abbotsford, Brunswick, CBD, Northcote
• Street Art in East Brunswick (OConnor St and Piera St)
• Street Art in Melbourne: Tinning Street, Brunswick