Crispy Tofu
Crispy Tofu This is a very morish recipe. Cook and eat straight away as part of a meal or a snack. Goes well with Thai Curry or a salad. This recipe will serve 2 people. With a total of 32g protein. Which is enough protein for 2 people for one meal depending on your height and gender. Crispy Tofu Ingredients 400g block firm tofu 3...
Every Season Soup
Every Season Soup I think this soup is an all year weather soup and you can definitely change the veggies to those that are in season. If you love a blended soup then this soup is for you and actually if you prefer a country chunky style soup then just cut up the veggies and only blend half of the soup. Note: This soup doesn’t contain a complete protein so be sure to...
Goulash
Goulash This recipe came from the creative adaptive dish exercise in the Vegan Foundation Cooking Course in in August. The wonderful Shelley and Jane made this recipe based on Jane’s mother’s recipe and I have made a few adjustments to this dish and I tell you it is a must-make recipe. It makes enough for 6 people and we had it three nights in a row. I wanted to make it all over again on...
Cheesy Baked Potatoes with Coleslaw and tomato pear salsa
This is a fabulously cheesy baked potato without the saturated fat of dairy cheese. So, for those of you who are lactose intolerant or craving cheese or wanting to stop eating cheese this is a must have recipe. Cheesy Baked Potatoes with Coleslaw and Tomato Pear SalsaMakes 4 potatoesIngredients Cheesy veg filling1 small zucchini cubed 1 small head of broccoli cut up in pieces same size...
Omega 3 Packed Dukkah
Walnuts are packed with omega 3. If you have ever wondered where you get enough omega 3 on a vegan diet send Veet an email and she will send you some information on this. Keep this dukkah in your fridge at all times and sprinkle it on everything. Omega 3 Packed Dukkah Ingredients 1 cup walnuts ½ cup pistachios ¼ cup sesame seeds 2...
Spuddie Bites
Spuddie Bites If you are raising your children on a plant based/vegan diet or your children have told you they don’t want to eat animals anymore or you have a toddler and you want to ensure they eat well and the food you include in their diet meets all their nutritional needs then send me an email as I am presently working on a fact sheet for ‘Food for Toddlers and Children’ and I will...
Coconut Ice Bars
Coconut Ice Bars These are a classic Aussie dessert made vegan and healthier. They last well in the fridge for a couple of weeks or in the freezer for 3 months. Coconut Ice Bars Ingredients 6 tbsp melted coconut butter 1 cup desiccated coconut 3 tbsp agave ¼ cup melted coconut oil 1 tsp vanilla extract Pinch salt 5g freeze dried...
Mexican Scramble Tofu
Mexican Tofu Scramble Everyone needs a good scrambled tofu recipe to treat people to a special Sunday breakfast or brunch or to put in tortilla or burritos. We eat this with rice and salad sometimes too. A tip on buying tofu, always buy organic and make sure it is GMO free. In Australia at date of writing this we do not have any GMO soy. Yay!! Tofu is a fabulous source of complete...
Rajma Beans
Rajma Beans (the Queen of Dhals) Have you travelled in North India? If yes you will be very familiar with Rajma beans (Rajma dhal). Wikipedia tells me that Rajma dhal originated after kidney beans were brought over from Mexico. Mexican and Indian cuisine are two of my all time favourite cuisines so knowing of this fusion makes me happy. Rajma - means kidney beans. I...
Lasagne
Lasagne/Lasagna Everyone loves a good lasagne recipe to turn to. I have four brilliant lasagne recipes in Veet's Cuisine - Delicious Vegan Recipes including the now famous Artichoke and Pea (many people are cooking this in their cafes and catering businesses). And now I am adding a 5th lasagne to the table. Mak loves a lasagne with lots of lasagne sheets and the recipes I have...
Greek Rice and Lentil Soup
Greek Rice and Lentil Soup At any change of season, it is really important to get lots of vitamin C and this soup packs the punch. Ditch the chicken soup as that will only cause inflammation and start making this wonderful change of season nourishing soup. The addition of rice, lentils, tahini and miso gives it a big complete protein quota. If protein is something you are worried about...
Fudgy Calcium Rich Treats
Fudgy Calcium Rich TreatsA few weeks ago I facilitated the menopause cooking and nutrition workshop. It was a wonderful day of learning and lots of cooking. Calcium is incredibly important for perimenopause and menopause. To be honest it is essential for all stages of your life so make sure you are eating plenty of food rich in calcium today. And what better way to do it than with a yummy...
Korean Pancake (Pajeon)
Korean Pancake (Pajeon) In the latest Vegan Chef Training we adapted a recipe by Hetty Mckinnon and used the organic vegetables that we had on hand which were in season. This is a delicious savoury pancake which can include both sweet and white potato. The white potato in the past has been given a bad rap but actually packs a punch in the nutrition department and is fantastic for the...
Vegan Paella
Vegan Paella Who loves Paella? Who knows how to pronounce Paella? There appears to be a few ways to pronounce it and also make it. I love this recipe Michelle and Kavon made in the January Vegan Foundation Cooking Course. They used my fish sauce recipe and marinated a can of jackfruit and then chargrilled it. They also were lucky enough to find some long stemmed...
Christmas Salads
Christmas Salads It is so difficult to believe that I am writing about Christmas again. The year has been long and fast all at the same time. What do you do for Christmas? If you have been following my blog for a long time you will see that I have been through many phases at Christmas. It was only last year that I decided to really embrace Christmas. To be honest, for me as an adult Christmas...
Loaded Sweet Potato
Tempeh Loaded Sweet Potato with Tomato and Avocado Salsa In last week’s Newsletter I addressed lowering high blood pressure and along with a whole range of suggestions including lowering your sodium intake I mentioned increasing foods high in potassium. So this week’s recipe is a potassium rich meal idea. It’s delicious; I enjoyed making it and loved even more eating it. I did add...
Waldorf Salad
Waldorf Salad When we were growing up my dad often requested a Waldorf salad. It wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago when I was invited to a shared meal gathering that I actually had made one. I drew inspiration from Yotam Ottelenghi’s cookbook Plenty More. It will definitely be on my table for celebration dinners and am thinking for those who celebrate Thanksgiving this could be a winner...
Vegan Okonomiyaki
Vegan Okonomiyaki This fabulous recipe comes out of the last three day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course . Grace and Nells made and adapted this recipe from Celia Brooks Brown’s Vegetarian World Recipes cookbook. If you are an Okonomiyaki fan you are going to love this vegan version and if you have never had Okonomiyaki then this recipe is a must try. Perfect for breakfast,...
Banana Date and Walnut Cake
Banana Date and Walnut Cake If you are wanting a cake that is moist and super delicious and also is actually not bad for you, in fact is rather good for you then this is the cake. This recipe is an adaptation of the banana cake I have in my cook book. The addition of walnuts was a suggestion of my dad’s. Walnuts are a must include ingredient in your daily...
Vegan Sausage Rolls
Vegan Sausage Rolls Sausage Roll Filling I was on a mission to perfect the filing for sausage rolls. My research involved buying many different vegan sausage rolls. I also looked at many different recipes and think I made 8 lots of sausage rolls before I perfected the recipe. This recipe is the result of much delicious research and I not so humbly confess that you won’t find a...
Savoury Muffins
Savoury Muffins If you are wanting a quick grab savoury breakfast, these muffins are the thing. Make up a double batch, keep half out and freeze the rest. They are packed with complete protein, contain vitamin C, A, K, fibre and potassium. Take them up a notch by cutting them in half and adding a nice dollop of hummus. Savoury Muffins Ingredients 1½ cups soymilk...
Brazil Nut Parmesan (and pasta of course)
Brazil Nut Parmesan (and pasta of course) I’m not exaggerating when I write that I still smile from ear to ear every time I think of or mention the last 3 Day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course. It was the 50th time I have facilitated this course and the course structure just gets better and better. I always feel blessed to have fabulous people attend this course. There is...
Chickpea and Red Lentil Moroccan Hot Pot with Tahini Sauce
You Can Keep Weight off & Eat Carbs TooIn the modern world of maintaining one’s weight, people have misunderstood the idea of avoiding carbohydrates. Many people cut out the full carbohydrate macronutrient and by doing this they are depriving their body of many important benefits, they are missing out on resistance starch, fibre and a whole range of nutrients including vitamins, minerals and...
Breakfast Congee
Winning Winter Breakfast What do you eat for breakfast? Do you eat the same thing every day or vary it up? My mum told me as a child that if you have breakfast you set yourself up for the day. Even science proves this. Studies show that if children don’t have breakfast their bodies struggle with absorbing the nutrients they need in the day and some studies show that children perform worse at...
Electrolyte Drink
Hydrating During Cooler Months Do you struggle to stay hydrated during the cooler months? If so you are definitely not alone, in the cooler days the whole day can pass with me only drinking one or two glasses of water. Hydrating the body is important no matter what the weather is doing as dehydration can lead to electrolyte imbalance in the body. Electrolytes that are found in the body are...
Vegetable Bake with Cauliflower Cheese Sauce
Buzzing with Happiness Hope everyone is very well. I am buzzing with happiness after this last month of facilitating modules 2 to 5 of the Vegan Chef Training, as well as a few private days of teaching cooking and nutrition and now this last weekend the June 3 Day Foundation Cooking Course. This was a wonderful three days with five fabulous participants. We had a full house (5 is my...
Mushroom Dip or Pate
I'm back with a beautiful Mushroom Dip Recipe Huge apologies everyone for my very overdue newsletter and recipe. I was not well for a week then went straight into the Vegan Chef Training that has been fantastic but all consuming. Here I am now with a delightful recipe to share with you. It is one we made in Module 5 to eat with the activated grain focaccia we made. My dad will be happy as he...
Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls
Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls and Sauerkraut Classes What’s your relationship with cabbage? Do you love it or loathe it? I love it, I love a great coleslaw and I eat cabbage in the form of home made sauerkraut twice a day. When it comes to cooking it though I shy away from it a little bit but due to its immense health benefits I have been adding it a lot more into my diet. I have noticed that...
Vegan Lamingtons
Everyone can eat Vegan Lamingtons Feeling Spontaneous Last minute spot has come up in this week’s Vegan Foundation Course. Who is ready for some spontaneity and wants to take the jump and join in this 3 days of wonderful cooking? You will take home not only incredible food but more than 60 recipes, a cook book and a big manual full of really good information, along with loads and loads...
Royal Bubble and Squeak
Renewed EnthusiasmMy apologies to those who love receiving my newsletter on a weekly basis. Since the floods in our area I lost the momentum to write weekly but I am back with renewed enthusiasm and some great recipes to share with you. After two of my courses being cancelled due to floods we were able to go ahead last week and what a fabulous 3 days were shared with 5 wonderful people. We had a...
Sprouting Legumes
Sprouting a Great Source of Nutrition when Fresh Food is not Available Hope you are all well and not affected by the flood damage in NSW and Queensland. If you are please reach out. While I personally am not affected by the floods I do live in a town and area that is presently in devastation. It has been incredible how much support has been offered from people locally and all over the...
Potato and Pea Latke with Tomato, Mushroom and Corn Salsa
Loving what you do and niacin rich foods ~ Reminder only 5 days left of the early bird pricing for the Vegan Chef Training. Loving what I do for a living has always been a priority for me. Observing the difference I make through the work I do makes me wake up each day with joy and energy. When my work hasn’t felt this way in the past I have shifted focus and taken my energy elsewhere. Do...
Salad Nicoise
Lots of courses on offer A fabulous two weeks just passed and I totally got too busy to do a recipe last week, apologies. I was busy facilitating a fabulous Vegan Foundation Course, a Tailored 1 day class with a lovely mother and daughter and started two more VIP Nutrition Packages with some very important people indeed. I have made up for my tardiness though of missing a week...
Gluten Free Bread
Make your own gluten free bread and save loads of plastic Last week I ran the very first three day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course in my new kitchen. I had 5 delightful participants and we created some incredible food and they all got to go home with recipes and a load of tips and tricks that they will be able to implement for years to come. This week on Thursday I begin the next 3 day course...
Eggplant Zorba
Cooking Tip 103 – the reason we salt eggplant (aubergine) Ok what is the story with eggplants. Many are declaring they can’t eat eggplants these days as they are nightshades. People with autoimmune disease or arthritis are being advised that the alkaloids in nightshades (tomatoes, eggplant, tamarillos, capsicums, potatoes) may be harmful. However at this stage there is no research to...
Lasagne in a Bowl
Magic Moringa and Lasagne in a Bowl Recipe Moringa is rich in calcium as well as boasting a large range of health benefits. It is definitely something to add into ones diet. I first came across moringa in the Himalayas. The women in the high altitude mountain ranges were feeding it to their toddlers, ensuring their babes got enough calcium. Some years later my colleague from...
Amaranth and tofu filled pumpkin
Foods to Include in Your Diet to Get Enough Calcium Happy New Year everyone, wishing you a fabulous year this year with exceptionally good health and delicious food. As usual I am not doing resolutions but have a word for 2022 and it is: CRUISE That feels really good to me so you will be seeing me use it a bit. What’s your word for 2022...
Corn Ribs
Simple Recipes for a Delicious Christmas (including a recipe for corn ribs) Last Minute Pressie ideas Can you believe it is almost Christmas 2021. I can’t. If you are still looking for Christmas presents remember I have a range of experience gifts - a one on one cooking class, a 3 day cooking course, a VIP nutrition and cooking package, a miso and tofu cooking class, an aranchini and gluten...
Spaghetti Salad with Artichokes and Green Veg
Why Resistance Starch and Butyrate are important to staying healthy Resistance starch has had lots of attention of late and rightly so. Resistance starch is starch from food that does not get digested in the upper gastrointestinal tract (small intestine) it skips digestion and makes its way to the large intestine where it is broken down by resistant bacteria and then fermented providing good...
Pickled Green Beans
New home and a yummy gift What an exciting time it has been, buying our first home together. As regular readers know that was a big journey in itself and then the move was BIG especially after nine years in one rental house. I love our new home and can’t wait to start courses and individual sessions in my new kitchen. It is a fabulous space which I look forward to sharing with you all...
Rocky Road
Cooking Tip 102 (Make Your Own Chocolate) Cooking tip 102 making your own chocolate is one of those things you will wish you had always been doing. Making your own chocolate is much better than buying it. Three reasons why: it’s cheaper, you can regulate what you put in it and it is always available in the fridge or freezer, you don’t have to make a trip to the shop when you feel like a...
Sleepy Time Salad with Fetta Sauce
Food to Help you Sleep What sort of sleep do you get? Do you sleep right through the night without waking up, or do you have broken sleep, or do you suffer from insomnia? If you struggle with sleep (like I do) you may be happy to know that what we eat in the evening meal can have an impact on our sleep. There has been extensive research done on food for sleep. So this week I share...
Zinc Rich Ramen Soup
The importance of Zinc and how to get enough on a Plant Based DietDo you know if you are you getting enough zinc in your diet? Our bodies are dependent on the mineral zinc for body growth and development and zinc is especially important for the nervous and reproductive systems and of course the immune system. The body does not store a pool of zinc so it is essential that we have a daily...
Nurturing Broth
Boosting the Immune System and What to Eat When Unwell Another week, another blog. This one is a goodie and one to keep for just in case you ever feel unwell. Every fourth blog will be dedicated to a subscriber’s request and actually I have a blog schedule happening that I am really enjoying right now Week 1: Nutrient info Week 2: Produce review Week 3: Cooking tip Week 4:...
Green and White Salad
Cooking Tip 101 (Preventing spillage on the stove top when cooking grains) Do you add oil to your pasta cooking water? Have you been told it prevents your pasta sticking together/ I stopped adding oil to my pasta water more than a decade ago because my pasta never stuck together whether I had oil in the water or not and I just thought it was a waste of oil. However recently that has...
Mongolian Tofu and Mushrooms
Why Mushrooms are so Damn Good for You The mighty mushroom is a definite must add food to any diet and especially into a vegan diet as mushrooms really are packed with a whole lot of goodness. Mushrooms contain a rich source of essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids that help reduce serum cholesterol. Mushrooms also boast a whole load of antioxidants which can protect the...
Sushi Sandwich
How to Get Enough Iodine on a Vegan Diet Who grew up with iodized salt on their table? Did you know what iodized meant or were you just used to reading the word every time you saw it in its white and orange plastic tub. It seemed to be the standard salt everyone had in their homes growing up in the 70’s and 80’s. It was branded as the important thing to have to stay healthy and then it...
Three Sprinkles
Add some sparkle to your foodHello Everyone, I am so happy to be back with a recipe for you this week. Last week I sent out a newsletter asking for contributions for weekly recipes and lo and behold, within an hour of the newsletter going out I received a considerable donation via paypal from my very generous parents. I had forgotten they read my weekly blog. So this recipe and the...
Lenticchia
A nurturing recipe for the mind, body and soul I hope all is well in your world. What a tough time it is worldwide. Thanks to those people who wrote to me last week to let me know how you are. It was lovely to read how people are nourishing themselves during this time and for me to make recipe suggestions to those who are struggling. Feel free to write anytime. We were yet...
Sweet and Sour Cauliflower Noodle Salad
A stay at home celebration recipe and a discount on my online cooking course How are you all? I Hope those of you in lockdown are doing okay. Please reach out, send me an email, I would love to hear from you. Anyone who wants to share with me what they are cooking is also welcome. Let me know what creativity is going down in your kitchen. We are also in lockdown at the moment. When...
Raspberry and Blood Orange Cordial
It’s time for a drink recipe – here is a great cordial How are you all? How is everyone managing with lockdown? Feeling for those of you who, like me, have lost a lot of work due to the lockdowns. Like someone said recently if we can do okay in this tumultuous time, then we have a resilient business. Despite having to postpone the July Vegan Foundation Cooking...
Carrot Lox
Preventing and Healing Illness with the Right Food For those of you who follow me on social media you will know I have been struggling along with Plantar Fasciitis. Who else has this? Well only two weeks after I put up the post I am happy to report it is pretty much almost gone. I can feel slight twinges of it now and again so will not let my guard down. After being super diligent to add...
Vegan 'Tuna' Pasta
Vegan ‘Tuna’ Pasta Recipe and New Offerings Wow, that week went fast. How are you all? Would love to hear from you. Please do feel free to write. Last week I had more time on my hands than normal as a few of my cooking and nutrition sessions got postponed due to COVID restrictions. This gave me the opportunity to develop some really delicious recipes and the one I bring you...
Hearty Tomato Stew with Grilled Zucchini
Deep Gratitude and a Really Scrumptious Stew Recipe It’s cold and rainy right now as I write this newsletter so have decided to share a delicious stew recipe with you all. If it is warm where you are this is still a very good recipe to make. In winter serve it with black rice and in summer either basmati rice or quinoa. I developed this recipe for someone who came along...
Falafel
It's Falafel time this week! Who loves falafel? I certainly do. These were made in the recent Three Day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course. The recipe makes a big mob of them so I would suggest making the full amount and freezing some as they freeze so well. Before putting the mix in the fridge be sure to taste it to see if you want more spice. Some like falafels with lots of spice and some...
Tahini Biscuits
A Healthy Biscuit/Crunchy Cookie Recipe and a Favour to Ask As many of you may know change is happening for the Vegan Cooking School and myself. In November we need to move from our home of nine years. We are on the look out for somewhere to buy to live in and continue running the cooking school from. It is our dream to stay as close to the Mullumbimby region as possible. ...
Carrot Zucchini Pasta with Adzuki Bean Balls
I'm back with a great recipe Forgive me everyone for skipping the last two weeks. I was all consumed in facilitating the Vegan Chef Training and getting in my final assignment for my post grad nutrition degree. Last Saturday was the last day of the Vegan Chef Training for 2021 and it culminated with Jesika and Andrea’s graduation where they served up a 4 course meal including three...
Cauliflower and Mushrooms with Home Made XO Sauce
Lots happening at Veet’s Vegan Cooking School The Vegan Chef Training is approaching it’s last two weeks. What a wondrous course it has been. On the last day of module 5 we had 3 fabulous facilitators attend. Lilli and Sue who came and taught Kambucha, Jamu, fire tonic and shrubs (a healthier version of cordial). In the morning Kiriko taught tofu and miso. The tofu was the nicest tofu I have...
Kofta Balls in Pepita Sauce
A very tasty and easy kofta ball recipe without onion and garlic We are almost half way through the vegan chef training for 2021. So far it has been incredible. Last week we finished module 3 – Ayurvedic Cuisine. For those who don’t know; Ayurvedic cooking is a practice that is thousands of years old and originated in India. It looks at what foods you can and can’t...
Raw Sniggers Bar
Another sweet treat you really do not want to miss out on! I have just finished facilitating the third day of the Raw Cuisine Module of the Vegan Chef Training. This also is a stand alone module so once people have finished the foundation course they are welcome to come and attend the raw cuisine course too and what a treat you will be in for. We have made sensational food over the...
Navanita’s Breakfast Soup
Listening to your body to feed it what it really needs Some years ago I wrote a blog on an interview I did with a friend and dance facilitator of mine. It was a beautiful interview with many words of wisdom. On Sunday my friend left her body as she had spent the year unwell. I know she would have been listening to her body the whole time. I got a message from her beloved that she very much...
Chimichurri Share Platter with Hemp Seed Tzatziki
Happy Easter Happy Easter everyone. I hope you have a lovely rest if you have time off over this mini break. Some people have let me know that they will be starting the online course this weekend. Couldn’t think of a better way to spend a long weekend than immersing yourself in really good cooking. If you would like to join in the fun, the online course is self paced so you could choose just...
Thai Millet Salad
Did you know how good millet is for your health? Here I am back singing the praises of millet. Do you have it in your pantry. If not go out and buy a cup or two. I made this delicious salad on Sunday for a gathering I was to attend, which then got cancelled due to the rain so I was left with lots and lots of this salad which was fine by me as I didn’t mind eating it for breakfast, lunch and...
Omega 3 Rich Treats
Adding More Omega 3 Into Your Diet In The Form of Deliciousness The more I learn at university in my nutrition degree the more I see the evidence of how healthy a plant based diet really is. I have always known it instinctively but now it is wonderful to see the science to back it up. Having said this though it is important like with any food style you wish to follow that you ensure you are...
Sage and Miso Noodles with Mushrooms and Spinach
Sharing one of the Signature Dishes from the last Vegan Foundation Cooking Course Another three day vegan foundation cooking course started today. Stoked to be with another group of people who are eager to learn how to cook nutritious and delicious food. Can’t wait to share the photos of what they create. The last course was only two weeks ago and there were some wonderful...
Taro, Mushroom and Macadamia Balls
Taro tastes like boiled eggs, did you know that? Taro is a new vegetable for me. I have seen it and heard people say how good it is but it wasn’t until Jimi who attended one of the courses I have run this year gifted me some that I got to cook with it. Taro is packed with; ~ fibre, and is a resistance starch which makes it a great carbohydrate to add to your diet...
Ginger and Sesame Fried Rice with Stir Fried Lettuce
Simple and Delicious 15 minute meal that you will want to cook again and again I am writing to you on the eve of another Vegan Foundation Course starting. So blessed that this is the third course I have managed to run this year. Last year I got up to three then no more so fingers and toes crossed the next ones will run too. As I start to prepare 48 hours before the course (yep it takes me...
Orange, Cranberry Coconut Crunch Hearts
A sweet treat you must make and announcing changes to the Vegan Chef Training Isn’t it time for a sweet treat? I certainly think so, it feels like a very long time since I have shared a sweet treat recipe with you. This one was definitely worth waiting for. It was created on the last vegan foundation cooking school. You can make these orange, cranberry coconut crunch chocolates in a big...
Tofu Larb with Herb and Noodle Salad
Ebony, past student from the Vegan Chef Training It’s hard to believe that it will be five years this August that the first chefs graduated from the vegan chef training here in the Byron Shire. There were seven people graduate that year, all who have gone on to do wonderful things. Ebony was the youngest that graduated and she went on to become head chef of a café in Wollongong. Ebony...
Sushi Salad
Turning your sushi roll into a salad ensuring you get a good dose of iodine The last two days we have been preparing for the Three Day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course. It has been a lot of work and I have loved every minute of it as I am so ecstatic to be running these courses again. The last course was in March 2020 and it has been too long between drinks as they say. I can’t wait for...
Pad Thai
Nailing a Recipe and Counting DownWhat recipe would you like to nail once and for all. Here’s mine. It feels good!Pad Thai! What recipe do you hope to nail? What recipe do you keep trying but it isn’t completely right? Pad Thai was my one recipe I needed to nail and recently did it. Congrats are in order. In the past I had made Pad Thai but it never quite made the bar that I was comparing it...
Veet's Macro Plate
Welcome to Veganuary with a Happy Song This is the first blog post for 2021 and I wish you all a happy new year and for those who didn’t receive the newsletter last week I have a super duper new years special on the online course. Check below for details. The course has no time limit so you may want to make the most of the cheap price even if you can’t start it straight away....
A Mexican Fiesta to Celebrate with this Christmas
A Mexican Fiesta to Celebrate with this Christmas I had this idea that I would start this week’s blog with some healthy tips but hey who wants healthy at this time of the year. I’ll save that for the New Year. What I would like to say though is if you keep it vegan and keep it organic you really can’t go wrong. It’s non traditional fare I will share with my friends this...
Traditional Christmas Recipes
Recipes to Bring Deliciousness to Your Table this Christmas Two more blog posts before Christmas. I haven’t heard what you are up to this Christmas. I would love to know, maybe you don’t celebrate or maybe you do or it’s a quiet time of relaxation for you. Whatever it is I’d love to know. This week I share recipes for those who like a more traditional Christmas feast. These recipes...
Quinoa, Mushroom, Corn and Red Capsicum Filled Zucchini
A fabulous Christmas Recipe and Making the Online Cooking Course Available to You All Another Christmas recipe everyone. I know so many people who just love Christmas and have a great time hanging out with loved ones and then I know equally as many people who actually have not such a great time at Christmas. This recipe is for all of you, to take to gatherings or to have at home on your own...
Nut Roast Wellington
Exciting news my first online course is now live and a Christmas recipe What an exciting week I have had. It was my birthday last week and I had a fabulous lunchtime gathering of women friends. We even had a dance, which was an extra special treat, and the big news from last week was... I launched my first ever on line cooking course: Cooking at Home with Veet...
Roast Beetroot and Carrot Brown Rice Salad with Caesar Dressing
What is resistant starch and why is it good for you? It’s hard to believe that the online course Cooking at Home with Veet will soon be launched. Launch date is the 24th November. Exciting to the max. Make sure you are signed up to the upcoming cooking course mailing list so you don’t miss out on the coupon to get the discount and be one of the first people to start the course. It is a fun...
Sprouted Mung Bean Hot Pot with Coconut and Wild Rice
Only Fourteen More Sleeps I am bursting with excitement as we have an exact date for the launch of the online course Cooking at Home with Veet. It is the 24th of November so only fourteen more sleeps. The course will be announced to the people signed up to the Upcoming Courses newsletter where you will be given a discount code. So don’t miss out, make sure you are signed up to that newsletter...
Marinated Zucchini Galette
Marinated Zucchini, Spring Onions & Corn Bread Galette with Cashew Mascarpone & Sprinkle How are you? I have had a great week since I last wrote. We managed to get away on a quick camping trip, which was incredibly relaxing despite getting caught in a hail storm, the walk we had planned on being closed, tree cutters at the camp ground for hours on the first afternoon and people doing...
Mexican Millet Chilli
A Mexican Millet Chilli for Both Spring and Autumn Hope you are all well and enjoying plenty of time getting creative in the kitchen. Filming the online cooking course that I am launching soon has got me all inspired to get back doing Facebook lives (and soon to be Instagram lives). At the moment I am doing daily cooking tips at 2.10 pm (NSW Aussie time). If that time is weird for you...
Olive Tapenade, Fig and Olive Tapenade and Sundried Tomato Tapenade
Three Tapenade Recipes (one is an olive free tapenade for those who are not olive fans) Last week we filmed the online cooking course ‘Cooking at Home with Veet’ that will be launched mid November. What an incredible experience and what an incredible course it is. It is five modules packed with delightfully delicious vegan food that also happens to be gluten free and refined sugar free. It’...
Raw Cacao and Avocado Smoothie
A Blissful Recipe and Countdown to the Launch of the Online Course Still on mood foods this week. I don’t know about you but it has been an up and down week for me. When feeling the blues one of the better foods to reach for is raw cacao. This recipe is essentially a smoothie but if you put less liquid in you can eat it as a mousse. Raw cacao contains anandamide, which in very...
Biriyan Mullumbi
Cooking for the Mood You Are In Hope you are all enjoying the change in season. It feels like we skipped spring where I live and moved straight into summer. I am sure the spring weather is going to arrive though. It’s just hot right now. And I have a hot theme. Are any of you on Facebook™ and do you follow the Healthy Vegan Food with Veet page? We are having theme weeks over there and last...
Salads for Both Hemispheres
Pumpkin, Tempeh, Olive and Quinoa Salad and Roast Cauliflower, Peas and Hazelnut Pasta Salad If you can’t wait to find out the big news at Veet’s Vegan Cooking School skip the recipe and go to the message at the end of the newsletter. If you can wait then you are in for a treat with these two delicious salads that can be eaten in both hemispheres, as they are equally delicious hot or cold...
Borscht
Last of the Soup Recipes (going out with the best) I imagine this week’s recipes will be the last of the soup recipes for this year as where I live we are slipping nicely into spring. It looks like I have saved the best soup for last. Years ago, before I was a qualified vegan chef I used to make a delicious Borscht soup. I tired of it though as it was blended soup and while I...
Paula’s Baked Beans
Paula Nailed it Again, a Fabulous Recipe the Children Will Love - Home Made Baked Beans It’s children’s recipe this week and the lovely Paula who is half way through the Vegan Chef Training has once again developed a recipe for us. Paula’s last recipe, Macaroni Cheese was a winner and so is this one. I tried out and tweaked the recipe this week and it is so good. Makrand...
Pea and Zucchini Soup
A Delicious Green Soup that is Great for Relationships It’s a very breezy cool day where I live today so this week’s recipe is very fitting. I also think this soup would go well as a spring or early autumn soup. It’s book review week this week. I have this lovely book at home, once again not vegan but definitely vegetarian and the recipes are so easily adaptable when you know how (that’s...
Quick Vegan Quiche
If you need cheering up this week take time out in the kitchen Wow what a week. Love sent to you all and especially those of you who once again find yourselves in lockdown. I hope you have the ingredients to cook up feasts for yourself during this time. Food is our saviour right now. Get cooking for yourself, your loved ones and your neighbours. This week was request week and...
Green Papaya Curry Kerala Style
The Health Benefits of Green Papaya and a New Beaut Recipe to Showcase this Mighty Fruit If you live in an area where green papaya is in season right now I suggest making the most of it as green papaya rocks not only in taste but in the nutrition and health benefits department. My sister in law loves green papaya and unfortunately she doesn’t get it so much as she...
Not Salmon Cakes and Jam Drops
Penny's Gran’s Salmon Cakes and Jam Drops Veganised This week’s blog comes with quite a story. I hope you love stories. I love stories, my grandmother always told us stories and I would relish in every word. Its book review week and I am reviewing a very special book this week that unfortunately isn’t for sale. It’s a family cookbook of my best friend from school’s...
Tahini Bake
A recipe for tahini lovers, those who want to be tahini lovers and those that are resisting being tahini lovers It hadn’t dawned on me what was really missing for me personally during the COVID 19 lockdown and restrictions until last week when a friend sent a really cute video. The thing missing for me during the COVID lockdown was ……….. tahini. Yep you read right, tahini. Somewhere in the...
Guava Jam
Guava Jam (probably the best jam ever) It’s seasonal produce week so here I am with something that is in season, right in my garden, right now. We have three prolific guava trees growing in our garden. The majority of the fruit is feeding the bats, which I am so happy about as the bats had a tough time through the drought and fires. We love that we can share the fruit with...
Macaroni Cheese
A classic staple Macaroni Cheese by a guest blogger It’s kids recipe week and I am excited to tell you we have a guest blogger this week. Paula from Eat Cook Love who is half way through the Vegan Chef Training. One of our trainees in waiting has developed a scrumptious recipe that you children may love. The recipe does contain nuts so for any of you with nut allergies...
Winter Health Boosting Salad with Sage and Oregano
Healthy Salad Using up Left Over Grains After the naughty but decadent recipe I shared with you last week I thought a healthy recipe was in store for this week. It’s week one in my schedule of blog posts which means book review week and while this warm winter salad doesn’t feature in any particular book (my own creation) I feel I was inspired by Hetty Mckinnon’s book Family. It is not a...
Chocolate Raspberry Cup Cakes with Cashew Cream and Chocolate Mousse icing (gluten free)
Celebrating 12 years with an Epic Cup Cake Recipe (yep gluten free!) It’s celebration week this week for Veet’s Vegan Cooking School. On the 19th May 2008 I first started my business. Wow that feels so long ago, much longer than twelve years. It was huge for me to go out on my own and create a business as I had always been in paid employment and came from a family who were in paid...
Bok Choy Vegolian
The Low Down on How Good Bok Choy is For YouHow are you? Did you miss me? I took a two week break from writing blogs to try and catch up and have plenty of recipes for you in the upcoming weeks. Hope you didn’t miss the recipes too much. This week I am showcasing Bok Choy as the seasonal vegetable for the month. Right now where I live Bok Choy is in season and the bunches are beautiful....
Tortilla Pizzas
Mini Pizzas Mexican Style That The Whole Family Can Eat It’s children’s recipe week this week and this is a good one to make with the whole family. Put aside 1½ hours so that you can make it with ease and fun. Put on some fun music and get into the swing of cooking as a family. Go to my facebook page to see the video I did on how to make the tortilla. If you don’t have a tortilla press...
Citrus Cream Pudding
A Pudding Recipe You Really Must Try Hope you are all having a good week despite all the uncertainty in the world right now. Also hope you are having more time to cook. Let me know what’s cooking at your house. Isn’t it time for a sweet recipe? It’s been a while since I last posted a sweet recipe so here I am with a delectable treat. It is also book review week again. Wow the months...
Sprout Lovers Autumn Salad
Hi Everyone, How are you? How have you been this week? Thank you to all of you who wrote to let me know how you are going and to also thank Melanie and I for keeping these weekly recipes going. It means a lot to me that you are enjoying the recipes at this time. Struggling with Technology Last week was huge for me. I have this resistance to doing something new and then when...
Vegan Jalfrezi Recipe with Sprouted Mung Beans
Embracing technology, Facebook Live and Private Online Cooking Classes Hello Everyone, Wow what a week. How has it been for you? How are you? I really would love to know how you are all coping with the COVID -19 ‘pandemic.’ Thank you to everyone who wrote to me after the last newsletter. I so appreciate it. Also feel free to write with any questions you may have around cooking. I...
Mi Goreng
Hi Everyone, Wow what a tumultuous time it has been. How are you all doing? Please write to me, I have plenty of time on my hands now and happy to answer any cooking questions and hand out tips here, there and everywhere. As of last Saturday I like many others became unemployed. I am lucky to say this is the first time in my life I’ve been unemployed and while it felt super scary...
Immune Boosting Greek Lentil Soup
Immune Boosting Greek Lentil Soup Hello Everyone, I am hoping you are all keeping well and centered during this time of chaos. There is no time like now to start doing all the meditation practices you have been thinking about doing as well as boosting your immune system through good quality food. There have been many crazy things I have heard during this time of...
Strawberry and Mint Lassi
Last Opportunity to Book into the Full Vegan Chef Training I am so happy to be back writing blog posts for you. A two week break visiting my parents was wonderful but I missed writing these weekly newsletters and sharing recipes with you. I am beyond excited that there is only a month left until the Vegan Chef Training starts for 2020. There are two places left for...
Jackfruit and Pea Mornay
Jackfruit and Pea Mornay Who has never had Tuna Mornay? Am I the only Australian who has never tried it? When I was growing up friends used to talk about eating it for dinner but I had never had it until last month. Yahoooo I am no longer a Tuna Mornay virgin. Well it wasn’t actually tuna I had, I would have been sick if it had been. It was a mornay made with jackfruit, chickpeas, peas...
Sweet Corn Coleslaw
Sweet Corn Coleslaw It’s seasonal produce week in the world of blog writing at Veet’s Vegan Cooking School. It’s sweet corn time. Lovely fresh young kernelled cobs of corn are purchasable at our local organic health food store. It felt so decadent to buy three cobs for this recipe that I share with you this week. I have a few recipes on my blog for sweet corn so it was a bit...
Fun Snack Ideas for School Lunches and Afternoon Tea
Fun Snack Ideas for School Lunches and Afternoon Tea Two weeks ago I spent a fun filled week with one of my nieces and one of my nephews. We went on daily outings and only on one of those days did we eat out (we went to Sweetbones Café in Canberra), all the other days we packed up our picnic lunch. On one of those days there was a fire in Queanbeyan and when we got there found...
Tempeh Fingers with Hemp Seed Tartare
Calling all Budding Vegan Chefs I am curious to know who of you reading this blog post would like to pursue being a chef as either a hobby or profession. My story was that at the age of sixteen I wanted to be a chef but as I was vegetarian no one would take me on as an apprentice. I let go of that dream and pursued my other dreams, working with people with disabilities and being a...
Gluten Free Crackers
A Recipe to Reduce Plastic How is everyone? I am on my way to Canberra to visit my brother, niece and nephew and am curious to know how it will be to see all the fire damage as I travel down south. My heart is with all of you who may be affected by these fires here in Australia. It is also with all of you who may be struggling right now. I hope my newsletter and recipe brings a bit of...
Frozen Fruit Ice Cream
Frozen Fruit Ice cream (a healthy treat for summer) Hello Everyone, hope you are all safe and well and those of you affected by bushfires, my prayers, thoughts and love are with you. This is my first blog post of 2020. It was lovely to have a few weeks break from sending out newsletters and I am so excited to be writing again. Someone asked me if I like doing my blog...
Trifle Turned Vegan and Gluten Free
A Traditional Christmas Trifle Turned Vegan and Gluten Free (and way more delicious) Its recipes for children week. This week’s recipe is vegan trifle just in time for Christmas. I am not sure if all children like trifle but guess what, I loved it. It was one of my favourite parts of Christmas growing up. I may have told some of you already that I grew up in the...
Festive Cannelloni with Tofu Ricotta and Pumpkin Spinach
Festive Cannelloni with Tofu Ricotta and Pumpkin Spinach (gluten free) This week is book review week in my scheduled blogs and I have decided to review my own Cook Book Veet’s Cuisine Delicious Vegan Recipes. Yes I love my own cookbook, cooking many of the recipes on the retreats that I catered on over the last ten years. The recipes are simple, all gluten free, all...
Celebrating Turning Fifty with all my Favourite Recipes
Celebrating Turning Fifty with all my Favourite Recipes As I write this blog post it is one week before it will go to publication. I am writing early as I will be away next week when you receive this newsletter. In the newsletter plan it is the request week and this week I am not sending you a new recipe but answering a request that I often get. What are your favourite things to cook Veet?...
Sandwich or Baguette Recipes
Fancy a Sandwich Anyone? How are you all this week? How many of you are effected by the bushfires? I really hope you are all safe. It’s been very full on for many people living in the area I reside. I live in town so am lucky to be in a safe area but many friends are evacuated at the moment and others are staying home in readiness to protect their properties. I am sending masses of...
Lemon Slice
Sweet Bones: The Cook Book If you haven’t already been, I highly recommend going to Canberra and visiting one of my all time favourite cafes ever; Sweet Bones Bakery and Café. It’s in the city suburb of Braddon and sells the most delicious everything. The café is hip yet down to earth and I feel so at home when I go to eat there. Emily and Russell Brindly are the owners of Sweet...
The Best Gluten Free Gnocchi
The Best Gluten Free Gnocchi This is week four of my new schedule where I post a recipe request or a recipe someone in the vegan cooking courses has developed. A couple of Vegan Foundation Cooking Courses ago the lovely Jayne and Wendy made a delicious sweet potato gnocchi and I promised them I would develop a good gluten free gnocchi recipe to share with them when I got a...
Warrigal Greens and Sunflower Seed Hummus
Warrigal Greens and Sunflower Seed Hummus It’s week three of my blog schedule and I am enjoying having a theme to go with each week. This week is seasonal produce. I’m excited as this is a seasonal vegetable that is native to both Australia and New Zealand. It can also be found in South American countries. It’s a hardy plant that likes sandy and marshy conditions to grow. It grows wild in...
Teriyaki Tofu with Besan Wraps
Teriyaki Tofu with Besan Wraps (children friendly food that the whole family will love) Having a structure to the blog posts is working well so far (this is only week two so lets see if I can keep it up). This week I am posting a meal that I think most children will love. A child friendly meal for the whole family, I can imagine it being a regular on any menu plan. In the last...
Cabbage Koftas
Cabbage Koftas (plus introducing more structure into the blog posts) Hello everyone, how has your week been? I am in the middle of three days off. These being very special days off for me as I have worked pretty solidly for the last seven weeks with only one full day off and even on that day I attended a workshop and then worked in the evening. It’s been a thoroughly rewarding time. In...
Pecan Pesto
Pecan Pesto & Lisa Following Her Dreams Almost a year ago I got a phone call an hour before day one of the Vegan Foundation Cooking Course was due to start from a woman named Lisa wondering if there was a space left in the course that day. I had never had such a late booking before. I said “yes if you can get the application form filled out, sent back to me and be...
Sprouted Mung Bean Curry
Sprouted Mung Bean Curry Following on from sprouting for the Raw Course I facilitated ten days ago I cooked quite a few dishes with the sprouted mung beans. This curry is a true winner. The sprouted mung beans add such a different dimension to a curry. Sprouted Mung Bean Curry Ingredients 2 cups sprouted mung beans 1 tbsp avocado oil 1 onion roughly chopped...
Sprouted Vegan Green Eggs
Sprouted Vegan Green Eggs Last week marked the start of another Vegan Chef Training. Six wonderful women came together to join in Module 2, Raw Cuisine. As part of this module I show you how to sprout legumes and you get to take home a pack of seeds to sprout and recipe develop. In the four days before the raw module started I started the sprouting process and sprouted...
Winter Salad with a Home Made Balsamic Glaze
Winter Salad with a Home Made Balsamic Glaze Last Thursday to Saturday I facilitated the 29th Vegan Foundation Cooking Course where four wonderful people attended. It was a treat for all of us to have such a small group and some very creative food was made. In the past I have written about how life transforming the Vegan Foundation course is for people who attend....
Vietnamese Style Baguette
Three Weeks of Packed Lunch Ideas (for School, University and Work) For two decades as a university student, care worker and teacher I took a packed lunch to work. I had no choice there were no options for me as a vegetarian and I have also always been a fussy eater. White bread sandwiches have never cut it for me. And that was pretty much all that seemed to be available at school canteens...
Gluten Free Monshari Pie
Gluten Free Monshari Pie (Baked Sweet Potato and Beetroot Pie with Almond Fetta) As part of the three day Vegan Foundation Cooking Course you get to create your own signature dish. In the May course Monica and Shari made a vegan gluten free pie and named it Monshari Pie. It is as wonderful as the name itself. Last Monday I was all set to remake the pie so I could share the...
Chocolate Banana and Raisin Layered Cake
An Unusual Chocolate Cake Which is So Good Prior to going on my holiday I found my well loved copy of Zorba the Buddha Cookbook. I had misplaced it for more than a year and was really missing it. When I found it I was almost tempted not to go on holiday so I could recreate all the recipes and make them vegan as a lot of the recipes in Zorba the Buddha are laden with dairy. I resisted...
Curried Kale, Sweet Potato, Pea and Carrot Soup
Curried Kale, Sweet Potato, Pea and Carrot Soup I’m home. Yahoo. It’s fantastic to be home and it was one of the best months of my life to be away in the beautiful Osho International Meditation Resort in India. I feel fully refreshed and committed even more to my meditation and sharing fabulous recipes with you and facilitating the courses I offer you all. After four weeks in...
Baked Kale
Baked Kale For years people have been juicing, loading their smoothies and eating kale raw. I was led to believe that the natural oxalates found on kale can inhibit the absorption of iron and other essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals. As a result I generally never eat it raw. Just wilting it can remove the oxalates and this fabulous recipe I share with you this week will definitely...
Airplane Snacks
Confession Time I’m confessing to you all! It’s big for me to admit what I am about to admit to you all. However I am placing all my cards on the table and without fear of judgment I want the world to know about what I am going to confess as it will really make my decision solid. I’m confessing about something that I did, something that I am now actually grateful for but at...
Spaghetti with Wood Ear Mushrooms and Brussel Sprouts
Spaghetti with Wood Ear Mushrooms and Brussel Sprouts I’m being brave posting a recipe with Brussels in it as I know that not everyone loves them as much as I do. Don’t be put off though if you are not a Brussels lover as you can use another green veg of your choice or just leave them out all together. This sauce is a beauty. So rich and meaty (in the non animal meaty way). This...
Veg Makhanwala and Okra Curry
Veg Makhanwala and Okra Curry As I start to wind down the last week of work before I go on my yearly visit to India I feel a curry recipe is called for, so I am sharing with you two recipes. I adapted the first recipe earlier this year and had planned on sharing with you all then but somehow spaced it out. So here is Mak’s (my beloved’s) favourite curry recipe. He used to eat...
Potato and Spinach Bake
Potato and Spinach Bake (It’s like a soufflé) Its been my experience that if I put a bowl of nut cheese out in front of friends who aren’t vegan and don’t tell them what it is they will ask what type of cheese it is. However if I place a bowl of vegan cheese on the table with some crackers and tell my friends what it is they will say, “it’s nice but it doesn’t really taste like cheese”. It...
Corn Fritters
Corn Fritters (a recipe for children that adults will love too) I promised a while back to write a recipe each month with children in mind. This is the first of many to come. I realise I have quite a lot of recipes already on my website which children will love. These tasty fritters will be loved by children and adults alike (as long as everyone loves corn of course). I have cooked...
Crispy Oven Potatoes
Celebrating Eleven Years (with a recipe that isn’t mine) Last Sunday marked eleven years since I embarked on my catering business and last Friday marked the four year anniversary of Veet’s Vegan Cooking School. Triple wow, I remember those weeks when deciding to give up my life as a primary school and English as a Second Language Teacher in order to start my own business. I...
Mushroom, Artichoke and Spinach Pizza
This is the first in my monthly recipes with children in mind. Many people have asked for recipes that children may enjoy and for some be able to help make too. This is a great pizza recipe as it is gluten free. I have shared the gluten free pizza base recipe before. This topping was created by Jaldhara and Grace in the April foundation cooking course and it really was sensational. You can...
Steamed Veg with Tahini Sauce
Organic Food is Cheaper Than You Think For eight years now my partner and I have been living on a full organic diet. When shopping for fruit and veg and dry foods we buy organic food only. There is the odd exception when we go away or eat out as there is not really any fully organic café or restaurant in Australia and when I go to India it is hard to eat 100% organic. However on a daily...
Mushroom and Pea Bhaji
I meet people who either like mushrooms or they don’t. I meet people who say mushrooms are fantastic for good health and I meet others who won’t eat them as they say they are not good for you. I am a mushroom lover and my body seems to love them too so I tend to agree that they are good for you. I do eat them in moderation though and would never have them more than twice a week even though I...
Brown Rice Pudding
Twenty years ago when I was living in London my best friend (hi Penny) and I took a side trip to Switzerland, Austria and France. We ended up in Paris for our last night with barely a Franc to rub together. The thought of dining in any fancy French restaurant was long abandoned. Instead we bought a baguette and some cheese (in those days I was only vegetarian) and picked up two pots of riz au...
Green Harissa (a condiment for everything)
In the foundation vegan course we look at ways to make cooking delicious but easy, so you eat well all the time. One of the many ways we do this is to create ‘go-to sauces and dips’ that you can have in your fridge at all times, that you can use for breakfast, lunch, dinner or for snacks. Well let me tell you how that has worked for me this week. I had some green chillies in my fridge with no...
Spiced Chickpeas are so Moreish
Continuing on with the request for chickpea recipes. I stumbled upon a recipe for spiced chickpeas. Wow, these are a must have in the fridge at all times. They will last for three to four days in the fridge but you guessed it, only lasted two days in mine – as greedy me gobbled them all up. They are fabulous to sprinkle over salads or eat with your steamed veg or add on the top of soups...
Cabbage Rolls (filled with chickpeas, tofu and mushrooms)
How’s this week been for you all? I have had the most ideal week. Working on a new version of the module one syllabus and on retreat menus has been a slower paced week for me. I have been working regular hours rather than sixteen hour days like I do when catering on retreats. Working an eight hour day has allowed me to have plenty of time to look after myself. The first thing in practicing...
A Recipe For Millet Porridge
JUMP TO THE RECIPE After a recent visit down south I got to see first hand what a lot of the Vegan Chefs are up to since they have graduated from the vegan chef training we run. To say I am proud is a massive understatement. I feel it is time to show off what incredible work some of the graduate vegan chefs are doing. This has been a long awaited blog post as many keep asking...
Tempeh ‘Tunaless’ Salad
How often do you buy a cook book, have a good flick through, salivate at the pictures then put it on the bookshelf never to it open again? There are so many cookbooks that I do this with and I have promised myself that I will choose one a year and go through them and make every recipe I like the look of. Then on occasion I buy a cook book that I can’t put down and I try out at least...
One Pot Camping Meals (Take Two)
One Pot Camping Meals (Take Two) I just found the book I wrote camp recipes in when we were road tripping in November and December last year and realised that I still have some beauties to share with you. The recipes are so easy for camping as they all only need one saucepan or wok to cook them in. Which also makes them great for one pot meals in the home. Once again all these recipes fed...
Jackfruit Curry
Jackfruit Curry I’m a jackfruit newbie. I have only ever eaten it from a tin (organic of course). When the local grower gets a green one my colleague Metche Legaspi who is from the Philippines will show me how to cut and cook them but until then it will be the tinned variety I use. I personally don’t make it for myself but have found myself cooking it for catering events. The last time was...
Grilled Nectarine, Broccoli and Almond Fetta Salad
Making the Most of Stone Fruit The organic stone fruit we are getting in our area at the moment is not so tasty. We had such a good year last year that this year pales in comparison. Still wanting to make the most of the stone fruit that keeps appearing in our local Santos Health Food Shop I decided to grill the nectarines in this very simple salad. The addition of the best vegan...
Curing my childhood nostalgia with Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum)
You know those meals that you had growing up that you just can’t get out of your head. Something that you just have to have from time to time to overcome the nostalgia. Green Papaya Salad (Som Tum) is one of those dishes for me. When I moved to Darwin from the tiny town of Katherine in the Northern Territory at the age of nine I couldn’t believe the sights, sounds and tastes of this new world I...
Camping meals made in one pot
For those of you following Veet’s Vegan Cooking School on Instagram and Facebook you will probably remember I recently went away on a camping road trip and promised to bring back some recipes from my time on the road. Well here is the first installment. Now I am back in my big kitchen with all my fancy equipment I really miss my camp food. I love that I only had one pot to wash up and that I...
Let’s Celebrate with a Coconut Cake
Let's Celebrate with a Coconut CakeHappy New Year Everyone. I wish you the year that you want it to be with a lot of love, laughter, fun times and an abundance of really good, healthy and delicious vegan food. Usually I post a recipe for a healthy drink or smoothie in my first blog of the year, however this year my blog post day falls on my Dad’s seventy fifth birthday so even...
Christmas Feasting Ideas
There are so many vegan dishes to cook for Christmas. Where to start? Looking back through my blogs I have so many recipes from over the years that are great for Christmas feasting, so I am re-sharing them all with you now. Sides Greek Potatoes Without a doubt the Greek Potatoes will be on our table whether we decide to celebrate Christmas or not. The nut roast and a...
Raspberry Bites (a recipe for you all and dedicated to my mum’s birthday)
Today is my mum’s birthday and I can’t contact her to wish her a happy birthday as she is away on a holiday without a phone. So I thought I would let her know I was thinking about her on her birthday by dedicating a blog post to her. When she gets back from her holiday and opens her email she will see a recipe just for her. This recipe is also for you all as it’s a delicious one and...
The Perfect Salad
In 2013 I was asked to cater for the wedding of Sarah and Jo. All the weddings that I have catered are memorable and I feel grateful for the opportunity to have been part of their special day. Sarah and Jo’s wedding I remember so well as I was amazed at how relaxed and surrendered they were about the catering. After the initial booking I asked Sarah if she would like to meet...
Jazzing up a Salad with Black Bean and Walnut Kofta Balls
In the last vegan foundation course Grace and Mark made a delicious salad with black bean kofta balls. They were a real treat. I had a left over eggplant from the course and decided to develop their recipe further by putting chopped walnuts and mashed eggplant in the koftas. It worked and they are lovely and crunchy but moist at the same time. You can serve them with a decadent...
Creamy Mushroom and Silverbeet Buckwheat Crepe (yes they are gluten free too)
Having recently made banana pancakes on the last two retreats I catered on and then again on the weekend during the vegan foundation course, I deemed it necessary to turn the pancake recipe into a savoury crepe recipe. You can fill the crepe with whatever you like but I do feel this mushroom, silverbeet and cashew cream filling is really worth a try. Creamy Mushroom and Silverbeet Buckwheat Crepe...
Thai Green Curry Recipe with the Paste Made From Scratch (and it’s easy)
You know that feeling when you try a new recipe and instantly know you have to turn around and make it all over again the next night? Well this Thai curry recipe is just one of those dishes. I usually make a Thai curry but it is more of a red curry and not a green one. When Rachel and Grace decided to make a Thai green curry as their signature dish in the Vegan Foundation...
Apple and Rhubarb Crumble (the gluten free way)
What’s the weather like where you are? We had some gloriously warm days then the rain set in and even though the temperatures haven’t dropped much, it felt quite cool again. Grateful for the rain and making the most of a cooler day I thought it was a perfect time to share with you my ‘oh so easy’ gluten free Apple and Rhubarb Crumble recipe. If you are not a fan of rhubarb you can use...
Gluten Free Pad Thai
As part of the three-day vegan foundation course you get to work with a partner and create a signature dish. Each foundation course there are fabulous recipes. In the October foundation course there were three signature dishes made. The ravioli I shared with you last week, a Pad Thai recipe and a Green Curry. I shared all three photos of these signature dishes on social media and plenty of people...
Gluten Free Beetroot Ravioli (made from scratch and it’s easy)
A few weeks back I posted on Facebook all the things I love to make with beetroot and one of them was ravioli. One of the followers asked for the ravioli recipe and I told them I would post it in a blog post soon. I had the recipe but needed time to make it to get a photo to put with the blog post. I have been flat out since then so wondered how I could squeeze making ravioli in the...
Spanish Inspired Share Plates
Spanish Inspired Share Plates Living in a town that still has an independent bookshop feels like a big luxury to me. Being time poor I probably only find myself in there six or so times a year. However each time I do visit I walk out with an armful of books. Denise who owns the book shop seems to always have a new vegan cook book in stock so even though I may originally go in to purchase a novel...
Hazel Bombs
Hazel Bombs As soon as I asked myself ‘what will I name these tasty bites?’ the answer appeared. Hazel Bombs that’s what. The idea for this recipe I cannot claim. They are the brainchild of Danielle, Bri and Clancy who were this year’s dessert team at the Vegan chef and lifestyle training graduation. Everyone was raving about these ‘oh so delicious treats’ at the graduation and I realised...
Spaghetti Carbanara (recipe inspired by our trip to Bali)
I don’t know about you but do holidays or time spent away always run smoothly? If I go to the Osho Meditation Resort they usually run very smoothly and usually everywhere else I go also runs relatively smoothly but then on occasion some holidays have had challenges. At the beginning of this month Makrand and I treated ourselves to twelve days in Bali to celebrate seventeen years of being...
San Choy Bau
A Vegan Take on a Classic Asian Dish Originating from China everyone says although for years I thought San Choy Bau (or is it Sang Choi Bow? Or even San Choy Bow?) came from Korea as it was two of my Korean students who first made me a vegan version of this dish which is commonly made with pork. Where it originates from is not known, on the internet anyway. However what is known is that ‘Sang...
Reviving the rice ball
In 1988 I moved from living in the Northern Territory to the big smoke Sydney. I landed a job that gave me great joy, I became a care worker in a group home for developmentally disabled adults. It opened up my world to many things; my very sheltered country being was now experiencing a vividly exciting world, working with people from all walks of life. The care home was in Bondi and I used to...
It’s Sago Time (plus a sharing about being scammed)
Isn’t it time for a dessert recipe?. This is a simple recipe and it can be made ahead of time and left to chill. More a springtime dessert than winter so that is perfect as we have just entered spring here in the southern hemisphere anyway. I was introduced to sago pudding only 3 years ago when I first started facilitating the vegan chef training. There are two ways of making it and the...
Poha
My Favourite Sunday Morning Breakfast Recipe What is your favourite breakfast? Mine is an Indian dish that comes from the state of Gujarat. One of the things I really look forward to when I go the the Osho Meditation Resort in India is that I know I will get to eat poha for some of the breakfasts while I am there. In recent years it has been served every three days. The breakfasts that...
A Hearty Soup for Anytime of the Year
Salad is usually on my own personal menu for lunches but with a recent cold snap I decided to make a hearty soup to warm up last week. Wanting to create a new soup recipe in the fashion of a Tuscan soup with beans and pasta I found myself flicking through the Wicked Healthy cookbook and stumbled upon their fagioli recipe. Of course I changed a few things as they use a sauce...
You Can be Vegan and Have Your Bacon Too
It’s been years since I’ve eaten meat so trying to make vegan food taste like meat has never interested me. However during the last vegan chef and lifestyle training that I facilitated it became clear that there is a real need for replicating meat flavoured food in the plant based world. As there is a whole new generation of vegans who never gave up meat because they didn’t like it. ...
Caribbean Salad Inspired by my Stay in India
Caribbean Salad Inspired by my Stay in India I’m back from my month in India. Totally refreshed and ready to start working again, so weekly recipes are back, Yahoo! What an incredible time I had away. I didn’t go travelling in India but spent the full month in the Osho International Meditation Resort and did a life transforming process called Osho Mystic Rose. I can highly recommend it. It was...
Time to Celebrate
This is the first time I have posted a blog without a recipe. I have run out of time to put together a recipe due to being very occupied with The Vegan Chef and Lifestyle Training. I feel nervous to share a blog without a recipe but I can’t help myself share what has been going on. On Saturday the 30th June eight exceptional people graduated as vegan chefs. Their final assignment was to...
Winter Warming French Bourguignon
The photo was taken by the very talented Emma Hasler. Thanks Emma. This week’s blog is for those of you living in the world where it is presently cold. Last week we had some bitterly cold days and all I felt like eating was warm nourishing food. What are your winter warming go to recipes? This rich French Bouruignon is high up there on the list of what I love to cook...
Spicy Moroccan Carrots & Carrot Top Pesto
It's Carrot Time As many of you know already, I am in the middle of teaching the Vegan Chef and Lifestyle Training for 2018. While I am enjoying this course immensely I am pushed for time to create my own recipes to showcase in the weekly newsletter I send out. So this week I am borrowing one of the recipes the chef students created last week and also sharing a pesto that features in module two...
A Savoury Pancake Recipe Everyone Must Have
The Vegan Chef and Lifestyle Training is half way through for 2018 and it’s racing along at record speed with amazing food prepared and cooked each day. On Wednesday we start the sixth module, which is all about specific dietary requirements. Only nine days ago we had completed module three on Ayurveda. So much to learn and everyone is gobbling it up (pun intended). Ayurvedic cooking...
A milestone and a creamy vegan chowder recipe
A milestone and a creamy vegan chowder recipe Photo by Emma Hasler On the 19th of May this year my catering arm of the business I run turned ten and the Vegan Cooking School turned three. What a massive milestone this is for me. I chose not to celebrate and was going to write a blog then I wasn’t going to write a blog and now I just realised I really can’t let that pass. It is a big deal...
More Pizza Topping Ideas
Module two of the vegan chef and lifestyle training for 2018 is now complete. I didn’t want it to end as the creativity and the freshness of the food that was produced in three days was mind blowing. This was the fifth time module two, raw cuisine has run and I loved every minute of it. The students were so committed to making fabulous tasting food and were so happy to be experimenting with...
Choc Orange Pudding Cake
A Cake to Celebrate With It’s coming up to my 10th year anniversary in business so it is fitting I share a cake recipe with you. Last week I decided to experiment making a raw cake that wouldn’t melt. I had it all planned out in my head how I would get up early make it and then have time to take a great photo in good light to share with you all. I did just that, got up at five, meditated, went...
Silverbeet recipes that will have your whole body feeling grateful
A few weeks ago I came home from catering for the Body Mind Life retreat with 4 bunches of silverbeet we didn’t use and all I craved to eat that week was with silverbeet so I was a very happy camper. I am sharing two of the recipes I made that week with you now. Silverbeet is also known as chard and you can get Rainbow Chard too. As a child it was the only form of leafy greens that I...
Raspberry Heaven and Bliss Ball
Swapping an addiction for another one (my story with giving up coffee)The 6th of April 2017 marks the date I gave up coffee. This was no easy feat. I have been a coffee addict from a very early age. I love the stuff. As a child I loved it in the form of iced coffee bought in cardboard cartons and as I grew into an adult I loved it in the strongest form I could find. I only had one a day so I...
Cauliflower and Quinoa Risotto
Last year in September the graduating vegan chefs of 2016 came together for two days to participate in a refresher course. As part of the course each of the chefs shared a recipe with us all and we made it. I have shared four of the dishes so far and this week is the last recipe. I have been wanting to make this Cauliflower and quinoa risotto and share the recipe with you all year but have only...
Fig and Orange Salad (what a treat)
While I still see figs in the fruit and veg fridge at our local health food shop (Santos) I think I should quickly get this salad recipe out to you while the figs are still in season. This is a recipe I would never have thought of making so I am delighted it came my way. In the Vegan foundation Course the participants get to create their signature dish and Suzanne and Mike decided to try...
To Dress or Not to Dress? (That is the Question)
Do you always dress your salads or is salad dressing not so important to you? I grew up with either having vinegar or mayonnaise on my salads. Sometimes I was able to eat a salad without any dressings. These days I couldn’t possibly eat a salad without a dressing. With so many delicious dressing around these days it almost feels a crime not to add one and the beauty is we can make them all...
More Recipe Ideas for Children who Decide to Become Vegan
Lots of feedback came in last week from families saying they enjoyed the recipe ideas I shared for children/teenagers last week. This week I am back with more recipes for children/teenagers who decide to become vegan. I am also on the look out for lunch box ideas as I will compile them together and share in a future blog. I love seeing how creative school lunch boxes really can be with such...
What to Cook for the Kids When They Decide to Become Vegan
What to Cook for the Kids When They Decide to Become Vegan I was asked some weeks back for ideas on what to cook for children/teenagers once they decide they want to become vegan. I don’t think there is one easy answer to this as it really does depend on what the individual child/teenager likes to eat but that is actually a good place to start. You will know what your child/teenager likes to eat...
Almond, Cauliflower and Tomato Bake
What's the go on complete protein? (plus the most delicious recipe I've made in a long time- and that's saying something!!)I know there are two schools of thought in the vegan world on protein. One is that there is so much protein in all that we eat that we don't really need to worry about it and that it is rare to be protein deficient. The other is that it is important to make sure you get...
Its easier than you think to get all your nutrients on a vegan diet (plus 3 zinc filled recipes)
A few people of late have asked me for recipes and ideas to help them transition into a vegan diet more easily. It's too much to share in one email so I feel I will need to do a series. This is the first blog of three or four, I would say. I'm starting with vitamins, minerals and nutrients as this is what often concerns people (protein will come in another blog). I'm a believer that if you eat a...
Gluten Free Pizza Anyone?
If you have coeliac disease or gluten intolerance you will understand the relief you feel when you don't have to ask if something is gluten free. It is the same for all sorts of other dietary requirements including being vegan. I was at a vegan picnic recently and there were a lot of children. One of the children asked if the food was vegan then they realised they were at a vegan picnic and didn'...
A Genius Way to Make Tofu Taste Like Fetta in a Pie
In every Vegan foundation cooking course I run the participants get to develop a signature dish with fresh organic produce bought from the local Mullumbimby farmers market. The ideas that are thought up in this session are always sensational and very often genius. This recipe I share with you today is very similar to what Holly and Guy created in the last course. They decided to make a spinach...
A Vegan Gluten Free Plum Cake (something that all your guests can eat!!)
As much as I would rather share a savoury recipe with you this week I feel it is high time I share a sweet treat with you. As many of you know I don’t really have a sweet tooth so when I found out I was going to a vegan picnic I thought woo hoo I can develop a new recipe to share with you all and not have to even taste it. I tried it out at the picnic and everyone loved it. Served it with...
Dips for the Weekend
It feels like an eternity ago since we celebrated the turning of the new year. For new years eve and new years day dinner Makrand and I enjoyed a lush antipasto platter and I did promise recipes from the platter on social media. We had garlic bread, dips and cheeses, silverbeet dolmades and pan fried mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, artichokes olives and veggie sticks. Since new year it has been so...
What Oil Do You Cook With? Here’s My Take on Oils
What is the low down on oils. This is a hard one. I personally don’t fry much with oil. My preferred choice of using oil is splashing organic olive oil into a pasta sauce or running it through my lunch time salad. As a caterer though I am asked to shallow fry corn fritters and burgers for lunch and I looked at the high heat point of oils and thought that rice bran was the best to use...
Happy 2018: Celebrate with Five Smoothie Recipes
Happy 2018 everyone. I hope that you are having a great year so far, nine days in. I wish you all a year of abundance, balance, good food and above all kindness. It is feeling a really kind year so far with the vegan January initiative seeing a big increase on people signing up to try out a month on a vegan diet. In December one person was signing up every six seconds. If you would like to try...
Ceviche
A Refreshing Lunch for The Day AfterHow did everyone go yesterday? Hope you all had a wonderful day no matter how you chose to spend it. What did you cook? Would love to hear from you and please do share any photos to the facebook page or to instagram and tag me #veetsvegancookingschool. Today is my favourite day of all the festive days. Boxing day was traditionally a more relaxed day for our...
Spreading Kindness this Christmas with Delicious Vegan Food
What I love about vegan food is everyone can eat it. So even if you aren’t vegan, if you take vegan food along to any festive or Christmas gathering this year you will make everyone happy as it will be all inclusive. All of my recipes are gluten free so you will have that covered too. I am sharing with you this week some delightful recipes to make, a lovely traditional Christmas meal and...
Scrambled Tofu
Recipes that Everyone Can Enjoy at ChristmasThis is the first of two blogs I will write with lots of Christmas/festive time/ holiday type recipes. First of all I will share a scrambled tofu recipe which will have your guests on Christmas morning or any special morning going back for seconds and even possibly thirds. Then below that recipe will be links to my all time favourite recipes to make at...
The Best Gluten Free Vegan Doughnuts I Have Ever Tasted
Ebony Tippett is one of the 2016 graduated vegan chefs and since her graduation she has been head chef of The Quay Canteen in Woolongong. While The Quay Canteen is not vegan this certainly is a place you will find vegans, as Ebony has designed the menu so that everything listed has a vegan option. Ebony also serves her own signature spread, vegan nutella for breakfast. Vegan cakes, raw and cooked...
Everyone Loves A Good Curry (well I do anyway and this is a fantastic curry recipe)
I realized when writing the title of this blog post that it’s probably not true that everyone loves a good curry. I know a few people who actually don’t like curry and may possibly go through their whole lives not enjoying curry. I figured those people won’t read this blog post anyway and the ones who do love a good curry will be delighted and read on to get yet another curry recipe. At the...
Cooking with Seasonal Produce – It’s Asparagus time!
Cooking with Seasonal Produce – It’s Asparagus time!It's asparagus season and I need to get in quick with this blog as asparagus season is often short lived, where I live anyway. There are all sorts of nutritional benefits to eating asparagus, like it has a good source of vitamin A (which we need for our eyesight, building our immunity and reproduction of cells and it also helps with organ...
Eggplant Super Ball
A few weeks back I did a little write up on Jessie Rae, one of 2016 graduated vegan chefs. Did anyone try her delectable hemp chocolate cake? If so how did it go? In this week’s blog it is Pandora’s recipe I will share with you. For those of you who didn’t read Jessie’s blog and for those who have forgotten I will do a recap. On the 5th and 6th of September the graduated chefs of 2016 came back...
A Chocolate Cake Packed with Protein (of course its gluten free too)
On the 5th and 6th of September the graduates of the 2016 Chef Training came back together for two days of further learning. It was such a magical two days finding out what they had all been up to in the year since they had graduated. I am so proud of their achievements and how much they have been giving to others since the course. Their love of food and cooking seems even stronger. Part of the...
A Fusion Summer Salad with Watermelon
A Fusion Summer Salad with WatermelonI am reviewing books in every other post or so. A few months back I reviewed a few recipes from Saffron Soul by Mira Manek. Both the kidgeree and the granola were recipes I developed from this book. I want to share with you two more recipes I have developed from inspiration through reading this book. A salad recipe this week and a curry next week. Then I...
Black Rice Salad with Steamed Broccoli and Pickled Veg
A Forbidden Rice RecipeWho’s heard of forbidden rice? I hadn’t until I cooked up some delicious black rice and my partner Mak did research on the nutritional content of it. Black rice is still today referred to as forbidden rice. This stems back to the Ching and Ming dynasties in China. During these times the Chinese emperors kept black rice for themselves and didn’t allow anyone else to eat it...
Pickles
It’s pickles time again. I know it was only a few weeks back that I wrote about pickles. I’m mad for pickles these days. Who made the giardiniera from the recipe I posted a few weeks back? If you did I would love to hear from you and find out how it went. Do you have any pictures to share? If so can you please share on the recipe share page on Facebook. Like I said in last week’s blog I was...
Vegan Egg Mayonnaise
I was lucky enough to find myself in Fitzroy, Melbourne a few weeks back attending a 5 rhythms workshop. I hadn’t been to Melbourne for three years so it was a pleasant surprise to see that even more vegan restaurants, cafes and shops had opened up. One morning before my class I took a stroll to Smith and Deli and was amazed by all they had to offer there and also by how busy this gorgeous...
Crunchy Apple and Fetta Quinoa Salad
Not just another quinoa salad recipe (this one really is worth a try) Don’t you love how inspiration can come from unrelated happenings? Today I took out a pyrex of frozen quinoa to have for lunch and an hour later I noticed an envelope on the table that had been delivered while I was away. Inside the envelope was a copy of the September/October edition of Australian Country Magazine....
Italian Pickles are so under rated
I used to buy jars of giardiniere when my surname was Di Girogio (I was married to an Italian once upon a time) and I would have devoured the jar within the day of purchasing. So when Anthea Amore of Organic Passion came and taught on the Vegan Chef Training this year, on the Italian Wholefoods day of module four I was elated when she suggested she teach Giardiniere.For those not in the know...
Creamy Malai Kofta (with sunflower seed sauce)
Last week the graduating chefs of 2016 came together for a two day refresher course. On the first day we made all things Indian and one of the many dishes we made was Malai Kofta which are vegetable balls served with a creamy sauce. It is a simple recipe which you can easily make nut free by using sunflower seeds instead of cashews. This is the third and final recipe in my series of blogs on nut...
Raw Passion Fruit Cheesecake (nut free)
Who tried out the sunflower sour cream from last week? I made it on retreat last week and was loved by all, especially those who were allergic to nuts. Here comes the second recipe in the series of recipes that normally have nuts and have now been replaced with sunflower seeds. This is a refreshing dessert that you can cut up and keep in the freezer and take out slices whenever you want....
Nut free recipes for those that are allergic or sensitive to nuts
Life often presents challenges and in the end it always becomes something positive. The last retreat I catered on there was someone who was allergic to a lot of nuts. Not just allergic but anaphylactic allergic so I was on super alert for cross contamination.I realised that a few of my dishes were all the more special due to using cashews in them and wanted to find a way to replicate these for...
A scrumptious recipe for left over rice or quinoa
I always make too much rice. Is that what you do, or are you more accurate with your estimations of how much you will eat?I always cook too much so will often throw it in my salad for lunch the next day. However the other day there was far too much left over so I did some creative thinking and came up with this sweet little recipe. We had left over rice and quinoa and yum it worked so well...
Picnic Food Ideas Including a Quinoa Tabbouleh with a Magical Tahini Sauce
As I am writing this I am planning a kayak trip up our local river and then plan to have a picnic in my front yard before getting back to my paper work. So it feels like it’s picnic time and time to get out my picnic creativity.I am instantly taken back to memories of the school holidays in the early eighties when my brother and I used to go to the local swimming pool for the day. We weren’t into...
Meals to Take Away On Holiday
Do you love to go out to eat when you are on holiday? Or are you like me and the sheer thought of going out to eat when away fills you with dread? As I love to eat good quality organic food, eating out doesn’t always interest me, then the whole vegan thing and possibly having my food cooked in the same pans as meat thrills me even less. So I usually do the majority of the cooking when I go away...
Home Made Granola is the Best (a recipe with a difference)
What is your favourite cuisine? What type of food do you often crave? What style of food could you not live without? When people ask me what my favourite food is I find it hard to just pick one but the first one on the list will always be Indian. It is the food that I could never imagine going without. I would certainly feel that something big in my life was missing if I could never eat Indian...
Two Winning Potato Salads
Can anything be more nurturing than potato salad? These two recipes can accompany you to any food occasion Potato salad is a winner isn’t it? It can be taken to share dinners, taken out on picnics, served warm, served cold, served the next day and I have known some to eat it on a sandwich. It is rare that I make it but when I do I make massive batches so I can add it to my lunch box and take the...
Nourishing kidgeree inspired by a brand new cookbook
Last week I went into our local book shop to buy a novel for my holiday and of course I walked out with a cook book. It happens every time. I love looking through cookbooks even though I rarely follow a recipe I still find them incredibly useful for inspiration. For example I have been making Kidgeree (an Indian rice and lentil) the same way for years then last week after I purchased Saffron...
Let’s Celebrate with a Brownie Recipe (congratulations to the nine new vegan chefs!!!!)
We did it, they did it!! What an achievement the second year of the vegan chef and lifestyle training has come to an end culminating in a magnificent graduation ceremony where the nine graduating chefs showed off to 55 people their skills in making delicious food. They worked hard to develop the menu, test the menu and then execute the menu and I feel they did a brilliant job. The ceremony was...
A burger recipe worth trying (you’ll want to make it every week I guarantee)
A burger recipe worth trying (you’ll want to make it every week I guarantee)I have a variety of burger recipes and I love them all. Then I have a burger recipe which I teach on the food photography cooking class as part of The Vegan Chef and Lifestyle Training. Every year when I make these burgers I wonder to myself why I don’t make them more often. They are really good, they are juicy and soft...
If you are still struggling to digest legumes try this wonderful recipe
If you are still struggling to digest legumes try this wonderful recipeI hear from many people that they cannot digest legumes or beans properly and when I enquire into what type of beans they eat they usually say beans from a can. If you follow the guide of information I have collected from many sources and from 40 years of problem free bean eating you may find out that you actually can...
A fuss free tart or pie crust that is gluten free
A fuss free tart or pie crust that is gluten freeI love pastry but my belly doesn’t. I can make gluten free pastry and it’s delicious but I always find it too fussy. This recipe that I recently taught on module four of the Vegan Chef and Lifestyle Training is a simple one to follow and a delicious alternative to pastry, which really is fuss free. You can fill the crust with anything. One...
A thousand year old rehydrating breakfast dish to kickstart your day
A thousand year old rehydrating breakfast dish to kickstart your dayWe have just completed the fourth module of the chef and lifestyle training: Macrobiotic cooking, wholefoods and Italian wholefoods. Both Paul Pitchford of Healing with Wholefoods and George Oshawa who developed the macrobiotic diet suggest starting breakfast with something moist to help rehydrate the body after its rest in the...
Raspberry Delight (my vegan take on cherry ripe)
Raspberry Delight (my vegan take on cherry ripe)Who noticed I missed a blog or two? I certainly noticed as I am having withdrawals. I love posting weekly recipes and am so happy I now have the space to get regular again. What better way to start back writing than sharing a sweet treat recipe. This recipe of mine featured in the Injoy magazine in June 2015. It’s a beauty and I am happy to share...
Sorrel Hummus
What is your favourite hummus recipe (if you don’t have one this one is a goodie)?In the vegan foundation course we cover an hour or so on essential sauces to have in your fridge. I extend the sauces to also include pesto and most people’s favourite, hummus. No one’s fridge needs to be without hummus for too long. It is interesting watching the participants in the class when they first taste my...
Ramen Noodle Soup The Easy and Delicious Way
Recipes don’t have to be complicated to taste goodA few weeks back a post on a vegan facebook site took my fancy. It was a recipe for Ramen noodle soup and it looked incredibly delicious. So I madly posted the recipe on my facebook pages and groups, and put it on my ‘to cook one day list.’ A few weeks later I decided to cook the soup for dinner and asked Mak if he could print out the...
How fermented cashew cheese has changed my life
Do you remember any food that has changed or shaped your life?For me it was cashew sour cream, overnight it turned me from being a vegetarian of twenty eight years to a person who eats a fully plant based diet. Cashew sour cream showed me how delicious food could be without having to exploit animals and also made me realise how much my body had been suffering from eating dairy. Feeling nauseous...
Palak and Lentil Balls
An Iron Rich Meal Not to MissHow has your week been? We went camping last week. It is the only thing I know that really gets me to relax and the absence of Wi-Fi makes it even more relaxing. I took along dinners that had already been frozen so the only prep I had to do was to reheat the dinners and make a salad for lunch. It was super luxurious. After the short camping trip was over the...
Very Creamy Zucchini Slice Recipe (great for lunch boxes)
Yahoo finally I am announcing the new dates for The Vegan Chef and Lifestyle Training happening later this year. All the dates are below the recipe for the very creamy zucchini slice. Don’t miss out on attending some or all of the training as I will not be offering this training in the first half of 2018. So for those of you who are waiting for next year now is the time to jump and do it in 2017...
A Salad Recipe Packed with Complete Protein
A Salad Recipe Packed with Complete ProteinHow often do you eat salad? Is it just a summer time food for you or are you like me and need a salad no matter what the weather holds. I always have a salad every lunch even throughout winter and then something more cooked for dinner. However recently I have been enjoying these balmy summer nights eating a deliciously prepared salad. The other night we...
Zucchini Carrot Soup with Cashew Sour Cream
A Soup Recipe Inspired by a Really Lovely Story It was hot yesterday and guess what I felt the need to cook? Soup of course. This soup recipe does really taste good even on a hot summer’s day. Thin it with more water and add more salt for a lighter soup. It’s filled with iron (thyme and parsley), vitamin C (thyme, parsley and carrot) calcium (zucchini) and protein (cashews and zucchini)....
The Best Ever Sweet Treat
The Best Ever Sweet Treat (Inspired by my recent meditation retreat at Osho International Meditation Resort)Each year I am fortunate enough to spend a few weeks in The Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune India. This last visit came a month earlier than usual and is a visit I will remember forever. With very few friends visiting at the time of my stay I was able to...
No resolutions for me, only celebrations (mocktails to celebrate every day of the year)
No resolutions for me, only celebrations (mocktails to celebrate every day of the year)How is the new year shaping up for you five days in? For me lots of relaxation and fun with my parents, what a great start. Many ask me what resolutions I have made for 2017 and the answer is none. I follow Osho’s words on making resolutions. ‘So let one resolution...
Who likes pancakes for breakfast?
Who like pancakes for breakfast? Gluten free, vegan pancake recipes, probably the best pancakes I’ve ever eatenHope you are all having a restful and stress free festive season. Tomorrow I will make these pancakes and enjoy them at a leisurely brunch before watching the boxing day cricket. Love this time of year as I get to really slow down. These pancakes were a treat for us a few Sunday...
Tips for Vegans and Vegetarians at Christmas
Tips for vegans/vegetarians at christmas or for those of you who have vegans coming to lunch at christmasFor me this has always been a difficult time of year being forced to attend events where people chow down on big bits of animal parts. Even at a so called vegetarian gathering some years ago I was gob smacked when I saw a dead chicken on the table. So I have taken the cowards way out and stay...
Korma Comedian Curry, Green Thai Fritters & Chilli Thai Salad
When in India do as the Indians do!As you read this post I will be in India and by now smelling of turmeric, fenugreek and curry spices in general. My life without India, Indian food and meditation would be quite difficult to live. This year’s visit to the Osho International Meditation Resort in Pune India has come around earlier. After an intensely busy year I could not wait until the usual...
Winner recipes and inspiration for food this Christmas
Who would like some inspiration for making food this Christmas? Here are some winner recipes.Christmas is not long now and even if you don’t celebrate the occasion, you may be invited to a gathering. So here are a few recipes that may inspire you to get in the festive cheer or at least ensure you are well fed when you are invited to any of the celebrations going on. Each year I post up a...
Where do you get your protein from?
A very common cry from meat eaters to people who announce they are vegan is “Where do you get your protein from?” I am ever grateful my mum asked me this question at the age of sixteen as it sent me on a quest of finding out just what protein was. In my early twenties I had the good fortune of a naturopath telling me to eat protein with every meal and then in recent years another naturopath...
Banana Slice with vegan condensed milk
I had planned to only review recipes from <em>Neighbourhood</em> by Hetty Mckinnon. once every few months but just can’t help trying out another recipe from this gorgeous cookbook. As I flick through the book I think about what neighbourhood means to me personally. I live in a ‘hood’ very close to a small town which I have been in love with for the last ten or...
Mushroom Pepper Sauce
What takes your fancy, white or black pepper?What pepper was used in your house? I couldn’t remember past the black pepper in the grinder but recently was reminded that I grew up with white pepper. I had completely forgotten this until one of the guest teachers who was teaching on the Vegan chef and lifestyle training requested I buy white pepper for him. I wasn’t really sure why he wanted it...
Black Rice and Coconut Porridge with Fruit Compote
A great idea for breakfast or a dessertWho of you out there are like me and struggle to know what to have for breakfast. I am not one of those people who can have the same thing for brekky everyday.I will go a week with having a smoothie and get tired or it, a few weeks on toast, a couple of days on fruit salad, a week on salad, in winter a few days of soup and occasionally a porridge here and...
Vegan Spaghetti Bolognaise Takes Me Back to 1977
Who remembers the first time they ate spaghetti bolognaise? I do! My family and I were living in the tiny town of Katherine in the Northern Territory, the population then was a bit over three thousand and it was 1977. My mum had come home with a bag (paper bag in those days) full of groceries and she pulled out a hand written recipe given to her by her boss. My brother and I asked as we...
Quinoa lentil and Cauliflower Salad with a Currant Sauce
Book review time. Last Tuesday I went on a book shop binge and $269 later I walked out with two canvas bags full (I am praying my partner is not reading this blog post because that really was extravagant). Amongst those books was a great new cookbook called Neighbourhood by Hetty Mckinnon. This by no means is a vegan cookbook but definitely is vegetarian. I actually prefer to buy vegetarian...
Salad Remnoise with Sunflower Seed Dip
A salad made from veggies found in the fridge - tastier than tasty can beWhere I live it is starting to warm up and I love this time of the year. It is warm enough to eat salads every meal of every day which brings me great joy as salad is my favourite food. What I especially love during spring is salad with some cooked components and some raw ingredients too. As I sat writing this blog last...
Gluten Free Peace Biscuits
The Low Down on Rapadura and Coconut Sugar Hi Everyone, Hope you have had a great week. Following on from last weeks blog I wanted to talk about sugar and what to use if you do want to treat yourself to a bit of sugar in a sweet dessert or arvo tea. It is also high time I got a sweet recipe to you, it is a long time since I have done so. As my regular readers will know I tend to focus on...
Preservative Free Vegan Mayonnaise
Hi There Everyone, When I was studying to be a primary school teacher way back in 1993 I took myself to the CSIRO for a science assignment and while I was waiting for the person I was there to meet I noticed a guide on food preservatives. The guide listed what each food preservative number meant and the potential side effects of each number. I was shocked to see some of the possible side effects...
My fave soup at the moment- sunchoke and silverbeet
These little beauties go by the name of earth apple, sunchoke, Jerusalem artichoke just to name a few. They are tasty indeed, it is hard for me to get any of them in the soup pot because they taste great raw and I am known for my picking. They are a winter root veggie that are packed with vitamin C, A and E aswell as having a good source of minerals including our all time favourite, iron. Blended...
Warm White Bean Dip with Raw and Roasted Veg
Vegan Fondue (is that even possible) the last recipe review of the book ' My New Roots'For those who follow my blog posts you will remember last year I started a recipe review on Sarah Britons book ' My New Roots'. A month or so back the realisation that I had left that project unfinished hit me and then in the last foundation module of The Vegan Chef and Lifestyle Training, two of the...
Veets Feel Good Lunch
Do you know if what you are eating is right for you?I love the course I teach. The modules have been carefully planned in a particular order that enable students to begin to work out what way of eating is best suited to their constitution, their body type and what makes them feel good.I love that we can all choose to listen to what our body needs to eat and style food around a few...
Tridoshic Vegetable Curry
A few ideas on slowing down and still get everything done (and a great recipe too)It is ironic that I am writing about the topic of slowing down and I know my beloved partner Mak is going to raise his eyebrows when he sees this post as he is surrounded by my 'busy ness' every minute of the day. If you were to see my house and my diary right now you would wonder what I could possibly offer you in...
Eggplant and broccoli curry in a hurry (easy ways to make nice thick curry gravy without all the preservatives)
Did any of you reading this blog grow up with a tin of Keen's curry powder in the cupboard? I did, My mum used to have a few tins on the go at once and would add a spoonful to various dishes. As a child I always wondered what the powder was and where it originally came from but never thought to ask her. In adult years I thought maybe it was ground curry leaves and then could be a more tumeric...
Easy BBQ Sauce Recipe from Scratch
Are you up for a challenge? No meat May - an interview with one of the foundersAre any of you out there reading this up for a challenge? As tomorrow marks the first of May, Ryan Alexander and a whole group of people are helping others rise to the challenge of giving up meat fro the month of May. Its an easy challenge for me as I have given up meat for a lifetime but I know many of you want...
Kale Dhal with Arjwain
Dhal for all you Darls out there (Indian food is easy and incredibly nutritious)How many of you fall into the category of thinking its too difficult to make Indian food from scratch?Well if you do then here I am with the first of a series of Indian recipes that will make you think again. I worked all day on Friday and came home to the joy of having two friends (Khoj and Ragini) over for the...
Balsamico Herb Salt Olive Oil and Maple Syrup
An interview with Deva Premal and Miten on being veg(etari)an for lifeIn 1997 I was working in the kitchen at a music festival in Osho Leela in Dorset.I was incredibly new to the world of Osho and there was a lot of hype about Miten and his girlfriend Deva Premal performing in concert. I wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about and when someone asked me if I was going I replied probably not as I...
Now you can have your cake and eat it too (vegan gluten free christmas cake recipe- nut free too if you need it to be)
No one needs to be left out this christmas.This christmas cake recipe takes in to consideration many dietary requirements. So moist and delicious. A friend said to me why would you need to use eggs and butter when it tastes better without? This friend is by no means vegan either- not yet anyway!! It speaks for itself and is so light but at the same time lovely and rich a small piece is all you...
Best Nut Roast Ever- Just in time for christmas (seed free version if you prefer)
I've been making nut roasts for six or so years now and from time to time I change parts of the original recipe and look up new ideas.In all the variations this is the best one I have come across. With it containing a grain (rice) and nuts it is automatically a complete protein meal and then the addition of organic non gmo silken tofu you really do have yourself a protein packed meal.You can make...
Potato Patties with Sweet Brazilian Cherry Sauce
A Christmas Idea The Whole Family Will Love Is Christmas time an easy time for you or one fraught with all sorts of emotions. As a child I loved the build up to christmas but always noticed my dad had to work pretty hard during that time and the absence of our extended family was very felt. Missing all our relatives on christmas day reminiscing of how it used to be. Fortunately for us...
Making recipes vegan or dairy free is soooooo easy (3 fabulous vegan recipes from reviewing My New Roots)
What a great idea it is to review a cook book. Two blog posts ago I mentioned that I am reviewing recipes in My New Roots by Sarah Britton and changing the recipes to vegan recipes. It is great fun and I completely recommend grabbing a vegetarian cook book and doing the same.I am not reviewing every recipe just those that make me salivate from the sheer glimpse of ingredients listed. I have...
Oh my god is this really a vegan brownie?
Off to work I go. Tomorrow I start transporting my million and one things that I need to cater on a five day retreat and this retreat is a bit of a milestone for me. It is the first retreat, since I have become vegan that I have been asked to make a brownie. And this is the delicious recipe I have developed. No one would know it is vegan, it is so moist and buttery. A friend of mine...
Miso Tahini Sauce and Thai Basil Pesto
What is buzzing and humming food? (plus an idea to make those times when you need to get a quick meal or snack easier)I am rehasing an old blog post here, one that I know many of you missed so thought to run this idea past you.Do you prefer buzzing food or humming food?What is this you may ask?It is something my partner and I talked about years ago, it was his analogy. When I stopped eating...
Spicy Tahini Dressing
How I Became Inspired Again to Write Weekly Blogs (plus monthly recipe review - My New Roots)As many of you know I have focused my time and attention this year on creating The Vegan Cooking School. Establishing a wonderful training for people wanting to become vegan chefs or those who want to adopt a more healthy lifestyle.As a result of juggling the new school and all the usual catering jobs I...
How to Make a Perfect Soup Stock
I wonder how many of you out there shy away from making your own soup stock. Until a month or so ago, I was amongst you. I always made my soups with salt or Organic Aussie herb salt for flavouring. I vaguely remember making a stock once and couldn't understand why anyone would bother as it didn't taste all that good. However now I am completely addicted to making stock from scratch, it makes the...
Kang Kong with White Beans
In Honour of our local farmer Ian Cameron - (what to do with kang kong)I am reposting my kang kong recipe in honor of Ian Cameron. Ian Cameron is a farmer in our area who passed away last Thursday and today will be his celebration of life.I first met Ian when I saw he had kang kung growing on his stall at New Brighton's farmers market. I was elated as it was hard to find in our area despite it...
Three easy things to do if you are starting to feel run down (and they work!!!)
Plenty of people seem to be catching colds as the cooler weather sets in. Determined to stay well and keep on doing what I love doing - working in the kitchen and teaching The Vegetarian Chef and Lifestyle Training- I will keep my immunity in tip top condition. When I do start to feel like I am getting run down I do the following very easy things to keep me in good shape. Hope you find these...
Never Go Hungry Again (Ideas for when you travel)
Never Go Hungry Again (Ideas for when you travel)Sitting at Sydney airport with a rumble in my belly I am prompted to write this blog. It is not often I leave home without my packed lunch, breakfast, dinner or snack. However this time I have done the unthinkable and I am hungry!! As I cast my minds eye over the organic watermelon, apples, pears, oranges, hemp seeds and home made hummus...
Mexican Style Bake
Problem Free Bean and Legume Eating (A Complete Guide to Easy Digestion)A big part of me so wanted to title this blog post beans without letting the gas off (that is the expression my 6 year old nephew gives to flatulence) wasn't sure how appropriate that was for a title though. This blog post is an important one as so many people struggle with digesting beans and there really are some very...
Nut Balls with Tahini Coconut Yoghurt Sauce
Could you go without meat for a week? Go on give it a go.How long can you go without eating meat?Can you go a week without eating meat- this week is your chance to give it a go. The 23rd of March to the 29th of March is Meat free week- an initiative set up in 2013What is meat free week?Meat free week is an opportunity t,o as a collective give up meat for a week-Why give up meat for a week?Three...
Silken Tofu Chocolate Mousse
What brings you joy? Is being in service on your list?At the recent Uplift festival I listened to a panel of doctors and well being experts talk about true wellness. They told us that they often ask their clients the question "What brings you joy? " We were then asked to note down what brings us joy. Walking in the dark when everyone is asleep and the human race appears relaxed calm and at...
Thai Green Papaya Salad
I need your help!!! What music do you listen to in the kitchen?Over the last five or so months my beloved partner Makrand has been playing the ukelele in the kitchen when I cook but he draws the line at accompanying me on retreats with to play as I cook for clients. I have now become accustomed to having music as I cook and I realise as I am working away on retreat after retreat I have very...
Fermented Veg Salad
What's all the fuss about sauerkraut? Simple ways of making your own cheaply.What is all the fuss about sauerkraut? How can cabbage that is stuffed in a jar and left to ferment for more than three weeks be remotely good for you? It's smelly and bubbles away, it doesn't make any sense. These were all things that crossed my mind when I started making my own. Sauerkraut isn't new to me nor is it...
Brazil Nut Hummus
A great way to make organic food cheap I am baffled when people tell me they would eat organic food if it were cheaper. I buy organic lettuce from my farmers market for the exact same price as I would if I bought a lettuce from the super market. My farmers market lettuce is a bit smaller but it definitely is more filling and it lasts much longer in the fridge. Organic apples are $2 more dearer...
Basic tomato sauce for spaghetti or spiralised zucchini
Catering for everyone's individual dietary requirements is actually easy- believe meSomething that comes easily in the kitchen for me is catering for everyone's individual dietary requirements. Through this very simple recipe I show you how. My partner wanted spaghetti for dinner with a good cream sauce, he is gluten free. I am presently trying to regulate my blood sugar levels so didn't want...
Versatile Smoothie Recipe
How do we know what the year ahead will bring? (Happy New Year Everyone)Happy 2015 wonderful people. I hope you have a fabulous year filled with good quality delicious ethical food and hoping all your dreams, desires and aspirations come true. I feel so blessed to have you all in my life allowing me the opportunity to share delicious recipes with you each week. The question I pose to you in the...
Raw Cherry Ripe Slice
Exciting Times Ahead at Veet's Cuisine (including a deliciuos raw cherry ripe recipe)There is no standing still at Veet's Cuisine. Just as I was finalising all my catering dates for 2015 I was sent a message loud and clear that I had to move forward and create the next chapter in Veet's Cuisine. Beyond excited I officially announce to you all the birth of The Vegetarian Cooking School, Veet's...
Raw Zucchini and Carrot Noodles with an Unnamed Sauce
Did you know that peanuts aren't actually nuts? (plus a great alternative recipe to peanut sauce)Peanuts were the first "nut' I ever ate, by the handful smothered in salt feeling happy to be eating them as well as feeling guilty that I couldn't share them with my brother. As a child my brother was highly allergic to peanuts. I loved them when I was young but for a few decades now have stayed...
Broad Bean Paella and What to Eat When Feeling Depressed
Can Broad Beans Really Keep the Blues Away? (what to eat when feeling depressed) To most people I seem like that happy sort of person and yes most of the time I am but I am also good at pretending and putting on a happy face when I'm actually feeling like shit. However at times i just can't do that and last Thursday I had a morning where no matter what I did I couldn't pick...
Love is in the Air (what it takes to stay together for 49 years)
This blog post has been a work in progress, I started it when I was on the west coast of Australia a few weeks back and made a couple of attempts at sending it to you. Once I returned home I saw the blog post and ss I hadn't completed it I thought I would scrap it but read it again recently and thought to share it with you all. I Hope you enjoy my ramblings, the recipes are lovely too...
Delicious Meals for People with Diabetes (that the whole family will love)
A few months ago I found out it was National Diabetics week and I regretted not knowing about it so I could have posted a blog that week. Weeks and weeks later I am still determined to get a blog post out to you as it is a subject close to home. My father has type two diabetes and even though he has had it for more than twenty years I am only just beginning to understand what Diabetes is....
Celeriac and Fennel Bake
Cooking Class in Perth, Anyone Want to Join? Plus my Favourite Recipe from the West.Calling all people in Perth. I will be in my former home town in less than two weeks. Can't wait to smell the bush over there, have my hair blown back in the spring breeze and be in awe of the incredible bush and its flowers again. I am going over to take my mum on a personal retreat in celebration of her turning...
My Very Personal Story of Giving up Coffee (what is yours?)
Are you coffee addicted? Are you trying to give up coffee or have you recently given up. Its a big journey to give up an addiction and I want to share my journey with those of you who are interested. Drinking coffee has been something very familiar to me practically my whole life. As a teenager I would buy my thirty three cent Pauls's Iced coffee from the school canteen each and every day. Apart...
The Super Food of Super Foods (and it grows right here in Australia)
I can't stop raving about hemp seeds and I only discovered them a couple of years ago. A big bag accompanies me on any retreat I cater for and I am known to take them with me when I go away. In my eyes hemp seeds are really the super food of super foods as they are a complete protein. Along with soy beans and bea pollen they are the only complete protein in a plant based diet. In simple terms...
Gluten Free Date Scones
How to Make Scones Gluten Free and be Absolutely DeliciousAre you gluten free and a lover of scones and like me thought they were a thing of the past? Or do you know someone who just salivates at the thought of scones but can't have them anymore since being diagnosed with gluten intolerance or Coeliac's disease? If you answered yes to either of these questions and even if you didn't I can...
Avocados
At the age of fourteen doing work experience at the Darwin Travelodge to see if cheffing would be my chosen career, I came across avocado for the first time. Avocados had newly arrived in Darwin and I had heard of them as my best friend's mum loved them on toast but had never actually seen or tasted one. One of the chefs supervising me cut an avo in half proclaiming how delicious they were. He...
Hearty Mung Bean Stew
Moments of Joy in the KitchenAfter dancing last weekend in a 5 rhythms workshop called 'Returning to Joy'* I feel compelled to write about finding moments of joy in the kitchen. I meet people who either love cooking or actually loathe it, as well as those who feel it to be a chore. With the birth of the ideas of five minute meals in the kitchen and how to speed up the cooking process by...
Organic Cold Pressed Oils
What oils do you use? It is a big question, for me the number one importance is that the oil is organic and secondly that it is cold pressed. Ever since I left home at the age of eighteen I have used good quality cold pressed olive oil. It was the only oil I used for decades. In recent years though becoming aware of heating points of oils things have changed. Basically, I still...
Calcium & Macrobiotic Lunch & Tahini Caramel Balls
Calcium & Macrobiotic Lunch & Tahini Caramel BallsFor those who follow my blog posts you will know I have had a break from dairy for more than a month. I actually feel my body needs a longer break and I will continue for a few more months without dairy or at least reduce it to a minimum amount. The main reasons being that my digestion seems happier and that I am more creative with my...
Mange Tout (Snow Peas)
Growing up in a small town in the Northern Territory I remember very well the times my mum would come home with an exciting new fruit or vegetable. She would describe what she thought they tasted like before giving them to us and then my brother and I would decide if we agreed or not, we were like miniature connoisseurs. Mandarins, kiwi fruit, eggplant, silver beet, rambutans and snow peas...
Winter Warming Cooking Class in Byron Bay & Pesto Veg Bake
More and more people are wanting to eat preservative free food and I certainly don't blame them, I actually applaud them. Pre packaged foods contain all sorts of additives that shouldn't be in them. Even companies that boast 'no preservatives' will add sugar to dips, chips, pasta sauces, burgers and curry pastes, all foods that normally wouldn't have sugar in them. Then don't get me started on...
Non Dairy Sprinkles
In all of the sprinkles below, I suggest food processing them but you can easily make them with a mortar and pestle if you would prefer a more traditional method. Gomasio1 cup sesame seeds In a frying pan dry fry the sesame seeds until they brown slightly. Let cool then process until they form a powder rather than seeds. Store in an airtight container. Pecan mince1 cup pecans 1 tsp...
Vegan Fritatta
One of the aspects of catering on retreats that I love so much is adapting food to suit people's individual dietary requirements. I love to know that everyone is going to be able to enjoy good food no matter what restrictions they have. I enjoy making them similar food to the main dishes on the menu, adjusting it in whatever way is needed. Often though when there is someone vegan on the retreat...
Fresh and Vibrant Cooking Class Sydney
In a few weeks I will be in Sydney running two cooking classes at the beautiful Sydney Cooking School in Neutral Bay. One class is fully booked and I have some spots left in the Sunday class. This class is called Fresh and vibrant and is based on many of the principles of raw cooking yet not entirely a raw food preparation class. I love raw food and eat it everyday in the form of...
Carrot and Pumpkin Soup with Coconut and Kaffir Lime
It is very much feeling like soup time right now. Our weather is sometimes wonderfully hot still in the day but by the late afternoon it starts feel a little chilly and a saucepan of soup is what springs to mind to prepare for dinner on such nights. My favourite soups are in the 'Veet's Cuisine' delicious vegetarian recipes, Greek Lentil, Minestrone Verde, Laksa and Spinach and Pea.However this...
Flavouring Water
Flavouring WaterClean sparkling drinkable water is very much on my mind at the moment, as it is for many in the Byron Bay Shire, where we live. A one hour drive away from where I live is a town called Bentley and in that town there is a proposed coal seam gas mining site. Just this morning three thousand people including myself held vigil at 5 am in a gathering of peaceful protection of...
Quinoa
Fifteen years ago quinoa first appeared in my life, my then housemate Bodhitara introduced it to me. I had never eaten anything quite like it and was instantly in love. In those days local produce wasn't a concept I really considered and ate it regularly not realising it had flown thousands of kilometers to reach my plate. These days quinoa is the buzz word making appearances on menus in cafes,...
Thyme is a great source of Iron
What herbs did you grow up with? Growing up in the Northern Territory to an English family, herbs were not widely used in our house. We always had mint sauce with certain meals but unfortunately more often than not it was made with dried mint. My mum did grow parsley and that was a regular in salads and as garnishes. Then when my mum discovered the delicious flavours of Italian cooking we had...
Vegetarian Burgers
Preservative Free Cooking 3 and Burger RecipesA few months back I wrote a blog on eating preservative free food and how it is easier than you think. Now I want to write a further blog on taking small steps. On quizzing my sister in law on what seasoning her family in Timor Leste used before Ayam seasoning (which contains MSG and many other preservatives), she told me stock cubes and before that...
Mexican Inspired Lettuce Cups
I have been promising this recipe to a few people for a while now and before the Mango season dries up I think I better get it to you all. This is a refreshing summer recipe. When I first made it I made it in individual bowls with big lettuce leaves, it was a very wholesome lunch. Recently though in the cooking classes here in the Byron shire we have been making it in small lettuce cups and...
Dairy Free Date Cake
Scanning through past posts I feel it is time for a sweet treat recipe. I realise I post savoury dishes as there is always some information I want to get to you. Very often with desserts or sweets there really isn't anything I can write about so this week its just a recipe. Oh except in the recipe you can use coconut sugar or rapadura sugar. Both sugars are apparently healthier than the old...
Fresh & Vibrant Food Preparation Class plus iron rich snacks
Last Saturday's Seasonal Cooking Class was a delightful experience. I love the enthusiasm of people who come together to learn more about vegetarian cooking. I also enjoyed showing people how to include more iron and protein in their diets. This class was different for me in the way I planned it. Usually I plan what I want to include in the class and then go out and...
Vandana Shiva and Millet Recipes
The recent Uplift festival had many highlights for me and the first was listening to Vandana Shiva's talk. I had catered for Vandana Shiva the week prior to the festival and hadn't actually realised how famous or how influential she has been in the world. When catering for Vandana Shiva I instantly liked her but wasn't quite sure why. After hearing her speak I felt truly honored that I had been...
2014 cooking classes, retreats, events and a refreshing recipe to see the new year in
Happy New Year Everyone. Wishing you a fabulous year ahead with wonderfully fresh, alive, healthy and incredibly delicious food all year long. I am very excited about the upcoming year. 2013 was a very good year for Veet's Cuisine, however quite challenging on a personal level. Many lessons learned and even though there were emotionally painful times I was able to still keep doing the thing I...
Seasonal Cooking Class in the Byron Bay Area
On the 18th January I am holding the first cooking class for the year. It will be in the Byron Bay Shire. It feels really good to see in the new year with an exciting new cooking class. The class will of course be vegetarian and is titled <em>Seasonal Cooking. </em>In the class we will make lots of different dishes with whatever is in season. There will be starters, main meals, salads...
Christmas Ideas and Healthy alternatives for Eating Salmon
This is an extra blog post this week to give you some wonderful ideas for Christmas and keep you from reaching for a packet salmon. I am not entirely sure why but in the last few weeks it has been bought to my attention how much salmon is being consumed these days.This led me to look into why people are eating salmon and how it is farmed. Alarmingly salmon is grown with very few ethics and in my...
Byron Bay Tempeh
In my very busy mind I had a great story to tell you about my love of tempeh. It was so eloquently put together but the reality is I now can't put thought to paper. So here is a much briefer account of my tempeh love affair. When I was first introduced to tempeh I didn't quite understand the attraction. I persevered but the chemistry just wasn't there and I gave up even trying to like it....
Uplift Festival and Mango Salsa Recipe
My next stint of work is going to be big and as I write I am thinking about how utterly blessed I am to be catering for such incredible people. I start with catering lunches for Gangaji and Eli’s last retreat in Australia. It will be a complete honor to provide delicious food made of exceptionally high quality ingredients to a beautiful group of people. Then that retreat leads straight into...
Iron Rich Foods and Steamed Veg with Raisin Dressing
I woke up yesterday with this bright idea to write one complete blog post on Iron but realised I have too much information to share in one post. So I will take time to write blog posts over the next months getting as much information as I can to you on obtaining enough iron. I started to write some information about the different types of iron and gave myself a headache so for this blog...
Preservative Free cooking 2 & Three Dips
The other week catering on a yoga teacher training, two plumbers rocked up to the kitchen I was cooking in and put in a dishwasher. As one of them was installing the dishwasher the other was fascinated in the food I was cooking and was quizzing me on the spices I was putting together. I was making a Vietnamese style curry from scratch and he asked me if I was using brown rice. He was happy that I...
No Bake Chocolate Avocado Cake
On the 2nd of November I begin catering on the last Power Living retreat for 2013. This will be the tenth Power Living retreat I have catered for. When I think about catering on a Power Living retreat I initially wonder where on earth I am going to get all the energy from. However I know from experience it always comes and it comes from somewhere in great abundance. The Power Living...
Cauliflower Salsa
This week’s recipe is up there as one of my favourite salads. For me I find cooked cauliflower difficult to digest but raw cauliflower feels great in my system. Packed with vitamin C and containing a good source of vitamin K it works well with vegetables rich in iron increasing the chance of the body absorbing the iron. So with the parsley in this dish you are on to a winner. I first created this...
Gluten Free Information
If you have Coeliac disease or have been on a gluten free diet for a while this blog post may not offer too much new information but hopefully you will enjoy trying out the recipe below. If you have recently been diagnosed with gluten intolerance or Ceoliac disease or have friends who are gluten intolerant you are sure to find some useful information in this blog. When I had my belief confirmed...
Power Yoga Canberra and High Energy Love Ball Recipe
On a recent trip to Canberra my sister in law took me into Civic and I met up with one of my favourite people, Justine Lisson who co owns Power Yoga Canberra. We met at the newly opened Civic Power Yoga studio. My only regret was that I didn’t have enough time to join in with one of the many yoga classes on offer each day. The studio is a place I would gladly visit every day of the week if I...
Beetroot, Fennel and Mint Salad with Turmeric Tempeh
Last Monday unbeknown to one another, Makrand (my partner) and I had been into Mullumbimby and visited the local herbal dispensary, Mullum Herbals. Both of us for different ailments and both within minutes of each other. My inquiry was not an ailment as such but a question on what herbs to take for anxiety and at the end of the conversation the lovely naturopath said that anxiety can be...
Delicious and Nutritious Cooking Class and Easy Stir Fry Recipe
After a very successful raw food workshop last weekend I am very happy to announce one last cooking class for 2013, to be held on the 20th of October. The class will be the Delicious and Nutritious workshop. In this workshop you will learn a variety of simple and easy recipes that you will feel confident in trying out at home. The recipes will include snacks, entrees, mains, drinks and...
Beetroot and Green Bean Curry
Beetroot and Green Bean curryI have a skill that comes easily to me, I can’t often say this so I am quite proud of this skill and it was learned directly from my grandmother. It’s the skill of being able to create a delicious meal out of meager ingredients. Looking into a next to empty fridge I can quickly think of a creative delight to whip up for dinner. I remember living with Mama, my...
Denise Latham's Lettuces and In Between Season's Salad Recipe
A year into my business I started to frequent the New Brighton Farmers Market as well as the Byron Bay farmers market. On my first visit I came across a stall selling organic lettuces. Prior to this visit I had been buying an organic lettuce mix and was getting a relatively good price on it. However, when I saw these lettuces at New Brighton Farmers market there was something quite different...
Fennel Soup
Fennel SoupAs the weather changes so will the vegetables available at our local farmers markets, I am looking forward to seeing what is in season this spring. I have thoroughly enjoyed the winter vegetables this year, lots of brocoli, beans, snowpeas and silverbeet as well as one of my all time favourtie vegetables, fennel. The wonderful farmer who sells it at the Mullumbimby farmers market told...
Flo Fenton's Teacher Training and a Curry Recipe
I have a great number of clients and yoga schools I cater for each year and I would like to over time introduce you to them and the work they do. One of the local Byron Bay yoga teachers, Flo Fenton runs three yoga retreats a year and several teacher trainings. This coming October she begins stage two of her yoga teacher training and I am very excited to be catering on it. As Flo is a local...
Vegan Catering on Retreats
I have recently been booked in to cater for a few new retreats and as these retreats will have people attending who have never met me or eaten my food I want to offer some information about vegan catered retreats. First time on a vegan retreatOver the last five years I have catered for many retreats and of course all of them have been vegetarian. At times a few new retreat participants have come...
Vegetarian Cooking Classes and Green Smoothie Recipe
Vegetarian Cooking Classes and Green Smoothie RecipeI am delighted to let you know that I will be having a raw food preparation class in the Byron Bay shire on the 22nd September. So far I have conducted many cooking classes but they have been away from home. This is the first in the Byron Bay area, where I live and I am excited. This class will be very small in size so there are...
Quick and Easy Pasta Sauce Recipe
Preservative Free CookingLast week I couldn’t resist picking up and purchasing the woman’s weekly vegetarian cookbook. The first vegetarian cook book I ever bought at sixteen was the woman’s weekly one. Much has changed since I was sixteen, nice big glossy photos, lots of internationally inspired herbs and spices, and a brilliant array of grains and pulses being used. Also it appears that...
Mak and Veet Cauliflower Soup
Someone once told me it is not really good to compromise in relationships. However I have to say the compromise I made with this soup worked wonderfully. So if I could remember who that someone was I’d go and tell him or her that sometimes, just sometimes compromising can really pay off. I love blended soups and my partner, Makrand loves soups that are chunky and have lots of...
Decorating Cakes with Fruit
I know people want the name of their loved one’s written on the cakes they order, but I just can’t do it. Well in all honest truth, I have tried and even had a lesson and just don’t have the patience. I am also not enamoured with icing sugars and artificial colourings. My favourite way of decorating a cake is with fruit in abundance. For the last two winters I have been away,...
My First Blog!
Hello Everyone, It is with great excitement that I announce to you all the arrival of my blog. I love to write and I love to share so I am anticipating that I will use the blog to share exciting and quick and easy recipes, bits of information and anything that inspires me, all to do with one of the things I love the most. Food, Glorious food. As I sit here typing this blog now it is...
