Serves 8-10

My brother is on the most gnarly health kick of all time and for his birthday he requested a healthy carrot cake. Let’s be honest here – this cake is much healthier than other cakes but at the end of the day, a cake is a cake, and cake isn’t all that healthy. In saying that, there’s not a whole lot bad about this cake, the icing is probably the main offender so skimp on that if need be. It’s also gluten-free which is a bitchin’ bonus for you gleegans out there who are diggin’ on my recipes. The main thing here is that it tastes good and that’s one thing all cakes must always be.

I don’t say this very often but this is one of the best things I’ve ever made. People who have tried it have said it’s one of the best carrot cakes they’ve ever tasted and I tend to agree. It also keeps for quite a while in the fridge and tastes especially good chilled.

Ingredients

• 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 3 large carrots
• 2 cups rice flour
• 1 cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup ground flaxseeds
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup agave syrup
• 1 cup walnuts, plus extra for decoration
• 1/2 cup sultanas or raisins
• 1 tub vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti)
• 2 tablespoons Nuttelex
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and grease a springform pan.
2. In a small bowl, add the apple cider vinegar to the almond milk. Whisk and set aside.
3. Wash and grate the carrots and set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the rice flour, almond meal, flaxseeds, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg and cinnamon.
5. Add the carrot and almond milk mixture before throwing in the vanilla extract and agave, mix well.
6. Fold in the sultanas and walnuts until well distributed.
7. Pour into the springform pan and even out the top.
8. Bake for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
9. Allow to cool in the tin for an hour before cooling completely on a rack.
10. With an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese and the Nuttelex for a minute before adding the lemon juice, vanilla and icing sugar. Mix until combined.
11. Pour the icing onto the centre of the cake and spread outwards in a circular motion until you reach the edge. Sprinkle the top with walnuts and serve.

Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Serves 2

I got my hands on a bunch of figs and needed to use ‘em up, and quick! Some fig flavoured Spun Fairy Floss was also lying around and I figured that it would be a crime to not put the two together. This layered dessert is perfect for Autumn… or any other season really.

Ingredients

• 6 fresh figs
• 2/3 cup agave syrup
• 2 cinnamon sticks (plus a couple more for garnish)
• 1 carton Soyatoo Topping Cream (or another cream replacement)
• 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese
• 1/4 cup icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup caramelised buckinis (if you can’t get these just used toasted muesli or something similar)
• Fig flavoured Spun Fairy Floss

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. Cut each fig in half from the top down and spread them out in a baking dish.
3. Chuck in a couple of cinnamon sticks and drizzle with agave syrup.
4. Bake for 40 minutes before removing and allowing to cool.
5. Combine the Soyatoo, cream cheese, icing sugar and vanilla extract and blend until smooth.
6. Pop a fig in the bottom of each serving glass before adding some of the cream mixture and buckinis.
7. Continue with a couple more figs, cream, buckinis, remaining figs, cream and a sprinkle of buckinis.
8. Allow to chill until you’re ready to serve.
9. Before serving, add a cinnamon stick and a tuft of Spun Fairy Floss to garnish.

Where to Buy: Click here to buy online and  for stockists

I’m not a huge sweet tooth but every now and then I love me a bit of candy. Recently I heard about Spun Fairy Floss and knew I just had to give it a go.

Unlike traditional fairy floss, this stuff ain’t coloured. It’s vegan (derrrr), gluten free, sodium free, preservative free and made in Australia. You know what else? It comes in over 100 natural flavours, which is great because who the heck knows what the flavour of that carnival floss is. The flavours aren’t overpowering either, they’re subtle, and lend brilliantly to desserts, cocktails and just as delicious straight outta the tub. Speaking of the tub, be mindful to seal that bad boy up tight because if you don’t, you may return to a lump of sugar in the bottom. Bummer.

Some of my favourite flavours so far have been maple, rose and fig but there are more and more adventurous flavours being announced on the reg. Creme Brulee fairy floss? Seriously!

If you’re looking for a totally natural treat, you really do need to try Spun Fairy Floss. Also stay tuned for a recipe using the stuff later this week…

Makes 12

I once made a premo batch of Anzac cookies with one of my friends but because I am an idiot, I didn’t write down the recipe. My redemption comes in the form of these Anzac cupcakes; they have all the basic elements of the cookie but they’re a cake, does that make sense? Of course it does…

Ingredients

1 1/2  cups soy milk
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 1 /2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup desiccated coconut (plus some extra for the frosting)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
3 tablespoons golden syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 teaspoon coconut essence
2/3 cup vegan margarine
2/3 cup vegan cream cheese
1-2 teaspoons vanilla essence
4-5 cups icing sugar

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C and line a cupcake tin with cupcake cases.
2. In a small bowl, combine the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Whisk and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the rolled oats, plain flour, desiccated coconut, baking powder, baking soda and sugar.
4. Add the soy milk mixture along with the oil, golden syrup and essences. Combine well.
5. Fill the cases 3/4 of the way to the top and bake for 20 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.
6. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
7. To make the frosting, mix margarine, cream cheese, icing sugar and essence in with an electric mixture until fluffy.
8. Pipe onto the cakes and sprinkle with desiccated coconut.

Difficulty: Easy-Medium

Serves 4

I visit a local Vietnamese restaurant nearly every week and one of my favourite menu items is the sweet and sour soup. Last weekend I decided to give it a whirl and make my own, the results were nearly just as good. The serving sizes probably aren’t big enough for dinner without an accompaniment but perfect for a light lunch.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup tamarind puree
• 6 cups hot water
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 block tofu, cut into cubes
• 1 brown onion, cut into chunks
• 3 vegetable stock cubes
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetarian fish sauce
• 2 celery stalks, sliced diagonally
• 3/4 cup bean shoots
• 1 1/4 cups mushrooms, chopped

Method

1. Put the tamarind and a cup of hot water in a bowl and allow the tamarind to dissolve.
2. Push the mixture through a sieve and collect the liquid.
3. In a large saucepan, combine the garlic, tofu and onion. Toss around in the pan for a couple of minutes.
4. Add the tamarind liquid, remaining water, vegetable stock cubes, caster sugar and vegetarian fish sauce.
5. Bring to the boil before adding the remaining vegetables.
6. Once the vegetables are heated through, serve and garnish with chilli, fried shallots and spring onion.

Serves 4

The weather is cooling down and my meal cravings have been leaning towards the more hearty side. The other day I kinda felt like chili but I also kinda felt like a mushroom so I thought I’d throw the two together. You could even do mini version of this with smaller mushrooms for a party platter! Yeah, that’d be super cute.

Ingredients

• 4 large mushrooms, washed
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• 1 red capsicum, chopped
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons cayenne
• 4 tablespoons vegan sour cream (optional)
• Chives to garnish

Method

1. Remove the stalks from the mushrooms and set aside.
2. In a fry pan, sautee the onion for a few minutes before adding the black beans and vegetables.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes, brown sugar and spices. Combine well and cook for 8-10 minutes.
4. If the mixture becomes too thick, add some water until you get the desired consistency.
5. In the meantime, grill the mushroom for about 5 minutes.
6. Fill each mushroom with chilli mixture and top with the vegan sour cream and chives.

Serves 4

For those members on the family who weren’t on a health-kick this Easter, plus those who were looking to indulge a little, I whipped up this super crispy batch of panko tempura. I’ve done tempura before but this time I decided to add to the crunch by using both batter and panko bread crumbs which turned out to be a totally excellent and radical decision on my part. Team this up with my wasabi salt and dipping sauce and you’ve got a dish worth breaking your diet for.

Ingredients

• 1/3 packet Lamyong Calamari (you can use tofu or another mock meat if this isn’t available)
• Handful of snow peas, tails removed
• 1/2 red capsicum, cut into chunks
• 1/2 yellow capsicum, cut into chunks
• 1 small red onion, cut into chunks
• 2/3 cup plain flour
• 1 cup corn flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1 cup and 1 tablespoon of soda water
• 2 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1 litre sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon wasabi powder (you can get this from your local Asian grocery)
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 cup sweet chilli sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• Crushed peanuts

Method

1. Unroll each piece of mock fish and cut into thirds and set aside with your prepared vegetables.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, salt and pepper. There is no need to sift as this adds texture to the batter.
3. Add the soda water and mix gently with a fork. Be careful not to overmix, just until all the ingredients are combined.
4. Pour the bread crumbs into a shallow bowl and set aside next to the batter.
5. Gently dip each vegetable/mock fish piece into the batter and transfer into the bread crumbs. Ensure the pieces are coated nicely before adding to your hot oil.
6. Cook until golden and transfer to paper towel to drain.
7. Prepare the wasabi salt by combing the wasabi powder and salt. That step is really easy, I think you can do that.
8. Make the dipping sauce by combining the sweet chilli sauce, rice wine vinegar and sprinkling with crushed peanuts. That step is also pretty easy.
9. Serve this dish immediately.

Serves 4

Last year I decided that I was going to start a new family tradition of making Easter lunch. The family seemed to tolerate it last year so I thought I would take the tradition into its second year in 2013 and make an Asian themed feast. Since a few family members (including myself) are still on a health-kick, I thought a salad was a good place to start. My family liked it so I guess being related to each other is working out just fine.

Ingredients

• 1/2 red cabbage
• 3/4 cup bean shoots
• Olive oil spray
• 1 block hard tofu or bean curd
• 3 tablespoons sesame paste (you can get this from Asian groceries)
• Splash of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons vegan fish sauce (or more soy if you can’t get this)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons agave or honey substitute
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 1 spring onion

Method

1. Very finely slice the red cabbage and lay it out nicely on your serving bowl or plate.
2. Take the tails off your bean shoots and scatter them over the red cabbage.
3. Cut your tofu into 1cm x 2cm pieces. Pan fry them with a little spray oil, turning until all sides are golden brown. Set aside to cool.
4. Stack the tofu in the middle of the bed of cabbage and bean shoots so that you can still see the awesome colour.
5. In a food processer, combine the sesame paste, sesame oil, soy and vegan fish sauces, rice wine vinegar, agave and water. Process until well combined. It will be quite a thick dressing but if it’s too think just add a little more water or soy sauce until you get the consistency you’re after.
6. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top.
7. Finish off with sliced spring onion and serve.

Website: www.zenhouse.com.au

I recently visited Adelaide for the first time and wasn’t expecting there to be as many vegan options as there were. While doing some research, I discovered Zenhouse, which was conveniently located about 3 minutes from my hotel. The menu is on the website so you can check it out to see what you’re in for.

The menu is essentially yum-cha type food however there are some more “Western” inspired meals on the menu as well as some main dishes. They’ve got plenty of desserts and snacks as well, which is awesome. I went with a selection of yum-cha dishes so that I could try and sample as many things as possible. Excellent decision.

Let me start off by apologising for the crappy photos. I was in such a hurry to eat that I didn’t take the time to get good snaps, you know how it is! You get the idea anyway.

Red Roasted Slices – $14.90

This super crispy, mock duck in a sweet sticky sauce was delightful. Each bite was a flavour explosion and cooked wonderfully. It’s not a yum-cha dish but I simply couldn’t resist trying it.

Fried Spinach Dumplings – $5.50

You’d think these wouldn’t be particularly exciting but they were by far my favourite thing on the menu. While they didn’t come with a sauce, there were plenty of other sauces from other dishes to dip them in. The outside was so wonderfully crispy while the inside was fresh and light. Definitely try these.

Peking Rolls – $6.80

The classic mock duck pancake affair. To be honest I think I prefer the ones at Green Gourmet in Newtown but they still made the grade. Nice the sauce was thick and rich while the cucumber freshened up each roll quite nicely.

Satay – $6.80

The satay sticks were a lovely addition to this yum-cha meal. Crispy fried mock chicken served with a nutty satay sauce. I don’t have any complaints.

I went back to Zenhouse the next day but I can’t remember what I had, it was however delicious. I finished the meal off with an excellent fig ice cream and took a couple of cookies for the journey back to Newcastle.

Oh, they also have the biggest BBQ buns I’ve ever seen.

If you’re ever in the Adelaide CBD, get yourself to Zenhouse for an affordable and tasty meal served by lovely staff.

Website: www.casadeloco.com.au

If you live in Newcastle, you know as well as I do that finding vegan food worth going out for can be a bit of a struggle. You can understand my excitement when I stumbled across Casa de Loco’s menu and saw those magic words “vegan options available” (that rarely happens here).

The atmosphere is part of Casa de Loco’s appeal. There’s lots of wood, ambient lighting plus the food and beverages are all served creatively.  The food is fresh, light and most importantly tasty. They use a lot of locally sourced and organic ingredients which is cool too! The menu is built for sharing; individual tacos and tapas style dishes and share plates, it’s awesome because you can order for yourself and still get to try a bit of everything!

At my most recent visit to Casa de Loco, I went for my classic order (keep in mind I’m still on a diet). They start you off with some delicious corn chips and salsa to kick the meal off and get your taste buds tantalised.

Next, I went with the corn fritter soft taco ($6) with the house salad ($8). The soft taco is one of my absolute favourite menu, mainly because of the variety of textures and flavours. The soft taco shell is filled with crunchy fried corn kernels and fresh salad, delightful black beans and a mild sauce. Unlike a lot of Mexican food, it’s easy to eat and you’re not left with food dripping down your chin. Ew. That’s gross. The salad kind of changes each time I go there but is always a light yet satisfying accompaniment to the meal.

Since I discovered this place a few months ago, I’ve probably been nearly ten times and I am still excited to go there. Other notable menu items are the guacamole tostadas and patatas fritas. As time goes on I may push them a little to expand their vegan options but for now, it’ll do just fine.

The one negative is that when booking you can usually only choose one dinnertime sitting which is either 6pm or 8pm. You also have to be sure to book as the place can fill up come dinnertime. Despite this, if you’re living in Newcastle or just visiting, add Casa de Loco to your list of places to try.