not-chicken noodle soup!

I've never had chicken noodle soup before, so I actually have no idea how accurate this vegan version is! Alas, muffin loves chicken noodle soup, and so I made it for him. It's a pretty american dish that never really made it across the ocean into my household as a child. Nevertheless, this one is tasty.
chicken noodle soup:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stick, diced
1 leek, diced
1 small onion, diced
1/2 zucchini, diced
1 small turnip, diced

1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon dried bouquet garni
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1/4 cup white wine

1.5 Litres "chicken" stock*

arrowroot**

200g pasta (i used vermicelli)


Heat oil in big pot, add all the vegies and cook on a low heat until they are softened but not browned.

Add all herbs and cook 1 further minute.

Deglaze with white wine.

Add stock, bring to boil.

Take a spoonful of the hot stock and make an arrowroot paste in a small bowl. Add to big pot and whisk quickly to prevent lumps.

Cut up pasta with scissors so it's about -------------- THAT big! Add to pot and cook untl al dente.

Season to taste.

Serve with crusty bread, love and hugs.


* I used 'massel chicken style stock' cubes because it's vegan, gluten free, lactose free, trans fat free and has no added msg.
** arrowroot dissolves clear unlike corn flour. Arrowroot is also gluten free; made from tapioca!

Noms.

Oh hai there!
I have been on a hiatus! it hasn't been the most exciting of food times. Although one exciting this is that Muffin has cooked for me.... twice! Tonight was a plate of delicious vegies. Bok choy, string beans, mashed potato, spinach, peas, garlic mushrooms and gravy! I don't enjoy cooking with him because he is too fast and furious and it frightens me (i'm a delicate soul) - so I just stood back. And made the gravy. (to be honest i forgot about the gravy and he rescued it. hahaha)

One thing I did make this week was hummus. But I wanted to add in a roasted eggplant to make it somewhat like baba ganoush... so i named it Hummaganoush - partly so people would know it wasn't just plain hummus but mostly because i'm awesome like that.

One meal that went from almost-disaster to extreme surprising success was eggplant parmigiana. I didn't want to use an egg to make my breadcrumbs stick and then all hell broke loose when my breadcrumbs didn't stick. hahaha. I saved the meal (no idea how) and it was delicious! I LOVE EGGPLANT. Recipe coming soooon when i'm not on borrowed laptop time!

Also. This is my cat. HOW CUTE!

peace out brussel sprouts!

Food art.

Pizza! Tonight i felt all artistic and inspired and I made a simple pizza on a whole wheat tortilla. I used hummus as the base sauce and then layered tomato, mushroom and zucchini.

I was thinking about the lovely movie ratatouille and so it ended up looking like this!

It was so fun to take my time humming along and layering all these vegies. I was actually singing to myself tomato mushroom zucchini.

HAHA. Oh life.

I topped it with some cheese before grilling and then finished it with sriracha and fresh basil! it would be amazingly divine with some roasted garlic too me thinks.

Food to cure this dang sickness.

So i've been sick for about a lifetime and Muffin is now sick too. Blergh. Tonight we needed yummy, healthy goodness. I woke up this morning and thought one thing: Hummus! Yum yum yum, there really isn't anything like home-made hummus. Just fresh and delicious.

For dinner we had falafels, pasta salad, garden salad, tortilla's, hummus and beetroot dip! awww yeahhhh.

It was my brosef's birthday this week so we had a waffle brekky for him. I am a waffle lover. So much so that one Christmas I received THREE waffle irons! One of them broke, so now i'm down to two. The penguin one is hilarious and I like to put icecream in his belly, but the normal one is better because you can choose the toastiness setting. I like that. We ate them with berries, cinnamon apples, jam, passionfruit, ice cream and maple syrup!

 

Hilarious story, when I took the penguin waffle maker out of the cupboard and opened it up it had waffles in it! Someone somewhere along the line has put it away with waffles still in it and over time they didn't even mould! They just flattened and shrunk! Hilarious. See?

For dinner we went to my mumma's for a big roast delight. About a million things to eat and then finished off with trifle. Mmm trifle.

by the by, Marion getting kicked off Masterchef?! Oh hellllll noooo. If Adam doesn't win this then the whole thing is a sham.

PIE.

Winter is here. The heater is on. I have the flu and I love pie. I am yet to master an amazing pie and so I settle (and by settle, i don't mean settle at all) for a home-made pie from Swedish Tarts. This place is such a little gem. So cute and the cakes all look delicious. Their pancakes are pretty effing amazing too.You can even buy a bowl of latte or hot chocolate. REALLY. It arrives in a big bowl and you sit all cosy and slurp it up. The pies go for $5 each but are a hearty meal, and definitely worth it. The bonus is that you can buy them cold or get them to heat it up for you. So i buy them cold and throw them in a 180C oven for half an hour and they are crisp, moist and amaaaaazzziiinnngggg. 


So far I have eaten the mushroom and leek, lentil and sweet potato and pumpkin and feta. 


My sister favours the mushroom and leek one, I think thats because it tastes like the mushroom and leek thing mum has always cooked. But I am a lover of the lentil and sweet potato. It has a slight curry taste and is so yummy and rich and hearty and just plain good. I imagine the pastry is extremely unhealthy for you because the smell of butter wofts through the house when I am heating them up. 


Anywho. Amazing. Best pies i've ever eaten. 

pumpkin and feta

ohh steamy

leek and mushroom + lentil and sweet potato

hearty and YUM.

lentil and sweet potato - a very cute 'V'

Swedish Tarts
40 Semaphore Rd
Semaphore
5019