I have chooks!

I've been trying to find chooks not from a hatchery for a very long time, I wanted chooks who I could be sure were bred and raised nicely. Not on a huge scale. I finally found a lady locally who breeds chooks on a small scale, so I bought two 10 week old Rhode Island Red x Sussex hens from her, Dixie and Marceline.

For the moment they're in a 2mx1m pen as they can jump through the back fence. Once they've grown up a bit more they will be free ranging. Although I do let them out and about supervised now that they're getting friendlier and easier to catch.

So in another 10 weeks I should have eggs!

Vegan Sushi

Since moving to the country a year ago I've been really missing good sushi. There's only a few sushi places around and they don't have many veg options so I made my own and its the best sushi I've ever had!!!

I made two sorts of hand rolls, a plain cucumber and;

Vegan 'egg' hand roll sushi filling recipe

Tofu
Vegan Mayo
Chilli powder
Finely chopped Shallots

Crumble the tofu then mix with vegan mayo, a pinch of chilli powder and the shallots

Then I decided to get fancy and make some inside out sushi! I used the same 'egg' filling, except I flattened the sushi rice on a sushi rolling board, put the nori on top then another layer of rice and roll as usual. The avocado 'cakes' (I'm not sure their proper name!) were just a matter of slicing the avo, making a little cake of rice and wrapping it up with a little strip of nori.

Sweet Potato Hash Browns

My new favorite food is sweet potatoes! Ive been making everything with them, my favorite was the hash browns. So simple and crunchy and delicious! Just mix 5 eggs worth of no egg in with coarsely chopped sweet potato (I used my brand new minty green food processor!), mould it into the desired shape, pan fry and enjoy! :D

Autumn Quinoa, Pumpkin and Beetroot Salad

This salad is the perfect salad for Autumn,  the colours, the mix of cold and warm ingredients and the goodness! Most importantly, it has lots of stuff in it to help boost the immune system to prepare us against those pesky colds that show their faces at this time of year. There is so much goodness in one bowl of this that I feel instantly better after eating it.  It's also extremely tasty, the mix of the sweet beetroot and pumpkin along with the nutty quinoa and pumpkin seeds is just divine.

 What exactly makes this so full of goodness?
Firstly, Quinoa is a super food. It contains every single amino acid so is super high in protein! Its also a source of carbohydrate, iron and calcium.  It's one of the crops NASA will possibly use for a Controlled Ecological Life Support System for long-duration spaceflights. Luckily it's really tasty too!

The humble pumpkin is considered a 'super food' by some. It contains some of the highest levels of bio-available carotenoids. Carotenoids have been shown to decrease risk of cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration, stroke, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory qualities and even slow the ageing process!!

Let's not forget beetroot which is high in Iron and Magnesium and has even been said to help boost the mood and fight depression! Rocket and Spinach are also high in Iron, Folic Acid, Vitamins A, B, C and Vitamin K!

This is simple, tasty and packed with nutrients, need I say more?

To make it you will need;

1/2 a Butternut Pumpkin
1 cup of Quinoa
Pickeled Beetroot
Rocket leaves
Baby Spinach leaves
Red Oak Lettuce Leaves

How to make it;

Scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin, pop them into a strainer and rinse them removing any of the stringy bits
Chop the remaining pumpkin up into little cubes, about 1.5cm x 1.5cm.
Put the pumpkin cubes on a baking tray and bake for 15mins at 180 degrees celcius, then add the seeds and cook until they start to pop. Cook the pumpkin cubes until brown and soft.

Meanwhile, boil the quinoa in a saucepan for 5 mins, then strain the water.

Chop up your pickled beetroot, rinse your Lettuce leaves and put them into a salad bowl along with the strained quinoa, pumpkin cubes and seeds. Toss and enjoy in the sunshine!

Free Gift Tags!

This is my early christmas present to everyone - some downloadable gift tags with illustrations I've done. There's a little raindeer, a snowlady and a little girl with a santa hat.  You can download the file here. They're all ready to be printed out! And of course a preview;

Let me know if you download them and what you think!

Merry (early) Christmas from Ari xx

Vegan 'Prawns'

Three generations on my Mum's side of the family are allergic to shellfish. So as a child I wasn't allowed to eat them and then I became vegetarian age 13. But I've always been curious because people rave about prawns. My late grandmother used to sit up with a glass of beer and a bowl of garlic prawns. She absolutely loved them. I really wanted to see what all the fuss was but obviously I'm not going to eat a prawn. One because I could never eat an animal and two because I would probably die. I was in luck though! Loving Hut were selling 'Vegan King Prawns'. I had no idea what one should do with prawns so I cooked up some fettucini then stir fried the prawns, onion, carrot, zuchinni and asparagus. Voila! They were really yummy. A little creepy because they look so real - not something I think I could get used to! But I enjoyed them. I might do garlic ones for christmas to wash down with some beer and remember Nanna.

Doggy Coats for sale!!

I'm selling some of my hand made doggie coats on my Etsy. I'll be donating $5 from each sale to Australian Working Dog Rescue http://www.workingdogrescue.com.au/ so please check it out!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/chocolatetoxicity

Vegan Friendly Spring Cleaning pt 1 and Vegan Cleaning Products

from http://www.thepeasknees.co.uk

It's that time of year! I've been spring cleaning and actually enjoying it. So I thought I'd post up a few of the cleaning tips I have learned - mostly from watching 'how clean is your house' very late at night. But Kim and Aggie have such great chemical free cleaning tips! That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

I have been mostly using bicarb, vinegar, lemon juice and water however I have some store bought products that I also use.  I really like the earth choice range, it's made my Natures Organics who are a cruelty free company! Most of their stuff can be bought in the supermarket, so it's handy and quite economical too.

 Bathroom cleaning hints;

For some reason it takes forever for my bathroom to dry out after one has a shower so there were mould stains on the grout. It took a lot of scrubbing but it's finally fading. For this I used a mixture of 1 part vinegar and 1 part bi carb. It makes a sort of cream cleanser consistency. I also use this to clean bench tops. I'm not aware of a cruelty free store bought cream cleanser.

The toothbrush holder was all yucky so I put some lemon juice onto a cotton wool pad and rubbing it. Came up beautifully!

 My bathroom mirror is enourmous and always get filthy! I used vinegar and a flanelette rag made from old pyjamas. This works better than windex if you ask me. I also use this to clean windows - in the car too!

Instead of using chux I make rags out of old clothes. Taking all the buttons, zips and things off first and popping them in my sewing box!

To remove limescale off tapsI heat up a little vinegar then dip a rag in and wrap around the tap and leave overnight

Sparkly clean sink!

How to Make a Hay Bag for your Horse or Pony

I have a heap of scrap fabric that I don't want to waste so I've been figuring out things to make with it. So I made my horse a hay bag! The main thing with this was that it had to be really durable - it has to withstand holding 2 biscuits of hay and being thrashed about. It's a bonus that it's the cutest hay bag around! This only took me about an hour to make and was super easy.

Step 1

Fold a 50cm by 115cm peice of fabric in half lengthwise then pin up either side and sew with a triple zig zag stitch - you want this seam to be really strong! If you have an overlocker, overlock the edges.

Step 2

Cut a hole on one side big enough for your horse to fit their mouth in. I used a giant tin of milo to trace around. Zig zag or overlock the edges.

Step 3

Cut out a long rectangular strip of fabric long enough to go around your horsey mouth hole. I used contrasting fabric but you don't have to. Pin right sides together around the hole as shown in the picture and stitch.

Step 4

Turn the bag inside out and pull the fabric to the inside, pin as shown in the picture and stitch.

Step 5

Cut out 2 rectangles or trapezoids, fold all the edges down and stitch. Then make 3 evenly spaced button holes or preferable fix 3 large eyelets. I didn't have any on hand so I just made double thickness button holes.

Step 6

Fold over the top of the bag (the opening) and stitch down so you have a neat edge. Then pin right side of your trapezoid to the right side of the top of the bag. Stitch with a triple zig zag again - strength is paramount! Do this on both sides of the opening.  I also cut out a little yellow horse shoe to decorate mine, I just drew one on the fabric, cut it out then stitched it on with raw edges showing.  I hope these instructions make sense!!

Anyway, after doing all this I had to put it to the test;

I believe it recieved the Charlie stamp of approval! After much thrashing about and holding two biscuits of hay the hay bag is still going strong.  Charlie has already learned that it means food time and whinnies at me anytime he sees it.

Veggie Tagine

Today is feeling a lot like summer so I'm sharing my favorite summer recipe! This is so fresh and delicious. In summer I'm always eating Moroccan food.  It's just so refreshing, it's filling without being heavy. This is best served with a delicious mixture of fresh orange juice with a tiny drop of rose water.

My beautiful blue tagine from target

You'll need
1 onion, peeled

2tbsp coconut oil (olive oil will do)

2 garlic cloves, crushed

ground coriander

ground ginger
tin of chopped tomatos
tin of chick peas

400ml of vegie stock (I like the massel stuff)
sweet potato
about 10;
Baby carrots
green olives
dried figs
dates (I always put extra dates!)
1 tsp harissa (sweet chilli will do if you dont have harissa)
1 tsp mollasses (or honey if you eat it)

2 cinnamon sticks
1 zucchini

 and of course - a tagine!

How to make it;

Melt the coconut oil in the tagine then add the chopped onion

Add the garlic, coriander, ginger, chick peas tomatoes, stock, sweet potato, carrots, olives, figs, dates, harissa, molasses, salt, pepper and cinnamon sticks. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. then add the zucchini and simmer for another 10 mintues or until all vegies are soft.

and voila!

Easy Beany Cheesey Vegan Savory Muffins

Want a yummy quick snack on the go? Well these babies are perfect! They also make a fantastic light lunch when served with salad. I made over 100 of these in miniature form for my 21st and they were gobbled up very quickly.  I often find it troublesome finding a quick protein snack when I'm in a hurry so I put Bertolli beans in this, I also use organic spelt self- raising flour as I find it easier on the tum than wheat flour.

You'll need; 
250g self raising flour (or mix half wholemeal and half white flour for a healthier version) 
1 tsp baking powder/bi carb soda 
75g nutelex or vegetable oil 
150ml soy milk
1 tsp no-egg
1 cup chopped cooked asparagus
1 cup chopped tomatoes (or 3/4 of a tin of tomatoes)
1 tin corn
1 tbsp basil
1 tin bertolli beans
Soy Cheese


How to make them;
Mix the flour, baking bowder, nutelex, soy milk and no egg (made up) in a bowl. Mix with a wooden spoon until mixture forms a dough.
Then add all of the vegetables and mix until they're evenly distributed. Put into a greased muffin tin and bake at 180C for 20 mins.
Meanwhile grate some of the soy cheese. Once muffins have finished their 20 mins in the oven, sprinkle with cheese and bake for another 5 mins.
Let them cool just enough so they don't burn your tongue and enjoy!

Mickey Flykick's Cadapalooza

My friend Micheal hosted a cocktail party for his birthday.  The dress requirement was a sports coat and pipe! It was a fantastic night filled with laughs, cocktails, rockabilly (and the occasional classical piece), dancing and a little romancing too. Big thanks to NFG for the fantastic photos

He set up a bar, hired a bar tender, Hannah, and had a cocktail list set. Everyone had a lovely colourful drink in their hands! My favorite of the night was the Purple Haze cocktail that had Blue Curacao and Chambord amongst other things. This is what it looked like;

Harry and Denica with their Italian Ices

 

Ash with her Mafia Martini and Rach

There was even something for the non-drinkers. Here is Dave with Tox and his Nursery Fizz

Lauren and Imogen ordering drinks from Hannah

 

Hannah pouring Jesse and Jorge some Sangria

And then there were the pipes! Everyone was required to bring a pipe. Some pipes were small...

Some pipes were large...

Some had many pipes...

and some had one...

Some blew bubbles...

And some didn't blow anything at all

 

A good night was had by all!

Chocolate!

Ever wish you could have all those fancy chocolates without the dairy? Well now you can! I have started with Cherry Bombs and Coconut Roughs as they're two of my favs and super easy.

Cherry Bombs

You'll need;
1/2 cup Dessicated coconut
120ml soy creamer (carnation make this, with the condensed milk and stuff)
100g Glaze Cherries or the real deal if you want!
10g Copha
120g Chocolate ( I use the sweet williams stuff)

Combine the coconut, creamer and cherries in one bowl. Mix until even. 
Melt the copha and broken up chocolate in a double saucepan.
Roll the coconut and cherry mixture into little balls then using a tea spoon roll through the chocolate
Place on a baking paper covered plate and refrigerate. Voila! Cherry bombs!

Coconut Rough

You'll need
10g Copha
120g Chocolate (I use the sweet williams stuff)
1 cup dessicated coconut
Cookie Cutters

Preheat oven to 200.
Spread coconut evenly over a baking tray. Bake for 5 mins or until golden brown
Meanwhile,  melt the copha and broken up chocolate in a double saucepan.
Mix coconut into melted chocolate then pour into cookie cutters on a tray lined with baking paper.
Refrigerate and you have yourself a delicious coconut treat!

In other news, I have all the shots back from my shoot with Photographer Laura Ashley. I am so very happy with them! She is an absolute darling to work with too.  I am planning something quite big and exciting for Christmas time which she is involved in. So watch this space!

Some of her photos (including some of my shots *squee!*) are up at The Cave at the Gold Coast. Definitely worth checking out. 

Doggy Coats!

Today in Brisbane the weather stormy and miserable! Usually I'd be out working my horse and enjoying the sunshine. What better to do than get out the sewing machine and put some Johnny Cash records on?

So, I made my dog a new coat! He keeps stripping off his heavy wool-like jumpers and losing them. I think they itch him as he seems to have sensitive skin and always prefers his cotton or polar fleece jumpers. Yes, I'm crazy, I am talking about which fabrics my dog prefers!

I drafted the pattern to fit him properly and put the fastening on the side rather than the front as he tends to like to chew buttons off. So he can't reach them around the side and it looks pretty swish. There's a hidden strap under the belly too.

Please excuse the blurryness!

Here are some other doggy coats I've made;

The late Mr. Woppie 

 

 

 

 

Mr. Shadow