Sunday, 2 August 2009

Best dinner ever

As I recall I haven’t named a post “Best dinner ever”.  I was at Mrs Flannery’s on Friday and they had Soyatoo!  SOYATOO!!!  (cue excitement)
Anyway, we had to have cheezeburgers, fries and shakes for dinner.
Master Shake 1
Note the awesome swirly fantabulousness that I got from the soyatoo.  Sorry, SOYATOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And now with Italics SOYATOO!!!
Here’s a side view:
Master Shake 2
Burgers were Fry’s Burgers topped with Tofutti American style slices, with Bread and Butter pickles, finely chopped onion, american mustard and tomato sauce on low-gi, high-fibre white bread.  Yes, white bread.  Best food ever…
Best dinner ever
Yes, I’m back.  Uni holidays, work, etc……  :)  

Monday, 8 June 2009

You really need to wait until the soup cools before blending!

Hey guys.  Obviously study and work has been taking over my life (as usual).
I broke a stick blender this week!  I made a huge pot of leek and potato soup and tried to blend it before it was cool enough.  Long story short, I melted all the glue in the blender and had to throw it and the soup out.  I was a very sad panda.
So I made this soup on Saturday instead – it’s kinda chunky because I used a potato masher to mash up the veggies.  Totally tasty (it’s the Fennel, Squash and Apple soup from the Voluptuous Vegan).
Fennel squash and apple soup
Next I made the Chard Frittata from Vegan Brunch.  It was pretty good, but next time I’m going to put the tofu through the food processor and cut up the silverbeet (chard) a lot finer!
Frittata and salad
Cookies have helped to ease the pain of study.  I bastardised a Dreena Burton recipe by adding waaaaay too much molasses – they were even better this way!
Coooooooooooookies
And, in remembrance of my stick blender, green taties (pesto potatoes) with pesto made in the stick blender.
Green taties and chickpea salad
Cam has his only exam tomorrow.  I have one next week and two the week after.  Law school really is as boring as everyone says it is!!!!

Sunday, 10 May 2009

Hey ya!

Hey guys.  Long time, no blog.  Uni, work, you know the drill…..
Anyway, I was inspired by a recent South Park episode to make Tofu “fish” Fingers (I believe you call them Fish Sticks in the US).  Recipe came from the Vegan Lunchbox cookbook (finally bought it!).  Pretty tasty!
'fish' sticks
'fish' sticks -2
I’ll resist the urge to make a gay vegan fish joke.
Tamales
I discovered chipotles at the Indian grocer the other week (month?) and so I made tamales (using aluminium foil instead of corn husks).  Not bad….  They’re really dense!!!
And, of course, I’ve been sewing….
Outside bag
Inside bag
Reverse bag Exams are coming up, so I’ve been attempting to start study (they start on June 15, so hopefully I can cram it all in – for some unknown reason they’re ALL open book!!).
VeganAmy out.

Monday, 2 March 2009

I’m older, not wiser…

Hey everyone – where’s February gone?  I started back at uni today (had my first Criminal Law lecture – the law is really for the rich white folk, isn’t it?).  So here’s my boring February catchup.
It was my friend Tiffany’s birthday mid month.  I, of course, made her a handbag, but she gave me the wrong address.  Have you gotten this yet Tif?  If not, you’ll have to wait until the middle of the year for me to make you another!
Tiffany's birthday bag
Isn’t the fabric purdy?
Food.  Mmmmmm fooooooooood
Tofu Beetroot and Sweet Potato Salad
Fancy tofu, beetroot and sweet potato salad.  ‘Twas yummy (I baked everything except the greens)
Tofu and Potatoes
This is the tofu and potato dish from Vegan With A Vengeance.  It’s too hot to move to the bookcase to find it.  Seriously – I’m so sweaty my arms are getting stuck to the desk here!
Grotesque but tasty lasagne
I call this grotesque, but tasty lasagne.  Double recipe of my usual white sauce with a bolognaise made out of (fake) chicken nuggets, with a layer of sliced mushrooms and lasagne sheets.  Crack in a pan baby.
Cam's fancy tasty salad
Cam made this for me while I watched the Oscars (I had the day off work – yay!).  There’s marinated mushrooms, fancy tomatoes, sundried tomato oil, fried fry’s burgers (ha), macadamias, greens and yummy white bread.  Mmmmmm I wonder if I can get this for dinner tonight?
Charlie
And, ‘cause I’m a dork, here’s Charlie from my law group’s stand at Market Day.  Isn’t he cool?    

Sunday, 15 February 2009

Why yes, I have turned into the crazy bag lady

Iron Chef Vegan has been returning to old favourites - Get Sconed's Mac and Cheeze, Burritos, Vietnamese Spring Rolls.  I really haven't been doing much in the way of cooking because of the machine.
The sewing machine.
And so, I have turned into the crazy bag lady:
Kitty Bag
I bought this pattern before Christmas along with the fabric.  I loved the fabric so much I didn't want to fuck it up!  So I waited until I was sure that I could actually sew properly!
In the kitty bag
I'm really proud of this one!  It looks pretty damn good.
I really really REALLY love this fabric.
I love this fabric
Thus, I have embarked on a ridiculous quest to make a lot of handbags for friends and family.
Spotty Bag
This one's for my mum (hopefully she doesn't check this blog in the next hour!).
In the spotty bag
Vegan homemade handbags rock!

Thursday, 5 February 2009

Needle and thread

Hey everyone.
As requested, here's a bit of a look back at the craptacular items I've been sewing.
Item 1 - The sack dress.
Sack dress
This was the first thing I sewed.  I haven't worn it yet (and I finished it the week before Christmas.  Any suggestions?  I thought a band below the bust, empire line style might make it wearable....  I love the fabric though.
Item 2 - The Xmas Top
Xmas top
Lesson number two - always make the bottom of an item extra long so it covers what you want to cover!.  I wore this on Christmas day.  I still love it.  But it reminds me that I need to lose that 7 kilos.
Item 3 - The Amy Butler In Town Bag (the easy non-pattern one)
Amy Butler In Town Bag 1
This was the first time I actually did a proper lining (and use proper interfacing - I have a ginormous roll that I got from Spotlight now!).  I use this constantly.  So awesome.  But I never match my top and my handbag.  A little too tacky for my tastes.
Item 4 - The pyjama shorts that look like boardies
Pyjama Boardshorts
I think I'm detecting a preference for frangipanis! 
And just because I think the fabric is faaabulous:
Purdy Fabric
Of course, I now have a fabric buying addiction.  Today I bought no less than three pieces of fabric (6.5 metres!)
Scissor Fabric
1.5 metres of fancy cotton.  I was going to make a skirt, but then I remembered that I don't wear skirts.  Probably an off the shoulder top.
Skirt or top
Polyester/cotton/lycra/I have no idea....  Isn't it so retro?  Probably will be a work top.
And finally, the favourite thing in my stash.  The fabric I waited for an hour to buy at Spotlight.  I bought three metres because it's that cute:
Gorgeous Gorgeous Gorgeous The feminist in me likes to think that this is how happy all women will look when we finally beat down patriarchy.  I have no idea what this one will make.  I'm thinking some sort of handbag lining (I have a fetish for handbags, yet another reason to take up sewing - vegan homemade handbags!).
And just because this is meant to be a food blog:
Mmmm sprinkles
The caption should read: Mmmm sprinkles.

Tuesday, 3 February 2009

We're not dead, we're just busy

Yeah, yeah, I've been a slack blogger for about four months now.  I have an excuse - I bought a sewing machine, so I haven't been doing much in the way of cooking!
From what I remember I've made Get Sconed's Mac and Cheeze (with added mustard) and various stir-fries and salad.  While the Mac and Cheeze was awesome, everything else has been well, meh.
So, my blogtacular readers, I will leave you with this blurry picture that I don't remember taking.  It was taken from my front verandah on what I can assume was a stinking hot day.
More blogging soon.  With sewing!  (Maybe I'll have to change the name to Padawan sewer and Iron Chef Vegan or something lame).....
Iron Chef Amy out....
IMG_2942
Also - you have to check out this fabric I found online.  I didn't stop laughing for five minutes!