I Never Imagined...

Vegan Chocolate Coated Bananas

Melissa — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 21:37:37 +0000

I was given some Kinnerton Luxury Dark Chocolate for Christmas and I have been holding onto it until I thought of the perfect recipe to use it for!

Vegan Chocolate Coated Bananas

Ingredients

3 bananas
1 block of vegan dark chocolate (85g/3oz)
1 teaspoon of vegan buttery spread
1 tablespoon of almond milk
1 tablespoon of agave nectar
1/2 cup of crushed almonds

Directions

Microwave the chocolate and buttery spread for about 90 seconds or until the chocolate is soft and then stir in the almond milk and agave nectar. Break the bananas into halves and dip them in the chocolate and then the almonds. Refrigerate until the chocolate is set.

Baby, it’s cold outside!

Melissa — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:17:17 +0000

Okay, that’s not true. It’s actually quite warm (you know, 1 jacket instead of 2 kind of weather!) which is perfect for NYE! It’s also helping all the snow from our blizzard on Sunday to melt… finally! This guy will be happy!

Meet my new microwave

I got it for free off Craigslist. Booyah!

I also scored a Hamilton Beach Change-A-Bowl slicer/shredder brand new in the box for $10. It’s worth ~$50. Lucky me! “Shricey” sits nicely between my new coffee maker and my new toaster (wish I’d checked Craigslist before I bought these babies from Kmart!)

Looks like I’ve got an exciting NYE planned!

Just kidding! I do actually have a life, you know! ;)

Have a great NYE everybody!

Rice ‘n Beans

Melissa — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 00:06:36 +0000

Greens! Glorious greens!

In the weeks leading up to my move I was trying to eat everything I had been storing in my cupboards, so I wasn’t buying too much fresh produce. When we finally moved into our new apartment on Sunday I was delighted to find a great supermarket across the street that sells some really good tomatoes and avocado. So I have been eating my favorite meal (avocado, cucumber, tomato and mustard on toast) a lot this week! Then, last night I decided to use some of my new cooking apparatus…es… apparatuses (???) to make a yummy rice mixture.

I started by boiling some brown rice, and in a separate pan I cooked some black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, onion, olive oil and sea salt on a medium heat.

I added some crushed tomato halfway through, then when the onion was soft and the rice was cooked I combined it all in a large bowl with baby spinach and some nutritional yeast. I covered the mixture with a lid to let the spinach soften and then served it with some spinach, tomato and avocado.

It was so freaking good!

Christmas Pics

Melissa — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:00:35 +0000

Greetings!

Just popping in quickly to share a few pics from my Christmas weekend!

The Swarovski star replica, with the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in the background

The tree!

The crowd was almost impossible to get through! I guess that’s what you get for trying to see the tree ON CHRISTMAS DAY!

Still, I’m glad we went that day. It was the perfect end to a great day filled with good food and even better company!

Not long now until the New Year… I wonder what 2011 will bring?

Oopsie Daisy

Melissa — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 03:44:14 +0000

Wowzers. This was my first diary entry during my trip to Mexico and boy, was I fired up! I apologize in advance for my ranting! I was pretty upset at the time.

P.S.- remember in my San Diego, Day 2 post when I ate brioche bun and said “when will I learn not to order anything that sounds French“? This is what I was referring to!

Another Rant (written August 8, 2010)

I’m very annoyed right now! I ate out for breakfast this morning and I ordered a croissant, not realizing that croissants are made with butter and sometimes milk. D’oh. I thought they would be ok because most other bread-like products are vegan, especially white ones- but croissants are not.

Breakfast is such a difficult meal for vegans when eating out. I’ve talked about the trouble I had when I was trying to find a brunch place. Yesterday while I was at the airport I discovered that I can order plain toast and dip it in maple syrup. So, I did the same today with the croissant but unknowingly ingested butter. This sucks!

Anyway, I knew that it would be hard to travel as a vegan. I am in Mexico and it’s even harder than I expected because all of the items in stores are labeled in Spanish only! So basically, unless it is a food I already know to be 100% plant-based, I can’t be certain that it’s safe for me to eat.

Also, when I ate out last night I ordered a grilled vegetable tortillas and the guacamole on the side came out with cheese sprinkled on top. I scraped it all off but it is still frustrating to get little surprises like that on my plate!

Rant over. I will have to be more strict with myself when I’m unsure about a certain food. When in doubt, don’t eat! I will order something else, and remember to look it up when I get home so I know whether I can eat it next time. Still, I won’t beat myself up too much for this. Accidentally eating something makes it easier for me to remember not to eat it next time, because I feel so guilty for doing it. I’m learning from my mistakes!

My New Kitchen

Melissa — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:01:46 +0000

Hello!

It’s our first full day in our new apartment and we have a SNOW DAY!

Perfect weather for unpacking and catching up on all the blogs I have missed reading over the weekend.

The first room I unpacked was (of course) the kitchen! I took some photos but they are terrible. So, so terrible. Oh well, I’ll show you anyway!

My spice rack, as well as the HUMONGOUS tin of olive oil that the previous tenants left for us! I was stoked because this stuff is so expensive!

My little of family of cows that I picked up when I was in Japan 2 years ago! They’re so cute, right?

My bamboo plant. I got this for free from Craigslist when I first moved to America, because I was going crazy sitting in our apartment all day applying for jobs and I wanted to bring something interesting into the place. We got this, a ficus benjamina, a bamboo side table, an iron, a big puffy jacket, a heap of costume jewelery and some other odds and ends all for free! We also got a TV, printer, bed, and more free stuff from other people on Craigslist. And a microwave and large table for only $20 each. I could keep going, but I want to go out and see the snow soon and writing this is holding me up!

So anyway, my vase may look okay from the front, but from behind it is a different story…

It got smashed during the move. Totally my fault- I didn’t pack it properly and the movers put it in a box with a bunch of other stuff, so SMASH.

And now, for the highlight of the apartment (according to Toby)…

It’s a can dispenser! Oh yeah!

Happy Snow Day everybody!

Moving Day

Melissa — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 12:00:03 +0000

Good morning! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

As you read this, Toby and I will be in the process of moving to our new apartment in the East Village. We’re excited to start our new adventure in our new apartment, but we’ve loved living in Riverdale and we will miss so many things about this place.

The beautiful sunrises…

The stunning views in the evenings….

Snowy days!

Soaking up the sunlight with a big cup of coffee…

Making my morning Vegemite on toast and watching the trains go by as I eat it…

But most of all we will both miss this beautiful little kitty…

Mia, our housemate’s cat, will be staying here in Riverdale.

She’s spending Christmas with her grandparents upstate, so we’ve already said goodbye to her. Both Toby and I got a little choked up.

We’ve never had the pleasure of knowing such a beautiful, sweet-natured and loving cat. Mia was adopted by our housemate when she was a kitten, and I am so glad she came into our lives.

We love you, Mia!

Naughty and Nice

Melissa — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 12:00:45 +0000

Good morning and merry Christmas guys!!

Because Toby and I are attending a bring-a-dish Christmas lunch today, I prepared some vegan sweetie balls to accompany my green bean salad. These balls are based on my vegan cookie dough balls, but with a few additions.

Here’s a quick recap of the vegan cookie dough balls: chop dates finely, add water and microwave for 1 minute. When cooked, mix together with oats, almond flour, whole wheat flour, chocolate chips, vanilla essence, agave nectar and a pinch of salt. Roll into balls and store in the refrigerator.

For these vegan sweetie balls I doubled the mixture of the cookie dough balls and added some cranberries. I also added a splash of rum for some extra Christmas cheer!

The chocolatey color comes from the vegan dark chocolate squares that I cut finely before adding them to the mixture. When I added the hot dates they softened the chocolate so it ran throughout the mixture. I love this because it makes them look like rum balls. (The scent of rum certainly adds to this effect!)

I dusted the balls in some finely chopped oats before storing them in the fridge overnight. I love this dish because you can prepare it ahead of time and they travel well.

To quote the oldest Christmas joke in the book… Cherry Mistmas everybody!

Sleigh Bells Jingling!

Melissa — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 22:42:28 +0000

Toby and I are spending Christmas with some friends tomorrow, as both of our families live back home in Australia and New Zealand. I’m sad to be spending the day away from my family, but I’m glad we’ll be with friends who are in the same situation.

Everybody will be bringing a dish, so I am bringing a green bean salad. I will be bringing a second dish but you will have to wait until tomorrow to see what it is!

For this green bean salad I put some extra-virgin olive oil, sliced almonds and green beans in a large pan and cooked them until the beans were slightly tender, but still crunchy. The almonds toasted nicely in the oil. I added some salt at the end.

If you celebrate Christmas, I hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas Eve and you’re making the most of your time with your loved ones!

Sun and Moon

Melissa — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 12:00:59 +0000

I will miss this view…

The pinky-gold sky inspired me to make a pinky-gold breakfast!

Oats with almond milk, cranberries, apple sauce, chia seeds and almond butter.

These photos were taken on Monday, the morning before the lunar eclipse. I didn’t catch the eclipse that night, but I did snap a shot of the moon as it was rising. I didn’t know there was to be an eclipse at that stage- I just thought it looked particularly stunning!

Ahhhhh :)

If you’re like me, today is your last work day before Christmas. If you’re like Toby you’re already on holiday. Have a fantastic day!