By Melissa, on December 26th, 2010
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!
By Melissa, on December 25th, 2010
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!
By Melissa, on December 24th, 2010
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!
