Thai Dinner Party

M arrived back from the States recently so B threw a party to celebrate their homecoming.  It was a Thai themed dinner party and I was really anxious about making something.  I quickly perused the internet, searching through pages and pages of dinner ideas and settled on making corn fritters and fish cakes (both gluten free as one of my friends who was going is gluten intolerant).

Fish cakes

Corn fritters

I made the fish cakes by altering this recipe (400g beans, less paste, no mint, chickpea flour instead of spelt, lime juice instead of rind) a bit and simply baking them in the oven at about 180C for 20 minutes instead of frying them.

I altered the corn fritter recipe by VeganDad by adding a lot more chickpea flour (perhaps another cup) and baking instead of frying and didn't use any corn starch.

When I got there, I was blown away (and made very hungry) by the sight of all the delicious vegan food that has been prepared.  Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the berry ice cupsor seitan, but they were delicious too!  See the peanut dip up there?  IT WAS AMAZING.  We just used brocolli to scoop it up and eat it (there was cucumber too but I'm not a fan).

Stir fry

Laksa

Check out the cute necklace M brought along for each of us!  It was lovely to catch up with everyone and hear M's stories :). 

My Vegan and Environmental(ish) House

As a renter, there's not much I can do about my actual house, but I can change my consumption habits to help the environment.  I'm going to go room by room and list what I use to help anyone out there who is interested in living a 'greener' life (and include some things that I don't use because, well, I'm not made of money unfortunately).  There are, of course, other products, but I'm just giving you a small glimpse into what I use, with some ideas. 

Bathroom

• The Environmental Toothbrush*
• Lush vegan soap for in the shower
• Nature's Organics Shampoo*
• EcoStore liquid handwash*
• Choosing not to shave your legs is probably the most environmentally-friendly option.  Otherwise, there are electric razors, which would cut down on waste if you have been using disposable ones.  (This is a pretty good write up all about razors).
• Body Crystal deoderant*
• Diva-Cup for periods
• Reusable fabric pads for periods
• Eco-Dent tooth floss*
• Reusable razor for face shaving

Kitchen

• Earth Choice Dish Liquid*
• Twist and Full Circle have great environmentally friendly sponges but I can't find any in Australia
• Green shopping bags - one mades out of cotton will break down, the ones from shopping centres will not (in a safe way).  You can also get fair trade and organic ones!
• Fregie sacks 
• Plates, bowls, knives and forks from op shops where possible.
• When looking at appliances (if you have to buy some), look for ones that are energy efficient

Bedroom/Study

• Glyde condoms*
• Sylk lube*
• Sheets and pillowcases from op shops
• Clothes from op shops (for the most part) 
• I try and grab recycled books and notepads for my study and notetaking

Laundry

• Earth Choice washing liquid*
• Soap nuts

*Container can be recycled

I hope that these lists have been useful.  Let me know what you think! :)  If you'd like me to do more posts like this, I'd love to know too.  I'm thinking of writing about the difference between sex and gender next!