Kommoner

Chocolate Cake

2012-03-07T10:47:00.002+10:00

This is a combination of an altered chocolate cake recipe cobbled together from a few different sites and a chocolate icing recipe that I made up after looking at a few different non-vegan sites. I made it for a friend's birthday and they really enjoyed it and got lots of positive feedback from all of their friends. The batter is pretty delicious as well!

Cake Ingredients:

1.5 cups self raising flour
1 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1/3 cup Nuttelex
1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla

Icing Ingredients:

1.5 cups icing sugar
2-3 tbsp warm water
2 tsp vegan butter
1 tbsp cocoa

Method:

Mix cake ingredients together in a bowl.
Pour into cake tin.
Bake at 180C for ~35 minutes, until knife or skewer comes out clean.
Allow to cool for at least an hour or your icing will melt!
Make your icing by mixing all ingredients together. You may need to adjust the amount of liquid to get the right consistency.
Serve and eat!

Rio's Rat Rescue

2012-03-05T21:25:00.003+10:00

For the month of March, 10% of all sales and all donations from baked goods will be going to Rio's Rat Rescue. (Let me know what flavour cupcakes you want for the markets on my facebook page!)

'Chess cute rat' by Honey Pie!

Rats are overlooked when it comes to rescues; there are many for cats and dogs (although, still not enough to deal with the amount of animals that are abandonded/neglected). I am happy that I have finally found a rat rescue as these critters are beautiful!

'Rats are cute too...' by line68

Rio's Rat Rescue is run by a vet nurse in Brisbane. It is a home run shelter that has only recently started out but is already having an impact. If you would like to donate some of the items they need (cages, toys, water drippers, etc), please email rio.graham(at)hotmail.com, I'm sure they'd love to hear from you!

'rat' by woinska

If you've been considering adopting a pet, why not take a rat in? I myself am hoping to soon adopt two (once I hear back from the rental agency). For information about looking after your rat, check out The Dapper Rat and for information on what to feed them, check out Veganza.

'Feirefiz, rat curieux' by DianeOzdamar

Banana Cupcakes

2012-03-04T11:58:00.004+10:00

I was heading off with my friend to go to dinner at one of their friend's houses. I've been raised to always take something when going to someone's house. So I desperately scrambled around the kitchen in last minute haste, looking for something I could bake. I found four bananas and some flour and sugar. Using the choconana muffin and banana bread recipes, I created banana cupcakes.

Ingredients:

2 cups self raising flour
4 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup vegan butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinammon
1/2 cup non dairy milk

Method:

Mix everything in a bowl.
Bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes.

Split Pea Dahl

2012-03-03T11:15:00.003+10:00

My best friend absolutely hates chickpeas (I know, I know, how could you hate them?!) so I had to find something easy and cheap to make for them while they were over. I found this recipe and modified it a little below, and added the price of the ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 cup yellow split peas, uncooked 80c
3-4 cups water
2 cubes veggie stock 40c
10 mushrooms $2.20
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp Nuttelex
1/2 onion, diced 30c
1 1/2 tsp cumin
2 cloves garlic 5c
dash pepper and salt, to taste
1 cup rice 90c

Method:

Place water, stock, peas, chopped mushrooms and turmeric in a large pot and let simmer for 25 minutes. You may need to continue adding water to ensure it's not too dry.
Cook rice in water in seperate pot.
Fry onion, garlic, Nuttelex and cumin.
Add onion mix to pea mix. Allow to simmer for another 10 minutes, until peas are soft.
Serve with rice.

Makes: 2-3 serves

Total: $4.65

Movie Review: END:CIV

2012-03-02T18:13:00.000+10:00

Today I had the privilege of having the creator of END:CIV, Franklin Lopez, come in and talk to us about the film. He explained how it was sparked by attending a talk about peak oil. It was there that he first heard Derrick Jensen speak. Franklin bought Derrick's books and this movie is a summation or introduction to some of the premises that are outlined within them.

It covers the death of the environmental movement, the greenwashing of products that we are sold and the destruction of the environment. It forces us to confront the fact that the environment is our responsibility, that we are the ones who need to do something about this, that we must work together to halt the mindless consumption that the world revolves around.

This film is confronting, but it needs to be. The issues that it covers are not small, are not going to go away and they need something to be done now.

Best Friends Rescue

2012-02-19T12:50:00.001+10:00

The charity for the month of February is Best Friends Rescue.

Best Friends Rescue is a no-kill animal shelter that is entirely run by volunteers. Currently they save cats and dogs from being put down and help to find them forever homes. Last year (2011) they helped to rehome 300 dogs.

They rely entirely on donations from the public so this month I am holding a raffle, with all money going to help them. Check it out, tickets are only $1 each and there are a couple of rad prizes.

Show some support for them on their facebook page, send them a donation or sign up to look after an animal while they help find him/her a forever home.

All photos of animals taken from the list of dogs up for adoption on the BFR page.

Tips for Going Vegan

2012-02-15T21:47:00.000+10:00

Congratulations on deciding to either go vegan or try it out! You’ll be helping the environment, your body and the animals.

First off, you will need to start swapping out things in your fridge and your bathroom once you’re finished using them (if you’re lucky you’ll have found someone to donate them to, but it can be expensive to switch everything over all at once).

I’ve made lists that go from room to room giving you tips.

Kitchen:

Change dairy milk for soy/almond/hemp/hazelnut/rice milk.
Change cheese for fake cheese or learn some recipes that make it from nuts. Cheese is actually addictive due to a morphine-like chemical that is found in it.
Make sure to get enough beans, nuts and legumes. Having tins of these can be handy and cheap.
Change icecream for diary free So Good or sorbets.
When scanning ingredients, look for the ‘Contains:’ part. If it says milk or egg you know it’s a no go. Scan for bolded things. This is a handy guide for the more hidden ingredients. Some people remember them, some use phone apps. Me, I just try to avoid processed food.
Don’t be afraid to try new fruits and vegetables, you may find that your taste changes and you come to appreciate more variety.
Don’t forget about B12, it is important.
A good resource for recipes is vegweb.com, but really Googling anything with the word vegan tacked on is handy.
Avocadoes, tahini, hummus and oreos seem to be very popular.
You’ll be suprised at the number of things that are ‘accidentally vegan’, like BBQ Shapes.
Chocolate - Sweet William is an Australian brand and a few dark chocolates are also vegan (not to mention healthier). Hot chocolate - try raw cacao or find a brand without milk solids.

Bathroom:

Swap your shampoo, soap, hair gel, makeup, etc for cruelty free and vegan products. ChooseCrueltyFree is a good website to start.
Find some cruelty free cleaning products, or you can make your own using some bi-carb and vinegar.

Bedroom:

Buy vegan condoms such as Glyde for fun in the bedroom with people with penises.
Change any toys for fake leather such as those made by VeganErotica.

My best tip to you is, don’t give up just because people are being mean. Your living a compassionate lifestyle can seem challenging to others. It can be confronting and make them reassess what it is that they are doing. Don’t be afraid to reach out to the vegan communities that are near you or on the internet.

Don’t beat yourself up if you get something wrong, everyone does and more than once. The point is you’re trying and you will learn. Good luck!

Potato Chips

2012-02-14T12:19:00.003+10:00

Ingredients

Two big potatoes
One sweet potato
Oregano, dill, paprika, pepper, salt 1tsp
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp oil

Method

Chop the normal potatoes into chip size, chop sweet potato half the size.
Mix together herbs and spices with oil in a large container.
Preheat oven to 210C
Put the chips in the container and shake til evenly coated.
Put on tray in oven and cook for 35-40 minutes, turning once.

Outreach

2012-02-13T16:43:00.003+10:00

A few days ago I got to join the Green Earth Group people and help them hand out 'Eating Up The World' booklets, which you can read online by following the link.

It was a good night, we handed out about 400 or so of them and I only saw a couple get thrown into the recycling bin. I would have preferred that they be handed back to give to someone who would appreciate the message. I hope that at least one person went home and had a good think about the environmental consequences of what they eat.

It's been scientifically proven again and again that a vegan diet is the best diet for the environment. A lot of people just start by having one meatless meal each week.

To find out about more events that are coming up, check out Green Earth Group's website.

Spiced Chocolate Cookies

2012-02-13T16:32:00.001+10:00

I had a lot of random ingredients laying around the house so I tried to make some cookies using a recipe that I made up on the spot. They ended up being a bit bland, but could probably be helped along with nuts/chocolate chips. My friends suggested that they would make good cookies for dipping in soy milk. Let me know what you think and how they go! Any suggestions would be great too of course :).

Ingredients:
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1 tsp cloves
*1 tsp ginger
*1/3 cup + 1 tbsp Nuttelex
*1/4 cup raw sugar
*1 cup flour
*2 tbsp cocoa
*2tbsp non-dairy milk

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Roll into balls and squish down.
3. Bake 180C for 15-20mins

Makes: About 12.

Want to do a guest spot recipe? Contact me at kommonerkraft@yahoo.com.au!

Creator Profile: Epheriell & bespoke

2012-02-09T19:34:00.002+10:00

Tell us about yourself!

I'm a 30-year-old full-time crafty lady from outside of Brisbane. A few years back, I went from not even being able to knit in a straight line to being an obsessive crafter. I went on a bit of a crafty odyssey till I found my craft of choice - silversmithing!

From there, a whole new world opened up for me, and I dove into the craft community. I'm still here, and now my creations are my full-time business. When I'm not reading a novel on my kindle, that is.

My partner-in-crime is my awesome husband, Nick, who runs the household and helps me run the business, too!

What do you create?

I have two main businesses - my eco-friendly jewellery range, Epheriell, and my crafty zine, *bespoke*!

Epheriell is my first love and main business, and *bespoke* came along a little later. *bespoke* is a print and digital zine that comes out quarterly, and it's filled with interviews, stories, tutorials and more aimed at the creative and crafty community in Australia.

I also have a full-time daily lifestyle blog - Epheriell Designs - where I blog about craft, creativity, life and business.

Are your products vegan friendly?

Well, all of the silver I use for my Epheriell designs is 100% recycled. That is - it's harvested from old photos, industrial processes, etc, then re-refined. No newly mined metal is included. So, not specifically vegan, but certainly earth-conscious!

How long have you been making things?

I think I enjoyed making stuff as a little kid, but that kinda disappeared as I got older. I have a hideous unfinished scarf I tried to knit in my early 20s, but I think the first thing I actually finished was another scarf, once the crafting bug hit me in my late 20s. I wish I could remember which one it was now!

Where do you get your inspiration?

Oh, I never know how to answer this question! I'm so immersed in the creative world these days, inspiration hits me from all angles. For my jewellery designs, sometimes I'll just get a bolt out of the blue... a 'what if I tried this...' sort of idea. Sometimes I'll see a shape that sparks off an idea, or just sit down with my sketchpad and doodle till I come across a design I like.

How can people contact you?

Blog - EpheriellDesigns.com

Shop - Epheriell.com

*bespoke* zine - bespokezine.com

Twitter - twitter.com/jessvanden

Facebook - facebook.com/epheriell

Fact Sheet: Honey

2012-02-04T21:10:00.000+10:00

Lots of people ask if honey is vegan, and some places even sell products with honey in them as vegan.

Bees are animals; they are insects and insects fall into the animal category in biological sciences. By definition, vegans do not consume honey as it is an animal product. The bees will collect nectar in their stomachs and there, it is turned into honey, which is then regurgitated when they get back to the hive. Therefore, it is most definitely an animal product.

'bee on sunflower' by jlodder

However, not only is it an animal product, but there are some animal rights issues surrounding honey and its uses:

"The queen bee is usually killed every year and a new queen introduced to the colony.⁵ The queen may have her wings clipped to prevent her from flying; this is to stop the bees carrying out their natural instinct to swarm (the old queen and a large proportion of the bees leaving the nest once the colony has provided a new queen to replace her)."
Source: The Vegan Society

"Bees are often killed, or their wings and legs torn off, by haphazard handling."
Source: Saint Francis Couture

"Often, queen bees are artificially inseminated."
Source: Veganpeace.com

'Bee happy' by Glisglis

Not to mention that the bees are basically factory farmed and their honey stolen (the honey that they accumulate for the winter and hard times naturally) just so we can have something sweet in our drinks or bread. The honey that is taken from the bees is usually replaced with sugar or syrup.

"Some beekeeping schools and beginner’s books advocate feeding sugar syrup to bees in the fall to carry them through the winter."
Source: Hobbyfarms.com

One bee only makes 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in its entire lifetime. There is a good write up available here that is full of more research and in depth information if you would like to learn more.

Even if you don’t care about the animal rights issues involved in honey production, you should think about the environmental impact of what you eat (more info here too).

Alternatives to honey include: agave nectar, maple syrup, raw sugar, rice syrup and more.

Vanilla Sponge Cake

2012-01-19T15:49:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:
Cake
*2.5 cups self raising flour
*4 tsp baking powder
*3 tsp vanilla
*2/3 cup oil
*2/3 cup sugar
*1 & 3/4 cup water

Icing
*2 cups icing sugar
*1.5 tbsp Nuttelex
*3-4 tbsp nondairy milk
*1/2 tsp vanilla

Method:
1. Mix cake ingredients together. If you feel the need, adjust the amount of flour/water.
2. Bake at 180C for 25-30 minutes or until skewer comes out clean.
3. Let cool. Prepare icing.
4. Once cake is cool, spread icing over.

Note: I coloured it red with grey icing. I just went from an old recipe from somewhere but altered the amounts of things slightly. If you have any alterations to the recipe add them in the comments and let me know how it goes!

Veg*n Charities

2012-01-17T11:08:00.001+10:00

As you all know, I donate 10% of my sales to a different charity each month. I've currently been doing research into ones that are veg friendly i.e. do not encourage the exploitation of animals (as much, hence veg* rather than just vegan).

This is because the long term environmental effects of meat eating are terrible (e.g. climate change refugees, pollution) and I don't think that the exploitation and murder of animals for food is justified. For example, Oxfam promotes giving people animals to use and exploit. As such, I have researched and come up with some veg* friendly charities from around the world.

Vegetarian Orphanages

Veg*n Food Aid

Food Banks, Soup Kitchens & Restaurants

Lentil As Anything (pay as you feel)
Ontario Vegetarian Food Bank
The People’s Potato (vegan - pay what you can - no one turned away)
Vital Connection

I have not included animal sanctuaries, animal rights advocates or rescue groups because there are so many in each country that this list would get out of control.

Know of any more? Leave a comment or shoot me an email at kommonerkraft(at)yahoo.com.au and I will continue to update this page.

Chickpea and Potato Curry

2012-01-14T07:25:00.001+10:00

This photo is after it was refridgerated because I forgot :p

Ingredients:
*1 cup rice
*3 potatoes
*4 tsp curry powder
*1 tsp chili powder
*1 can coconut milk
*2 cans chickpeas
*6 mushrooms, sliced
*1/2 block tofu, cubed (neglect if soy free)
*1 onion, diced
*1/2 head cauliflower, chopped
*2 cloves garlic

Method:
1. Put rice on to cook.
2. Put diced potato on to cook.
3. Fry up onion, tofu, mushrooms and garlic until onion starts to go see-through.
4. Add chickpeas, cauliflower, coconut milk and spices to the onion/tofu mix.
5. Once potatoes are done, add to chickpea mix.
6. Serve with the rice.

Serves: 4 to 6

Red Beans and Rice

2012-01-13T09:11:00.000+10:00

I've found myself with an abundance of brown rice so I'm currently working my way through my bookmarked recipes (there are a lot).

I found a recipe entitled Carribean Red Beans and Rice and decided to give it a try.

I needed substantially more water; about 1 and 1/3 cup more. I didn't include the onion either as I had none. In my opinion, it needed more spice, more 'oomph', but all in all it was a pleasant dish. I was also really lazy and just put everything in the pot together and it turned out fine. It's a nice, simple dish that is yummy.

Total: $2.95, makes 2-3 serves.

Eggplant Steaks

2012-01-08T14:30:00.001+10:00

This post is more of an idea starter than a recipe.

There are many ways that you can prepare the eggplant. I sliced mine into 1cm thick 'fillets' and then put them on a tea towel. I sprinkled them with salt to help drain the moisture away (the longer you leave it, the better their texture).

I then mixed together some paprika, vegetable oil and chili powder and covered them with it.

I put them in the oven (with my casserole) for 30-40 minutes at 180C until soft (I poked one with a fork to check). Remember to flip over and brush with oil on the other side at the 15 minute mark!

You can use them on burgers, by themselves with some veggies, chopped up on a wrap... They're very versatile!

Fact Sheet: Chicken Eggs

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000+10:00

We all know what eggs are, right? The perfect ingredient for omelettes, something that you have to fiddle with to crack open and put in cake mixes. Something that healthy people have raw. Something that comes from chickens that roam the countryside, with farmers picking up after them.

Egg Cartons by clairegren

Eggs are, in fact, unfertilised (most of the time in commercial production) material that the chicken expels from their vent. It is a natural part of their life; similar to how female humans experience menstruation monthly. However, chickens in the egg industry are forced to produce eggs at a higher rate so that the most money can be made. If their egg production falls, they will endure a forced molt in order to boost production before they are killed off. The egg-laying hens themselves are not the only victims of the egg industry. Twelve million male chicks are killed each year as a by-product of the egg industry.

Discarded male chicks - Animals Australia

The egg industry made $340 million dollars in 2005-06 thanks to the exploitation of 13 million chickens forced to sit there each day giving you an egg. Chickens are intelligent creatures capable of communicating with one another, learning tricks and problem solving. In the egg industry, they are confined to cages with 550 square centimetres per bird. If you have a ruler near you, it's equivalent to 22cm x 25cm worth of room. Not only this but the birds are debeaked and can suffer multiple injuries due to not being able to walk around, stretch their wings or socialise normally.

Battery Hen Australia - Source

But surely it's different on free-range farms, right? Wrong. They still don't need the male chicks, they still need to breed the egg layers, they still need to kill off the egg layers once they've reached the end of their useful lifespan. Not only this but they are, obviously, still motivated by profit, which requires using the least resources possible to get the same amount of eggs. As such, 'free-range' does not really mean what most people are led to believe and there is no legally enforceable standard in Australia currently. In 2011, the Australian Egg Corporation started taking steps to make a legally enforceable definition of free range which would allow 20,000 chickens per hectare, which Animals Australia campaigned against. This is not even 10x more space than current regulations for 'normal' egg production (they would have 1m x 50cm in which to roam).

Photo of a rescue by UPROAR!

If left on their own, chickens will naturally eat their own eggs in order to take the nutrients back into their body. It takes a lot of energy and the shell uses up a lot of calcium that would be better off put back into their bodies for the next round. If you have a chicken, break the egg open for them to eat or consider grinding up the chicken shell to feed back to them for calcium.

Want to know more about going egg free? Check out WhyVeg or VegWeb for recipes for tofu scramble, cookies, cakes and muffins.

Want to rescue a chicken? The Battery Hen Adoption Project seeks to find people to adopt hens that would otherwise be killed by the egg industry.

Movie Review: The Perfect Vagina

2012-01-04T10:03:00.000+10:00

The Perfect Vagina is a short four part documentary about the recent trend of labiaplasty in the UK. Lisa explores why it is that people with vaginas feel so badly about their vaginas that they are cutting them up, meeting people with vaginas who have decided to have it done due to teasing, looking into what is considered normal and talking with other people with vaginas about the lack of discussion on positive body image. It is a short four-part series and unfortunately does not cover the issue too in depth.

I found this documentary interesting, however I wish that there had been some direct action come out of it. I sincerely recommend sharing this with friends as it did resonate with my personal experiences. I remember growing up thinking that my body is disgusting and wishing I could have surgery to fix myself up. It's only been in recent years (and I am 22) that I have come to realise that my body is normal and not something to be hated. I think that women really do need to talk more about their bodies or that there at least need to be more accurate representations of the female body in the media.

I'd just like to say as well that I am not against body modification, but it shouldn't be done as something out of a shame brought on because you think your body is hideous because you don't know what 'normal' is any more. It should be something you do for yourself, not for anyone else or to fit in with some ideal.

Charity: Rainforest Rescue

2012-01-01T21:56:00.000+10:00

The charity that I have chosen for the month of January 2012 is Rainforest Rescue. I chose them due to their diligent work in reforestation and protecting the environment. Without the environment being protected, there would be nowhere for animals to live nor any clean air for us to breathe.

Rainforest & Moss by Tim√

"Rainforest Rescue is a not-for-profit organisation that has been protecting and restoring rainforests in Australia and internationally since 1998 by providing opportunities for individuals and businesses to Protect Rainforests Forever. Our projects re-establish rainforests through planting, maintenance and restoration programs, as well as purchasing and protecting high conservation value rainforest and preserving its biodiversity."

Rainforest Pyramind by ahknight

As usual, 10% of all sales will be going to the charity of the month (as well as any extra that you want to give) and 100% of donations for vegan baked goods at markets will also go to the charity of the month.

White Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies

2011-12-30T21:59:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:
*2.5 cups flour
*2/3 cup chopped white chocolate
*2/3 cup maple syrup
*2/3 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
*1/2 cup raw sugar
*1/2 cup oil

Method:
1. Chop macadamias and white chocolate.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Bake at 180C for about 10-12 minutes.

Makes: 16 huge cookies

Smoothie Muffins

2011-12-27T16:36:00.001+10:00

These are called smoothie muffins because they were made out of my leftover smoothie ingredients; peaches and banana.

Ingredients:
*1 banana
*1/2 cup raw sugar
*3/4 cup non dairy milk
*2/3 tin peaches
*2 cups self raising flour

Method:
1. Blend peaches and milk together.
2. Add everything together and mix.
3. Bake at 180C for 20-25 minutes.

Fact Sheet: Dairy Milk

2011-12-26T14:32:00.000+10:00

Dairy milk. We are told that we must have it or our bones will break; that there is no other good source of calcium; that it is the only 'real' milk. It is the default substance that is put in our coffees, cereals and biscuits. There are, in fact, many sources of calcium that do not require cows to be milked and their calves killed.

'Got milk?' by Mark J P

Like every female animal, female cows only produce milk for their babies, not for any other reason or any other species. In order for them to continue to lactate, they are forcibly inseminated. Once they have their calf, it is removed from them within 12-24 hours (4) and kept to either become veal or another dairy cow. 700, 000 calves are sent off to slaughter each year in Australia (3).

'Calves on slatted floor' by Compassion in World Farming

19-50 year old men and women only require 1,000mg each day (1). Two glasses of fortified soy milk can provide you with 750mg and two glasses of dairy milk can provide you with 600mg. Obviously this changes with brands (and also between soy, rice, almond and oat milk), so check labels. Not only this, but animal protein can cause the blood to become acidic and leach calcium from the bones (2). It's a good thing then that calcium is not only found in dairy milk.

Other sources of calcium include:

green leafy vegetables
tofu
soya mince
white/brown bread
orange juice
tahini
baked beans
broccoli

Want to know more about alternate sources of calcium? Head to http://www.osteoporosis.ca/index.php/ci_id/5535/la_id/1.htm. If you are interested in using some dairy free alternatives, check out http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/dairy-free-shopping-list.php; they list a lot of chocolates, icecreams, yoghurts, milks, butters and cheeses.

(1) http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/calcium
(2) http://www.animalsaustralia.org/features/dairy-calcium-myth.php
(3) http://www.animalsaustralia.org/issues/dairy.php
(4) http://www.voiceless.org.au/The_Issues/Fact_Sheets/Dairy_cows.html

Gingerbread Cookies

2011-12-24T17:41:00.000+10:00

Unfortunately I cannot remember where I got this recipe from, so if anyone knows, please tell me so I can credit the original creator! Pretty sure it was somewhere on vegweb.com though.

Ingredients:
*1/3 cup oil
*3/4 cup raw sugar
*1/4 cup molasses
*1/4 cup non-dairy milk
*2 cups flour
*1/2 tsp each: baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon
*1.5 tsp ground ginger

Method:
1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Wrap in plastic, refridgerate for 1 hour.
3. Roll out flat and cut out shapes, or into balls and press flat.
4. Bake at 180C for aprox. 8-10 minutes.

Makes: 16

Children's Books

2011-12-23T16:45:00.001+10:00

I've recently been looking for children's books that teach respect for animals and have animal rights themes. I am hoping to influence my little brother so that he learns about animals in a different light to what we are shown via meat sales in shops and cooking shows on the TV.

I'm also hoping to buy them through Better World Books as I love their ethics. So far I've found the following that look good:

I am also looking forward to Steven the Vegan's debut. It was finally fully funded by awesome people who wanted to see it published! Amazing!

There is a HUGE LIST here thanks to vegbooks. I've just listed the ones that I liked the sound of most. Feel free to leave a comment about which book/s you like the best for your children/cousins/siblings :).

Raffle to Help the Philippines

2011-12-23T09:52:00.002+10:00

Tragedy struck the Philippines in the form of a tropical storm, named 'Sendong' about a week ago. There were massive floods, with buildings torn down and people swept away.

The death toll has exceeded one thousand with as many as four hundred people missing. There are fears that the dead bodies will bring disease. There are currently half a million people affected by this disaster who need food, shelter and clean water.

It is because of this horrible disaster that I have put together a mini raffle with five prizes. Tickets are only $1 each and all money will be going to help the Red Cross in the Philippines. Please spare $1 to help people through this difficult time.

Read more in these news articles:

"Egg" Salad

2011-12-18T20:43:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:
*1/2 cup shallots (green onions)
*1/2 tsp turmeric
*2 tbsp parsley
*1 tsp pepper
*1 tsp salt
*1 tsp dill
*300grams tofu
*1/2 cup mayonnaise
*1/4 tsp paprika
*1/2 tsp garlic powder

Method:
1. Drain tofu then crumble into a bowl.
2. Chop up shallots.
3. Add all ingredients to tofu and mix up.
4. Taste test and adjust as required.

2011: The Year in Review

2011-12-16T18:58:00.000+10:00

Thank you to all of you for your support, feedback and kind words this year. I've had a lot of fun making things while studying and having a group of supportive people like you has really given me the inspiration I need to keep this all going. I've had a couple of rough patches and sewing really helps me keep everything together, I really appreciate all your support.

I'm excited to declare that in 2011 we raised $2,506.24 for charities (and counting, still a couple of weeks to go)! Here's the break down of where the money went:

Animals Australia -26.00
ARK - 587.00
Bat Conservation & Rescue QLD Inc - 75.85
Brisbane Valley Cat Rescue - 194.30
Buy This Satellite - 87.90
Nothing But Nets - 36.84
Oxfam Australia - 1,060
Peninsula Animal Aid - 292.80
RSPCA - 105.75
UPROAR! - 39.80

Amazing! Here's hoping we can raise even more next year! Have a charity that you love? Email me about it! I'll be working with Brisbane Valley Cat Rescue for semester one at uni next year in order to organise a fundraising event. It's a rather scary looking task but I'm hoping that it'll go smoothly. At worst, it will be a learning experience. I hope that you'll be able to come along and support me with this too!

Some more highlights from this year gone past:

I started posting a lot of vegan recipes
I passed 8,000 blog views
I passed 1,100 awesome fans on facebook
I had 6 giveaways
I held 3 auctions and 1 raffle
Interviewed 9 artists/crafters

I'm looking forward to bringing you even more awesome things in the future! This blog really inspires me to share and connect with people and is helping me reconnect with my love of writing and cooking. I'll be doing regular raffles; one each two months, to raise money for different charities. As always, I look forward to you being a part of these and sharing them around.

Movie Review: Food Matters

2011-12-14T19:05:00.000+10:00

This documentary looks at health from the point of view of good nutrition and prevention. It explores the failings of modern medicine, the control that pharmaceutical companies have over scientific publishing and regulators and the health benefits of vitamins and minerals.

They look into the age of food, soil quality, agriculture, genetic modification and many other issues that people should consider when buying things to eat. They explore a few studies (not many unfortunately) where vitamins cured depression, alcoholism and cancer. I think that they needed a bit more science in this video as well as hard facts but documentaries are always trying to push a certain view point. That said, eat your vitamins!

Christmas Gift Ideas

2011-12-13T10:32:00.001+10:00

Here is a short list of Christmas gifts that can help the environment, people living in poverty and animals.

Edgar's Mission Calendar or Christmas Cards, vegan recipe book, hat or shirt.

Cute bat Calendar from Bat Conservation and Rescue QLD, Inc.

$25 gift voucher for Kiva to loan money to an entrepreneur.

Donate to Animals Australia or adopt a sheep symbolically.

Buy a card through the RSPCA to help animals.

Buy a card through Oxfam to help people living in poverty.

Grab a bottle of wine from Goodwill Wines to help out a charity of your choice.

Sponsor a cat through Brisbane Valley Cat Rescue or Little Paws Kitten Rescue.

Adopt a tiger through WWF.

Adopt a koala through Save the Koala.

You can also try and check out op shops for awesome gifts that will have you recycling and getting something unique and helping a charity.

If any of you don't have family members who'd appreciate the gift, I sure would ;). Haha! Let me know if you give anything from this list. I bought a card through Oxfam for a friend and I'm hoping to save up enough to do a donation to Animals Australia too.

Potato and Corn Patties

2011-12-12T22:14:00.000+10:00

Cooked without oil, gummy.

Fried in oil, crispy.

Ingredients:
*1/2 onion, finely chopped $0.27
*1 clove garlic
*1 tin corn kernels               $1.46
*parsley, salt, pepper, oregano, paprika
*4 potatoes                          $1.68
*1 tbsp flaxseed
*1/4 cup water
*1/2 cup plain flour          $0.05

Method:
1. Fry onion and garlic.
2. Boil potatoes and then mash.
3. Mix all ingredients together, spoon into fry pan and cook.

Makes: 10

Note: I don't think that I made them quite thin enough. If you make them thinner they're more likely to cook nicely through to the middle. I have not tried baking them but I'd be interested to hear if you do!

Total: $3.46 or $0.35 each.

Lentil Spaghetti

2011-12-11T15:21:00.000+10:00

I was scrounging through the remains of my food and discovered that I had enough left to make me some awesome lentil spaghetti. I had originally intended to make spaghetti and meatballs but I used all my tvp on pies! I used this recipe and this one for inspiration, as well as a few others I looked at.


With tin of tomatoes

Without tin of tomatoes.

Ingredients:
*1 cup dry red lentils $1.00
*1 onion, chopped        $0.54
*1 zucchini, grated   $0.84
*1 carrot, grated        $0.34
*2 garlic cloves, minced $0.10
*2 cubes vegetable stock $0.54
*basil, oregano, thyme
*handfull of spaghetti      $0.35
*1 can diced tomatoes    $0.80

Variations: Add chopped celery, mushrooms, make some tvpballs.

Method:
1. Prepare 2 cups of water with the veggie stock, boiling.
2. Add the lentils, zucchini, carrot (and/or celery, mushrooms) and tomatoes.
3. Fry onion and garlic in pan.
4. Cook pasta.
5. Add onion and garlic to lentil mix.
6. Pour lentil mix onto drained pasta (add tvpballs if you made some).

Makes: Two serves.

Total: $4.51 or $2.25 per serve.

Movie Review: Meat the Truth

2011-12-09T20:53:00.000+10:00

This documentary takes a look at the meat industry from an environmental viewpoint. A lot of people think that the major causes of greenhouse gases and environmental devastation are things like cars, airplanes, keeping the lights on, etc. This documentary shows how meat consumption is a big (and easy to stop) problem.

"Farming places more strain on the enviroment than the entire transport system globally." - Meat the Truth.

If you would like to know more about the environmental issues surrounding the meat industry, click here.

Banana Pudding

2011-12-08T16:26:00.000+10:00

This recipe is mainly based off another of Chooseveg.com's recipes. It's a pretty healthy dessert, all things considered.

Ingredients:
*300g tofu                      $3.24
*2 tsp vanilla
*3 large ripe bananas      $1.08
*1/2 cup raw sugar         $0.29
*1/4 cup nondairy milk $0.25

Optional: I reckon you could add banana chunks if you wanted to. Want it chocolatey?   Add a few tbsps of cocoa. You could add some cinnamon or maple syrup if you wanted to as well.

Method:
1. Blend.
2. Taste.
3. Adjust.
4. Chill.
5. Eat.

Total: $4.86

Calories: 1206
Protein: 44.5 grams

Fact Sheet: B12

2011-12-06T12:33:00.000+10:00

One of the things that you need to know how to get if you're vegan is B12. There are not many known good non-animal sources of B12. However, the B12 from animals is actually due to the bacteria that the animals consume when they eat grass or dirt. That's right, B12 is made by bacteria. Personally, I was displaying symptoms of B12 deficiency when I was an omnivore simply because I was not eating healthily, so B12 intake is not just an issue for veg*ns.

eating by davedehetre

B12 is important for cell division and blood formation (1). It also is important to maintain the proper function of our nervous system (2). Symptoms of B12 deficiency include heart palpitations, depression, fatigue, weak pulse, mentruation problems and memory problems (3). If you haven't been taking a B12 supplement or keeping an eye on your intake, regardless of your diet, you should talk to your doctor about getting it checked.

Adults require 2.4mcg each day (4). While we do store the B12 in our liver (2), you can become deficient over time if you are not replenishing the stock. It also seems that the more you take, the less is absorbed in one go. Therefore, a person should take5-10 micrograms per day or 2000 micrograms each week (1). If you're taking an iron tablet, check out the label (for example this one has 50micrograms of B12 in it). A lot of them have B12 in them.

nutritional yeast by daniellemakes

If you want to ensure that you are getting enough B12 each day, there are many multivitamins and supplements available. The Vegan Store has this multivitamin which has 150 micrograms of B12 in it. B12 is also found in fortified nondairy milks, fortified cereals and there is quite a lot of it in nutritional yeast (nicknamed 'nooch') (1).

Just a note: I am not a doctor, dietitian or anything like that, I am just providing this information for those of you who may not know or who have an interest. If you want more info, check out my sources or use Google.

Sources
(1) http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/b12.htm
(2) http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/vitaminb12
(3) http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=107
(4) http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002403.htm

Pasta Bake

2011-12-04T19:13:00.001+10:00

Ingredients:
*500g mix frozen broccoli and cauliflower $2.66
*250g pasta $0.50
*1 jar pasta sauce $1.07
*basil
*white sauce: 4tbsp flour, 2.5 cups nondairy milk, 2 tbsp Nuttelex, 1 tsp paprika ~$1.95

Method:
1. Cook brocolli, cauliflower, basil and pasta in a pot.
2. Make white sauce in another pot, stirring until thick. Add in order: Nuttelex, milk, flour, paprika.
3. Drain pasta mix.
4. Combine all ingredients.
5. Put in baking dish. Bake at 180C for 20 minutes.

Makes: Two serves.

Total: $6.18 or $3.09 per serve.

Calories: 1297 or 648.5 per serve.
Protein: 61.9 or 30.95 per serve.

Fact Sheet: Pigs

2011-12-03T10:06:00.000+10:00

Pigs by rajthesnapper

"[Pigs] have the cognitive ability to be quite sophisticated. Even more so than dogs and certainly three-year-olds."

- Professor Donald Broom of Cambridge University Veterinary School (2)

Cool Pig Facts:

Pigs can live 9 - 15 years long (1)
Pigs enjoy music (6)
Pigs are as good at video games as primates (7)
Their courtship ritual involves a song between the male and female (6)
Mother pigs sing to their young to inform them that milk is flowing (2)
Pigs are not dirty; they enjoy being clean (4)
Pigs are the 4th most intelligent species of animal, after primates, dolphins and elephants (1)
Pigs enjoy swimming over mud (2)

Swimming Pigs 2 by Nate Derrick

Pig Meat Industry

Pigs are sent off at age 4-6 months to be killed for food (3)
Female pigs are pinned down in stalls so that they cannot move around after giving birth (6)
Pigs are not given the space to move around and root in soil, let alone swim (2)
Up to 10% of breeding pigs are killed due to illness, lameness or not falling pregnant readily enough (2)
A lot of pigs have their tails cut off (without anaesthetic) so that other pigs don't chew them off due to being so bored (5)
Pigs are castrated without anaesthetic (5)

Pig biting a bar on its pen by Compassion in World Farming

Sources
(1) http://drbj.hubpages.com/hub/Pig-Facts
(2) http://www.savebabe.com/
(3) http://www.unleashed.org.au/animals/pigs.php
(4) http://www.thewonderpigs.com.au/facts.htm
(5) http://www.rspca.org.au/how-you-can-help/campaigns/pig-farming/
(6) http://www.worldanimalfoundation.net/f/Pigs.pdf
(7) http://chris-mclaughlin.suite101.com/the-intelligent-pig-a84448

Charity: Bat Conservation & Rescue QLD Inc

2011-12-01T11:32:00.000+10:00

The charity that I have chosen for December is Bat Conservation & Rescue QLD Inc (BCRQ). They are a group of dedicated volunteers who rescue bats, care for them and educate the public about them.

Did you know that flying foxes only have one baby each year? And that they are important to help spread the seeds of trees around? I didn't!

These people are doing amazing work looking after these adorable creatures but they cannot do it without the financial support of people like you. Do you love bats? Have a love of vampire fiction? Head to their website and help out or leave a message of support on their facebook page.

If you'd like to support them, buy their calendar, shop on their store, grab a vegan cupcake from me at the markets or enter my raffle, $1 per ticket and ALL MONEY goes to this amazing charity.

November Wrap-Up

2011-11-30T09:30:00.000+10:00

November is over today! It seems like the months go faster and faster the closer you get to the end of the year!

Thanks to everyone who supported Kommoner this month. So far we have raised $35 through the Raffle for Bat Conservation and Rescue QLD. They are also my charity for next month and will receive 10% of all sales for December!

Altogether we raised $36.50 for Nothing But Nets, enough to get 3 mosquito nets to families in need! Yay!

This month I tried out 4 new recipes: Sausage Rolls, Potato and Gravy Casserole, Lentil Lasagne and Zucchini Bread. I also reviewed a couple of books and movies and got to talk to two other crafty folk: Megan from Cubies and Josh from Ruffbat Creative.

I also brought out a whole bunch of new designs: Piglet, Todd and Fredrika, plus a whole heap of brooches and bookmarks!

Zucchini Bread

2011-11-24T20:00:00.001+10:00

Ingredients:
*1 medium zucchini, grated $0.63
*1.5 cups self raising flour   $0.16
*1/4 cup water
*1.5 tsp cinnamon
*1/2 cup raw sugar             $0.10
*1/2 tsp salt
*1/2 cup vegetable oil         $0.57
*1/2 tsp nutmeg
*1 tsp vanilla

Method:
1. Mix all the ingredients together.
2. Pour into a tin.
3. Bake at 180C for 25-35 minutes until top is golden brown.

Makes: 8 slices.

Total: $1.46 or 18c/slice.

Calories: 2176 or 272/slice.

Protein: 24.8 or 3.1/slice.

Christmas Menu Ideas

2011-11-23T14:23:00.001+10:00

I don't celebrate Christmas, but I know that a lot of people do, so I've gone and looked through the internet and compiled a list of cruelty-free recipes and ideas that you can use at home for your Christmas celebrations. Make it a day of love and life!

Barnivore is a great guide if you're looking for vegan alcohol to sip on during the day.


Antoinette

Instead of eating a turkey, how about adopting one? They'll love you for it!

I hope that this has given you some ideas on how to celebrate your Christmas without harming animals and while lowering your environmental impact.

Do you have a favourite vegan recipe that you use for Christmas? Leave a comment to share it with everyone :).

Lentil Lasagne

2011-11-22T18:35:00.000+10:00

I have not had lasagne once since I became vegan. Total bummer. Also, I am laaaaazy when it comes to trying out a new recipe and a lot of the recipes out there require nutritional yeast which is out of my grasp financially. I found this recipe up on the Sanitarium website and played around with it a bit. I also looked at about 10 different white sauce recipes in order to make a vegan one.

Ingredients:
Filling
*2 cans brown lentils       $3.10
*1 large carrot, grated     $0.24
*2 medium zucchini, grated $1.26
*1 onion, sliced               $0.54
*1 can diced tomatoes   $0.69
*1.5 tsp curry powder
*2 cloves garlic
*pepper and salt
*dash of oil

White Sauce

*3.5 cups non-dairy milk $2.20
*6 tbsp plain flour           $0.06 (use gluten free flour if that's how you roll)
*2 tbsp Nuttelex              $0.43 (this is vegan margarine)
*dash of salt

*1 pack lasagne sheets $2.19 (gluten free $4.26)

Optional: Add some celery and if you have nutritional yeast, add about 1/3 cup of that to the white sauce.

Method:
1. Mix together onion, a dash of oil, zucchini and carrot and saute for ~10 minutes.
2. Mix in the rest of the filling ingredients and cook.
3. Make white sauce by first melting the butter in a pot then adding the milk and flour - stir as it thickens.
4. Layer lasagne sheets, then filling, then sauce. Repeat til you run out.
5. Spread any left over white sauce on top.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 180C or until lasagne sheets are soft.

Makes: 6 serves.

Total: $10.65 or $1.78 per serve.

Creator Profile: Cubies

2011-11-22T13:27:00.001+10:00

My latest blog interview is with the lovely vegan behind the adorable Cubies! I found them on facebook (somehow) and they were so cute that I just had to tell you all about them! Then it turned out that Megan is also rad! Read on to find out about this awesome person and their creations.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Megan, I like to sew. I'm the crafter behind Cubies. I'm vegan and I am dedicated to helping animals any way I can. I am a fully qualified Veterinary Nurse, working in a Vet Clinic by day and crafting by night. I am a bit of a nanna, I like to stay home and craft instead of going out and doing young people things. I have three fur babies; a diabetic Silky Terrier named Sam and two cats Baxter and Bruce.

What do you create?

I make Cubies. Which are cube shaped plush toys! I also make cushions and I am in the process of developing a new line.

Are your products vegan friendly?

Absolutely. Being vegan myself, I make sure to source only vegan materials.

How long have you been making things? What was the first thing you made?

I have been making things since I could hold a crayon. I initially spent all my time drawing as a kid. Then when I was given a very old sewing machine that belonged to my grandma I began sewing. I made clothes for my dolls, plush toys and all sorts of fabric goodies. Then into my teens I flittered between drawing and sewing. Drawing will always be important to me but lately I am just crafting as I do not have a lot of time to draw. I don't have a photo of the first thing I made but I do have a photo of the plush that Cubies originated from. It was a flying tofu cube with wings. Then after that I made the first ever Cubie who was pink and had a bandaid on her head.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from a whole host of places. My fur babies, animals at work, horror movies, friends, family, my surroundings and other plush artists. I try to always carry paper and a pen with me because you never know when inspiration will strike. I have a lot of little scraps of paper with sketches on them all around my sewing room.

How can people contact you?

My email: m.wilding@live.com.au
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cubies/127931663658
I also try to frequent the Unwrapped Markets as often as possible. They work tirelessly to help creative people get their businesses off the ground. They run these markets a few times a year.

Book Review: The Life You Can Save

2011-11-21T19:47:00.000+10:00

Australian philosopher Peter Singer writes this brilliant book explaining how it is the responsibility of all people to help all other people.

Singer starts off slowly by giving examples of situations in which a person would immediately jump to save another. He then explains the plight of billions of people living under the poverty line each of which could be saved by the intervention of one person. He outlines the stark differences between people struggling to live and those who have millions of dollars they don't know what to do with. So why don't people help?

Photo Credit: Sarah Lee/Guardian

According to Singer, some don't because they believe they have earned to right to do what they want with their money, regardless of the country, class and situation that they were born into (others do not have these advantages). Others are disheartened by the corruption that can be found in some countries where welfare money ends up lining the pockets of governing bodies instead of the people in need. Yet others believe that the Government is already giving enough money (in 2011-12 Australia will give 0.35% of the Gross National Income to foreign aid). Singer lists many other reasons and explains their flaws.

He then explains the psychology of why people don't give more. Ever wondered why I am always telling people about my giving to charity? Well it's because people are more likely to give if they hear about other people giving. People also give more if they think that others are. So don't be afraid to toot your horn! Singer lists other reasons why people are less inclined to give; they feel disconnected by distance, they cannot relate to the problems, they are waiting for other people to help. He goes into all of these in depth and I really enjoyed learning more about the human mind.

The last half of the book is dedicated to showing how we can change our society to one that cares about giving and sees it as a good thing. Singer explains that we can give, but that we also must look after ourselves and our families. I really do suggest reading this book and passing it on to friends. It is what got me thinking that I could make a difference in the world. And look, I've already raised over $2,500 since I started Kommoner, I give money monthly to Oxfam and I've made 53 Kiva loans so far!

Movie Review: Born Into Brothels

2011-11-19T11:12:00.000+10:00

I was lucky enough to watch Born Into Brothels in my Culture, Community and Enterprise tutorial. It is one of those documentaries that is both sad and inspiring. It is about a group of children in the red light district of Calcutta in India who learn the joy of photography and a woman who attempts to save them from being trapped in the industry.

Briski originally went to Calcutta to do some documentary photography and ended up becoming close with the children of the prostitutes that worked there. She became rather attached to them and decided to teach them how to take photos, hoping to give them a better future. The photos that they took were amazing and helped the children to gain confidence and also hope.

Briski helped to organise exhibitions for the children in order to raise money for them. She worked with their families to try and get them into schools and away from the red light district. However, a lot of them were refused places due to their past and some ended up returning to their families.

This movie was both saddening and inspiring. I was sad to find out that this was still going on in the world; that women were born into prostitution and forced to continue on in their mothers footsteps. I was inspired by the fact that this one person, Briski, was able to see this problem and raise enough money to get a lot of these children an education. Not only that but this documentary sparked the creation of Kids With Destiny, which is aimed at providing an education and safe housing for children from the red light district.

Potato and Gravy Casserole

2011-11-15T21:12:00.001+10:00

I made this recipe up based on what I had available to me at the time. The sauce that I made ended up being like gravy which is why this is my Potato and Gravy Casserole :). To make it cheesy instead of gravy-y, I'd use 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast instead of the beef stock cube. It was very delicious!

Ingredients:
*3 medium potatoes $1.02
*salt and pepper
*2 tbsp Nuttelex
*2 tbsp flour
*1 cup non-dairy milk $0.49 (for gravy)
*vegan cheese (optional - can make some out of nutritional yeast)
*~1/2 cup non-dairy milk $0.25 (to fill dish)
*1 tsp each paprika, basil, parsley
*1 cube Massells beef stock $0.24

Method:
1. Peel and thinly slice potatoes.
2. Melt butter on stove. Add milk and stir, then flour, stock and spices. Stir occasionally until thick enough.
3. Layer potatoes and sauce until all ingredients used up.
4. Sprinkle with vegan cheese. I used Notzarella.
5. Fill halfway with non-dairy milk.
6. Bake at 200C for ~45 minutes.

Shred up some vegan cheese (I used Notzarella) and sprinkle on top.

Options: Add some onion, nutritional yeast and garlic.

Makes: 4 serves.

Total: $2.49

Calories: 982 or 246 per serve (without cheese)

Protein: 38.9 or 9.73g per serve.

Movie Review: The Dark Side of Chocolate

2011-11-13T09:19:00.001+10:00

The Dark Side of Chocolate is a documentary about the child labour, slave trade and horrible working conditions that are part and parcel of the cocoa harvesting that goes on in the Ivory Coast. Ever wondered what fair trade was about? It's about stopping this from happening.

Children as young as 10-14 are taken across the country to the Ivory Coast to work on cocoa farms. Their families send their children off to get paid work and the traders entice them with lies about money. Some children are taken without their parents' knowledge. These are the children that harvest the beans from the plants that fuel the chocolate craze in first world countries.

This film was created in 2010, only last year and yes, this is still happening. What can you do? Support fair trade, express your concerns to the relevant chocolate companies and sign petitions.

Book Review: No Impact Man

2011-11-13T09:15:00.000+10:00

Colin Beavan was the kind of person who tellsothers that they need to change their ways to prevent global warmingwithout really doing anything themselves. Colin decided one night thatthis had to change and took their family on a journey tofind out if a person can live with no impact on the environment.

In a world where people are told thatthey must earn more money, get the right job and, quite simply, buytheir happiness, are people actuallyhappy? Colin does not claim that people should give up on their needsor eschew material goods, he simply believes that one must, well,live simply.

"The people most satisfied with life, it turned out, had strong social connections, found meaning in their work, got to exercise what they considered to be their highest talents, and had a sense of some higher purpose." - Colin Beavan p.26

I am sure thatmany of you have noticed the importance of these things in your ownlives. How dull is your life when you have no joy in your job and itconsumes your life completely?

Colin starts off looking at theproblem of global warming and helping the environment from a positionof achieving self-fulfilment rather than from a position of helpinghumanity but then start to realise just how important it is. The book is filled with practical advice for peoplewanting to start the journey on their own; switch from tissues tohankies, from disposable nappies to cloth, make your own food, ride a bike and buy secondhand. There is also information on global warming and how much waste people produce and, to be honest, the figures are scary.

Photo Credit: How Stuff Works

On their journey, Colin faces a lot of stumbling blocks and learning curves but tells about all of them with complete honesty.

This book had a few too many bits of religious and spiritual insight in it for me*, which have nothing to do with ethics (based on logic) and more to do with morals (being told what is wrong and right). That said, it was a book about one person's experience rather than a researched academic paper on what one must do to help the environment.

As someone whoclaims to love the environment myself, I can say with honesty that Ido not always walk the walk; sometimes I buy food from takeawayplaces or eat out at restaurants. Sometimes I'll buy a bottle ofwater because I forget my metal drink bottle. The average Australian generates over 2,000kgs of waste each year. In 2007, 21.3 million tonnes of waste went into landfill (Australian Bureau of Statistics).

Photo Credit: debabrata

I have found this book to beinspirational and I will look out for more opportunities to lessen mycarbon footprint and try not to destroy the environment, our planet,as much. Part of the reason I went vegan was to lower my carbon footprint and environmental impact. Now I am going to buy a hemp bag for carrying my groceries and maybe some of these Fregie bags to use instead of those plastic bags at shops. Colin also emphasises that creating a positive impact is important too, which I already try to do through the fundraising events at Kommoner.

"My life itself is a resource. How shall I use it?" - Colin Beavan p.205

What do you do tohelp the environment? Do you think the government needs to step in more?

*I am a person who enjoys logic, not stories about the meaning of life, but I am sure that people would enjoy them and possibly find meaning in them.

Fact Sheet: Iodine

2011-11-11T18:41:00.001+10:00

I found out the other day that iodine is important and that it's another one of those things that some vegans don't know about. Although apparently most Australians, regardless of diet, don't know about it. However it used to be available in milk and meat thanks to cows so they got away with it. A decrease in the amount of iodine in soil has meant that it's also a problem for omnivores. Apparently pregnant people need to make sure they have a lot of it.

"It's used by the thyroid gland to make thyroid hormone - one of the important hormones that drives our metabolism." - Lavelle, P 2005

Photo Credit: Medicine Net

A lack of iodine can cause people to be tired, have skin problems and lose their hair. It also increases your chances of getting thyroid cancer.

"A lack of dietary iodine can cause an enlarged thyroid gland (goitre) or other iodine deficiency disorders including mental retardation in children." - Better Health Channel

The Australian Government realised this problem and made it so that all bread makers had to use iodised salt instead of regular salt. Which is fine and dandy, but what if you don't eat bread, or you eat organic or locally made bread? Well, you can go buy yourself iodised salt and add it to your meals! I did this but some other vegan sources of iodine include seafood and kelp.

Photo credit: Salt by Kristian Niemi

Nutrition Australia has a handy table that tells you how much iodine you need each day. In order to make sure that you get this amount, Kathleen Alleaume recommends that "a small pinch per person of iodised salt each day is a simple way to ensure your family’s diet contains iodine".

If you want to find out more information on Iodine, just check out the links, especially the last one by Kathleen Alleaume as there is more than enough information. I hope that this has been informative and useful!

Creator: Josh Rufford & Ruffbat Creative

2011-11-09T10:14:00.003+10:00

I've always loved checking out the art by Josh and the items for sale at Ruffbat Creative. Now I have finally been able to interview Josh. Do yourself a favour and check out his stuff!

Tell us about yourself

Hello I am Josh Rufford. I like to make things. I enjoy using paints and pens and drawing on stuff. I also like lots of coffee and lots of beer. I made a website: Ruffoart.com.

What do you create?

I make drawings, doodlings, sketches, little animations, sculptures, sandwiches, illustrations, stickers and paintings and etc. I'm also one half of the creative collaboration me and my fiance like to call 'Ruffbat Creative'. And as 'Ruffbat Creative' we make all sorts of badges, earrings, artworks, gift cards and bookends.

Are your products vegan friendly?

I guess if vegans don't mind getting a few splinters from the recycled timber we use they - could chew on our bookends? Um, actually I think most of the arts and crafts I do would be vegan friendly, I really like to try and use recycled materials whenever I can and don't use any animal products that I know of.

How long have you been making things? What was the first thing you made?
Ever since I could hold a pencil or crayon I've been hooked on drawing and my Mum always says she had to limit the amount of crap I would bring home from kindergarten after we'd spent the day making things from tissue boxes and toilet rolls. Here a recreation of the kind of stuff I reckon I would made:

Where do you get your inspiration?

Coffee and beer. And stupid videos on YouTube.

How can people contact you?

Find me here: Ruffoart.com
or here: RuffoArt on Facebook
or here: Ruffbat Creative on Facebook

Charity: Nothing But Nets

2011-11-08T09:16:00.000+10:00

The charity that I chose to fundraise for in November is Nothing But Nets. They combat malaria in Africa by providing children and families with mosquito nets and educating them about their proper use. The United Nations Foundation is also involved in this project as part of their trying to achieve their Millenium Development Goals.

"Every 45 seconds, a child in Africa dies from a malaria infection." This statement cuts me to the core. No child should be dying from something that is so easily preventable. If you would like to purchase a net for just $10, click here. Let me know if you do!

World Vegan Day Brisbane

2011-11-07T09:41:00.000+10:00

Yesterday (Sunday 6th November) was World Vegan Day celebration time for the folk of Brisbane. It's the first time that there has been a World Vegan Day celebration this large (that I know of) and it was all thanks to the efforts of Steven from the Vegetarian and Vegan Society of QLD (VVSQ).

I was volunteering there at the Animals Australia stall so I didn't get to browse around too much as we were kept quite busy by people wanting awesome shirts and soft toys. I did, however, score myself a sample of Notzarella, made by a local Brisbanite. I shall review it soon. On nachos! I also got some free samples of Sweet William chocolate, which has to be my favourite chocolate ever. I was going to save them for my friend, but I could not resist!

I got to say hi to the awesome folks at the Animal Liberation QLD stall and saw some other awesome organisations including Sea Shepherd, Animal Rescue QLD, Charlie's Angels Horse Rescue and World Society for the Protection of Animals. While the day was over pretty fast and was a bit smaller than I expected, I have hopes for the future, that it will continue to grow with more food stalls and people coming along!

Apparently a child won my dinosaur plushie, pawprint brooch and stegosaurus brooch that I put into the cent auction, which I am quite happy about. I plan to give something to the cent auction each time if I can!

Another awesome thing to come out of this: I met a lot of people who I interact with only online and some of them talked with me and I've been inspired to create the Brisbane Animal Activists group on facebook so that we can have stalls for Animals Australia at various markets around the city. I'll keep you updated on how that goes and feel free to join!

Sausage Rolls

2011-11-03T13:04:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:
*2.5 cups of TVP                       $2.90
*1.5 tbsp gravy mix, prepared
*2 cubes beef stock                   $0.40
*1 onion, finely chopped          $0.54
*1 carrot, grated                      $0.34
*1 zucchini, grated                    $0.84
*5 sheets frozen puff pastry    $3.58
*1/4 cup bbq sauce                    $0.41
*garlic, oregano, parsley, thyme, paprika, pepper, salt to taste

Method
1. Fry up the onion in a pan.
2. Prepare carrots, TVP, stock, zucchini in a pot.
3. Prepare gravy.
4. Mix all together except puff pastry.
5. Cut pastry into squares, fill with mix (1-2tbsp) and wrap.
6. Bake at 200C for 20-30 minutes.

Makes: about 20.

Total: $9.01 or $0.45 each. I have 3-5 per sitting, so about $1.35- $2.25 per meal.

Calories: 3358 or 167.7 each or 503.1 - 838.5 per meal (2628 of which is the pastry haha).
Protein: 57.8g or 2.89g each or 8.67 - 14.45 per meal

This is my first post where I've bothered to list the calorie and protein content. Would you like me to revise all the old recipes and also add this to future recipes?

World Vegan Day and the 30 Day Vegan Easy Challenge

2011-11-01T10:39:00.001+10:00

November 1st is World Vegan Day! A day for all vegans to celebrate their inherent awesomeness! Not sure what a vegan is? A vegan is someone who does not use animal products in their food or their life. Want to try some vegan foods? Check out my recipes! I try and list more each month and VegWeb is also a great resource.

Did you know that...?
*beef requires 15500 litres of water per kg1
*it takes 6.5 kg of grain to make 1kg of beef1
*vegans have a reduced risk of heart disease, cancer and stroke2
*it takes 5000 litres of water to make 1 kg of cheese1
*the milk industry supports the veal industry3
*the egg industry causes the death of male chicks4
*vegetarian diets use 4x as much energy as vegan diets5
*omnivorous diets use 8x as much energy as vegan diets5
*it is possible to raise your child vegan healthily6

Want to know more? Check out the references and head to Animals Australia to learn more about the issues. Today is also the first day of the Vegan Easy Challenge!

Liebster Blog Award

2011-10-31T08:01:00.000+10:00

I got an award! I feel so loved. Thank you for giving me this award Stuff About Stuff! What a wonderful person. If you're interested in vegan food and especially vegan parenting check out her awesome posts.

“Liebster” is German and means ‘dearest’ or ‘beloved’.

The idea behind this award is to bring attention to bloggers who have less than 200 followers and show your support during VeganMofo!

The rules of winning this award are as follows:

Show your thanks to those who gave you the award by linking back to them.
Reveal 5 of your top picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.
Post the award on your blog.
Enjoy the love and support of some wonderful people on the internet!

My top picks:

I'll admit to not knowing how many followers some of these blogs had, so I went by the number of comments on their posts :). If you're interested in vegan food or animal rights at all, do give them a squizz and a follow.

Lush Cosmetics

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000+10:00

Lush is situated at various locations around the city. The below photos are from Lush Cosmetics in the Myer Centre in Queen Street Mall in Brisbane.

I first found Lush due to the wonderful aromas coming out of their store; I simply could not resist! Upon entering, I discovered that a lot of their items are vegan-friendly! To make it easy, they have a vegan symbol on the label so that you know straight away what you can or cannot buy.

Lush has also taken a stance against palm oil and have eliminated it from their range, replacing it with a coconut and rapeseed oil mix. They even reportedly shared the ingredient combination with other companies so that they, too, can be free of palm oil. Not only this but they are against animal testing! Another amazing thing about Lush: they support charities where they can. What's not to like?

The people who work at Lush are always cheery and easy to talk to; not once have I been left standing there waiting to be approached, or made to feel awkward. If you have a chance, go check them out, they are a really awesome company that deserve the support.

What do you think of Lush? Do you purchase products from Lush? Why or why not?

Book Review: Creating a World Without Poverty

2011-10-29T08:00:00.000+10:00

Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunus is one of the first books I ever read about poverty and what needs to be done to fix it. I first found out about Muhammad Yunus through Kiva, which is a microfinance organisation inspired by Yunus' work.

Muhammad Yunus started the Grameen Bank after realising that something needed to be done about the extreme level of poverty in Bangladesh. It allows poor people (mainly women) who are refused by banks, to take out loans in order to get themselves and their families out of poverty.

In this book, he talks about the current divide between the people with money and those without and how this divide is growing. I was utterly devastated to find out the statistics. He offers hope, however, in the form of investment in social enterprise.

Social enterprises are businesses that are not run for profit, but are run to encourage better lives for the people in the community. They are still businesses in that they are self-sustaining (this makes them quite different from charities), however the long-term goals are not profit. The goal can be either making money for poor owners, or providing a service that is sorely needed. He states that each of us has the potential to become part of a social enterprise, either through ideas or investment.

This really was a fantastic book. It is well-written, very informative and backed up by research. There are good examples of why certain things work and others don't. I really enjoyed reading this and I hope you do too!

Looking for a book? Check out Better World Books.

November Brooch Giveaway

2011-10-28T18:57:00.001+10:00

Sorry it's been so long since I gave something away guys! I've been busy with university and I've not been in the best place financially. This is actually my last ever giveaway.

However, I plan on doing a fundraising event on alternate months. That's hundreds of dollars worth of stock being given away, postage and time for you and for good causes :).

This giveaway is for this stegosaurus brooch. As always, I'd love it if you could share it with friends, family or even on your own page or blog. Remember that all my stuff is handmade and handsewn by me, vegan friendly and with 10% going to charity. It helps me pay for food and new socks so I really do appreciate it everyone!

In order to go into the draw, you must send me an email at kommonerkraft(at)yahoo.com.au. I will draw the winner out on the 28th of November.

Halloween Goods

2011-10-28T08:51:00.000+10:00

So here is my creepy collection of things that I have made that are perfect for halloween!

Go check out my Facebook page for more awesome Halloween goodies! :)

Farmer's Market

2011-10-27T13:37:00.000+10:00

The Farmer's Markets are held every Wednesday in Redacliffe Place, outside the Casino in Brisbane. It runs from 10:00am to 6:00pm and is always very busy.

There are awesome fruits and vegetables from local farmers, as well as locally made treats like chocolates and mushroom dishes. Some people also sell oils, herbs and spices!

My friend grabbed a mushroom and avocado dish from the I Heart Mushrooms tent. It smelled so delicious! I had already eaten though.

And I was suprised to find these vegan and raw vegan treats in a tent near the back. They all looked so delicious! I wish I had bought some!

Movie Review: Earthlings

2011-10-26T01:37:00.000+10:00

Earthlings is one of the most talked about documentaries in vegan and animal rights circles. I avoided watching it for a year after going vegan because I thought I 'knew it all' already.

Little did I know that I still had something to learn. I learned that no matter how many facts you know, how many books you read, how many rallies you attend or how many recipes you look at, nothing, NOTHING compares to actually seeing an animal suffer.

This documentary uses a lot of what some people call 'emotive' images. I call them truthful images. It goes through all of the various industries that we humans have created that exploit animals and use them as commodities; fashion, food, pets, circuses, research...

I recommend this for anyone who is having trouble connecting what is on their plate to something that is a living, sentient being that is capable of feeling pain and knowing suffering.

WARNING: This movie is very graphic.

The movie is available to watch online for free.

Six Simple Sexy Smoothies

2011-10-25T15:32:00.002+10:00

So in a bid to get healthier, I have decided to ditch vegemite toast as my breakfast of choice and replace it with a smoothie. As I hardly ever touch fruit, this will help to make sure I get some decent vitamins in my system too.

Peach and Apple
*1 apple, peeled and chopped $0.90 (I used Granny Smith)
*8 pieces tinned sliced peaches $1.15 (or 1 peach, peeled and sliced)
*1 tbsp maple syrup
*3/4 glass of soymilk $0.65

Total: $2.70
Source - veganised

Peach and Banana
*8 pieces tinned sliced peaches $1.15 (or 1 peach, peeled and sliced)
*1 banana, sliced $1.98
*3/4 glass of soymilk $0.65

Total: $3.78

Apple and Strawberry
*2 apples, peeled and chopped $1.24 (I used Pink Lady)
*125grams fresh strawberries $1.24 (half punnet from Coles)

Total: $2.48
Source

Strawberry, Apple and Orange
*2 oranges, juiced                   $1.22
*125grams fresh strawberries   $1.24 (half punnet from Coles)
*1 apple, peeled and chopped     $0.62 (I used Pink Lady)

Total: $3.08

Apple, Ice and Orange
*1 apple, peeled and chopped $0.62
*1 orange, juiced $0.61
*10 ice cubes

Total: $1.23

Banana and Strawberry
*2 bananas $3.45
*1/2 punnet strawberries $1.24
*1/2 glass non-dairy milk $0.65

Total: $5.34

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Breaded Tofu

2011-10-24T10:08:00.000+10:00

Inspired by a photo that Sarah posted on her facebook page, I checked out her recipe for breaded tofu. And then I made some and I REGRET NOTHING! Seriously, delicious.

Ingredients:
*1 block tofu (500gm)
*1/4 cup flour
*2 tsp paprika
*1/2 tsp chili powder
*1 tsp each garlic powder, turmeric and ginger powder
*pinch each salt and pepper

Method:
1. Put all ingredients except tofu in container. Shake.
2. Cube tofu, put in container. Shake.
3. Either bake at 180C in oven or fry in frypan til brown.

Note: I ended up with a lot of leftover breading stuff, so maybe halve it :).

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Charity Event - Kisschasy, Movie and Animals Australia

2011-10-23T20:08:00.000+10:00

Sunday afternoon and night, I spent my time volunteering for the wonderful organisation Animals Australia.

The event is sponsored by Ben and Jerry's unfortunately so it's not a vegan friendly event by any means (although a representative told us about how they have won awards for their practices). However, Kisschasy, the headlining band, got to choose the charity that money would be raised for and they chose Animals Australia, which I think is pretty damn awesome of them.

Janelle brought along some rad vegan cupcakes that she invented the recipe for (hopefully she shares it!).

The other bands that played on the night were Hungry Kids of Hungary and Glass Towers. There was also an awesome movie, Life in a Day that was played, the trailer for which is below. Unfortunately I left after being there from 4-7 so I didn't get to see it :(.

All in all, the day was pretty chilled. We sold a few badges, but most people were there for the music, not to talk to us about animals. Hopefully the event helped to raise some money for Animals Australia so that they can continue to do an awesome job!

New Tattoo!

2011-10-20T21:31:00.003+10:00

Today I got a tattoo that is probably one of the first ones with any sort of meaning attached. It's of a giraffe with stuffing coming out of it, pins stuck in it and patches. I chose a giraffe because that was one of my first ever soft toys as a child and I chose a soft toy because, well, I make a lot of soft toys through Kommoner.

Unfortunately I couldn't get a great photo as it's kind of awkward taking a photo of your forearm... I got it done by Eammon from Cooloola Tattoo in Gympie. Best. Tattooist. Ever.

Stuffed Mushrooms

2011-10-20T08:28:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:
*16 large mushrooms
*1 onion, diced
*2 tomatoes, diced
*1/3 cup breadcrumbs
*2 tsp garlic
*1 tsp parsley
*1 tsp paprika
*salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Remove stems from mushrooms and chop.
3. Chop the onion and fry together with mushroom stems.
4. Mix together with spices, breadcrumbs, tomatoes and herbs in a bowl.
5. Spoon into mushroom cups.
6. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes or until mushrooms look cooked.

I definitely will have to try making stuffed tomatoes next time! Mmmmm.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Pizza - Mushroom and Spinach

2011-10-19T14:01:00.000+10:00

Pizza. Delicious and easy and meal of champions. So versatile and open to anything new. Here is my plain old boring contribution to the pizza world :p.

Ingredients:
*9 mushrooms, sliced                     $2.00
*9 cherry tomatoes, halved             $1.24
*half an onion, diced                      $0.16
*handful of fresh spinach leaves    $0.50
*pizza base/pocket bread                $0.62     ($2.14 for gluten free, depends on brand)
*BBQ sauce
*garlic powder, salt, pepper, chili powder

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Fry up onion and mushrooms.
3. Put base on alfoil on tray.
4. Put BBQ sauce on base, then layer toppings as desired; I went spinach leaves, mushroom and onion, tomatoes.
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until spinach leaves are sufficiently wilted.

Total: $4.52 ($6.04 for gluten free). I eat the whole pizza, every time hehe.

Variations: Use three cut up veggie dogs, some capsicum, pumpkin, grated carrot and/or Toffuti cream cheese. Even try different sauces :).

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Eggplant and Tomato Casserole

2011-10-18T11:21:00.002+10:00

I've never made a casserole before. Yes, I know, I lead a sheltered life haha. I found this recipe for an eggplant and tomato casserole over at This Vegan House thanks to Randomofo.

The dish that I used was a bit big soit ended up being a bit shallow. Unfortunately I don't have any no-egg or nutritional yeast so I made do with what Ihad and it still tasted delicious.

Below I have copied the recipe with myalterations and the costs of ingredients.

Ingredients:

*1large eggplant, peeled, cubed $1.49

*500gtofu, cubed $5.23

*2/3cup gf breadcrumbs $1.50

*1/2onion, finely chopped $0.27

*3tomatoes, sliced $1.14

*salt, pepper
*1 clove garlic, crushed

*2 tsp oregano

*1 tsp chilipowder

*1 tsp dill

*1 flax egg (1 tbsp flaxseed meal + 2tbsp water)

Add any other herbs or spices you want.

Method:

1. Bring eggplantand tofu to boil in salted water, simmer until eggplant is soft.

2. Mixbreadcrumbs, onion, herbs and spices together.

3. Make the flaxseed egg.

4. Drain and masheggplant and tofu when finished, mix everything together excepttomatoes.

5. Layer tomatoeson bottom of dish, place mix on top, layer top with more tomatoes.

6. Bake at 180Cfor 40 minutes.

Makes: 6serves

Total: $9.63 or $1.60 per serve.

Calories: 1134 or 189 per serve

Protein: 81.1g or 13.5g per serve

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Cauliflower & Tofu Curry

2011-10-17T13:50:00.001+10:00

Well this was my first time trying to make a curry. I think that next time I'll ditch the tofu and add some coconut milk to thicken the sauce so it seeps all through everything... Mmmm... Below is the recipe I used from various recipes on the net to make this. Let me know what you think it needs or point me in the right direction for curries as I love the curries I buy from Vege Rama!

Ingredients:
*1 onion, chopped               $0.35
*3tbsp ginger and garlic
*500g frozen cauliflower    $2.66
*1 can chickpeas                 $1.00
*2 tsp garam masala
*1 tsp turmeric
*1 tsp chili powder
*1/2 cup water
*500g tofu, diced               $5.02
*1 tbsp lemon juice
*1 cup of rice                     $0.70
*pepper

**Take cauliflower out to defrost before you start this!**

Method:
1. Put rice on to cook.
2. Fry onion and tofu in a bit of oil and the spices (if you didn't defrost the cauliflower, chuck it in now).
3. Add cauliflower, water, chickpeas and lemon juice. Let simmer to ensure flavours get in to the tofu.
4. Serve with the rice.

Total: $9.73 or $2.44 per serve (makes about 4 serves).

I tweaked this recipe as I like things to be simple and it didn't have enough of a punch for me.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Restaurant - Vege Rama

2011-10-15T15:03:00.000+10:00

After lounging around drawing on myfriend while he was on the phone, then seeing him off to work, it wastime for lunch.

I don't normally eat out as I'm tryingto live off about $70 a week for food, transport and any othermiscellaneous things that might crop up, but I had failed to packmyself a lunch so could not resist the siren call of vegan curry.

Brown rice with whitechickpeas curry - $7.00 – And yes, I ate it all.

Vege Rama is located in the food courtof the Myer Centre at Queen Street Mall in Brisbane. They serve allvegetarian food, with vegan and gluten free options available. Thereare pizzas, cakes, salads, curries and snack foods.

The staff is always friendly and youcan ask them if you're not sure about the food that is available. Icome here often and always love it.

Chocanana Muffins

2011-10-13T04:38:00.004+10:00

My mum used to make me chocanana muffins all the time and would freeze them to be taken to school as a snack. Here they are, veganised!

Ingredients:
*1 packet chocolate chips         $3.21 (I used Sweet Williams)
*4 medium bananas, mashed   $7.92
*1/2 cup vegetable oil              $0.58
*1/2 cup raw sugar                   $0.10
*1 cup SR whole wheat flour $0.11
*1.5 cups SR flour                   $0.17
*1 tsp cinammon

Method:
1. Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork.
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Bake at 180C for 20-25 minutes.

Makes: 6 muffins.

Total: $12.09 or ~$2.01 per muffin.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

World Egg (Free) Day

2011-10-12T19:09:00.002+10:00

Today I found out, thanks to Animals Australia Unleashed, that the egg industry plans to celebrate eggs by having a World Egg Day on Friday. I'd like to know what exactly they think they are celebrating.

The confinement of 11 million battery hens?

Or maybe the deaths of 12 million unwanted male chicks?

So this Friday, instead of celebrating World Egg Day, celebrate World Egg-Free Day and share some awesome cupcakes with your friends! Check out some of my recipes or VegWeb.

Interested in helping out the chickens some more? Why not adopt a battery hen?

Carrot and Orange Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

Blueberry Cupcakes

Strawberry Cupcakes

Fried Rice

2011-10-11T23:06:00.001+10:00

Ingredients:
*1 cup brown rice, cooked
*1 cup frozen peas and corn
*10 mushrooms, sliced
*soy sauce
*chili powder
*2 cloves garlic
*ginger
*pepper
*1/2 packet of tofu, crumbled
*1 onion, chopped

Method:
1. Cook the rice in a pot.
2. Fry up onion, tofu, mushroom, spices, soy sauce and frozen peas and corn.
3. Mix rice and vegetables together and serve.

Makes: 4-6 serves.

Variations: Add carrots or marinated tofu cubes.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Moving House

2011-10-11T19:17:00.001+10:00

Moving house can be a real pain. Not for me though! Most of the stuff I own is actually my craft materials and plushies!

This is what a suitcase full of felt looks like!

I'm almost all packed and hoping the move will go smoothly. I'm just lucky to be sticking with my housemates; they're really good people :).

Here's hoping a new environment brings new ideas with it!

Strawberry Cupcakes

2011-10-10T15:09:00.000+10:00

I had a lot of strawberries left from smoothie making (turns out I'm not that keen on strawberries) so I decided to fiddle with the blueberry cupcakes recipe and see if I could make some yummy strawberry cupcakes.

Ingredients:
*1/2 cup raw sugar         $0.10
*1 tsp salt
*2 tsp vanilla
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1/4 cup veg oil              $0.29
*3/4 cup dairy-free milk $0.36
*1.5 cups of SR flour      $0.17
*1 punnet strawberries    $2.00 (on special)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190C.
2. Blend strawberries. I used a stick blender and a large container. Don't worry if there are some chunks.
3. Mix all ingredients together.
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes (check with a skewer).

Makes: 6 muffins or 12 cupcakes.

Total: $2.92.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Roasted Chickpeas

2011-10-10T09:35:00.001+10:00

I've been wanting to try this for a little while and I finally had the opportunity when I had some friends over for movies and was making cookies.

Photo by Mimi's Photography

Ingredients:
*1 can chickpeas $1.00
*2 tbsp oil
*1 tsp paprika
*1/2 tsp ginger
*1 tsp mild curry powder

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 170C.
2. Create spice mix.
3. Rinse and drain chickpeas, coat in spice mix (I put it all in a bowl).
4. Place on a tray and bake for 40-60 minutes, or until hard and crunchy (good excuse to snack while waiting).

Total: $1.00.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Pancake Perfection

2011-10-09T09:10:00.001+10:00

Whenever my friend is over, I make them pancakes in the morning. They're really easy and simple and I think you'd probably be able to add various fruits to it if you wanted, to mix it up. Bluberries or bananas would be delicious!

Ingredients:
*1/4 cup self raising flour   $0.03
*1/4 cup soy milk               $0.12 (use a different milk for soy-free)
*pinch of salt
*dash of vegetable oil
*dash of raw sugar                 (I always put in a lot extra for my friend haha)

Method:
1. Preheat a pan to medium heat.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a fork.
3. Pour mix into pan. Wait for bubbles to form, then flip over.

Makes: One medium pancake.

Total: $0.15.

Ideas: Serve with lemon and raw sugar, jam, fresh fruit or maple syrup.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Animals Australia

2011-10-08T13:59:00.000+10:00

I donate 10% of my sales through Kommoner to charity and have mini bake sales at the Suitcase Rummage (although I usually end up giving the last of the vegan cupcakes away for free). When I have the time and money, I run auctions and fundraising events too. I believe that making a difference starts with yourself. In a year, I have raised over $2,500 for various charities :).

Last month, I asked people which charity they preferred and the winner was Animals Australia. So far I have raised $20.75.

This is how pigs are 'factory farmed' in Australia.

Animals Australia is most well known for their campaigns against live export, sow stalls and factory farming. They are a relatively new organisation however they are having a big impact in helping to raise awareness about non-human animal rights issues and environmental issues.

Where do your eggs come from?

I first found out about them when I was searching for places to discuss vegetarianism, back in 2009. I met a lot of awesome people on the Unleashed forums, who I now interact with through facebook.

I have helped out at Animals Australia stalls at Green Earth Day and Soundwave and have had a lot of fun (asides from the one guy at Soundwave who wanted to discuss the 'purpose' of non-human animals with me).

I am glad to be helping out such an awesome organisation this month! Do you do anything like this? Let me know! I love hearing inspiring stories and knowing that I'm not alone. I'm also trying to decide on which charity to donate to permanently so if you have any tips on how to make a decision, let me know haha.

Mushroom & TVP Pie

2011-10-08T11:22:00.002+10:00

I was missing the pies that they normally have for sale at my university's co-op so figured, why not make my own? Inspired by this recipe by Like A Vegan, I made myself a mushroom and TVP pie.

I have copied the recipe below with the changes that I made and prices.

Ingredients:
*200g TVP $2.90
*2 cubes Massell's beef stock $0.40
*1.5 tbsp of Massell's gravy    $0.35
*1 onion, finely chopped         $0.54
*300g mushrooms, chopped    $3.15
*2 sheets puff pastry                $1.43
*1/2 cup bbq sauce                  $0.81
*1 clove garlic, minced
*2tsp chili powder
*2 tbsp parsley
*1 tbsp thyme
*1 tbsp dill
*1 tbsp ginger
*salt and pepper

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 220C.
2. Fry up mushroom, onion and garlic.
3. Prepare TVP as per instructions, add the beef stock.
4. Prepare the gravy as per instructions.
5. Add TVP, gravy and bbq sauce to mushroom mix. Add spices, heat through.
6. Place pastry in dish, fill with mix, cover with more pastry.
7. Bake for 20-30 minutes, until pastry is golden brown.

Makes: Two smaller pies, or about 6 serves.

Total: $9.58 or $1.60 per serve.

My omni friend absolutely loved this and it's very easy to make. Give it a go!

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Mushroom and Spinach Quiche

2011-10-07T10:34:00.001+10:00

This was the first quiche that I have made since going vegan nearly two years ago. I think that next time I'd use puff pastry and stick it in the oven for 10 minutes before putting the filling in as this pastry wasn't the best. I think I may have overcooked it though - I don't yet have the hang of gluten free. I think next time I'd also maybe add some nutritional yeast and a bit more flavouring.

Ingredients:
Filling
*1 onion, chopped                         $0.54
*15 (or so) mushrooms, chopped $3.15
*100g fresh spinach, chopped       $2.50
*4 tsp ground garlic
*2 tsp basil
*1/2 tsp thyme
*1 block firm tofu (500g)             $5.02
*1 tsp turmeric
*1 tbsp lemon
*2 tbsp water
*salt and pepper to taste

Crust
(you could just use a sheet of frozen puff pastry instead - $0.72)
*1.5 cups Orgran plain flour $1.30     (normal flour - $0.17)
*pinch of salt
*1/2 cup Nuttelex                $0.86
*water

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Make the crust by mixing all ingredients except the water together.
3. Add water slowly until it has a dough consistency. Roll out and place in quiche dish.
4. Fry up mushroom and onion.
5. Wilt spinach in some hot water on the stove.
6. Crumble tofu into a blender (or large container and use a stick blender like me), add water, lemon and spices.
7. Mix it all together and put in the crust.
8. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until firm.

I got the crust recipe from here.

Total: $10.87 for gluten free.
   $9.74 for not gf.
   $8.71 if you use pre-made pastry.

Variations: Use puff pastry, cut out circles using an egg ring and make mini quiches using a cupcake tin! My mother used to make me mini quiches when I was younger. If you have some vegan cheese or nutritional yeast, add that in as well :).

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-10-06T08:53:00.001+10:00

Photo taken by Mimi's Photography

Ingredients:
*1/2 cup vegetable oil    $0.58
*2/3 cup raw sugar          $0.13
*3 tbsp water
*1 tsp vanilla
*1 cup Orgran SR flour     $0.87 (Normal SR flour: $0.11)
*3/4 tsp baking soda
*1 packet chocolate chips $3.21 (I used Sweet Williams)

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Mix dry ingredients in one bowl and wet in another.
3. Mix together.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes or until still a bit squishy, they will harden when you take them out.

Makes: About 16 cookies.

Total: $4.79 or $0.30 per cookie (gluten free).
            $4.03 or $0.25 per cookie (not gf).

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Blood Orange Cake

2011-10-05T17:55:00.001+10:00

My friend brought me a whole bunch of blood oranges, which I had never had before. So I made a yummy blood orange cake with blood orange glaze using this recipe by Ramblings of a Vegan Man. My housemates all loved it and ate it in just two days!

I have copied the recipe below with the changes that I have made and the cost of ingredients.

Ingredients:
Cake
*1/3 cup vegetable oil     $0.39
*3 blood orange, juiced   $2.85
*1 cup soymilk                $0.48 (for soy free, use a different vegan milk)
*1 tsp white vinegar
*2 tbs corn flour
*1.5 cups SR flour        $0.16
*3/4 tsp baking powder
*1/2 tsp baking soda
*1 tsp ground nutmeg
*1/2 tsp cinnamon
*1/2 tsp salt
*3/4 cup + 2 tbs sugar
*2 tsp vanilla
*1/4 tsp almond essence

Glaze
*1 blood orange, juiced $0.95
*3/4 cup icing sugar      $0.45

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Combine milk, vinegar and corn flour.
3. Mix blood orange juice, oil, flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, sugar, vanilla, almond essence and salt together in a bowl.
4. Add milk mixture.
5. Pour into pan or cake tin, bake for 25-30 minutes.
6. Mix glaze ingredients together to put on cake when cool.

Total: $5.28.

Eight more blood oranges to use... What should I make next?

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Creator Profile - Sailor Mouth Soaps

2011-10-04T20:01:00.000+10:00

I recently got to interview the awesome brains behind the all-vegan and all-awesome Sailor Mouth Soaps. I absolutely love her creative, colourful and sometimes creepy soaps. Read on to learn more about this amazing person!

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Aliya and I'm the woman behind Sailor Mouth Soaps. I live in Brisbane with my fiance, our two dogs, Herman the Pug and Gomez, our rescued mystery dog. I also foster dogs through Animal Rescue QLD and help find them a forever home. I'm a huge Sci-Fi nut, in fact, I have Doctor Who apron that I wear whenever I'm in the soap kitchen! I love to read, go on long nature walks and listen to music while I work. I'm also a huge fan of tv shows like The Big Bang Theory, The Office, Torchwood and other mystery/funny shows.

What do you create?

Soap is my favorite medium. I've dabbled in all sorts of crafts and really enjoyed them but nothing makes me spring out of bed like soap does. If you had have told me 10 years ago that I'd end up being a soap maker, I would have laughed! It sounds so random but it's the most fulfilling thing I've ever done. I love the artistic outlet and practical nature of soap. Having special little soapy treats around the house makes me smile. I'm a big clean freak so making and using soap suits me perfectly.

How long have you been making things?

I've been making soap for over 2 years now but my journey into naturally based skin care started when I was much younger. I used to make my own scrubs, shampoos, cleaners and toners straight from old fashioned recipes and marveled at how many modern skin care treatments were based on ancient wisdom. I've have a deep appreciation for nature and when I found an artistic way to make soap, I jumped at the chance! The first soap I ever made was fairly ugly, it had Calendula petals which are brilliant for your skin but boy, it was an ugly duckling. I don't have any photos of that *cough*.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Absolutely everywhere. It can come from music, books, quotes, food, nature, design and fragrances. I've based entire soaps around childhood memories and the scent of wild untamed places.

How can people contact you?

You can find me at:

http://www.sailormouthsoaps.com

www.facebook.com/sailormouthsoaps

www.etsy.com/shop/sailormouthsoaps

www.madeit.com.au/sailormouthsoaps
www.twitter.com/Sailormouthsoap
www.sailormouthsoaps.blogspot.com

Apple Pie

2011-10-03T18:20:00.000+10:00

I've only ever had apple pie once before in my life and I was at a friend's place over two years ago. This time, I made a vegan version and it smells sooo good! You can't really go wrong with apples, cinnamon and nutmeg. I think though that I should have used plain flour instead of self-raising, as the pastry puffed up *quite* a lot. The apples didn't go as soft as I would have liked either so I may heat them in a pan first for a little bit before adding them to the pie.

Ingredients:
Pastry
*2 cups of plain flour      $0.22 (Orgran gf flour $1.74)
*2/3 cup of vegan butter $1.14
*pinch of salt
*4-6 tbsp of water

Filling
*5 apples, chopped      $4.40
*1 tsp lemon juice
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1/2 cup raw sugar     $0.10
*1/2 tsp nutmeg
*pinch of salt

Method:
1. Mix all pastry ingredients together to form a dough. Refridgerate for an hour.
2. Peel and chop the apples up. Mix with all other filling ingredients in a bowl.
3. Heat the oven to 180C.
4. Use half the dough to make a base in your container. Heat for 10 minutes.
5. Put filling in. Cut rest of dough into strips to decorate.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until pastry is brown and apples are soft.

Makes: About 6 serves.

Total: $5.86 or $0.98 per serve.
            $7.38 or $1.23 per serve.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Spring Rolls

2011-10-03T10:01:00.001+10:00

Ingredients:
The rolls
*1/2 onion, finely chopped    $0.16
*6 mushrooms, chopped        $1.26
*1 shredded carrot                 $0.34
*10 rice paper wrappers         $1.20 (I used 16cm)
*1/2 cup sprouts                   $0.60
*1 shredded zucchini           $1.36
*1 tsp salt and pepper
*1 tbsp each ginger and soy sauce

The sauce
*1/4 cup chunky peanut butter
*2 tbsp lemon juice
*2tsp garlic
*1 tbsp soy sauce
*hot water

Method:
1. Fry up the onion and mushroom.
2. Prepare the rest of the ingredients. Mix all together in a bowl.
3. Prepare rice paper wraps as per instructions on packet.
4. Spoon filling into middle and wrap.
5. Mix the sauce ingredients together except water. Add water slowly until the desired consistency is reached.

Makes: About ten.

Total: $4.92 or $0.50 each (not including the sauce).

Variations: You can put just about any vegetable you like in this, feel free to experiment!

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Suitcase Rummage - October

2011-10-02T19:34:00.000+10:00

Today was windy! Apparently the winds hit over 20km/hr at one point... It was making it very difficult to keep my plushies arranged nicely and I couldn't have my pretty bunting out on display which was a bummer. The trees were bending crazily too which was a bit scary!

I had chocolate cupcakes out for 'sale' (people could make a donation to Animals Australia in return for a yummy cupcake). Unfortunately I only got $9.75 for them. Sometimes I wonder if the word 'vegan' scares people away. Or maybe I should try carrot cupcakes?

I got to hang out with Ella from Little Lala's Jewellery all day which was awesome, but we both ended up heading home early due to the weather being so cold and terrible.

I also got to talk to Natalie from By Natalie Jane who makes these awesome Scavenger Bags from upcycled materials such as bike tubing and canvas. Hopefully I'll be able to interview her in the future to add to my creator list.

I also bumped into someone that I had met at a previous Suitcase Rummage who was there with some friends to raise money for their TAFE exhibition, Breaking Heads, which looks awesome.

Also thanks to the lovely lady from 3things who stopped by to say hi and take a Mickie home ^_^.

Peanut Butter Cookies

2011-10-02T09:26:00.001+10:00

Photo by Mimi's Photography

Ingredients:
*1.5 cups Orgran self-raising flour $1.30
*1 cup chunky peanut butter            $1.10
*3/4 cups raw sugar                          $0.19
*1/4 cup vegan butter                       $0.43
*1 tsp vanilla
*1/2 tsp baking powder
*1-2 tbsp oil

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 200C.
2. Mix all ingredients together except oil.
3. Add enough oil to get dough consistency.
4. Roll into balls, flatten on baking paper on baking tray.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Makes: About 16 cookies.

Total: $3.02 or $0.19 per cookie.

Note: When I used normal flour, they ended up fine, but with gf flour, they were hard on the bottom and gooey on top. Still delicious and this could be to do with my oven.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Jam Drops

2011-10-01T11:16:00.000+10:00

Photo by Mimi's Photography

Ingredients:
*1/2 cup Nuttelex $0.85
*1/3 cup raw sugar $0.08
*1 tsp vanilla
*1.25 cups Orgran plain flour $1.06
*1 tsp baking powder
*2 tsp soy milk^
*1/2 cup strawberry jam $0.76

^use rice/almond milk to make soy free

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. Mix all ingredients together except jam.
3. Roll into balls and flatten onto cookie tray.
4. Make dents in the cookies and spoon jam into them.
5. Bake 15-20 minutes.

Makes: 12 cookies

Total: $2.75, or $0.23 per cookie.

Variations: Try different types of jam.

Find out more about Vegan Month of Food.

Jam 'n' Beats

2011-09-29T23:31:00.001+10:00

Pretty excited about going to these markets!

There will be music, barefoot bowls, bongo playing, fire twirling... Lots of awesome stuff! Click on the picture for a bigger image :).

Creator Profile: Bakker Beyond

2011-09-29T10:23:00.001+10:00

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Katie Aakala Bakker. I'm 35, divorced and a mother of three. My middle name Aakala is an indigenous word for parrot, I love birds! I have 3 pink and grey galahs, an alexandrian parrot, a sun conure parrot, an australian ringneck parrot, lots of budgies and 2 weiros. They are my babies!

I live in the Chittering Valley in Western Australia on 10 acres, surrounded by bushland and native animals, no neighbours, no traffic, no rush!

What do you create?

I create fantasy, fey, realistic and strange creatures and sculptures, wearable art, and functional pieces using polymer clay.

How long have you been making things? What was the first thing you made?

Below is a photo of the first little Fairies I made. They are air dry clay, which I don't like to use! It's very brittle and I am way too impatient to wait for it to dry. I moved onto polymer clay after these.

I started using polymer clay in February of 2011 and I started the facebook page in April or May 2011, when my Mum and my daughter thought I should try to sell what I was making. It took off big time! I had so many orders and still do!

"Forest Floor"

The page continues to grow, the orders continue to keep coming in, but I have had to start refusing them. I really need time to continue gaining experience and creating whats in my imagination. I am an artist first and a business woman second. I want to continue to love what I am doing for a very long time :).

Where do you get your inspiration?

I love to create! This has been my year of knowing I can express myself through my arts and crafts. I use mostly polymer clay, wire and beading in my work. I am still very new to this and have a lot to learn. I create the things I like in my life; animals, nature, myth and fae. I love colour and love to use it! This started for me as an escape from my anxiety and depression; art therapy. I'm not cured but much happier, more centred and balanced.

How can people contact you?

I have a page on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/BakkerBeyond

Brooch Madness

2011-09-27T11:03:00.001+10:00

I'm glad that I finally started to make brooches, but it now seems that I have become addicted!

At last count, I had about 50 or so up for sale on Kommoner and I have about 90 or so brooch pins left with which to make some more... Factor in that they take 30-60 minutes each to make and that's a lot of time spent making brooches o_o.

I am glad though, as they are SO CUTE and a cheaper option for people who don't want plushies. It also finally gives me something to use all my scrap pieces of felt on!

What would you like to see in brooch form?

Vegan MoFo

2011-09-24T17:39:00.000+10:00

I recently found out about this cool little blog grouping (I have no idea what to call it!) that is aimed at getting people to blog for a month about vegan food - Vegan MoFo. It can be recipes, products, restaurant reviews or even anecdotes, it just has to be about vegan food.

I think that this is an awesome idea and I encourage other bloggers out there to sign up before the 28th of September in order to be a part.

I'm looking forward to sharing some new recipes with you, with some gluten free ones thrown in as well. For any gluten free folks out there, they are also hoping to put the blogs into categories to make it easier to find certain types of recipes. I'm really enjoying trying new recipes and getting feedback from people about them too!

Here are some recipes that I have already written about that you're welcome to try, modify and blog about yourself!

Blueberry Cupcakes

Carrot and Orange Cupcakes

Stir Fry

Burritos

Some More Samosas

2011-09-23T17:34:00.000+10:00

This has to be one of my favourite foods. I think it's just because pastry is so delicious though haha. Sometimes I eat them before the pastry is fully cooked too, oops >_>.

Ingredients:
*3 medium potatoes                                 $1.02
*~500g frozen broccoli and cauliflower $2.66
*2 tbsp mild curry powder
*~200g frozen peas and corn                   $1.18
*salt, pepper, chili, garlic powder
*1 tbsp Nuttelex or other vegan butter
*2 cubes Massell veggie stock                 $0.40
*3 sheets Pampas puff pastry                   $2.76

Method:
1. Put water on to boil with two cubes of stock in. Thinly slice the potato and add to pot.
2. Add brocolli and cauliflower and peas and corn to pot.
3. Preheat oven as per pastry instructions. Cut pastry into 4 squares/sheet. Prepare tray with alfoil.
4. When potato is cooked (breaks apart when stabbed with fork), take off the boil and drain.
5. Add butter, salt, pepper, chili, curry powder and garlic powder. Mash up furiously!
6. Spoon mix onto the pastry and fold the corners up. Place on tray.
7. Cook for as long as the pastry instructions demand you must.
8. Eat!

Makes: About 12

Total: $8.02 or $0.67 each.

Calories: 2696 or 225 each.

Protein: 80.5g or 6.7g each.

Leftover mash? Put it on a sandwich!

One Year Old!

2011-09-23T14:56:00.001+10:00

Today is Kommoner's first birthday! It sure has grown a lot bigger than I ever expected. Thank you to everyone who has supported me!

It started with me making plushies as a hobby in my spare time and now I use it to fundraise for charities and causes that I believe in (as well as pay for food hehe).

All in all, I have managed to raise nearly $2,500 for various charities over the course of this year, through auctions, bake sales and donating 10% of my sales.

I've sent out hundreds of Kommoner goods all over Australia and I am amazed at the fact that I've gotten over 1,000 fans on Facebook.

My hopes for the future? I hope that I can raise even more money over the coming year and continue to make enough for my Kiva loans and for a bit of extra food :). I also intend to share with you more amazing vegan recipes (with some raw and gluten free ones thrown in).

New projects for next year (hopefully): t-shirts with pro-vegan, anti-homophobia, etc slogans and images, garlands and cat ears. I hope that you stick around for the next year of Kommoner exploits!

Vegan Easy Challenge

2011-09-21T14:30:00.003+10:00

The Vegan Easy Challenge is a challenge to you to try vegan food for just 30 days. There are heaps of great recipes to try and lots of awesome prizes up for grabs.

Image taken from Vegan Easy Challenge on Facebook

If you've ever wanted to try experimenting in the kitchen, been interested in the idea of vegan food or you just like a challenge, definitely give it a go! I've been vegan for nearly two years now and it's really made me experiment more with my food. I've come to enjoy cooking and baking and trying out new recipes. Let me know if you try and how it goes! I'll be cheering you on!

For the Facebookers amongst you, there is a facebook event page that you can share with your friends and family here.

Ready, Spaghetti, Go!

2011-09-20T17:48:00.002+10:00

Ingredients:
*200g TVP                            $2.90
*2 cubes Massel beef stock $0.40
*~300g mushrooms, diced    $3.10
*1 carrot, diced                     $0.34
*1 zucchini, diced                 $0.84
*1 onion, diced                     $0.31 (on special)
*1 jar spaghetti sauce            $1.50 (on special)
*~200g pasta                         $0.36 (or $1.32 for gluten free pasta)

Method:
1. Prepare TVP as per directions.
2. Prepare some pasta as per directions.
3. Dice mushrooms and onions. Add to a pot with TVP, stock and spaghetti sauce.
4. Dice carrot and zucchini and add to pot with TVP.
5. Wait for it all to be cooked, then eat it (after it has cooled down a bit).

Total: $9.75 ($10.71 for gluten free). Or about $1.63 per serve (makes about 6 serves) ($1.79 per serve gf).

Create a Stir(fry)!

2011-09-19T19:33:00.000+10:00

Delicious stir fry! Something else that is versatile, easy and cheap! I didn't get to eat this one; my friend ate it all for dinner when he was over. Apparently it was delicious...

Ingredients:

*red capsicum $0.92 (on special)

*brocolli $1.01

*~300g mushrooms $3.10

*can sweet corn ends $1.27

*hokkien noodles $1.58 (or Chang's gluten free wok ready noodles $2.45)

*soy sauce

*sesame oil

*ginger, garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper

Method:

1. Prepare noodles as per directions.

2. Slice up mushrooms and capsicum, fry in some sesame oil, soy sauce and spices til the mushrooms are starting to shrivel up deliciously (or not, I'm not your boss!).

3. Add brocolli and sweet corn to heat them up.

4. Stir in noodles and serve!

Total (not gf): $7.88, or $2.62 per serve (makes 3 serves).

Total (gf): $8.75, or $2.92 per serve (makes 3 serves).

Other ideas: Add cashews for extra deliciousness. If you want to add some tofu, cube it and cook it first with the mushrooms so that it gets nice and brown and soaks up the flavours.

Whiskey Business

2011-09-14T20:24:00.000+10:00

Ingredients:
*3 cups biscuits^                                $1.89
*1/4 cup cocoa                                   $0.51
*1 cup walnuts, chopped/broken up $2.30
*1/2 cup whiskey/bourbon/rum $5.15
*1 cup icing sugar                              $0.30
*1/3 cup maple syrup      $0.42

^I used a packet of Nice biscuits (about 2.75 cups) this time but I've used McVities Digestive biscuits before.

Method:
1. Use a rolling pin to smash up the nuts and biscuits.
2. Mix nuts, biscuits, icing sugar and cocoa.
3. Add syrup and alcohol, mix well.
4. Refridgerate for about an hour to harden the mix
5. Roll into balls, roll in sugar/nuts/icing sugar/coconut.
6. Keep in the fridge, try not to eat all in one go.

Total: $10.57, or about 35c each, depending on how big you make them.

Kerbside Lane Market

2011-09-14T12:04:00.001+10:00

The Kerbside Lane Markets are held on the second sunday of the month. They're in an awesome little alleyway, hidden behind the best bar in the valley, Kerbside.

Kerbside is an awesome bar with old arm chairs and tables salvaged from the kerbside collection. The staff are amazing and friendly. I recommend heading there if ever you get a chance! Hopefully there'll be another Dr. Ink & Draw event coming up soon too!

The markets hidden behind the bar run from 1-6pm and sometimes there's a band or a solo artist to chill to. This week I barely remembered to take photos but here are some snapshots of Ink & Whim's creations, they were one of the donors for the Auction for Oxfam last month.

Carrot and Orange Cupcakes

2011-09-12T09:50:00.002+10:00

Ingredients:
*1.5 cups SR flour          $0.17
*1 cup raw sugar             $0.22
*1/2 tsp ginger
*1 tsp cinnamon
*1/4 tsp salt
*1 cup shredded carrot $0.34
*3/4 cup orange juice    $0.18
*1/3 cup oil                    $0.38
*1 tsp vanilla

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 190C
2. Mix all ingredients together.
3. Bake for 20-25 depending on your oven.

Total: $1.29, or about 10c/cupcake.

Optional: Try adding half a cup of raisins.

Kommoner

Chocolate Cake

Rio's Rat Rescue

Banana Cupcakes

Split Pea Dahl

Movie Review: END:CIV

Best Friends Rescue

Tips for Going Vegan

Potato Chips

Outreach

Spiced Chocolate Cookies

Creator Profile: Epheriell & *bespoke*

Fact Sheet: Honey

Vanilla Sponge Cake

Veg*n Charities

Chickpea and Potato Curry

Red Beans and Rice

Eggplant Steaks

Fact Sheet: Chicken Eggs

Movie Review: The Perfect Vagina

Charity: Rainforest Rescue

White Chocolate and Macadamia Cookies

Smoothie Muffins

Fact Sheet: Dairy Milk

Gingerbread Cookies

Children's Books

Raffle to Help the Philippines

"Egg" Salad

2011: The Year in Review

Movie Review: Food Matters

Christmas Gift Ideas

Potato and Corn Patties

Lentil Spaghetti

Movie Review: Meat the Truth

Banana Pudding

Fact Sheet: B12

Pasta Bake

Fact Sheet: Pigs

Charity: Bat Conservation & Rescue QLD Inc

November Wrap-Up

Zucchini Bread

Christmas Menu Ideas

Lentil Lasagne

Creator Profile: Cubies

Book Review: The Life You Can Save

Movie Review: Born Into Brothels

Potato and Gravy Casserole

Movie Review: The Dark Side of Chocolate

Book Review: No Impact Man

Fact Sheet: Iodine

Creator: Josh Rufford & Ruffbat Creative

Charity: Nothing But Nets

World Vegan Day Brisbane

Sausage Rolls

World Vegan Day and the 30 Day Vegan Easy Challenge

Liebster Blog Award

Lush Cosmetics

Book Review: Creating a World Without Poverty

November Brooch Giveaway

Halloween Goods

Farmer's Market

Movie Review: Earthlings

Six Simple Sexy Smoothies

Breaded Tofu

Charity Event - Kisschasy, Movie and Animals Australia

New Tattoo!

Stuffed Mushrooms

Pizza - Mushroom and Spinach

Eggplant and Tomato Casserole

Cauliflower & Tofu Curry

Restaurant - Vege Rama

Chocanana Muffins

World Egg (Free) Day

Fried Rice

Moving House

Strawberry Cupcakes

Roasted Chickpeas

Pancake Perfection

Animals Australia

Mushroom & TVP Pie

Creator Profile: Epheriell & bespoke