Vegan delights, developed in my kitchen

ingredients

• 2 tbls oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped finely
• 3 cloves garlic
• about 1 tspn ginger, grated
• about 1 tspn coriander, ground
• 1/2 small block of tofu, diced
• 1/2 eggplant, diced
• a good handful of finely chopped
• dried chinese mushrooms, soaked in boiling water for about ten minutes
• about 1 1/2 cups arborio (short grain) rice
• some bok choi, or any other green leafy vege, chopped
• 1 vege stock cube
• water to cover rice
• big splash light soy sauce or teriyaki
• big splash rice vinegar
• 2 sheets toasted seaweed (nori), torn into pieces roughly two inches square
• splash sesame oil
• 1 tsp miso paste
• big handful sesame seeds, toasted
• fresh coriander to garnish

instructions Heat oil in a large saucepan, high. Add onion, when translucent, add garlic, ginger, and ground coriander. Add tofu and eggplant, stirring until browned. Add rice and stir, covering with the oil already in pan. Add mushroom with soaking water, and top up with soy, rice vinegar, and extra water until well covered (water should come to about an inch above the food). Add bok choi (or substitute), and half of the nori. Cover and turn heat to low, stirring occasionally. When the rice grains are soft, stir until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add splash of sesame oil and miso paste, and rest of nori. Mix through with sesame seeds. Serve with garnish.

First the cake.

I sifted about 1 and a 1/2 cups of self-raising flour (that's plain flour with two tsp baking power per cup) with a tsp of baking soda (bicarb soda in Aus). In a blender I vitamised a whole orange (valencia, or similarly juicy) with about 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup oil, and a splash of rose water (could also use orange water, or even a tsp vanilla). I added this mixture to the flour mixture, with a splash of soy milk. Stir until just mixed, adding a little water if necessary. Bake in a greased cake tin in preheated oven (about 190 degrees C, which I think is 350 in US currency). About 40 mins, or when a skew inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Cool on rack.

While the cake is cooling, vitamise another orange with about 3/4 cup of sugar and some water (say 1/2 cup, but use your own judgement). heat to boiling point in a saucepan, stirring frequently. This is to make a jam like syrup, so you may like to add about 3/4 tsp pectin—or, just bypass this stage and just spread a good marmalade onto the cake.

When cake is coolish, coat with syrup. You may want to add strawberry slices like I did.

Stage 2:

melt some dark chocolate by double boiling (i.e., boil water over the stove in a saucepan, and sink into this a second smaller saucepan containing chocolate pieces. Make sure you don't get water into the chocolate).

When melted spread over cake. Again, add more strawberry pieces if you desire to do so. Voila!: Enjoy!

Ingredients (all measurements are approximate only - this is a fast and loose recipe)

• 1/2 cup pine nuts
• 1 red pepper, cut into quarters and roasted
• 1 corm of garlic (that's the whole bunch of cloves), roasted
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1-2 tbls miso paste
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• water, if needed

Instructions In a food processor, blend roasted pine nuts, red pepper, garlic, miso paste and yeast flakes to smooth paste. Whilst food processor is still going, drizzle in oil. Stop and check for desired consistency. If more liquid is required, drizzle in water until ready. Serve with raw vegetables or crackers.