coconut pancakes with tahini cream

Lately we have been having sleepy weekends with coffee in bed and late breakfasts that turn into lunches. On one of these weekends I got inspired to make pancakes. Since we were lounging around flicking through travel books, planning and daydreaming about future holidays I decided to make tropical inspired pancakes.

I used a mix of fruit that was just what we had in the house (who would leave to get any before they have had coffee or breakfast? not me). We used a mix of strawberries, bananas, red papaya and mango. Feel free to use any fruit you have for these pancakes. I can imagine them with cooked apple pieces or lots of berries play around with whatever you have.

berry cashew "cheese cake" (raw)

This is just a quick one today. We had a family BBQ for the Australia Day long weekend and I made this cake to take along. It comes together in about fifteen minutes with another hour in the freezer to set. Perfect for times when you want a no fuss treat that will please a crowd including many non vegans. 

white chocolate crumble (raw)

Ok so this doesn't actually contain any white chocolate but when you taste the crumble mix close your eyes and think of white chocolate. Amazing. White chocolate and berries isn't a new combination and I am not the first person to make a raw crumble but they are both things that have been on my mind for some time and they come together to make a lighter and healthy take on the much loved fruit crumble.

Australia Day (vego style)

 Australia day (January 26th) means so many things to different people. Some people don't see it as anything other than a day off work. Some people find the idea of the day (also known as "invasion day" in Australia) really offensive. For me it has always been about listening to the Hottest 100 on Triple J and catching up with friends for a BBQ and a swim. This year I want to have a quiet BBQ and head down to the beach in the afternoon. I'm thinking of cooking up a tasty vego spread for some lucky people, whoever they may be, I haven't worked that bit out yet! 

For those of you who celebrate (or commiserate) Australia Day with a BBQ I have put together a few ideas for you to get your taste buds going... 

thai style green papaya salad

Have you ever tried a green papaya or green mango salad? it is one of my favorite things to order from a Thai restaurant but I had never thought to make my own. Since we are planning a trip to Thailand in a couple of months I am getting exciting about all the delicious food that awaits us. This dish was made on a hot night a few weeks ago while we were day dreaming of lying on a tropical beach.... not long now and we can't wait! For those of you who don't have a tropical holiday in your near future, make yourself a green papaya salad, sip on coconut water, maybe head to your local beach and pretend for an evening.

You most likely wont find a green papaya in your local supermarket so you will need to head to Chinatown or somewhere like that. You want one that is nice and firm and bright in colour. Serve as a main meal or a side to cold rolls. Relax and close your eyes and pretend you are on an amazing holiday. Enjoy. 

BBQ tofu and mango cold rolls

This last week has been hot. The cool change has now hit but it the temperatures were really up there for a while. It was really hot last Friday and I decided to go to the central markets and stock up on Asian inspired food for the week. Something I love about Australia is the multicultural food. I love walking around the markets and going to the Chinese supermarket, the Middle Eastern grocer and so many more. This week I was craving cold dinners which were quick to make, the logical conclusion? cold rolls! 
Every summer we go through a cold roll phase. They are delicious and so easy and you can take them in so many (non traditional) directions. This week I bought a big mango, some raw peanuts and tofu to put in along with the rice noodles and herbs. And they were delicious. Give them a try, even if you don't normally like cold rolls, there is nothing like freshly made cold rolls on a hot night. Perfect. 

mexican black bean burgers

One of my new year resolutions this year was to start cooking meals by looking at what we have to use up before heading to the shops to buy more things.  That is how these Mexican style "burgers" came about.  I felt like Mexican but we didn't have any premade tortillas and we were out of flour to make any. But we did have polenta, corn and left over brown rice. 

I think calling this Mexican is most likely a bit of a stretch. Really it is a smokey burger on some salty fried polenta with some fresh salsa to lighten it up. Don't be put off by the three parts, each part of the dish comes together very quickly. I went from staring in the fridge to sitting down to eat these in under an hour and the left overs made a delicious lunch the next day. 

raw lime tart and HAPPY NEW YEAR

Happy New Year!  To celebrate the new year I wanted to share my new favorite dessert with you. After spending the last month celebrating and eating lots of decadent and delicious food it was time to get back to normal. Does this mean giving up sweet treats and living on carrot sticks? No way! I am a BIG fan of something sweet especially if I know it is adding nutrition to my diet not taking it away. Enter my favorite ingredient for desserts.... avocados. 
I know a lot of people might be turned off by this idea but trust me. Avocados are a fruit that has featured in a lot of Asian desserts for years and years but us westerners tend to limit our avocados to the savory section. There is nothing wrong with avocados in your Mexican or smashed on toast but why limit them when they can be so much more? I equally love my avocado turned into chocolate mousse or in this case a fresh and fruity lime tart. Yum.