Coles Simply Gluten Free Quinoa Range

This is a nice little range that Coles have put out for those who have an allergy or intolerance to gluten.

I was a bit wary at first, however, as to whether these products were suitable for vegans, as there was no indication as to the type of emulsifier used. Some are plant derived, some animal.

I ended up emailing Coles and they stated:

Upon receipt of your correspondence, we were in contact with our National Quality Team. They have advised that this is vegetable based emulsifier. We do not use the animal source in our products.



Great news!
There are three varieties available - the plain quinoa, the Moroccan style brown rice and quinoa , and the Mexican style brown rice and quiona, which is my favourite, as it has quite a bit of 'kick' to it. NOTE: the Moroccan contains milk so avoid that one!

They are easy to use - just heat up in a microwave - so they are good to take to work for lunch. I like to heat and then add to some raw vegetables.
These are also very handy when travelling, as they do not need refrigeration.

You can find them in Coles supermarkets, in their very own 'Simply Gluten Free' section.

Sanitarium Vegie Delights Chilli Non Carne and Chickpea Masala Curry

Naturally, home made curry and chilli tastes the best, but for those days when you come home from work and are too tired to cook, I have found steaming some rice and adding a can of one of these, does the trick. Best if you heat before you add but I have been known to eat them unheated and they taste fine.

Both are vegan and gluten free, and are available from the health foods section of Woolworths supermarkets. My partner likes the Chilli one but I find it a bit too hot and spicy, so I prefer the Curry, which although is spicy, isn't overly strong.

Like I said, it is good of steamed rice, but I have know to throw it on some soft rice noodles. On toast is another good option.

gopicnic Ready-to-eat-meals

These are little boxes of vegan and gluten free yum that my partner and I like to take with us when we are out walking for the day, in a park, the bush, whatever, and don't feel like having to pack a picnic's worth of food AND carry it with us as we walk. With this box of treats, we can just stop every now and then and have a 'course'. Best of all, nothing needs to be refrigerated.

There are usually 5 items in each pack, basically consisting of a type of cracker, dip, trail mix, fruity snack and dessert. One pack per person is the way to go but we share, as these little beauties are a bit pricey.

According to their website, there are several vegan varieties to choose from, however, we have only seen and tried 3 of them: the Sunbutter and crackers, the Hummus and crackers, and the Black bean dip and plantain chips.

The only place we have seen these being sold is the Victoria Park Loving Hut cafe. If you spot these anywhere else in Perth, please let me know!

Bodhis Wheat Free Pizza Bases

I discovered these gluten free pizza bases at the Coles Gluten Free Expo this year and gave them a go, after confirming that they were also vegan.
In the past, I had trouble finding a gluten free base that didn't also have 'milk solids' listed in its ingredients.
The only ones I could find were the Simply Wize ones, which although are good, are rather small in size.
The Bodhis ones are larger, have nicer texture and flavour to them. Hands down the best gluten free vegan pizza bases I have tasted so far.
Good news is, they are not only available in some health food shops, but also in Coles supermarkets, in the bread section. Their shelf life isn't all that long, so make sure that when you buy them, you plan to use them soon.
A pack, which contains 2 bases, costs around $5-6.

Recipe: Creamy Potato Soup

I have really been using my slow cooker, lately, thanks to "The Vegan Slow Cooker" by Kathy Hester. This is another recipe I lifted from her cookbook. This is good on its own or you can use it as a base for other creamy soups, adding broccoli, spinach or carrots.

What you will need:
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled and cut into medium sized cubes.
1 clove garlic (optional)
2 cups water
2 tbsp chicken flavoured vegan bouillon (I use Massel brand, available in supermarkets
1 sprig fresh rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup soy milk ( I use Bonsoy, as it is not sweet. Available in supermarkets)

Method:
Combine potatoes, garlic (if using), water, bouillon, rosemary, salt and pepper in the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Add the soy milk. Remove rosemary sprig.
Puree the soup with a hand held immersion blender.
You can serve topped with shredded vegan cheddar cheese, if you like.

Recipe: Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Another slow cooker recipe from "The Vegan Slow Cooker" by Kathy Hester. This one is  a thick, creamy soup, and very easy to make.

What you will need for the Sour Cream:
1 1/2 cups raw cashews OR equal amount of silken tofu (This is the super soft kind)
1 cup water
juice of half a lemon


Method for the Sour Cream:
Combine the ingredients in a blender and puree until fairly smooth.

What you will need for the soup:
2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
1 medium sized onion, minced (optional)
Approx. 600g mushrooms, chopped
4 cups water
1/2 tbsp vegan chicken flavoured bouillon ( Massel are a good brand. Available in supermarkets.)
Juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp paprika

Method for the soup:
If using onion, saute in a pan, over a medium heat, using the olive oil. 3-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to brown and give off their liquid, 8-10 minutes.
Combine the sauteed vegetables, water, bouillon, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and paprika in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Add the sour cream and sir to combine. Serve.

Recipe: Cheezy Squares

I am not one of those people who can just make up delicious concoctions as I go. I kinda need a recipe to follow. But I have a friend (hi Ramona!) who is good at experimenting and she is the one who came up with these. We were going to a quiz night and she brought these along. They were DELICIOUS and not all that hard to do. They are also quite open to interpretation - you can pretty much use your imagination as to what toppings you want to use.
They are best eaten while still warm but they taste fine cold, too.

What you will need:

Sheets of frozen puff pastry. (We used Pampas, which is free of animal ingredients, but just check ingredients list for other brands. There IS gluten free puff pasty available to buy and use but I have found that it just does not puff properly so I use the regular kind.)

Toppings of your choice - sliced black olives, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, asparagus, broccoli etc.

Small amount of soy milk for brushing.

Cheezy sauce - this is a stock standard white sauce recipe off the back of a cornflour packet, with a sprinkling of nutmeg, salt and nutritional yeast added, to taste.

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
While the pastry sheets are still frozen, score with a knife, crossways to make 4 squares to a sheet. Snap the sheets and place on a baking tray.
When they are slightly more thawed, score them again about 1cm from each edge, along all four sides of each square.
Arrange your toppings on the inside of the scored lines and then top with a dollop of cheezy sauce.
Glaze the edges of the tarts with soy milk, using a pastry brush.
Pop into the oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the exposed pastry edges have browned nicely.

Leave to stand for a few minutes before serving, as it helps to firm up the sauce a bit.