On a roll, or should that be a muffin...

I felt the urge to make muffins this morning. Mainly because I had some stewed fruit and didn't know what I was going to do with it
:) So as I lay half asleep I conjured in my head a batch of rhubarb apple and custard muffins...mmm...The challenge being to make them vegan. So I made a mix for basic muffins, added soy milk, oil and fruit in place of the milk butter and eggs, plopped some custard (also soy milk) in the middle and hey presto...They probably needed a tad more sugar, but they taste just fine otherwise :)

choc oaty treats

I love baking, and I am reasonably successful at most things I try. My only problem is I have children who prefer the dough to the end product! So the big people are left to eat it all...Until now... Now I have found the perfect compromise. It is from Leah Leneman's Easy Vegan Cooking, and it is called Oaty Chocolate Treats. I actually thought they were biscuits when I started making them the first time, and I got half way through before I realised they were not baked. They are a kinda fudgy sauce mixed with oats, fruit and nuts. But best of all everyone loves them in my house (for now anyway....) . I like them because they remind me of chocolate krispie cakes I used to make with my aunty Fofa :) (I guess you can use the same base recipe to make a vegan version of this old fave)

The vegans might be onto something....

I was just reading over at Nikki's blog about her vegan leanings. The more you learn about the impact we have on the planet the more you realise that the vegans are onto something. One quote I read lately, which all those who are trying to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle should think about, (but can't seem to remember exactly where I read it!) was ...A Meateater on a Bicycle leaves a bigger carbon footprint than a Vegan in a Hummer. For the run down see easygreenatlanta.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_arch...

Our family have already chosen to be vegetarian, and it is difficult even for us to take it a step further. Well, not all of us...as my 5 year old announced a few weeks ago she has decided not to drink cows milk anymore. On questioning her reasons she told us that if all the people drink the cow's milk there won't be any left for the baby cows (I just about cried!). But the reality is that our current version of agriculture, in NZ anyway, creates more CO2 than our oil consumption! And aswell as that often pollutes our waterways and promotes the use of chemicals and hormones. Not to mention limiting the lifespan of the animals, and there are cruelty issues also. It is something to think about...

Realistically our family could survive on what we grow in our garden, if we plan well. That said we would have trouble with grains as space is an issue when your useable section is only about 890m2. Perhaps we could grow lots of buckwheat and corn? Or throw in a patch of wheat in our front yard if push came to shove. Like Nikki we can't have a cow or a goat, so dairy is out, but we have room for more chooks if we wanted to continue eating eggs. As they say, for evey problem there is a solution :)

Books and birds

It has been a little while since my last post, but you get that really. I have been busy painting our lounge and 'master' bedroom ,and the weather has been fairly miserable, so I haven't been all that motivated to do much...until yesterday. Yesterday I had a burst of creativity and I finished a doll I was reworking. I shall be finishing the little jersey I am knitting tonight, and then I will have three dolls to hand over for the school fair (which happens at the end of the year...).

I also just received one of the cookbooks I ordered few weeks ago. I have been vegetarian for more years than I haven't, but lately I have been trying to incorporate more vegan meals into our lives. So I ordered myself a copy of Vive Le Vegan in the hope I will be more inspired. It is one of those books often blogged about, and I am keen to work my way through a few recipes(particularly the cookies...my lord they sound so good). The other book I am still waiting for is Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World...the name sounds impressive enough, and the pics I have seen on various blogs look divine, so I cannot wait to get hold of a copy! I am a bit behind the times as I found it hard to get way over here...and that is saying something since I actually look after the Books page for the local daily paper and know most of the publishers who distribute here...but it is on its way now and I am excited :)

The garden is looking a little sad. My last cauliflowers were ruined in the rain we have been having (I am not god with waste...). The weeds are growing better than they should aswell. I need to get out there and do a good few hours of weeding (between frosts and rainstorms). The birds are happy though, as I have left a few apples on the tree for them all to enjoy. I love watching them all dancing about the tree, especially the Wax Eyes. They are like little green sparrows with white rings around their eyes. My camera is out of juice so I found this pic to show how cute they are :)Right... Best be off to clean up as my mother will be down for the day tomorrow....