Another Update

Hello starshines,

As you may have noticed, I haven't been on here for the past week or so, but that's not by choice! My phone decided to die, and since it was my only form of camera I had, I couldn't take any pictures to accompany the recipes. (which is a shame because I made vegan doughnuts, sushi, girl scout cookies and hambagu for my birthday!) :(

Hopefully I will be getting a new phone in the next couple of weeks and be able to start posting again.

Until then, you can check out my deviant art if you're bored.
Yeah, I know it's not food related.
But still. :P

xoxo.
Moonlight

Mini Vegan Pizza Pies

how did my foot get in this picture? :/

Pizza pies, ah, is there anything better?

Well, to be perfectly frank, yes.

Mini Pizza Pies! :D

(Although they look rather gargantuan in the picture, I assure you, they're mini).

Just the idea of a pizza pie brings me back to that one summer I was living with my housemate and her (now ex) boyfriend, and how all we used to do was sleep all day and eat pizza pies at night.

Well... I guess we did other things to like play video games, watch movies, and groan like zombies when we were plastered to the floor from the brutal heat...

 

But mostly, I remember the pizza pies flowing in abundance. 

It was a good life. It was a fat life. 

But these pizza pies are different!

They're not loaded with lots of bad fats and they're just as delicious as "normal" ones, which, in my opinion, makes these the superior pizza pies! ;)

And, of course, they're vegan! :P

Mini Vegan Pizza Pies

Ingredients 

• 1 medium sized onion
• 300g of Tempeh 
• 1 tablespoon of Vegan Butter
• 2 cans of Diced Tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon of Tomato Paste
• 2 cloves of Garlic
• 2 teaspoons of Soy Sauce
• 2 teaspoons of Salt
• 2 teaspoons of Nutritional Yeast Flakes
• 2 teaspoons of dried Oregano 
• 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder 
• 1 tablespoon of Rice Bran Oil
• Simple Vegan Pastry
• Thick 'n' Creamy Vegan "Cheese" Sauce

Note: If you have olives, then feel free to add olives to the tempeh mixture. I completely forgot to, lol. 

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 180C (356 Fahrenheit).

Dice the onion and garlic and add it to a pan on a medium heat with the tablespoon of rice bran oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to sweat and lightly brown on some parts.

Next, dice up the tempeh into small cubes. Alternatively, you can steam or boil the tempeh for 10-15 minutes and then mush it together with a fork (or potato masher) so it become more of a "mince" consistency, but I quite like them as chunks so that's what I did. :)

Add this to the pan with the onion and garlic and cook for a further 3-5 minutes.

As the tempeh is cooking you want to then roll out your pastry until it's about 1/2 centimeter thick. What I do then is cut it into squares and then place the squares of pastry into muffin molds. I cut around the edges, once they're in the molds, so that they become circular. 

ha, ha, I'm so messy with these kind of things. :P
You can spend more time making them neater, if that's your thing. :)

I put the newly formed pie pastry into the oven for 10 minutes to partially cook.

While the pie bases are cooking in the oven, add the rest of the ingredients (except the "cheese sauce") to the pan, and cook while the pastry is cooking. 

After it has been 10 minutes, take the pie bases out. Now's the fun part (well, apart from the eating them part). 

Fill each pie with about a spoonful of the tempeh mixture, and on top of this put about half a spoonful of the "cheese" mixture. Then put the tray back in the oven for a further 15 minutes.

Pop them out of the muffin tray and eat them a your leisure. The hardest part will be trying not to eat them all at once, trust me. :) 

Makes: 18-24

 xo.

Moonlight

Birthday Plans & Vegan Food

So, it's my birthday next week, and I'm making plans of what to do and eat.

It will be the first birthday I've had where I've been vegan, so it will be interesting. :P

I'm thinking of a picnic with some friends at the botanic gardens.
With something like vegan sushi.

Pretend we are vegan !:3

Maybe.
Hmmm.
And some sweets too! You can't have a birthday without sweets! ^_^

Anywho, I will be updating with more recipes today! And possibly a review on a vegan ice cream product.

If you have any suggestions of food I should make on my birthday, please let me know, I'm open to all ideas. :D

xo.
Moonlight

Hearty Minestrone Stew

Soups and stews are underrated, at least I think so.

Usually, they're associated with a defeated groan, sigh and then acceptance, "Okkkayyy... fine..."
But it doesn't need to be this way! Because soups and stews are awesome! And in the colder seasons (like it's trying to be right now where I live), it's like a comforting hug in your belly.

This recipe is the kind of meal that takes lots of love and care to make... in other words, it's not a meal of moments...

But it is easy, and most of the time it takes to make, well, you're not actually slaving over it, so really, it's little time on your behalf. :P

Note: If you have a slowcooker, you can use that instead of a large pot. Alas, I do not own one, so I used just a regular pot.

Hearty Minestrone Stew

Ingredients

• 25g Red Kidney Beans
• 25g White Beans (I used Cannellini)
• 1/2 Brown Onion
• 1 Celery Stalk
• 1/2 Carrot
• 1 Clove of Garlic 
• 1 medium sized Potato 
• 1/2 can of diced Tomatoes 
• 1 tablespoon of Tomato Paste
• 1 tablespoon of Vegan Butter
• 2 teaspoons of Vegan "Chicken" stock
• 1 teaspoon of Vegetable Stock 
• 1 teaspoon of Celery Salt
• 1 teaspoon of dried Thyme 
• 1 teaspoon of dried Rosemary
• Pepper, to taste
• A small handful of Parsley
• 1 3/4 Filtered Water 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 100 minutes  

Other: Gluten-Free 

If you're using canned beans, then you can skip this part, but as I use dried beans I first fill a small-medium saucepan with water, bring to the boil, add salt, then add the beans. I usually cook dried beans (which haven't been previously soaked), for 80 minutes, which works well for this recipe. 

Once the beans are boiling away on a medium heat, with a lid covering half the saucepan, you can then fill a large saucepan with 1 1/2 cups of filtered water. Add the stock to this and bring to the boil. As this is gaining heat you can chop the vegetables into bite sized pieces. 

When the stock has come to a boil, add the onion and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes on a medium heat so it can release its delicious sweetness to the stock. 

Next, add the other vegetables.

Now, add the tomato paste and vegan butter, and mix together. (The vegan butter is important to take away any acidic taste the tomatoes might give the stew).

Add the canned tomatoes, dried herbs, celery salt and pepper to the stew. 

After mixing together, leave the stew to cook with the lid on for 40 minutes. Once 40 minutes has been check the stew (and beans if you're cooking them from dried), and stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the saucepan. 

Cook for a further 40 minutes.

After that time has passed, drain the beans and add to the stew. At this point you may also need to add a further 1/4 cup of water if you think the strew doesn't have enough liquid. 

Cook the stew, with the lid off (so it will thicken), for a further 20 minutes.

Chop the parsley, serve the stew into a bowl, then sprinkle the parsley on top.

Voilà!

xo.

Moonlight

Simple Vegan Pastry

Hi there, my little sugar kittens, today I'm going to share a quick recipe - vegan pastry!
You can make this with only a few ingredients and use it for things like pies (savory) and quiche, or just about anything you would use a savory pastry for.

Okay, let's begin, shall we?

Simple Vegan Pastry 

Ingredients 

• 2 1/2 cups of plain Wholemeal Flour (or you could use white flour)
• 2 teaspoons of Sugar
• 2 teaspoons of Salt
• 130g of Vegan Butter (I use Nuttelex) 
• 1/2 cup of cold, filtered Water

Put the dry ingredients together in a mixing bowl, then add the butter (I half melt mine before putting it in).

Mix it together, then add the water gradually, until you have a sticky, yet elastic dough. You may need more or less water, just use your best judgement. 

When you've got it to the texture that you want it, take it out of the mixing bowl and place it onto a lightly floured surface, then knead the mixture until it firms slightly.

Note: Don't knead for too long otherwise it will become tough and rubbery when you cook it. 

Keep in an airtight container in the fridge, for up to a week, or up to 6 months in the freezer.

Things to do with your pastry:

Mini Vegan Pizza Pies 

xo.

Moonlight. 

Just A Little Update

The lights in my kitchen blew the other night, so I couldn't take the pictures I wanted for the creamy, tomato pasta dish I had made.

Ah, shame. T_T

I do have pictures from other meals which I took that day, so I shall be updating with them instead (at some point today).

I will also go over the recipes I have posted and try to update them based on how long they took to make, the serving and type (e.g. Gluten Free).

Hope your day is filled with joy.

xo.

Moonlight

Thick 'n' Creamy Vegan "Cheese" Sauce

When you mention going vegan to people, a lot of the time their first reaction is to think of all those creamy dishes which they wouldn't be able to have if they went vegan too.

Visions of satin-like ice cream, luscious, creamy cheeses, and chocolate - oh god! Don't take my chocolate! - pass through their mind.

These realisations usually follow with a form of weeping. Not necessarily crying (on the outside at least), but there's no mistaking the heartache in their voice.

When I first told my housemate I was going vegan I distinctly remember her crying out, as if to curse the heavens, and rambling nonsensical things about never having ice cream and cheese ever again.  

That was until I told her that you can still have those things!

And the good news is, that not only do they taste great but they're a whole lot healthier for you!

Oh, yeah! 

So, here's a recipe that will change the minds of almost any non-vegan.

Thick 'n' Creamy Vegan "Cheese" Sauce

Ingredients 

• 3 1/2 cups of Cashews (preferably organic)
• 300g Silken Tofu 
• 1 tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon of Rice Bran Oil (vegetable or canola would work too)
• 2 1/2 teaspoons of Salt
• 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder
• 2 teaspoons of Garlic Powder
• 2 teaspoons of Mustard Powder 
• 3 Tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast Flakes 
• 2 Cups of Water (preferably filtered)

First you will need to soak the cashews for 6 hours (or overnight). Once they have been soaked for that amount of time you then boil them for 10-20 minutes (time will vary depending on if you have a powerful blender or not. More powerful=less time boiling. I boiled mine for 20 minutes because the blender I use is pretty weak). 

Let them cool for 10-15 minutes before putting them into a blender.

Once cooled, place into a blender with 1 cup of water, and blend until it is mostly blended. It can still be chunky, that's fine. :)

Depending on the type of blender you have, you may need to stop throughout blending to scrape down the sides, or turn the mixture so that it blends properly. 

Now, you can add the tofu and begin to blend again. Stop every so often to gradually add another cup of water, and blend until almost smooth. 

Lastly, add the remaining ingredients to the mixture and blend again until it is smooth. The smoother you want it the longer you will need to blend it. I only blended mine for a few minutes, so it's not as smooth as it could be, but I like it this way. :)

After blending, taste the mixture to make sure it's to your liking. You may find that you want it "cheesier", or saltier etc. If that's the case just add more of those ingredients to the mixture and blend once more so they're properly combined. 

Now simply pour the mixture into a large, airtight container. You can keep this for up to a week in the fridge. :)

Hope you likey, likey! ^_^ 

Things to do with your vegan "cheese" sauce:

Mini Vegan Pizza Pies

xo.

Moonlight 

Things To Do With Your Vegan Chocolate #2: Comforting Hot Chocolate

If you're looking for another way to use your Healthier Vegan Chocolate, then look no further!

Just make a simple hot chocolate with it.

Easy, right?

You'll need just three things:

• Milk
• Chocolate
• Mug

;)

Measure the milk in your mug of choice, then place it in a saucepan with the chocolate (I used 40g) and stir until combined. 

You can sprinkle a little cacao powder on top too, if you like.

Now, sit back and enjoy your vegan hot chocolate.

xo.

Moonlight.

Things To Do With Your Vegan Chocolate #1: Coconut Ice Cream Sundae

While eating chocolate by itself is amazing, it can never hurt to make it even better!

If you made the Healthier Vegan Chocolate from my previous post, and you're wondering what to do with all 46 pieces of chocolate, then why not have a sundae with rich, hot, chocolate fudge sauce? 

Yay, sundae time!

What could be better, right?

You'll only need a few ingredients!

• Your Ice Cream of choice
• 25g of Coconut Milk Powder
• A handful of Pistachios
• Vegan Chocolate (amount will vary depending on how much fudge sauce you want, I used 50g. If you use less, then you want to use less of the coconut powder too).   

Just like how you made the chocolate, place a metal mixing bowl over gently simmering water, add the chocolate, let it melt, then add the coconut powder. Mix well, and let simmer for 2 minutes so that the ingredients combine properly (otherwise it may be grainy, and you want it to be velvety smooth). If it gets too thick, or looks chunky, just add a little almond milk (or milk of choice), so it becomes thinner and smooth.

Place the pistachios in a sandwich bad, and then beat them with a rolling pin, or other had object until they're crushed to your liking.

Assemble sundae how you want it. :)

Enjoy!

xo.

Moonlight.

Healthier Vegan Chocolate!

Chocolate.

Is there any better place to start a vegan food blog?

Not in my world!

Chocolate has always been my favourite thing. I mean, what's not to like? 

It's dreamy, creamy, and euphoric, like you could be whisked away on a cloud carried by angels after the first bite. 

And now you can have the healthier option for those moments when sudden mood swings strike, when you want to have a guilt-free treat, or when you simply need chocolate to keep the fabrics of the universe from unraveling. 

You know, we've all been there. 

This recipe is a vegan adaption of a recipe my friend gave me.

Hope you enjoy!

Easy Vegan Chocolate

Ingredients 

• 1 cup of Coconut Oil
• 1/2 cup Vegan Butter (I use Nuttelex, or you could simply use another 1/2 cup of Coconut Oil)
• 1/3 cup of Avage 
• 1/2 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract 
• A pinch of Salt
• 1/2 cup of Cacao Powder 

Bring a saucepan of water to a light simmer (you don't want the heat to be too high or it might burn the mixture), and place a large metal mixing bowl over the top. 

Add the coconut oil, vegan butter & agave to the bowl, and mix until it is melted.

Coconut Oil, Nuttelex and Agave being mixed together :)

Add the salt and vanilla, and mix until combined. Now you can add the cacao powder and mix until smooth. 

Now you'll need either chocolate molds, or a container/tin. You will need to use baking paper, if you're not using molds, so that the mixture doesn't stick. 

I used these cute heart and animal molds, tee-hee! ^_^

Spoon the mixture into the molds, and don't worry if you spill, I sure know I did! :P

Note: As you're spooning the mixture into the molds, be sure to stir the mixture in the bowl before ladling each spoonful, otherwise the chocolate mixture will separate and cause some of the chocolates to set this way (as I learned with my first batch). If this happens though, don't worry, they're still edible and delicious, they just won't look as nice as the ones which set properly :) 

Put the chocolate into the fridge for 4-6 hours (or overnight if preferred), or if you want a super-speedy option, put them into the freezer and they should be ready within an hour (depending on your freezer).

I made 46 chocolates from this recipes. 

Needless to say, my chocolate cravings will be satisfied for a while. Well, at least a day or two. :P Maybe.

I hope you enjoyed this recipe!

If you have any questions, or you would like to tell me how you went making these, then send me an email at, moonlight.shimmer.goldenage@gmail.com

I'd love to see how you went! ^_^

Note:
If you're looking for a few ways to use this chocolate, other than just eating it straight (and there's nothing wrong with that, believe me! :P) then here's a few ideas for you:

 Coconut Ice Cream Sundae with Hot Vegan Chocolate Fudge Sauce 

Comforting Vegan Hot Chocolate 

xo.

Moonlight.