Coffee Triumph Cake with Poached Pears

Why triumph cake? Cause this recipe actually worked...although perhaps coffee procrastination cake is more appropriate as I really should be studying for my exams right about now. This was one of those occasions where you just kind of throw things together and hope for the best, and against all odds, it totally works. This cake is moist, spongy and super yummy! This makes a big cake, for a layer cake halve the mixture into two tins or halve the recipe for a smaller loaf tin. I cooked in a 30cm round spring form tin.

Coffee cake

What you'll need;

1 cup soy milk

1 tbsp vinegar

2/3 cup vegetable oil

3 heaped tsp instant coffee

2 tsp vanilla essence

4 cups self raising flour
1 cup sugar (yes its a lot)
2 tsp baking soda (bicarb)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius.
Mix soy milk and vinegar together and sit for a minute or two till it curdles, add  few tsp full of hot water to your instant coffee to dissolve and add along with all other wet ingredients to the milk mixture.

In a separate bowl mix dry ingredients until combined then add to wet mixture and beat well until there are no lumps. Place mix in a greased cake tin and bake for 45 -50 minutes or until centre is cooked.

Icing

Half tub of tofutti cream cheese
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp instant coffee dissolved in water
1/2 cup icing sugar

Mix all ingredients until well combined and refrigerate until cake is ready to be iced. When cake is cool ice and place poached pears on top

Poached Pears

I got these awesome little mini pears the other day cause woolies had a fill a bag for $2 trolley full of (in my opinion) perfectly fine fruit and vegetables. You could do it with large pears, just serve them on the side.

6 mini pears - peeled
2 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp orange marmalade
4 strands saffron
2 tsp all spice
2tsp cinnamon (or one cinnamon stick)
2 tsp whole cloves

Put all ingredients in a small heavy bottomed saucepan and cook over a very low heat until pears are soft, may take 10 -15 minutes.


When cooked remove pears from the poaching water and reduce it over a high heat for a further 2-3 minutes. Brush some of this liquid over the cake while still hot. Cut pears in half and place on or around cake once iced. Enjoy Xx

Creamy Mushroom and Broccoli Pasta

Yay Pasta!
I hope that didn't sound forced...generally when I make 'pasta' sauce, I leave out the pasta and eat it on bread...partly cause I'm obsessed with bread and partly cause thats the way I roll.
But this is good, even for a self admitted pasta avoider.

What you'll need:
2 cups pasta, any kind I used the tricoloured swirls
1 small onion finely diced
1 cup sliced button mushrooms
1 cup sliced broccoli florets
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/4 cup white wine
2 heaped tbsp tofutti cream cheese
1/2 cup soy milk
1 tbsp freshly chopped chives
1 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
salt and pepper to taste
nuttelex for frying

Put your pasta on to cook.
You can use olive oil for this but I think nuttelex gives the mushrooms a nice flavour,
Melt a tbsp nuttelex in a hot fry pan and add onion, cook for 2-3 minutes until transparent stirring regularly. Add mushrooms and garlic and fry for another minute or two, add broccoli and wine and leave to simmer.
Place cream cheese, milk, herbs and some salt and pepper into a jug and whisk until well combined (heating will help this process microwave for 30 seconds or so) add this mixture to your fry pan and mix thoroughly. Cook for a further 5 -7 minutes or until broccoli is cooked to your liking.
If sauce starts to get to thick just add a small amount of water, don't worry if you add too much, it will evaporate off.
Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to sauce and mix through. Sprinkle with some more fresh parsley and some cracked pepper and enjoy Xx

Punkrock chickpea gravy and beer battered chips

WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF CHICKPEA GRAVY? 
No seriously, why? I can't even begin to describe how super awesome it really is! I have a burnt tongue to prove it, it's straight-out-of-a-pan-with-a-spoon-without-bothering-to-wait-until-its-cool-enough tasty.


While I am ecstatic to now be able to eat this whenever I want, I am also a little sad as I really didn't need another excuse to binge on carbs. I'm a carbo-holic.
The original recipe is from Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, which I don't own....so I accessed it here http://www.food.com/recipe/punkrock-chickpea-gravy-304633 


Now I only realised after I started making this that the ingredients I didn't have were pretty close to the number of ingredients I did so...I had no mustard seeds, so I just used 2 tbsp of mild american mustard, no lemons, so I used half a lime, I also only had smoked paprika and no nutritional yeast or coriander...oh and I used fresh thyme and rosemary...but even with all these changes it was still super tasty, so when I actually get my hands on the real ingredients I'm sure it'll knock my frilly socks off.


As I was shovelling spoonfuls of gravy into my mouth, I realised that it was a little sad, so I needed something for it to accompany, it being 1 pm on a monday means its time for beer so.. Beer battered chips were the obvious choice!


You'll need;


2 - 4 washed potatoes with the skins on
1 bottle cold beer (I used Tooheys Extra Dry)
2 cups plain flour
2 tsp paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for deep frying


Put your oil on to heat


Cut your potatoes into long strips


Pre-steam or boil potatoes until they're just turning soft, and I mean just, you still want them slightly firm (Approx 7 minutes)


Meanwhile mix flour and paprika together, whisk through beer until a light fluffy batter forms.


Dip potato pieces in batter until well coated and fry in batches until golden brown, drain on kitchen paper and serve with chickpea gravy! 
Enjoy Xx

Roast Pumpkin Soup

Hooray! It's soup weather! The best damn weather you could ask for...productivity is low but desire to eat soup is oh so high!


What you'll need;
1 medium sized butternut pumpkin peeled and chopped
2 carrots peeled and chopped
1/2 sweet potato peeled and chopped
1 large onion finely diced
4 cloves garlic
fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups vegetable stock


Preheat oven to 180 degrees, placed chopped pumpkin, carrots and sweet potato into a roasting tray cover in olive oil and some salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes or until veggies and soft and beginning to brown. After 15 minutes have elapsed throw whole un-peeled garlic cloves into the tray as well.


Once your veggies are cooked fry your onion in a soup pot with a little olive oil, once translucent add your roast veggies. Squeeze garlic out of the skins, it should be nice and soft, and add to the pot.
Add fresh thyme, about 2-3 teaspoons should do.


Add your 8 cups of stock and bring to the boil, allow soup to simmer with the lid on for 15 minutes, after this time mash/process the mixture till it is smooth, allow to cook for another 10 minutes with the lid off, or until desired consistency has been reached. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve with some fresh crusty bread!


I like my soup nice and chunky so I just mash with a potato masher till there are no large chunks. This dish can be made without pre roasting the vegetables but it is just so much sweeter and has a greater depth of flavour if you pre-roast them. but if you are short on time just throw them all in the soup pot and let them cook for about 30 minutes or until soft.
Enjoy Xx