Filling in the blanks

Sorry I've been crap again with keeping up with the recipes. But to be honest I haven't come with with many new ones lately which is a little depressing. I am going to make a conscious effort to get in the kitchen more over the next few weeks but in the meantime I will post some old favourites.

We've made it through the year from hell. The city is slowly re-opening small bit by bit and water just stopped being chlorinated which is a huge step forward. Made it through my 3rd and final compulsory year of law. I feel like I'm over the hump now and things get easier now.

Also going on an exchange to Paris next year. Mmmmm french food!

In a month's time I am off to Kenya to help build an orphanage which is super exciting. On the way we will stop in Thailand and I hope to be able to visit a Thai cooking school and bring home some sweet tips. Kenyan cuisine looks really cool too so will try get some nifty recipes to bring home with me.

We've been fundraising heaps and have finally reached $6800 with the help of all our awesome supporters. Sending it away tomorrow will be a big milestone and I can start getting excited about our trip. 

We then fly straight back into Wellington for Camp A Low Hum which is back at Wainui this year.

And next week I'm off to Melbourne for the Meredith Music Festival which I've been attending (or its sister festival Golden Plains) for the last 5 years. Pretty exciting stuff lined up...

#thisisgonnabethebestsummerever!!!!!

Fun with icing

Here's some fun I've had with icing recently...

I made Fionn a cake a while ago for his birthday. The different colours were all different flavours...

I also made T'nealle a cake for her birthday and it matched the card I gave her which was made by one of the Kenyan orphans we are going to visit. Pretty cool huh?

Cake becomes art. Thinking of ideas for cool and creative Christmas cakes now (but not those gross fruit cakes!)

Tofurkey

This has got to be every vegan/ vegetarian's dream...

While this seems like something that The Simpsons would come up with I first came across a real life tofurkey at an Orphans Xmas in Melbourne a few years ago..

The local paper had run a Christmas dinner on a budget special and the tofurkey was the centre piece.

I still have a cutting of the article somewhere but have adapted and refined mine over the years...

Its a hit with both non-meat and meat eaters as long as you make sure the tofu has some serious flavour to it. Plus the novelty factor is always a bonus.

The 'Turkey'

700g firm tofu

2tbsp vege or fake chicken stock

lots of pepper and a bit of salt

The Stuffing

2 grated carrots

1grated courgette

1 finely chopped green pepper

1tbsp soy sauce

1tbsp oregano

1tsp cayenne pepper or other chilli powder

100g Cranberry sauce

1 cup cous cous

1 cup breadcrumbs

1/3 cup shelled walnuts

Marinade

100g cranberry sauce

2tbsp balsamic vinegar

1tbsp olive oil

3 sprigs rosemary

lots of cracked pepper

Method

1) Foodprocess the 'turkey' ingredients until a thick paste. Line a colander with cheese cloth or other thin fabric. Spread 2/3 of the mixture around the inside of the colander to make a 1inch thick lining.

Use a heavy glass bowl to keep the shape by placing it inside the colander. Just make sure it leave about a 1 inch gap of tofu between the colander and the bowl. Leave for minimum 2 hours to drain (I leave overnight for best results)

Drain the rest through cheese cloth and leave to the side for the wings later.

2) Fry up the veges and soysauce and herbs and spices until soft and aromatic. Add the cranberry sauce and then the cous cous and crumb. crush the walnuts into small pieces and add them too. Combine well.

3) Pour stuffing into the tofu line colander and press firmly.

4)Tip the colander onto a baking tray so that the whole body slips out and carefully peel away the fabric careful not too peel off any tofu. This is your turkey body.

5)Mould the body so one end is more narrow than the other and take some of the extra tofu and shape a neck. Then shape the legs and wings onto the body and use your fingers to smooth over the lines so it looks like one single object. (I find google image searching "roast Turkey" helps with this lol). Don't be disheartened if it doesn't quite look right, my first attempt looked like a turtle! In the end its the thought that counts

6)Using a pastry brush generously lather the marinade all over the turkey and place fresh sprigs of rosemary on it. Use about half the marinade.

7)Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for about 40 mins taking care to baste the tofurkey every 10 mins until the marinade is all used up.

Leave to stand for ten mins before eating!!

Easiest to cut it like a cake as taht way you get an even tofurkey to stuffing ratio. Best with some vegan gravy! (the instant brown onion one works a treat)