Pear, Rocket, Walnut and Blue Cheese Salad

Good morning all!

I've just got home from seeing Harry Potter and am still in a daze. David Yates - the director - has done incredibly well. Without giving anything away I can say that this film is much more sinister than the previous ones have been and was very true to the book. I'd even recommend those who aren't Harry Potter fans to go and see it, simply because even if you haven't seen the previous films you'll still enjoy the cinematography and the fantastic story line. 

 

Enough of that for the moment though and onto food!

Notice of Warning: The next few posts are going to be of recipes that have been made whilst I neglected the blog so they will not be vegan. Though of course you can make them such by omitting or replacing certain ingredients. 

Today’s post is on a pear, rocket, walnut and blue cheese salad I made back in winter - yes I know it's a long time ago for such a familiar meal but I think it's one of those comforting recipes you can have on stand by and whip together in a moments notice. For the vegans out there, while the blue cheese gives it a greater depth of flavor it is by no means essential, if you want to give the salad another dimension try brushing the pears with maple syrup and char grilling them. It should also be pointed out that I don’t like salads to be dressed so I often leave mine plain, however a walnut or blue cheese dressing would be prefect.

 

Ingredients:

1 nearly ripe pear

2 handfuls of rocket (I also added two leaves of romaine lettuce, and some spinach)

½ handful of walnuts

2 slivers of blue cheese, crumbled

few shavings of parmesan 

Method:

- Wash, dry and trim the salad leaves.

- Cut the pear in half lengthways and using an apple corer, melon scoop or teaspoon remove the core. Stand pear up again, pressing the two halves together and cut into eights to achieve segment-like pieces. If char grilling the pear heat the pan on a medium-high heat and with a pastry brush lightly cover the pears in maple syrup, once pan is hot transfer pears to the heat and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes on either side. You only want them to caramelize and slightly burnish, if you think the pan is too hot them immediately turn it down.

- Roughly chop the walnuts and crumble cheese. Finally, toss everything together and transfer everything to a serving bowl and garnish with the parmesan.

Question: Have you read all the Harry Potter or seen the films … or both? If so what was your favourite? Have you been disappointed by any of the films?

My favourite book was the Deathly Hallows simply because it made you think and anticipate what was coming more so than the previous ones did. The same applies to the film, which definitely stands out from the others more strongly. 

It's about time!

Well well well, where to begin? My last post was back in July and I'm torn between starting all over again and simply continuing on here.

During this three month absence a great deal has happened. The weather is warming up again and we can almost taste summer, which means BBQs, Christmas, New Year, the beach, long walks with friends, cycling, running (hopefully) and a new seasons produce! I've also finished first year university, had my 19th birthday, tried out a handful of new restaurants in Melbourne, discovered a zillion new foodie blogs which have ultimately lead to the biggest change of all which is my turning vegan(ish).  

Why? I hear you cry in surprise and alarm. Firstly, I’m not going to be terribly strict about this, it’s more a general eradication of dairy, eggs etc from my diet as they make me feel somewhat sluggish. Secondly, I’ve unknowingly been vegetarian for two months and I can’t say I hugely miss meat. As this isn’t a motivated by morals I shan't hold back on ordering something with fish or a meal containing a dairy product when at a restaurant, life’s too short to deprive yourself of something you want plus I’m doubtful that it will make me feel too lethargic if it’s only every not and then. Finally, for months now I’ve been taking even more of an interest in the food I eat and I want to know exactly how it’s prepared and what’s going into it so there’s a greater emphasis on ‘clean eating’ and on sourcing as much as possible locally. Now I promise you, being vegan does not limit my meals in anyway, if anything it’s enhancing my food knowledge and gently encouraging me to experiment more in the kitchen. It’s far from the stereotype of tofu and lentils. 

So without further ado let me introduce you to Katie, she’s prompted - in part - this change thanks to her delicious recipes. Before I began reading her blog about 7 months ago I hadn’t given much though towards vegan food. So thank you Katie for opening my eyes and introducing me to another area of foodie goodness! 

I decided that my contribution to ‘Hug a Vegan’ would be to make Angela’s variation of Katie’s ‘Hot Chocolate Butter Melties’ which I've further altered to turn them into maple truffles.

Ingredients:

30 g coconut oil/butter

20g cocoa powder, extra for dusting

1/8 cup agave (I used maple syrup) the amount is optional but this is a good starting point

Method:

- Melt your coconut oil in the microwave or a water bath then whisk in maple syrup.

- Add the cocoa and stir until thickened.

- Place in ice cube trays, chocolate moulds or whatever else takes your fancy and set in the fridge (10 minutes) or freezer (5 minutes). Personally I like mine frozen as they’re more chewy. If you want to make them into truffles as I’ve done then simply chill the mixture in the freezer for 5 minutes then roll a teaspoon of the mixture in your hands, place back in the freezer for 5 minutes then roll in the extra cocoa.

Muesli Bars

I was doing the supermarket shopping with mum on the weekend and I decided to try the healthiest looking muesli bars I could find. Having decided (by looking at the packaging - incidentally, bad idea) I proceeded to wander the aisles reading the nutritional information. I was staggered to see that a simple muesli bar that had not been roasted, had no chocolate added and the packaging of which boasted various health claims could be so packed full of sugar and trans fats. They were rather expensive so mum and I decided to put them back and make our own. 

And here they are!

These bars were wonderful, nice and chewy, easy to make and very adaptable. The original recipe came from Australia Food which I found through Taste Spotting but (as always) I’ve altered the recipe to suit what I’ve got. Do you see the theme developing here? I sure do!

We’ll start with the down side, these didn’t set quite hard enough to enjoy if you were on the run. I had to lift them carefully out of the tray an even then they could crumble. To prevent this from happening I put them in the fridge and all was well. Next time I make them (and believe me there will be and next time, and probably and next and a next ...) anyway, next time I’ll be using a smaller tray so that they’re thicker and hopefully they’ll stick together. Secondly, I’ll experiment with the butter levels as I found these ones too buttery. Though it did give a depth of flavour I found it too much and it somewhat detracted from the healthy image I had in mind. 

Now onto the positives, there’s a lot. The bars were delicious!! They were inexpensive to make, can be altered as you wish and didn’t take long to prepare or set. The bars were sweet (but not sickeningly so), chewy and looked stunning. You can make them healthier by changing the fruit, for example instead of using dried fruit which can high in sugar you could use fresh fruit and dehydrate them yourself. Try cutting some apple, pear, apricot, nectarine, plum, cherries, fig or any other fruit that’s in season and drying them in an oven or in a dehydrator. The combinations are only limited by your green grocer ;)

I wonder how a little passionfruit would would go with nectarine for a summer one ... Anyway before I fall into a dreamlike state I need to finish this :D

Ingredients:

1 cup rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1/4 cup poppy seeds

1/2 cup walnuts

1/4 cup currents

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup sultanas

1/4 of flax seeds

100g butter 

1/2 cup honey
1/8 cup brown sugar
* If you wanted to make these vegan simply substitute coconut butter and maple syrup for the honey.

Method:
- Line square or rectangular baking tin with grease proof paper. Set aside.


- Combine oats, coconut, sesame seeds, poppy seeds in a fry pan over low heat. Stir every few minutes for 8 minutes or until golden. Be careful not to burn the mixture. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Stir in the fruit and flax seeds.


- In a small sauce pan stir the butter, honey and sugar over a medium heat until the sugar has melted. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, without stirring, for 4-5 minutes. Add butter mixture to dry ingredients. Stir well until combined.


- Spoon the mixture into the tin. Use a large metal spoon to press the mixture down firmly and evenly. This must be firmly compacted otherwise bars will fall apart when being held. I put a layer of grease proof paper over the top of the semi compacted mixture, then placed a heavy book on top and used that to smooth out the contents. 


Allow to cool and then cut into squares or rectangles. The bars can be stored in a foil-lined airtight container for up to a week.