Vegan Mofo Day 8 Epic Fail Turned Inspiration - Carrot bread rolls

Today's mofo prompt is to use our own flops from the past to improve! 
Well that could be a general life lesson really and not just applicable to cooking!!!!

I have always wanted to be able to bake bread well but never really known how and so I have been on a mission the last few years to work out how to make nice homemade bread that is 100% wholemeal and oil free, of course. I am noticing that more oil free options are slowly becoming available when it comes to bread and bread products in the stores, but sadly even when they are 'wholemeal' the % of wholemeal flour used is usually pitifully low. So I have experimented quite a bit the last few years and feel reasonably confident in my bread-making abilities now after many ~many~ flops!!!
And whilst I don't eat flour myself anymore, my family love it when they get fresh homemade bread. 

100% Wholemeal Carrot Bread Rolls

Makes 8 rolls

                              You'll need:
                                      600g wholemeal bakers flour
                                      2 teaspoons yeast
                                      1 teaspoon bread improver
                                      450ml warm water
                                      2 medium carrots

Directions:

Shred the carrots using either a grater or food processor. In a large mixing bowl place all the ingredients together and mix until well combined. Once everyting is mixed in, transfer the dough to a lightly floured tray and knead for 10 mins til elastic. Return the dough to your mixing bowl and let dough rise for an hour in a warm place. I recommend heating your oven on low while you are kneading, and then turning it off and putting the dough in there.
Once risen, split into 8 portions and roll each portion into a bun shape.
Evenly space your rolls on a baking tray and bake at 180°C for about 25 mins until golden brown and cooked through. 

Super light and fluffy rolls with a bit of crunch from the carrot 

and no unnecessary ingredients!

Question of the day:

What kitchen flops have you had in the past? 

Is there anything you want to learn how to cook better?

Banana Choc Pudding

Just because sometimes we all need a little sweet treat in our lives....

Banana-Choc Pudding

You'll need:
400g loaf of wholemeal bread (I used half an unsliced 800g loaf)
400ml lite coconut cream
1 1/2 cups soymilk
2 Tablespoons egg replacer
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 overripe bananas
100g dark chocolate (I used Lindt 70%)

In a large bowl, mix together the coconut cream, soymilk, egg replacer, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
Tear the bread into bite-size pieces and place in the bowl of the cream/milk mixture. Press down gently to encourage the bread to soak up the liquid. 

Mash the bananas in another bowl. Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe dish on 50% power. Once completely melted stir chocolate through the mashed bananas. 
Using a lined 20cm round cake tin, pour half the saoked bread into the bottom of the tin and press down gently.

Pour the banana/chocolate mixture over the top and then pour the remainder of the bread mixture on top and make sure it completely covers the banana/chocolate.

Place in a preheated 180C oven for 40 minutes.
Allow to cool before turning out onto a plate. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Slice and serve.

Events we don't plan!

 

This morning I had wonderful intentions of baking a banana sultana loaf......
I had even written out a recipe that I thought would work and was busting to try it.....
All my best intentions for today were laid aside when we had a incident in our family that meant we spent all day at the hospital..... yes alllllllllllllllllllllll day.

I can't decide what's more tiring... emotional exhaustion or physical exhaustion.

I was devastated by the thought of not being able to do a 'baking' post today, and then when my hubby made dinner & put it in front of me I grinned from ear to ear!....
Although he had made us all a 'quick & easy' dinner, it also included a baked item!!!!!!!!! :D
How could I NOT post that! lol

So today's baking post is not something I baked, but something that was baked for me.....

Look at those lovely pieces of Lebanese bread that he baked!

We often cut slices of Lebanese bread & bake them.
They only take about 10 minutes to come out wonderfully golden & crunchy.
I love how they make a nice crusty addition to meals :-)

Lebanese bread works great as a pizza base too! It also works great as 'fold-overs' toasted in a sandwich press. It also makes a great snack to use for dipping into hummus and other spreads or dips.

So, I do have every intention of sharing with you my banana sultana loaf tomorrow..... but let's just see what the day brings!!!

Roasted Vegetable Roll

 

 

We all know how great baked veggies can be :-)

They seem to be the perfect accompaniment for all kinds of meals.

However, I really don't like it when the veggies are smoothered with oil. Not only is it not good for your health, but why destroy the natural taste of the vegetables?!?

Here's another way to have them that our family totally enjoy and I hope yours will too!

Place chopped veggies of choice on a lined baking tray.

Sprinkle with paprika and sage.

Bake in a preheated 200C oven for 40minutes, until tender & cooked through.

Serve in a bread roll with hummus and salad leaves.

Comfort food plus!

Great weekend cooking- when the smell of roast veggies will warm the home all morning, fill the stomach at lunch, and leave you perfectly satisfied all afternoon! 

Butter-less Garlic Bread

I love garlic bread. 
But I don't buy it. 
I don't even buy the vegan-versions that are available.
Too fatty.
I don't make garlic bread at home using dairy-free spreads either....
But I do make garlic bread.....
Because I've come up with a way to make it fat free!
And it tastes just as good :-) 

You'll need bread in whatever form you choose to use! 
I love using a nice big unsliced loaf that is a few days old.

Use about a 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic per slice and spread it evenly round the slice.

 Then pour a tablespoon of soymilk on top of each slice over the minced garlic.

 Place in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until crusty and lightly browned.

(Time will vary depending on the bread you choose to use.)

 Yummy tasty garlic bread without fat :-)

Submitted for Healthy Vegan Friday.
You can add your recipe at these blogs:
carrie on vegan                    veggie nook                    greenthickies  

Potato Waffles

BEST ALTERNATIVE TO HOT CHIPS EVER!!!

These are so easy to make.  They don't take long and they can be served in so many ways.
Enjoy by itself, with tomato sauce, in a bread roll (who doesn't love a hot chip roll!!!???) served with salad, as a side or use them as a 'sandwich' to mix and match your veggies between 2 waffle potatoes!




Place potatoes in the microwave for 10 minutes with enough water to cover them completely. Drain the water and make sure the skin is dry.




Place a potato in a preheated waffle iron.


 






Press the lid til completely closed. The potato will squash down.

Heat for approx 4-6 minutes per potato.
You can press more than one potato at a time if you like. This will depend on the size potatoes you choose. 

Do not lift the lid if you think the potato is going to stick, it means it's not cooked enough yet. This will pull the potato apart. If in doubt, wait a bit longer! 

They will just get more crispy!

Bread Bean Pies

Do you find that at this time of year you need super easy dinners?
WAIT - I need super easy dinners all year round ;-)

This quick & easy meal idea can be served by itself, or with any side you like. 

They also make great lunchbox items(with a lid) or a filling snack.

You will need a pie-maker! I picked one up for less than $15 a few years back & its just been a really handy item to have in the kitchen! To be honest I don't often use it for pastry pies(other than for my husband) but its amazing the amount of other uses it has too!
If you don't wish to use a pie-maker this idea would also work in a ramekin & baked in the oven!

 
All you need to do is use the bottom cutter & roughly cut out a piece of bread (old bread works well too!). 


Line the pie dish with the bread & pour in baked beans in any flavour you desire!

Close the lid & in 7 minutes you'll have yummy as bread-bean pies :-)

I like these without a lid, but you can put a bread lid on too if you want!

Want something other than baked beans? 
Try some of these recipes as fillings too:
   --> Spiced chick peas
   --> Lentil bolognese
   --> Bean bolognese
   --> Carrots, peas & corn bean stew
   --> Silverbeet & sweet potato stew
   

Week 6 Unprocessed

A collection of my meals & kitchen experiments from week 6 unprocessed..... well, mostly unprocessed to be totally honest! Did you read my confession??
 
Just over halfway through now and just 4 weeks til I end this challenge. So I'm going to aim for a completely unprocessed week again coming up!

Soaked oats with strawberries and my nut-seed milo

Bulgar pilaf - recipe from the FOK cookbook.

Berry green smoothie

 Banana cake made from recipe in FOK cookbook

Sometimes we just need a big full plate to fill us up! This is water fried potato slices, with okara burgers (I added tofu too), polenta Crumbed Mushrooms and steamed veggies.

 Peanutty Noodles

Oats with blueberry 'yogurt'.

Steamed zucchini with home-made tomato sauce, herbs and nutritional yeast.

Mashed potato with adzuki beans & mushroom gravy.

Oats with banana and 'cherry and cocoa yogurt'. Hmmmmm, not as nice as I thought, will stick to my blueberry yogurt I think!

Pineapple-prune cake

Spelt spaghetti, mushrooms, capsicum & onion with home-made tomato sauce.

On the weekend I attempted home-made bread for the first time! Currant and cinnamon loaf. Was soooooooo delicious! I love the smell of fresh bread filling the home as it bakes!

Please ignor my awkward kneading face :-S

Leaving the dough to rise.

Seriously - is there anything as good as fresh crusty bread?!?

Fudgey Slice

To advent or not to advent is the question??

You see, technically my unprocessed challenge doesn't end til 16th December.....

What would you do?