Friday, 2 November 2018

What's in my kitchen, November 2018

Forgive me readers, for I have been a bad blogger. I have nothing to say except that life is what happens when I'm trying to keep a bunch of balls in the air. I tend to be quite the perfectionist. If I can't do something well, then I like to not do it at all instead of putting in a half arsed effort. So blogging slips while I do my paid job, and while I do the thankless (but necessary) unpaid tasks that go along with raising a family. We have been busy at chez Fork. There have been birthdays and school events, there have been hospital visits (not me, but all is fine now!) and lots of follow up appointments to make sure that everything heals as it should (seems to be ok). There has been lots of family catch ups, lots of friends catch ups, and plenty of my usual baking adventures.
If this month seems a bit heavy on the processed foods, well, it is. For some reason, vegan food products have become much more prevalent in the supermarkets. It's easier than ever to walk down an aisle and find vegan products centre stage, not just pushed into a little hidden corner. And I have this thing where, if I see a vegan product that looks decently appealing, I need to buy it, because I feel like if I don't support them, they might stop making it and that would make me sad. So! Lots of (new-to-me) prepackaged things this month, although it does make my little eco-conscious heart sad too.

First of all, while not strictly in my kitchen, it was on my plate and it was delicious, so I can't resist sharing this amazing vegan from Todd and Pup. It's not on their new menu (sad face) but it was a tofu benedict liberally topped with a spiced cauliflower hollandaise sauce. It was delicious, filling and looked beautiful on my plate. I hadn't ever thought to make a vegan hollandaise before, but I can see that it would be appealing in a whole host of meals.
While I was with my in-laws at Costco, I spied this big tub of vegan cheddar cheese style slices. My eyes lit up with thoughts of melty burgers and toasted sandwiches. I had to have it. Sadly, it's very disappointing. It doesn't melt. It has an odd texture. It tastes weird... maybe too much coconut or something. However, I paid I think $15.99 for this 625g of sliced cheese approximation, and I will make it my mission to finish it because I hate waste - physical and economic. Its not too bad if I hide it in things and don't make it the feature of a meal. Buried in a sandwich with homemade pesto for extra flavour, or layered into a lasagna or under the potato of a lentil shepherd pie... well, then it's not so bad. Won't buy again.
One thing I can recommend is this Coles coconut spread. I've repurchased it several times now and I like it. There was another brand that brought out something similar at the same time, and it was almost double the price. I couldn't justify that, and this Coles version is good. I've had it on toast, in sandwiches and it also is good in baking. I had to send some dairy, nut, soy and egg free cakes to daycare for my kids birthdays (so many allergies in classes these days) and I used this spread instead of butter or Nuttelex. I made vegan cakes although neither of my children are vegan, but it was just easier to cater for the class allergies. They were a hit. Also, the spread is amazing.
As you can tell, I've done lots of broswing in the cold foods sections lately. Possibly because the weather has been extremely warm. Those fridges are awfully tempting. Sheese! I've heard lots of good things about it, so when I spied some, it was in my trolley quick smart! I'd tried the Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese before and didn't really rate it so I was slower to open this tub than I was to buy it. I shouldn't have been. As far as cream cheese alternatives go, this one was pretty good. I had it on fresh baked sourdough english muffins, sprinkled with some of my precious and adored Everything But The Bagel seasoning (on that, please come to Australia Trader Joes so I can have a regular source!). So good. I also tried it with some of the Ikea seaweed balls I'd shared on a previous IMK. Good Sheese.
For a sweet treat - coconut milk chocolate mousse. Thank goodness these come in small containers because otherwise I'd eat my own body weight I think. Spread out over several desserts so I didn't feel greedy eating it all in one sitting, and served simply with some fresh berries, my sweet loving tastebuds were happy. Winner!
We had some friends over for dinner one night. I really wanted to feel included on the cheese board Mr Fork put together, so I found this tomato and basil vegan cheese to put on for me. Served alongside crackers, quince paste, pears and the other cheeses, I was a happy girl. While the cheese was ok it was definitely an obvious cheese substitute. It retained it's shape and while it had cheese intentions, it didn't quite make it. Regardless, it was nice on crackers and topped with sweet things. I can't remember how much it was exactly, but for the occasional treat if a cheeseboard is happening, I'd repurchase it.
I was also going to include Halloween goodies in my post, but funnily enough, the pickings looked quite sparse when I went to photograph them. I see my children have also inherited my sweet tooth! Christmas things are out in the stores and the year seems to have gone by all too quickly. Soon I'll need to start the Christmas baking. Lucky I don't make fruitcakes otherwise I can see myself sharing the liquor quite well with the cake! Then again... who needs the excuse of cake?! Happy November!

I am linking this into the monthly In My Kitchen round-up, hosted by Sherry of Sherry's Pickings. What's happening in your kitchen this month?

 I've had real trouble getting this post to format correctly and be viewable this month. Please just let me know if it looks or behaves oddly for you so I can (attempt) to fix things!

13 comments:

  1. ooh we have been to todd and pup a couple of times. great food and service. very happy to see you doing an IMK post:) I can only see one photo in your post though. the rest are blank. thanks so much for joining in even if your post has given you trouble. i'm not a huge cheese fan so i think vegan cheese would not suit me at all.... cheers sherry

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    1. Thanks Sherry! I love that there are so many quirky dining places in the suburbs these days. I've had another look at the images, so hopefully my tweaks worked... thanks for letting me know :)

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  2. Your vegan experiments are interesting, though I think I'm pretty solidly committed to dairy cheese. Sad that you don't have Trader Joe's. Last night when I looked at your blog I saw no photos (the message was "gone") but now I do see them on a different computer. So I don't know if you still have a problem.

    best... mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Mae. Yes, sadly there aren't a lot of good swaps for vegan cheese and most of it fails to mimic the meltiness and flavour. Good chance to experiment though!

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  3. I enjoyed reading your honest opinion of these products, we all need some instant fixes from time to time. I am not vegan but have been vegetarian for 40 years. I often toy with the idea of taking the next logical step, but find that a lot of Vegan food is too fabricated. However, that coconut spread sounds intriguing and will check out the packet info. The pics on your blog all look good, so the problem must be fixed.

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    1. I think the vegan thing just sort of happened. I'm not a fond of fabricated foods but they're ok now and then. Cheese is one of the things I miss though. Lovely toasted sandwiches are pretty hard to beat on the snack front!

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  4. I've seen that cheese at Costco and was wondering if it was any good - thanks for the heads up! Did you also try their shredded Mozzarella alternative? I love Nakula Harvest coconut yogurt - I can't believe they have a chocolate mousse and I've never seen it before! Must make a trip to the store tomorrow. Have you thought of making your own "cheese" for the cheese board using the vegan cream sheese? You can mix it with your own flavorings and then mold it into a cheese ball. I've done that with regular cream cheese before but haven't tried it with a vegan alternative. Happy November! =)

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    1. I haven't tried the mozzarella shreds... I'm not sure if I'm keen to try though given I didn't appreciate the slices. I'd be keen to read some reviews of other people's thoughts though. The nakula yogurt is amazing... it's why I reached for the mousse with very little hesitation! I hope you like it too :)

      I love the idea of making a vegan cream cheese ball. That's amazing. I think it would be a great addition! Thanks for the idea :)

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  5. All looks good to me re formatting - and delicious re the food - well up and down with the vegan cheeses but isn't that the way. I have been annoyed about vegan processed cheeses being all coconut oil and this has stopped me trying some I might otherwise. I am sure I had some sheese years ago that I did not like so have always been a bit wary of it so glad to hear some good stuff about it. I am interested to hear why the coconut spread is better than nuttalex. Hope the run up to Christmas is not too crazy but sounds like life is pretty busy for you even without festivities!

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  6. Thanks for the format confirmation Johanna. Nuttalex had just started tasting a little weird to me lately. I don't know if maybe it was a slight recipe tweak or maybe my tastebuds changing, but it stopped being as tasty and I felt like it wasn't really adding anything flavour wise to things I was spreading it on. The coconut spread has a very slight coconut flavour, but I like that so it doesn't bother me. It is in a smaller container, but I can live with that.

    My vegan cheese experiments continue, but I have bookmarked your cashew cream cheese to make very soon - I've been reading your adventures with it avidly!!

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  7. When I look at the calendar, this month will fly by and it will be Christmas before we know it. That faux benidict looks amazing!

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  8. Lisa, thanks for your candid reviews about your vegan finds. Trusted friends' opinions matter greatly In My Kitchen! (Especially when I have to avoid gluten and dairy, hopefully without sacrificing taste and "mouthfeel.") Boo for un-melty cheese though! Believe it or not, I've run into a few of those in the "dairy" variety! The cauliflower hollandaise sauce sounds fantastic... let me know if you ever make your own adaptation. I haven't had hollandaise for years!

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  9. P.S. You have NOT been a bad blogger. "Life" happens! Take care, xo.

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