March Picnic!

It's been a while since I have been involved in the CLF, mainly thanks to my job that doesn't allow for much weekend action. We did however, have a picnic the last Sunday just gone, and the food was absolutely amazing. Here are some photos of the action taken by the lovely Helen Genevere. Also, we raised $20 and put this towards stopping the shark cull currently happening in WA.

Savoury Rolls Recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups of pecan pieces (cos they're cheaper)
3 slices of bread, crusts removed (to make breadcrumbs)
1 onion
1 grated carrot
300g silken tofu
2 cups rolled oats
1 vegetable stock cube (or ‘Massell Beef-Style’ stock cube – vegan)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teapsoon or dried rosemary or thyme
3 tablespoons soy sauce
ground pepper, to taste
3-4 frozen puff pastry sheets (most are vegan, esp. Borg’s)
non-dairy milk (for brushing) & sesame seeds (optional)

Preheat oven to 200C. The easiest way to make these is with a food processor, but chopping is fine too. Start by whizzing up the pecan nuts until they’re in pieces, but not so fine that they're powdered. Tip into a large mixing bowl. Do likewise with the rolled oats (not too fine – alternatively, use quick oats & don’t process). Process the bread up to make breadcrumbs & add to bowl. Cut the onion into large chunks and chop using the food processor, until they look finely chopped & then add to mixing bowl (now containing pecans, oats, crumbs & onion). Finally whisk silken tofu - it doesn't have to be smooth. Add to the bowl, along with grated carrot, crumbled stock cube, garlic powder, soy sauce & pepper. Mix well.

Grease baking tray. Thaw out puff pastry & slice each sheet in half to make two rectangles. Spoon filling down the centre third of each pastry rectangle; lightly brush one edge with non-dairy milk and roll the pastry over the filling to meet up with the brushed edge. Press down firmly. Slice the roll into whatever sizes you desire (generally thirds is good) & place them on the baking tray. Make a couple of small diagonal slices in the top of each roll, brush with soy milk & sprinkle with sesame seeds if you choose. Repeat with remaining filling and pastry. Bake the savoury rolls for about 20 mins @ 200C, or until they're golden brown and flaky. Enjoy!! xox

Recipe here: http://mzglittersvegan.wordpress.com/2014/03/08/recipe-eggless-cinnamon-macarons-with-salted-caramel-buttercream/

Here is the recipe for the raw salted caramel slice.

The recipe is adapted from a cookbook called High Protein Vegan by Hilda Jorgensen, available at Everything Vegan.http://www.veganonline.com.au/books-dvds

Ingredients:
Base
1.5 cups of almonds.
a pinch of salt.
3/4 cup of dates.
1/3 cup coconut oil.

Process these all until they resemble bread crumbs and press into the bottom of a pan.

Caramel
About 2 cups of dates.
2-3 pinches of salt.
1/4 cup of coconut oil, liquified.
1/4 cup of almond butter.

Process the dates and salt in a food processor until it forms a ball. You may need a little water to help them soften. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until well combined. Press this mixture on to the base.

The chocolate:
1/4 cup of liquified coconut oil.
a pinch of salt.
1/2 a cup of cacao powder.
2-3 tablespoons of sweetener (I used xylitol).

Mix these all up in a bowl until well mixed. Pour over the caramel layer and use a spatula to even it out.

Place in the fridge to firm.

Cut and eat.