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Actual goodbye

... But not from blogging!

Okay, so you'll all recall that I was told not to food blog any more. Recently I visited her and, seeing how well I've been doing, this was revised. So, cautiously, I'm going to re-start, and if any bad comes of it, it'll be buh-bye food bloggies for good this time.

So where does the "actual goodbye" part come into this, if I'm going to start food blogging again, you ask?

Well, you may or may not recall that I wanted to move to WordPress but had no clue how to do so. With a little persistence I've finally (kinda, sorta) figured the place out, so I will be blogging from there from now on. At the moment it's set on private because I'm still setting a few things up, but keep checking back - I may have a post up later today!

www.bellpeppergirl.wordpress.com

^ Clicky clicky.

Ciao bellas, see you on the WordPress side!
- Liz

New directions: vegan shoes

Hola, bloggies!

So assuming you've all read my last post, I won't be needing to explain why 1) I've been absent from the blogsphere for a few weeks, and 2) this post will not be food-centric.

I've been faced with quite a dilemma, in fact - what to blog about now? Surely I couldn't just ramble, I'm positive my life's not interesting enough to warrant that. What about my veggie garden aspirations, you ask? Well, those plans haven't quite unfolded as of yet. I am decidedly lacking in seeds to plant and haven't had the chance to buy any yet (I'm adamant that my seeds my organic, therefore limiting the places I can actually buy seeds from). Hopefully this situation will be remedied come Saturday, which happens to be a Super Saver Saturday at my local Mrs. Flannery's aka. Super Happy Funtimes. I don't know if I can quite express how much I love Super Saver Saturdays, but I sure don't love typing all that out. Let's call them Supahs? Kay.

Anyway, back to the issue at hand! So if I couldn't blog about my lack of veggie garden... what did that leave? I still wanted to keep this blog vegan focused, though I'm sure I could blog about a whole host of other things. Passing ideas have included books, my room makeover (currently in progress), movies... and then it hit me. Vegan fashion!

So, I bring you the first of what I am positive will be many posts about vegan clothes, accessories, and - for today specifically - shoes:

Aren't they heavenly? I have to admit, I am a complete and utter sucker for ridiculously tall heels. Especially if they're super pretty (and that goes double if they're pink). I guess I'm just a total girly-girl at heart... but how can anyone resist THIS?!

Gratuitous detail shot, anyone?

And, best part: they're vegan! Proofs:

...if you can read that. Anyway! Review time!

London Rebel Pink Heels Review
Obviously these are some seriously attractive shoes. Lovely platforms on the ball of the foot and sky-high heels that are juuuust the right thickness - not clunky, but not like a stick either - with a gorgeous vibrant colour and cute little cut-out deets plus an adorable ankle strap to hold them firmly in place. I was so smitten with these that I wore them out to the city the other day to meet up with my friend (who was actually the one who talked me into another pair of shoes I didn't need with me when I bought them). As soon as I left the house to walk to the train station, I knew I was going to regret my choice of footwear. Not only are these shoes a major challenge to walk in without falling over/rolling your ankle/plodding along looking like a total idiot (ALL of which I did), they're not exactly painless. By the end of the day my feet were covered in sores (the ankle strap actually CUT IN to my feet!) and sore as hell. I was very thankful indeed that my meeting with my friend was short - not that I don't love spending time with her, but godDAMN, as I was walking around trying desperately not to DIE I was cursing the day I spent a surprisingly low amount of cashola on The Shoes, cursing my stupidity for deciding to put fashion before comfort, and wondering why in HELL anyone EVER wore heels at all... and then we'd walk past a reflective surface and I'd catch a glimpse of The Shoes. Oh. That's why.


Aesthetics: 9/10
Comfort: 2/10
Price: 9/10
Versatility: 6/10

Aesthetics score for obvi reasons, same goes for comfort (given a 2 and not a 1 because I did manage to walk around for about an hour and a half with them on, without killing myself - god I hope they just need to be broken in!), price was very very good as they were originally $60 but they were 50%, heck yes! And versatility is a little so-so because the actual style of the shoe is pretty neutral, but the outrageous colour means they won't go with everything.

Be sure to check out shoes by London Rebel. I can't vouch for 100% veganness, but they're not especially expensive or high-brow shoes (yet are absolutely gorgeous - can you tell I LOVE this brand?!) so I wouldn't think many of their designs are leather, if any at all.

Next up; seeds for the veggie garden!

- VS

So long, farewell...

*Sigh*

Literally on the SAME day that I've just posted about how often I'll be able to post now, I had an appointment with my dietician/psychologist and this is the awful, horrid and downright depressing sentence she has passed down to me:

Don't food blog until you're much further down the recovery track. Also, limit your reading of food blogs and read cookbooks only under supervision for limited amounts of time.

Seriously? This is going to suuuuuuuck. Big time. I mean, of course I understand why - it's about taking my mind off of food 24/7. But food blogging has always been such a POSITIVE for me! It's seriously actually HELPED me so much this far. Le sigh. I guess there's nothing I can do.

The good news: I *can* continue to blog. Just not about making food. I am, however, permitted to write about GROWING food! With all this newfound time to myself i've decided to make a little project of making a veggie garden. So, I'll be blogging about that from now on, as well as any other vegan-related, or just Liz-related topics. I want this blog to reflect who I am as a whole person, if it can't be a food blog for a while. Don't worry though - I'll start posting about food at some point again! I'll let you know when it looks like the day I can resume food bloggery is nigh.

Anyway, I'm considering moving to wordpress, but this is what's stopping me: I cannot for the life of me figure the damned thing out! Anyone have any tips?

Thank you so much, everyone, for all your lovely comments and sincere compliments - on my food, photos, writing, or just plain old me! I can't tell you how much it's meant to me to be a part of such a kind, funny and supportive community! But please don't all assume me a lost cause just cos I can't blog about food anymore - I wanna be kept in the loop! Let me know about meetups, care package swaps, new recipes you think I'd like, anything to do with oatmeal/dried fruit/larabars, you know the drill. Even though I'll be reading less of your blogs, I'll still comment from time to time!

Once again, thank you all. The next time I post, it'll be about my garden! Any seedling ideas?

xx
- VS

Freedom

Just a quick li'l heads-up, chickadees: I now only attend school part-time. To cut a very long story brutally short, I have not been coping with the energy that my school requires in order for me to survive as a student there - talkin' physically & emotionally here. Plus I've completely lost passion for the subject I am even in school at all for: Theatre, so I'm feeling pretty lost at sea where my life focus is concerned. Top it all off with an ongoing recovery period from anorexia nervosa (yikes, I've hinted at it here before but never quite been so blunt - sorry if that freaks anybody out) and you've got yourself a vegan, seventeen who really needs some honest to God off time. So instead of five days a week of school I'm doing two, without the stress of having to worry about homework & assessment - only for this last term, and then next year we'll see where my head's at.

So, moving on. What does all this mean? Copious amounts of time all to myself? Check. Parents and principal heavily encouraging me to be social and go out? Check. Is this a dream? Nope, it's all too real, and what it means is this: I can blog properly again!

Now, I can't be putting pressure on myself to replace all the pressure I've just had removed, so I'm not promising daily postage. But I'm thinking it'll at least be more frequent than it has of late :D

So! My first post as a part-time school-attender, on my second day of non-attendance. It's been pretty fantastic so far, very relaxing and such. I've been snacking on beauties such as this:

Yes, I still have Cinnamon Cashews left over from Sydney. With organic strawbz + topped with Ricemellow Creme. Loves. And speaking of Sydney, I believe I hinted at a review?


Review: Syndian Roasted Vege Lasagna
Woe betide she who gives a negative review to a vegan product, right? I feel awful in saying this, but this just did not do it for me at all. In fact, I downright disliked it. Now y'all know what a big fan I am of Syndian's bites and burgers, so you can probably take a guess at how disappointed I was by this lasagna. See the sorry-looking sheet of tofu ricotta on top of all that thinned-out tomato sauce? It was so bland! It was like eating soggy paper. No taste at all. The tomato sauce was better flavour-wise, but lacked in the texture department and did a very bad job of staying between the sheets of pasta, preferring to run all over everything like water. As for the actual vegetables, well, they were good tasting but only because vegetables are pretty much always good tasting. No interesting seasoning or anything - plus they were cut into such BIG sizes and kept tearing off all over the place, and they were all cooked to different stages - some were supah soft and fell off my fork, and others were hard and crunchy. Eating this thing was a MESS. I won't be getting this again. But don't worry, I still love you, Syndian. You've already won me over for good with your delicious falafel bites :)

With all my extra time, I decided to try out a few recipes from VWAV I've been meaning to cook up for a while now. Presenting:

Ginger Roasted Vegetables with Orange Glazed Beets, alongside garlicky spinach and pine nut couscous. So. Effing. Yummmm. I added a ton more salt to the beets than the recipe said because I didn't want to overload on sweetness for dinner (seeing as the roasted veg dish has copious amounts of maple syrup in it) and it turned out amaaazing. Salt + maple + orange + beets = yumtastic.

Anyway, tonight's very exciting because I get on a plane to Melbourne! I used to live in good ol' Melby when I was just a kidlet, but I don't remember it very much. I'm super excited to see my dad's new house plus explore around town - not to mention visit some amazing vegan restaurants and cafes! So far I've got my heart set on going to Vegie Bar and Lord of the Fries (I've heard it's gone downhill, but vegan fast food is so scarce I figure I've gotta try it once, right?). Any other recommendations?

See you in Melbourne!
- VS

Abandonment issues

Sheesh. As soon as school starts up again, this blog gets abandoned like a xmas present puppy. Oh my gosh, that was in such bad taste. Sorry. Speaking of irresponsible pet owners, though, today I went looking for a new water dispenser for my chickens - theirs is broken :( and I was at the Pet Hypermarket resisting the urge to adopt every single mill-bred puppy in the store when I saw a couple looking at a turtle. The man obviously wanted the turtle, badly. The woman said, "But we barely clean the bloody house, how are we going to find time to clean that huge tank?" and he replied simply, "If we get sick of it, we can just set it free." She agreed and they went to find a staff member. I wanted to tell the workers NOT to sell that turtle to the couple under ANY circumstances. It was so sad to see that process of "Oh it's so cute" one day, to "Dumped on the side of the road" the next, in process. Made me want to cry. Have you ever had a similar experience?

Anyway, end rant. This week has been a mixed bag, eats-wise. Some things have been marvelous, and others have been absolutely ordinary (read: lazy dinners). I whipped up some more recipes from VWAV: Jerk Seitan and Mashed Potatoes with Punk Rock Chickpea Gravy!

Kay, it LOOKS pretty ordinary, but lemme assure: absolutely mouthwatering. I was a little worried that the jerk marinade wouldn't "go" with the gravy. But I was proven wrong, and I don't think I was ever happier to be wrong in my whole laaaiiife. I'm loving me some sauces over the top of my dinners lately; case in point: Cheezy Sauce from V'con over roasted sweet potato slices, mashed pumpkin, steamed haricots verts & broccoli, sauteed chard & ginger, plus two glorious slices of homebrand garlic bread (yes, as in from the fridge section of my local Woolies - somehow it's vegan! Rejoice!). Food courtesy of l-o-mum. No picture courtesy of my awful memory. I added a fair whack of pine nuts into the sauce, just to up my protein intake (because we all know how DIFFICULT it is to get vegan protein...). It was a stellar addition, adding a lovely extra texture to the sauce, but next time I think I'll toast them first? Yes indeed.

But wait! There's more! Only, not food. Instead, shiny new kitchen things!
Haul from cute little stall called Chalet:

I found a spiralizer for $50!



Somehow, noodle-fying vegetables make 'em taste even better.

And finalllyy, for my school's semi-formal last night I volunteered to bake some vegan & gluten-free cupcakes - there's a girl in my year who can't have gluten or cocoa. I know! I'd hate being without my cocoalove. So, my original plan was to make Gluten Freedom Vanilla Cupcakes with All-Natural Agave Icingfrom VCTOW to accomodate. But on the night before the semi, I discovered that our cupboards are lacking in quinoa and brown rice flours, two very key ingreds to the said cupcakes. On the verge of a mini stress attack, I suddenly spied our packet of Orgran All Purpose Gluten Free Flour... and our newly purchased packet of Organic Carob Powder. Suddenly I was fishing all over the cupboard and joyfully discovered that we already had ALL the ingredients I needed to make...

Mexican Hot Chocolate Cupcakes! Dusted with powdered sugar, carob powder, and cinnamon. At the semi, these disappeared so quick I only got to have one - but what a ONE it was! These are seriously delish. It's sort of like a cinnamon/spicy/fudgey/brownie cupcake with a delicious crunchy border around the top which tastes AMAZING with the simple topping. If you have this recipe book, make these cupcakes.

Anyway, because of my abysmal lack of postage throughout this past week (theatre rehearsals plus school hours plus homework), I've decided to draw inspiration from my fellow bloggies for my next post - and I've got a review to post plus several new foodie dabblings of mine - and an upcoming trip to Melbourne, vegan capital of Australia! Stay tuned!

- VS.

One short day...

Sorry about the lateness of this post everyone! It's been a very big day. But not as MASSIVE as yesterday!

The day began with carby carby goodness.


Nature's Path Maple Nut Instant Oatmeal plus a hunk of corn bread, cut in half, zapped in the microwave and topped with oozey delicious AB. It was the carbiest sugariest breakfast ever and kept my tummy happy for a very long time. Which was a good thing, because...

I only had time to down this li'l fella before racing out the door, all dressed up, to Wicked! We arrived with about half an hour to spare, so on Amy's good advice I talked my dad into buying me an Ozmopolitan...

Can I just take this opportunity to say I do not condone underage drinking at any time unless delicious fruity cocktails are involved. But srsly. Soooo delish. It was pretty cold though, so I didn't feel up to drinking even half of mine. I offloaded it to my very welcoming step-mum. Then it was in the theatre doors and into our fourth-row seats!

The show was absolutely in.cred.ah.bul. I'm being completely serious in saying if you have not seen Wicked yet and you live in Australia, fork out your dough and get yourself there. I don't care WHAT city you live in. Anyway, rumor has it the show's coming to Brisbane at some point. Would I go again? You betcha. The set, the costumes, the singing, the acting, and even the American accents were all perfection! Of course, I wasn't shocked by the actual storyline, being very familiar with the songs & script - but all those other elements made a real, lasting impression. My family loved it too! So much, in fact, that we totally overstocked on the merch. I got a purple I heart Oz tee, a mug, a program, a CD and a keychain. Yay, material possessions!

But the fun *so* did not stop there. We piled into the car and drove to Newtown! On the way, I scarfed down half of this:

I loves me my LEDA. Banana flave is definitely my one and only. Apricot and Apple just ain't gon' cut it.

We parked right across the street from The Green Gourmet and realized we had about an hour and fifteen to murder salaciously. Then my step-mum spotted an incense-y jewelry shop and that was almost half an hour gone. Not that I minded - I got a pair of gorgeous earrings out of it, to go with the dress I was wearing (which also happens to be the dress I intend to wear to my semi-formal in two weeks time!). We left the shop and dad suggested getting a coffee or a drink before heading to dinner. I, however, had other plans.
Me: Dad, is it okay if I just go look in the Vegan's Choice Grocery?
Dad: Uh, sure... but we've got forty minutes before our table's available. And it looked really small.
Me: ... Yes?
Dad: Well, you're not going to spend forty minutes grocery shopping, are you?
Me: You have no idea.

So armed with some moolah I practically skipped into the grocery while dad and step-mum enjoyed some 'ccino. Upon entering I couldn't wipe the smile off my face... everywhere I looked, vegan this, vegan that, vegan pies, cakes, tarts, quiches, brownies, cheesecakes, cookies, nougat, bars, slices, cheeses, meats, pretzels, chocolate, ice cream (and waffle cones!), sauce, jam, desserts... EVERYTHING VEGAN. And there were people in the shop with me WHO WERE VEGAN. I realize that to some people this is hardly a big deal. But I've never really met another vegan before in real life! To think I was sharing a room and a philosophy with these people was enough to make me giddy with delight. I nearly ran out of time just looking at all the store had to offer. Eventually I settled on vegetarian mini-steaks, TVP chunks, Parmazano, Smoked Cheddar Sheese, Salt & Pepper Nori Tofu and a Syndian Roasted Vegetable Lasagna. That cleaned me out of cash and room in my freezer bag I planned to take home with me on the plane to Brissy. MORE than satisfied, I ran to the nearby gelato place to meet up with my dad and step-mum, where they had just finished their coffees. I felt an innate sense of excitement and unexplainable PRIDE as we stepped through the doors and took our seats in The Green Gourmet.

And now, to the FOOD!
Starters...


First, Chestnut San Choy Bow - dad specifically wanted this. To my absolute delight, he and my step-mum declared it "hearty" and "meaty" - the best two words omnis such as themselves could have used to describe vegan fare. I agreed with them, too - it was amazing. I only had a few bites, though. Then we had Steamed New Moon Spinach Dumplings - my request. I only ended up having half of my dumpling, but it was so tasteh! Recommended.

We were having a really hard time decided on our mains, so we got four, expecting quite small portion sizes. Instead we got four MONSTER SIZED plates and wound up doggy bagging a fair whack of our food! Not that I was complaining. Food = good.




In order of appearance: Salt & Pepper Calamari that tasted scarily like the real thing, some kind of potato-tofu curry that was deliciously creamy (with yummy Five-Grain Rice in the background), Five-Spice Mushroom Tempura I could have eaten all day long, and then, the piece de resistance, Sweet & Sour Taro Fritters.
Never having been a meathead myself, Sweet & Sour Pork was my one meaty downfall. My Achilles' heel, if you will. My Pandora's Box. My... okay, you get it. I frickin' loved the stuff. So I had HIGH expectations and was praying like crazy that they'd be met.
And oh. My. God. Were they EVER! I could eat that stuff for breakfast lunch & dinner every single day for the rest of my life. It's that good, trust. To prove, here is the AFTER shot of that particular dish keeping in mind we had FOUR mains we couldn't finish:

See?

We were all incredibly full after dinner but I was adamant that we try dessert. Not wanting to get something I could have just anywhere, we decided on two desserts to share: Black Sticky Rice with Coconut Milk & Steamed Banana, and Vegan Crispy Custard Crepe with Purple Taro Ice Cream.


I loved it ALL kidlets, though I only really had a taste of each component of both desserts. Apart from the ice cream. That, I practically devoured all by my lonesome. Though it was described on the menu as "tofu" ice cream, I could not detect even the tiniest hint of soy. It tasted exactly, EXACTLY like creamy delicious full-fat dairy ice cream. Plus it was a funky color. What more could a girl want?

The ride home was full of exclamations from my dad and step-mum about how great the food was, how if I'd blindfolded them they'd never have known it was vegan, how they MUCH prefer Green Gourmet to their usual Chinese haunt (which is BIG coming from them, they go there at least twice a week!). Needless to say, I fell asleep that night a deliriously happy vegan, with visions of taro fritters dancing in my head. Ever taken an omni out to a vegan place? What was their reaction?

Until next time, lovelies!
VS.