a moveable feast

   

After the indulgences of Bali, I was happy to return to the raw vegan sensibility - fresh, ripe, organic fruit and vegies, sprouts, seeds and occasional nuts. Simple, grain free, unprocessed, with nil by mouth other than herbal tea after sunset (which is 5.45pm here at 11 degrees south). The exceptions to our raw diet are a small amount of tempeh (an Indonesian delicacy made by fermenting soya beans), steamed sweet potato and dry grilled eggplant. 

Aquaman strung together an impressive 25 days caffeine free, whereas I crumbled after nine - my longest stint totally caffeine free (with not even green tea) for at least ten years. I was shocked by the mental space hijacked with thoughts of coffee, the internal struggle to stay away from the bean and leaf, and the feelings of deprivation as I drank another rooibos. Giving up yoghurt and cheese was much easier. It was pathetic, annoying and I was napping like a wombat. Behold the power of a single shot.  Lord knows how I’d react to anything stronger, or if I had a three-cups-a-day habit. 

We are fortunate to have some foodie friends that aren’t afraid to have vegans at the table, and this week has been a culinary sensation of epic proportions.  Firstly, a lunch next door with our newest neighbours, a Moroccan/Israeli living in Bali and his Italian friend. Cue falafel with tahini dressing, the most hummus ever to be served on the island, mixed salads, toasted rye bread, grilled eggplant with chilli, and floods of olive oil.  All served beneath a shady coconut leaf cabana with a white sand floor. 

  

After 24 hours to recover from the surfeit of garlic, we attended the annual Lodge afternoon tea, with its much anticipated menu of Balinese black rice pudding with coconut milk and banana, hot donuts and tea. Yes I said donuts. As in “I want to wash myself with a sponge on a stick” kind of calories. It is my one deliberate fried food item of the year, and I ate it with as much mindfulness as I could muster among the animated conversation. 

We had a 48 hour sabbatical after the donuts and before the third invitation; a glorious raw meal with our friends Colin and Linda. Despite an unexpected break in power supply, Linda came through with her promise of banana and pistachio “semi-freddo”; the exclamation mark to a poetic stanza of ingredients.

Back in the days of no refrigeration and smoky pots of rice cooked over an open fire, I couldn’t imagine ever seeing a pinenut or mizuna leaf in this environment. A splash of balsamic vinegar at someone’s house was a luxury to be savored for weeks. Now we have rocket and fancy lettuce, miso, walnuts, dates and Lindt chocolate. They are all still carefully rationed, but I am grateful for their mere existence and the generosity of friends who share their supplies.

burger queen

If you follow my instagram feed @sallymaymills you will have seen a version of these photos already. For those of you who don't 'gram it, and I know there are many, I didn't want you to miss out on my last camp oven beach bake. Bread is a real rarity for us; six foot swell is more commonplace. There are no bakeries around the corner turning out warm baguettes or organic sourdough, and the Indonesian excuse for sliced bread, only available from the shop one hour away, is like sweet white cardboard. A total waste of resources. 

Using the basic loaf recipe I made pull apart rolls, served with grilled tempeh, eggplant, hummus and salad. Behold the first island vegan burger. Take that evil Maccas, you wouldn't even come close. 

And for my southern friends feeling the chills of winter, a bit of sunshine and sand for you to gaze into and think warm thoughts. 

moving to a different beet

You are seeing the first ever beetroot to appear at our weekly market. The seeds were given to a local lady by a keen expat gardener, and we are reaping the rewards in our lunch. I made a simple salad with grated beetroot and carrot, lemon juice and cumin seeds.  I would normally add juicy raisins, but alas the cupboard is bare and the closest shop stocking such exotic imports is a day's travel away.

Swell has picked up and there are double over head sets pushing through.  For those of you far more interested in barrels than beetroot, I will hopefully have some action shots to share in the next couple of days. That is providing Aquaman and his mates put on a decent show. I don't shoot kooks.

sprouting

When I was an impressionable teenager, my revered brother poked fun at the hippies who embraced a carefree life and sat in contemplative lotus chanting om to the stars.  He labeled them “mungers” after their supposed excessive consumption of mung beans.  At this stage I hadn’t been introduced to the wider world of legumes, nor met a real live breathing vegan, and thought my brother was the very impression of the perfect man.  He drove a yellow Hilux, windsurfed, and oscillated between work as a carpenter and the exotic world of crayfishing at the Abrolhos Islands.

At this age I didn’t imagine I would marry a surfer, build my own thatched house on an Indonesian island and sprout mung beans bought from a toothless betel nut chewer at the weekly market. The suit boy of my future was wearing Armani, not neoprene. I thought you had to aspire to a shiny Landcruiser or a Holden ute and the latest TV.  You filled your days with "honest" work for a good wage and happiness would flood in through your bank account and the recognition from significant others that you were successful.  However, somewhere deep down, the admiration I had for my brother, despite his mockery of mungers, molded my values and visions of the perfect husband.  An aquaman that knows how to swing a hammer and looks hot in boardshorts.

So here I am sprouting mung beans, peanuts and alfalfa, and picking organic rocket from my garden.   I do head stands and cartwheels and have daytime naps.  My heart beats faster when I pick up a well weighted pen or push an audible camera shutter.  I love our rusty '89 landcruiser, I haven't owned a TV for 15 years and like to pretend I don't have a debt that supports the Macquarie Bank Christmas party.  

Yet there are still times when I find myself on Seek or Careerone fumbling through the drop down lists of job titles, searching for me, for something to define me in society, to answer my most dreaded question "what do you do?" A fruitless activity that does little but rouse fear, doubt and confusion.  Then I get up, walk down to the lagoon and give myself up to the ocean.

I empathize with the words of Richard Bode, the beachcomber of Miramar : "As I walk the beach, I like to think I am an autonomous being, moving through the world as I wish to move, free of encumbrances.  But despite my deepest yearnings, there is a contrary force, buried in some secret, shameful part of my being, drawing me toward conformity.  I am still trying to meet the expectations of others, still afraid that if I don’t the whole unstable world will come down about my head".

What does the real world look like?

whinge & binge

It’s oppressively hot, the bananas taste like potato, the internet is a frustrating 1 kilobyte per second and I’m mid-menstrual.  Reading Gourmet Traveller does nothing but stir the emptiness inside.  I know what I’ll do, I’ll make vegan chocolate pancakes to temporarily smother the pain. Perfect.

mango & really raw cashew salad

Mangoes, rocket & cashews - a match made in culinary vego heaven.  The arrival of mangoes at the market is a cause for celebration after six months of bananas and papaya.  Everything in this salad (with exception of the cashews) was grown organically within a 25 km radius.  

While many cashews claim to be raw, they have in fact been steamed to release them from the shell.  The cashews featured here are sourced by Big Tree Farms from Sulawesi and Flores, and are shelled individually by hand.  The fastest hands in the business can shell 5 kg per day, with the average around 2 kg. 

raw food rant

Last night our expat neighbours had a conference over Bintangs and nasi goreng special, then sent forth a messenger to inform Tom that they all agree he is too thin and therefore must be unwell.   Yes, he isn't a huge bloke when compared to the "normal" (read overweight) Australian, but since when does fat = healthy?  We don't go around telling them they are fat, should stop eating animal products, give up alcohol and generally clean up their act.   He can out surf any of them, lift heavy things and perform acts of daring and chivalry.  He is never sick, yet his lack of subcutaneous body fat indicates to them that he has "an issue."  My god, when will the insanity of our overfed society end?  The perception of what constitutes a "normal" body size and shape is so skewed in our society - the fattest on earth - that a human in supreme health is questioned and berated. 

I say long live Aquaman; the lean, strong king of my world.

Now all go off and have a green smoothie.

sari organic

Peak season in Bali and the living is busy.  Normally we would avoid July and August, but with family commitments and school holiday restrictions, we take what we are given. The  roads are choked with rental cars and holidaying Javanese, and I managed to scratch our shiny Toyota on a rubbish bin.  

Leaving the wheels behind, we take a pleasant stroll down a narrow path off the Ubud main road.  Rising from the padi is a simple open pavillion serving organic vegetarian food sourced from an on-site garden.  Conceived as a community project to grow non-chemical rice and vegetables, and to teach local Balinese about organic farming, Sari Organic has become an Ubud tradition. A fair trade program ensures farmers receive a good price for their produce, and the 15 families involved earn between 600,000 (A$80) and 1,500.000 (A$180) per month. The program has restored a sense of pride for the farmers, and is preserving unique strains of rice for future generations.  Individuals can purchase Sari Organic products at the twice weekly organic market in Ubud, or get walking and savour their salads and nasi campur at the cafe.

For those in the south of Bali, Sari Organic also have a cafe at the recently opened Little Tree eco-supply store on Sunset Road.

 

joy of vegan baking

The next installment in my community vegan awareness program features a fool proof banana loaf and easy banana biscuits.  Just the solution for an oversupply of mushy bananas.  

banana oat bikkies

2        mashed bananas

1/2 C  honey

2 C     oats

1 C     plain flour

2 t      baking soda

1/3 C  chopped nuts & raisins

good shake of cinnamon

Sift flour and baking soda.  Add other ingredients & mix.

Drop teaspoons onto baking tray.

Bake at 180C for around 15 mins or until browned.

banana & lemon loaf

2 C     plain flour

1 ½ t  baking powder
1 t      bi carb soda
1/3 C  canola or coconut oil
¾ C    honey or agave
2/3 C  soy milk
¼ C    lemon juice
1 t      lemon zest
1 t      vanilla
2 t      apple cider vinegar

2        mashed bananas

2 T     sunflower seeds or poppy seeds

Sift flour, baking powder & bi carb soda.

Mix together remaining ingredients.

Add wet to dry and mix until combined.

Bake in loaf or cake tin at 180C for 20 mins or until skewer comes out clean.

 

gourmet food week

It isn't often the planets align to provide avocado, lemons and almonds at the same time. When they do, the situation calls for raw key lime pie, especially when we have American visitors to share it with.  Long John donated a packet of Arnotts water crackers, four tomatoes and a jar of pesto to the party, and declared "Gourmet Food Week" officially open. 

Served with my version of gingerale; made using the fresh juice from the lontar palm, ginger, lemon juice and ice.  Just the ticket for washing down lime pie on a warm afternoon.

raw key lime pie (simple island version)

Crust

2 C almond meal left over from making almond milk

2 T honey

2 T coconut oil

Combine all ingredients and press dough into tart pan and refridgerate until firm.

Filling

3 avocados

1/3 C honey

1/3 C coconut oil

about 1/4 C lime/lemon juice and zest 

Blend together, pour into tart shell and freeze until firm.

raw key lime pie (gourmet version)

Crust

2 1/4 C cashews, crushed

2 T honey/agave

1 T coconut oil

1 T date paste (dates soaked and pureed) 

Combine all ingredients and press dough into tart pan and refridgerate until firm.

Filling

3 C cashews, soaked for 1 hour

1 C lime/lemon juice

3/4 C honey/agave

3/4 C coconut oil

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 C lime zest

Blend all until smooth.  Fill crust and freeze until firm.

vegan bakeathon

I love baking.  LOVE it.  My motto used to be: “when in doubt, bake.” Some friends would argue that the hardest thing about adjusting to my raw lifestyle is the lack of baked goodies they receive!

The combination and transformation of individual ingredients into a new form, in a short amount of time, thrills the creative scanner within.   I like to tweak the formula; add my own style; play around with quantities and substitutions, especially when converting a traditional recipe to a vegan treat.

 Correct, these baked morsels are far from “whole, fresh, ripe and raw”; however they are vegan, so no animals have suffered in the making of this afternoon tea.  I see it as part of my "vegan baking awareness program" for our carnivorous friends.  Proof that you can make delicious cakes and biscuits without using animal products.

I brought the old kerosene oven out of retirement and braved the fumes and black soot to make three new recipes.  We had actually given the oven away to Bingin Mick and Long John, so I had to borrow it back with promise of returning it and some of the bounty.

I took half of the produce to the hotel for afternoon tea by the pool with Hildi, John, Bill and Jen.  The other half went to three very hungry and grateful surfers.

Notes :
For all of the recipes I used almond "meal" left over from making almond milk.
I used cold pressed coconut oil, but canola/vegetable oil would also work.
The original recipes had some sugar, which I omitted.  Sweet enough.
My cakes are a bit flat, because the kero oven doesn't get hot enough.

almond green tea cake (round cake in photo - missing a chunk thanks to Tom)

1 ½  cup plain flour
½  cup almond meal
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp bi-carb soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼  cup  brewed green tea
½ cup honey (or agave)
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tbl apple cider vinegar
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cup dates/raisins/cranberries

1.  preheat oven to 180C. grease 9" springform pan.
2.  sift flour with baking powder & bi-carb soda
3.  mix flour, almond meal & cinnamon
4.  in another bowl, whisk together green tea, honey, coconut oil, vinegar, vanilla, and dried fruit.
5.  add the wet to dry and whisk until just combined. do not overmix.
6.  bake 50 min (or until skewer comes out clean). cool for 30 and remove from pan.

orange & almond cake (loaf tin in photo)

1 ¼ cups plain flour
1 ¼ cups almond meal
3 teaspoons baking powder
¾ cup light soft brown sugar (I used honey, worked fine)
½ cup soy milk
½ cup vegetable oil
juice of 1 orange & 1 lemon
zest of 1 orange & 1 lemon

1.  preheat the oven to 180C
2.  combine the flour, baking powder and almond meal in a large bowl.
3.  in a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, soy milk, oil, juice and zest.
4.  add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix well.
5.  pour the mixture into a greased & lined cake  or loaf tin 

6.  bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the cake browns very slightly on top and a skewer comes out clean.
7.  leave the cake in the the tin for around 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack.

surfer's balls (or almond muesli bikkies if you prefer)

2 cups plain flour
½ cup muesli (or mix of seeds and dry fruit, I used sunflower seeds & cranberries)
½ cup almond meal

¼ cup shredded coconut (or coconut flour)
½ tsp baking soda
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup honey (or agave)
¼ cup water
3 tsp vanilla extract

1.  preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof/parchment paper.

2.  combine dry ingredients in a large bowl

3.  make a well in the dry ingredients, add all wet ingredients, and stir together.

4.  take roughly 1 tablespoon blobs of mix, roll into a ball & flatten into cookie shape on the paper. 

5.  bake for 15-20 minutes. cool on a wire rack.