Time for a Move

Hi Everyone,

It's been a long while since I last blogged. I have been pretty busy with the magazine, school, baking and of cos struggling with perennial laziness! I have decided to start a new blog, something more meaningful with proper recipes and not mere descriptions and also to include meaningful events happening in SG and around the world. I seek your continued support, and I can now be reached at http://vegbuzz.blogspot.com

See you there!

With lots of love and gratitude,

H

VegVibe September Issue is Out!

Hey peeps, the September issue is out and features a very good friend and yoga master, Bala :) Hope you'll enjoy other articles in it as well. You can download it for free at www.vegvibe.com 

Enjoy!

Mango Cake

Managed to make a real mangoish cake because they were in season. Was playing around with my new prime lens :D

Chocolate Cakes

Soccer Themed Cake Part 2

Previously, I had an order for soccer themed cupcakes. This time round the mother wanted me to make a cake for her younger son. She wanted a simple soccer theme cake and hence I decided to go with this 'soccer ball in front of a goal post' look. I liked the way the cake turned out. It was quite a cute looking cake. :)

One of my favourite cakes

I made this cake for a very special and dear friend who wanted something as fruity as possible. I made a chocolate cake and stuffed it with mango and kiwis and topped the cake off with strawberries, mango and more kiwi. I actually bought more fruits but could not add them in. I wanted to create the idea of a fruit basket, hence the basket weave. Was tedious to do but wanted to make something special for my friend. I liked the colour combination of the cake in the end :)

Tried making some mango roses by slicing them thinly and rolling them up

Simple Mocha and Blackforest Cake

These are some simple cakes I made for two lovely ladies :)

Back with lots of updating!

I've been out of action for such a long long time! Partly due to work and partly due to the fasting month, I hardly feel up to do updating my blog. I also realised I have a more cake pics than food due to the fact that during the fasting month I rely heavily on my mum to feed me! haha!

This is some simple bowtie pasta that I decided to make into an Asian style soup rather than the typical tomato sauce drenched version.  I also like this version as I can add as much vegetables I like and it all enhances the soup base. I topped it with some fried shallots for an interesting taste.

I happen to chance upon some mock beef balls at the Friendly Vegetarian Supplier. The shop assistant recommended that we try it as he professed that it tastes rather authentic. We purchased it and Wow! Though it has been over eight years since I last ate beef, I think it does taste meaty and I made some noodles with it. It lends a very interesting taste and texture element :)

VegVibe - First Online Veg Mag in SG :D

I apologise for not blogging in some time. This is one of the things that I had been busy with. My hubby and I have been working on an online veg magazine for the community. It's free of charge and can be downloaded at http://www.vegvibe.com/ It not only contains recipes (this month is on the red and white theme cos' of National Day), it also features great people like my friend Pauline, travel info, current affairs, eco-living, health issues and product and media reviews.
I'm also working on revamping the blog, hence the absence and silence :D I'll be back soon!

The 112 Cake

Vegan Moch Cake made with Vietnamese Coffee

Initially when I started baking, I was thinking of it as a business but now I see beyond it. I realise that baking vegan cakes is a service to not only the community but also to promote a cruelty-free lifestyle. My baking journey has evolved into a hobby because the amount of time I spent baking and decorating and cleaning up can easily earn me more if I were to give tuition outside. I still do it because many times I realize there are not much options available for vegans. I have spend baking into the wee hours of the night because of clients telling me that they have no other alternatives. Many times I bake free cakes for friends and events knowing that my efforts will be appreciated by this wonderful community. In particular, I was blessed with the opportunity to bake cakes for great people like Teresa Hsu who celebrated her 112 birthday this July. I suppose this is the icing on my cake :) 

Lunchbox #03 - Sushi Rolls

I think a lot of you can empathize when I say we should have been born Japanese. We love the food, the technology and their quirky culture! This was my maiden effort in making sushi rolls. The first roll I did ended up with a thick layer of rice, so for the second roll I added less rice and more ingredients - basically teriyaki tofu, carrots and cucumbers with a serving of a veg salad. It was delicious but I think  a squirt of vegan mayo would have added the additional twist to it. I omitted it since I was trying to keep it as fat free as possible!

Vegan Watercress Soup

I have to apologise for the long absence. I've been having a particularly busy and tiring July. I have gone back to teaching for this term to help out with a cousin whose on leave. Unfortunately, though I'm just teaching temporarily, the hours are long, leaving me feeling so drained in the evenings. Added to that I've been busy handling a few other projects as well

I have been cooking and this time I've been writing down notes but unfortunately, I've forgotten where I placed them. This particular dish is simply boiled potatoes, garlic and watercress pureed upon cooking to achieve this emerald green and nutritious soup. It can be seasoned with salt, stock, pepper. 

Thanks Cookie for encouraging me to post again! :D

Papaya Smoothie

Papayas are in season and my mum passed me some mini-papayas. What better way to enjoy it than with some papaya-soy milk smoothie :) I realised that papaya has a custard like tendency which is giving me some ideas on new desserts...  :D

Chocolate Mousse with Blueberries

It's been sometime since we had chocolate mousse and so I decided to simply whip up a batch following vegan cupcakes take over the world recipe. It requires silken tofu, melted chocolate and a drizzle of maple syrup. Delicious and low in calories!

Vege Kuey Teow Noodles

One of the things I miss after becoming vegetarian is Seafood Horfun. It's not the seafood that I miss as much as the gelationous gravy that goes with it. While grocery shopping at the wet market, I picked some Kuey Teow noodles and decided to make a dish that reminded me of Horfun. But instead of using mock meat and such, I just used all sorts of vegetables to create a colourful dish. 

Fun with Chee Cheong Fan!

Chee Cheong Fan is a type of Chinese rice dish, traditionally eaten for breakfast. Hubby and I saw it while we were checking out our local wet market (after staying in Clementi for four years!) and saw them selling it for 30 cents a piece. We quickly bought a bundle as hubby loves them. It can be steamed or flash boiled and is usually served with a dark sweet sauce and chilli sauce, sprinkled generously with sesame seeds and sesame oil. You can also add fried shallots, garlic and spring onions for flavour. It is a simple dish and can be bland without the additional condiments. It's texture is something that takes some getting used to: A little soft and slippery.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

My hubby loves any fresh baked bread products and cinnamon rolls are one of his all time favorite. I modify my recipe from Hannah's blog and have amazing results all the time. She's  a wizard in the kitchen!

Daring Bakers' Challenge #02 - Apple Strudel

The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks. They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rodgers.

Having never made traditional apple strudel in my life, this challenge was truly something that I looked forward to and enjoyed very much. I was procrastinating on this one but when the deadline loomed ahead, I knew I had to get started on it. 

Fortunately, the recipe was naturally vegan with the dough being made from water, flour and oil and hence the rest was a cinch. The only issue I had was to replace melted butter with non-diary margarine for the glazing of the dough layers but it was easily solved as well. I was a bit hesitant about using breadcrumbs but it was all good. Stuffed with diced green apples, raisins, almonds, cinnamon and nutmeg, I ended up with two strudel, and both of them were demolished within the next couple of hours. Even my highly critical, anti-vegan confectionary brother liked it! And that is really clinching the blue ribbon!

Mint - Chocolate Cupcakes

This was for a cupcake order. The chocolate cake was made with some peppermint extract and filled with peppermint cream, topped with chocolate ganache and decorated with more peppermint cream. 

Mango Juice With Pearlsng

Just a 100% fresh pureed mangoes with pearls as a tea time beverage. Highly refreshing!

'Mutton' Stew

I remember making my first ever mutton stew when I was dating my husband. I made it only once but I recall slaving over the hot stove for hours simmering the meat to make it tender. Of cos' the end result was good, (and I suppose my frequent treats for him sealed the deal!) but I just never got around to making it again. So, I felt like making a vegetable stew (which I had not done before as well) after being inspired by this recipe. I threw in some mock mutton that had been sitting in my fridge for the longest time. Personally, the stew was delish except for the mock mutton. Somehow, I'm not keen on eating mock stuff anymore and I felt that it did not do it for me. Needless to say, hubby was happy to have second helpings!

Refreshing Green Apple and Celery Juice

Homemade Vegan Tortilla Wraps and Mexican Style Potatoes

Since I had an avocado left in the fridge, I wanted to attempt making a guacamole again. (My first attempt failed thanks to an unripe avocado) Since I was heading in that direction, I started looking up on tortillas and came across this recipe. Unfortunately, it was not vegan but I simply replaced the milk with water and it worked as equally well! However, the resting period is very important to be able to stretch the dough. I also used this recipe to make mexican potatoes. Instead of deep frying the potatoes, I pan-roasted the potatoes and went ahead with the rest of the steps as per the recipe. Hubby loved it and I was so surprised to see that he actually enjoyed the guacamole :D

ROM cupcakes

100 chocolate cupcakes as a ROM gift. 

Simply Delish Vegan Potato and Leek Soup with Garlic Bread

I've never cooked leeks before even though I love them to bits. I happen to purchase some and decided to make a vegan potato and leek soup. Traditionally made with some chicken or beef stock, I chose to crumble in some vegetable stock cube and instead of adding cream, I just added a little bit more potatoes and pureed it until creamy. It is a really easy foolproof soup and we loved it very much... Now I feel like having some more!

Potato and Leek Soup (Just based on estimation)

1 onion, sliced

1 leek, cleaned and sliced

3 cloves of garlic, sliced (or more if ur a garlic lover)

2 potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 a vegetable stock cube (or more if you want more flavour)

Some water

Salt to taste

some pinch of thyme, rosemary and pepper

Method:

1) Saute the onion until translucent. Add the leeks and saute until tender

2) Add garlic and saute until well browned.

3) Add potatoes, stock cube, and enough water to cover the potatoes.

4) Let it boil until the potatoes are cooked. Add a pinch of thyme and rosemary.

5) Puree the soup with a handheld blender to preferred consistency. You can leave some chunky pieces for texture.

6) Add more thyme, ground pepper and salt to taste. 

7) Serve with some crusty bread. 

Simply Orange...

Just a simple morning boost with just oranges and a squirt of lingonberry sauce.

Tech Theme Cupcakes

This is my second time working with fondant. This was for SR who wanted chocolate cupcakes for her partner. She wanted a convertible, bowling and technology related cupcakes, such as laptop, ipod, PSP, with a maroon, blue and white theme.

What I did on Mother's Day

Breakfast Boost - Avocado and Strawberry Smoothie

My mum bought some avocados for me and so I decided to make some avocado smoothie with some leftover strawberries which were threatening to go bad. So I pureed the avocado with some soy milk and chopped up the strawberries and layered it with the avocado. In between the layers, I sweetened with some lingonberry sauce given to me by a friend from Sweden. In all, it looked so beautiful and was simple to do! I particularly love the pic at the bottom. It's my fav pic so far!

Breakfast Boost - Citrus Carrot Apple

I have to thank my friend Esha for this idea. She posted on FB on how she has taken on to eating raw food one meal a day and I decided to have raw breakfast to  start of the day. I started with a mango strawberry juice in the morning (which I forgot to take pics of) and the 2nd day I blended a whole carrot and a whole fuji apple with a splash of lemon. The lemon was so good as it brought out the sweetness of the fruit and brightened the whole flavour. I was skeptical about carrots, but it was truly delish! 

Spinach Noodles

I had this noodles for the first time in Delivege a couple of weeks ago. It was simple but yet very tasty and the deliciousness kept lingering. So I decided to recreate it and went to purchase the ingredients. The original dish called for all three coloured peppers - red, green and yellow but I settled for two as I was not able to get hold of the yellow one. The base was very simply some onions, garlic and celery blended and sauted in olive oil. Add in a little water and a two tsps of oyster and dark soy sauce. Add in more light soy for taste and toss in the shitake mushrooms and peppers towards the end. Cook spinach noodles separately and assemble them together :) yum...

Mocha Cake for Hubby

This is a mocha cake for my hubby who was meeting up with some of his secondary school friends.

Simple Confetti Cake

This is a simple confetti cake I made. On the inside it has layers of vanilla cake made with sprinkles. More sprinkles on the side to add to the festiveness of the cake!

'Rocking' Mango Cake

This is a mango cake with wacky designs for a Canadian girl. I drizzled chocolate and mango puree on the side and did a double layer word with purple and yellow just for the craziness!