Would you?...

A sketch I sketched whilst isolated from the world (ie. Internet-less)
This is a little faun character I've drawn a few time recently, maybe he'll become a regular...

Some handy vegan sites...

Vegankit
Veganeasy
Vegweb
Lunchbox

Sesame cookies & new cookie cutters

We've been on a cookie binge for the past week or two, & it felt like it was time to buy some cutters. Circle cookies are fine, but I had a dinosaur shaped hole in my soul that could only be filled with the appropriately shaped cookie.
Today that space was filled, & if you sense the same void within yourself, then give this recipe a try...

Sesame cookies~

Ingredients:
- 1 Cup of (gluten-free) Plain flour
- 1/2 Cup of Sugar
- A Pinch of Salt
- 1/2 tsp of Baking powder
- 1/4 Cup of Sesame seeds
- 4 tbs of Vegan Milk (Soy, Almond, etc)
- 4-6 tbs of Vegan Margarine (Nuttelex, etc)

Method:
1. Line a baking tray with baking paper, & set aside.
2. Pre-heat your oven to 180ºC (356ºF).
3. Combine the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl, & stir or whisk until well mixed.
4. Add a few tablespoons of the margarine & mix into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until no lumps remain.
5. Add the vegan milk, & mix well. Then, gradually add margarine until a stiff cookie dough consistency is reached. (The dough should be quite firm, similar to play dough)
6. Once the dough is ready, flatten it out (approx 5mm thick) onto a non-stick surface, & cut shapes out using cookie cutters, then place them onto the baking tray.
(If you don't have cutters, don't be distressed! An easy way to make cookies by hand is to form balls from the dough, place them onto the baking tray, & then gently flatten them using your fingers)
7. Bake for 21 minutes. Once baked, allow them to cool, & enjoy :)

Makes 12 cookies.

More cookies to come! I can't say exactly when, but I have ideas, delicious ideas :)

King of green smoothies

Or queen, not important, only the smoothie is important!
For real.
This is a tribute to the most magnificent drink in existence (that I know of)
The green smoothie.
Drink one everyday. Do it.

You do need a a high powered blender to get the best result. A Vitamix (this is what I use) or a Blendtec (<Not available in Australia) will do the job perfectly. These are an investment, but I have found it to be worth every dollar! I use mine on a daily basis, & they're useful for a variety of tasks, including awesome home-made dip, ice cream, etc :)
I bought mine as investment towards my health, so that I could make green smoothies, & it has worked wonders for me! I now drink a large glass (if not 2) every day.

I will write up a more in-depth post about green smoothies very soon, but for now I need to sleep...

Night all~

I AM NOT GONE!

I was just without internet ヽ(。_°)ノ...
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I tried to blog using an internet booth at my local shopping plaza (not a cheap option) & for reasons unknown to me, this website was blocked *ultimate facepalm*
Not to worry though, as of today we're reconnected with the worldly web that is the internet, & I have stuff & things to share :)
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A lot can go on in a few months; aside from all the usual things, we have moved out! We're renting our own place, so we have now (officially) moved out of home. This is what caused me to be inactive for so long (sorry~ (╥﹏╥)...
I also had my hair cut short, for the first time in my life (ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ! For some reason (maybe sickness induced madness) I woke up & decided it was time. This was about a month ago, & I'm pretty pleased with how it's all worked out, very convenient, & everyone tells me they like it, & that it suits me :)
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As usual, photos-
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Nice sunrise out front (Our place is the wee one on the right)

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Cool light from a hot (smokey) summer sunrise.

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My short haired self c:

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So those are the major events of the past month or three...

More posts coming soon, stick with me guys ;)

Plant success + Experiments with willow :)

I am just on fire recently, this will be my 4th post in 2 days (or something like that?) I don't even feel well today, but here I am blogging like a mad thing. Perhaps my brain is more active when I feel cruddy...
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So, I recently bought some commercial rooting agent, which is supposed to increase the likelihood that a cutting will successfully send out roots, & form a new plant. Little did I know at the time, that you can easily make your own, completely natural, & non-toxic rooting agent using willow (；￣Д￣）So I'm calling it quits on the commercial stuff (even though I have barely touched it yet >_>) & taking the natural approach instead.
Thankfully willow is quite a common species in many parts of the world, & in some it is even considered a pest, because it is so prolific. I'm no expert at identifying trees (unfortunately) however I do know a weeping willow when I see one, & just about everyone else in the world probably does too! Happily I also know that there's a lovely weeper not too far from my house, so I drove there, discretely pulled over, & snipped a couple small cuttings for myself.
Since then I have sorted through the braches I cut, I have kept some for cuttings for myself to (hopefully) grow some willow of my own, & chopped up the rest to make willow water rooting agent :D
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These are some of the cuttings I am keeping for myself, there are a couple more I have put directly into potting mix, just to try different things, & compare results, etc.

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This is what the willow water looks like so far. The best parts of the willow to use is the small green new growth. Larger, older growth is ok too, but may need some bruising/crushing to help the hormones seep out more effectively.

A natural growth hormone, along with an aspirin-like anti-bacterial occurs naturally in willow plants, & the water slowly becomes infused with these natural chemicals (like a tea) & you can use it to grow cuttings. Apparently willow water is also good for newly transplanted trees, shrubs, etc, as is helps support the roots, & ward of infection.

As you use the water, you can keep topping it up, & letting it infuse, to get several batches of willow water from one bunch of cuttings.

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& some feel-good plant success? Here they are -

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This is a Silver birch cutting, & until this morning I thought I had lost it (along with pretty much all my other cutting experiments ever) but then I noticed these little green nodules [:o It's early days, but with a bit of luck, & heaps of TLC, hopefully this tiny cutting will grow into a magnificent tree one day...

I used the commercial rooting agent for this cutting (boo~) but I'll still be super happy if it works :)
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And this is a brand new drumstick tree [XD]/<yesssss~ This one was grown from seed, just like my last one, which I loved & nurtured for months before SHE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED snapped it clean in half! ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ<sham-nam-it! So I will be even more extra specially protective of this one.

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Finally, here is my first real experiment using willow water -

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These are a mix of date seeds & almonds, which I have put in a dish along with a few layers of paper towel, & enough willow water to keep them well moist. I have high hopes for this experiment, I would love some beautiful date & almond trees!
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Here's a close up of one of the date seeds. they've only been in there for a matter of hours so far, but it looks like there might be some sprouting action starting already? It's hard to tell, but I will follow the progress of these seeds in later posts.

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So, if you've always wanted to play god & do some cloning, make yourself some willow water, collect up some cuttings, & get busy!

Willow is actually a really underrated plant, I plan to read up about it & see what other wondrous functions it can perform for me :D

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I'm a novice at this, but I will do my best to field any questions anyone may have.

All the best everyone~

A look at agroforestry - We should all be doing this [:o...

I found this 3 part video series via the Permaculture videos channel on Youtube, & I couldn't stop watching 0_0 It's always uplifting, & inspiring to see that passionate people with good knowledge of natural processes really can make an enormous positive change in the world. If more people would turn their attention & energy to creating healthy, diverse, & abundant landscapes, imagine how much more beautiful the world could be (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧
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Ok, so enough rambling about how extraordinary plants are, get busy, & check out the videos > > >
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Part 1 -
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Part 2 -
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Part 3 -
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So, do you feel amazing yet?...

Super simple nori roll... (RECIPE :o)

This is similar to my 'mock tuna nori roll', just a bit quicker & simpler, for all those days you feel like making something suuuper lazy, a-hem *most days*

Mock tunu maki

Construct le filling:
- 1 can of Chickpeas - Well mashed (A fork is all you need)
- 1/2 of a large, ripe Avocado

- 1/2 a small Purple Onion (aka. Salad Onion) - Finely diced

- 1/4-1/2 of a Capsicum (Any colour is fine) - Very finely diced
- A pinch of Pepper
- 1/2 a clove of Garlic - Minced (Optional)
- 1/2 a tsp of Tamari (optional. Adds some saltiness, if desired)
- 1 Carrot - Grated (Also optional. Extra filling ingredient, if desired)
+ Nori, for wrapping.

Then...
1. Drain & rinse the chickpeas (unless you're awesome & pre-prepared some from scratch, kudos to you) Place the chickpeas in a medium bowl, & squish then with a fork until well mashed.
2. To the chickpea mush, add the Avocado, Diced Onion, Diced Capsicum, & the optional Garlic &/or Tamari. Mix the lot thoroughly until well combined.
3. Spread a thin layer of the chickpea mix onto a sheet of Nori, then lay some grated carrot down the middle, & roll it all up.
And you are now the lucky owner of an amazing nori roll!

(This is how it looks all ready to roll)

Makes 3-4 rolls of deliciousness. 

Wash it down with a green smoothie, or any other amazing beverage of choice, if you're looking to increase your iron intake (nori is very high in iron) include a natural source of vitamin C, & avoid black tea in the same meal... dairy just goes without saying, keep away from it.

You can try adding different vegetable into the middle in place of the carrots, cucumber slices, dry fried mushrooms, maybe some raw broccoli, & possibly some chopped cashew nuts? Experiment & enjoy !\[:D/<*:･ﾟ✧

Hope you'all enjoy this recipe, & find it useful on days when you're short on time, or motivation >_>...

Later everyone~

New Robinia, WHNursery, & food forest garden tour~

Sorry for the long silence everyone, but powering on!
Yesterday I purchased a 'mop top robinia' tree, I have wanted one for a long time (we're talking years here) & it just so happened they were half price at the nursery I was looking around at yesterday :) They're not a cheap tree, but you pretty much always pay a bit extra for anything that's grafted, & it's already fairly large & established.
I'm so overwhelmingly happy to finally have one out in the yard, it's a beautiful thing, & I really hope it does well, being a fairly hardy tree, I am hopeful :)
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Here it is \[:D >
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I must have been in a mood for some new plants yesterday because I also bought a couple of things from a website called, White House Nursery, which is a nursery based here Victoria, Australia. You can visit them if you live near by, or you can order plants online (which is what I did) This nursery stands out because they carry some interesting stock, including some rare plants. I was thrilled to find a thornless blackberry, I've been hoping to get one ever since I watched this film of a tour around a beautiful permaculture food forest garden > > >
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The guy hosting this video (John-growingyourgreens.com) has a good collection of other gardening videos with some handy tips & advice, which you can find on his youtube channel HERE. Remember that he is operating in America, so not all of the advice is applicable to us Aussies, but definitely well worth a look ;)
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That's the lot for the moment, I have some recipes coming very soon...
Catch you'all later~

Dance & be merry! (Birthday image) :V

I made this image last week, for my youngest sisters birthday card. Originally it had some text, but to make it more general I removed it.

Be happy everyone!

I'll hopefully have some more posts up very soon, but I've had one hell of a month so far!

'Cheeseburger' noodles recipe (ﾐ´ω`ﾐ)

This meal is pretty popular among my family & friends. When I made it for the first time I hadn't intended it to taste like a cheeseburger, but happily that's how it worked out :)
Here's how you do it...

Ingredients:

Method:
1. Finely dice the onion, & coarsely chop the mushroom, & stick them straight into a skillet or any other frying pan, along with 2-3 tbs of olive oil, + a pinch of salt & pepper, with the heat off.
2. Put a large pot of water on to boil, with enough water to easily cook the noodles (don't go overboard & fill the whole thing)
3. Turn the heat on, & gently saute the onion & mushroom, until the onion is slightly transparent & the mushroom has softened a bit. Add the tomato pasta sauce, & mirin, mix well, then cover, & simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.
4. In the mean time finely dice the pickles, ready to add at the end. Once the water for the noodles has begun to boil, add the noodles & boil gently until tender.
5. Once the noodles are tender, strain them, & rinse with some cool water. (just swish them under a running tap whilst in the strainer) & Allow to drain thoroughly (tilting the strainer side to side can help free up trapped water ;)
6. Once the tomato sauce has reduced & thickened slightly gently stir through the noodles, then the diced pickles. Dish it up, & add on your favourite vegan cheese (I used 'soy free cheezly') & mix it through a little...

Now you have yourself some fine noodles!

I consider this to be a bit of a 'junk food' & I wouldn't recommend eating it too often ':)
Feel free to experiment & add extra veggies, etc, or other ingredients that might make it more 'cheeseburger' like (obviously keeping it vegan & gluten free :p)

I hope you all like this recipe, enjoy, & happy eating everyone ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/ ~☆

Drawing; 'Happy Birthday Bro' !!!

Drew this one up about a week ago for a friends birthday card :)

Enjoy!

(Drawn from scratch using Photoshop CS3 + Wacom Intuos3)

Hopefully more to come! & if I manage to take a photo of my 'cheeseburger noodles' before I eat it all, I will most definitely post that recipe in the next day or 2 as well! I swears 0_0))...

Otway photos c:

A couple of weeks back myself, & one of my best bro's took a trip out the the Otway region of Victoria (Australia) People may know it because The Great Ocean Road runs though the area, & it's a really popular tourist destination, & rightly so, it's really beautiful! There are amazing beaches everywhere, awesome forests, & the rest is ridiculously scenic farmland, lakes, etc. There's heaps to do out there too, personally I'm not much for touristy stuff, but we did do a couple of things like the Otway fly treetop walk (couldn't afford the zip line tour this time around) but the walk was really fun :D

It was a great trip, & I'd recommend it to anyone, we took our dogs with us, & there are a number of pet friendly accommodation places out that way if you are interested in doing the same :)

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Here are a few pics from our trip...

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Day 1, & Addi (my cavoodle) found herself a place on the couch, & settled in very quickly :)

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Our first visit to the beach, the dogs loved it so much! They ran & yipped like crazy, it was really cute [=v=]~♥

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 'Little Bit', my friends papillon. I was lucky to get this photo, cause this dog never sits still!

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 Bestest doggy buddies :)

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 Otway fly walk. This is looking down from the walkway, pretty!

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My inner child freaked out when I found out there were dinosaurs on one section of the walk. I'm quite sure it's intended for kids, but I had the best time, it was my favourite part :p

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 Part way up the viewing tower on the walk.

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 Photobombed

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 This is the pushiest (fattest) rosella. He wouldn't share the food with the other birds, & he (or she) was the only one not covered in marks from being pecked at. Life as a bird is a bitch! >_>

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 View from our cottage :)

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 We took a walk around the property where we were staying, it was a really pretty place, & great fro dog walks c:

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 12-ish Apostles + Anakie, Eli's little souvenir plushy.

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 Johanna beach (best beach ever!)

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Addi loved every second she was at the beach, but I think she misses it now :/

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Yay for holidays! Life should be more about this kind of thing, but it's hard to escape the system, even just for a week >_>

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Happy beach times everyone! Take care~

A new sketch & (hopefully) more to come! ヽ(。▽°)ノ

Hi everyone!

I've been especially busy lately, which included a four day trip the the Otway region here in Victoria, Australia, with one of my best bro's, & our furry dog friends (best trip ever!) :> I do have a bunch of sweet photos, which come to think of it I should have blogged by now ヽ(。_°)ノ? but I'll get them up real soon!

In the mean time, I got some new kit for my senior (trustworthy) Wacom Intuos3 graphics tablet :) Being an older model, it was difficult to find what I needed, but I got there, & inevitably, drawing has followed! I only have one sketch for the moment, but I feel some more coming on :V

'Starfighter Fan'

Inspired by an online comic that I love, but I wouldn't recommend it if you're under 18, &/or opposed to homosexual relationships <_<... The artists who writes/illustrates the comic is amazing, & you can find some of her (PG-ish) work here > > > Hamlet Machine on dA.

That's the lot for now, photos are coming, as well as a recipe I call 'cheeseburger noodles'. (& one of these days I will get that 'quinoa pizza' recipe up, I SWEAR!)

Later all~

Orange choc chip muffins of extreme deliciousness (ﾉﾟ0ﾟ)ﾉ~

These are really easy to make, so roll right into the kitchen & get baking!

So many FX, your eyes will suffer (╥‿╥)

Equipment:
- A large plastic container with lid for storing the muffins

Ingredients:
Dry -
2 Cups of GF Self-raising Flour
2 heaped tbs of Glutenous rice Flour *(optional)
1 cup of Raw sugar (organic if possible)
2 tsp of Orgran No Egg egg replacer
1 tsp of Baking powder < Check that it is Gluten-free
Zest of 1 (washed & dried) Orange (organic if possible)
1/4 Cup of Vegan, GF Choc chips
Wet -
1 Cup of Water
1/2 Cup of Fresh Orange juice (organic if possible)
1/3 Cup of Canola oil (or any other light flavoured oil)

*Due to the oil in the recipe, greasing the muffin tray should be unnecessary if it is a non-stick tray, if you feel like you need to though, only grease it lightly*

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) on fan bake. *Do this ahead of time, because the recipe is quite quick to assemble.
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, & stir until well mixed.
3. Next, add all the wet ingredients to the dry, & stir the mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon until a thick, lump free batter is formed. *(If the batter seems overly thick or thin simply adjust with a little extra flour or water as per your requirements)
4. Carefully transfer the mixture to the muffin tray, & place in the oven to bake for 22-25 minutes, or until muffins are golden brown. *(Always avoid opening the oven door if you can, this can spoil baked goods)
5. When the muffins are done, allow them to sit in the oven with the door open for a few minutes before moving the tray to a cooling rack. After 5-10 minutes on the rack, carefully remove the muffins from the tray & place them on the rack to cool.
6. Once cooled completely, move the muffins to a large container with a clip on lid to keep them fresh :) If you don't have a large enough container, you can wrap them in plastic-wrap, but a container is much more eco friendly.
NOW EAT!!!

(Makes 12 awesome muffins)

*!As usual please always check your ingredients to make sure there are no hidden nasties!

These muffins are great for many reasons, light & delicious, but also quite quick & easy to make :D I've shared these muffins with a few friends, & it's always thumbs up all round!
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Just a quick note about Glutenous rice flour, it does not contain gluten! It is just a type of rice that is particularly sticky & stretchy, so it's handy to add to baked goods to add some strength & stretch ;) It can be found in Asian, & Indian grocery stores, as well as online :)

I made this recipe up, & have refined it over a couple of weeks, so I hope it works for everyone, & that you all enjoy it!

Later! ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/

Delicious snacks; luvju hearts (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

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Just another reason to love Nature's Harvest (my local health food store) :p
I discovered these amazing heart-shaped snacks of joy a couple of weeks ago, & I keep going back for more ': ) Both of the ones I buy are Raw, Organic, Fair trade, Vegan, Gluten-free, & filled with super foods! \[:D/
I love them both, & as you can see from the photo they're very different, one is a solid minty chocolate, & the other is like a chewy fruity seed snack bar. They're both worth a try, so I highly recommend you get your mitts on some!
If you are keen to try them, your best bet is a health food shop, otherwise you can also purchase them online from lovingearth.net, & there are plenty of other amazing products to check out while you're there :)
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Enjoy!
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~Later everyone!~