Ruby Rod super-green smoothie.

 
My most recent smoothie fixation...

Ingredients-
1/2 a Santa Claus Melon (aka. toad skin or Piel de sapo melon) - Cut into chunks.
1/2 liter of Fresh Orange Juice
1/2 cup Coconut Cream or coconut yoghurt
1 tsp Green powder of choice (I use Amazonia prebiotic greens)
3 soft Gold Kiwis
1 Passionfruit - To serve

Method-
1. To your blender add the chunks of melon, orange juice, yoghurt, & green powder, blend on medium speed until completely smooth.
2. Stop the blender & add the gold kiwis, no need to chop them up, just slice in half and carefully scoop the fruit into the blender using a teaspoon. Blend on low for 10 seconds until kiwi is broken up and mixed through.
3. Scoop the passionfruit into a large mug (or jar), then pour in the smoothie.

aaaaand DRINK UP~

Best advice I can give for this recipe (or any smoothie recipe), is to go to a green grocer and find the freshest most ripe fruit you can get! Otherwise the fruit will be hard and bland, which makes for an uninspiring smoothie. Check for a sweet smell from the fruit, nice colour on the skin (yellow/orange/brown), and 'sugar spots' - these are brown spots in the skin that indicate ripeness+sugar content/sweetness, most commonly seen on bananas, but also appear on many other fruits like melons.
Also try to find a really good quality coconut cream for this recipe, check at Asian grocery stores, the cream should slosh around freely in the bottle/can, & feel thick (not watery).


Hope you enjoy this one! I came up with it when I felt like something rich & sweet for breakfast last week. : )

Recipe for my girlfriends tofu scram.

This is one of the quickest, easiest recipes I've ever learned, very useful when you want something to eat in a hurry. It's also quite addictive, so maybe keep a few extra blocks of tofu in the fridge.

My girlfriends tofu scram:

Ingredients-
1 large Onion - Very finely diced
1 clove of Garlic - Very finely diced
1 450g Block of Tofu (firm is best soft is ok too) - Coarsely crumbled
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Dill Seeds
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
2 TBS Vegan butter/spread (I use Funky Fields Organic Spreadable)
1 tsp Pink Himalayan or Celtic Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Black Salt (optional)

Method-
1. Finely dice the onion & add to a medium saucepan with the Vegan butter & 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Allow to saute over a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally.
2. While the onion simmers, finely dice the garlic & set aside. Measure the cumin seeds, dill seeds, turmeric, & 1/2 teaspoon of salt, placing them in a small bowl & set aside.
3. Once the onion is completely cooked add the garlic & the spices, mix well to incorporate, & gently simmer for one minute.
4. Remove tofu block from the packet & coarsely crumble it into the pan with the onion and spices, gently stir & turn the tofu for a couple of minutes to evenly coat in the seasonings.
5. Once the tofu is thoroughly coated & warmed through, check the seasonings, if it needs some extra salt add another 1/2 teaspoon, feel free to use black salt to add an eggy scent/flavour. Mix well & Serve!

This scram is pretty versatile, add some extra veggies, & it's a nice meal on it's own, or use it as a side dish. One of my favourite ways to have it is in a nori wrap, see below...

Step one: Spoon some of the scram in a line onto the nori sheet (sheet is rough-side-up).
Step two: On top add some fresh butter lettuce &/or rocket, then some cucumber strips, and finally a little drizzle of grapefruit juice (alternatively you could use lemon).
Step three: Carefully roll the nori over & around into a log (like you see at sushi shops).
Step four: Pinch the bottom end so the filling won't fall out, & eat !!!

The tofu scramble is quite rich, so it pairs very well with fresh greens, & the sweet tang from the citrus juice, I highly recommend trying the grapefruit, it's super delicious!


I hope you all enjoy this recipe, of course you can change it up & experiment; try adding your favourite veg like broccoli, peas, or edamame!

Enjoy your time cooking~

A few more games I'm waiting for...

These games are in addition to my previous list, and I'm pretty keen to give them all a try!

In no particular order, the new additions are -

1. Graveyard keeper
This game is based around a graveyard keeper who is determined to run a successful business, pretty much by any means possible, even if that may involve bending some morals a little to explore some questionable options, which others may frown upon. This game has a charming pixel style, and seems to be loaded with dark humor (my favorite). I really have high hopes that this will be a quirky, funny, and creative adventure that's a bit different from others.

Graveyard keeper trailer:

2. Sable
The visual style is what really captured my attention about Sable, and although not much has been revealed just yet, it looks like Sable could be an epic exploration game that evokes deep emotion as you cruise across the desert, explore ruins, and discover the mysteries that this world has hidden. This is another game I can't wait to get my hands on, I feel like it may have a similar aesthetic to Abzu, which is one of my favorite games ever!

Sable trailer:

3. Kynseed
A 'sandbox RPG adventure' game with a vibrant pixel style and an interesting premise. Kynseed stands out as a heartfelt adventure with lots of open world freedom, and an immersive story that pulls the player into the world and keeps hold though character development and deep connections to other characters throughout the story. With so much beauty and depth I feel like this is one that I want to play all the way to the end.

Kynseed trailer:

Just a short list this time around, but I feel like all 3 are well worth mentioning, and I remember reading that Graveyard keeper may be released this month, which is pretty exciting!
Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts about any of the games mentioned above, or if you know of any stand-out games that are not on my lists, comment with the details, I'm always on the lookout for promising new games! :D

30 Day Drawing Challenge - Days 1-3

I've never completed a 30DDC, but this time my girlfriend is doing the same one, and even if we don't managed to submit daily, we're still going to complete this list and do all 30!

I don't remember where I found it, but here's a look at the list we're working through currently -

We're trying to look at one at a time, so we don't know what's next. I think it's a good way to approach it, since we can focus on the one we're up to, and not get distracted thinking about one that's still a week away.

Here are my first three -

 Day 1 (above) - 'Something in flight'.
Me an my girl in a poorly made cardboard rocket on our way to somewhere awesome.

 Day 2 (above) - 'A character or scene from your favorite movie'.
Leeloo from The Fifth Element.

Day 3 (above) - 'Something you'd like to eat right now'.
The answer to that is always fresh Malaysian 'green bamboo' durian.

Hope you enjoy these.
Comments and critiques always welcome~

Superfligh - a lovable wing-suite game.

If like me you are somewhat enamored with flight/gliding, then this game could fulfill some of that longing.

Take control of a floppy, surprisingly aerodynamic fellow and soar through procedurally generated landscapes, the closer you pass by rocks, and the smaller spaces you zip through without crashing, the more points you earn. Easy!
It's basically just about beating your high score, and your best combo, this is especially fun if you take turns with a friend and try to best each other.

I would recommend a controller to play, I haven't tried with a keyboard, but I think a thumbstick really helps pull off those super tight maneuvers.

This little gem is currently on sale until July 6 on steam, it's just $1.49USD for infinite gliding!

Take a look at some of my screenshots -

Fall with style guys! ;D

Art post: 'Hungry alien' + 'Portal' NSFW

Sometimes as an artist (or at least as someone who just loves drawing), certain ideas or themes enter your mind, and it's difficult to get them out unless you do as your brain is commanding, and draw it. That is certainly the case with these two artworks.
 
Hungry alien depicts an emaciated alien lost in a forest after recently arriving on Earth. After unintentionally scaring away a hunter who had shot a deer, the creature drags itself towards a piece left behind by the hunter. Whilst not a usual source of nourishment for the alien creature, it will allow her to survive a little bit longer on this unfamiliar planet. Just as she reaches the piece of deer, a stranger hiking in the woods stumbles upon the scene, unsure what to make of the situation, they stand in awe as the aliens attention is torn between a life saving meal and a strange new life form, which may potentially pose a new threat.

You can probably see pretty quickly that the aliens mouth somewhat resembles, 'lady bits', and that's the theme caught in my mind presently, as is even more evident in my next piece 'Portal'.

After spending a good deal of time and effort painting Hungry alien, and still having this particular idea in my mind, I wanted to do something illustrative that would be a bit more loose and free. It didn't take long to draw the line art and add all the crazy colours I wanted. It could be that as a gay artist Vaginas are something I want to include in my art from time to time, certainly not in a perverted way, I see them as natural and cute, like sassy flowers. I certainly hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I consider self expression to be very important, and it's not something I wish to hide.

So, I hope everyone finds something to appreciate about these artworks, I certainly had fun making them!

Special recipe – Creamy garlic potatoes with jackfruit and edamame

100% VGF

This is a rich and delicious dish, especially good for cold days, or when you feel like some comfort food. The tofu in the sauce is an optional extra, which you can blend completely smooth if you prefer.

Ingredients:
- 14 medium sized Potatoes – Diced
- 1 large Black eggplant – Finely diced
- 2 Brown onions – Finely diced
- 1 Red capsicum - Optional
- 1 Can of Green jackfruit in brine – Well drained & Chopped
- Half a 200g packet Frozen Edamame (or use frozen peas)
- 2 TBS Vegan ‘fish’ sauce
- 4 TBS Monjay Mezza Garlic dip (OR use 2 gloves of minced fresh Garlic
- 4 TBS Organic Spreadable (or equivalent Vegan buttery spread)
- 1/8 Cup of Mirin
- 1 Massel ‘chicken’ stock cube – Mooshed up
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Ground balck & white pepper

For the sauce:
- 1 Massel ‘chicken’ stock cube – Mooshed up
- 1 Cup Natural coconut yoghurt (or equivalent)
- 3 Cups Bonsoy
- 1 Cup Hot water
- 1 250g block Organic soft tofu – Optional
- 2 TBS Monjay Mezza Garlic dip (or use 2 gloves of minced fresh Garlic)

Method:
1. Add the prepared potato, onion, jackfruit, and eggplant into a large pot, next add the ‘fish’ sauce, garlic dip (or fresh garlic), organic spreadable, mirin, ‘chicken’ stock cube, salt and pepper.
2. Sauté over a medium-low heat, stirring regularly. Cook until eggplant is very soft.
3. Once the eggplant is soft, make the sauce by adding all ingredients for the sauce into a blender, blend on low speed for 10 seconds. Note: if adding optional tofu to the sauce, fine pieces will remain, that’s OK! – blend smooth or omit tofu if you prefer.
4. Add the sauce to the pot with the sautéed vegetables, and stir well. Place a lid slightly ajar and simmer gently for 15 mins, or until potato pieces are just cooked – stirring once or twice.
5. Once the potato is just soft, add the frozen edamame and gently stir to combine, replace the lid and allow to simmer for a further 5 minutes. Then turn off the flame and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes with the lid on.
6. E A T!
Serves 4-6

Feel free to experiment, I made this recipe up, and it’s now my girlfriends favourite.
I hope you’ll enjoy it too!

Art post: 'Goo unicorn' + 'Staring contest'

Hello everyone!

I'm on break from uni, so I've had lots of time for drawing, I have a few things to submit, starting with a couple I finished earlier this month, they're both personal works that I did for fun and practice.

I drew Goo unicorn using free drawing software Firealpaca. Also referred to as 'noodle leg' she's a suspicious female unicorn, always vigilantly watching for anyone who might be after her horn, or her mane/tail, all of which posses unique magical properties.

Staring contest was drawn using Photoshop, which I haven't used to draw anything from start to finish since I got Firealpaca, so it was great to brush up on some techniques I haven't used for a while. I did not plan this drawing at all, it developed as I was playing around with some different techniques.

I have some more artworks to submit, and even more in progress!
Hope you enjoy, feel free to comment below, and you can follow me on DeviantArt or Tumblr.

No fail healthy Vegan Gluten-free Brownies!

Hi guys!

So you want to make some of the best (and easiest) brownies ever? Great! This is what needs to happen -

*Requires a loaf-style baking dish - I use a silicone one for this recipe.

Ingredients:
- 2 Cups Blanched almond meal
- 3/4 Cup of Icing sugar
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa powder
- 1/3 Block of Lindt Premium dark chocolate (or equivalent) - Finely chopped
- Handful of fresh Walnuts - Chopped (optional - adds crunch)
- 1 Can of chickpeas for the Aqua faba (chickpea water)

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. In a medium mixing bowl add the almond meal, icing sugar, cocoa powder, dark chocolate pieces, & chopped walnuts (if using).
2. Open the can of chickpeas and drizzle a very small amount of the liquid into the bowl with the dry ingredients (approx 3 tablespoons worth)
3. Make sure you have clean hands, then start forming the dough; squeeze, press and turn the mix until it forms a stiff dough (similar to cookie dough). You may need to drizzle a little more aqua faba, be careful not to add too much, you don't want a wet sticky dough!
4. Once the dough is formed, press it into a silicone loaf-style baking mold, or any other loaf-style baking dish.
5. Bake at 180°C for 20 minutes. Allow to cool before turning out the brownie, or it is likely to crumble. Once cooled & turned out from the mold, use a sharp knife to cut into slices or squares.

-ENJOY!-

These are so quick and easy to make - Just a reminder to always check labels to make sure everything is VGF, and use organic products when possible.

Happy baking everyone. :D

It started as a misheard comment...

Last week I was in bed with my girlfriend, we were play-fighting and sassing each other, and she says something that sounded like 'bag of poot'. I'm pretty sure that's not what she'd said, but I decided to quickly sketch a paper bag of poot anyway -

After posting it on DeviantArt a friend there popped the bag, resulting in a second sketch -

I don't have much time for drawing at the moment, it's almost end of semester at uni, so I have several assignments due, assignments that I should probably be working on now...

Enjoy your week everyone.

Native Australian animal illustrations

I drew these for a food web as a part of a uni assignment.
They're all native animals, how many species can you guess?...

Dumpster diving; something to consider - Save money, Reduce waste.

Haul 1: $90+ worth of avos (guacamole party!), grapes for days, and even olives!

Hi everyone!
Today I will discuss my recent experience with dumpster diving around Melbourne. I was both skeptical and apprehensive about diving at first; the idea made me nervous, and honestly I didn't think it would be worth while. Half a dozen dives later I can report that, while I do find it slightly nerve-wracking at times, I think the benefits far outweigh any potential problems you may encounter.
As you can see from the photos, there is LOTS of perfectly edible food going to waste; all this would be headed for landfill if we hadn't grabbed it, it's quite eye-opening to see just how much is thrown away. Contrary to what many may believe, stores do not only throw out food which is bad, often a product isn't selling, or there's just a few left, or a new delivery comes in, the shelf space is needed and stock is cleared out - straight into the bin. We have also seen boxes with one damaged item that spilled, so the entire box was thrown out.

Consider how much energy has gone into producing these products, growing, processing, packing, delivery, etc, just to wind up in the bin, all that energy wasted. We all know that food is not cheap, especially fruits and veggies, many people struggle to afford fresh produce and end up eating junk instead, food is our highest expense after rent, if we can cut it by half or more, we'll save a lot of money.

There is a lot of potential for dumpster diving, if you think it's something you might try, here are some things to consider:

- Be discreet and considerate - Don't be noisy and don't leave any mess behind
- Wear old clothes - Bins can be messy
- Some days bins are empty, some days too full - Learn the schedule for your area
- Use common sense and safety - Use caution in/around bins, wear appropriate clothing
- Take old bags or boxes to put food into - Don't rely on finding boxes to use
- Take a bottle of soapy water and fresh water to wash and rinse your hands
- Don't get greedy - Only take what you will actually use, leave the rest for other divers
- Share - If you find way more than you need, post it to your local DD group
- Diving during the day or during the night makes little difference
- Everything must be inspected, and thoroughly rinsed+washed - This takes time
- If someone confronts you, be polite and friendly, and leave promptly

Haul 2: Fruit, veg, even junk food.

The photos above, haul 1 & 2 are from two bins in one day; this involved driving to the bins, driving home, then processing everything, it's not much different than driving around to do your grocery shopping, just a bit more processing to do when you get home.
We only take food that is in really good condition to start with, once home we rinse everything, wash it in water with bicarb and vinegar, then do a final rinse, and we leave everything to dry on a towel.

My partner and I are Vegan and I'm coeliac, so that rules out heaps of what we find, once we saw a full box of frozen Hawaiian pizzas, which we shared to our local diving group. Don't even get me started on the bread, loaves upon loaves, many stores re-stock daily, you can imagine how much ends up in the bin.

Remember that diving is like a lucky dip, this can be good for a number of reasons, you might end up eating a greater variety of seasonal foods, and it encourages you to get creative in the kitchen to use what you've found, on the other hand you might not find exactly what you want.

Thus far we have not been confronted by anyone, but it can, and probably will happen eventually. We plan to simply state that we're just trying to save food from going to waste and ending up in landfill, then promptly be on our way. No harm done. I'm hoping that if we're ever confronted, it will be someone friendly with the same outlook on food waste.

Finally, here is a photo of last nights dinner, more than 50% is reclaimed food, and it was delicious!

Happy diving, or not, have a great week either way~

Prism voodle attacks - Featuring Addi

A cavoodle would never actually attack anything, but if mine had magic powers I'd like to think she'd use them to protect me from evil.

I managed to miss uploading this one back when I finished it, so here it is -

I really struggled with the style on this piece, I did several versions before I settled on this one, which I'm pretty happy with, it has a paper cut-out aesthetic that I like.

This is little Addi my cavoodle friend who the drawing is based on.
I think she's my muse.

Look inside - Find your strength

Seems there's a couple of drawing I missed uploading here, this is one of them.
I made this to remind myself to keep going when things are difficult.
Life is tough, but find a reason to keep going & things will get better.

Keep fighting.

Spirit guardian of the forest

He is scanning for anything that may be a threat to the woods, or it's inhabitants...

I drew this using FireAlpaca. <it's free!

This one is another re-visit to a work I started & never finished from 2015.
Here is how I left it -

Pretty big difference right. : )
Hope you enjoy it!