I love carrot cake – it has consistently been one of my favourite cakes for years now, possibly influenced by the fact I love carrots in anything! I particularly like it when the cake is heavy on the carrot and walnut, and the addition of some sultanas never goes astray. Topped with a lemony cream cheese icing and I’m a very happy camper. So when my housemates requested a carrot cake I was more than happy to oblige and happily set about making one that met all my criteria!
Despite the fact I live at the other end of Smith Street to Trippy Taco I hadn’t been for a really long time, but in the last few weeks I have rectified this with two delicious visits. Trippy Taco is a vegetarian institution in Collingwood, having been first on Smith Street and now around the corner on Gerturde Street for over 10 years. They serve Mexican street food that is all vegetarian, with lots of vegan and gluten free options, and it’s always doing a roaring trade of both takeaway and eat-in food. It’s also fully licensed so you can enjoy a Mexican beer with your tacos – always important!
Mandarins have always been one of my favourite fruits – they make such a perfect snack and for that reason were always around when I was growing up. A fresh, sweet mandarin feels like something that should be around in summer rather than winter, but I’m definitely not complaining! Fruit and vegetables that are in season in winter usually call for hearty, warming meals but there’s something about citrus fruits that still feel appropriate in light, fresh meals like this salad. Luckily due to the fact I picked up a big bag of mandarins while we were down on the Bass Coast I could use them in a salad and still have plenty left to snack on!
After being away last weekend I found myself with a pile of bananas that had somehow been overlooked so jumped into action and whipped up some banana choc-chip muffins to nibble on. Simple, easy and full of flavour – perfect for a mid-morning snack with a cup of tea!
After making my date bliss balls and my apricot and almond bliss balls a few times I decided it was time to experiment and make them with something slightly different – fig! I added some goji berries, walnuts and almonds for crunch and the result was pretty delicious! They aren’t as sweet as the apricot ones, nor as chocolately as the date ones, but I really liked them so hopefully you will too!
