Friday, March 14, 2008

Love is a warm muffin

The semester has started with a vengeance. This semester I’m tutoring for a first-year subject. For North Americans, aussie uni classes are split up into 2-hour lectures and 1-hour tutorials. Tutorials are small groups (10 to 20) where students are meant to discuss the readings and lectures. I’m leading two tutorials a week, but luckily I only need to prepare once!

The start of the semester just had to coincide with a crazy few weeks of field work. I have regular meetings in addition to community forums, morning teas, Sorry Business, and an upcoming trip to a nation-wide rally.

If I were living alone, I would be eating crap—cold leftovers, tinned spaghetti, soy ice cream. But luckily, when I get home late dinner is often cooked, or has at least been started. Like Tuesday, I got home just before 7 to the smell of something baking.

Andy made these carob muffins for me, even though he’s not a big fan of muffins. They’re from a mix, which I got at an organic shop a few months back when it was reduced to clear. The first ingredient is chickpea flour; they are dairy free, egg free, gluten free, low in fat and high in fibre.

With the leftover batter, Andy made a little slice, with peanuts mixed through and coconut on top.

Neither of us are huge fans of carob (I think it’s good, but I don’t think it tastes like chocolate at all), but coming home to warm muffins is such a nice experience! And, they have been great to bring to uni for a healthy snack to combat mid-afternoon slump.

The freshly-baked yumminess didn’t stop at sweets, though. Dinner was baking away in the oven at the same time—baked potatoes (and two cloves of garlic roasting away).

We had the potatoes topped with some leftover burrito filling, olive and caper tapenade, tofu mayonnaise, satay dip which was reduced to clear at the shop, and BBQ sauce. It may sound like a weird mix, but somehow it worked! The photo, however, did not, so I’ll leave you with a Nacho picture instead…

Updated to add the link to this article, about protests against kangaroo culling in the ACT. The reason I'm linking it is because AR folks are working together with Indigenous elders, which I think is just great!

16 comments:

ChocolateCoveredVegan said...

Aww, Andy's so sweet to have dinner and muffins waiting for you.

I'm at a loss for words to describe how cute theNacho picture is.

radioactivegan said...

I love the cat in the bowl picture. But I'm not sure how vegan that is :)

UndergroundCooking said...

thanks for your input on the unceese problem. now i gotta find my own ingredients that make the recipes better. i'll get back to you if i happen to stumble upon something truly amazing.

and i will try the granola nut pie crust as soon as i can!

Leng said...

Sounds like you have a very busy semester. What do you like better the tutorials or the field work? There might be an obvious answer, but just curious.

It's awesome to come home from a hard and long day, to food. Too bad my hubby doesn't bake. You're one lucky girl.

and Nacho is the cutest!

Ashasarala said...

Andy is a great guy. I've only come home to cooking... maybe... 3 times in my life. I am usually the one doing all the cooking! (Though, to be fair, Mike is a good, little prep cook.)

I can't stand it- Nacho is toooo cuuuuuute!!!! I love how that kitty curls up in just about anything. :)

Lori- the Pleasantly Plump Vegan said...

love IS a warm muffin. that wa very sweet of Andy.
I laughed so much of the picture of Nacho. so adorable!

DJ said...

Bless - Nacho won't be that big for much longer you know!

Sam said...

I'm with you, carob is okay, but not like chocolate at all! Even though I love to cook, it is always nice to come home to someone else cooking. You're a lucky woman!

Sam said...

I'm with you, carob is okay, but not like chocolate at all! Even though I love to cook, it is always nice to come home to someone else cooking. You're a lucky woman!

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Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

nacho in a bowl, zomg, cannot express cuteness overload, won't even try.

I love how your muffins are designer muffins. :D

TB said...

Naco is so, so, SO cute in that bowl! And I'm glad you posted that link to the kangaroo culling thing, because I have been wondering about how Aussies are responding to it (it was kind of big news over her for a few days) and thought you might have the inside scoop... :)

Vegan_Noodle said...

Nacho is soooo cute in that bowl.

And how sweet of Andy to have muffins waiting for you!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

those muffins!! and CAROB!! love it :0D

you should market that photograph of Nacho - it's so adorable and fun!!

Veggie said...

Nice to have dinner already waiting for you when you get home, what a nice boyfriend.

I know from personal experience that carob does not taste anything like chocolate, my mom used to try and trick us (my brothers and I) with it when we were kids.

Nacho is so cute!

the little one said...

Best of luck in your new semester!