a post about getting food delivered

My housemate has covid! My other housemate maybe has long covid! I do not (currently) have either of these things, but being the only fully functioning adult in the house is not enjoyable. so we have been getting a food delivery every week or so, and I want to recommend to you the following shortcuts to eating well when you don't have the energy for fully cooking and when you can afford it (I am now cash poor until pay day). 

Fair feed: Fair feed is a St-Kilda organisation that is trying to bring the community nourishing meals whilst also providing fair employment. During covid, when lots of cooks etc were out of work, they pivoted to this model and it is still going. You order before Monday 6pm for a Wednesday delivery or before Tuesday 4pm for a Thursday delivery. The food can all be frozen, and it comes in 1-2 portions. So far my favourite dishes have been the silky eggplant noods and the 1kg of bolognaise sauce. Yesterday I used a coles-bought flavoured tofu to zhush up the noods. This is $10.50 for delivery. 

ASRC Catering: ASRC Catering is an offshoot of the ASRC, it is a social enterprise that creates pathways to employment for people seeking asylum. Their delivery slots are often filled up heaps in advance but they are a short drive for me so I have picked up from here once or twice. My favourite dish from here is the spicy Ethiopian berbere lentils. 

Mr Nice Guy's Bakeshop: A regular old vegan bakery in Ascot Vale, you can order before 11:30am for same day delivery and trust me, I do. This is less 'nourishing' and more good old carbs. I am about to eat an apple cinnamon scroll and yesterday's morning snack was a cheesymite scroll. The delivery fee for me is $15 and the minimum order is $20, which with three carb-loving adults in the house is an easy meet. 

We have used Milk Run for emergency groceries, which has worked exactly as advertised. Variety is limited but we got everything we needed. 

I haven't used, but have heard good things about the Dinner Ladies. 

Wish me luck not getting covid in my infected house xxx 

a post about my friend, catherine

 Hello! 

My friend Catherine passed away two weeks ago. Maybe she was your friend, too. She was friends with so many people. Today was her funeral. I wasn't able to attend in person, but there was a live stream and so there I was, sobbing from 3000 kilometres away. 

I met Catherine somewhere between 11 and 13 years ago, in the summer. I was going to the cricket with her brother and, despite having never met me, she made sure I was fully catered for. All I remember was these amazing vegan jellies, and her late arrival because of complications. Veganism 12 years ago was still not mainstream, and I hadn't had jelly lollies in forever and I was so, so blown away by her generosity and thoughtfulness. Savouries, sure. Some fruit? Definitely. But bloody vegan jelly lollies? 

Two other things I have definitely eaten that Catherine made for me were: 

The vegan cheeseburger cupcakes that I screamed about to her face - W I L D, so much effort for so little payback! Of course I ate several of them, but I remember telling her that I would have been happy with something so much less intricate and involved. 

Cupcakes at this wedding 

The last thing she made for me were lemon and passionfruit cupcakes, on the Saturday before she died. I was sitting on the train, tired, and I was a bit reluctant to travel all the way to Coburg; but it was lunar new year, and she'd made me a crochet dragon and i DEFINITELY wanted it, and it's always nice to see Catherine. So she decided to make cupcakes. They were still warm when I arrived; they were so fresh out of the oven that they fell apart when she decided to move them by grabbing the tops of them. I took half a dozen away; I didn't want to take that many, but she'd made a flavour that her husband Andrew didn't even like! So I ate two even just waiting for the bus (the bus! the things I have done for you, Catherine). 

I have played with many of Catherine's recipes over the years; she was one of the first omnivorous melbunnies I knew who would so enthusiastically cater to peoples' different dietary needs. 

Reflecting on my life, and having had her in it, as one is wont to do after a funeral, I think I'm going to be cooking some of Catherine's recipes in the near future. I will modify them all, as she would have wanted, and maybe I will tell you about them. Probably I would cook them for you. In fact, today I'm cooking two cheesecakes, recipe testing for a friend - I definitely would have told Catherine about them, I think she would have been interested in them. 

Here are some other words about Catherine: in memoriam by someone who has known her half her life; in loving memory from the smart bitches.

On this day, and every day, may we be generous with our spirits, and our skills, and leave the world a more full, happy place when we waddle off. 

My love to you all 

a cuminy sabzi

Sometimes you are making a dal and you are like, I need to eat something green. And you rummage around and you find in your fridge: 

- 2 very small heads of broccoli 

- half a red capsicum 

- two small white potatoes 

and you think, I can make a little side dish out of this. 

a very easy cumin and mustard sabzi, to go with your dal

ingredients

2 small heads of broccoli, or one regular broccoli 

half a red capsicum, or whatever capsicum you prefer

2 middling potatoes 

1 tablespoon ground cumin (ish - I was too lazy to get out a spoon) 

Equal amounts of minced ginger and minced garlic 

1 teaspoon mustard seeds 

a stick of curry leaves 

some garam masala (but not much) 

cook this in a fry pan or a wok, not a pot! 

dice the potato, the broccoli and capsicum. boil the potato until it is almost cooked in some salty water; add the broccoli for the last three minutes. drain. 

in a little bit of oil, fry the garlic, ginger, cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves. (remove the curry leaves from the branch) after about a minute, add all the vegies, and coat them in the spices. add a pinch or two of garam masala. fry this all together until it is starting to look a little dry and concerning, then add a splash or three of water. put a lid on the fry pan. let it steam until all the water is gone and the potato is starting to get a bit mushy. whip off the lid and serve.