One of the things that I thought I would miss went I became a vegan was pizza. I used to love cheese – blue, cheddar, Swiss, processed, melted... I wasn't fussy. But here's the thing, I hate vegan cheese. I've tried to like it, honestly I have, but it tastes like a combination of armpits and the tennis shoes of a teenage boy. And plus, I'm not big on food substitutes. Cheese and eggs are from a long-gone part of life's journey and I don't want to eat facsimiles that undoubtedly taste inferior. I'd rather just let them go and move on.
 
This is why I like this vegan, pumpkin pizza. It's pizza but it's so different from the pizza of my past that I don't miss the cheese. You could put cheese on it, but it's probably redundant.
 
We use gluten free, pre-made bases but you can use regular bases if you're not a celiac. You could also make your own dough which I have done lots in the past. I love bread dough, every single time it seems like a miracle. You make it and it rises, smells amazing and tastes even better. Every time I make it I show it to the kids and try to get them to join in my marveling. They humour me but I don't think they really get my excitement at the wonder and mystery of bread.

​Most people think that vegans eke out their miserable, sugarless existence foraging on a mixture of grass, leaves and salad. Hell no! These biscuits are really delicious and they're packed with sugar, fat and refined flour. They're almost definitely just as unhealthy as traditional short-bread biscuits. They also use gluten free flour which I don't think is any healthier than normal flour – unless you are a celiac. And coconut oil which gives them a bit of bite and a very mild coconut flavour but won't make you any healthier! They do, however, taste delicious and they would make a great treat for that special high maintenance vegan celiac in your life.
 
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

​I'm not a big fan of the smoothie for breakfast. All that blending reminds me of my baby food making days and induces intense feelings of anxiety and avoidance behaviour. If I close my eyes I can still see what is left when a toddler with a spoon meets mashed banana, pureed apple and rice cereal. Spit and fruit everywhere. (I'm looking at you Raffy).
 
That's why I like amaranth for breakfast. It's a bit like porridge but it has a slightly crunchy almost sandy texture that I really like. Plus it's high in everything you need. It has more protein than oats (28%), loads of calcium, iron, fibre and manganese. If you were stranded on a desert island you'd be ok if you happened to stumble across a massive cache of amaranth.
 
I could easily eat my own bodyweight in amaranth – that's how good it is. We served this to our boot campers for breakfast and they didn't seem to gag, so hopefully you'll like it too.

When we were in Sumatra we stayed at a guest house called Kupu-Kupu Gardens. Right on the bank of the Bohorok River and a twenty minute walk out of town, it was peaceful and beautiful – the sort of place you day-dream about when you're stuck in traffic or braving the heaving mass of badly dressed flesh that is the pre Christmas shopping frenzy.
 
Guest house owner Jeff was everything you could ask for in a host – smart, great company and a really good bloke. He arranged our tours, trekking and food. Gluten free vegan? Not a problem! Every morning and evening we ate at a big, communal table just a stone's throw from the river. We were able to watch the cook at work in the open kitchen and since we've been home we've had this meal on high rotation. Luckily the kids love it almost as much as we do and because, for us, this soup is so intrinsically linked to Bukit Lawang and the orangutans we have named it after them. Don't worry, despite the name it's gluten free, vegan and doesn't require the addition of any critically endangered primates. It's pretty flexible too - just add in anything that you've got in the fridge, it's the spices that make it work.
 
Start off by frying an onion and some chopped carrots in a bit of oil. Throw in two dried chillies, two star anise, two cinnamon sticks, three or four cardamon pods and the same number of cloves. Let that cook for a bit until it smells really delicious. Add some water (about a cup) and chopped veggies in the order that they cook. In Sumatra we had this with potatoes, tomatoes, corn (sliced into rings) and beans. Usually we do broccoli, corn, beans and zucchini (in that order) – but it's up to you. Throw in about five cloves of garlic and a good sized chunk of ginger that you've smooshed with salt. The cooks at Kupu Kupu used a rock to crush their garlic and we liked the idea so much we brought one home from this gorgeous spot...

​On our way home from Sumatra we spent some time in Kuala Lumpur which is a great place to visit if you love food, amazing public transport and crazy festivals. Because Sophie is a coeliac she can only eat gluten free food, a fact that complicates matters a little, particularly when you pair it with a vegan diet. To help us out we downloaded some cards with the coeliac dietary guidelines on them in both Malay and Bahasa. These were great because, as we have discovered in the past, when there's a language barrier it's really hard to mime "please don't serve me food that contains either wheat or barley".
 
On our first night in KL we decided to eat at an Indian restaurant that specialised in Southern Indian food as it's often vegan and gluten free. The restaurant Annapuurnam was within walking distance of our hotel, the staff were cool and really coeliac friendly. As a definite bonus the food was delicious and we made disgusting pigs of ourselves and ate way too much.
 
When we came home we decided to make our version of our favourite dish. It's really easy but you will need to buy some curry leaves from an Asian deli.

Chop and partially cook about 6 large potatoes in boiling water. When they're almost done, add half a head of cauliflower that you've chopped into bite sized pieces and keep on boiling until both are cooked. Don't cook them too much or they'll turn to mush. Drain and set aside.
 
In a big pan or a wok, fry an onion and two chopped carrots in a couple of tablespoons of whatever oil you've got in your pantry. (We don't bother with coconut oil because it tastes too much like tanning lotion and gives me flashbacks to the 1980's.) Throw in some mustard seeds – about a tablespoon, star anise, a cinnamon stick, a bay leaf, two dried chillies, a few cardamon pods and a couple of cloves. When that smells really good add in a tablespoon or so of cumin and coriander powder, some tumeric, black pepper and about two sprigs of the curry leaves that you've stripped and roughly chopped. Spices burn really easily so keep a bit of water by the pan and throw some in if you think it's getting too hot. Trust me, don't throw in some of your gin and tonic, it doesn't really affect the taste of the dish, but you'll miss your drink when it's gone.

When I hit my late 30's I felt as though I was too old to be chowing down on another mammal's breast milk. It's just personal preference. I have no problem with other people doing it (in fact two of my kids do it by the litre) but it's not for me.
 
After weighing up the pros and cons of other types of milk (like soy and almond) we decided that rice milk was the best fit for us as it was less processed and not as greedy on resources as other milk alternatives. We're really happy drinking rice milk - it's not too expensive, requires no animal welfare considerations and tastes nice in a cup of tea.
 
After drinking shop bought rice milk for a few years we decided to make our own. If you have five minutes and a decent blender, you can too. It's definitely not rocket science. Here's how it goes...
 
Put one cup of cooked rice, four cups of water, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar in your blender and whizz it all around for a couple of minutes - basically until it looks like milk and not like small chunks of rice floating in water. White rice makes a pretty, white milk while brown rice milk is slightly less sparkly but way better for you. And how does it taste? To be honest, quite a lot like watery rice that's been whizzed in a blender. I have to admit, we are not DIY rice milk converts - but that again, is a matter of personal preference. If you're into alternative milks you might just like it and it certainly saves money. But we reckon we'll stick with shop bought rice milk for now.

​PJ