I think I've finally worked out what inspires me to actually cook!

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We're currently in Melbourne (Australia) on a holiday. I haven't been here for at least 4 years, maybe 5. There are things I immediately remember and know where to turn or what to do. There are other things that are new or I've simply forgotten.

I had forgotten about the Queen Victoria markets but Brad, my partner in crime adventure, lived here as a child and knows this city much better than I do; he directed us there first thing this morning.

As we walked through the endless rows of cheap, imported, copycat clothing and knick-knacks I was bored; my commitment to buying less, buying higher quality items and buying second-hand as often as possible has got stronger these last few years.

But then we entered the fresh produce section and suddenly I felt
alive.

I usually have little desire to create, prepare or cook meals. The reason for that is another story for another day. But being surrounded by a wide variety of colourful fruit and veg, well, I suddenly realised I wanted to buy a heap of things and create something for us from scratch.

I'm not the greatest cook. Teaching us how to cook somehow wasn't high on my Mum's to do list. (I think she thought it was more important that we got outside to play).

But if I have a bunch of veggies I figure I can pretty much fry or steam or boil them and no-one will die. Brad is about the least fussy eater ever and I don't exactly have the most discerning taste buds, so cooking a bunch of veggies on our house doesn't exactly require a fine dining chef 😉

Back to those gorgeous veggies: to be honest, it was the mushrooms that did it. Whenever I see different varieties of mushies I can't get in Woolworths (our biggest grocery store near home) then I feel compelled to buy some.

So mushies were chosen and then paired, inexpertly, with a handful of snow peas, a tomato, a bunch of asparagus, a few cloves of garlic and an avocado. I knew we had half a loaf of g/f sourdough at the apartment and that I could pile the whole lot on a plate and the man would be happy. He was.

Veggies ✔️

Cheap meal ✔️

Caroline happy because she cooked something ✔️

The raspberries I had to buy. They were devoured as soon as I got back to the apartment...

And the finished meals! Brad eats more than me, so he got less veggies and some toast (his preference). He put the veggies on the toast and made a sandwich. Then got yet another piece of bread and made another "veggie sandwich"... while I happily munched my way through this plate of veg.

It turns out that making meals that are plant-powered is way easier when I'm surrounded by a wide variety of fresh, colourful plants I can pick from 🙂😉😀

{Photos of all foodstuffs close up, taken by me on my Google Pixel 2XL phone. Photos of me at the market obviously not taken by me 😂 They were all Brad, aka @new.things.}

hive-180569 vegan plants food cooking neoxian pimp health alive aliveandthriving
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I miss eating like that and I have to get back into eating fresh veggies and more fruits. Your post is a sign I should go back to them 😄. The market there also looks cleaner than what we have here, if only Indonesian market looks like that, I'd be going more often 😃

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Your post is a sign I should go back to them 😄

!LOL Totally!

if only Indonesian market looks like that, I'd be going more often 😃

I hear you. We are lucky, for sure. Which part of Indo are you in? I lived on Bali for a while and regularly went to the local food markets first thing in the morning. It wasn't too bad. (Though there's so much more plastic now than there used to be a few decades ago). Definitely better at the beginning of the morning than at the end!

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Right now I am in Yogyakarta but sometimes I visit Bali too, twice a year or so. They are now banning plastic so it's not that bad but I certainly still don't like the wet market hehe. I also wish they put up prices like that instead of having to bargain, just cause that's not my forte hahaha

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Right now I am in Yogyakarta

Aha! Got it. I haven't been there but I would like to travel more through Indonesia. We'll have to see what happens with the expected new laws around travelling as a non-married couple. It might mean we never get back to Indo again together and that I have to do all of it alone 🤔

They are now banning plastic

Yay! 🙌

I also wish they put up prices like that instead of having to bargain, just cause that's not my forte hahaha

!LOL I guess I just got used to it 😄

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Food looks yummy @consciouscat enjoy your meal have the best day
!ALIVE
!BBH
I will be including this content on the @heartbeatonhive curation collection

hboh (250 × 250 px).png

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The food you prepared looks delicious and very healthy, the presentation of the dishes was phenomenal, congratulations, you can work as a chef with confidence.

!LOLZ

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The food looks yummy.
I like the things I see in the meal, they are nutritious.

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As an extra reward for spotlighting on @heartbeatonhive here are some tips have a blessed and wonderful day
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!ALIVE
!CTP
!PGM
!PIZZA
!MEME
!BBH

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Very generous of you, Ben. Thank you muchly !LUV

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You are welcome have an awesome one
!ALIVE
!LUV
!CTP

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Great work! You have made a tasty meal. Those veggies look pretty good there. Someone told me that fresh produce costs quite abit in Oz. I hope its not too pricey.

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Thanks, @mypathtofire 🙏I feel like fresh produce is pretty reasonably priced here but I guess it depends on what you compare it to?

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Yes true, I think in Europe we have quite lower prices for our veggies compared to Australia. I presume it is due to efficient farming methods and lower labour costs.

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I have no doubt you'd be more efficient in Germany 😄 We could definitely learn to be more efficient in pretty much all areas of how we do life over here. !LOL

How to get lower labour costs when we already don't pay our hard-working people enough, I do not know. Maybe our cost of living is higher in Australia?

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Yes in Germany they are known for their very efficient farming but we have many abusive labour practices here where cheap labour is imported under bad working conditions compared to the unionised labour here. This is what keeps prices low I think. The seasonal work is also very hard and backbreaking too!

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Ahhh, I see! Not ideal. I'm sure some of that happens here in Aus too.

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Okay now I'm hungry and I have to eat soft food right now but I'm hungry and wow I bet this smells really good in the market by the festivals and fruit. Oh yeah putting your food on piece of bread or toast is so good toast mostly
!PGM

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!HBIT

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!HBIT back 😛

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Seems joyful.

You have to do that to you commons 1 a day
I comment this one. It will eventually get a response

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But then we entered the fresh produce section and suddenly I felt alive.

This is true as whenever one approaches
the fresh produce section in either the market or a store it rekindles that zeal of life.

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tasted great!
!LOL
!LUV
!ALIVE

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But then we entered the fresh produce section and suddenly I felt
alive.

I see what you mean! 💪
Stay !ALIVE

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Hello @consciouscat! Nice to see you in our community, welcome to Plant Power (Vegan).

I really liked the honesty with which you talk about your culinary skills, but as you show, you don't need to be a Michelin-starred chef to make delicious and healthy food, like the one you share in this post.

It is a privilege that you have a wide range of vegetables available, that is great.

I really liked these mushrooms, they look delicious. Greetings.

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Oh yes, honestly, one of the awesome things about going to Melbs every week to see Ned is that I go to Footscray market for the veggies. Lots of variety... More at Queen Vic though. When I had COVID .. or after it... I went there and got the best freshly squeezed orange juice (cara Cara) and a borek and I was SOOOO happy.

Simple food like stir fry veg is a winner.

Lately I've been doing a lot of brown rice and veggies, or a kinda tomato curry with paneer or beans. Easy, quick. Wish I could teach you a few cooking tricks! But yeah fresh veg makes all the difference.

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Yum! My kinda meal - easy tasty plant-powered. Shops and markets do not draw me in much anymore... too many people selling stuff from traditional stores stacked onto outdoor tables. I'd much rather be out and about exploring nature... There is an awesome market in South Africa near where I grew up called the Shongweni Market. We used to go there regularly on Saturdays and get Avocado sandwiches on farm-style bread for breakfast hehe. They were so so yummy!!! !PIZZA

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There is an awesome market in South Africa near where I grew up called the Shongweni Market.

Oooooh. Well, if @new.things and I ever make it to SA we'll have to be sure to ask you for all your recommendations 😁💓🌎

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