It’s been an odd one this week. I love having a week of plant-based food to look forward to, but genuinely, this week I’ve felt so bloated and heavy, and that in turn has really negatively affected my mood. That’s part of the reason I was so frustrated by the Game Changers documentary – the idea that eating a 100% plant-based diet makes you suddenly feel amazing just isn’t true for everyone.
This week I’ve possibly eaten more vegetables than I ever have done before, and long term I’m sure my body will thank me, but it’s still been a struggle to feel good about myself when my stomach is literally ballooning as a result.
Despite that, I’ve still followed some decent recipes and eaten some good food, so here’s week 6’s lowdown…
First up is an exciting one. My favourite thing about selling old junk and clothes on eBay is that whatever money I make ends up collecting in my PayPal account which I use purely to spend on myself, working my way through my personal wishlist. A couple of weeks ago I used some of this cash to buy myself a Vonshef waffle maker, and although it was cheap (£22 I think), the results so far have been great. I tested it out on Rachel Ama’s Spiced Chickpea Waffles with Hummus and Tomatoes and although I wish I’d cooked the waffles for slightly longer, it worked perfectly and was so easy to use. I was most surprised about how clean it was – after removing the waffles there was absolutely no residue on the machine; it looked as if it hadn’t even been used. The waffles themselves had a hint of spice with a lovely seeded crunch, and the smooth, thick hummus made for a filling topping. I’d definitely recommend trying to make your own waffles as it’s so much more satisfying than store-bought, and you can make them vegan!
As I mentioned, I felt so heavy on more than one day this week, and so I changed up my food plan quite a bit. One evening after work, instead of cooking up a hearty main meal, I decided my body couldn’t handle it, and instead made Rachel Ama’s porridge. Topped with banana, blueberries and granola, there was enough to it to make it a nutritious dinner, and actually I could easily eat porridge 3 meals a day – it’s all in the toppings. Add enough sweetness and crunch and it’ll taste and feel amazing.
My lunches this week felt super healthy. Recipe-wise, it did end up being a bit of a Rachel Ama fest, and the main component to my lunch boxes was her Loaded Breakfast Burrito. This wrap is filled with spicy scrambled chickpeas with red pepper, a tomato and onion salsa, and spinach. I particularly loved the extra flavour that dry toasting the wrap on the hob added.
To make sure my lunches were really filling and therefore I didn’t feel the urge to snack, I also made her Butternut Squash and Beetroot Salad on the side. This is packed with loads of ingredients, including lentils, pomegranate seeds and rocket as well. I wasn’t such a huge fan of this dish on the whole, but I have to admit it was filling. I probably would make it again minus the lentils. The beetroot and butternut squash were enough in themselves and provided all the flavour and substance that I needed.
Next up is a simple recipe of my own. I used to hate cauliflower but now I’ve found so many ways to cook it so that I love it. Curried cauliflower is one of the best, and I made the most of some curry spices I had leftover from Guadeloupe, along with coconut milk for extra creaminess. I served it with brown rice, which I’m really starting to enjoy, and will definitely try opting for brown instead of white rice as much as possible now.
A highlight to my week has to be the fact that I received at least £50 worth of free sushi from Itsu due to my job. Lots of it was vegan and so avocado and green bean maki rolls, edamame beans and sticky rice have been a key feature on my menu this week. Honestly, their avocado rolls are delicious and I’m really not even a fan of avocado.
My eating out this week has been slightly less extravagant than normal. I’m starting to find that my 4-course-plus crazy indulgent, once-a-week new restaurant experiences aren’t as easy as they once were as my metabolism is slowing and my bank account emptying. Having said that, I did still manage to find room to try out a couple of new places.
First up is Egyptian street food café Koshari Street. I first heard about the dish Koshari in a Lonely Planet: World’s Best Street Food guide, and followed a recipe in there to make it at home. It was very straightforward, with a base of lentils, macaroni and shredded noodles and topped with chickpeas, crispy onions and tomato sauce. I wanted to compare the ‘real thing’ with my homemade attempt and actually, I think I did a pretty good job. I opted for their Classic version, and found the sauce rich, with the dish full of veggie protein. It’s great to see less-talked-about cuisine such as Egyptian breaking out on to the London food scene, and I’ll be starting a new blog series soon on some really interesting global dishes, Koshari being one of them, so stay tuned for more cultural background info.
Saving the best for last, during the lunch break of the travel writing workshop that I attended on Saturday, I finally made it to Redemption Bar in Covent Garden. It had been the sight of their toasted banana bread with coconut cream on Instagram that had captured my interest, but I didn’t end up ordering it, instead going with their Banoffee Pie. That was after my light and healthy main dish of Sweet Potato Hummus Toast, which came on a seeded bread with edamame beans and red pepper. It looked beautiful, with its vibrant colours popping from the plate but don’t expect too much magic. It is exactly what it sounds like – toast with hummus. There’s not much more to it flavour-wise, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great dish. The dessert was the star of the show though. The base of the pie was quite stodgy and difficult to cut into, but actually, in my mouth it didn’t feel stodgy at all. It had a lovely sweetness from the dates, and the coconut cream on top was light and fluffy. The cacao nib topping finished it off perfectly with a bitter crunch. Redemption is a really classy place that I’d definitely recommend trying, particularly for brunch, whether you’re vegan or not.
That’s all for this month’s vegan menu. The novelty of trying new plant-based dishes both at home and out in London honestly isn’t wearing off, and yes, it’s true that my body doesn’t actually feel better for it, but I do trust that the long term benefits of eating slightly less meat and dairy are aplenty.
Do check out Redemption if you’re in London, and for easy lunchbox prep, the Loaded Breakfast Burritos are the ones to try this time round. Easy to whip up the individual elements on a Sunday afternoon, and then assemble each morning, this recipe will please everyone, from the kids, to the boyfriend, to the best friend.
I’ve decided that this will be my penultimate Meat Me Halfway post. Although I’d planned it to be a year-long series, having arrived at this halfway point, I feel that I’ve covered enough bases, from the best plant-based recipes to ingredients, to restaurants and cafés, to justify bring it to a close. This will also allow me to focus on a load of other ideas that I have for new series’, so expect an overall round up in next month’s edition, with a reflection on how the whole process has been for me.
See you next month then for the final instalment of plant-based goodness!
¡Comemos!
xo
¡Comemos! 