Tag: vegan

Making plant-based changes:

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Substitutes, hacks and essentials for a delicious and nutritious diet

Before I go on, I want to make it clear that I don’t follow a plant-based diet, in fact, I don’t think there’s anything I don’t eat (except for raw celery, ew…), however, in the past year or so, I have enjoyed testing out a lot more plant-based recipes and ingredients, and am happy to whip up meat-, egg- and dairy-free meals quite regularly, alongside my steaks, chicken curries and seafood dinners.

Here I want to highlight some of my favourite plant-based alternatives and ingredients that you can try out in your own cooking, whether you want to go vegan completely, or are simply open-minded when it comes to trying new things.

A couple of disclaimers before I get stuck in – I’m aware that there are lots of people following vegan diets who have no wish to recreate meat and dairy products, and in some ways may see that as contradictory to their ethical beliefs, however, I do believe that meat substitutes are a great way of being able to replicate textures and flavours that someone following an exclusively plant-based diet may miss. Meat replacements can act as a way of enjoying food to its fullest extent without compromising on your beliefs, but if it’s not for you, then that’s no problem, just ignore those suggestions!

One thing that does frustrate me when I’m discovering new plant-based recipes is when they’re labelled as something they’re not. One primary example that I’ve come across is the concept of a chickpea ‘omelette’. Some people who no longer eat eggs may miss omelettes, and so on seeing a recipe with this title, you’d be forgiven for thinking that chickpeas could be warped into something resembling an omelette. Well, I’ve tried these recipes, and it’s not an omelette. It bears closest resemblance to a thick and heavy chickpea flour pancake, and so misleading titles like this do annoy me. Plant-based food can be so delicious, there’s no need to con people into thinking you’ve come up with a ground-breaking substitute. So, sorry guys, but if you only eat plant-based, as far as I’m aware, omelettes are no more.

NOT an omelette.

Anyway here come the ideas; the food and hacks that’ll make it so much easier to enjoy meat and dairy-free meals.

Dairy

Cream, milk and yoghurt

One of the biggest food groups you may be concerned about is dairy – so many of us adore cheese, many recipes call for the use of cream, and milk is a daily staple. Luckily, the plant-based alternatives are getting better and better. Alpro does a really good cream alternative, which although slightly thinner in consistency, works a dream in dishes that require a little splash, for example a pasta sauce. It’s also got a lower fat content.

If it’s curry you’re in the mood for, go straight for coconut milk. This is often used in non-plant-based curry recipes anyway and so you aren’t compromising on flavour or texture at all. Because it’s so widely used, coconut milk is cheap in comparison to other dairy-free alternatives.

My plant-based butternut squash spinach curry recipe can be found here on the blog

For your everyday milk, there are loads of options on offer. Without making a conscious effort to try everything that’s out there, I’ve ended up religiously buying soy milk. If you want to avoid soy, there’s almond, oat, and coconut milk, to name a few other options. It’s worth experimenting just to see what works best for you, as their nutritional content is slightly different, with some containing more sugars, and there are also subtle differences in flavour. Plant-based milks certainly aren’t as thick and creamy as cows’ milk, but I personally don’t miss it in my hot drinks and cereal, and you’d never know the difference when baking, even if the recipe calls for standard full-fat milk.

Yoghurt and cream cheese alternatives, in my opinion, are not quite as developed as the milk on offer yet, but there’s still plenty out there. Coconut yoghurt is one of the most common plant-based versions, however, I do find that the coconut flavour is quite strong. If you’re looking for a more neutral flavour, soy yoghurt is available, but it tends to lack the sweetness of traditional Greek yoghurt. I would opt for coconut yoghurt to eat on its own, and soy yoghurt for use in cooking and baking.

So far, when it comes to cream cheese, I haven’t seen many options readily available in my local supermarkets, but I’m sure more exist. The only one I have seen is coconut cream cheese, which I haven’t tried. I’m sure this would be ideal for baking, however, if you wanted to use it as a spread, there are other slightly different alternatives, including thick and creamy tofu spreads, or cashew cream cheese which isn’t too difficult to make at home.

Cheese

The final element of dairy to address is hard cheese, and for cheese-lovers embarking on a new plant-based journey, this can often be one of the most difficult parts, as vegan cheese has a reputation for being a pretty poor substitute. Having said that, improvements are being made, and if you’re looking for a plant-based cheese that melts, violife is the one. I absolutely love it – it’s a dream in toasties, or grated and melted as a topping on pastas, and it has a really nice flavour too. Unmelted it’s ok, but I probably wouldn’t choose to eat it that way. If you want plant-based cheese to eat uncooked, it’s worth checking out the emerging small businesses that are making their own plant-based cheeses, mostly from nuts. I bought a few cheeses from I am Nut Ok at a local market – one truffle cheese, one chipotle cheese and a jar of vegan parmesan. Admittedly they don’t taste like your typical dairy cheeses, however, they are quality products, with great flavour that can definitely contribute to filling that cheese-shaped void in your life. The Parmesan is particularly good. La Fauxmagerie is another dairy-free cheese producer that’s worth exploring.

Protein

Vegetable substitutes

When it comes to the protein in your meal, or replacements for meat products, there are so many options. Whether you’re using quinoa and beans in a chilli, aubergine slices as burger patties or butternut squash and sweet potato in soups and curries, veg, beans and pulses are incredibly versatile, and adapt to different flavours really well. One of my favourite discoveries was oyster mushrooms – they have a slightly chewy texture, and very mild flavour and are used as a meat replacement in lots of recipes, from tacos and burritos to stews. They’re not always the easiest to find but they’re definitely worth trying out.

My cream butternut squash soup recipe can also be found in the ‘Recipes’ section of the blog

Pulled Pork replacements

In the past year or two, a food trend that has emerged seemingly from nowhere is the rise of jackfruit. Despite having been a staple in many global cuisines for a long time, the western world has suddenly begun to idolise it as if it were a brand new discovery. Although it is a fruit, it’s most commonly used in savoury dishes, and one of the techniques being splashed all over the internet and in ‘street food’ menus is pulled jackfruit – a replacement for pulled pork. Its stringy texture makes it a strong substitute, and once it’s bathed in various sauces and spices, it barely resembles a fruit at all.

One of my favourite new discoveries that’s also visually (though not texturally or ‘flavourally’) similar to pulled pork, is pulled banana skin. Yes that’s right, the actual peel. I first saw it done on an Instagram story of Nadiya Hussain’s and couldn’t believe the delicious cheesy burger bun image she’d posted was filled with thick, black banana peel. Not one to shy away from a challenge, I thought I’d give it a try, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to throw banana peel away again. You should keep it refrigerated until it goes super dark, and then use a fork to peel apart the skins, into stringy pieces. What you do next is up to you, but Nadiya throws it in a pan with some onion and garlic, and then adds a load of sweet bbq sauce.

Who knew banana peel could look so good?

Tofu

A controversial vegan staple is tofu. I completely get why people would be put off by it – to say it like it is, it’s the most bland thing you could possibly eat, and the texture isn’t particularly appealing either. So why eat it at all? Well, I guess it can be a pretty decent meat replacement, but you have to know how to cook it. It’s all about seasoning, marinating and spicing it up, maybe even with a crunchy batter or crumb. Personally I don’t think tofu is something we should decide we love or hate – actually, it wholly depends on how you eat it and what you have it with. I’ve had tofu dishes that I haven’t enjoyed, but others that have been great, including tofu katsu and tofu dumplings. One of my favourite uses of tofu was a Rachel Ama recipe where she turns it into a thick, creamy spread with the simple addition of some chives. The recipe can be found in her book ‘Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats’ and is perfect on toast. So don’t judge it too soon – once you find a fantastic recipe, full of flavour, you’ll be able to enjoy tofu too.

Tofu and aubergine katsu – delicious!

Seitan

There are of course, some rather more ‘hardcore’ meat replacements, and by that I mean those that require a little more spending and effort in order to turn them into a tasty meal. The most on trend at the minute is Seitan. Otherwise known as wheat gluten, it’s the thick, elastic gluten leftover when all the starch granules have been removed from wheat flour dough. It’s become super popular as a much more convincing meat substitute than tofu, and has a more pleasing texture. I’ve had seitan wings, seitan burger patties and seitan doner meat to name a few, and I’ve been a fan every time. I’m pretty sure you can buy pre-prepared seitan, but some recipes (like many of Avant Garde Vegan’s) require you to make your seitan patties and bacon from scratch, which is why it requires a bit more time and dedication.

Seitan wings from Temple of Seitan in Hackney/Camden

There is some debate over these kinds of meat replacements in terms of what nutrition they actually provide for our bodies. With meat you’re getting a solid helping of protein, and from vegetable-based meat replacements you take in multiple nutrients, however the likes of tofu and seitan don’t really have much to offer. For me, these types of substitutes are more of an occasional purchase, and ideally it’s much better to cook with food that bears greater resemblance to its original form, i.e. fruit and veg.

Eggs

Moving onto eggs, these are something that you may be struggling to work out how you’re going to live without if you’re considering going vegan. There are various replacement options, depending on the type of egg you’re after. To be honest, I don’t have anything to offer when it comes to fried or poached eggs, however, scrambled are a popular vegan choice. Common replacements include, tofu, mashed chickpeas and ackee (a fruit popular in the Caribbean). I have tried the ackee concept, but am yet to have cooked it successfully so can’t speak on behalf of that one. Tofu scramble can be very nice, providing it’s well-spiced and seasoned. One of my favourites, though, was another of Rachel Ama’s recipes for a chickpea scramble breakfast wrap. I’m not sure the scramble would be as satisfying on it’s own, but certainly as a filling it tasted fantastic, and the texture wasn’t bad.

When it comes to baking with eggs, there are a number of options. To recreate the binding effect that eggs offer, mixing chia or flax seeds with water is a great option, as the seeds expand as they take on water, and you’re left with a thick, gelatinous mixture. Things like apple sauce are a great way of getting moisture into bakes without using eggs, although from the vegan baking recipes I’ve tried so far, as delicious as they’ve been, they never quite achieve the same rise.

Sauces and flavourings

There’s absolutely no reason why plant-based food should be bland, as generally sauces, stocks and spices are in no way off-limits to those avoiding animal products, even if specific vegan versions have to be made. One of the most commonly used flavourings in plant-based meals is nutritional yeast. These flakes can be added to sauces, pastas and even water to create a kind of stock, and they have a distinctly cheesy smell and flavour that otherwise would be missed in a vegan diet. Miso paste, liquid smoke and soy sauce/coconut aminos are other key flavour boosters – you can even buy vegan fish sauce.

It’s also super easy to create plant-based sauces from scratch. Avoiding dairy products, cashews are a key ingredient for whipping up thick, creamy sauces – they just need to be soaked for a few hours then blended along with whichever other flavourings and ingredients you’re craving.

Although standard pesto isn’t vegan (or vegetarian for that matter) due to the use of parmesan, it’s incredibly easy to either leave it out, use a vegan version, or just add a sprinkling of the aforementioned nutritional yeast. Rather than sticking with the same pasta sauce every day of your life, pesto is such a fun one to jazz up, as it can be made with any combination of veg, nuts, garlic and olive oil.

Sun dried tomato pesto pasta from Rachel Ama’s Vegan Eats

Obviously tomato-based sauces never have to be off-limits, but even these can be made more exciting by incorporating sun dried tomatoes or red peppers into the mix. You can try pesto versions of those ingredients, or mix them with soaked blended cashews for a creamy red sauce – much like the equivalent of a little tomato puree swirled through some mascarpone, only with loads more flavour.

creamy red pepper pasta – sauce made with cashews

Baking

Baking is one area in which it can be a bit tougher to convince people of plant-based ingredients’ ability to get the job done. But believe me, I’ve followed a few plant-based sponge recipes now, and they have been delicious. As I mentioned regarding the lack of eggs, you don’t quite get the same rise, but they do still rise enough. Apple cider vinegar is a good addition as it should react with your raising agent (baking powder or bicarb) to generate a slightly more significant rise. For added moisture in your bakes, bananas or apple sauce are decent options, although obviously they will affect the flavour to an extent.

lemon drizzle and pistachio loaf cake

Believe it or not, meringues aren’t off the cards either. Odd as it may sound, aquafaba, which is the liquid you find in tinned chickpeas etc, is the main ingredient in whipping up vegan meringues, although not having tried it myself, I’m sure it takes a fair bit of practice.

chocolate ganache torte using coconut milk and vegan chocolate for the filling

In terms of brunch baking, fear not, because pancakes and French toast are still firmly on the menu. For your French toast egg wash replacement, simply combine plant-based milk with maple syrup and vanilla essence and soak your bread in that. Pancakes can be made equally as easily without eggs – a base mixture of milk, flour, baking powder and vanilla essence will do just fine.

What this post goes to highlight is just how many creative, straightforward and widely shared options there are nowadays when it comes to cutting down on your meat/fish/dairy/egg intake or avoiding animal products altogether. This also applies to the kinds of ingredients you can access in supermarkets, with vegan versions of chicken, mince and bacon now all being pretty common finds. Lots of popular confectionary such as Oreos, Biscoff and party rings are also vegan certified so you don’t have to miss out on the good stuff.

Even vegan doughnuts are on the rise – check out this PB and Jlo doughnut from Doughnut Time…

So whether you love doing your bit for animal welfare and the environment, or you still love a juicy beefburger, there shouldn’t be anything to stop you from being a bit more experimental in the kitchen when it comes to eating well. Buddha bowls, seitan steaks and chickpeas galore, plant-based definitely isn’t something to be feared.

¡Comemos!

xo

Meat Me Halfway: Final Week

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Just to be clear, my plant-based journey has not come to an end, in fact I’ll hopefully keep it up forever, but it is time to end this series, and I’ll be honest, I’m not ending it on the best note.

Forgive my lack of commitment this time round, but what with everything going on right now, lockdown, money concerns etc., ensuring that every single one of my meals was 100% vegan hasn’t been a priority.

Having said that, I did still make and order some fab food, which I’ll detail below before ending with some highlights and top tips that you can carry forward into your own journey to realising the potential of plant-based food.

I’ll start with two amazing pasta dishes, the first being @elavegan’s red pepper pasta, with a cashew based sauce, and Rachel Ama’s sun dried tomato pesto pasta. Both of these were super easy to make, although a food processor or some kind of blender type thing is required. If you’re going plant-based or trying to eat more of it, I would definitely recommend getting one anyway as you’ll get so much use out of it.

The red pepper pasta was incredibly creamy, with quite a thick sauce, the red pepper giving it a lovely, soft, sweetness.

The flavour of the sun dried tomato pesto was much stronger – fresh basil, balsamic vinegar and sun dried tomatoes end up being quite a pungent combination, but a delicious one nonetheless.

A couple of soups were also on the cards as per. Sometimes I find soups incredibly satisfying, warm and hearty, and others just miss the mark. The first – Nadiya’s lentil and orange soup fell under the latter category. Obviously I love her recipes, but I struggle with orange-based savoury recipes, particularly in something liquidy like a soup.

The second soup was my own recipe – harissa and carrot. Whilst it tasted decent with a strong kick of heat, I’m not sure I loved it enough to make again, although undoubtedly if I’d added a load of cream I’m sure it would’ve ticked more boxes…

Drinks now! BBCgoodfood have a pretty good recipe for a chai latte, although plant-based milk is one of the things I’m finding it more difficult to get hold of at this time. Normally soy milk is my go-to but I’ve had to switch to almond milk as that’s all that’s been available. Even so, this frothy, warmly-spiced latte was a perfect morning pick-me-up when breakfast isn’t really my thing.

Dreamy indulgence from Doughnut Time is next on the list. They genuinely do the best vegan doughnuts, which are no different in taste to their normal range. I’d frozen their Vegan Fox doughnut last month as it was part of their Valentine’s range but I’d eaten so much I couldn’t justify trying this one too, so rather than miss it, I shoved it in the freezer ready for a rainy day. Cue lockdown and I’d never been so grateful for this level of resourcefulness. It’s not recommended that you freeze these doughnuts but that won’t stop me. After defrosting and 20 seconds or so in the microwave, I had the most delicious, soft-doughed, melty-buttercreamed chocolate doughnut. The fudge buttercream is incredible and I really hope they give a vegan chocolate doughnut like this one a permanent spot on their menu. Failing that, the David Hasselbiscoff is one of the best doughnuts of all time.

Trust me to be taking complete advantage of the fact that many small food businesses have upped their delivery range due to the current situation, meaning that I’ve been able to get my hands on both Picky Wops’ vegan pizzas and indulgent subs from Jake’s Vegan Steaks.

After a few teething issues on the delivery front, I received my bbq chick’n pizza and a cashew-based tiramisu. The pizza was really tasty – the chick’n pieces had a nice texture, the dough was light and fluffy and the ratio of toppings to dough was spot on. It wasn’t the best vegan cheese I’ve had – was more like a thick Béchamel style sauce, but not unpleasant. Admittedly I wasn’t a fan of the tiramisu. The cashew-based mousse/sauce/cream/whatever you want to call it didn’t have much flavour, and I got one hint of coffee from my second to last bite. That’s it. But would defo order pizza from them again in the future.

Jake’s Vegan Steaks was my other treat, after I fell in love with their subs at Vegan Nights event last year. Although I’d become obsessed with the super spicy version of their Philly Cheezesteak, I wanted to try something new so ordered the Pepperoni Pizza Steak, along with bbq chick’n fries. The pepperoni sub was decent, although they’d been pretty heavy handed with the oregano. Ultimately, I wouldn’t order it again over the Philly Cheezesteak. The fries were great; really well seasoned with tasty cheesy bbq sauce and chick’n pieces.

And that’s pretty much all I have to share this time round – as it’s supposed to be a week’s worth of meals that’ll give you an idea of how many times I cheated, but like I said, we are in exceptional circumstances.

Before signing off on this series, I wanted to finish with some highlights, mostly in London, from some fantastic businesses that deserve your support.

  1. Redemption, Covent Garden

A lovely little restaurant/café with takeaway treats and drinks, Redemption backs on to Neal’s Yard with indoor and outdoor seating. It’s beautiful inside and the food is just as attractive. My top recommendation is the raw Banoffee Pie, pictured below.

  1. Itsu, Everywhere

Less luxurious, Itsu is perfect for healthy veggie lunches. Sushi doesn’t have to be raw fish, and their veggie gyozas and maki rolls are some of the best.

  1. Club Mexicana, KERB Seven Dials

Club Mexicana served up one of the best burritos I’ve had. The cheezeburger burrito genuinely tastes like a cheeseburger – god knows how, but it’s filling, cheesy and uses a great beef mince substitute.

  1. Temple of Seitan, Camden and Hackney

Who ever thought that vegan wings would be a thing. Temple of Seitan, as the name suggests, serves up a load of fast food using the chicken substitute Seitan, and these wings had the most convincing texture. With a delicious bbq glaze, these are high on my list of recommendations.

  1. Humble Dough, Boxpark Shoreditch

One of my favourite sweet treats now, Humble Dough serve up little pots of vegan cookie dough with various toppings. I tried the peanut butter and jam pot, which was delicious, and despite looking like a tiny portion, was the perfect amount for not becoming sickly.

And last but not least – what have I learnt during the last 7 months or so of on-off plant-based eating? It’s been a really interesting little experiment – one that is no longer an experiment and is now just a routinely part of my diet, but here are some things I want you to know…

  1. Don’t listen to how you should feel

I still get frustrated with vegan propaganda telling you that on a plant-based diet, you’ll feel so much lighter and will have way more energy. That’s great if that happens to you, but I have experienced no such thing, and some weeks I’ve even felt awful – heavy and bloated from excess veg, beans and pulses. That’s not to put you off. I just want people to be aware that even if you don’t see the benefits that other people are claiming, this doesn’t mean that it’s not worth the changes. Don’t expect to feel a certain way, and don’t worry if you don’t. Everyone’s body reacts differently to what they put into it, and you won’t necessarily feel like a goddess overnight…

  1. Learn to love key ingredients

There are some amazing ingredients that you should really get to grips with if you want to reduce your meat/dairy intake. If you love cooking then cashews are a really big one, as most creamy plant-based sauces use softened cashews. Beans and pulses are another saviour – chickpeas in particular can become super versatile, not only eating them as they are in curries and stews, but also turning them into a spicy scrambled egg substitute or forming them into falafel or burger-like patties. Aubergine and cauliflower should be your veggie best friends – there are an abundance of vegan recipes using these two ingredients in so many ways online, and finally… tofu. It’s a controversial one, but I honestly believe anyone can enjoy it if it’s cooked to their taste. The main danger is with it being bland, so for a genius solution, follow Rachel Ama’s recipe for chive tofu spread, which is amazing on toast.

  1. Get to know easy replacement hacks

Plant-based milk is obviously a major one – try a few different brands and ingredients and work out which is the one for you – almond, soy, coconut? Pancakes and waffles can easily be made without eggs, just stick to flour, sugar, milk, baking powder and flavouring, and egg replacements in baking can be produced from flax seeds and even aquafaba (liquid in chickpea cans).

  1. Don’t be too strict on yourself

If you’re not cutting out meat and dairy for ethical reasons, I don’t see the need to be super strict on yourself. Just reducing your intake is a great thing to do, so if you’re craving a Dominos pizza or a family-sized bar of Cadbury’s Dairy Milk, there’s no shame in that. You don’t have to change your diet to prove anything to anyone and so there’s no harm in just going entirely plant-based part-time – even if that’s verrry part-time, as in a few days a month.

  1. Look to the experts for inspiration

There are so many vegan blogs, youtube channels and Instagram accounts out there now, not to mention a growing range of excellent cookbooks. Explore, and get to know your favourites, as each of these cooks and bloggers comes with their own style. My favourites include Rachel Ama for vegan meals that think outside the box, Mrs Hollingsworth for amazing baking, snacks and desserts and elavegan for simple recipes using readily available ingredients. Avant Garde Vegan and Fearne Cotton are also worth looking to for ideas.

And that’s it for the time being. I’ll still be sharing my vegan week successes on my Instagram account every month (@foodtravelsldn), but this is the end of the series.

Of course there’ll be new series’ on the way, including my Around the World in 80 Plates, part 2 of which will be coming next week.

But can you guess where I’ll be heading, and what I’ll be making….?

¡Comemos!

xo

Meat Me Halfway: Week 6

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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

Meat Me Halfway: Week 5

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Controversial documentaries, tofu breakthroughs and gross pasta have all featured in part 5 of my vegan week diary, but overall I have to say, it’s been a tasty one. There’s been a lot more of the home cooking than eating out, and most have been deliciously successful.

Before I go into the food itself, let’s stop for a minute to talk about Netflix’s The Game Changers, which has got a lot of people talking recently. The documentary focuses on a UFC fighter addressing the prospect of going completely vegan, and looking at other athletes who have done so, and the consequences on their bodies, from the ‘world’s strongest man’, to college footballers in the US.

The research done is entirely in favour of 100% plant-based eating, and so you want to know what my thoughts are? It’s a load of preachy bullshit 🙂 🙂

I’m all for science and research, but as someone who is happy to embrace plant-based eating, I just couldn’t deal with the pushy ‘evidence’ insisting that it’s as straight forward as converting to a plant-based diet, and you’re suddenly bursting with energy and performing athletically at the top of your game. These one-sided diet A is better than diet B arguments are just such nonsense. The reality is that our bodies, as individuals, react differently to different diets, and so it is impossible to say that we would all be more ‘physically successful’ by only eating plants. Of course they’re only going to show the studies that prove their points (including a ridiculous one about how men’s sexual performance was enhanced after having eaten literally just one plant-based meal…). The whole programme was just masculinity-targeted propaganda, and whilst I understand that there are gender-stereotyping issues linking masculinity and the reluctance to cut down on meat, I just found the documentary very unconvincing. There was even a point where they made a group of people undergo a plant-based diet for a week, and at the end of it they all came back saying how they felt amazing and had so much more energy than usual…

Well maybe they did. But guess who else eats plant-based for an entire week every single month and feels absolutely no difference whatsoever??? ME.

This is almost starting to sound like I’m against plant-based diets. I’m not at all. I’m all for reducing our meat and dairy intake for a range of reasons and I actually really look forward to these meat-free weeks and the exciting meals they bring, but I’m more for balance, and feeding myself things that I enjoy. What I’m not a fan of is this overrated documentary.

If you want to read any more on it, Paul Kita’s piece in Men’s Health basically covers all the issues I have with it in a more articulate and scientific way.

But feel free to have a watch yourself, and who knows, maybe it’ll convert you.

I did always want this ‘diary’ to incorporate plant-based related issues, as well as the actual mealtime side of things, but that’s enough for this week, time to get to the good stuff. What did I actually eat??

Monday

I’m really excited by this first one, the reason being, it’s yet another successfully satisfying tofu-based meal. Rachel Ama makes a spread out of tofu, cashews and chives, and I had this on seeded bread, topped with griddled aubergines. The combination actually worked so well, and the recipe gave enough of the spread to have on my toast for multiple breakfasts in the morning. On the side of that I made Nadiya’s Hasselback Butternut Squash with Burnt Garlic Rice. The squash was delicious and had slightly caramelised in places whilst in the oven.

Surprise, surprise I was also back on Mrs Hollingsworths’ energy balls. Like I’ve mentioned before, these are the perfect snack to take to work and are so quick to make, basically just blending everything together in the food processor. The first lot are cocoa raisin oat balls. Weirdly, I love the stodginess of these types of snack, and even tastier than the cocoa ones were the lemon meringue balls. Honestly, these tasted insane, I can’t believe how much flavour there was in there, and these ones were cashew-based rather than oat-based. When you start cooking plant-based, it’s crazy how much you can do with cashew nuts. They will become your best friends, for both sweet and savoury meals.

Tuesday

Next up is actually one of my own recipes. I’ve been trying out developing recipes recently, rather than always stealing other people’s and this one was pretty good. Along with cashews, another ingredient that works a treat is oyster mushrooms. They have a fantastic texture that makes them perfect meat substitutes, without having an overwhelming flavour. Here I fried them in a jerk sauce and then baked them after to get rid of excess moisture. I used them to top coconut quinoa and black eyed beans (I’d defo use rice next time as the quinoa texturally wasn’t as strong), and then added a row of delicious fried plantain. Roll it all up in a tortilla and you have a delicious vegan burrito.

Wednesday

So Wednesday was my indulgent eating out day, and I finally got round to trying ByChloe. ByChloe is entirely plant-based, and they have restaurants in the US as well. It has a very informal fast-food style to it, and I got all my food to takeaway. I’d heard lots of good things about the Pesto Meatball Sub, which obviously isn’t actually meat, but uses mushrooms to create the meatballs. They are massively convincing and taste great along with the pesto. The roasted red peppers on top finish the whole thing off beautifully.

They also do two different pastas – a Cashew Mac ‘n’ Cheese, and an Avocado Pesto Pasta, so of course I had to try both. The Mac ‘n’ Cheese I was really impressed with. It was creamy and slightly spicy and the mushroom and crumb topping added extra flavour and texture. But… then we come to the avocado pasta. I gotta be honest, I hated it. I’m sure this is probably partly because I’m not the biggest avocado fan, but I do eat it. It just was way too bland as a pasta sauce though, and there were random heavily-salted patches. It’s very rare that I don’t finish something because I don’t like it, but it does happen from time to time…

Finally I had one of their London menu specials, which was the Sticky Toffee Pudding with Coconut Cream. This dessert was really good. I was sceptical about how the dessert would travel, as it didn’t seem like the kind of thing that would be good to take away, but I did it, and it tasted delicious. It was syrupy and sweet, with a super-moist spongy texture and a lovely coconutty cream, which added an extra dimension of flavour.

There’s plenty more I could’ve tried, but my stomach ain’t gonna stretch that far, so overall it’s definitely somewhere that I’d recommend, whether you’re eating in or ordering to takeaway, or via UberEats.

Thursday

Another one of my own again now! Trying my best to use up all the food in my fridge and freezer before I buy more, and so that led me to whipping up this Parsnip, Walnut and Honey Risotto. If anything, I’d go heavier on the walnuts and honey next time as it was really good with a nice creamy texture, and delicious parsnip flavour, but extra sweetness would make it even better.

Along with my energy balls, for work lunches I ran with the burrito theme and cooked up some Mexican-spiced rice to pad the tortillas out with. Using my food processor, I made a paste from various chillies, chipotles en adobo, tomatillos, onion and a load of spices, and then stirred this into the cooked brown rice. I often find that I’m not taking big enough lunches with me to work and so I end up wanting to snack, but this burrito was a big improvement on that because they’re actually really filling (I guess that’s double carbs for you…).

Getting off the tube at King’s Cross before work, I found myself directly opposite the Crosstown Doughnuts stall in the square. I didn’t need one and I definitely couldn’t justify the money, but yes, I did accidentally still do it. I bought two but only one was vegan so that’s the only one I’ve actually tried yet. To be fair, it was something that had been on my radar for a long time, ever since I’d seen that one of their seasonal specials was the Winter Crumble doughnut. Thoughts? Delicious crunchy crumble topping – I loved that. The actual apple crumble filling I initially thought was way too spiced; a very adult, sophisticated flavour, but this grew on me as I worked my way through it. I’m still not a big fan of their signature sourdough dough though, as it’s just too bready for me.

Right next to their stall was Amala Chai, serving up their incredible smelling hot drinks. The cardamom smell was so intense, I couldn’t not get an oat milk Masala Chai – the first I’d had since I got back from India last summer. To be honest it’s so difficult to live up to the dessert-like Chai you get in shot size paper cups in the street there. I like a properly milky, creamy, super sweet cinnamony chai, and whilst this one for most experienced tea drinkers was probably delicious, for me, someone who has never made a cup of tea at home or work, it just wasn’t the same.

Friday

A fantastic meal next up, and one to add to my ever-growing list of successful soup recipes that I’ve followed. Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen is probably my favourite cookbook as I’ve said before, and this was another winner. Spinach, Chickpea and Sweet Potato soup, with a side of Rachel Ama’s Caribbean Dumplings. The dumplings were crispy on the outside, and soft and doughy in the middle – perfect for dunking into the soup.

Friday night saw me devour an impulse giant bowl of porridge, after my plans kept changing and I needed something quick and comforting. To be honest it wasn’t actually that good, and I think this is in part down to my reluctance to add sugar to my porridge or extra syrup because god knows I eat way too much sugar anyway. Pecans, maple syrup and peanut butter sounds beautiful, and it was satisfying, but yeah, sweeter would’ve been better.

Saturday

Rachel Ama’s making another appearance here with her Roast Veg on Giant Cous Cous. The aubergines, tomatoes and courgettes smelt delicious as they were cooking, and the meal was surprisingly filling. This is a really healthy one for when you want to counteract a slightly less healthy evening.

Sunday

Aaaand the final one of this week. Ainsley and his soups. Or chowders. What actually is the definition of a chowder because I really don’t know? This is a spicy lentil, sweetcorn and butternut squash ‘chowder’ and it was so good. So I know creamy refers to a texture, and this chowder wasn’t that creamy, but the coconut milk gave it a creamy taste, if that’s even possible. I’m sure some of you will understand. I toasted some tortilla strips as well to dip in and ended up being very full by the time I’d finished it, so never fall into that old trap of thinking soup isn’t filling. It really ain’t just water.

Madness to think that my next post in the series will be halfway through (6 of 12!) – half a year of vegan weeks. That has gone scarily quickly, but yet again I have more treats in store for you (and by that I actually mean myself) as I will be heading to The Vurger Co, praying that I can still get my hands on their vegan Philly Cheezesteak sandwich, but only time will tell.

Also have plans to check out Yard Sale’s amazing-looking new vegan pizza menu, however that one will depend on how my body and purse are feeling. Gotta always be changing up my food plans based on if I feel too heavy or in the mood for a treat, and that’s the best way to work it. Listen to your body and adjust your meals accordingly. Not easy for someone who loves a solid plan, but there you go.

Breaking my meat fast with a bacon naan from Dishoom tomorrow morning. You will undoubtedly find images of it within 24 hours on my in-need-of-love Instagram account @foodtravelsldn.

Ciao for now.

¡Comemos!

xo

Meat Me Halfway: Week 4

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We’re already 4 weeks into what I’ve decided is going to be a year-long series – sounds intense, but that’s actually only 12 posts and so I’m 1/3 of the way there already.

Again this time round, there has been an interesting mix of fantastic meals and some that were disappointing, but I’m quickly realising how diverse vegan food can be.

Vegan food used to equal bland veg and a bit of quorn but you’ll see so much variety in the things I’ve eaten, both at home and out.

This isn’t quite everything I had, as 2 meals a day plus snacks for 7 days adds up to a lot, and I waffle enough as it is, but I’ve chosen the most relevant and interesting (good and bad) things I ate.

I do love that I can flick through the non-vegan recipe books I have and find a few meat/fish/dairy/egg-free recipes. There are never loads, but enough to satisfy my vegan week cravings.

Take my first meal of Week 4 for example – yes, I’m back there again, it’s Nadiya. Soup is such an easy one to make vegan and it’s massively satisfying, both with its winter warming powers, and with it being surprisingly filling. This was a carrot, cumin and coriander soup – very easy to make (stick blenders are life-saving, and not at all expensive), with lots of curried flavour. Another example here of me using up some rubbish leftovers – literally just a bagel that had fallen apart shoved in the oven to toast and then dip.

One thing I love doing, particularly with vegan meals, is having a mini feast (oxymoron?), combining a few different recipes on one plate. It can be time-consuming and a fair bit of effort (and washing up) but it’s a great way to get in a load of different veg and healthy bits whilst making them a bit more interesting.

This one was a Rick Stein Mexican feast – 100% vegan. I think often with vegan diets people tend to combine a load of side dishes to make one meal and that’s what I’ve done here. I started off with his ‘Patty’s Green Beans’ in a kind of tomatoey, chilli sauce. I had those with the slightly more indulgent Cauliflower Fritters with Cashew Sauce, and to finish it all off, some Mexican Red Rice. I know cashews are often used in vegan pasta sauces etc but I’d never tried to make one myself. I was surprised at how easily the soaked cashews could be blended and reduced down into a thick, creamy mixture. I can’t say I loved the fritters, but I am always looking for new ways to cook cauliflower, as it’s something I used to hate.

The Mexican Red Rice was the highlight for me. It had so much to it– from the coriander, to the chilli, it really would be appropriate to use the phrase ‘bursting with flavour’. I didn’t see any one part of this meal as the ‘main’ component, but I don’t find that important, I don’t always feel like I need a meat replacement, and as previously mentioned, I’m pretty happy with a selection of ‘sides’ like these.

My first non-home-cooked meal came on a lazy weekend day when, for once, I just didn’t feel like cooking. There didn’t seem to be that many vegan options available to me on UberEats, but I did find somewhere I hadn’t heard of before, that after having a little stalk of on Instagram, looked like it had some great options. From Miranda Café I got their Peanut Butter Cacao Banana Bread and Seitan Reuben Sandwich with an Aztec Spiced Hot Chocolate.

The banana bread looked amazing in photos so that was what influenced me. It was nicely presented with a pot of berry compote on the side. To be honest, it was very dense and heavy, however, it tasted great. There was a gooey chocolatey centre to it, which added moisture, and the sharpness of the compote helped to combat the thick peanut butter on top. It is indulgent, but for an exciting vegan brunch, I would recommend it.

Then we have the Reuben sandwich. Typically a Reuben sandwich features salt beef and sauerkraut, but obviously that wasn’t going to be the case with this one. The first thing I had to do was to remove 2/3 of the salad. Now I’m not scared of a few leaves, but this sandwich contained a whole forest of them. It was pretty ridiculous (maybe this is a tactic places use to hide a potential lack of filling??). Once I’d removed that though, I was ready to dive in. The actual flavour was good, and there was a nice crunch from the seitan patty (decided I love seitan), and a slight ooze from the melted cheese. I enjoyed it, but I’d firstly say more cheese would be fab, and secondly I’m not sure about calling it a Reuben, because it bore little resemblance to one in my mind.

Finally the hot chocolate. I’ll keep it short and sweet (unlike the drink). It tasted like warm cinnamon milky water. Very overpriced. Get your hot choc from Pret. The end.

Okaaaay, meal prep for the week and how many times do I have to say – ‘and back to Nadiya?’. She has a fab recipe for an Indian 5 spice veg stir fry so this was a great opportunity to use up loads and loads of leftover veg. After prepping it all, I was convinced this would easily feed me for 5 meals, but crazily once I’d cooked it, I only managed two. It was, however, delicious and very satisfying – and that’s just veg!

We move on to treat time. Or should I say Doughnut Time, with their wonderful vegan doughnuts. So they brought out a sort-of new one. They’ve had the MEGA (large, birthday cake-sized doughnut) Chris Hemsworthy on their menu for a lifetime, and they finally created an identical mini version, aptly named Liam Hemsworthy, after his younger brother. This is a red velvet dough with a cookies and cream buttercream, chocolate drizzle and topped with chocolate cookie pieces. It’s not too intense as it doesn’t have a filling inside, and the buttercream on top is delicious.

God, you are going to get bored of me, but back to Nadiya!!! This one wasn’t planned, I just made a few changes to my meals and so had to hunt for something vegan in my cookbooks that I had all the ingredients for. And that’s how I ended up making her Red Lentils with 5 Spice Soda Bread. The lentils were delicious and creamy, and the soda bread would’ve been perfect for scooping it up if I’d perfected it. The bread did actually taste decent, it just looks a bit of a dodgy effort (not sure why it resembles a jacket potato…). To go with those I had Rachel Ama’s Curried Cauliflower with Coconut Raita which was okay but not mind-blowing. Another effort in my cauliflower research.

***

I love that Ainsley Harriott has a whole section in his Caribbean Kitchen book dedicated to vegetarian and vegan recipes, and it’s honestly one of my favourite books. Tofu is dodgy territory for me – I remember making Nadiya’s tofu with edamame bean salad months ago and surprisingly enjoying it, but anytime I’ve tried to cook with tofu since, I’ve found the texture tricky to stomach. Anyway, I decided to be brave and try his Ginger Beer Battered Tofu with a spicy tomato sauce, and I had James Martin’s Green Beans and Broccoli with Hazelnut (vegan) Butter on the side. The batter was so easy to make, and cooked so well. The crunchiness of the batter was so essential to me being able to enjoy the tofu. The veggie side was also super tasty, now that I’ve managed to get over my fear of the woody flavour of hazelnuts.

Now it’s sweet treat time again (because once a week is absolutely not enough). I went back to Mrs (Emma) Hollingsworth as I’ve loved her vegan energy balls that I made before, and her recipes are so simple, requiring very few ingredients. If you’re looking for easy vegan treats, which would be perfect to prep for lunchboxes, you can find all her recipes on her blog, although she has just released a book too.

I made her Choco Banana Crumble Sandwich, and despite it not looking as pretty as the one she made, it was a great combo of crunch from the oats, smooth, creamy chocolate and the added banana flavour.

***

How could it be vegan week without some input from Rachel Ama? As well as her Curried Cauliflower, I also made her BALT sandwich, which is smoked aubergine, tomato and lettuce. I loved the smoked aubergine but the tomatoes I’d bought were so bitter, I didn’t really finish it, so it’s a very simple and potentially tasty easy lunch but just make sure you have half-decent veg!

More successful was her Vegan Full English, which I actually made post-vegan week because it appealed to me so much! This is another one of those oxymoronic mini feasts, and the washing up I had to do was mega, but it was worth it. As well as the thinly sliced smoke aubergine, I had avocado, fried plantain, and chilli oyster mushrooms. Not stopping there, she cooks down some tomatoes with spinach for an extra health kick, and my favourite part – the beans on toast. Despite apparently being a bit of a British staple I never eat beans on toast (not that I dislike it), but putting it all together myself made it so much nicer. You top your buttered toast with the tomatoey, spicy haricot beans. This meal will keep you full for a while, whilst giving your body a whole load of nutrients.

Okay, a couple more meals to go, and this one might be my favourite. After the first part of my double shift, I headed to KERB Seven Dials Market in Covent Garden, where Club Mexicana serve up a delicious vegan menu of Mexican street food. I had a Cheezeburger Burrito and Loaded Nachos. Nachos aren’t ever really my favourite to be honest, but I wanted a side dish, and although the tacos looked amazing, I didn’t feel like a taco on the side of a burrito would really work well. The nachos were good, they looked amazingly colourful, and had flavour with a great puffed-up texture to the tortilla chips, but my mind wasn’t blown (nothing against the nachos, like I said, I never really get that excited by them as a dish). The burrito, however, was another story. Lots of places tend to describe certain dishes and flavours as ‘chee[z]eburger’ without much justification, but this burrito honestly tasted like one. The burger mince substitute was delicious, and very convincing, and I could’ve drank burger sauce… This is definitely my top recommendation for this week, whether you’re vegan or not. Ignore how bad the picture is, I was way more bothered about shoving this food in my face than how it was going to look in a photo on my blog a week later.

Okay, last and kind of least (feeling a bit queasy thinking about it), is the Ortolana Pizza from Rossopomodoro. I’d never tried their pizzas at all, let alone the vegan ones, but they seemed to have a few options to choose from. This one was topped with aubergine, capers, spinach, vegan cheese and I can’t remember what else. Actually the base/crust was great, perfect balance of doughy but not too doughy (we only use the official technical terms here), but yeah the toppings made me feel a bit gross afterwards. Maybe it was the lack of tomato sauce, I’m not sure. What this does suggest though, is that Rossopomodoro has the potential to produce a great pizza because they’ve got the base down, but maybe the main non-vegan range is where it’s at.

There we go. 4 weeks down. Next time round I’m gonna head to ByChloe which I have heard wonderful things about, so I cannot wait for that, and you will have to wait slightly longer for my next instalment of fabulous vegan recipe testing, but end of Jan I assure you I will be back here with the lowdown.

If you fancy trying any of the recipes or places mentioned above then it has to be Club Mexicana’s Cheezeburger Burrito, Rachel Ama’s Full English or any of Mrs Hollingsworth’s sweet snacks.

I’m signing off on the vegan adventures for the next month. Until then…

¡Comemos!

xo

Meat Me Halfway: Week 3

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I’ve actually reached the point where vegan week no longer feels like vegan week. I’m not noticing the differences in the food I’m eating anymore, and it doesn’t feel like such a conscious effort to avoid meat/fish/dairy etc.

Despite that it’s still as exciting. I feel lucky that because I love cooking so much I’m more than happy to invest loads of time in trying new plant-based recipes rather than my vegan diet consisting of dull, flavourless frozen packets of things from that supermarket aisle (Linda McCartney chorizo sausages not included in this shade as they are DELICIOUS). But yeah, I can appreciate that for those who don’t have the time or the interest in cooking, a plant-based diet isn’t necessarily as appealing or exciting.

Anyway, there were a whole new load of things I tried in week 3, both things I made at home and places I ate out at, so let’s dive in and take a look.

I started things off by winging it. I’d bought some okra which, when cooked well, is one of my favourite vegetables. I only tried it for the first time when I was living in Brazil and fell in love with the flavour and texture. This curry however, was a bit shit. I think I should’ve had more patience and let it simmer for longer, but also I forgot that I had coconut milk so added vegan yoghurt instead and that just made it too sweet, so I will not be making a note of this recipe lol.

The only other thing I ate recipe-less was a sandwich that I took to work. I used the focaccia I’d made the week before and added some HECK Thai curry vegan sausages along with a chilli tahini and a lil bit of Bombay Mix for the crunch. I actually really enjoyed these sausages, probably a bit more than the last ones I tried which I think were Indian spiced.

The recipes that I followed throughout the week came from my usual favourites, Nadiya Hussain, Ainsley Harriott, Jamie Oliver and Rachel Ama.

One of the first was a spicy parsnip soup from Jamie’s VEG, which so far I’ve been really impressed with. The photo alongside this recipe looked so enticing but I actually found myself disappointed with the result.

Along with okra, parsnips are my other favourite vegetable (are they a vegetable?) but I lost the elements that I loved in this soup. It was less sweet and didn’t have the creamy, roasted texture that I loved. It was quite a chunky soup, whereas I think I prefer them pretty smooth.

I also tried my first recipe from Ainsley’s Caribbean Kitchen (just from looking at the recipes it’s my favourite cookbook ever…), but unfortunately I started with the wrong one.

I was trying to be reasonably healthy with his Mango, Avocado Brown Rice Salad but I actually had to throw it away. I’m not sure what I did wrong (other than following a recipe with mango and avocado which are two things I don’t really like lol) but there was this weeeeird bitter taste to it and so yep, it all went in the bin. No disrespect to this cookbook though because honestly the recipes look insane.

I brought it right back to the good stuff though with Rachel Ama’s One Pan Breakfast. Basically just tomatoes, spinach, baby potatoes and mushrooms but this was really satisfying. Simple to make and makes you feel pretty healthy, I’ll defo be eating this again.

On the side of that, I made Nadiya Hussain’s Country Beans and whilst there was lots of flavour and they tasted good, I felt that my attempt just looked a bit shit on the plate so I wasn’t massively fussed by this recipe.

A few days later though I persevered with her Turmeric Tomatoes on Avocado Toast and this was a hit. Although I mentioned I don’t really like avocado, I still occasionally cook with it because if it’s surrounded by other flavours and textures that I do like, I don’t mind it too much. The turmeric with the tomatoes was lovely, and again, this is another recipe that made me feel pretty good about what I was putting into my body.

Just a few more recipes to go, and this one’s a breakfast one. I prepped Jamie’s Ripped Smoothie Bowl the night before so I didn’t have to spend ages before work and I really enjoyed it. The vegan yoghurt didn’t taste any different to me to normal yoghurt, although I’ll admit that I much prefer Rachel Ama’s recipe for granola than Jamie’s which he includes for the smoothie bowl topping.

My vegan week came to an end last night with what I again have to admit was a not great meal. I have never tried ackee before, and the scrambled egg appearance tied in with it being described as a ‘fruit’ weirded me out slightly, but I’m open minded and will give any food a shot. The whole recipe was for Smoky Aubergine and Ackee Scramble Bagel and I had that with Nadiya’s Aubergine Pakora with Spicy Ketchup. The smoky aubergine part was okay and I mostly ended up eating this on the bagel, but the ackee didn’t do it for me and I had to bin it which rarely happens 😦

The aubergine pakora was also a fail but I’m pretty sure this must’ve been my fault somehow – the deep frying process just left me with soggy, saturated aubergine that didn’t have any flavour to it, however, I did rate the spicy ketchup.

So my home cooking was a mixed bag this week, some very decent, simple recipes and others that I just wouldn’t bother with again, but I’m still glad I”ve tried new things.

I’ll run through the desserts and sweet treat snacks that I indulged in next. Only one of these I made myself and they were the Lemon and Ginger Oat Balls. I’ve just scoured the Internet and my phone to see who I got this recipe from but I honestly can’t find the exact one. I loved these though, and after my success with Emma (Mrs) Hollingsworth’s peanut butter and chia jam oat balls last month I’ll definitely be making this kind of thing all the time because they taste amazing but are pretty healthy with no refined sugar.

Something that was slightly heavier on the sugar was Doughnut Time’s Good Pie-dings doughnut. It’s part of their Christmas range and is a vegan doughnut stuffed with mince pie filling and topped with cinnamon sugar. It might not look the most appetising but this was so tasty – both the sugary dough and the sweet filling.

As I’ve also spent a fair bit of time working at Winter Wonderland recently I’ve had loads of opportunities to try some amazing food there. I tried Badbrownie’s Salted Caramel Brownie which they have a vegan and non-vegan version of. This was very tasty, although I do prefer an eeeeven gooier brownie (not easy to achieve when it’s this cold outside).

Other Winter Wonderland highlights included the Chickpea Mushroom Curry from Makatcha. This was so full of flavour, I really rated it. Defo want to try their non-vegan options at some point.

Oh My Dog also have a couple of vegan hotdog options and so I tried the Deluxe. It comes with ketchup, mustard, crispy onions and pickles. It was pretty nice and in terms of the hotdog sausage itself I probably wouldn’t even have known that it was vegan.

My final feast at WW came from Fanny’s Kebabs and was probably my favourite. The hummus and pita were okay but nothing exciting, however, the falafel wrap was delicious. There was so much filling packed in and even the fries were impressive. The seasoning on their Persian Fries is amazing, and I love the minty kick that they have.

The only thing left now is my wonderful food from Temple of Seitan, but as I did a review of all that the other day I won’t go into much detail here (you can find it by clicking on the Reviews tab in the menu above). Long story short – get the bbq wings. Amazing.

Highs and lows complete, another plant-based week complete. Like I mentioned before, I don’t even feel like I have to try now, it’s really very easy to eat like this and there is so much that I want to experiment with.

As the weeks have gone by I feel like my vegan week diet has become more varied and is less dependent on just vegetables and beans/pulses – you just have to do a bit of research to see what’s out there and work out what the simplest substitutes are.

Meat Me Halfway: Week 4 will be coming to you a bit sooner next time, as in order to avoid it falling on Christmas (Plant-based Christmas???? I think not), I’ll be doing it a week earlier.

I have a few brunch and street food places that I’m super excited to try and bring to you next time around so you can look forward to that in a few weeks’ time.

See ya

¡Comemos!

xo

Temple of Seitan (Camden)

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I’m back with another review, and this one’s fully vegan.

You’ll get the full lowdown of all the vegan cooking and eating out I’ve done during week 3 when I write it all up in the next few days, but for now, we’ll just focus on this one specific feast.

From my flatmate, to work colleagues, to strangers on Instagram, Temple of Seitan had been recommended to me so many times. They have two sites – their main location in Hackney and then another one in Camden.

The Camden one was slightly closer to me so I headed there, but it is quite hidden away; you’d have to actively seek it out because there’s no way you’d accidentally stumble across it.

It’s got a kind of fast food set up to it. You order at the counter and then wait for your name to be called to collect your food, and there are a number of tables dotted around, but it’s not massive inside. It is however, a light, open space that’s not overcrowded, and so although I didn’t eat in, if you were to, it would be a chilled experience.

I only had to wait 5 minutes or so for my food, and the menu is pretty extensive without being overwhelming.

And here’s where you get to take a look at what I got…

Burger-wise I wanted to stick to ‘chicken’ as opposed to the beef substitute as I feel like that’s what they’re more known for. Even so, they have a few different Chick’n combos to choose from so I ordered the Nashville Hot. This comes as a hot dipped Chick’n fillet with ranch mayo, lettuce and pickles. Overall I really enjoyed the burger – it was indulgent and tasty in a decent quality bun, but the only slight disappointment was the patty. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted good, but it was very very thin – like half the thickness of a standard slice of bread (other than the particular side you can see in the photo which got a bit thicker), meaning that you got a lot of crunch from the outer shell but not much texture from the Seitan itself. What with all the lettuce and pickles in the burger, everything just kind of lumped together in a big crunch-fest, rather than being able to note a clear difference between the texture of the patty and the relish. Still would recommend as I reckon this was just an anomaly in the kitchen.

To reiterate what I often mention, I don’t always see the point in ordering standard fries as a side (unless I’m at Mcdonald’s) because they’re never really that exciting and I’d rather try something different, however, the exception to this is if they offer some kind of loaded fries or an interesting twist on the classic. This time I went for the ‘Döner’ Snack Pack – regular fries with vegan doner meat, mayo and spicy sauce.

It’s a pretty big portion, so definitely a sharer (or something to freeze for another time like I have done), and there are a decent amount of toppings. The sauces weren’t bad but I wasn’t a fan of the vegan Döner. The texture was pretty convincing but it didn’t really taste of anything and so I don’t feel that it enhanced the fries in any way. I’d definitely try their other Animal Snack Pack loaded fries if I were to go again.

As this is breakfast, lunch and dinner in one go I’ll move onto the next part of the meal- the Mac ‘n’ Cheese.

You can’t fault them on how much they can cram into this pot, and this is just the regular size. For me though, it just wasn’t creamy enough. The ratio of pasta to sauce was completely off, although that’s not to say it didn’t taste good. The macaroni were very small, meaning that more pasta could be packed in tightly, which in turn meant that the sauce literally just covered a few of the bites on top rather than coating every single piece. It was also quite salty, and so this wouldn’t be my first recommendation, but again, it wasn’t bad at all.

I do love to save the best until last, especially when it’s an unexpected one like this. The BBQ Wings were probably the thing I was least excited about ordering but I was still intrigued enough to try them.

Whereas the quality of the Seitan as a chicken substitute in the burger didn’t really do it justice, the wings really showcased why it’s such a good match. There isn’t really anything here to distract from the Seitan itself, and I found the texture to be very convincing. It doesn’t tear apart in the same way that fried chicken would, but other than that it really is spot on. There’s no oddly suspicious ‘this isn’t meat’ flavour, which allows the bbq sauce to take over without having to mask an unsettling aftertaste.

Some people love eating from the bone, but I find this quite annoying and would rather be able to bite into something freely without having to work my teeth around them so I’m grateful that there’s no dodgy attempt to create a mock bone here (the attempt at this in Biff’s Jack Shack’s jackfruit wings really weirded me out and put me off eating them when I accidentally bit straight into a solid piece of god knows what…)

So these ‘wings’ were my absolute highlight and I insist that if you’re reading this, you try them at some point, whether you’re vegan or not.

The four items together were £23 in total, which I think is pretty decent for London prices, especially as some vegan food I’ve had in the city has been the same amount for half the food.

I enjoyed trying a variety of ‘dishes’, and will definitely be trying the popcorn Chick’n next time.

This kind of food is not just for vegans. It’s indulgent and tasty, and even if you’re the biggest meat eater, you should try to overcome the psychological barrier of thinking ‘but this isn’t meat’ to decide for yourself non-judgementally if you could enjoy this instead of meat from time to time.

And if you hate it? Oh well. At least you’ve been adventurous and tried something new. I don’t even know if I’d choose this over a chicken or beef burger but I’m still really enjoying opening my mind to this new kind of cuisine.

But ultimately if you’re happy and healthy with what you’re eating then all is well; meat, veggie or vegan…

¡Comemos!

xo

Meat Me Halfway: Week 2

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One month has flown by, and so we’re already at week 2 of my mission to reduce my meat and dairy intake.

I’m gonna go straight in there and say that I enjoyed this week a lot more. I think the meals I ate were more varied, and I focused slightly less on beans and pulses; my body ultimately thanking me for this as I felt less heavy and bloated.

I’ll kick things off with one of my absolute favourite things that I snacked on at work nearly every day.

I saw this recipe on @mrshollingsworths Instagram account and they looked amazing – peanut butter energy balls filled with raspberry chia jam. You never know if these kinds of things are going to work for you in the same way that they miraculously do on Instagram and recipe books etc, but I can confirm that these came out perfectly. Basically just a combination of oats, peanut butter and dates blended together. For the chia jam you can either buy it or make it yourself but you need to freeze it in an ice cube tray so that the little blobs are easier to work with. Once they’re frozen, you take them out and press the dough around the frozen jam in a little ball. The jam will then defrost so that when you bite into them, this happens…

Just delicious. And with the same Rachel Ama raspberry chia jam recipe that I used for her pancakes last vegan week. I’m looking forward to trying other variations of these little energy balls next time round.

Along with these snacks, I needed a more substantial main meal for my week of packed lunches and decided to take a risk, following a salad recipe. Just to emphasise, I am really not a salad person and just the word alone makes me shudder. But, being open-minded and all, I went straight to Jamie’s Veg book (which seems to be absolutely everywhere recently) and tried his Bhel Puri Salad recipe.

Biggest shock of my life. It was amazing.

First off, it was so vibrant in colour – I think perhaps the fact that it wasn’t such a green salad helped me to find it less off-putting. It’s certainly not a traditional leaf-based salad.

You’ve got red onion, radish, peanuts, pomegranate, and a whole load of crunch from the Bombay Mix and crushed poppadoms. Add all the spices and this really does form a solid meal that tastes as exciting as it looks.

A couple more Rachel Ama recipes followed, one a bit meh, one an absolute winner. I had a brunch of her Nut Butter Toast which was okay but quite basic I guess, but at least it’s something you can customise yourself in terms of toppings and flavours.

What did really impress me though was her French Toast. I’d never really thought of french toast as something that could be vegan, as I’d thought that the egg was a key component. The substitute for the beaten egg mix worked perfectly though and visually created the same yellow-brown hued appearance on the bread. The recipe also used sourdough which I was sceptical about as I thought (bare with me on this one), it might be too ‘bread-like’. As in perhaps a bit crusty etc but it turned out super soft and spongy.

Ngl I would gladly eat this in a restaurant. Credit where credit’s due.

So after this masterpiece and the PBJ balls, I felt like I was on a bit of a roll, but I did take a few steps back again with my attempted Mango Cococnut Chia Pudding breakfast topped with granola and coconut shavings. I made this the night before as Rachel suggests, thinking it would be ready to go, perfect for the following morning and giving me an extra 15 mins in bed as I didn’t have to make anything from scratch. However, this ‘pudding’ just didn’t do it for me. A question of taste I reckon. I’ve never enjoyed mango that much but I’m always determined not just to write off recipes containing it. But that, along with the coconut milk that had soaked into the chia seeds forming an almost gelatinous slime really didn’t go down well. I don’t think the recipe is bad by any means but it just didn’t work for me.

From one coconut recipe to another, her simple, straightforward recipe for Coconut Rice was a winner, and pairing this creamy, delicious side with Jamie’s Stuffed Curried Aubergine worked a treat.

Doesn’t look massively appealing here, but it was absolutely packed with flavour – I highly recommend trying this recipe.

Back to Instagram, and the vegetable I have a love-hate (like-hate is probably more accurate) relationship with, it’s @elavegan ‘s recipe for Kung Pao Cauliflower.

This didn’t end up being bad, but I think I would’ve enjoyed it more had I boiled the cauliflower beforehand to soften before pan-frying and roasting.

Then came the evening when for once I didn’t have a plan. It was my opportunity to wing something. I had some filo pastry that needed using up so decided to try a filo pastry pie. Instead of egg wash I used coconut oil which I read was a half-decent substitute, and so after lining the dish with a couple of layers of the pastry, I filled it with chopped walnuts, mushrooms, vegan pistachio pesto (featured in my last Meat Me Halfway post), and @iamnutokay ‘s vegan black truffle cheese. The end result actually turned out pretty well, and it was really tasty, despite the photo looking like an absolute mess.

I bought a couple of things from @iamnutokay at Victoria Park Market in Bethnal Green a few weeks ago. All their ‘cheeses’ are plant-based, and although the texture doesn’t particularly resemble actual cheese, it’s a great substitute that comes in a range of really tasty flavours. Along with the black truffle, I also bought a chipotle cheese, and both of them are delicious. Vegan ‘parmesan’ also seemed like an important staple so I grabbed a jar of that to keep me going for a while, to add to vegan pastas and risottos.

***

Some of you may know that yesterday was actually World Vegan Day, and the evening before, on Halloween, I got last minute tickets to the Vegan Nights Festival at the Trewman Brewery in Shoreditch, London. I am going to do a separate post about that shortly, but I tried quite a few different vegan street food style meals with mixed results! A couple of amazing finds and some to be avoided, but more to come on that soon!

Restaurant-wise, I’ll take it back to Itsu, which is really great for vegan lunches. I also find their food so refreshing and energising, and they make rice box salads that are super filling. I don’t have any photos this time, but I still adore the vegetable gyozas which I had for a second time, and also was massively surprised by the mini avocado maki rolls. Not a huge fan of avocado, but for some reason, encased in sticky rice and nori sheets it tasted great.

***

I still love the fact that two of the best biscuits out there (Oreos and Lotus biscuits) are both vegan, and so these make a great base for vegan shakes. From Ed’s Easy Diner, I got an oreo milkshake which was creamy and indulgent, and kept me going through a long night shift.

Again, not the most appetising-looking but I promise it tasted great!

Last but not least, I finally got round to trying Arancini Brothers, whose burgers I had first noticed on Instagram a while back, being astounded that they were vegan. I ordered a ‘nudie’ arancini pot along with a chorizo burger. Other than the arancini arriving cold which was disappointing, I loved everything about the food.

I didn’t get any chorizo flavour or texture from the burger to be honest, but the flavour was still beautiful. It was pretty spicy, and the whole concept of an arancini patty is amazing, especially if you’re not a fan of typical plant-based patties made from soya/beetroot/mushroom/lentils etc. The ‘cheese’ was just oozing everywhere, and so for me, this is the perfect example of how vegan food can be utterly indulgent. We’ve come a long way from immediately associating a vegan diet with greenness and health-obsessions.

So that’s pretty much everything. Like I said I found this second week a lot more exciting food-wise than the first week and there are a few meals here that I would actively choose over meat/dairy-based meals which is a good sign. It’s given me a new burst of enthusiasm for all the recipes that I’m going to try next time around at the end of November when week 3 comes calling.

Stay tuned for the Vegan Nights post coming as soon as I have the time. In the meantime why not research vegan eateries near you and set yourself the challenge of eating out at one of these plant-based spots this month. Go in with an open-mind, and…

¡Comemos!

xo