30th January 2012

I am still hanging in there, just. After a rather stressful day at work on Friday I could have done with a cocktail but I have been resisting. I have also struggled this week with coming home and having to cook food for lunch and dinner, so still no sign of the rejuvenated and energy filled me I was hoping for.

This meant I had to buy a couple of lunches (both yummy) and a dinner (disappointing).

Spianata & Co hummus sandwich

Hoxton Beach falafel wrap

Vitao takeout box

Snacks have been crackers (Amisa and Dr Krag), nuts, fruit and fresh coconut.

Waitrose fresh coconut

The dishes I have made from the Meal Plan:

Quickie Quesadillas

Reading the ingredients I wasn’t sure how tasty these were going to be but I was really surprised. The filling is basically a homemade hummus of chickpeas and roasted peppers, much better than a previous attempt at hummus I have had. I will be looking up some traditional quesadillas recipes to veganize as these usually have cheese in them.

Zucchini Scramble

The tofu and courgette in this recipe was to be flavoured only with soya sauce and chilli powder, not convinced this would be terribly exciting I ended up making it in to more of a teriyaki dish but adding maple syrup and mirin. It was still a bit blah and I also added a slice of Tofutti before I toasted it.

Lentil Artichoke Stew

This dish is pretty similar to a lentil hot pot I make for the Lil Man and I enjoyed it but then I love lentils and I love artichokes.

Carrot and pepper soup

This being a meal plan for new vegans, it also takes into account eating out and gives recommendations for various cuisines: Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Italian. I was VERY happy to see Mexican, obviously this meant I would not have to forego my burrito habit.

Mexican: Chilango burrito

Indian: Rara tarka dhal and bombay potato

And this weeks confessions…one morning I had cake for breakfast (it’s a long story) and a decaf mocha later that same day.

27th January 2011

I go to Camden every once in a while, but it has been a long time Sash and I have visited Camden with a ‘fresh’ eye to see what new things we could discover. (more…)

22nd January 2012

I was an angel looking for adventure and I have emerged from the shadows, the cargo has been successfully delivered and I have managed to avoid the police, the mission is now complete. I think it is safe for me to tell my story now, so I shall begin. (more…)

22nd January 2012

Yep, I warned you this was coming. After having to resort back to caffeine to keep me going through the day I decided enough was enough and I needed to see if changing what I ate would make a difference to my energy levels. (more…)

15th January 2012

Sigh has another week and weekend really gone? Normally it would be around now (whilst chewing my last mouthful of the menu from that weekend) that I start planning what I want to make for the following week. This time however, things are different. (more…)

8th January 2011

My first week at work has flown by in a flurry of stressful days and late nights. That will teach me to take two weeks off work before busiest time in the office! After shock to my system getting up early and not seeing my Lil Man every minute of the day I could not wait for the weekend. I already had my recipes I intended to make all before I got to Friday. (more…)

31st December 2011

My 2012 will be getting off to a good start with the lovely vegan items I have managed to accumulate over Christmas. There are some perks to being a Christmas baby after all. Having very generous friends and family always helps. (more…)

22nd December 2011

Sometimes a vegan has to do what a vegan has to do, and the one way to guarantee a decent Christmas lunch is to jolly well make it yourself! Inspired by my Manna Christmas lunch I looked up a wellington recipe and recruited a willing and appreciative fellow vegan (Sash ) to share the action.

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21stDecember 2011

Tis the season for offices parties and Christmas lunches, as luck would have it since I am the events organiser for my team I can check out the vegan options first before selecting venues. Last year proved to be very successful. (more…)

16th December 2011

I do love a road trip, and a train trip even better. Sash was keen to return to Bath after enjoying herself last year and I have always loved it there so last Sunday Sash, I and the Lil Man boarded a train to Bath to see what the beautiful town was saying in the build up to Christmas. (more…)

14th December 2011

I am hoping that I have created a new tradition -  Christmas dinner at Manna with my girls,  every year, definitely something worth establishing.

The menu was the same as last year, but having enjoyed it so much before I was not disappointed, in fact I think I liked it even more this year.  So enough of the words here is what I had to say about it in 2010 and here is how it looked last week:

Starter: truffle & prosecco risotto cocette

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10th December 2011

Since the first London Vegan Potluck back in May, the event has moved from it’s original location at Ms Cupcakes bakery in Brixton to a more central (and more climate appropriate) venue in Holborn. (more…)

4th December 2011

December appears to be an easy month for blogging, along with Christmas there is a flurry of events and celebration popping up all over the place.

Last night Sash and I met up for a much overdue dinner with two other vegan bloggers Chrissie and Naomi. With the wealth of choice in London we decided to do Japanese and headed to Itadaki Zen near King’s Cross for a catch up and some authentic vegan organic cuisine. (more…)

3rd December 2011

It does not seem that long ago that I was jumping around with excitement when I heard about the Karma Free Pizza Company, and now about a month ago I did a double take when a leaflet for Village Pizza popped through the door. Generally flyers go straight in the recycling, but for some reason I was drawn to this one, and holy cheezly mock meat vegan pizzas, I am glad I did (it was my vegan radar you know)! (more…)

26th November 2011

I have recently changed my breakfast routine after discovering Lizi’s Granola.

Now I am loving having my daily fix with a dollop of yogurt, some fresh mango and blueberries. So far I have tried two of the varieties (which are all vegan), the Belgian chocolate is my favourite, although having chocolate for breakfast does feel a bit decadent! (more…)

20th November 2011

I seem to be on a bit of a losing streak when it comes to vegan eateries these days. However, having the resolve to bail, good company to balance it out, oh and a scoop of chocolate sorbet you can end up with the silver lining. (more…)

14th November 2011

I have been a bit slow in getting round to Vantra. I have to say the whole Vitaorganic/Vitao/Vantra caper has been a bit confusing for me. It is my understanding that the creators of Vitao (previously Vitaorganic, which I loved) had created Vantra. I had so many questions: Would Vitao still be operating and still be as good? Why had they moved? Oooh more raw? More space? A la carte menu and dim sum???

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11th November 2011

Everyone once in a while I put off a blog, I put it off and put it off till I feel I can put it off no more. It happens mostly when I get excited about somewhere new and vegan (or even somewhere old and vegan) and it doesn’t live up to my expectations. I hate having to write about not enojying a meal, but I would hate myself even more if I could not be honest. (more…)

7th November 2011

It has been a good couple of months since the first part of my burrito blog and I have had many MANY burritos since. Some definitely good, some definitely not so good. Part two is dedicated to the places that somehow manage to create a delicious burrito but with the simplest of ingredients, no tofu, no chocolate sauce - the best basic burritos. (more…)

30th October 2011

My final blog for Vegan Mofo and I thought I would end with the ultimate vegan recipe book – the internet. If you are after inspiration or a specific recipe the internet has in my experience never let me down (although many hours of my life may have been lost surfing for it!). After all it would be rude not to make use of all those other vegans out there pottering around in their kitchen perfecting veganised versions of everything you can imagine. (more…)