tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11128488094604003212024-03-21T07:17:32.900+00:00How Not To Be A Skinny Vegan*Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.comBlogger170125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-64838872031628092882016-02-19T09:04:00.000+00:002016-02-19T09:12:04.714+00:00Grindelwald, Switzerland<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the mountains from<span style="background-color: white;"> <span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">M<span style="text-align: start;">ännlichen.</span></span></span></td></tr>
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When travelling abroad I'm always a little apprehensive about what kind of food I'm going to be able to get, especially when the area I'm visiting is famous for dipping small chunks of white bread into melted cheese. I've been to Switzerland a few times but have either been in the cities where sourcing vegan food is quite easy due to the amazing array of vegetarian restaurants or I've been in the mountains, skiing or walking, and have opted for a quick visit to the Coop on my way down the mountain each day to have a picnic on the balcony of our hotel room.<br />
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This week we've just been skiing in Grindelwald and our hotel, while convenient to the bus stop and ski lifts, wasn't as convenient to the Coop. As a result we took a rather brave decision to try to find vegan food in the local restaurants. Fortunately, we didn't have to go very far.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_S8zomf3kT_h3HMF9-z1UK0ZIom5zDeG2x6pPxKEGF0MaC2RF8ozg4p3oFuRKklFCtKqPIXoCl3l6CnPLiBnVMI4pDAiStejs2hA1zy-VUdV0-KMfd-5gS7iZIvtK4iQvHVNGlk0C2JaK/s1600/IMG_0787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_S8zomf3kT_h3HMF9-z1UK0ZIom5zDeG2x6pPxKEGF0MaC2RF8ozg4p3oFuRKklFCtKqPIXoCl3l6CnPLiBnVMI4pDAiStejs2hA1zy-VUdV0-KMfd-5gS7iZIvtK4iQvHVNGlk0C2JaK/s400/IMG_0787.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Grindelwald from one of the runs.</td></tr>
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A quick look on Happy Cow and Vegetarious showed that the closest vegetarian restaurant was Davos. It may have been close as the crow flies but not as the trains go. Our hotel, the Sunstar, was able to whip something vegan up with a bit of notice but we had to find somewhere else on the first night. So we decided to go back into the town to find the Coop. Fortunately, we didn't make it very far because as I was waddle wobbling along the icy footpath we spotted a menu with the word 'vegan' on it.<br />
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We popped up into <a href="http://www.eiger-grindelwald.ch/en/hotel-eiger/restaurants/barrys-restaurant">Barry's restaurant</a> at Hotel Eiger Grindelwald and, after a rather confusing mix of German and English, managed to establish that there was a vegan option and that there was a table available for an hour. There is only a single vegan option and it is on their winter menu so I have no idea if it will be available in the summer but I can highly recommend the K.L.G. Ragout. I opted for the smaller portion (15 CHF) and also had a small bowl from the salad buffet (9 CHF). The salad was fresh and varied and there were beans and quinoa (quinoa seems to be the new favourite in Swiss salad buffets). The only downside was that the ragout was a little salty for my taste but I did let the restaurant know so hopefully next time it will be OK.<br />
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The next evening we had arranged to eat at the Sunstar and were so pleasantly surprised by how accommodating they were for vegans, and how beautifully presented and delicious that food was, that we ate there for the rest of the week. It's not at all cheap (48 CHF per person) but it is for a 5 course meal and the food is specially made for you; it's not just the vegetarian option sans cheese. The starters ranged from antipasti platters to beetroot and orange carpaccio to grilled fennel with a vegetable and rice tower. The soups ranged from tomato to creamed corn to minestrone with olive bruschetta and the salad buffet was always fresh, always had beans and had an amazing range of oils and vinegars available. The mains were always beautifully presented and ranged from a yellow Thai curry with seasonal vegetables and grilled fruit skewers to grilled vegetables and beetroot giant cous cous to even a rosti (a local favourite) with vegetables and a special creamy chive sauce they made from soya milk. But I think my favourite part, by far, was the puddings: grilled figs with mango puree, soya yoghurt and marinated blueberries and even chia pudding with fresh fruit. It was just really lovely to go somewhere where the chef took the time to cater for vegans and didn't just throw together some vegetables and pasta.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Sunstar hotel in the shadow of the Swiss alps.</td></tr>
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I would also recommend the skiing in Grindelwald! I'm not a great skier but some of the routes are absolutely beautiful, especially those from the tops of the mountains back into the towns. A couple of favourites were the routes from Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald, <span style="font-family: inherit;">M<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2;">ä</span>nnlichen</span> to Kleine Scheidegg and Kleine Scheidegg to Wegen.<br />
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Great skiing and great food: Grindelwald is an excellent place for a vegan skier!</div>
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Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-28961527764966769372015-07-28T22:36:00.000+01:002015-07-28T22:37:18.901+01:00Roasted Beetroot and Caramelised Onion 'Quiche' on Gluten Free Grain Base<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last autumn we bought some recycled railway sleepers and set up some raised beds in our backyard. I gave up my allotment and focused my gardening energy into making a jungle in our backyard. And despite the fact that I'm a beginner gardener, it looks somewhat of an edible jungle out there. And the fruit and vegetables taste so much better than anything in store. I had no idea how much flavour carrots can have or how easy it was to grown kilos of blueberries.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our garden looking unusually tidy. There must have been visitors on the way!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of our raised beds, packed full of vegetables. </td></tr>
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Growing your own also gives you a much better perspective on seasonality. I don't think we think enough about where our food comes from, how it came to be on that shelf in the supermarket and whether or not we could substitute it with something in season, local and with a smaller carbon footprint.<br />
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Growing your own also means you need to come up with recipes that use up gluts. Potatoes and carrots are easy enough to store and you can grown spinach and lettuce that keeps growing back no matter how much you cut it. However, things like sprouting broccoli, beetroot, berries and peas taste best when you take them from garden to pan.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly harvested beetroot from our garden.</td></tr>
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Last weekend I was trying to find some room to plant my spring cabbages so I pulled up a couple of huge beetroot I spotted (brassicas are best to follow root vegetables). I wanted to make something for our lunch for the next couple of days and I wanted to use all of the beetroot (roots, stalks and leaves). So I came up with the following recipe for a Beetroot and Caramelised Onion 'Quiche' on a Gluten Free Grain Base.<br />
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You can easily replace the base with any shortcut pastry, I just don't like pastry and like to get a big mix of grains in my diet. I also realise that <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=amaranth">amaranth</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=quinoa&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Aquinoa">quinoa</a> aren't the cheapest of grains but they both have a <a href="http://glutenfreecooking.about.com/od/nutritionmealplanning/a/amaranth.htm">huge range of nutritional value</a> that I'm happy enough to give up something else in my life (like a trip to the movies, a cocktail, biscuits, a cup of coffee) for the price of the grains. However, you can just use brown rice for the whole base although the amaranth does help make everything stick together.<br />
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You can also completely skip the roasting of the vegetables if you don't have the time or energy. If you have bought pre-cooked beetroot (and sometimes that's all we can get a hold of) then just cut that up and layer it on top of some other greens like spinach or chard and then caramelise the onions in a pan.<br />
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<b>Roasted Beetroot and Caramelised Onion 'Quiche' on Gluten Free Grain Base</b></h3>
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<b><u>INGREDIENTS</u></b><br />
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<b>Base</b><br />
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1⁄3 cup amaranth<br />
1⁄3 cup brown rice<br />
1⁄3 cup of quinoa<br />
2 cups waters<br />
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<b>Filling (Beets)</b><br />
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2 large beetroots including stalks and leaves<br />
1 tsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed<br />
1 tbsp rice syrup<br />
2 cloves garlic, chopped<br />
1⁄8 cup olive oil<br />
2 tbsp white wine vinegar<br />
1⁄2 red onion<br />
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<b>Filling (Tofu)</b><br />
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500g silken tofu<br />
1⁄4 cup plain soymilk<br />
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast<br />
1 tablespoon cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)<br />
1 teaspoon tahini (preferred) or cashew butter<br />
1 tsp Dijon mustard<br />
3⁄4 teaspoon soy sauce<br />
Black pepper to taste<br />
1 tablespoon of chopped thyme<br />
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<b><u>DIRECTIONS</u></b><br />
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<b>Prep</b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cooked grains hold together nicely as a base.</td></tr>
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Preheat oven to 180C fan forced. Line pie tin with baker paper and lightly grease.<br />
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<b>Base</b><br />
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Put grains in a saucepan with water with the lid and bring to boil then simmer until liquid has evaporated and grains are soft. You may need more water.<br />
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Once cooked, spread the grains onto your prepared pie tin and set aside to cool.<br />
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<b>Filling (beets)</b><br />
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Cut the tops off your beetroot but don't discard!<br />
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Cut beetroot into thin wedges (I don't peel my beets but you can!) and put rest of the ingredients (except red onion and beet tops) in a bowl with the cut beets. Mix well.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted beets and onion.</td></tr>
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Bake until just soft. You can do this by covering with foil and baking for 30-60 minutes but I don't like to use foil (bad for the environment!) so I just left them to cook uncovered in the oven for about 10-15 minutes. They get a little charred but it's tasty!<br />
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Meanwhile, detached the stalks of the beets from the leaves but keep both parts! Roughly chop the leaves and spread over the grain base into the pie tin.<br />
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Finely chop the stalks and thinly slice the red onion. Once the beets are just soft, add the onion and chopped stalks to the beet mix in the oven too. Let them cook for a few minutes until soft then remove from the oven. Leave the oven on.<br />
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Leave to cool for a few minutes but be careful to move the vegetables around as they will start to stick are the syrup begins to cool.<br />
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Once the beets are cool enough to handle, arrange them in two circles on top of the beet leaves in the pie tin and then spoon on the onion and stalk mix (and garlic, if you are brave enough!).<br />
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<b>Filling (tofu)</b><br />
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Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. You should just be able to pour the mixture. However, if you didn't use silken tofu you may need to add some more soy milk to get the right consistently.<br />
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Once all the ingredients are blended, pour the mixture on top of the beets in the pie tin. Tap the pie tin lightly on the bench to help the tofu mixture settle into the spaces and then very gently (otherwise everything turns purple!) smooth the mixture flat and to the edges. You may want to tap it and smooth it a few more times to make sure the mixture is filling the gaps.<br />
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Put the tart back in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes until the top starts to go a golden brown colour and it no longer wobbles when you shake it gently.<br />
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Once cooked, remove tart from oven and allow to cool. Serve warm or refrigerate to serve cold.<br />
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Serves 4.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted Beetroot and Caramelised Onion on Gluten Free Grain Base</td></tr>
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Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-80097270423556019252015-07-24T12:14:00.004+01:002015-07-24T12:14:58.841+01:00Hello again.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Nearly two years since my last post! However, I never really took a break from most aspects of this blog: I still record and tweak favourite recipes, I still take photos of my food in hipster restaurants with a most conspicuous SLR (much to the embarrassment of friends and family) and I still try to hunt out the best vegan or vegan-friendly restaurants in all of the places I travel to whether it be Coventry or San Francisco. But I also spent the last two years teaching part-time (if you believe there's such thing as teaching part-time!), while still working full-time on my PhD, so any spare moments I've had to myself I spend sitting like a zombie in front of the television while refusing to communicate with anyone (apparently it is <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/weareteachers/21-teacher-problems-every-educator-faces-as-illus-h0xt">completely normal</a> for teachers to do this).<br />
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There are a couple of reasons why I have started writing again. Firstly, it's summer holidays so I'm back to just working full-time on my PhD. This seems like a piece of easy vegan chocolate cake after trying to juggle it with teaching. I make progress every day (literally unheard of in the world of PhD progress) and, because I sit in my office by myself with not a single soul to disturb me (apparently the teacher voice makes other adults either scared of or very annoyed at you), I come home and actually feel like speaking to my partner or writing on my blog! (Last summer holiday I went to San Francisco to present a paper at a conference so it wasn't prime blog writing time.)<br />
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The second reason I was reunited with my blog is due to my lovely Year 10 Maths class. Call me naive, but I had no idea the extent of cyberstalking of teachers that goes on. I'm not that old, the internet was around when I was a teenager. However, I grew up in a small country town in northern NSW where the biggest event of the year is a rodeo and people actually go to line dancing classes for exercise. It is 2015 and local businesses still don't have websites. Just last week my Dad got his finger caught in a bench grinder and managed to grind most of his finger off. I thought I would buy him a cheer-up cheesecake and have it delivered to his work. Did not happen. No one in their lovely little town has a website so I could not find anyone to contact about this. So no cheer-up cheesecake for my Dad.<br />
<br />
But back to my Year 10 class. On the last day of teaching them (I am moving to a new school in September) I made them all vegan cupcakes and choc chip cookies as a farewell gift to them for being the noisiest, most raucous but also most talented class of students I've ever taught. And their gift to me was to inform me that they had been reading my blog (!) and know basically everything about my very tiny social life(!). I'm not sure I can describe the jaw-dropping look of horror that came on to my face. Truthfully, I don't mind if they know things about me, they could have just asked. I was more surprised that they spend their free time trying to find out what their teachers do in their free time! So, if any of my former or current students are reading this, I'll tell you what I do in my spare time: marking. If you want me to have a more exciting social life that you can talk about then pay more attention in class, ask me when you don't understand something and get 100% on all of your homework and exams from now on. Simple. Also, go out and get some fresh air and exercise and stop cyberstalking your teachers!<br />
<br />
So, thanks to my lovely Year 10 Maths class, I was reminded that people do actually come across my blog and that I should contribute to it more often. Also, I must mention, this shock was not the only gift my class gave me. They also gave me the most awesome maths clock which is currently causing a little bit of grief in the household as I think it should go in the most visible place possible and J thinks the study is more appropriate. I have confidence that I will win the argument by putting a nail in the wall when he's not here.<br />
<br />
So expect more blog posts this summer and hopefully into the autumn!</div>
Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-42773273129911605892013-08-08T14:20:00.003+01:002013-08-10T19:21:30.878+01:00Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers with Roasted Garlic Sauce<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the past few months I've become a rather obsessed user of <a href="http://pinterest.com/elisecroft/">Pinterest</a>. It is a fantastic tool for finding delicious vegan recipes that I would never have dreamed of. It's also a great tool for spying on my omnivore friends to see what kind of food they are eating so that I can make similar things and gently introduce them to a plant-based diet. Well, that's not entirely true, I do not do anything gently, but for whatever reason there are now many recipes on my <a href="http://pinterest.com/elisecroft/boards/">Pinterest boards</a> that aren't vegan but that I've pinned with the comment 'to be veganised'.<br />
<br />
One of the other habits I've developed since becoming an avid user of Pinterest is that when I'm cooking with or for someone else I tend to just refer them to my '<a href="http://pinterest.com/elisecroft/savoury-things-to-try/">Savoury Things to Try</a>' board. That way the person I'm cooking with gets to maintain the illusion that they've been involved in the choosing of the menu but I get to cook something new I already wanted to try.<br />
<br />
(I may be a little bit of a control freak.)<br />
<br />
Last week The Hipster came across a vegetarian (but not vegan) recipe for <a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/2012/09/smoky-sweet-potato-burgers-with-roasted-garlic-cream-and-avocado/">sweet potato burgers with roasted garlic cream and avocado</a> from <a href="http://www.howsweeteats.com/">How Sweet It Is</a> during this aforementioned process. With a few substitutions and some tweaking of the process I easily turned the vegetarian recipe to a vegan recipe.<br />
<br />
The burgers are delicious served on wholemeal buns with the roasted garlic sauce, sliced avocado and some fresh lettuce. A side salad with green or spring onions in it compliments the dish well and makes sure you get enough greens if you are eating this as a main meal.<br />
<br />
I would suggest starting on the sauce first since you need to roast the garlic bulbs. But once they are in the oven you can start on the burgers and come back to the sauce later.<br />
<br />
I've given instructions for both frying and baking the burgers. We fried ours but I've had just as much success baking burgers in the past if you want to avoid the oil. Also, frying the burgers will mean they are crunchy on the outside and rather moist and smooshy on the inside. If you prefer a more solid burger then I would suggest baking them.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Roasted Garlic Sauce</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 hands/bulbs of garlic</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 tsp olive oil</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2/3 cup plain Greek soya yoghurt*</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 tsp maple syrup**</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
extra salt & pepper for seasoning</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Preheat oven to 180C.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Slice the tops off the garlic bulbs so that the very tops of the garlic cloves are just exposed. This makes getting the garlic out easier later.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gently rub the hands bulbs so that most of the loose paper comes away (so it's not so messy to deal with later) but leave at least one layer (to help keep the moisture in).</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Wrap each bulb in foil and place on a baking tray and drizzle 1 tsp of olive oil onto each bulb. Place in oven for 45 minutes. Then remove from oven, allow to cool slightly, remove foil and then allow to cool completely.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Once the garlic is cooled, squeeze each clove into a food processor or blender along with yoghurt and maple syrup. Blend until smooth. Add seasoning and then blend again for a few seconds.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* To make Greek soya yoghurt from your ordinary soya yoghurt, just strain through cheesecloth into a medium sized bowl (I use some leftover muslin from a top I made and hold it on to the bowl with some clean clothes pegs) for at least 8 hours (the longer you leave it, the thicker the yoghurt will be. If you put some on a teaspoon it should be thick enough to hold on for a few seconds when you slip it upside down). You can keep the whey (water that drips through) to make porridge or for baking as long as you keep in a clean, sealed container and use within a few days. Scrape the yoghurt from the cheesecloth and put into a sealable container (I normally wash the container the yoghurt originally came in and then just use that again) and use within a few days.<br />
<br />
You could just use the soya yoghurt as it comes instead of making it into Greek soya yoghurt but your sauce will be a bit thinner. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
** If your yoghurt is sweetened you might want to leave this out.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Smoky Sweet Potato Burgers</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>makes 6-8</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 tsp ground flaxseed (or other egg replacer)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
4 tbsp water</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 large gold sweet potatoes, peeled & chopped</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
400g can of cannellini beans, rinsed & drained</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2/3 cup bread crumbs</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1/2 cup flour</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 teaspoons smoked paprika</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 teaspoon onion powder</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 teaspoon salt</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1/2 teaspoon pepper</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 teaspoon cumin</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2-3 tablespoons olive oil (optional, for frying)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Whisk the flaxseed (or other egg replacer) with the water in a small bowl or mug until thick and creamy. Set aside.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In a medium sized saucepan, put the sweet potatoes in enough water to just cover them and bring to the boil then simmer until soft. Drain, rinse with cold water to cool them and drain again. (You could also cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave to speed things up.)</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, roughly mash the beans with a fork or potato ricer. You don't need to finely grind the beans, some chunks are OK.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Add the cooled sweet potatoes to the beans and mix. Add the flaxseed mixture and then the rest of the ingredients (except the olive oil). Put the mix in the fridge for 15 minutes (optional, although it helps with the stickiness).</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Take out of the fridge and form into patties on an oven tray and some baking, greaseproof or parchment paper. This is easiest if you form balls in your hand (somewhere between a golf ball and a tennis ball) by rolling a handful gently in your palm and then gently pushing the patty onto the tray. You should have 6-8 patties. If you are frying your patties, refrigerate for another 15 minutes (optional, but helps keeps the patties together).</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Frying: </i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Scoop patties from baking tray with a flat spatula and place in pan. Fry on each side for 3-5 minutes.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Oven:</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Preheat oven to 180C (this should already be happening because you should have roasted your garlic!). Bake the patties for 15-20 minutes or until burgers start to brown. If you want a tougher burger, leave in the oven for longer (but don't let it burn!).</div>
<br /></div>
Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-88713096347627719782013-07-28T16:38:00.000+01:002013-07-29T10:18:10.291+01:00Vegan on the Isle of Wight<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A little while ago The Hipster and I went on a trip to the Isle of Wight. I desperately wanted to get out of Cambridge but we'd just returned from our trip to Berlin so I couldn't really afford another trip overseas. Or could I?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr align="left"><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xabdHZtKdxcfdpM2ernssr_1RzD1J764qnK_oTDCsewcHKMHZLut5QFmNjfKIN_pPVp-5wzzQ3Wp_YcWOA3rv2JZSk-PGy2W1QLOCiTVYHz0tNQwDuv55OmwvU-S2ZLP4RzrzOzf-4VU/s1600/P1130574.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xabdHZtKdxcfdpM2ernssr_1RzD1J764qnK_oTDCsewcHKMHZLut5QFmNjfKIN_pPVp-5wzzQ3Wp_YcWOA3rv2JZSk-PGy2W1QLOCiTVYHz0tNQwDuv55OmwvU-S2ZLP4RzrzOzf-4VU/s320/P1130574.JPG" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Needles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The Isle of Wight is pretty much its own country except you don't have to bother exchanging any money and they speak the same language (mostly, I still have trouble with some of the regional accents). And it's technically over a sea(-ish) so you kind of feel like you have gone overseas. If you are a foreigner be prepared for the psychological games the locals try to play with you: some stock their front yards with Union Jacks, St George's Crosses and UKIP posters and others are so damn friendly and welcoming you wonder if they confused you with a celebrity. And if you are vegan... just be prepared.<br />
<br />
I always like to scope out a place before I visit it to make sure I am going to be able to eat there. My first point of call was the <a href="http://www.iwvv.org.uk/"><span class="il">Isle</span> of <span class="il">Wight</span> Vegetarians & Vegans</a>. They have a website with some suggested places to eat but, as these places were mostly on the opposite side of the island to where we were staying in Shanklin, I emailed them directly and they were super helpful (although there wasn't exactly much for them to work with in Shanklin).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0LqwpjSqhhAlTioQh1799Z3X7LklYQluIA1xYzmIe2M57F5W5sURbizPJaiZ7vwMn7aHX4CZjXXeAx-NadXJy4H8u0g1FLE4dy-uiXoeW2dpoPhTAN-3abtWneHe74U1sIzkX8rRz29l/s1600/P1130416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp0LqwpjSqhhAlTioQh1799Z3X7LklYQluIA1xYzmIe2M57F5W5sURbizPJaiZ7vwMn7aHX4CZjXXeAx-NadXJy4H8u0g1FLE4dy-uiXoeW2dpoPhTAN-3abtWneHe74U1sIzkX8rRz29l/s400/P1130416.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shanklin coast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We stayed in a B&B in Shanklin called <a href="http://www.havelockhotel.co.uk/">The Havelock</a>. Shanklin has some very pretty coastline and a quaint, old part of town and is very much a Victorian-gentlemen-convalescing-by-the-seaside kind of town. And while The Havelock are certainly not a vegetarian establishment (much to The Hipster's delight every morning as he ate all the animals) they provided a hearty vegan-alternative to a full English <a href="http://www.havelockhotel.co.uk/Breakfast.html">breakfast</a> for me every morning along with soya milk, vegan butter and homemade bread (although the homemade bread gets eaten quickly so the earlier you get up the better!). The owners, Ann and Dave, are also extremely helpful and accommodating and recommended places in Shanklin that may cater for vegans.<br />
<br />
I also did a bit of research myself (and some rather vocal begging) to some of the local restaurants and ended up being overwhelmed by how damn helpful everyone was and then sometimes even pleasantly surprised by the food.<br />
<br />
Sadly, I didn't take any photos of any of the food but I hope you find the guide helpful nonetheless.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Places I visited:</u></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><b>Shanklin</b></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOmUvfxckRSLMcLRIt0mIEKU9L-xbl8rCLfJ_DULbXCXCi_XuvLfluh_zbFfw804zxYsVqas7CQY8Te3AbuXcxHWjQAF72fSrZLW0eEvE6ov5aBJeO5snEAJ3rg02kIpGSlT46e7LWV8a/s1600/P1130442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOmUvfxckRSLMcLRIt0mIEKU9L-xbl8rCLfJ_DULbXCXCi_XuvLfluh_zbFfw804zxYsVqas7CQY8Te3AbuXcxHWjQAF72fSrZLW0eEvE6ov5aBJeO5snEAJ3rg02kIpGSlT46e7LWV8a/s400/P1130442.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Shanklin coast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><a href="http://pendletons.org/">Pendletons</a></i><br />
<br />
<div>
<i><span class="fcg">Tue - Sun</span>: <span class="mls">18:00 - 23:00 (change throughout season so call)</span></i></div>
<br />
This restaurant is located in the old village part of Shanklin. I had phoned beforehand to make sure they could cater for vegans and we booked a table as soon as we arrived on the island. The service was very good although the food was a little bit disappointing. I had a Greek salad for a starter but without any protein or fat in the salad it was a bit lacking. I'm also pretty sure the olives came out of a can. <br />
<br />
For the main I had the aubergine and chickpea loaf with a sweet pepper and tomato sauce. This had a lot more flavour and was really quite tasty and satisfying. And it's on their every day menu which means you don't need to phone ahead. There were no vegan dessert options and no vegan wines.<br />
<br />
The Hipster had a starter, a main and dessert and wine and our total bill was just over £50.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.finenammet.co.uk/">Fine Nammet</a></i><br />
<br />
<div>
<i><span class="fcg">Mon</span>: <span class="mls">17:00 - 21:00</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span class="fcg">Tue - Sat</span>: <span class="mls">11:00 - 21:00</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span class="fcg">Sun</span>: <span class="mls">11:00 - 16:00</span></i></div>
<br />
Firstly, don't let the atrocious website put you off. This is a fantastic place to eat. I honestly cannot say enough good things about the fantastic service, the helpful management, the skills of the chefs, the quality of the food and the ambiance of the restaurant. But apparently neither can anyone else on the Isle of Wight. So before you read any further, if you plan on eating in Shanklin and want to eat at the best place, book as far ahead as possible. I don't think they've had a single spare table since they've opened. We watched them turn away dozens of people while we were sitting there eating and heard them do the same over the phone. It's a popular place so get in early.<br />
<br />
There is nothing vegan on their menu. But that didn't stop me. I emailed them to ask if they could cater for me and not only did they say they could, they then let me know what local produce was available, what they could do with it and then gave me two choices for each course of a three course menu.<br />
<br />
For a starter I had a watercress soup. I chose this because I couldn't possibly see how they could make watercress soup taste anything other than like grass. I was wrong. So very wrong. It was fresh, well seasoned and absolutely delicious.<br />
<br />
For the main I had cauliflower 5 ways served with herbed sauté potatoes. Again, I chose it because I was damn interested to see how on earth they thought they could make cauliflower tasty 5 different ways. And I'm so glad I did. This dish was amazing. The different textures and the alternating flavours of each of the parts was just delicious. And it was so colourful! All the meals were beautifully presented but unpretentious.<br />
<br />
For dessert I had banana fritter with rum and raisin sauce. I had the option of a fruit salad which, in hindsight, I should have taken. Not because the banana fritter wasn't delicious, because it was, but because I was kind of full by that stage and the dessert made it a little difficult to walk home with a massive belly full of fritter. But it was worth it. It was very yummy and I ate every last bit of it.<br />
<br />
The Hipster also had three courses although his final course was a cheese platter which is a little bit more expensive than the other desserts. He also had wine. However, they have a 2/3 course dinner special which he seemed to have ordered from so our bill came in under £50 which was amazing considering that we both had 3 courses, he had wine and that my meals were made especially for me.<br />
<br />
So, if you are going to Shanklin, go to Fine Nammet.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_ziwgCabkxbEiiAFSGb0XBLUmebwBkPPKgbKbOP58k5MOT3eC9VwhI4EpxWcKd-_U-buLhqktKoWpQS1wFd7VrwfBXs5xQb4h_edifnl8u5LQxZb-Y9hTERVdP2t1GACoCnw4lGFXSi9/s1600/P1130436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-_ziwgCabkxbEiiAFSGb0XBLUmebwBkPPKgbKbOP58k5MOT3eC9VwhI4EpxWcKd-_U-buLhqktKoWpQS1wFd7VrwfBXs5xQb4h_edifnl8u5LQxZb-Y9hTERVdP2t1GACoCnw4lGFXSi9/s200/P1130436.JPG" width="133" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ventnor Botanic<br />
garden hosts a range<br />
of Australian flora<br />
due to the island's<br />
microclimate. I was<br />
looking for the kangaroos.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Ventnor</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.botanic.co.uk/pages/plantation.htm"><i>The Plantation Room - Ventnor Botanic Garden</i></a><br />
<br />
<i>Gardens open daily 10am-5pm. Call cafe to check opening times. </i><br />
<i></i><br />
We had been told that this cafe had a vegan-friendly chef so on our first full day on the Isle of Wight we strapped on the walking boots and walked the 6 miles from our hotel to Ventnor Botanic Garden. Luckily we had eaten a full breakfast because when we arrived there were no vegan-friendly cakes or scones or any vegan-friendly food at all. They did have a lovely range of tea so I just had a cup of that before we walked around the gardens and then trekked the 6 miles back to Shanklin. And luckily, again, we had only been able to get an early table at Fine Nammet and the meal there was great (see above).<br />
<br />
I've contacted the cafe directly to get them to confirm the availability of vegan options and will update this post when I hear back from them.<br />
<br />
<b>Cowes</b><br />
<a href="http://www.theredduster.com/"><i><br /></i></a>
<a href="http://www.theredduster.com/"><i>The Red Duster</i></a><br />
<br />
<i>Open Tue-Thu for breakfast, lunch and dinner but close between meals so call for times. </i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhbXBPzybNGf0YLDRlGd6qx3EjbKalVuYcMgaY-Hckh5STqLW9Yb3YBnOQIF6U8baIgI_bkIseceDdjjSZIIPytHNO7PZ2g3vD2S2QtciEK-T7YMQuX6t5nSP3sFEkGh_60GZuBO2wTMW/s1600/P1130584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBhbXBPzybNGf0YLDRlGd6qx3EjbKalVuYcMgaY-Hckh5STqLW9Yb3YBnOQIF6U8baIgI_bkIseceDdjjSZIIPytHNO7PZ2g3vD2S2QtciEK-T7YMQuX6t5nSP3sFEkGh_60GZuBO2wTMW/s400/P1130584.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Red Duster. Not so vegan-friendly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i></i>When you look for vegetarian restaurants on Google or Trip Advisor for some reason The Red Duster pops up. I have no idea why. It is definitely not a vegetarian restaurant and it's definitely not vegan-friendly. The a la carte menu has a whole vegetarian section but this seems to only be offered at dinner time (we arrived at the end of lunch). The staff tried to cater for me as best they could and I ended up with a tasty salad that was fresh and flavourful but it lacked any sort of protein and I ended up walking to the Sainsbury's at the end of the road after the meal to get a banana and some cashew nuts. The restaurant seems to be a bit of a local institution, though, but I'm not sure it's the best place for vegans.<br />
<br />
<b>Ryde</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.olivorestaurant.co.uk/Olivo-Restaurant---ryde"><i>Olivo</i></a><br />
<br />
<i>Open daily</i><br />
<i>from 8am - serves breakfast, coffee, tea, pastries</i><br />
<i>from 12pm - serves full menu</i><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJr4gOit4TVQqbauV2pP27fGgY8H-3aH6xEDTQnuRdFU-EsYbKF-tJULCLAIpCEiT9nALpSi-gRAMHI-EDqvthJO4AOrsNF25gEzCLn6h6xp_k1stIVZCnR1Zajwwkhp5PHhgWm0sfMyM/s1600/P1130502.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitJr4gOit4TVQqbauV2pP27fGgY8H-3aH6xEDTQnuRdFU-EsYbKF-tJULCLAIpCEiT9nALpSi-gRAMHI-EDqvthJO4AOrsNF25gEzCLn6h6xp_k1stIVZCnR1Zajwwkhp5PHhgWm0sfMyM/s400/P1130502.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pier at Ryde.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We went to Ryde so we could ride the train along the pier and so The Hipster could look at the hovercraft (for the millionth time). I was hoping that The Orrery Cafe might be open (see below) but it seems to have very strange opening hours. But along the same street are an array of restaurants so I just let The Hipster pick whatever he wanted to eat (since he normally has to eat wherever I say) and I had planned on forcing the restaurant to feed me.<br />
<br />
In what I was coming to learn was typical Isle of Wight style, the restaurant was very friendly and tried to be as accommodating as possible. There was nothing vegan on the menu but our waiter went and spoke to the chef and they decided to make me a pizza. And when the pizza came and it looked a little bland, our waiter went back to the kitchen to fetch some rocket to make it a little more interesting (it actually tasted quite good without the rocket but I appreciated the gesture).<br />
<br />
It wasn't spectacular food but it was tasty enough and I appreciated that they could feed me at such short notice.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Recommended places I did not visit:</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<b>Arreton</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.white-lion-arreton.com/"><i>The White Lion</i></a><br />
<br />
<i>Open daily 12pm - 9pm </i><br />
<b><br /></b>
A pub located in Arreton, between Shanklin and Newport, it has a good range of vegetarian options although it's not clear from the menu if any of these would be suitable for vegans. Recommended by IWVV website. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Cowes </b></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0brzsqZBR_JXpcdV-roAPo06DZ0A1KVhyXQyjjfhG1GfoXPAEc7bv_GNNIGpyzCUp4c2WKNe7gNZIphC6i6bUVfm6YLj-SCAdqirZRAPTxxlGSpeFqzG79aozM1qU4yarpSHB7ZgvRRC/s1600/P1130582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0brzsqZBR_JXpcdV-roAPo06DZ0A1KVhyXQyjjfhG1GfoXPAEc7bv_GNNIGpyzCUp4c2WKNe7gNZIphC6i6bUVfm6YLj-SCAdqirZRAPTxxlGSpeFqzG79aozM1qU4yarpSHB7ZgvRRC/s400/P1130582.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cowes main street.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="http://www.brawns.co.uk/"><i>Brawn's of Cowes</i></a><br />
<br />
<i>Mon - Wed: 6pm – Late</i><br />
<i>
Thu – Sat: 12pm - 2.30pm, 5pm - Late</i><br />
<i>
</i><i>Sun: 12pm – 2.30pm</i><br />
<br />
Tapas bar with lots of vegetarian options. Hummus and falafel may be vegan. Recommended by IWVV website. <br />
<br />
<b>Newport</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.quayarts.org/cafe.aspx"><i>Quay Arts Cafe</i></a><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /></span>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>Mon – Sat 9:30am – 4:00pm. Lunches served 12:00 – 3pm</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
This was recommended by IWVV, and they actually claim on their website that they cater for gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian diets, but unfortunately we never made it to Newport. It will be one I will make sure I visit next time.</div>
<br />
<b>Ryde</b><br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.theorrery.co.uk/">The Orrery Cafe</a></i><br />
<br />
<i>Open 11-4ish Monday -Friday and from 11-5ish on
Saturdays</i><br />
<br />
This cafe seems a little... odd. It was closed when we tried to check it out and from their website it's not entirely clear that they are even still open or even serve food. But it's also recommended by IWVV and appears to be the only vegetarian-only cafe on the entire island.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ifiAFlrA987h85CiBMGJM9gvYv2DeWP-SiKa9320s4GcoEJXr3l_DlVMylv0zpZjbxxRU7VWV5xrmm6d8E3uSJss0qNIfNIzyTAjrtsA5FrdTWl9RRngCA8BzL9CwOJ9tz4iKNJmjF6U/s1600/P1130547.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0ifiAFlrA987h85CiBMGJM9gvYv2DeWP-SiKa9320s4GcoEJXr3l_DlVMylv0zpZjbxxRU7VWV5xrmm6d8E3uSJss0qNIfNIzyTAjrtsA5FrdTWl9RRngCA8BzL9CwOJ9tz4iKNJmjF6U/s320/P1130547.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Ventnor coast.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Ventnor</b><br />
<a href="http://www.eltorocontento.co.uk/index.php?contentID=3"><i></i></a><br />
<a href="http://www.eltorocontento.co.uk/index.php?contentID=3"><i></i></a>
<a href="http://www.eltorocontento.co.uk/"><i>El Toro Contento Tapas Bar</i></a><br />
<br />
<i>Open daily from 4pm.</i><br />
<br />
Tapas bar with vegetarian options on the menu, some look like they could be vegan. Recommended by IWVV website. </div>
Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-6494579693805414842013-06-09T12:07:00.001+01:002013-06-09T12:07:49.151+01:00Vegan Egg-Free Mayonnaise<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Since moving to a share house I've had to come to terms with sharing cupboard and fridge space. This means that I can no longer collect vegan-friendly condiments with the enthusiasm that I used to. Now I make my own sauces and dressings and there is less packaging and less waste involved and I'm seeing what goes into my food. And I think that can only be a good thing.<br />
<br />
In the past few weeks I had made falafel and falafel burgers on a couple of different occasions and used something like <a href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/01/sweet-potato-falafel-with-yogurt-tahini.html">this </a><a href="http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/01/sweet-potato-falafel-with-yogurt-tahini.html">Yoghurt-Tahini Dressing</a> to accompany it. Then last week our <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Room_%28university%29">MCR</a> had a long-weekend BBQ to celebrate the final emergence of the sun after months of absolutely horrid (typically British) weather. So I decided to make a potato salad and to make my own mayonnaise.<br />
<br />
If you like your mayonnaise a little creamier then I suggest straining the 1/2 cup of yoghurt through muslin or cheesecloth (or a clean dishcloth) for 24 hours to remove excess water. You'll be left with a thicker yoghurt (kind of like Greek yoghurt) and you can then add all of the other ingredients from there.<br />
<br />
You can tinker with the measurements according to taste. Sometimes I also like to add a 1 tsp of miso paste for a little extra flavour if I have some around. It makes enough for about 750g of potatoes. I only used half for 500g of potatoes and then stored the rest in a jar in the fridge to use later as a yummy creamy dressing for a vegetable salad.<br />
<br />
At any rate, as the weather slowly gets warmer and BBQs become a little less painful to endure in the cold, I hope the recipe is of some use. Luckily, it can be served hot or cold! Enjoy!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegan egg-free mayonnaise in a potato salad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Egg-free Mayonnaise</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 cup soy yoghurt</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 tbsp tahini</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 tbsp soya sauce </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 tsp cider vinegar</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
salt & pepper to taste</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until thoroughly mixed and smooth.<br /><br />For a warm dressing, pour on warm potatoes/vegetables and serve immediately.<br /><br />For cold potato salad, allow potatoes to cool, stir in dressing and refrigerate until needed.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vegan egg-free mayonnaise on some lightly steam vegetables is just as delicious!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-75429999435682184102013-05-27T00:35:00.000+01:002013-05-27T10:59:59.104+01:00Oil-Free Sugar-Free Sticky Toffee Pudding<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I recently went to a vegan baking evening hosted by the <a href="http://cambridgecarbonfootprint.org/">Cambridge Carbon Footprint</a> group who put on a variety of events to raise awareness about climate change and sustainable living. Unfortunately, the evening was aimed more at omnivores who wanted an introduction to vegan baking rather than vegans who had been baking for quite a while. Also, the two recipes we made (Sticky Toffee Pudding and Mexican Hot Chocolate Snickerdoodles) were packed full of refined sugar. But I met some lovely people and still had a great evening so it was well worth it.<br />
<br />
I've recently been trying to avoid eating sugar as part of a regime to stabilise my blood sugar levels in order to avoid migraines. Any slight addiction to anything seems to be enough to put me in some sort of withdrawal which can start a headache which can then turn into a eleven day head pounding marathon. So despite the pudding and snickerdoodles being rather delicious, I wanted to try to come up with a recipe that did not use sugar.<br />
<br />
The recipe I came up with uses dates to sweeten the cake and dates and maple syrup to make the toffee sauce. Now, I'm not suggesting that maple syrup is better than sugar. However, I figured that it would be better to come up with a recipe that doesn't use sugar so that I get out of the habit of using it. The maple syrup could easily be replaced by agave nectar, brown rice syrup, date syrup etc which tend to have lower glycemic indexes (although that does not necessarily equate to them being better for you). I used maple syrup because I had it on hand.<br />
<br />
The recipe also uses quite a lot of maple syrup for the toffee sauce. This is mostly because the original recipe had both sugar and golden syrup with melted butter and so it was difficult to get the right consistency with the dates. You could easily double the amount of dates and add 80ml (1/3 of cup) of water in with the dates and milk when you boil them for the sauce and then only add a small amount of maple (or otherwise) syrup to taste. You could also easily halve the amount of toffee sauce and still have enough to complement the cake.<br />
<br />
The biggest problem with me baking by experiment is that I end up eating all of the experiments. So I decided that perhaps it might be best to try to cut the vegan butter out of this recipe too hence why it's an oil-free sugar-free sticky toffee pudding. I will post another version that I adapted from the original recipe with all of the tasty, naughty stuff in it (although still not as much as in the original recipe!) at a later date.<br />
<br />
The recipe uses soya milk and soya yoghurt so will only be sugar-free if
your soya milk and soya yoghurt are sugar-free. It's easy enough to get
unsweetened soya milk but it might be a little bit trickier to get
unsweetened soya yoghurt unless you make your own. Alternatively, you
could use 1/4 cup mashed silken tofu or more soya milk instead. <br />
<br />
Enjoy!<br />
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<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Oil-Free Sugar-Free Sticky Toffee Pudding</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Cake:</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
250ml (1 cup) unsweetened soya milk</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
100ml (slightly < 1/2 cup) water</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
200g pitted dates*, halved</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 level tsp bicarb soda</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
50ml (1/4 cup) unsweetened soya yoghurt</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
200g (1&1/3 cups) self-raising flour</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 tsp ground ginger</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 tsp ground cinnamon</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Toffee Sauce:</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
75g (approx. 8) pitted dates</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
150ml soya milk</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
80ml maple syrup</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
1 tsp vanilla essence </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<u>Cake: </u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Preheat oven to 190C/Gas Mark 5/375F.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Line a 20cm x 20cm shallow cake tin with baking paper.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Put the dates in a small saucepan and cover with soya milk and water. Simmer until dates are soft then take off heat and stir in bicarb soda. It should froth. Leave to cool.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Mix the spices into the flour in a small bowl.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Place the yoghurt into a large bowl and stir in the cooled date mixture. Sift and fold in the flour. Spoon cake mixture into prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until cake springs back when touched.<br />
<br />
Allow cake to cool then prick the top of the pudding all over. Pour on the toffee sauce incrementally, allowing the sauce to seep into the cake before adding more.<br />
<u><br />Toffee Sauce:</u></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
Roughly chop the dates and cover with soya milk in a small saucepan and simmer until dates are soft. Leave to cool slightly, add maple syrup and vanilla essence then transfer to a food processor or blender**. Blend until smooth.<br />
<br />
*I prefer medjool dates.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
**Please make sure your food processor or blender can handle hot liquids and is not glass. If it cannot, wait for the dates to cool completely and then carry on as per instructions.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
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Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-65098187724329009342013-04-30T10:26:00.000+01:002013-05-01T21:29:42.312+01:00Berlin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you are vegan and you've never been to Berlin then I cannot recommend going enough. I've travelled quite a lot and have visited some fantastic vegan restaurants in some wonderful vegan-friendly cities but no where compares to Berlin. And it's not just the fact that there are vegetarian and vegan restaurants in almost every damn area you can think of (check out the <a href="http://www.berlin-vegan.de/berlin/restaurantkritiken/">Berlin Vegan</a><b> </b>website if you don't believe me) it's the fact that even in the non-veg*n establishments they are still so damn vegan-friendly. <br />
<br />
One of the reasons for my trip to Berlin was to see my friend Ahmad. He took us to lots of veg*n restaurants all over Berlin, introduced us to the hip and cool areas and took us to the most hipster cafe I've ever been in in my entire life (even The Hipster had trouble keeping up with the coolness). The cafe is a cafe/gallery called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/bloodymarygallerycafe/info">Bloody Mary<b></b></a> and they have an impressive range of smoothies. And to give you an example of how wonderful Berlin is I will give you an excerpt of my conversation (that I have turned into a short play) with the extremely cool guy working there who spoke perfect English and whose customer service was so overwhelmingly wonderful I considered staying there and marrying him.<br />
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*** </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>A Vegan In Berlin</b></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
Act I</div>
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<b>elise:</b> Um, are you able to make the smoothies without the yoghurt?<br />
<br />
<b>coolest hipster cafe dude on earth:</b> Sure. But we have soya yoghurt so I can make it with that instead.<br />
<br />
<i>(Elise's jaw drops to floor as she contemplates a cafe having soya yoghurt. Silence ensues and she scrambles to choose a smoothie because she did not, in one million years, expect him to say yes to being able to make it without the yoghurt let alone make it with soya yoghurt.)</i><br />
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The End</div>
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***<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoyjKpGp3GLAlLe8DyESgwspMj_8xoNQHiU4qlQrpPMrvDX_kqS5q3UykSE31Zmb7YF7TBQj4rdb8117Xufmd-Aomct87iAWMDdJ3AePwM0vHh-xRhjqFl_S6qvaInqI3wFNuQvUo4wpS/s1600/bloodyMary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijoyjKpGp3GLAlLe8DyESgwspMj_8xoNQHiU4qlQrpPMrvDX_kqS5q3UykSE31Zmb7YF7TBQj4rdb8117Xufmd-Aomct87iAWMDdJ3AePwM0vHh-xRhjqFl_S6qvaInqI3wFNuQvUo4wpS/s640/bloodyMary.jpg" width="473" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bloody Mary cafe; cards and coffee; <br />
Guarana smoothie with soya yoghurt.</td></tr>
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Before I get around to writing about the individual places I ate at I wanted to say a couple of things about how I found the restaurants this time. Normally I use the Happy Cow website and work my way to a certain restaurant based on ratings and reviews. This time I did things a little differently and chose places to eat based on where I currently was (or if Ahmad took us there). Before I left England I downloaded the Trip Advisor app onto my phone which can be used offline. It uses your GPS signal to figure out where you are and can find you the closest restaurants. You need to filter by vegetarian restaurants but I found it quite useful. The only thing that was a bit unhelpful is that the app doesn't display opening hours so we turned up to a couple of restaurants at certain times and found that they were closed.</div>
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<br />
<a href="http://www.berlin-vegan.org/">Berlin Vegan</a> also has an app for your phone but it does require a data or wifi connection. Wifi is available almost everywhere in Berlin so that's not always a problem but if you are using it to find somewhere to eat in-between places and you don't want to incur roaming charges then it's a bit inconvenient. The app has a great feature where it draws you a map from your current location to the place you are going, though, so we would look up the restaurant when we had signal and just keep the map active once we were out of range. Just be warned, though, that some of the information for the places on the app are in German only but I certainly hope that this will improve if the English version of the app becomes more popular.<br />
<br />
There are a couple of things to remember about eating out in Berlin. Firstly, water is not free. You (most of the time) cannot get tap water so if you order water you will be paying for it. Secondly, you need to tip but the tipping process is extremely confusing. The standard amount is about 10% but there are no tip jars and leaving money on the table is not really done (most places you will pay at the counter after your meal). What you are supposed to do is listen to the total and then say to the person serving you that you would like to make it another amount. So, for example, say your total is 16 euros and you are paying with a 20 euro note just say to the person serving you 'make it 18' or whatever you think is appropriate.<br />
<br />
Below are little bits about the places we ate at while in Berlin that I hope is of help for anyone travelling to Berlin any time soon. I've split them up into vegan, vegetarian and omnivore but they are all vegan-friendly. There are many, many more that I would like to visit so I am already planning my next visit to this wonderful vegan-friendly city.<br />
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<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Vegan </b></h3>
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<b><a href="http://www.kommerzpunk.com/">Wind & Wetter</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eWNcQMaavYgkbtRefsHuTrP8Ue6yOW3xuDDHE9iRKe95ugY-Ssf9TEoceKZjkwQ_o9LyjL2u3VbSsZmBShSfBXWwBIqDLlF3kfnCm7-BIVsX2T8tR2_aVY7hDFsbffAvTsAYCXRXAnpy/s1600/P1130165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eWNcQMaavYgkbtRefsHuTrP8Ue6yOW3xuDDHE9iRKe95ugY-Ssf9TEoceKZjkwQ_o9LyjL2u3VbSsZmBShSfBXWwBIqDLlF3kfnCm7-BIVsX2T8tR2_aVY7hDFsbffAvTsAYCXRXAnpy/s400/P1130165.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
This was the first cafe that we went to simply because it was a short walk from the hostel we were staying at (<a href="http://www.eastseven.de/">EastSeven Berlin Hostel</a> which I cannot recommend enough). Lunch is served between 12 and 4 and dinner is served between 7 and 11. The place is spacious and the menus are in both German and English. The food seems to be vegan versions of pub food mixed with a bit of American diner influence. We went there for lunch and I had the Grilled BBQ Smoked Tofu Sandwich and The Hipster had the soup of the day which was a vegetable soup. We both got freshly squeezed/pressed juices which was rather yummy.<br />
<br />
It's not exactly gourmet food (my sandwich was served on a white baguette) but it was hearty and tasty. There was also an impressive range of cakes on display that I would have like to have tried but I couldn't actually finished my sandwich so there was no way cake would have fitted.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grilled BBQ Smoked Tofu Sandwich </td></tr>
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<b><a href="http://www.kopps-berlin.de/?lang=en">Kopps Bar & Restaurant</a></b><br />
<br />
Ahmad had told us that one of the must-do things in Berlin was brunch on the weekend. Knowing that I was vegan he booked us a table at the all-vegan restaurant Kopps who have a vegan buffet brunch on weekends from 10am -4pm. They are also open on weekdays for lunch and dinner where you can order from an al a carte menu (you can also order from this on weekends).<br />
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I don't think I've ever been to an all-you-can-eat vegan buffet before. I also don't think I've ever eaten so much food in my entire life! A lot of the dishes had TVP in them, which I am not a fan of, so I steered clear of them. But there was a large range of hot dishes, salads, cold 'meats', breads, condiments and desserts available. I especially liked the desserts. There was a polenta dessert made with almonds, orange and sultanas that was delicious. There was also chocolate brownies, two different style of vegan pancakes, vegan cream, vegan custard and fresh fruit. The great thing was that even though I was the only vegan (and there was only one vegetarian in the group) everyone really enjoyed the buffet and stuffed themselves silly.<br />
<br />
Drinks were not included in the price of the buffet (which was 13.50 euros) but it was still excellent value for money.<br />
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Vegetarian (vegan friendly)</b></h3>
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/cafev">Cafe V</a></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMATkEnuDxKBIF0D4_HpUoqokdkrx7sS5hr3Hu3rSubGCubb2TJ9J3-K-RPDPA22AAYzTd1OQcEjzyK772TAzMDb6AmVOIBdk_1fMasLvSGHTTTtlQC5nMINjLHWYgDUvFfd3lAruomzWP/s1600/P1130274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMATkEnuDxKBIF0D4_HpUoqokdkrx7sS5hr3Hu3rSubGCubb2TJ9J3-K-RPDPA22AAYzTd1OQcEjzyK772TAzMDb6AmVOIBdk_1fMasLvSGHTTTtlQC5nMINjLHWYgDUvFfd3lAruomzWP/s400/P1130274.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was a nice vegetarian restaurant that we decided to venture to after checking out the East Side Gallery. The menu is really quite extensive with a lot of options for vegans that are clearly marked. The menu is also available in English. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNB28c9QQZk7cGhzFf3yLNnX2m1H6qVlSXzHqpzpHIBNZsuprba0dLO5d8sXzuqGHhjvkUUvLnlJHWL0sZ1zH8l06Z3noB6qTWV5BR0Vcv9HIBbWcnck6Pj-hWj7xI5-8BU-icXWmGKAD/s1600/P1130278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNB28c9QQZk7cGhzFf3yLNnX2m1H6qVlSXzHqpzpHIBNZsuprba0dLO5d8sXzuqGHhjvkUUvLnlJHWL0sZ1zH8l06Z3noB6qTWV5BR0Vcv9HIBbWcnck6Pj-hWj7xI5-8BU-icXWmGKAD/s400/P1130278.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chickpea Polenta in Indian Curry Sauce with<br />
Sultana-Almond Spinach</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I had the Chickpea Polenta in Indian Curry Sauce with Sultana-Almond Spinach. The polenta was really yummy with the sauce but the thing that made the dish absolutely amazing was the spinach. I've never enjoyed eating my vegetables so much in my entire life! Another friend ordered one of the other vegan options (the Stuffed Aubergine) and he said it was really nice. Everyone seemed to really enjoy their meals although The Hipster order one of the salads and said it was rather heavy on cheese. However, after a very long day of walking around being tourists the restaurant was nice and cosy and the meals were generous and generally delicious.<br />
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Take cash because they don't take card.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-oEMCuYTLMKlyobFzDSSfgkogPpsJsFG_YPLHmqMNzRMIs1_RZdK87_AlSraY6jASczWt90FYPvKnBpn86ivnA6zQ3kPdD6V_8YPkuIcQvUElyAnabJN2IxVJ0QrV4Ju3yF2QLHb-m6G/s1600/P1130280.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-oEMCuYTLMKlyobFzDSSfgkogPpsJsFG_YPLHmqMNzRMIs1_RZdK87_AlSraY6jASczWt90FYPvKnBpn86ivnA6zQ3kPdD6V_8YPkuIcQvUElyAnabJN2IxVJ0QrV4Ju3yF2QLHb-m6G/s400/P1130280.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stuffed Aubergine</td></tr>
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<br />
<b><a href="http://www.mysatyam.de/">Satyam</a></b><br />
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This is a vegetarian Indian restaurant near <span dir="ltr" id="place-title">Savignyplatz in the Charlottenburg region of Berlin. We visited this restaurant by recommendation from a friend of Ahmad's.</span><br />
<span dir="ltr" id="place-title"><br /></span>
<span dir="ltr" id="place-title">They have a buffet available but we missed it so were left to order off the very extensive menu (which has English translations). There are quite a few vegan options and they are all clearly marked, although I was a bit confused by some of them as they seemed to contain paneer so I just steered clear from those ones.</span><br />
<span dir="ltr" id="place-title"><br /></span>
<span dir="ltr" id="place-title">I ended up ordering the vegan platter which was huge and quite tasty. The style of food was more like the Indian I used to get in Australia rather than the oily Indian served here in the UK. Everyone really enjoyed their meals and it was really reasonably priced.</span><br />
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<br />
<h3 style="text-align: left;">
<b>Omnivore (vegetarian/vegan friendly)</b></h3>
<br />
<b><a href="http://www.chipps.eu/">CHIPPS</a></b><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make your own salad at CHIPPS: the only vegan<br />
option on the lunch menu.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This was probably the most expensive and less vegan-friendly. So why did we end up there? Well, it's a bit of a funny story.<br />
<br />
The Hipster and I had spent the morning in the Pergamon Museum and wanted to check out another hipster vegan cafe in Berlin before heading back to the UK that evening. I used the Trip Advisor app on my phone to find the closest/coolest vegetarian cafe/restaurant to us. After some avid scrolling on my phone while basking in the beautiful spring sun we decided on a place called <a href="http://www.cookiescream.com/">Cookies Cream</a>. It seemed to be the closest place to us although it also seemed to have some rather cryptic reviews about actually finding the restaurant once you had reached the address.<br />
<br />
Turns out these cryptic reviews weren't so cryptic: the address is easy to find but the restaurant itself is hidden. We found it eventually, relying on our friend's German, only to discover a very friendly staff member who congratulated us on finding it but informed us that it was closed for lunch. But he raced away to grab some business cards that showed us the location of another restaurant that was owned by the same 'hard vegetarian' (I have no idea what that term means). And that's how we ended up at CHIPPS.<br />
<br />
CHIPPS actually has a completely vegetarian menu but with a couple of meat side dishes you can add on if you are omnivore. The breakfast menu had a couple of options for vegans but we had missed the times for that. The lunch menu doesn't have any vegan options except for a 'make-you-own' salad which was actually quite nice and rather large (I ordered the medium just to get more choices) although they did forget to put in one of my options. However, I got muddled with the tipping so I feel CHIPPS and I are even on that score. But if you aren't keen on the idea of getting 'just a salad' for lunch then maybe CHIPPS is not the place for you. I enjoyed mine, though.<br />
<br />
Soya milk is available (although, it's available everywhere) and the coffee was good.<br />
<br />
<b>Azzam</b><br />
(They don't have a website but you can check out their <a href="http://www.qype.co.uk/place/421393-Azzam-Berlin">Qype page</a> and <a href="http://chopsinberlin.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/azzam-the-best-falafel-this-side-of-arabia/">a review in English</a> and <a href="http://www.zeit.de/2012/19/Berlin-Restaurant-Azzam">a German review</a>)<br />
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<br />
Azzam is found in the Arab-Turkish district of
Neukölln. It's not at all in the standard tourist part of town but there are many locals who claim that this place has the best hummus in Berlin and possibly the best falafel too!<span id="goog_1679896518"></span><br />
<span id="goog_1679896518"></span><br />
<br />
<span id="goog_1679896518"><span id="goog_1679896518">The menu wasn't in English (although it was
in both Arabic and German) and I'm not entirely sure if the staff spoke
English (Ahmad ordered in Arabic for us) but it was still pretty easy to
figure out what was what on the menu.</span></span><br />
<span id="goog_1679896518"><span id="goog_1679896518"> </span><br />I ordered the falafel plate and for 3.50 euros I was given a full plate of falafel with hummus and pita and pickled vegetables and all-you-can-drink tea. It also came with some sides of a tahini-yoghurt sauce and a garlic sauce but these didn't look vegan so I avoid them (they were shared among the group). It was tasty and by far the best value for money meal we had in Berlin.</span><span id="goog_1679896519"></span><br />
<b></b>
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Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-12893948410865679622012-08-27T22:27:00.000+01:002013-05-01T21:28:50.924+01:00The Purple Carrot - Bellingen, NSW, Australia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you ever find yourself on the north coast of New South Wales (and many travellers do as they make their way from Brisbane to Sydney or vice versa) I would highly recommend the short detour from the highway to the town of Bellingen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhXcyZ617ILvfhvR6ovS0lPYC_KD-PxDYxKY7K2HOLjIjwxMyFh3wPgjYy6HO3e45OCkmIWsztY2nJO8qlj46XABe11VM9RoYYD2ynx8gMY94fxtR0m3YOyUq0qTRdIPpzrcQ2JNnpwWE/s1600/P1110199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIhXcyZ617ILvfhvR6ovS0lPYC_KD-PxDYxKY7K2HOLjIjwxMyFh3wPgjYy6HO3e45OCkmIWsztY2nJO8qlj46XABe11VM9RoYYD2ynx8gMY94fxtR0m3YOyUq0qTRdIPpzrcQ2JNnpwWE/s400/P1110199.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main street of Bellingen.</td></tr>
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This tiny town of not even 3000 people seems to have achieved cult status with the cafe dwellers of the nearby bigger towns of Coffs Harbour and Nambucca Heads. And it's not hard to see why. The quiet little town is set against the beautiful peaks of the Dorrigo National Park and the main street proudly displays some beautifully preserved buildings full of food, fashion and craft stores that I've not seen the equal of in many places.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBknbWEb-nzAYktZIV6hLXWcd12KCavsOPcO8J3c-w7kO2rF-HpTchr443JK133208IybzkJISgBbDOZOvEZ4m4fPKOhozevobLZROeHyKmLtImcBe2yLUfCmsxOhwjeAV4Qg3sBsQtD1Q/s1600/P1110214.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBknbWEb-nzAYktZIV6hLXWcd12KCavsOPcO8J3c-w7kO2rF-HpTchr443JK133208IybzkJISgBbDOZOvEZ4m4fPKOhozevobLZROeHyKmLtImcBe2yLUfCmsxOhwjeAV4Qg3sBsQtD1Q/s400/P1110214.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The creek in nearby Promised Land.</td></tr>
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I had visited Bellingen on school trips when I was much, much younger but had not been there for many years. On our recent visit to Australia my lovely cousin and her, just as lovely, husband took us for a drive to Bellingen for lunch. We ate at a great, vegan-friendly cafe called The Purple Carrot.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Purple-Carrot/199208813529808?rf=158350064274126">The Purple Carrot</a></b><br />
<i>Bellingen, NSW</i><br />
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The cafe doesn't have a website (something I consider a sin these days) and there is nothing vegan on the menu. So why am I reviewing this cafe? Because they were super happy to accommodate vegans and they produced the most delicious quinoa salad with roasted macadamia nuts, beets, carrot and pumpkin/squash. The dish originally had cheese in it (goat's cheese, I think) but the dish really didn't need it and it was really filling and delicious.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beet-pumpkin-macadamia nut quinoa salad was delicious (sans cheese).</td></tr>
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There were lots of vegetarian options on the menu (Geoff really enjoyed his although he can't actually remember what he ate!), the coffee was great (soya milk available, of course) and the service was lovely. It was also just an absolute pleasure to sit out in the sun and enjoy a delicious lunch with great company.<br />
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If you have it then take the time to visit Bellingen and this yummy cafe!<br />
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Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-66645590620689240762012-08-25T22:02:00.001+01:002013-05-01T21:29:19.310+01:00Some notes from Australia... (Brisbane)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
You might have noticed that I've been a bit absent lately. This time it wasn't just Cambridge eating into my spare time, I have legitimate excuses that are not attached to my code or my thesis. Firstly, I no longer have a computer at home which makes blogging a little difficult since my supervisor is not too keen on blogging in the office. Secondly, I spent all of July in Australia.<br />
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I moved to the UK in September of 2010 and have not been back to Australia since then. Despite the fact that I complain about the English weather, the horrid English food and the grumpy NHS doctors, I really do love the UK. But I also love Australia and it was really lovely to be home.<br />
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I have lots and lots of new and exciting recipes I would like to share with you all but I thought I would take some time to dedicate a few blog posts to some new and old favourite food spots that I visited while in Australia for all of my Australian readers (since I do tend to neglect them most of the time!).<br />
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In general, I think Australia has become a little more vegan friendly (or perhaps I've become so accustomed to paying exorbitant prices at UK restaurants that I'm eating at nicer places in Australia?). Even in my small, country hometown of Grafton I found a really lovely restaurant to eat at (twice!) and a couple of other places that were more than accommodating.<br />
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One thing that <i>really </i>got on my nerves is that everywhere in Australia charges extra for soya milk <i>and </i>decaf coffee. Apparently Australian cafes think it is necessary to charge me an extra $1 per cup of coffee for not being cool enough to drink caffeine and cow's milk! Not cool, Australian cafes, not cool at all.<br />
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Apart from the price of the coffee, it was so lovely to be able to enjoy cafe culture in the sun again. I especially enjoyed being back in Brisbane and meeting friends in all of the lovely cafes and restaurants that I've grown so fond of over the years so I think that will be the first place I write about. I didn't take any photos of any of the food in Brisbane, since I've eaten in the places so often, so I'll just write a few lines about each of my favourite places and I hope it helps any vegans visiting the area in the future.<br />
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I hope you are all enjoying your summer here in the UK (and the lovely mild winter at home in Australia!) and I look forward to sharing more of Australia (and then some great recipes!) with you soon!<br />
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<b>Brisbane Vegan Recommendations</b><br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Forest-Vegan-Cafe/178181735575281">The Forest Vegan Cafe</a></b><br />
<i>West End</i><br />
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I don't think there is a single restaurant (vegan or non-vegan) in Brisbane that can beat The Forest for value for money. For $13 you can get an enormous plate of food (your choice of hot mains with brown rice or salad from the counter) or a good sized bowl full for $8. There is also a huge range of burgers, wraps and sandwiches with a lovely selection of vegans cakes and desserts (although the cakes are the same cost as the mains!). It's been refurbished in the past few years (although, unfortunately, the bathroom facilities have not so if you can avoid them then you probably should) and there is always free, self-serve water available.<br />
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The hot food can be a little bit bland sometimes (especially if you go for something like the dhal) but I would highly recommend getting a mix of salads and hot food because the salads are always delicious even if the ingredients look a bit surprising.<br />
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I ate here several times on my recent visit. They are open every day for both lunch and dinner and everything is vegan.<br />
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<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheThreeMonkeysCafe">The Three Monkeys Cafe</a></b><br />
<i>West End</i><br />
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Although I never actually order any food at The Three Monkeys (you can get them to make some of the sandwiches vegan but I can never be bothered with the hassle, especially since The Forest is 500m down the road) but I love to meet friends here for a big bowl of soy chai. There is no denying that the atmosphere at The Three Monkeys is not really found anywhere else in Brisbane so I don't feel so bad about only ever going there for the chai. Note, though, that the soy chai is served with honey so if you are a non-honey vegan then you should tell them so when you order at the counter. It's also a very busy place and seating is hard to get so I would recommend scoping out a spot first and then ordering.<br />
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<b><a href="http://brisbanegovindas.com.au/">Govindas</a></b><br />
<i>Elizabeth Street,City</i><br />
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Govindas is another great value-for-money place. Located opposite the Myer Centre on Elizabeth Street their entire restaurant is vegetarian and most of it is vegan (just ask, they are well aware of what a vegan is and can always let you know what you can and cannot eat). If you are a student then you can get the all-you-can eat Feast Deal for $10 instead of the usual $12.90. The Feast Deal includes rice, daily special mixed vegetable curry, split mung dahl, koftas with fresh tomato and herb chutney, a pappadam, fresh garden salad, halava with custard (unless you tell them you are vegan and then they give you a vegan alternative) and home made ginger & mint lemonade. And you just keep going back for more and more until you've had enough!<br />
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If you don't want to have the Feast Deal you can also buy smaller portions of each of the daily specials or order off the menu.<br />
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It's yummy food, great value and lovely service.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kitchensanitarium.com.au%2F&ei=xy05UIvnNaam0AWiq4HoAg&usg=AFQjCNGyUi_obUJxdx7sD7tNgP52MtfQLg">Kitchen Sanitarium Cafe</a></b><br />
<i>Eagle Street, City</i><br />
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This was a new Brisbane experience for me. It was open when I used to live in Brisbane but due to the fact that it is only open for breakfast and lunch, and it's in the middle of the city, I just never made the effort to visit before. Which was stupid. Because this cafe is awesome.<br />
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It's a totally vegetarian cafe with lots of vegan options available on the lunch menu. If the cafe becomes a regular spot for you there are daily specials to break up the monotony of having the same thing every visit. However, I dn't think that this will be a problem; I had the Spiced Pumpkin Wrap on my visit and couldn't believe how full of flavour (or how large) it was.<br />
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I also met a friend there for breakfast early one morning, which was also a lovely experience, but there are a couple of things to note. Firstly, there is only one option for vegans on the breakfast menu: avocado on toast. It's yummy but if you don't like avocado you might be out of luck. Secondly, they don't advertise coffee on their menu although they do serve it. So, if you are desperate for that caffeine hit, just ask for it.<br />
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It can get quite busy during lunch so I would recommend booking a table.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.anightinindia.com/">A Night In India</a></b><br />
<i>Toowong</i><br />
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Ah, A Night in India, how I missed you and your dhal palak! I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. The service is awesome, the curries are delicious and they know what a vegan is and are more than happy to accommodate (curries can be made vegan and the roti is vegan).<br />
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Book ahead on Friday and weekend evenings because the restaurant is super busy. Also, takeaway gets a discount and the portions are slightly bigger so if you live nearby I would recommend getting takeway and enjoying the deliciousness at home!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/337/1528416/restaurant/Brisbane/Dragon-Inn-Fortitude-Valley">Dragon Inn Restaurant</a></b><br />
<i>Chinatown, Fortitude Valley (aka The Valley)</i><br />
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They may serve a lot of meat, and they may have some pork dishes in the vegetarian section of their menu, but their Sizzling Szechuan Tofu and Chinese Mushroom with Tofu dishes are so awesome that I will keep going back here for a very long time. This is my favourite Chinese restaurant in Brisbane. Just be careful when you order anything else. Not everything may be as un-meaty as it seems...</div>
Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-83866108053999628752012-05-09T21:07:00.003+01:002013-05-01T21:27:43.514+01:00Thai Green Curry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I used to love going to Chinatown on warm Brisbane evenings for a deliciously spicy Thai Green Curry, sitting in the lovely outdoor setting of <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?q=thai+wi+rat&cid=12849380647116878815">Thai Wi Rat</a>. When we moved to Cambridge we discovered local Thai restaurant <a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?q=Thai+Restaurant+cambridge&hl=en&cid=18265257301572040242">Sala Thong</a> but found that eating out in the UK is a little pricey. So we started making our own green curries at home but with bought curry paste. When we could find curry paste that didn't contain shrimp paste, it just didn't have the same limey, fresh flavour of the green curries in restaurants. So we started making our own curry paste and we've not looked back.</div>
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Below is a recipe for the curry paste and then a recipe for making the green curry. The only thing to be wary of is that Thai curries use a lot of coconut milk and can be quite fatty and thus unhealthy if eaten regularly. If fat content is an issue for you, try some light coconut milk instead. If this still isn't right for you, try adding more vegies and using a mix of half vegie stock, half light coconut milk.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktJdlKS8Q_51HiJxSTXr6hKiPolG2cgGovvuVFibRWaTEyiThrpPFEyIRQrC-0sBdSYJBD3tDqJ36zU8I4-YqjOgPrGV0iWfkNO0su3fyhRWJnobHhyphenhyphenq9h0yReXePtgac2FG_M9CAu-Il/s1600/P1050729.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiktJdlKS8Q_51HiJxSTXr6hKiPolG2cgGovvuVFibRWaTEyiThrpPFEyIRQrC-0sBdSYJBD3tDqJ36zU8I4-YqjOgPrGV0iWfkNO0su3fyhRWJnobHhyphenhyphenq9h0yReXePtgac2FG_M9CAu-Il/s400/P1050729.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Thai Green Curry Paste</b><br />
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6 medium green chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped</div>
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5cm/2in piece of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped</div>
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2 garlic cloves, crushed</div>
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small bunch of fresh coriander</div>
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2 lemongrass stalks, chopped</div>
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juice of 1 lime</div>
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8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces<a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_493188160"></a></div>
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1 tsp grated galangal</div>
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1 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed</div>
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1 tsp ground cumin</div>
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1 tsp black pepper (preferably from peppercorns)</div>
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2 tsp soy sauce </div>
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3 tbsp olive oil</div>
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Put all ingredients into a food processor or blend and blend until a smooth paste.</div>
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This recipe is enough for about 6-8 servings. You can use it straight away, store it in a fridge for up to 3 weeks or it even freezes OK. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0qbs1p_BSq1qACr4KnWFe_OXwOAVVqQKIoOf-RTs77BC4Xcdkw4wmRNytCKFnb0x3Ma0rQPWy3nCjv8nRxktYIWiF2U3R-jRwGo2oJ7gAWJPiyX4UiWhCNMNgyAqawJ3RvPQ-dpVupXz/s1600/P1050731.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf0qbs1p_BSq1qACr4KnWFe_OXwOAVVqQKIoOf-RTs77BC4Xcdkw4wmRNytCKFnb0x3Ma0rQPWy3nCjv8nRxktYIWiF2U3R-jRwGo2oJ7gAWJPiyX4UiWhCNMNgyAqawJ3RvPQ-dpVupXz/s400/P1050731.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Vegetable and Tofu Thai Green Curry</b></div>
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1/2 serving of above curry paste </div>
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1 tbsp vegetable oil (preferably sesame)</div>
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1 brown onion</div>
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1 cup green beans, chopped into 2.5cm pieces</div>
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1 carrot, sliced</div>
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1 bunch of Asian vegie (pak choi, bok choi etc), roughly chopped, leaves and ends separated </div>
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400ml coconut milk</div>
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300g firm tofu, cut into 1cm blocks</div>
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225g can bamboo shoots, drained</div>
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1 tbsp dark brown sugar (or palm sugar) </div>
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juice of 1 lime</div>
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coriander for garnish</div>
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Heat the oil in a hot wok and add onion and cook for a few minutes until it begins to soften. Add curry paste and stir for another minute. Add all of the vegies excluding the Asian vegie leaves and bamboo shoots. Add coconut milk and watch until it is about to boil.</div>
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Just before the coconut boils, lower the heat to a simmer. Add the sugar, bamboo shoots and tofu and let simmer until vegies are just about cooked. Then add lime juice.</div>
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Serve over rice (preferably jasmine although we prefer brown basmati).Garnish with coriander.</div>
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Serves 3-4.</div>
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Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-55448602674627929462012-04-08T20:04:00.003+01:002013-05-01T21:27:19.087+01:00Vegan Brussels<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
EDIT: Since I first wrote this blog post quite a few very helpful readers have made some corrections about my impressions of what is and isn't vegan. So make sure you check out the comments section!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro6v_m3ctoGEor3h9svKX8JuN9KAljr3FXwY1UVVZ5_E-6l4APboO5a-FakC7YC-m5IIfr7FPcPWE6cmT7MvChe7TJq9G7lkcOAPOyQ2SzQ1vOfWfSnmEVYxTA_H2pjMKEqHKqZWJYpA2/s1600/P1100217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjro6v_m3ctoGEor3h9svKX8JuN9KAljr3FXwY1UVVZ5_E-6l4APboO5a-FakC7YC-m5IIfr7FPcPWE6cmT7MvChe7TJq9G7lkcOAPOyQ2SzQ1vOfWfSnmEVYxTA_H2pjMKEqHKqZWJYpA2/s640/P1100217.JPG" width="640" /></a><br /><br />Every vegan knows that one of the most difficult things about being a vegan is finding places to eat in a foreign country, especially if the language is not your mother tongue. <a href="http://www.happycow.net/">Happy Cow</a> is my go-to place to find places to eat but it's not always possible and, sometimes, when you do rock up at a restaurant listed as vegan-friendly, you can find yourself lost looking for a restaurant that hasn't existed since 1998 or in front of a waiter who has never heard the word vegan in his/her life.<br />
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Luckily my recent trip to Brussels was pretty successful on the food side of things. There's a great vegan restaurant open for lunch right in the centre of the city and a couple of other vegan-friendly hotspots littered around town. Also, Belgium is the chocolate capital of the world so you can get some really great, high-quality, milk/butter-free chocolate. But you need to be careful where you shop.<br />
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<b>Chocolate</b><br />
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To start my little guide to vegan Brussels I'll give some hints about where to find good chocolate that is suitable for vegans.<br />
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The wikitravel website recommends Neuhaus and Leonidas on the cheaper but still good quality end of Belgian chocolate but I'm not sure I'd recommend either. Both seem to use butter instead of cocoa butter in most of their dark chocolates. You can get dark chocolate on a stick in Neuhaus that is vegan but that's about it. We also went to two separate stores and the service was friendly but pretty hopeless. Leonidas was very similar but the chocolate was even cheaper so I couldn't find any vegan-friendly options at all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galler Chocolatier chocolates can be found in most supermarkets. <br />
It's great quality chocolate but a bit cheaper than the chocolate found in boutiques<br />
(but not lesser quality!).</td></tr>
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I did find vegan friendly options in the local express supermarkets like Carrefour and GB. My particular favourite was <a href="http://www.galler.com/">Galler</a> whose <a href="http://www.galler.com/chocolate-bars-dark.php">Noisettes</a> chocolate (hazelnuts in cocoa butter and surrounded by dark chocolate) was absolutely delicious. It's definitely more expensive than chocolate you'd buy in the supermarket at home but it's still a lot cheaper than what was being sold in the 'boutiques'. I also saw Galler chocolate being sold in many of the chocolate shops that have a mix of brands. Just be careful to check out the ingredients (helpfully in English as well as Dutch and French) because some of the dark chocolates have cream in their centres.<br />
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<b>Frites</b></div>
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<b> </b>The frites (fries/fried potato chips) in Belgium are supposed to be the best. The secret, apparently, is that they double fry them so the chips are crispy and golden. There are many places to pick them up around the city (you can see Wikitravel's recommendations <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Brussels">here</a>) but you shouldn't pay any more than about 3 euros for a large cone including a sauce.</div>
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One of the great things about the frites in Belgium is the huge range of sauces available for them. Unfortunately, most are not vegan so you might just have to stick with ketchup or, like me, without any sauce at all. You also need to be careful that the store you go to uses vegetable fat to fry the chips in. A quick Google search should help you out.</div>
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~~~ </div>
<a href="http://www.bioshop.be/winkels/brussel.html"><b>Den Teepot</b></a><br />
<i><span class="norm12">Rue des Chartreux 66, Brussels</span></i><b></b><br />
Open: Mon-Sat 12pm-12pm<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlrHchtNfFA0CVaoDn_Gx1s_wYQhiLF6jF2iCny7lVYGo2FREZ8Sgf6S-SkyO8_7Z9iTI-DxBeyUABLG3iSvNJLMepHJfPOjOw9Hx1ovjF6E1WZE6d8foa87CZ5l5qwsBZysYH8enDcYd/s1600/P1100140b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlrHchtNfFA0CVaoDn_Gx1s_wYQhiLF6jF2iCny7lVYGo2FREZ8Sgf6S-SkyO8_7Z9iTI-DxBeyUABLG3iSvNJLMepHJfPOjOw9Hx1ovjF6E1WZE6d8foa87CZ5l5qwsBZysYH8enDcYd/s400/P1100140b.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Den Teepot is the only vegan restaurant in Brussels.</td></tr>
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This is Brussels only vegan restaurant and is, unfortunately, only open for lunch Mon-Sat 12pm-2pm. The menu is very simple but this means the food comes out very quickly but is beautifully presented, fresh and very tasty!<br />
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There are two soups available (a miso or a vegetable soup) as a starter and then you choose one of four options for your main. These options are actually all very similar with only slight additions as they go up in price. Dish A is a brown rice and vegetable dish (it sounds basic but it tastes brilliant!) for 9 euros. Dish B is Dish A plus a croquette of brown rice, quinoa, potato and herbs (11 euros). Dish B is Dish A plus seitan (11 euros). Dish D is Dish A with the croquette and the seitan (13 euros). There is then also a selection of cakes (not on a menu but rather delicately laid out on a cake dish and brought to you for your selection) and herbal teas, if you are still hungry. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZxHuVLevZROfzUnJFx8Eu-txGCXs8gbZZ_BQ-3lvTG5HQjyPx6POCbofVkWmeK9kzA5owDfp7GI3L9ZBLo5_Dzm-KrOTWjuQ563o-iStjZ81BF25AymEbkmkPIaEsLnFxk_0LJG4TC9C/s1600/P1100144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZxHuVLevZROfzUnJFx8Eu-txGCXs8gbZZ_BQ-3lvTG5HQjyPx6POCbofVkWmeK9kzA5owDfp7GI3L9ZBLo5_Dzm-KrOTWjuQ563o-iStjZ81BF25AymEbkmkPIaEsLnFxk_0LJG4TC9C/s400/P1100144.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vegetable, brown rice and croquette dish (Dish B) at Den Teepot. <br />
The flavours and textures on the plate are magnificent!</td></tr>
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Even though the dish looks very simple it is packed with individual flavours and is really quite filling. We both had Dish B and were surprisingly full after the meal despite the fact that we were ravenous before.<br />
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The only complaint I'd have is that we were not offered any water and the food is quite salty. It's also not easy to find the restaurant (it's upstairs to an organic food store; just head through the wooden door as soon as you walk in to the shop's front door). However, the waitress was lovely (and spoke Dutch, French and English) and the food was really delicious so I would highly recommend a visit!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.spottedbylocals.com/brussels/mr-falafel-snackbar/">Mr Falafel</a> </b><i><span class="norm14"> </span></i><br />
<i><span class="norm14">53 Bd Lemonnier, Brussels</span></i><br />
Open: Daily 12pm-midnight<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDNJAsBGjPYywcPB7LthdTZcI8hJu4vOIdZAKLpa_I9CtursSNPPXSzZRbR4eEf3J7e1blB3tsArehQV8EFduJbv5kOvitWmFBGnhG4z4tKARW989qs2sBlxj8jmgaJETHz3pwnrAXTj-/s1600/P1100266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDNJAsBGjPYywcPB7LthdTZcI8hJu4vOIdZAKLpa_I9CtursSNPPXSzZRbR4eEf3J7e1blB3tsArehQV8EFduJbv5kOvitWmFBGnhG4z4tKARW989qs2sBlxj8jmgaJETHz3pwnrAXTj-/s400/P1100266.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The very petite Mr Falafel has tasty and inexpensive<br />
vegetarian food.</td></tr>
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Mr Falafel is a very tiny falafel snackbar between the two exits of the Anneessens tram/metro stop or about a 10 minute slow stroll from the Grand Place so it's very convenient to get to. It's not exactly in the most spectacular part of Brussels (there seem to be no women on the streets after 8pm at all) but it's one of the only places in town that is 100% vegetarian and it's extremely cheap. It's 3 euros for a pita with hummus and 4 falafels and you then help yourself to quite a big range of salad and sauces to stuff your pita with. Not all of the salads are vegan but I just avoided the ones that looked like they had cream in them (I'm not sure if the lovely lady behind the counter speaks French or English because our total transaction was done with smiles and gestures so I didn't get to ask about the salads so just took the ones without sauces).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ia_dGMW9K-hzfeL3jXw2kjCSkVnw3p2Rwv41VDxit1uhTDeRP6fnWzBibkMQOlw1tzgIJAjHwg1Qkr_1kwjqft4BSvTxyRXCVDaAstTVIHIgjY5tAd-bVk_GfIVaw9IUCWJIm-o2YzlZ/s1600/P1100265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Ia_dGMW9K-hzfeL3jXw2kjCSkVnw3p2Rwv41VDxit1uhTDeRP6fnWzBibkMQOlw1tzgIJAjHwg1Qkr_1kwjqft4BSvTxyRXCVDaAstTVIHIgjY5tAd-bVk_GfIVaw9IUCWJIm-o2YzlZ/s400/P1100265.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A falafel from Mr Falafel: pita filled with hummus and falafel that you then<br />
stuff with your own choice of salad from the salad bar.</td></tr>
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There are a few tables and chairs in the tiny space but you might end up sharing a table because it's a popular spot! If you are after yummy, cheap vegetarian food then this is the place to go!<br />
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<a href="http://www.lepainquotidien.be/fr"><span class="style17"><b>Le Pain Quotidien</b></span></a><br />
<span class="style17"><b><i style="font-weight: normal;">Several locations, see website for map.</i></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKL2RgbC7OhqSjvPPxuYkZhJwxFQrx4lSdbHP0oCMmftSgWxb-UJpqsIDKZA0ZwL8YL0TD0ne5iHdXlZL5LrGnmW8y_GQl4jtTAk1iM4a6VhaM6PHfW4qpQL4aZcLrhv3eVT6mZ_Pu_3O/s1600/P1100247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKL2RgbC7OhqSjvPPxuYkZhJwxFQrx4lSdbHP0oCMmftSgWxb-UJpqsIDKZA0ZwL8YL0TD0ne5iHdXlZL5LrGnmW8y_GQl4jtTAk1iM4a6VhaM6PHfW4qpQL4aZcLrhv3eVT6mZ_Pu_3O/s320/P1100247.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Le Pain Quotidien, Rue des Sablon</td></tr>
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<span class="style17"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Le Pain Quotidien is actually a chain of bakeries found all around the world, including Australia and the UK, but the majority are in Belgium, where the chain started. It is quite a pricey bakery/cafe/restaurant but their goods are quite yummy and the service is quite pleasant. We visited the same store (Rue des Sablons 11) twice because it was situated across from the very beautiful Notre Dame</span> <span style="font-weight: normal;">du Sablon and about 200 metres from the the Magritte Museum, Fine Arts Museum and the palaces.</span></b></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XEdv9ZMrAJ93FaZow2v-z2fobmERgIU6BrWeBGjfiuK0Pwnp-3nemlffAN13nsK_mbQ-DQ8_3n_GjNpKaeOw2QC8Jyd2c9rkaEj_2lXGMxTdmntQ4fcKbsF3KYLnlVa2hyStHuCFMaDY/s1600/P1100250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XEdv9ZMrAJ93FaZow2v-z2fobmERgIU6BrWeBGjfiuK0Pwnp-3nemlffAN13nsK_mbQ-DQ8_3n_GjNpKaeOw2QC8Jyd2c9rkaEj_2lXGMxTdmntQ4fcKbsF3KYLnlVa2hyStHuCFMaDY/s400/P1100250.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The organic (bio) muffin at <span class="style17"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">Le Pain Quotidien is vegan and delicious!</span></b></span></td></tr>
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<span class="style17"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;">The vegan options are clearly labelled VEGAN on the menu (if you are eating in) or the price list (if you take away). The take away prices are <i>much</i> less than the eat-in prices, even for the same items. On both occassions I had the organic vegan muffin (one was blueberry and the other apple). The cafe has a pleasant, shared oval table as well as some more formal, smaller restaurant-like tables in the back but I would recommend skipping the extra costs involved with dining in, grabbing your muffin and taking it to the </span></b></span>Place du Petit Sablon, across the road, to eat it in the park.<br />
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If you happen to take a day trip to Bruges (which I would highly recommend, but pack a raincoat!) there is also a store there.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7Jrca5DTua2jKPV1dYk6vIJk8Nhpk-1uX1FTS95L1J3a23mOwXLov20tlQnlMwj-4diTLemEg9j4SuJ4mtliBMcQbxWf8MxOEQNq4459xusyaIoY6e1UOZzbYW9lDKct5ilBKDP0-mwI/s1600/P1100252b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd7Jrca5DTua2jKPV1dYk6vIJk8Nhpk-1uX1FTS95L1J3a23mOwXLov20tlQnlMwj-4diTLemEg9j4SuJ4mtliBMcQbxWf8MxOEQNq4459xusyaIoY6e1UOZzbYW9lDKct5ilBKDP0-mwI/s400/P1100252b.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Take your vegan muffin across to the lovely Place du Petit Sablon.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place?cid=8439301891116266920&q=Place+du+Petit+Sablon&gl=uk&t=h&cd=1&cad=src:ppiwlink,view:smartmaps&ei=0tyBT4HSF8bXsgbG_4ihBA&dtab=2" id="iwreviews_8439301891116266920" target="_blank"><span dir="ltr" id="place-title"></span></a><span class="style17"><b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></b></span></div>
Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-18771528017457511592012-02-25T19:33:00.002+00:002012-02-25T19:40:08.720+00:00Flour-free Lemon & Blueberry Polenta Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have had polenta sitting in my cupboard for quite a while. I actually kind of like eating it as a meal but it's such a hassle to cook.<br />
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I recently made some savoury muffins with polenta and the result was really quite yummy. So, when I saw a recipe at a friend's house for a flour-free cake using polenta (and lemon and blueberries!) I couldn't help veganising it and trying it for myself.</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've recently come to realise that what I know as a 'cup' is quite different to that in the UK and US. As a result, I'm going to start including the weights in my recipes as well as the measurements. However, as long as you are consistent with the types of measures you use, it really shouldn't matter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxroeUgCBQi4E_uo_akdPplMbVjYJN5Ogv-igU3niiDSwCCJxKH53zssmtpQgYrUIjDl-kkwQA7AHh3BSNMPv5bwsLg-69tf1F32pOYwLQNaCks2mibOgwFrGVGFOOjMM3_UiulVNIVaIG/s1600/P1090933b.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxroeUgCBQi4E_uo_akdPplMbVjYJN5Ogv-igU3niiDSwCCJxKH53zssmtpQgYrUIjDl-kkwQA7AHh3BSNMPv5bwsLg-69tf1F32pOYwLQNaCks2mibOgwFrGVGFOOjMM3_UiulVNIVaIG/s640/P1090933b.JPG" width="640" /></a><b> </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Flour-free Lemon & Blueberry Polenta Cake</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3/4 cup (100g) sugar</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 cup (100g) vegan butter</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tsp ground flaxseed*</div><div style="text-align: center;">4 tbsp (80ml) water</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 1/3 cup (100g) ground almond meal</div><div style="text-align: center;">3/4 cup (90g) polenta</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp baking powder</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 lemon, grated rind + juice</div><div style="text-align: center;"> 100ml soya yoghurt</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 cup (100g) blueberries</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Preheat oven to 180C.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cream/beat together sugar and butter in a large bowl.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In a small cup or bowl whisk together the flaxseed and water until thick and creamy. Add 2 tbsp of the ground almond meal and whisk again until it thickens a bit more. Add this to butter/sugar. Stir in rest of almond meal, polenta, baking powder and lemon rind and juice until combine. Stir in yoghurt until combined. Finally, stir in <b>half</b> of the blueberries. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Press mixture into a pre-greased loaf tin. Sprinkle the remaining blueberries on top and press lightly into mixture. Bake for 45 minutes.<br />
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*Or other egg substitute. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-22786482905670797032012-02-18T10:42:00.000+00:002012-02-18T10:42:12.782+00:00Spiced Cocoa MuffinsThese chocolatey but earthy muffins are perfect for winter afternoon tea. My muffins came out a little cracked on top due to the fact that I am too lazy to move the racks in my oven. But they were still really delicious! The recipe is adapted from <i>The Joy of Vegan Baking</i> (which is the best vegan baking book ever so you should all get it).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4Ejr9quym052DKTKf7xjQ-mwHN00fB4Zuyl3SQdzXhJ3PCHXwMzeXFWxGRH0P7PvzJ_uMeTwsoSPSPZRajbsLIRCJpb4eQwvjXb409T2YWbI8m2-OUpA5e6Uv8J87pHj7umEgt8QwJmT/s1600/P1090912.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD4Ejr9quym052DKTKf7xjQ-mwHN00fB4Zuyl3SQdzXhJ3PCHXwMzeXFWxGRH0P7PvzJ_uMeTwsoSPSPZRajbsLIRCJpb4eQwvjXb409T2YWbI8m2-OUpA5e6Uv8J87pHj7umEgt8QwJmT/s640/P1090912.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Spiced Cocoa Muffins</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">3 tsp ground flaxseed (or other egg replacer for 2 eggs)</div><div style="text-align: center;">4 tbsp water</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 3/4 cup flour</div><div style="text-align: center;">3/4 cup sugar</div><div style="text-align: center;">6 tbsp cocoa powder</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tsp baking powder</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tsp baking/bicarb soda</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tsp ground cinnamon</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 tsp ground cloves</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 tsp cayenne pepper</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 cup soya milk</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 cup vegan butter, melted</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 cup vegan choc chips</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Preheat over to 200C (400F).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Whip together ground flaxseed and water in a small bowl. Add milk and melted butter.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mix the dry ingredients (ex choc chips) together in a separate large bowl. Add the liquid mix to this and stir until just combined. Stir in choc chips.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Spoon into pre-greased muffin pans. I normally fill 12 to just under the brim of the muffin tin. Put it in the centre of your oven and bake for 15-20 minutes (skewer inserted into the middle should come out clean except if it hits a melted choc chip!).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Take them out of the over, let them sit for 5 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Enjoy!</div>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-14699397635502961082012-02-05T21:44:00.000+00:002012-02-05T21:58:42.261+00:00Creamy Curried Lentil and Pumpkin/Squash SoupWinter finally made it to Cambridge. It's been very mild and then suddenly we had ridiculously cold weather last week and then snow last night. I had never really seen snow fall properly so it was quite a treat. We spent the day frollicking in town. I even managed my first snow ball fight!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4D1vqpw8vriWzNMzOejQG0_UUOG6gb02BCts4C_enT4C6QHzkxQ7tFaFceUrkjy7yT-b8qKmpMcYwFazCJTjj_2OX0JIx3zjlUtU070l3pApvWPmGPrl8OVxGqgkmWDEWv30Hf8jIUxRL/s1600/P1090823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4D1vqpw8vriWzNMzOejQG0_UUOG6gb02BCts4C_enT4C6QHzkxQ7tFaFceUrkjy7yT-b8qKmpMcYwFazCJTjj_2OX0JIx3zjlUtU070l3pApvWPmGPrl8OVxGqgkmWDEWv30Hf8jIUxRL/s400/P1090823.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selwyn College Old Court</td></tr>
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But after a long day of walking around in snow it is nice to come home to a warm house and some yummy food. We had a butternut pumpkin/squash in the cupboard so I decided to make a yummy soup but with lots of lentils and chickpeas for protein (but with almost no fat)!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Creamy Curried Lentil and Pumpkin/Squash Soup</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 brown onion, chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 leek (white and green bits), cut in half and then sliced</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 carrots, sliced</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 small gold sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 butternut pumpkin/squash, peeled, deseeded and chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 cup of red lentils, prewashed</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 cup chickpeas, presoaked* but not cooked**</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tbsp soya sauce</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 tbsp hot curry powder</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 tbsp ground cumin</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 tbsp garam masala</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 tbsp hot chili powder</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 tbsp salt</div><div style="text-align: center;">black pepper to taste</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Put the vegies, lentils and chickpeas in a large soup pan/pot and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 40 min-1 hour (or whenever the chickpeas cook). Blend the hot soup in the pot with a stick blender or transfer to a food processor/blender/liquidiser and then transfer back to the pot.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Keep the blended soup on a low heat and add the spice. Note that you are putting 1/2 <b>tablespoon</b> of each in. Simmer for another couple of minutes and then serve.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">*a couple of hours soaking in some water should be fine</div><div style="text-align: center;">** if you only have cooked/canned chickpeas then just add them at the end instead of at the start</div>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-42153328470156241722012-01-09T12:07:00.000+00:002013-06-30T10:53:05.713+01:00Phirni<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Don't know what phirni is? Neither did I! But it's damn delicious and a great dessert for dinner parties because it can be made in advance.<br />
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Apparently, <i>fir-ni</i>, <i>phir-ni</i> or <i>phir-nee</i>, is eaten among the Muslim community of North India and also in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is normally flavoured with cardamom, raisins, saffron, cashews, pistachios or almonds and can also have fruit pulp added!<br />
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This is just a basic recipe I found on the internet that I veganised for an Indian-themed dinner party that I had.The ground rice turns the hot liquid into a deliciously spice, gelatinous, cold pudding. Very yummy!<br />
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<b>Phirni</b> </div>
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<i>(advanced prep needed</i>)</div>
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1/2 cup basmati rice (or some other long grained rice)</div>
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1 litre/ 4 cups of soya milk</div>
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1/2 cup sugar</div>
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1/2 tsp cardamom powder</div>
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pinch of saffron</div>
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1/2 cup mix of unsalted almonds and pistachios chopped coarsely</div>
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Thoroughly wash and drain the rice. Put it into a bowl and cover with water. Soak for 2 hours.</div>
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Drain and grind the rice to a very coarse paste. I did this with my mortar and pestle but it could also be done on a hard surface with the back of a spoon. The rice needs to be broken down into small pieces but doesn't need to be completely smooth. You want to be able to see the pieces.</div>
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Put the rice paste, milk, sugar, cardamom and saffron into a deep, heavy bottomed pan and cook on medium heat till the rice is soft. Stir often to prevent the milk from scorching or burning.</div>
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Reserve some nuts for garnishing and add the remaining nuts to the phirni. Stir well. </div>
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Turn off the heat. Allow the phirni to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours. You can either put it straight into the bowls you will serve it in (like I did) or put it into a bigger container and scoop the cold dessert out later into smaller bowls. I thought it looked nice in ramekins.</div>
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Garnish with remaining nuts.</div>
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<b>Notes:</b> </div>
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<li>You can use brown long grain rice for this but I would suggest doubling the soaking time and making sure that when you cook the rice it is really soft before you refrigerate it.</li>
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<li>You can add all sorts of different flavours. I tried almonds and cinnamon for Christmas and it was also really delicious. </li>
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<li> If your soya milk has a lot of added sugar then consider cutting back on some of the sugar you add.</li>
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Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-26586803384711933882011-12-15T22:25:00.000+00:002011-12-21T11:08:57.261+00:00Vegetable and Lentil Stew with Herb DumplingsWe are off to Denmark next week to spend Christmas with a friend and his family. But before we leave I thought I'd post this yummy winter stew. <br />
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My picture does not do this dish the justice it deserves. It's a really delicious, filling dish that's great for cold winter nights. It's based on the recipe for Mushroom Stew with Herb Dumplings in <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Over-Mouthwatering-Recipes-Occasions/dp/0600616509">vegan</a>.<br />
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I hope you all have a great Christmas and and I'll see you all in the New Year!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusCmC_NrbPNm5faWYMYA9eBh6qHwo_8P1WBubHBliBUWFiDKUauGVZb4YIlwfb8QXD9i41gDgyTsWb-_M_syo-z7U8ebi98o-GJnVyhvcT6-EgZrVWi7mZYfNg1lQIX7HjwwQ1pPAvrvz/s1600/P1090099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusCmC_NrbPNm5faWYMYA9eBh6qHwo_8P1WBubHBliBUWFiDKUauGVZb4YIlwfb8QXD9i41gDgyTsWb-_M_syo-z7U8ebi98o-GJnVyhvcT6-EgZrVWi7mZYfNg1lQIX7HjwwQ1pPAvrvz/s640/P1090099.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Vegetable and Lentil Stew with Herb Dumplings</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 potato, chopped<br />
25 g shiitake mushrooms, halved</div><div style="text-align: center;">125g oyster mushrooms, sliced</div><div style="text-align: center;">600ml (1 pint) vegetable stock</div><div style="text-align: center;">200ml of water </div><div style="text-align: center;">125g puy lentils (dried)*</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 red onion, chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 carrot, chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">125g frozen peas</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 red pepper/capsicum, deseeded and chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">125g cabbage, chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 heaped tsp cornflour</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tsp vegan bouillon powder**<br />
2 tsp cocoa </div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tablespoon of molasses***</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp vegemite****</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tbsp tomato sauce</div><div style="text-align: center;">125ml sherry</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Dumplings:</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 3/4 cup self-raising flour</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp vegan bouillon powder**</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp chopped sage</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp chopped thyme</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp chopped parsley</div><div style="text-align: center;">3 tbsp oil</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 cup soya milk</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Place the potato, shiitake mushrooms and lentils into large saucepan with stock and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mix all dumpling ingredients together in bowl. Make 12 balls (this is easier to do between 2 spoons or with 1 spoon and a hand. Two hands get rather sticky).</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Add remaining vegetables to stew.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Mix the remaining stew ingredients into a small bowl. Then gradually add this to the stew. Stir constantly until stew thickens.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Sit dumplings on the stew and replace lid. Simmer for another 20 minutes until dumplings are cooked.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">* We can never get dried puy lentils so use the canned ones. If you use the canned ones then don't put them in until the end just before you put the dumplings in. Alternatively, you can use red lentils or green lentils (the green ones will need pre-soaking, though, and may take longer to cook).</div><div style="text-align: center;">** If you can't get this, don't worry too much. We actually use this as the vegetable stock so just add a bit extra to make this. You could use dried vegie stock.</div><div style="text-align: center;">*** I use golden syrup instead of molasses. It's not really the same but it does the trick. </div><div style="text-align: center;">**** Or whatever yeast extract you use.</div>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-14243057707377923362011-12-10T19:38:00.000+00:002011-12-10T19:42:30.213+00:00Gazpacho<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCgAH-89-kmfkbZJDbqVRe33gnJCj2aburSlVXn0Kuh8FwePm5KAWlQN0RaeHHSZq8anj475BsbtsfnGXGIQmQarFMY4K9e7O-5IB7poP-WGzx8-34Cn9Qv88vgOu9e6wXnf3YHP_eCzr/s1600/P1090049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPCgAH-89-kmfkbZJDbqVRe33gnJCj2aburSlVXn0Kuh8FwePm5KAWlQN0RaeHHSZq8anj475BsbtsfnGXGIQmQarFMY4K9e7O-5IB7poP-WGzx8-34Cn9Qv88vgOu9e6wXnf3YHP_eCzr/s640/P1090049.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
This recipe is super easy (as long as you have a blender/food processor), doesn't actually involve any cooking, uses up stale bread and tastes surprisingly delicious! It is based on a recipe I saw on <a href="http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/gazpacho/">River Cottage</a> during their vegetarian season (on Channel4 for all you UK people). I made it much simpler by not caring about skinning and deseeding the tomatoes. If you want to do this I would suggest visiting the <a href="http://www.rivercottage.net/recipes/gazpacho/">River Cottage website</a> to see how Hugh does it. I also make my own croutons. He cheats.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b> Gazpacho</b></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">3 thick slices stale white bread (around 100g), crusts removed*</div><div style="text-align: center;">200ml cold water </div><div style="text-align: center;">1 garlic clove, crushed</div><div style="text-align: center;">1.5 kg large ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped<br />
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 red capsicum/pepper, deseeded and chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">½ small red onion, chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tbsp olive oil for soup + 1 tbsp olive oil for toasting croutons</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tbsp balsamic vinegar</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp sugar</div><div style="text-align: center;">salt and pepper</div><div style="text-align: center;">shredded basil or chopped flat-leaf parsley</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Take 2 of the bread slices and tear into pieces. Put the bread into a bowl with the crushed garlic and water. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<section class="instructions"><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Put the soaked bread and garlic, tomatoes, <b>half </b>the cucumber, red pepper, onion, olive oil, vinegar and sugar in a food processor (it should just fit). Process to a coarse purée and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and chill for 2–3 hours, then taste and adjust the seasoning.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cut the final slice of bread into small squares. Brush the front and back with the oil and grill for a couple of minutes on each side to make croutons.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Serve the gazpacho topped with the croutons, shredded basil/parsley and the other half of the cucumber, chopped.</div></section><br />
*I kept the crusts on for one of them (for my croutons) because they gave extra crunch.Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-53894412339700287062011-12-03T18:23:00.000+00:002011-12-03T18:28:44.061+00:00Cinnamon Scrolls and Donuts (Doughnuts)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyf-iVcuP0bUl2_NUOASOjAV-MvSbsoZ8bdK2EeuBHQ5xNz38XUSfiJdFlAv5egdY7SGCxRZVybDu-1QLDKYrxujoorvJMNcJdtuy_i9buSuPui4KffBlLv_Sa9cJ6Dm6NFjfkkpISiQI/s1600/P1080976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMyf-iVcuP0bUl2_NUOASOjAV-MvSbsoZ8bdK2EeuBHQ5xNz38XUSfiJdFlAv5egdY7SGCxRZVybDu-1QLDKYrxujoorvJMNcJdtuy_i9buSuPui4KffBlLv_Sa9cJ6Dm6NFjfkkpISiQI/s400/P1080976.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Yes, I make my cinnamon scrolls and donuts with the same recipe. Topologically and semantically I might get away with it: the donuts are torus shaped and made from dough. However, I'm not sure Homer Simpson would have given my donuts the stamp of approval.<br />
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I love cookies and cake and muffins and all the really fatty, sugary stuff. It's really easy to eat something someone else made and not realise exactly how much fat and sugar goes into the product (and thus it's easy not to feel guilty about it). However, when you are physically mixing the batter and are measuring exactly how much oil and/or sugar you are using, you might not end up enjoying your lovely baked good in quite the same guiltless way.<br />
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This does not mean that the following donuts are healthy; everything in moderation. (Although, these donuts really need to be consumed on the day of baking (next day at the latest) so you might need to share in order to avoid eating them all yourself.) But these donuts are a lot health<i>ier</i> than your tradional donut from Krispy Kreme.<br />
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This dough recipe is based on the recipe for the dough for the Cinnamon Rolls in <a href="http://www.joyofveganbaking.com/">The Joy of Vegan Baking.</a> In fact, my cinnamon scroll recipe is closely based around that recipe. I guess American cinnamon rolls are like Australian cinnamon scrolls and British Chelsea buns.<br />
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The dough you make will need 1-2 hours to rise so keep that in mind if you are pushed for time. You wil also need an electric stand mixer. If you don't have one you can do it just fine by hand but it'll be some work!<br />
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Also, don't be put off with the length of the recipe. It might look complicated at first glance but it is actually really simple once you have read through the instructions. And the results are well worth it!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Dough (for cinnamon scrolls and donuts)</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Dough needs 1-2 hours to rise so keep that in mind.)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">4 1/2 tsp egg replacer (5 tsp ground flaxseed)</div><div style="text-align: center;">6 tbsp water</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">5 cups flour</span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">2 1/4 tsp (7g sachet) active dry yeast</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1 cup soya milk</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1/3 cup vegan butter </span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1/3 cup granulated sugar</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1/2 tsp salt</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Whisk egg replacer/flaxseed together with water until thick and creamy.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Using your electric mixer with the normal paddle/mixing attachment mix 2 1/4 cups of the flour with the yeast. </span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">In a small saucepan heat the milk, butter, sugar and salt until butter is almost melted. Stir constantly. Pour into flour mixture in electric mixer and mix on low speed. Add the egg replacer mixer and turn to high/beat for 3 minutes.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Switch attachments to the hook-looking one. Put the mixer on low and mix in remaining flour gradually for 3-5 minutes until you have a moderately soft, smooth and elastic dough. You might end up with 1/2 a cup of flour left over. If you don't need it, don't use it. Your dough should be tacky but not sticky to touch.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Shape the dough into a ball and place in greased bowl. Let it rise for 1-2 hours in a warm place or until the dough has doubled in size. </span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Once the dough has doubled, punch it down, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover with a clean tea towel and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then roll it out.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> <b> </b></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Cinnamon Scrolls</b></span></span><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqKPPGN7_jtDOeb0C53NhyFPZQSNDCr7FMtnS9RBOZxsE6SNsSu9Aof_qXC3L2Mss95HuMclq8WyAr2QIjF16TGc9znXpWjQGIvd33bQdGz5Gp4M4sjpfca_x8koC2tq2I_ga9wewm-h3/s1600/P1080972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTqKPPGN7_jtDOeb0C53NhyFPZQSNDCr7FMtnS9RBOZxsE6SNsSu9Aof_qXC3L2Mss95HuMclq8WyAr2QIjF16TGc9znXpWjQGIvd33bQdGz5Gp4M4sjpfca_x8koC2tq2I_ga9wewm-h3/s400/P1080972.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>advanced prep required: scrolls needs about 1 hour to rise (this is in addition to the 1-2 hours above)</i><b> </b></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><br />
</b></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">soya milk for brushing</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Filling: </span></span></i></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1 <b>tbsp </b>cinnamon</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1/2 cup vegan butter, softened</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1/2 raisins</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">3/4 cup chopped walnuts (or other)</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><i>Icing:</i></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1 cup icing/confectioners' sugar</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">2 tbsp vegan butter, melted</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">1/2 tsp vanilla extract</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">2 tbsp soya milk</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Prepare your dough as above.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Mix all the filling ingredients together.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Roll the dough into a 30cm square (12-inches for those of you still living in my grandma's era). </span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Spread the filling out over the dough. Do this evenly.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Roll the dough into a log (so that you can see the spirals at the ends). Pinch at the end to seal.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Slice the log into 8 equal slices (you should havd little flat cylinders with sprials of yummy filling showing). Place the slices on a greased tray or baking paper.* Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 45 minutes-1 hour in a warm place until they double in size (keep this in mind when placing).</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Preheat the oven to 190C (375F) and (uncover and) brush the scrolls with the soya milk. Bake for 25-30 minutes until they are golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">To make icing combine all the icing ingredients in a bowl. After the scrolls have cooled for 5 minutes drizzle the icing over them. Serve warm. Best eaten day of baking (or next day at the latest).</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">*You can actually do all of this the day before and then put them in the fridge and carry on with the instructions from here.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
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</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>(Healthier) Donuts</b></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ScMcDDtinbkPIIOfMysknMYccHOJJK5RAZYwRCWf6Soe_y4Z163RHLMU7rHkVWERLOEWBePpy4_T10LxPY3W37Pl0VeY-B-aR4yW8yLYP7Hh0rN5dj0MjtgbS1kfweuaTRHSTNuNTSih/s1600/P1080970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ScMcDDtinbkPIIOfMysknMYccHOJJK5RAZYwRCWf6Soe_y4Z163RHLMU7rHkVWERLOEWBePpy4_T10LxPY3W37Pl0VeY-B-aR4yW8yLYP7Hh0rN5dj0MjtgbS1kfweuaTRHSTNuNTSih/s400/P1080970.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Prepare your dough as above.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Cut out donut shapes. I do this by using a wide glass for the outside circle and a small, sample-size jam jar for the inner circle. I'm sure you can also buy donut cutters or you could do it free-hand. You should end up with a bunch of donuts and holes. Keep both.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Place the donuts + holes on a greased or baking paper lined tray. Cover with cling wrap/film and let rise for 45min-1 hour. Donuts and holes should double in size.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Preheat oven to 190C (375F). </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Uncover the donuts and brush with soya milk. Baked for 10-15 minutes until the bottoms start to turn golden brown.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.</span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="color: black; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">If you want to ice your donuts then let them cool completely and ice with whatever your favourite glaze is (the icing for the scrolls will do with a bit of cocoa if you like chocolate). If you want the traditional cinnamon donut then let them cool a little (a few minutes will do) then give them a quick spray with oil and roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mix (1 tsp cinnamon to 1/2 cup sugar).</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Best eaten day of baking (or next day at the latest).</span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></div>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-74930945826608311832011-10-16T21:58:00.000+01:002011-10-16T21:58:49.900+01:00RSS Feed Gadget AddedYou can now subscribe to my blog via RSS feed using whatever service you prefer. You can find the option at the top of the left hand column.<br />
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I've been in the Peak District again this weekend. Lots of food reviews to come as well as some yummy new recipes!Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-37550386023295498732011-10-09T14:31:00.000+01:002011-10-11T12:56:12.350+01:00Soba and Kombu Dashi soup<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAPeL0A77ERSSu0jQc6kcU4Icgo1rB-MveSreSV6IIxUQYOp66-GwyPWlMv-vJOMg_H1jY9elDtKYvSeA0txvF3SN58ehaf5Fd4JTTTFO0UG13eN12GuXCNvj2sOAsCvtL9r4oPe9fXLn/s1600/P1080621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfAPeL0A77ERSSu0jQc6kcU4Icgo1rB-MveSreSV6IIxUQYOp66-GwyPWlMv-vJOMg_H1jY9elDtKYvSeA0txvF3SN58ehaf5Fd4JTTTFO0UG13eN12GuXCNvj2sOAsCvtL9r4oPe9fXLn/s640/P1080621.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kombu dashi. I used dark soya sauce so my soup is quite dark. A light soya sauce will give a lighter soup.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I really love Japanese food. I especially love Japanese soups; they are low in fat but are warm and yummy on an autumn's afternoon.<br />
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We recently had a Japanese PhD student visiting our lab for a few months and she introduced us to a lot of Japanese food and cooking we would never have known about. And her father owns a chain of sushi restaurants in Japan so I think we can take it for granted that she knows what she is talking about!<br />
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I recently asked her for a recipe for some sort of soba noodle soup. She gave me the below recipe (to which I've added only minor comments). It involves something called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kombu">kombu</a> which is dried kelp to make the base soup. We found some in our local Asian grocer (although the packet is not necessarily going to be in English so you should ask someone). Besides from that the ingredients are pretty standard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VwskszF15KpVLwQDIfNqEU1VzE2wznTlutSc_zj8uVh1jaTuF2sUF3JY3Lx8g0UjS15pyL4UxKSEHZFupHmhpl7HcyreChyyk-JOjUpd-TBWDRvewRHL_w9esEYcZZ6QhL56AXu7sT0U/s1600/P1080624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9VwskszF15KpVLwQDIfNqEU1VzE2wznTlutSc_zj8uVh1jaTuF2sUF3JY3Lx8g0UjS15pyL4UxKSEHZFupHmhpl7HcyreChyyk-JOjUpd-TBWDRvewRHL_w9esEYcZZ6QhL56AXu7sT0U/s400/P1080624.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kombu. An essential, pre-prepared ingredient for the soup base.</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b> Soba and Kombu Dashi soup</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>for the kombu dashi (advanced prep needed)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">6 cups water</div><div style="text-align: center;">3 x 2 inch pieces of kombu</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>for the noodle soup</i></div><div style="text-align: center;">400g/14 oz. dried <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soba">soba</a> (buckwheat noodles)<br />
1/3 cup soya sauce<br />
2 tbsp mirin<br />
1/2 tsp salt</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
<i>for the topping </i></div><div style="text-align: center;">~300g block of tofu</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tbsp sesame oil </div><div style="text-align: center;">1 leek, finely chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 sheet <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori">nori</a>, shredded</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">In advance:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">The kombu dashi soup base can be made in 2 different ways: a quick way or a long (better) way. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">For both ways you take the kombu pieces and tear a couple of one inch tears on each end of the piece. This is to give the water somewhere newly exposed to seep in to. The piece should still be whole just with tears on each end (see picture).</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOq_lV3ThmdqsQ0KPWAJKV9GmbAoqoJrGEcySVgW3EVjZIblXjhxM9Go0sw7aBKO4Fy-bzcoj-nzPTYjoE3g5s-Nr8q6BKq_9QHN1jN0mfarN-QBDcowZEYhH3pRn3QupwNWHi5Mn63ptr/s1600/kombu.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOq_lV3ThmdqsQ0KPWAJKV9GmbAoqoJrGEcySVgW3EVjZIblXjhxM9Go0sw7aBKO4Fy-bzcoj-nzPTYjoE3g5s-Nr8q6BKq_9QHN1jN0mfarN-QBDcowZEYhH3pRn3QupwNWHi5Mn63ptr/s320/kombu.PNG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tear the ends of the kombu about 1 inch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
The long way to make the kombu dashi is to place the pieces in the 6 cups of water and soak for at least 4 hours (overnight is fine). The quicker way is to soak for 20 minutes and <b>then </b>slowly bring the soaking kombu to the boil. Before it starts bubbling, take it off the heat. After you've done either of these you need to strain the water to remove the pieces of kombu and anything else. To do this use a sieve <b>and</b> line it with 2 paper towels. Pour the liquid through the paper towels and sieve. You should collect some very clear, pure liquid at the other end. Discard the pieces and keep the clear liquid. The clear liquid is your kombu dashi.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">To make the soup:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">First fry the tofu. To do this you should pat your tofu block with paper towels to absorb as much liquid as possible. Then slice the tofu up into small chunks. Heat the sesame oil in a wok on high and fry the tofu for 2-3 minutes on each side. Once fried, place the tofu on clean paper towels to soak up some of the oil.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Cook your soba noodles according to the packet instructions (normally boil water, add soba, boil for 6-7 minutes, drain, rinse with cold water). </div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Heat the kombu dashi soup with the soya sauce, mirin, and salt in a large pot to make the soup. </div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Serve the soba noodles into four bowls. Pour the hot boiling soup over the noodles. Put the toppings on top of the noodles in each bowl.<br />
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Serves four. </div>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-20635384241584465322011-09-17T23:29:00.000+01:002011-09-17T23:41:15.625+01:00Get Stuffed!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhhpafCtL_8S0MTdu-XGiwdbel6DSjoudfyQ7yvjYMXstOCByxagwj77KXfTwH_9JqOhIwYAmmygYsXg_MnRom6l9z2AeoT8vRl6Z6NIS6OC5QOylekxxt30UZQQoU2nfftjQuIjHFi0t/s1600/P1080416.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikhhpafCtL_8S0MTdu-XGiwdbel6DSjoudfyQ7yvjYMXstOCByxagwj77KXfTwH_9JqOhIwYAmmygYsXg_MnRom6l9z2AeoT8vRl6Z6NIS6OC5QOylekxxt30UZQQoU2nfftjQuIjHFi0t/s640/P1080416.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
Stuffed vegetables are awesome. Especially when you stuff the vegetables with more vegetables! The weather is getting colder so warm, yummy food with lots of vegatables (and vitamins), like the pictured dish, is more than welcome.<br />
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My general rule with stuffed vegetables goes a little something like: use whatever is in your fridge. I've posted about a <a href="http://hownottobeaskinnyvegan.blogspot.com/2009/11/suzis-birthday.html">stuffed field mushroom recipe</a> before. However, zucchinis/courgettes stuffed with a delicious vegan pate is just as yummy. How do you make this delicious vegan pate? Well! I'm glad you asked.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><b>Vegan Pate</b></div><div style="text-align: center;">adapted from <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vegan-Over-Mouthwatering-Recipes-Occasions/dp/0600616509/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1316297763&sr=8-8">vegan </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 cup red lentils</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/2 brown onion, chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 clove of garlic, chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 cup of vegetable stock</div><div style="text-align: center;">1/4 cup walnuts, chopped</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp cider vinegar</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp vegemite/marmite*</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tbsp chopped dates</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tbsp canola/rapeseed oil</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp soya milk</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tsp chopped thyme</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Put lentils in a saucepan and cover with cold water (water should be about 2-3 inches above the lentils). Bring lentils to the boil then drain and rinse.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Return lentils to the saucepan with the onion, garlic and vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Drain the lentils again. Stir in remaining ingredients. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Blend the lentil mix in the pot using a hand held stick blender or transfer the mix into a food processor/blender/liquidiser and blend until smooth.<br />
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Eat hot or cold.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">If you want to stuff courgettes with the pate just cut about 1/4 of each courgette away along the length and scoop out the inside with a teaspoon. Brush with oil and bake for 15 minutes. Then add the pate and bake for another 10 minutes. If you are having trouble getting the courgette to sit flat then slice a sliver off the bottom edge, along the length.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The pate is also great on toast or crusty bread. I used it for a couple of days on sandwiches on fresh, grain bread with some vegan luncheon meat. It was very yummy!<br />
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* Or some sort of yeast extract paste. </div>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-77677006556104906332011-09-07T22:22:00.000+01:002011-09-07T22:22:42.394+01:00AbsenceI'm not dead nor have I given up on cooking. I'm just super, super busy! But I have many new recipes to share and lots of reviews of restaurants from all over Europe so hang in there a little longer and I promise to update very soon!Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-10695975944049810432011-07-11T22:59:00.000+01:002011-07-11T23:02:37.236+01:00Mildreds (Soho, London, UK)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRvXHby5TpcyPfbV2W3rkvsLSrviYF3xutde5Zt1Ph5VoD1zF00fM0ykdfT1013BEOWu2AqGczxbJDXShNhJ8tryKqPVgnY26r3bgJRgPW0zfae3hmDsmgQtS82bpDwG5POvx_ci1uvWW/s1600/P1060902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRvXHby5TpcyPfbV2W3rkvsLSrviYF3xutde5Zt1Ph5VoD1zF00fM0ykdfT1013BEOWu2AqGczxbJDXShNhJ8tryKqPVgnY26r3bgJRgPW0zfae3hmDsmgQtS82bpDwG5POvx_ci1uvWW/s400/P1060902.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>A friend of ours has been long recommending<span style="font-size: small;">ng the decadent vegan </span><span style="font-size: small;">chocolate & raspberry truffle cake at <a href="http://www.mrsmarengos.co.uk/menus.html">Mrs Marengo's</a> in Soho. Unfortunately, they aren't open on weekends (and are only open for breakfast and lunch on week days) which is the only time we can make it down to London. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Luckily for us Mrs Marengo's is actually the sister cafe of <a href="http://www.mildreds.co.uk/">Mildreds Vegetarian Restaurant</a> which is only two doors up on the same street in Soho. And they also have the chocolate & raspberry truffle cake!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHHPnlKT4KiXEaGiJ1QLAcCnO7CYfox5kjTp8-X2FK7rl2SG_kni2klk4vi4BxolfpeDj9fBT2ERAIsfj04AXWhIXUu5cO1f5wypFJdr1NSoKGwrccl4l0Hcno_huTNicRHDoR3VXVsR0/s1600/P1060901.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHHPnlKT4KiXEaGiJ1QLAcCnO7CYfox5kjTp8-X2FK7rl2SG_kni2klk4vi4BxolfpeDj9fBT2ERAIsfj04AXWhIXUu5cO1f5wypFJdr1NSoKGwrccl4l0Hcno_huTNicRHDoR3VXVsR0/s320/P1060901.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">Mildreds is small, like all London restaurants, but very airy and light. The service is very good and the servers seem to know most of their customers quite well which is nice although it can get a little hard to get their attention when they are chatting.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">The food was really yummy, very well presented and came out quite quickly. We really enjoyed our meal, especially since we'd run into the restaurant sheltering from a storm, but the bill was a bit on the high end. It was even more insult to injury when we looked at the menu from Mrs Marengo's and realised that much of the menu was the same but about half the price. Sure, the service in a cafe is very different to the service in a restaurant and it was the weekend, but it did make us feel a little cheated.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXcxr70A9LVmKWZUmbQXr9dWxGUIWhHotIOJIsYUE-AA7mPwtkkkjTcH8S7W20Hxq-Q851CK9p6XcFDxYbaG9zjtwU5-lNhI221MevC8c9KJasJkM5Gvbvz2KxsWF4nY6kBK6rVXJhphH/s1600/P1060900.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXcxr70A9LVmKWZUmbQXr9dWxGUIWhHotIOJIsYUE-AA7mPwtkkkjTcH8S7W20Hxq-Q851CK9p6XcFDxYbaG9zjtwU5-lNhI221MevC8c9KJasJkM5Gvbvz2KxsWF4nY6kBK6rVXJhphH/s400/P1060900.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">sri lankan sweet potato and cashew nut curry served with yellow basmati rice with peas and tomato sambal</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xXmbupcHpANv95ZvtNcyAX2ArjVQQq8TkBIFjNeWjtsnNGFyOlqYxIYqplh-twIgUdHnrlTh_B860thyO7kw_yQw9L2xpLgGZc9ddBsJPPK5HDjypg7N8oLrrLd5GdF3RTXq_QyzKtBL/s1600/P1060899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xXmbupcHpANv95ZvtNcyAX2ArjVQQq8TkBIFjNeWjtsnNGFyOlqYxIYqplh-twIgUdHnrlTh_B860thyO7kw_yQw9L2xpLgGZc9ddBsJPPK5HDjypg7N8oLrrLd5GdF3RTXq_QyzKtBL/s400/P1060899.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">mixed mushroom, porcini and ale pie served with fries and mushy peas</td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikHHPnlKT4KiXEaGiJ1QLAcCnO7CYfox5kjTp8-X2FK7rl2SG_kni2klk4vi4BxolfpeDj9fBT2ERAIsfj04AXWhIXUu5cO1f5wypFJdr1NSoKGwrccl4l0Hcno_huTNicRHDoR3VXVsR0/s1600/P1060901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br />
My recommendation would be to go on a weekday and go to the cafe instead but if you are looking for a nice vegetarian dinner or somewhere on the weekends it's worth a visit to Mildreds. Just be prepared for about £6+£10+£6 for starter, main and dessert.</span>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1112848809460400321.post-74547855009661432582011-06-25T17:11:00.000+01:002011-06-25T17:11:01.137+01:00Corn FrittersIt's May Week here in Cambridge and for a whole week the town gets stuck in some sort of high society time warp. The entire student population pretty much stays in black tie attire for the week as they ball hop with the only exception to this rule being when they don their blazers and hat and gloves for the garden parties. It's an experience so out of touch with the rest of the world it's almost embarrassing. It's also a lot of fun.<br />
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May Week begins with Suicide Sunday. It's the Sunday after exams have finished for everyone and, apparently more importantly, the Sunday after Bumps have concluded (Bumps is a rowing thing that I'm not entirely sure I understand). There are many garden parties on from about 9am to 10pm and lots of people end up drinking all day and feeling very sorry for themselves the day after.<br />
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We decided to start our Suicide Sunday with a vegan champagne brunch at our house and I made lots of yummy vegan goodies. One of the biggest successes was some very easy to make corn fritters.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx96ocoLuYtfz3R-kBompiVePDf624CMYOuCGzBfyshk2np61Pz9XxNX5-bZNrqRHwP8sMvmED0x6wHyP7hNrGhrQ98n6AsC_sQE17n1yH2o5M0Z340q86EXZl8SQ19A5S38-VnOaUbRj/s1600/P1060908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAx96ocoLuYtfz3R-kBompiVePDf624CMYOuCGzBfyshk2np61Pz9XxNX5-bZNrqRHwP8sMvmED0x6wHyP7hNrGhrQ98n6AsC_sQE17n1yH2o5M0Z340q86EXZl8SQ19A5S38-VnOaUbRj/s640/P1060908.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Corn Fritters</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">1 tbsp olive oil</div><div style="text-align: center;">4 tbsp frozen corn/sweetcorn</div><div style="text-align: center;">4 tbsp self-raising flour (wholemeal, if you have it)</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tsp dried vegan veggie stock or bouillon powder</div><div style="text-align: center;">4 tbsp soya milk</div><div style="text-align: center;">2 tsp cider vinegar</div><div style="text-align: center;">3 tbsp chopped chives (about half a bunch)</div><div style="text-align: center;">pepper to taste</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Preheat oven to 180 C.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Heat 1 tsp of oil in a pan and fry corn for a few minutes until it is hot.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Combine flour, bouillon powder, milk, vinegar, chives and pepper in a bowl. Add sweetcorn and stir thoroughly.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Heat the remaining oil in the pan again and add tablespoons of the mixture to the pan. Fry on the first side for 30 seconds (do not flatten yet) then flip. Then with the back of the spatula press the fritter down until it is under 1cm thick. Cook on the second side until golden brown. Flip again and cook on the first side until also golden brown.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Transfer the fritters to a lined baking tin and bake for 5-10 minutes until they rise a little.</div>Elise The Veganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09691287734201539055noreply@blogger.com3