Vegan Challenge!

The last 3 weeks have been pretty interesting and I can actually say overall my insides feel good and I've definitely had my fair share of what being a vegan feels like. Often I've been asked 'what do you eat?' or on a few occasions I've been told this actually isn't Godly 'kill and eat' lol, but for the most part people have been intrigued to know more or just generally surprised that I've come so far.

To be honest it hasn't been easy all through, and there were times I wanted to satisfy the craving but I kept going guys! One of the hardest things for me, has been how restricted I've felt at times constantly checking the label of packages to make sure it contains no eggs, milk, gelatine and then just to find 3 lines down it contains one of the above. You become more cautious of what you put inside you and definitely become much more creative in the kitchen.

Being vegan has forced me to include more fruit and veg into my diet which by the way is obviously a good thing and also cook and use ingredients some of which I had never used before the challenge in my meals. Something I have noticed  on the challenge however is that on some days my face looked a bit grey and I sometimes felt tired. After a little research I found that most vegans take a supplement called B12, which helps in the production of red blood cells that carry oxygen around the body. This is usually obtained in meat, fish and dairy products so because it is not found in foods such as fruits and vegetables vegans tend not to get enough of this vitamin. A lack of vitamin B12 can thus lead to extreme tiredness, yellowing of the skin or a general lack of energy etc. However, after some advice I was told that I was probably lacking iron and not B12 which would take a bit longer than 30 days to suffer from any serious deficiencies.

Nonetheless, over the last few weeks I've had some fantastic meals.Here are some pictures of my vegan life :)

Origins: vegetable burger, curly fries and salad (this became a staple when on campus
as it was the only meal that I could actually eat that was vegan)

Chickpea and sweet-potato burgers with red onions and
sweetcorrn 

Chickpea and Sweet potato pitta with sweet potato fries

Butter bean stew with kale, tomato, scotch bonnet, garlic
and rice with salad

Swede and Carrot stir fry with coriander and lemon couscous

One of my favourite meals : Bean and carrot soup with dumplings
and vegetable fried rice

Carrot and Coriander soup with ginger and slice pitta bread

Jollof Rice and Sweetcorn with fried plantain

Butter bean stew with mixed veg and sweet potato squares

Spaghetti with vegetable pasta sauce

Sweet potato squares: fried in butter garlic and salt = divine 

Vegan Day 3

 Happy Sunday ,

So it's day 3 of my vegan challenge and I'm not sure if the days are going slow or fast but either way I'm still enjoying the challenge. I must admit I'm not finding it hard with the meals  but with snacking I definitely need more discipline. I have a tendency to put things in my mouth before realising I actually can't eat it *taps hand*.

Today at church I was helping out with the refreshments and I picked up a snicker (the small ones that come in the big tub of celebrations ) and I thought I would save it for after church so I did... and yup you guessed it was in my mouth finding its way into my digestive system before I realised I wasn't meant to eat it. I'm thinking maybe I should write on my right hand everyday 'I'm vegan' just as a reminder to myself .. what do you guys think..lol

My struggle aside today I was feeling for something a little light but filling so I made some spicy stuffed pitta with courgettes, some red peppers tomato and plantain and I must say they were actually quite tasty so there goes a new recipe added to my list .

Ingredients : 1 Courgette, Some red pepper, 1 tomato, 1 clove garlic, Some coriander,
1 tbsp Garam masala, 1 tbsp cumin, 3tbsp sesame oil and 4 slices of plantain

Mix the coriander, cumin, garlic , garam masala and oil together and then thinly slice the courgettes and mix in with the above. Then fry the courgettes adding in the tomato and red peppers for about 6-8mins. Fry the slices of plantain and then add altogether in a warm pitta and top with some sweet chilli. 

Vegan Day 1/2

I spent most of the day shopping and acquiring some new fruit and veg for my month challenge. I didn't have much to eat this day but I did manage to have some boiled plantain and baked beans with a slice of loaf bread. Nothing too exciting but it kept my belly happy.

Boiled Plantain, Baked beans and a slice of loaf bread

Day 2: I made some chickpea curry with some white boiled rice. This is my first time having and making chickpea, I enjoyed working with some new ingredients and also the taste of new flavours.

Ingredients : 1 Onion, Coriander, Garlic, Ginger, 1 tomato, pinch of salt
Some chilli power, 1 garlic clove, cumin powder and a pinch of garam masala 

Chickpeas curry

Chickpea curry served with some boiled white rice 

World Vegan Month

Hello Foodies!!

Happy New Month and Happy World Vegan Month! This month for me promises to be exciting as I will be participating in the Vegan Challenge !! This is basically where people around the world pledge to go vegan for 7-30days.

This means no animal products (fish, chicken, meat everything 'sheds a tear') and no dairy. I'm a meat eater so as you can imagine this month will definitely be a challenge but I'm really excited to try some new recipes and get cooking .

So why did I decide to do this ..?

Well firstly I'm the Vice - President of the Kent Foodians Society at my University and for us this was a challenge. I'm not an animal protester but I wanted to see if I could abstain from the things I currently eat and also include a whole new range of things into my diet that I've never made before.

So this week I've been shopping and just to name a few of the things I've bought : Chickpeas, butter beans, butternut squash, sweet potato, coriander , plantain and many more. Some of the above items I've never actually worked with before so this month should be fun!

If you've also made a pledge why not share some of your recipes ... I'll be blogging throughout the month to showcase my meals and also share how I'm finding being vegan!

Scones

Home made scones are a simple English tea time treat and are usually accompanied with cream and jam. Depending on how you like your scones you can add dry fruits or just have them plain.

To make you will need:

• 225/8oz self raising flour
• pinch of salt 
• 55g/2oz butter
• 25g/10oz caster sugar
• 150ml/5fl oz milk 
• 1 egg beaten with a drop of milk to glaze

1. Heat the oven to 220oc/425F/Gas7 and lightly grease a baking sheet 

2. Mix together the flour and salt and rub in the butter until it begins to resemble bread crumbs

3. Next stir in the sugar and create a well in the middle of the flour and add in the milk mixing in from the edge into the centre until everything is combined 

4. On a clean surface add some flour and knead the dough lightly into a round ball and pat down lightly till about 2cm3/4 thick.

5. Using a cutter stamp out your scones and place on the baking tray to bake for 12-15mins until risen and golden 

Once ready leave on a wired rack to cool

Serve with some cream and jam

Thailand

Sawadika !!

As I mentioned in my last post I went on holiday this summer to Thailand and Malaysia then finally had a day stop over in Abu Dhabi. So yes it definitely has been a jammed packed summer and it feels weird being back in London having almost nothing to do. Unfortunately my phone got stolen in Malaysia and my laptop died in Amsterdam so I lost my pictures but I do have a few that hopefully capture my time away.

So first stop Thailand... wow it was one hell of a journey but worth it. I left Amsterdam on the night of the 13th June and arrived in Bangkok welcomed by the humid air in the late afternoon of the 14th June. Bangkok was a holiday with an experience! I tried so many new things while there, although the food was a hit and miss at times. We travelled around to most places in the notorious 'Tuk Tuk' which took us from A-Z in minutes. It was cheap, affordable and safe most times.. the only turn off was the various stops the drivers made in which we had to parade in stores looking like interested customers so they could get free tokens for petrol.

Tuk-Tuk

Now being an ethnic minority in Thailand, something which I had not understood the extent of until arriving, is that your exactly that... a 'minority' and immediately the centre stage of attention. Everyone either stares, wants to take a picture or calls you names freely ... Obama, Shakira, Beyonce just to name a few. One of my friends I travelled with lived in China for a year so she was pretty used to this and warned us that this was very usual.  So if your black like myself be prepared.

Food

 I  had some very tasty and some rather unusual dishes while in Thailand . I've been told that I have a belly of an ox and to be honest I can stomach 'almost' anything. One thing that is definitely a delicacy in Bangkok is bugs or scorpions or any other crawling thing they can find... there sold in most markets with pictures prohibited unless your willing to jump the wagon and have a go . So me and my friend decided to do exactly that and have a go. I must say the taste was absolutely horrid we were too scared to try the scorpions so we opted for the small bugs.. Was it worth it ? Yh why not .. would I do it again ? No lol but if you do happen to visit do try some, but have a drink ready at hand.

King Prawn Pad Thai

Green Curry

Soul Food - Chicken wings

Soul Food-  Rice and ribs - the ribs were so tender and fell nicely off the bone

Scorpions

Our facial expression says it all 

Places to visit

Temples

While in Thailand we predominantly stayed in Bangkok which is the capital city. This side of the holiday was therefore not a beach holiday but more what I'd like to call 'exploring Bangkok'. One of the key sites to visit in Bangkok is one of the many Buddhist temples.

Floating Market

Before arriving in Thailand I was very certain that I wanted to visit the floating market and I'm happy I did. The floating market in Thailand is a historical representation of how Thai people used to sell vegetables, fruit etc off small wooden boats. Today it remains largely as a tourist attraction where you can buy food, souvenirs  and explore Thailand by river.

Elephant trekking 

So when we arrived at the floating market we were sold a package that allowed us to go elephant trekking as well. At first I was excited because this was my first time ever going on an elephant or even being up so close. However, once we got on the elephant it became apparent that the elephants weren't treated very well and were forced to stay on track or were beaten with a weapon that sort of looked like an ax.. yes  I hear you say ouch.. The poor elephant screeched out each time and I felt bad that I was sitting on its back and forcing it to go through this. It was definitely an experience and I think I can live with having tried it once.

Sukhumvit

For a night out one of the places to definitely visit is Sukhumvit. Its full of shopping malls, restaurants, bars and clubs and reminded me of London's West end. We came here on two nights and did have a good time. Its perfect for a night out or just to shop. There are loads of one off boutiques with lovely items and at decent prices too.

Outside bar

khao san Road

If you happen to visit Bangkok one of the places I'll advice to visit is Khao san road also know as the 'oasis for backpackers'. If your looking for a cheap hotel there are loads on offer here! There are restaurants, bars and open markets to also visit great for souvenirs and authentic Thai products.

All in all I really enjoyed my stay in Thailand. A great experience for my first taste of Asia.

Sweet Surprise

Wow its been ages since I last blogged, this is partly due to unforeseen circumstances and a bit of laziness too! I must admit I've missed blogging but I'm back *smiles*. I still am yet to blog about my time in Thailand and Malaysia but I'll save that for my next post. 

Today I decided to resurrect the family power juicer after almost 11 years! Yup you read right ... please believe its been sitting in the corner of my kitchen catching dust and after a thorough wash and clean I made a 'sweet surprise' juice from Jack La Lanne's cookbook.


Ingredients:

• 3 pineapple spears
• 1 orange 
• 4 fresh strawberries 
• 1 bunch of red grapes ( I had no grapes, but you may include some) 

                               Add the ingredients in the above order and enjoy immediately  

London

Hey All!

I can't believe we're in June, half way through the year already *yikes* but I'm pretty excited for the things yet to come. I was also back in London this week and it felt so good to be home, the last time I was there was in January so it was long overdue I paid a visit.

Every first Sunday of the month where I live we have a feast where the whole community comes together with food, arts and craft and open stalls. Its a great way for the community to bond and definitely a good way to get a taste of all the good food in the local area and beyond.

This was my first time attending and it was nice to see the creative ideas people had when it came to food, here are a few pictures of the day.

      

Barbequed Portobello, smoked paprika, seasoned aubergine and pesto cheddar with rocket,
 truffle mayonnaise and Mooshie's smoky sauce
This tasted really nice!

      

      

     

                                 

p.s I'll be in Thailand and Malaysia this summer :)