Vegan MoFo Day 21 - What three endless food supplies would you take if you were going to be stranded on an island? (Imagine your nutritional needs have been met, these are a bonus!)

Damn, that is hard! Does nutritional yeast count as part of the 'nutritional needs being met' bit? I'm going to go with yes, hehe.

So, tahini would definitely be top of the list. It's so versatile and makes everything creamy and delicious. I love how you can use it in a variety of  different cuisines, it's one of my favourite things. Soy sauce/tamari is something I couldn't live without, too. And I can't choose between chillies and garlic.....argh! I definitely have to have garlic in there soooo I'm going to go with these -

Tahini
Garlic
Chilli-infused soy sauce (Boom, I win!)

Or should I have plain soy sauce and a bottle of sriracha for the chilli/garlic combo? Eeeek. 

Here is a not-very-exciting picture of some short-grain brown rice and green beans in a tahini/soy sauce dressing topped with sriracha. Looks boring, tastes amazeballs.

Vegan MoFo day 20 - Veganize an old family recipe

Now then. My Mum never really taught me how to cook, other than helping out with prepping vegetables. I think her Mum was a good cook, but she lived a couple of hundred miles away in North Wales so I couldn't just pop over to visit when I felt like it. My mum was a single mum to four kids and in full-time education for most of my childhood (and working full time after that) so didn't have a lot of time to fanny about in the kitchen. My teen years I lived off microwave meals and frozen pizza.
As a young kid though (before I went vegetarian at 10 or 11), I seem to remember a lot of minced beef stuff like bolognese and cottage pie.
So I decided to make cottage pie like my mum use to make, except with no ground up cow in it.

I first fried some diced onion in a saucepan, added some salt, vegetable stock, 2 cups of soaked green lentils, a diced red pointed pepper, 2 cloves of garlic (minced), some fresh oregano, tomato purée, and the magic ingredient - onion gravy powder.
I find onion gravy powder gives a good meaty quality to the mince, which is kind of what you want. My mum used to put beef oxo cubes in her cottage pie and I think this is a good replacement.
Anyway, the lentil mince mixture simmers away for twenty minutes or so whilst you boil some chopped, peeled potatoes.
When the potatoes are done. Mash them with a generous heap of vegan margarine and a splash of soy milk. Pour the mince mixture in to a dish then top with the mash. Run a fork over it so it goes a bit crispy when you bake it in the oven (about half an hour gas mark 5).
It was bloody lush!

Vegan MoFo day 19 - Lunch on the go

I almost always buy lunch 'on the go' as I rarely have the time or energy to make a packed lunch in the mornings. I know, I'm terrible.
Luckily, the offerings of grab and go lunch options for vegans has improved vastly in recent years in this country. My most often shop-bought lunch is the Tesco meal deal, as it's on the way to work and I feel represents good value for money. As far as I'm aware, only the falafel and houmous wrap is suitable for vegans as the main part of the deal, then you can choose from a mountain of different crisps, fruit pots and nuts (dependent on where you go....there's more choice in the main stores than the express stores, naturally) and a bottled drink.

I tend to get this trio of tastiness at least once a week, usually more, and grab a couple of pieces of fruit for snacks. I wish more places would take the unnecessary mayo/yogurt out of their falafel wraps (Marks and Spencer's I'm looking at you!)

That said about M&S, they do have some pretty good options for vegans. The main on their meal deal suitable for vegans is the large vegetable samosa which is another thing I get fairly often (comes with a drink and a side). I think there's a soup that's vegan and I can't remember if  the Moroccan spiced butternut couscous is vegan or not.....will check next time I am there and update.
They have various 2 for £3 salad pots which are suitable for vegans too, including a slow roasted pepper & orzo pasta, borlotti/flageolet & black bean salad, quinoa/edamame salad with soy & ginger dressing and a super wholefood salad with a mint vinaigrette. Plenty of options!

I haven't bought a Boots meal deal in a while, but I did enjoy their houmous, carrot and coriander sandwich on tomato bread (the Kimchi salad is great but I'm a sandwich kinda gal). They have a fantastic selection of drinks too, including savse cold pressed juices. Their sides range from crisps, nuts etc. to fruit/vegetable snack pots and things like muki beans with houmous.

Of course there are various coffee chains that have some options suitable for vegans (Starbucks, pret a manger) but they're kind of over-priced for what you get plus I don't have time in the mornings to queue to pay for a salad.....self-scan tills all the way!

Vegan MoFo Day 18 - Honour a human or non human animal who inspires your veganism

Oooh, this is tricky. There wasn't one person or anything in particular that inspired me to go vegan in the first place, just various things I had seen on social media that led me to discover that being just vegetarian wasn't enough. I was one of those blissfully unaware vegetarians until I found out that baby chicks were crushed to death in the egg industry and that organic free range didn't mean they were chickens that roamed outside all day. I also had no idea about the cruelty and torture cows suffered in the dairy industry.
When I did find out, I imagined my dog Pedro being separated from me and how awful that would be for him. How terrified he would be when he saw me being slaughtered and how utterly horrified he would be to live his life in a small box, never being allowed to see the light of day until he is murdered to be eaten by greedy humans.

So I guess you could say my dogs inspire my veganism to a certain degree. I believe all animals are capable of emotions, whether it be happiness or pain and suffering. Knowing how my dogs respond to me and the things around them makes me aware that all animals are able to feel vulnerable, scared, lonely, hurt and an array of other emotions. They inspire me to STAY vegan, they inspire me to do pretty much anything I do in my life. They are my family, they love me unconditionally and I love them so much it scares me sometimes.

She destroyed this hat as soon as I took it off her

ANYHOO. This prompt inspired me to make some delicious treats for my little fur babies - baked polenta dog cookies.
Now, these aren't tough like normal dog cookies but they go down a treat with my little ones. Yes I know dogs aren't meant to eat much in the way of grains but as this is a TREAT and not the main part of their diet, it's perfectly fine for them to eat. I would avoid using wheat, however, as many dogs are sensitive to it.

I made them from cornmeal, water, rice bran oil, almond butter, fresh oregano and a little tomato purée to add saltiness without adding salt.
You don't have to use oregano but it makes it more flavoursome and it's high in antioxidants and is apparently good for digestion. You could use a different herb (they all have their own benefits) but make sure you don't use chives as they are part of the onion family which is toxic to dogs.

Pedro and Bebe wish you all a happy MoFo!

Vegan MoFo day 17 - Make (or eat) a local dish

Well, since I did my entire MoFo theme last year on Welsh food, I'm just going to re-create a local dish I made last year with some changes - faggots.

They're in all the bloody markets here and a lot of cafés too. I think it's more of a nostalgic thing for older people so you tend to find it in the places that have been around for years rather than new establishments. I guess I'll include myself in that, as I remember having them frequently as a kid, usually with rice or peas.

Last year I made them with brown lentils and this year, I made them with seitan! I love seitan, I usually make it at least once a fortnight. I love how quick and easy it is to make, how filling it is, but mostly the different flavours you can put in to it!

For my faggots I used vital wheat gluten, corn flour, rice bran oil, maggi liquid vegetable stock, sage, freshly ground black pepper, tomato ketchup and a little dried onion gravy powder.
I formed them in to balls, wrapped them in kitchen foil then baked them in an inch of water in a tray for about 45 minutes on gas mark 5.

I served them with plenty of onion gravy and peas. I was so stuffed after eating them! They were lush.

Vegan MoFo day 16 - What’s your favourite late summer food?

Well, I guess late summer is kind of now although technically isn't it autumn? Anyhow, when the weather cools down I'm usually glad to be getting back in to hearty things like stews, soups, curries etc.
Mostly though, I miss having pasta bakes! I find it too warm in the summer to have too much stodgy food, especially if it's warm food. I know pasta bake isn't very adventurous but I love carby food this time of year, and Italian flavours always delight me.

In my typical pasta bake I mix wholewheat or high protein pasta with olives, passata, garlic, Italian herbs, some kind of vegetable such as courgette and maybe some type of bean if I'm feeling cheeky.
Always topped with vegan cheese (violife or cheezly), and usually extra virgin olive oil and some salted tomatoes too.

I LOVE PASTA BAKE AND I'M NOT ASHAMED TO ADMIT IT!

I skimped a bit on the cheese, whoops.

Vegan MoFo day 15 - OMG Barack Obama is coming over because he knows you make great vegan food. What are you going to make?

Ha, ok. Well I'm guessing he's probably tried almost every type of cuisine going and since he's turned up at my house uninvited, he can have what I'm having - Thai (ish) fish-less cakes with zoodles in a chilli toasted sesame sauce. Yerm. 

Ok so I normally have zoodles raw because I really like raw courgette but I thought the prez might want something warm since he's travelled thousands of miles to visit our cold, rainy country. 

The zoodles were warmed in a chilli sauce with some toasted sesame seeds. The fish cakes were made from chickpeas, panko breadcrumbs, garlic, salt, lemongrass powder, coriander, olive oil and chillies (all blenderised......that's a word, right?) then pan fried. It looked really beige so I added some sriracha because why not? It was lush. 

Vegan MoFo day 14 - Share something vegan (and delicious, duh) with a non-vegan

For today's prompt, I thought it would be a good idea to tell you about Govinda's. It's a cute little restaurant near my place of work that makes amazing vegetarian and vegan food. It's so good that my omni friend Henry and I get food from here at least once a month (it'd be more frequent if we had quieter days in work more often!)

Today we each got a nut and lentil burger with hummus and fresh chillies with a side of fries, tomato sauce and salad. Their tomato sauce is home made (like everything they do, down to the bread rolls.....not something that happens often in Welsh restaurants) and it's so damn good! Their food keeps you full for hours, and every omni I've ever taken there has loved the food (and you know what omni's are like about having to have meat with EVERY flipping meal).

Behold, the beautiful burgers of doom....

So filling we both struggle to finish it, and we can EAT!

Vegan MoFo day 13 - Kitchen tour time

Eeeek, I've been kind of dreading this. I'm one of these people that never has a tidy kitchen, there's always crap lying about that shouldn't be in there. It's a pretty small kitchen and I don't have a dining room so it's a little cluttered. I also hate the cupboards and work surfaces in my kitchen, the previous owner and I have somewhat differing tastes. That said, I'm still taking part....but there is no way I am showing you my ugly oven or hideous 70's feature wall that I've yet to paint over!

In an ideal world, if money were no object, I would have a kitchen like Mary Margaret/Snow White's in once upon a time......

I love things to be mismatched, old and re-purposed. I'm not a fan of sleek, modern interiors, I like things in my home to look lived-in and have character. Most of my furniture is up-cycled but my kitchen isn't finished, and probably won't be for a few years!

On with the 'tour' then....or as much of a tour as you're going to get anyway.

The table all of my dishes have been photographed on this year.....

The table is an old pub table that I found on eBay, the benches are made of vintage scaffolding and the chairs were an upcycled pair I found on Gumtree.

Cute little ornament a friend bought me....

Some mirrors I found at a flea market....

Some cute little tins on a very ugly worktop......

The contents of the mdf faux wood (barf) cupboards.....

Ok, that's my kitchen tour done for this year, you've probably seen enough. Heh.

Vegan MoFo Day 12 - Tell us about your favourite cookbook

Hey guys! Sorry I'm a bit late with this post, yesterday was a bit hectic.

Today's prompt is to share our favourite cookbook with you, but which one to pick? I have quite a few good cookbooks from amazing authors like Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Chloe  Coscarelli and Sarah Kramer to name a few but the book I'm going to choose isn't quite as polished in terms of recipes as the aforementioned authors. I'm talking about vegan stoner! Anyone who has this book will know what I mean; the recipes often call for ready-made ingredients like store bought seitan, instant mash and *gasp* frozen vegetables! Whilst some people would be put off by this, I think it's really fun. Sometimes you want to be able to throw dinner together quickly and with few ingredients and this book certainly encourages that.

I was first drawn to vegan stoner when it was a fairly new blog, I think maybe around 2011 when I first went vegan. As an illustrator myself, the humorous drawings really caught my attention (they're so cute!). It really helped me out as I was a terrible cook and needed all the help I could get; going vegan can be daunting at first, especially if you suck in the kitchen!
Today I made the pizza baguette for breakfast, except I used freshly baked sourdough bread and replaced the margarine with olive oil. It was delicious and perfect Sunday morning food.