Ciao peeps! It’s been a while again, mostly due to my having to organise our imminent house move, and rehearsing for a show I’m in this week! It’s been a very stressful time, but I finally feel like I’ve come out the other side, and I want to share some of the lovely things I’ve been eating to help me get here 😀
There was massive news last week that there are now half a million vegans in the UK, which I’m guessing is the reason why loads of food chains are introducing vegan menus and new options 🙂
One such place I have discovered is The Stable in Bath, where I went for a meal last night with my theatre group and tried a vegan version of their Hawaiian pizza. It was delicious, and the cheese tasted so realistic!
Also, just after Jacob and I had successfully agreed our new tenancy, we went for a celebratory meal at The Green Rocket, where I tried something new: sesame noodles 🙂 Just look at the gorgeous colours!
Also also, I made a very easy Thai-style recipe which made 4 portions and has been very handy for quick meals before work:
Fry a pack of Fry’s chicken-style strips in a bit of oil for about 5 mins
Add a jar of Sainsbury’s coconut and lime sauce and a pack of mixed oriental vegetables
Simmer for about 5 more mins (or whatever the instructions say!)
Serve with your rice of choice
Lastly, I made a small snail very famous on Facebook:
Ciao peeps! It’s been a very hectic and stressful few days, mostly due to organising our imminent house move, and having to deal with some ignorant haters on social media. As a result, I spent most of the weekend feeing very despondent with people (which wasn’t helped by a couple of rude customers at work!). Having a caring personality is both a blessing and a curse at times, as it can feel isolating when you encounter a barrage of ignorance, and yet you know that what you stand for is important for everybody!
Something I have had to learn since going vegan is that, if you are feeling in any way run down, the insulting comments from others can easily bring your mood down. However, once things are a little better, and you speak to like-minded people again, you regain some faith in humanity 🙂
The main point of this post, though, is to share a delicious meal and some more useful vegan finds with you all 🙂
Last Friday, in between house viewings, Jacob and I popped into out favourite The Green Rocket Cafe for lunch, where I ordered something I haven’t tried before: a big mezze selection! I think it’s the yummiest thing I have tried there so far (which is saying something) and includes marinated tofu, salad and dressing, humous, an aubergine-tomato concoction, falafel, beetroot salad and quinoa. It was perfect for a hot day, and I felt very full but healthy afterwards!
Amazing mezze!
Yesterday, we went on a long shopping trip to town, which included Harvest, Holland & Barrett, Marks and Spencer, Lush and Sainsbury’s, and here are a few important things we picked up along the way:
M&S Spirit of Summer carnival fire cracker sweets – finally back in stock and as sweet, spicy and delicious as everybody has been saying!
Meridian yeast extract – a healthier alternative to Marmite (also vegan), tastes just like the real thing
Sojade strawberry yoghurt
Violife parmesan-style cheese – an incredibly realistic imitation! I was never a fan of parmesan, but Jacob loves it
Sainsbury’s own noodles – a very handy snack, totally vegan, and all their flavours are very tasty
Vego chocolate!!!!! – oh.my. days. this is delicious. Like honestly, if they can make vegan milk-style chocolate this good, why do they bother with dairy?! 😀
Ciao peeps! It’s been a while since I wrote a post about general thoughts and/or frustrations regarding the attitudes of defensive omnivores towards vegans. The links below are a combination of serious, informative and humorous answers to those questions which all vegans are tired of hearing. Since reading them, I have ended up discussing some of the topics with a few omnis who were open-minded and interested in going vegan in the future 🙂
Something I find particularly ironic is when omnis ask where vegans get their protein, or whether they are getting the right vitamins, because of how hypocritical the questions usually are. The vast majority of omnivores do not make sure they get all the right nutrients, vitamins and protein, and do not take good care of their health, but people never automatically ask an omnivore “Are you getting enough B12? Make sure you don’t turn anaemic!” etc. etc. As a side note, I was talking to a vegan colleague at work yesterday, and she was saying that apparently it is not possible to be deficient in protein but, funnily enough, you can have too much! I did not know this and will have to find out more.
Another question which irritates me is “Do you take supplements?” because it is usually asked with an accusatory air, as if a vegan diet alone cannot possibly provide all our essential vitamins. As it happens, I do occasionally take a vegan multi-vitamin tablet, but ONLY if I feel I need an extra boost (as a lot of onmis also do!). For example, nutritional yeast is packed full of B12, but I do not eat nutritional yeast all the time. Similarly, I am prone to getting leg cramps, and so if I am not currently eating leafy greens, I might take a magnesium supplement to help me along 🙂
So to summarise, all those judgemental and defensive omnivores can move on and stop being hypocritical! 😀
On a more cheerful note, I made a lentil and spinach curry again the other day (recipe here: Cooking curry!) and this time I remembered to take a picture. I didn’t bother with the raita this time, because the weather has been thoroughly weird and unseasonably cold, so I wanted something warming:
Comforting curry
On a slightly warmer day recently, we tried Booja Booja’s chocolate ice-cream, which was amazing! Until vegan Ben & Jerry’s becomes widely available, this will be my go-to cinema companion (as well as Jacob of course!)
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I also tried a simple new recipe for vegan mayonnaise, which somebody posted on Facebook and involved combining 1 cup of oil, 1/2 cup soya milk, salt n pepper, 1 tbsp vinegar and 1 tbsp mustard. It turned out far too runny though, even after being left in the fridge, and was a bit too mustardy for my personal taste as well, so I will adjust this in the future and post an update. I could tell that, with a few alterations, it will be delicious 🙂 Until then, I’m going to add garlic powder and herbs to a tub of vegan mayo from Sainsbury’s, to make an easy substitute pizza dip 😀
Jenny's Vegan Journey 