Sweet chilli peanut butter stir fry

OMG. This was the nicest stir fry I have ever eaten. It tasted so good I want more!
I found online a recipe for stir fry sauce:
1 tbs sweet chilli sauce
1 tbs peanut butter
1 tbs soy sauce or tamari
A little water if peanut butter is thick.

Well, in my cupboard I have a jar of sweet chilli peanut butter I got from a farmer's market. It's delicious and i recommend it. So, I thought I would cheat a little and use this instead of using sweet chilli sauce and peanut butter. If you don't have the sweet chilli peanut butter don't worry, use the ingredients as above, I'm sure it will taste just as good.
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl.

For the stir fry I used what was in my fridge:
1 small onion
1 carrot
1 pak choi
1 asparagus stick
1 Portobello mushroom
1 spring onion
1 red pepper

You can use any combination of vegetables you have at hand.

Chop all vegetables into small pieces so they cook quickly.

Heat a little oil in the pan and add the onions, cook until soft, and then add the other ingredients and stir. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the sweet chilli peanut butter sauce mix. Stir and cook for a further 2 minutes or so.

Serve and eat immediately. Makes one portion.

This is so good and so simple. Takes about 10 mins to prepare and 5 mins to cook.

Enjoy and thank me later :)

Super green tropical smoothie

Kick start your week with a super healthy tropical green smoothie. This delicious green monster is packed full of goodness.

Ingredients:
2 handfuls of spinach
1 orange (peeled)
1 banana (frozen)
Handful of frozen pineapple
Spoonful of desiccated coconut
1 cup (250ml) coconut milk
1 cup (250ml) water
Handful of ice

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serves 2.

This is one of my favourite smoothies, tastes so good :)

Enjoy x

Avocado Bagel

Just thought I would share this with you as it is my most favourite thing to eat for lunch.
Nice fresh wholemeal bagel, with avocado and cucumber.

I use half an avocado in each bagel. The avocado is a great meat replacement as its quite substantial and contains good fats.
If you've never tried avocados I recommend you do, they are so delicious. I had not tried them until about a year ago, people often told me they were not nice so it put me off. Well if anyone tells you they are not nice don't listen to them. These things are just delicious and can be used for so many things. Later in this blog I will post recipes for good uses of avocado, but for now, I am going to enjoy my bagel and savour the flavour :)

Fruity Quinoa Breakfast

My 2nd day at being a bit more adventurous with my breakfast and I have to say it tasted rather nice.
This one takes a little longer to make, 20-25 mins in total but while it was cooking it gave me chance to do the washing up and get the washing machine on. Multitasking :)

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (375ml) of "milk" - I used coconut milk
1/2 cup quinoa - remember to rinse before cooking
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup fresh fruit - I used raspberries and blackberries

Using a saucepan on the hob bring the milk to the boil then reduce the heat and add the quinoa and raisins. Cook for approx 15mins until the quinoa is cooked. Using a blender or food processor, pour the contents of the saucepan in and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl, mix in the fruit and eat :)

Recipe taken from La Dolce Vegan cookbook by Sarah Kramer.

Serves 2 but I ate it all myself :)

As quinoa is an excellent source of protein this breakfast is a great way to start the day and should keep you full until lunch :)

Really easy and simple to make and you can change the fruit you add to it to make it versatile and different every time :)

Enjoy x

Cous Cous for breakfast?

Trying to be a bit more adventurous with my breakfast and not just have cereal or toast.
I got this recipe from Sarah Kramers cook book La Dolce Vegan.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (185ml) of "milk" or water
1/4 cup (60ml) of fruit juice
1/2 cup Cous Cous
1 banana
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Using a small saucepan boil the milk and juice together. I used coconut milk and apple juice but you can use any that you fancy or have in the fridge.
When boiling, reduce the heat and stir in the Cous Cous, banana and cinnamon. Slice the banana before adding.
Stir together and cook for 2 mins, adding more milk/juice if you feel it is required.

So simple and quick to make, tasted pretty good too. I am stuffed, made a bowl full, would be enough to share if you wanted to.
If I was to make this again I think I would add raisins to the mix and maybe some more milk as it was a bit dry by the end.
Experiment a little, I guess you could add other fruit, not just banana. Blueberries might work well, think I'll try that next time and see.

Anyway, took all of 5 mins to prepare and cook. Nice healthy breakfast as contains no fat :)

I'll deffo be making this again.

Strawberry Icecream!

The only thing I really miss since being vegan is icecream.
I saw this recipe online the other day and thought I'd give it a go.
Wow! Tastes amazing, really creamy and was so so simple to make.

Ingredients:
2 cups (200g) cashew nuts
1 1/2 cups (i used a whole punnet) fresh strawberries
1 cup almond milk (or other plant based milk)
1/2 cup maple syrup or agave
2 tbs vanilla extract
1/3 cup coconut oil

Soak he cashews for 4 hours in water. Drain the water.
Add the cashews and all other ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into a container and freeze for at least 5 hours.

This literally took 5 mins to make and tasted really good, just like real.icecream.
Perfect for vegans and anyone lactose intolerant but also really nice for everyone to enjoy :)

Asparagus and courgette pasta sauce

I opened my fridge and all that was in it was a courgette and some asparagus. Shopping day tomorrow!
Here is what I came up with:
Ingredients:
1 onion
1 red pepper
2 tins tomatoes
1 courgette
6 asparagus bits

Chop the onion and cook in a small amount of coconut oil (or other oil if you prefer). Chop the pepper and add to the onion. Cook for about 5 mins, add some herbs (i used dried basil, dried oregano and garlic powder), spoonful of sugar and then add the tinned tomatoes. While this is cooking chop the courgette and asparagus into smallish pieces and then add to cooking pot. Mix everything in together and cook for about 20 mins until most of the water has reduced.
Cook the pasta and when the pasta is cooked, serve the sauce over the top.

For the first time ever I used gluten free pasta. To my surprise it tasted exactly the same. Only downside was it was white and I like to only eat brown if I can help it as brown has more nutrients.
Anyway, very easy to prepare, does not take long to cook and it tasted delicious.
Stuffed now but don't feel bloated (result of the gluten free?)

The quantity was plenty and would serve about 4, however, I am greedy and it will probably make me 2 meals haha. I know what's for dinner tomorrow anyway :)

Stuffed Mushrooms

Ok so I had some massive mushrooms in my veg box this week and I didn't really know what to do with them, so a friend gave me this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 red pepper
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts
1 1/2 cup spinach
3 or 4 big mushrooms

Using a blender (preferably the dry jug of a vitamix or equivalent) mix the nuts, spinach, onion, garlic and half the red pepper until smooth and creamy.
Take out the stalk of the mushrooms, brush the inside with balsamic vinegar and evenly spread the mixture into the mushrooms.
Garnish with the other half of the pepper and place on a baking tray in the oven on 220 degrees for about 15 minutes.

I ate them on their own and they were very tasty, but they would also make a good accompaniment to a salad or maybe some rice or cous cous.

Quick, simple and very healthy :)

Creamy Fresh Tomato Soup

Feeling a bit nippy today so decided to make soup for lunch as I had a bunch of fresh tomatoes to use up.

Looking online for a tomato soup recipe all I could find was ones using tinned tomatoes. So I decided to just make up my own.

Ingredients:
1 large onion
13 (or near to it) fresh tomatoes
1ltr boiled water
2 kallo organic vegetable stock cubes
Tsp garlic powder
Tsp dried basil
3 tbs nutritional yeast flakes

Chop the onion and place in the cooking pot with 1 or 2 cups of water and cook on full heat. While the onions are cooking, chop and de-seed the tomatoes. I used 13 as that is how many I had, but I would recommend using at least 10.
When all tomatoes have had the seeds removed, add to the onions. Add the garlic powder, dried basil and nutritional yeast flakes and stir together.
Using 2 vegetable stock cubes (i recommend kallo organic as they have less salt than other brands) add these to a 1ltr jug and fill with boiling water. When stock cubes dissolved, add to the cooking pot, stir and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to simmer for about 30 mins and then using a hand blender, blend until creamy and smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste if required but personally I don't think it needs it.
This soup is so much nicer than anything you get from a tin and its really creamy even though there is no cream. The nutritional yeast flakes give it the creamy texture.

This should make 5 or 6 portions, so share with friends or keep in fridge for quick easy lunch for a couple of days.

If you reheat, do so on the hob in a small saucepan, microwaves kill all the nutrients and take away the flavor.

Enjoy :)

Breakfast smoothie

When the sun is shining there is no better way to start the day than with an ice cold fruit smoothie.
Todays lovely creation was made with the following ingredients:
1 frozen banana
50g frozen cherries (or blueberries if you prefer)
1 pear (or apple)
Handful of ice
Half cup water
Squirt of agave syrup
Spoonful of oatbran

Blend until smooth and enjoy.

This one really tastes delicious, is fruity and refreshing and fills you up. The ingredients make 1 pint.

A nice healthy breakfast, quick and easy to make. If you are in a hurry, pour into a flask and take it with you :)

Sunday Treat

Went out to watch the football this afternoon, Swansea City v Fulham. Unfortunately Swansea lost 3-0 but it was a good afternoon out in the sunshine.
Stopped off in Starbucks and had a mango and passion fruit frappacino without the tea, as I do not drink anything with caffeine in (something I stopped drinking about 10 years ago as it makes me ill). Was lovely and refreshing in the sunshine before the match.

Got home from the match at 7pm, starving and was eating my dinner by 7.45, here is what I had;
Mushroom, spinach and hazlenut pie (made by fruits de la Terre)
Sweet potato mash with spring onion (mashed with a small dollop of dairy free spread)
Steamed veg - carrots, asparagus, corgette, cabbage
Fried mushrooms
Bisto gravy

Absolutely delicious meal, and feeling very stuffed after it. So quick and easy to prepare and cook, you can use a variety of different veg, I just used what I had in my fridge.

Check out Fruits De La Terre on Facebook. They make delicious vegan pies in all sorts of flavors, and also a variety of nut roasts and gluten free burgers.

I know I previously stated that I am eating a plant based diet and making all my own food myself and you might be thinking well pie doesn't seem too healthy, you'd be right. Well the pie isn't really unhealthy but the pastry, even tho vegan will still contain quite a lot of fat and calories. Sunday is my treat day where I enjoy a nice pie from fruits de la terre. Also having a Starbucks is a rare treat for me. I think 1 day a week is good to treat yourself, within reason :)

Strawberries for dessert later I think :)

Another easy vegan day :)

Smoothie Power

One thing I love is smoothies, as you will probably come to notice over time of me writing this blog.

Slept late today as a result of being out past my bedtime last night, missed breakfast which is something I never do so decided to have a smoothie breakfast lunch.

Ideally to make a good smoothie you need a good blender like a vita mix, although they are very pricey it is worth it. I have a Chef Tony blender which is almost identical to the vita mix just a little bit cheaper.

I make most smoothies up as I go along and hope for the best. Usually use spinach but I have run out so thought I'd tried something different today.

Here it is, my almond pear smoothie.
1 banana
2 pears
1 corgette
200ml almond milk
Spoon of chia seeds
2 handfuls of ice

Pop all ingredients in the blender until creamy smooth and enjoy :)
It should make a pint to a pint and a half, so plenty to share with your partner or drink it all yourself. Must be drunk straight away or ingredients separate.

Chia seeds are a good source of protein and give a little added nutrition to your smoothie. This ingredient is optional.
Also, use frozen fruit if you have it :)

Easy, quick and nutritious.

Out in Cardiff

Ok so last night I went out to Cardiff to see a band called Fight Like Apes. Before the gig we decided to go for food and as weatherspoons The Gatekeeper was opposite the venue we went there.
The menu was very limited, only about 4 veggie options and I fancied the superfoods pesto pasta. But as pesto is not vegan (i recently discovered it is made with cheese) I asked for the salad without pesto. However, this was not possible because the salad already had it mixed in, one of those places that doesn't really cook food, it arrives already made. Quite annoying. So I opted for the 5 bean chilli with jacket potato and salad. Was quite nice and cost less than a fiver :)

As a healthy vegan I do not drink alcohol. Actually, I stopped drink alcohol before I even became vegetarian as I was then being healthy and trying to look after my body and my health. A cold glass of water with lemon was my drink for the night while my friends drank cocktails. Needless to say, I was the designated driver :)

We went to the gig at Clwb Ifor Bach, the band were awesome, (check them out). I jumped around a lot so I got a bit of a workout for the night too haha.

So there we have it, a night out in cardiff and I survived being vegan with no problems at all :)

Getting started

Hi all

I decided to write this blog because everyone i meet says to me " you're vegan? But what do you eat?" and because i eat so much i can never think of a very good answer. So, to show the world what a vegan eats i am going to blog it all :)

If you are thinking of going vegetarian or vegan, or just fancy cutting out meat maybe once a week for Meatless Monday, then hopefully this blog will help you.

I have been vegan for a year now and when i first went vegan i found it quite difficult knowing what to eat, especially when out and about. A year later and its really easy, either i have got the hang of it or its becoming that much more popular there are more products out there (a bit of both i think).

I am trying to follow a plant based diet as i believe this is the healthiest way to eat, however, this is not always possible when i eat out and i do a lot of that because i am guilty of being lazy and not taking prepared food with me. So, when at home i eat plant based, when out, i eat whatever vegan food i can get my hands on :)

The trouble with plant based cook books and vegan cookbooks is that they are nearly always American and in America they have a lot of different foods to in the UK (or they call things by a different name), and they measure everything in cups as opposed to grams, making it difficult to follow. In this blog i will be using all products readily available in the UK and when posting recipes i will measure in grams to make life easier for you all.

Why did i go vegan? Good question. I went vegan because i wanted to be super healthy, slim and fit. I never ate much meat, the occasional chicken but mostly fish. I ate because i thought i had to for protein. When i learned that i could get sufficient protein from plant sources, without all the added fat and cholesterol that comes with meat, i stopped. Just like that, i stopped eating meat, chicken and fish. I didn't go vegan to start with, just vegetarian, but it only lasted 2 months before i had done enough research to realise i needed to ditch the dairy and eggs too.

Whilst researching the healthiest way to eat it led me on to information about animal cruelty, the environment and being ethical. So now, i don't just eat vegan for my health, i do it for the animals and the planet too.

For years, when i met a vegetarian i would always say to them, but why, you don't know what you're missing, you should eat meat. Now, i am on the receiving end of these comments and realise how annoying i must have been to all my vegetarian friends i tried to convince to eat meat. They should have been the ones trying to convince me to not eat meat. If i knew what i know now years ago, i would have been vegan for most of my life. But unfortunately, society and lack of knowledge pressures everyone into eating meat because that is the "norm".

If someone tells you to be vegan, you will probably think yeh right don't be so stupid. It is not until you do your own research, look at the health benefits, the harm meat production has on the environment and of course the cruelty to the animals, does one truly realise that it makes total sense and its the way forward.

So, get researching, it is amazing what we can learn from the internet :)

This is the first post in my blog, just a little introdcution if you like, so keep checking back to see what i have been eating and what else i have to say on being vegan.

Feel free to drop me a message if you want any advice.

Many thanks for reading :D