What I ate today for vegans 3!!

[Kobanidaughters]

New thread for all the deliciousness!

Too many posts to catch up with in my lunch hour. Will be back with more later...

Yesterday was
B: porridge with raspberries, seeds and golden syrup
L: mango, Dahl, piece of naan bread
S: dates, cherry tomatoes
D: savoury pancake with creamy garlic and mushroom filling (cooked by DD17, 2 small ones, only complaint was that there wasn't enough!)

The recipe DD used for the pancakes was this one. She said she followed the recipe religiously and they were lush. I think she made 4 smallish crepes from this amount but it would be easy to multiply

www.vegansociety.com/resources/recipes/budget/savoury-pancakes-garlicky-mushrooms

Those pancakes look really good.

@Coconut80 the flaxseed is mainly because I read it's a good source of omega 3, and although I'm not super hung up on nutrition, what I do know is that getting enough omega 3s (along with vitamins B12 and D) is one of the things you have to watch out for with a vegan diet. I'm quite slapdash though. Apparently algae is actually the best source because of the forms of omega 3 it contains so I've got some capsules which, again, I take when I remember!

Pancakes sound great. Today I ate...
B: Porridge with banana and raspberries.
L: Homemade carrot and coriander soup with rice and butter beans. Apple and dates.
S: Watermelon
D: Cauliflower and chickpea curry (one from Dr Greger's book) with rice. Raspberry sorbet.

B: Overnight Oats
L: ‘fish’ goujon wrap with salad and harissa
D: sweet potato tagine

Exited today as receive email to say our local vegetarian/vegan restaurant is reopening for takeout. It will be so hard booking a slot though, I have tried many times but never managed it and have never even managed to reserve a table (pre-covid)

Excited

B: usual coffee and date smoothie
L: mango, Indian spiced tomato and lentil soup, marmite sandwich
S: Apple, satsuma, small handful of cashews
D: roasted cauliflower with chickpeas, lemon and tahini from green roasting tin and a piece of naan. Am annoyed that it felt a lot of salt but I followed the recipe and it was too salty. I liked it though and will adjust next time

@KobaniDaughters what sort of size roasting tin do you use? I find a 2 portion recipe from the book is one of my roasting trays and a 4 portion one needs 2 trays. Mine are quite shallow too
@AlmightyBob what's the diagnosis for your fridge freezer? That sounds like a complete bugger...
@ppeatfruit thank you for the flowers! Don't forget that I'm only a part time domestic goddess though 
@Kintsugi16 fingers crossed you get a slot! And what have you experimented using the date molasses in/on? I have some pomegranate molasses, I wonder if that could be used for similar things...

I have a fresh grapefruit in my fruit and veg box this week. Haven't had one for yonks. I know I could just eat it as it is, but anyone got any ideas for something using grapefruit?

@PartTimeDomesticGoddess

So far only in oats and to make a dressing with tahini but I have a few other recipes I want to try so I will report back.

I have also found my green roasting tin book recipes to be a bit ‘off’ which is possibly why I’ve turned to others.

I only use grapefruit in gin 😂

I eat grapefruit as is with a sprinkle of sugar but have seen it used quite a lot in summer salads - maybe with baby spinach and baby kale and pecans? Something like that?

I’ve been using various sized casserole dishes, I only have them or baking trays - what actually even IS a baking tin?! Although frankly I’ll take excuse for a new oven, ours is gas and finicky so I want to change for electric now that we have solar panels and it can be powered by the sun instead

Am back onto 5:2 for a bit while I’m working a lot and not moving much!

L: broccoli and spinach soup
D: African Peanut Stew from Oh She Glows )solid family favourite)

Well done. I would be so hungry on 5:2 KobaniDaughters but I’ve definitely cut down this week. I’m wondering if the fact you use a casserole dish affects the Green Roasting tin recipes. Perhaps they don’t get as hot. A roasting tin is deeper than a tray I believe

Also @KobaniDaughters
Your username. Is the book worth a read?

Coconut Linseeds\flaxseeds are fantastic for a lot of things, they're a great jelly and egg substitute. They give my smoothies a lovely rich, jellylike texture. As well as being for omega 3.

Though everyone, especially those on mainstream diets don't have enough omega 3. Too much omega 6 ,though we need both. Liz Earle's book on essential oils is useful.

B.2 Pears, end of smoothie.
L. I pumpernickel, 2 spelt toast and pnut butter, large mixed salad
with HM mustard olive oil, dried basil dresssing.
Sn. 3 pieces of almond vegan chox. S. Bowl of HM carrot and celeriac curry with tofu yoghurt and quinoa/rice crackers

@PartTimeDomesticGoddess the fridge freezer is officially gubbed. It would cost more than a new one to fix, basically, so a shiny new one is coming today which I'm unreasonably excited about. We've had this one for years, all the freezer drawers are held together with masking tape. Thanks for thinking of us in our hour of need!

Not masking tape. Gaffer tape. Masking tape would be terrible on freezer drawers.

@AlmightyBob that’s so frustrating about the freezer!!

@Kintsugi16 I love that you’ve come across the book - I directed the audio version. Yes, do read it, there’s a fair amount of background to read through but the stories of the women themselves are incredible

Ok so someone show me what I need to cook my roasting tin recipes in! I have a wider shallow casserole dish, maybe that will work better?!

I like 5:2, only have to think about things on 2 days and at the moment I’ve so much work on I can’t stand grazing at the fridge anyway. Had great success on it to lose the baby weight so I go back to it from time to time when I’ve over indulged for a while

Hello everyone, I forgot to update, our valentines meal was absolutely delicious, so much of it. The starter was like a lunch,we were stuffed but carried on until the end like the troupers that we are.

We are having a Come Dine With Me week this week in our house and 2 of us have had our turn:

Yesterday I did a wagamama style Asian mishmash with fake pulled pork bao buns (Linda Macartney cheat)and rice paper summer rolls, tofu and mushroom ramen and then strange little Thai ice cream balls with a skin round them, weird gelatinous dumplings and fortune cookies. I went to the Korean supermarket for some of my bits and picked up a kilo block of tofu which will keep me proteined up for a while.

Tonight DS did Carrot and Coriander soup (never my first choice but delicious) fake steak (real for DS), skin on Fries, roasted cherry tomatoes and mushrooms, vegan Ben and Jerry's and fat coke.

DH is tomorrow and DD is Saturday. I have no idea what DH is making but hope it's healthy after today. I know DD is doing a raw blueberry cheese cake with cashew and dates l, but not sure about her starter and main.

So glad your Valentine’s Meal was so good @DialsMavis and I love that your whole family is doing Come Dine With Me! Can’t wait until my lot can do the same

Today was:
B: overnight oats in cashew yoghurt with raspberries
L: jackfruit tamale
S: handful of cashews
D: shepherds pie, salad and a couple of dates

What a week @DialsMavis - that's an excellent idea! I'm intrigued by the ice cream balls.

A shallow casserole sounds the thing @KobaniDaughters. I don't know how to describe a roasting tin really - it is basically a baking tray but with higher sides that often have a slight curve to them. Metal probably conducts the heat better than a casserole does so you'll want a higher heat in your gas oven too maybe.

Yesterday was mainly spent opening and shutting the doors of the new fridge freezer and exclaiming over its sleekness. It has two controls - one for the fridge, one for the freezer, probably quite standard these days but revalatory to us. Now we can have the fridge as cold as we want it without having to wait half an hour for ice cream to be ready to scoop.

Food:
B: sourdough (because no milk for muesli) with hummus and tomatoes
L: some surprise home made gyoza I found at the back of the freezer with a bit of soy sauce on
D: daughter made spaghetti bolognese and garlic bread. Her best yet. She's started adding her own little twists to the method, and cleans up after herself as she goes, which was as welcome as the food.

I’m smiling at your new fridge freezer excitement AlmightyBob 😂
We would be exactly the same.

I love the Come Dine with Me idea and DCs cooking. Mine all cook (they’re older though) but I seem to be doing the bulk of it at the moment. It’s a bit of an escape for me though at the moment with various crap going on in my life. I listen to my audio book and try new recipes etc.

Oh that sounds wonderful Almighty DM has one of the old fashioned fridge freezers with a single temp. control, so annoying, esp having to defrost the WHOLE of it when only the little freezer section needs it. I know it's a pathetic Western World problem

Wow your DD sounds like an angel!! Our own dds don't do that (both adults with their own households) I suppose they regress when they stay with 'mum and dad' Though they cook very well, they do need to be asked to wash up!!! . BUT our new fabulous DIL is from a different culture and she is unbelievably good in our house. ds cooks and clears but he's allergic to our cats so we can't expect him to stay indoors for long!!!

B. HM prune,linseeds,apricot juice\filtered water, apple smoothie
L. leftover pancake mushroom\onion filling with salad.
Sn. nooch spelt baguette sandwich, carried on snacking with chicory drinks and poppy seed crackers.

sad About the crap in your life Kintsugi

Lots to catch up on this morning!
@Kintsugi16  for you for dealing with life-crap. Cooking feeds my soul as well as my body, without a doubt.
I'm a huge fan of the green roasting tin to be honest, and that's the first one that I've had that issue with. I've given it as a present a couple of times (with a nice enamel roasting tin). I do think it wouldn't be a good idea for anyone wanting to avoid/reduce oil though! Do you think that's what you weren't keen on?
@AlmightyBob I too would be hugely excited about a new fridge freezer! And what a bonus finding homemade gyoza. They are one of my favourite foods. I keep intending to have a go at making some. I'm worried they might be a bit faffy though. Also keep intending to have a go at making my own pasta...
@KobaniDaughters that's really interesting about the book. I haven't heard of it but it sounds really interesting. There are 2 episodes on Spotify, is that all of them or is there somewhere else I should look? I'm always looking for something to listen to, either when cooking or walking.
I agree about trying your wider shallower casserole dish. I do have a big Pyrex oval roaster but always use metal ones. I bought 3 new ones last year, 1 is a bit smaller than the other 2. Similar dimensions to this one but quite a lot cheaper (all were less than £10 in supermarkets) www.falconenamelware.com/collections/all/products/serving-tray?variant=31950769102
Great idea about the grapefruit salad too 
@DialsMavis love the come dine with me idea. Our teenage DDs cook for themselves happily and have both cooked dinners this week (but very normal dinners!) rather than fancy. They can be great at clearing up afterwards too, but it's hit and miss (especially with the older one!!)

Yesterday was
B: porridge with raspberries, seeds and golden syrup
L: celeriac risotto, cherry tomatoes
D: no bull pasty, mash, carrots, broccoli, peas, green beans and gravy
S: apple, 2 dates

Oh. And I've found that 5:2 works well for me (on and off) over the last few years too. I had always thought I couldn't and then I did a low calorie week with a friend and that made me realise I could. Aside from a good way (for me) of sorting it out when my jeans get too tight, I think it's good for me in other ways too. I was always 'blood sugar sensitive' if you know what I mean and intermittent fasting almost stopped that completely. I also think it gives my digestive system a bit of a rest (although I can't go a whole day without food!) I'll be doing it again soon for at least a few weeks, but I'm not ready yet.

@PartTimeDomesticGoddess yes I also use 5:2 as a digestive reset and holiday as well, I have such a tendency towards binging that it helps with that.

I’ll go and buy myself a metal or enamel tin and see if that makes a difference - I love the book and the flavours it’s just usually a bit watery for me

Making pasta is mega easy!! My DH is a bit of a geek over it as he Mills his own flour too - so when we make bread we use freshly killed flour, same for pasta and empanadas and gyoza. It’s so full of healthy stuff that I feel better about eating tons of it - also incredible filling so I could only manage 3 pancakes on pancake day and I am a glutton!

I had no idea the book was on spotify!! That’s the one I directed. Gayle was great and super interesting, I recommend it (and am here to recommend audiobooks aplenty if anyone wants them - especially from specific narrators!)

Cooking is my happy place too, I love a meal plan, I love to potter around the kitchen experimenting with recipes, I love that I can open a cupboard and produce a meal pretty easily, and I love it when a recipe really works and everyone enjoys it. I so badly miss hosting dinners for big groups of friends!!