PeaSoupEats Has Moved!!!!!

Just in case there was any confusion, doubt, whatever, PeaSoupEats has now officially moved to a new domain – eek!

It’s taken a while to sort and was a tad more complicated than we expected with some pretty scary moments where we thought we hadn’t successfully transferred everything (can you imagine!) but we got there in the end.

There will still be a few hiccups no doubt (there’s a weird paragraph thing happening at present) but the worst is over – I hope. So, with that said let me guide you to my new home over at………. www.peasoupeats.com where I shall be continuing my blogging journey with more vegan recipes, fashion, cosmetics and general chit chat.

I don’t know about you but I am super excited to be embarking on the next stage of my travels where I hope to (not to sound too corny) take it to the next level. I’m planning on filming more vlogs for my peasoupeats youtube channel and I’m also seeking to expand the horizons of peasoupeats venturing into other areas such as style and the like.

Please join me in saying a fond farewell to this wonderful little bloggy blog (it has served me well and for that I am ever grateful) and a big hello to the new (but old and with all my recipes – don’t panic!) blog over at peasoupeats.com!

top photo: incredible tomatoes from my local farm shop

bottom photo: a little bit of wisdom with your tea? (yogi teas)

Want to know what I ate Wednesday? Well then, you’ll just have to mosey on over to peasoupeats.com to find out! ‘Cause that’s it folks. Last post on here. Ever. Got it? You need me, you know where to find me, right? Okay, I think I’ve hammered it home. Ah, what the heck, for prosperity: peasoupeats.com

I really am going now. Really. I’m off. Toodles. See you over at….oh, you get the message……..

Love you…….

……..peasoupeats.com 😉

I went out for tea and came back with…..

Many of you may know that I love clothes.

My passion for threads mainly comes in the form of vintage clothing that I mix with high street finds – seeing as I cannot afford to pay a premium for designer pieces.

In fact, the only true designer items I own are my Vivienne Westwood glasses (a Christmas present from Hubbie) and my Betsey Johnson sunnies, which I totally adore.

I generally try not to buy tat and everything I own I will wear at some point – meaning my closet is literally full to bursting (and it’s a walk in). Poor Hubbie has to make do with a teeny built in closet in the bedroom and a hanger rail over the door – I do feel kinda guilty about it. Not guilty enough to give him any more space though;)

Anyway, this minor obsession with all things pretty often sees me run amok in town when all I’ve gone in for is some teabags. I really did think I could get in and out with only the teabags. Silly me. Will I ever learn?

Like I said, my budget ain’t huge but that really doesn’t bother me. Obviously being vegan rules out a lot of clothing and shoes can be a huge stumbling block, what with the majority being made from leather or other animal products. Whilst I have bought vegan shoes from vegan outlets (like this one) sometimes the styles, price, fit just aren’t right. I’ve never been a massive internet shopper, as I prefer to try before I buy – more so shoes than anything else. This means I’m relegated to high street stores that sell shoes made from synthetic man made materials.

Peacocks is one such shop and whilst I do like many of their styles it does concern me a little that there is no information regarding the glues they use. It may or may not be animal based, there doesn’t seem to be a conclusive answer. Sooooo, there’s always a bit of a moral dilemma going on when I do buy shoes from such a place and even though I know the material is vegan, I can only hope the glue is also. Wishful thinking? Where do you stand on the shoe debate?

Also, with regards to the ethics of peacocks, here is a link to their website where they state they are ‘committed to ethical practices in all operations’. Whether you wish to believe that or not is entirely up to you but I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Like I said, I went out for tea and came back with…… two pairs of shoes (sandals and pumps, which I think are super cute and they are also mega comfy), a gorgeous vintage scarf (polyester) that I spied in a charity shop (Barnardos) and last but not least a gold (so not gold, lol!) leaf neck from M&Co.

I try my very best not to buy things needlessly but I’m no saint. I do support vegan businesses when possible but I also want to encourage the high street to move with the times and provide clothing, footwear and accessories that are not so reliant on animals.

It’s a complex issue with no quick or easy solution and we all have differing opinions on the matter. I know of vegans who are more than happy to purchase second hand leather goods and whilst I do have a few remaining leather items (incl. a vintage retro recliner) that I cannot afford to replace I couldn’t bring any more leather into my home. It just wouldn’t feel right. Same goes for silk, wool and the rest. I’d love to know how my fellow vegans handle this in their own lives – where do you draw the line?

Back to the issue at hand.

I’m a shopper.

Now that you know my dirty little secret are you willing to tell me yours? Leave your confession in the comments below. I can’t promise to absolve you but maybe we can just be bad together!

Green Bean Salad and ‘Inside my Vegan Cupboard’ Part 1

Y’know, it just occurred to me there are a few recipes which I have totally forgotten to direct you too. I’ve been trawling through my recipes for my cookbook and it suddenly dawned on me this lovely Green Bean Salad has not had a mention on my blog. So, here I am, rectifying that slight oversight now.

There’s not much to say about this salad other than it makes for a superb summer side dish. Thankfully the weather here is still firmly in the warm zone (it has its moments mind you but it’s definitely t-shirt appropriate) and therefore in our house (flat, apartment, whatever) salads are still firmly on the menu.

Working on this cookbook is overwhelming to be honest. My tactic is to methodically sort each section before moving onto the next. That means being somewhat ruthless with certain recipes and just because I don’t want to go over a hundred recipes some will not make the grade. Are there any recipes you think must be included?

I really admire anyone who has successfully compiled a cookbook before. It’s a mammoth task and quite gruelling but I think I’m up for the challenge and (I hasten to add) as yet, am thoroughly enjoying it – ask me again in a month and I might have a different answer!

Here’s the link to my Green Bean Salad with Lemon, Garlic & Chilli.

I’ve also added another vlog to my youtube channel – part 1 (out of 3 – yikes!) of the ‘Inside my Vegan Cupboard’ series. There are a quite a few absent items from the cupboard, namely brown rice, bulgar wheat, chickpeas and a few others, which are usually mainstays of mine. Those were replenished today after a trip to the farm shop where I also bought a punnet of outrageous local nectarines and another bottle of umeboshi plum vinegar – my stir fries just aren’t the same without it.

It’s been heavily edited and starts rather abruptly so ignore that – my poor Husband had to deal with endless amounts of footage so he took out a lot of the waffle and possibly a few ingredients just to cut the length to a reasonable size.

Despite these omissions I hope you like it and please feel free to leave a comment after the vid or subscribe or do both!

Enjoy!

What I Ate Wednesday

Guess what? I managed to grab a photo of my breakfast before I finished eating it today! Progress.

I had a reasonably food packed day by anyone’s standards. In fact, I’ve not stopped thinking about food since I awoke because I was raring to go on my recipe book, which I started work on in earnest last week. It’s been in the pipeline for a long while and since I feel I’ve compiled a reasonably extensive range of original recipes, I thought it about time to get to work on the damn thing.

That’s not why you’re here of course, so let me stop rambling and give you the lowdown on my Wednesday eats.

Breakfast was polenta – a refreshing change from my usual oats. I cooked it in water and coconut milk, sweetened it with a little maple syrup, a splash of vanilla extract and added some maca for extra nutritional value. I then topped it with chopped strawberries, kiwi, walnuts, a sprinkling of my omega seed mix, a teaspoon of flaxseed meal and the same amount of amaranth pops. Finally, I squeezed a small amount of sweet freedom (vegan sweetener) over the entire bowl just for good measure.

I think my usually dormant sweet tooth came out to play today because I had an uncontrollable urge to bake a cake. After much deliberation I decided on a coconut and lime loaf, which I popped in the oven just before lunch – not one of my greatest ideas.

My tummy was growling from the smell but I steadfastly resisted the urge to slice off a piece and instead made a red pepper hummus to go with my salad.

My chunky salad consisted of roughly chopped little gem lettuce, radish, cucumber, beetroot and half a grated carrot. I used the hummus as a sort of dressing and it worked pretty well. It was nice not to have my salad coated for once and everything retained a gorgeous crunch. For extra oomph I sprinkled over a teaspoon of shelled hemp seeds – my favourite!

I was feeling pretty darn virtuous after that and didn’t feel one bit guilty when Hubbie arrived home from work and we had a slice and a half (we shared a piece) of my freshly baked coconut lime loaf. The loaf was super moist but also nicely dense. Just the way I like it. I’ll be sure to pop the recipe up tomorrow:)

We had a cup of freshly brewed (black) tea, which we drank with a splash of unsweetened soy milk (organic, of course). I’ve decided that I like my tea best with soy milk and even though I try to limit my soy milk intake, I can’t get away from the fact that soy milk works most effectively in tea. I’ve trialled every plant milk under the sun for this very important task but so far none have made the grade.

I initially thought hemp milk might take the top spot but the aftertaste and residue meant it was relegated to cereal duty. Sorry hempy!

Don’t get me wrong, I love pretty much all plant milks – almond, oat, hemp, coconut, quinoa, you name it, we’ve tried it and probably liked it. But tea is crucial to our lifestyle (an Englishman and a Irish girl – go figures!) and it has to be right. So for now, the soy milk stays. In moderation. Only in tea.

Dinner was downright delicious, even if I do say so myself:

giant cous cous tossed with chopped beetroot, spring onion and parsley

sweet and sour cucumber salad

roasted figs

falafel

homemade red pepper hummus

Need I say more?

Toasted Tofu Burrito

Burritos are the business.

Toasted Burritos?

Even better!

I’ve been feeling uber lazy over the past week or so and as a result have been opting for the quickest and easiest meals both at lunch and dinner.

I don’t think I’ve lost my mojo or anything, I’m just taking it a little easier on the cooking front, which, for the moment, is suiting me just fine.

Now, when I say I’m aiming for simple, fast food that does not mean I want it to taste bland and boring. Oh no. This is an exercise in maximum taste, minimum effort and so far it’s been working out pretty well. A little too well.

This will come as no surprise to you but food is very important to me. Surprising, huh? I relish spending hours in the kitchen, playing with flavours, tastes and combinations and coming up with some not too bad dishes in the process.

I’ve been doing this for years and now I think I’m reaping the rewards of all that hard earned time and effort because whipping up tasty meals in minutes has, in many ways (I ain’t exactly cordon bleu standard), become second nature.

Now that I’m in the midst of a ‘would rather dedicate two hours to a film than food’ phase (it’ll pass, it always does!) this little skill is standing me in very good stead.

I’ve made a variation on this before (spiced tofu quesadillas) but I do believe the toasted burrito works better because it successfully holds all the filling in – much better. In fact, I may not go back to the quesadilla version. It happens.

I sometimes view food just like I would a favourite outfit. Occasionally it becomes a little stale but if you freshen it up with some new accessories, it’s almost like you invested in a whole new wardrobe. The same can be said for these toasted burritos.

I am totally smitten and I don’t see the love affair ending anytime soon!

Something tells me the cooking fast may be nearing it’s timely end though because I feel a chocolate cake coming on. Hello kitchen, I is back!

Ingredients

1 large wholewheat tortilla wrap

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach leaves

2 tbsp *simple guacamole

1 cup crumbled firm tofu

1/4 cup chopped mixed peppers (I used red and yellow)

1/4 cup finely diced onion

1 garlic clove minced

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 scant tsp chipotle powder

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 cup chopped parsley

few spinach leaves (optional)

salt and pepper

tabasco

cholula hot sauce

olive oil

Heat a little oil in a frying pan or skillet and add the onion and peppers. Season with salt and pepper and gently sweat until they begin to soften before adding the garlic. Let the garlic infuse for several minutes and the vegetables soften further. Then add the chipotle powder and smoked paprika.

Mix thoroughly and allow the spices to meld before adding the crumbled tofu. Sprinkle over the turmeric, season and carefully mix until all the tofu is covered and has a light yellow hue.

Fry until it is almost dry before stirring in a few spinach leaves. When the leaves have wilted add the chopped parsley and season once more.

Transfer the scramble to a bowl. Wash and dry the frying pan and return to the heat.

Lay the tortilla on a large chopping board. Spread the middle section of the tortilla with the guacamole and layer on the spinach followed by the tofu scramble (depending on the size of your tortilla you may not need all of it, so save some for later or make two!). Keep all the ingredients in the centre. Splash on some tabasco and cholulu sauce – amount is entirely up to you but I’m very liberal with my sauces.

Folding can be done two ways. My preferred method is to fold both sides in first, as if making a fajita. Holding the centre with my thumb I use my fingers to fold down the ends. Still holding it in that position, carefully turn it over and place onto the hot dry skillet. Allow it to toast for 4-5 minutes, then turn it over using some tongs (it’s easier) and toast it for a similar length of time on the other side.

Lift back onto the chopping using the tongs and cut diagonally using a sharp knife – I go from the middle and work my way out.

Eat!

*my simple guac is merely one avocado mashed with a little lime juice, finely chopped spring onion, finely chopped coriander and a little salt and pepper.

Strawberry Margarita

I love a good cocktail. We stock a pretty limited basic bar but the one thing I’ve discovered I cannot live without is tequila.

Tequila cocktails are my ultimate because if I decide to have a drink I want to taste the alcohol and there ain’t no masking the distinctive flavour of tequila. No siree!

I cannot abide those cocktails that are sickly sweet and almost akin to an alcopop – yuk! I like proper grown up drinks with bite and tang and no spirit does that better than tequila.

When I worked at the Roundhouse in Camden, my drink of choice was a tequila and lemonade and even now when I go out I order what I call ‘a poor man’s margarita’, which consists of a shot of tequila, a splash of lime cordial, a good spritz of soda water and a squeeze of fresh lime. Do I get strange looks when I order this in a pub frequented by seafaring folks? Hell yes. Do I care? Hell no.

The great thing about being older is that one cocktail will suffice. No longer only drinking for the effect, I savour every glorious mouthful. I rarely feel the need to make another, which means no hangover for me. Smug mode:)

Margaritas are definitely in my top five favourite cocktails but boy are they calorific. This offering is my attempt at a healthier version (can anything containing alcohol be deemed healthy? I doubt it) and I was seriously ecstatic with the results. Like jump up and down clean mad about it. The only thing I failed to do (doh!) was to salt the rim – grrrr. Nevermind, it was gorgeous none the less and such a pretty colour.

To accompany the cocktails I made some spiced tofu quesadillas – yeah baby! All in all I was very happy girl and Hubbie was pretty darn content too.

I know that some of you may be scarred by your teenage encounters with tequila (shot anyone?) but may I be so bold as to order you to put those experiences in the past where they belong and encourage you to forge forward into your adult tequila drinking (dare I say savouring) years with this little strawberry margarita. Aw go on! Go on go on go on go on………(any Father Ted fans out there?).

Ingredients makes 2 cocktails

5/6 strawberries washed and hulled

juice 1 lime

1/4 cup filtered water

1 tbsp vegan sweetener of your choosing – I used Sweet Freedom (rich)

good splash of grenadine

2 measures of tequila

1 measure cointreau or triple sec

ice cubes

little more lime for spritzing and decorating

Put the strawberries, lime juice, water, sweetener and grenadine into a hand blender and blitz until completely liquefied. You could also pass it through a strainer to collect the strawberry seeds – I didn’t bother. Place in fridge to chill for several hours (recommended but not essential).

Put several ice cubes into a cocktail shaker along with the tequila, cointreau and strawberry mixer. Give it a good shake until the outside of the shaker frosts up.

Rub the rim of the cocktail glass with a lime. Place decent quality salt (pink Himalayan would be awesome!)into a plate and twist the rim of the glass in the salt to coat.

Divide the margarita between two cocktail glasses and spritz in a little more lime.

Decorate with a small slice of lime and serve.

Vegan Skincare Vlog

Attention y’all, I’ve got a very important announcement to make. Drumroll…………I’m moving to my own domain! Wahoo, hooray, yippee!

We’ll be sorting everything out over the next few days and I’m anticipating teething problems – these things never go as smoothly as you’d like – so if you can’t find the blog at some point, don’t worry, it will be up and running soon. My new address will be http://www.peasoupeats.com but don’t try logging on yet, as there’s nothing to see at present.

I was so pleased at the response to my last vlog that I thought I’d give another one a go. This time a vegan skincare vlog, which might seem weird given this is a food blog but I hope it’s helpful nether the less. I do have a food cupboard vlog also but I haven’t had a chance to edit it yet and this one is super quick and required basically no editing, so I thought I’d pop it up in the meantime.

Even though I only recorded this the other day it’s already in need of updating, lol, because (and you’ll understand when you watch it) I found the most amazing toner in a local skincare store called PureNuffStuff. I can’t believe I never knew this place existed until recently. It is totally amazing and best of all most of their products are vegan friendly – everything except for their hair wax and lip balm, which both contain bees wax.

All the ingredients are completely natural and, of course, they don’t test their products on animals (they even have the BUAV ‘bunny and stars’ logo). I am so impressed by this brand so far and even though I’ve only used my white rose toner a couple of times I already love it. It’s so gentle and the delightful delicate scent is courtesy of essential oils rather than parfum or fragrance.

Even better, I also think I’ve solved another problem with regards to my plastic bottle usage (again, you’ll know what I mean when you watch the vlog) because they make what is known as a ‘hair and body bar’, which is a natural soap you can use to wash your hair as well as your body. I want to wait until I use up what is left of my shampoo but I’m really looking forward to trying it out!

As I briefly mentioned, my next vlog will be a follow on to the ‘Inside my Vegan Fridge’ episode(s) and not surprisingly will be called ‘Inside my Vegan Cupboard’ – I’m anything but original;) Then, I plan to shoot a cookery one. I’ve already got a few good ideas for some super short, easy recipe demonstrations that I hope will be if use.

Now then, onto the vlog……eek!

Pistachio, Pecan and Goji Berry Bites

These are my latest Marcus Samuelsson offering. I’ve made a thousand and one variations of these simple raw balls but I must say the top spot has now officially been taken by this pistachio, pecan and goji berry version – born out of a need to use up bits in my cupboard more than anything else.

Pistachio’s have always been my favourite nut. As a young teen I was obsessed with Paula Danziger’s The Pistachio Prescription but the problem was pistachios were few and far between in Northern Ireland in the early nineties. At least I rarely came across them and when I did they got snapped up in a heartbeat. Shelling those beautiful green nuts was a soothing practice and still is, especially when sitting beside an open fire in my Husbands Parents cute cottage in France. I digress.

I’m not exactly sure why I identified with Cassie because apart from having the same brown hair and brown eyes I had little to nothing in common with her. Dang it though, I did love that book and I must’ve taken it out of the school library at least a dozen times. Aside from anything else, it fuelled my passion for pistachios and for that I am ever grateful.

Paula died in 2004 following complications from a heart attack. I remember the book item she presented on Going Live (a Saturday Morning Kids show in the UK – no longer in existence) and she seemed liked quite a character. Such a shame she passed when she did but she left a wonderful legacy of kids and teen books that will be appreciated for generations to come I am sure.

These bites are my very own updated pistachio prescription. Full of goodness, fantastic tasting and best of all easy peasy lemon squeezy y’all!!

For your own pistachio prescription head on over to Marcus Samuelsson for the lowdown on ingredients and method.

 

What I Ate Wednesday

I was mega mad to miss last weeks What I Ate Wednesday, so I was determined to take part today.

Of course, I got off to a ridiculously bad start when I totally forgot to photograph my breakfast, which, as per usual came in the form of oatmeal. It was actually super delicious and creamy.

I like to make my oatmeal with water but today I added some sweetened soy milk towards the end then topped it with chopped banana, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, walnuts, hemp seeds, amaranth pops and a splash of maple syrup. Suffice to say, it was go-od.

Lunch was…….weird? I had hardly anything to work with in the cupboards and fridge so came up with a crazy caper, olive, hummus pasta dish that I mixed with hemp seeds (I love those things!) and sprinkled with a seed mix I bought yesterday. It’s called an omega sprinkle and contains pumpkin, sesame, sunflower, linseed and golden linseed – oh yeah! Needlessly I also threw in a rice cake with hummus and cucumber. I was stuffed.

As we were going out for a drink with an old friend of my Husbands we had the quickest dinner known to man – beans on bagel. I know my American chums think this is a very strange practice but all I can say is, don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. I would love to say they were Heinz Organic Baked Beans but I’m afraid our local Co-op isn’t that forward thinking. Yet.

It was so nice not to cook for once and my lovely Hubbie presented me with my marmite clad toasted bagel and beans dinner, which we ate far too quickly before rushing to the pub.

In the pub I had a Gin and Tonic. Delightful.

I snacked all day on my pistachio, pecan and goji berry bites, the recipe for which will be available for all to see on Marcus Samuelsson tomorrow. These bites were an absolute triumph and even though I’ve made a thousand (slight exaggeration) raw balls in my lifetime these have definitely taken the top spot. Totally yummy in every way.

Additionally, I had two cups of black tea with soya milk and one cup licorice tea plus a load of water.

And that’s it. Wednesday Eats. Done.

Inside my Vegan Fridge Vlog!

Gulp! So, I actually went and videoed myself, which was very nerve wracking but I think I relaxed into it and by the end I kinda got into a groove. I hope you agree? Please be gentle with me though, as this is all very new to me. I realised through making the vlog that I have a tendency to waffle, which is something I will certainly work on for the next time:)

Also, I shot way way way too much footage so am breaking it up into parts. I’ve just uploaded parts 1 and 2 of the ‘fridge section’ and maybe tomorrow I’ll do the cupboards. Cool?

Anyway, I was pleased enough with the outcome and Hubbie was kind enough to edit it a bit and add some title thingys – he was super busy as well so I really am grateful to him for helping me. Thanks Honey! I had to create a channel on YouTube in order to upload the videos and that was very exciting indeed. It also means I can vlog with ease.

I must say I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and have so many ideas for other vlogs. Of course, there’ll be recipe demonstrations but I also have other interests, so I may touch on vegan cosmetics and fashion. Again, is this something you’d be interesting in viewing? From my perspective every little bit helps when it comes to making Veganism easier and more accessible – right? Let me know what you think, I always appreciate your comments and feedback.

For now though, here is my debut vlog: ‘Inside my Vegan Fridge’. Enjoy!

p.s. can you tell I have no clue what I’m doing when it comes to making the videos visable on my blog – three links when one would probably suffice…..technophobe alert!