Archives for category: Restuarant

A long entry – burgers, banana bread, flapjacks and a restaurant!

November 10, 2013 //

Ok – get yourself a cup of something, put up your feet and relax…and then read this loooooong blog entry!

I find frozen veggie burgers handy to have in but I have been looking for a good, trustworthy bean burger recipe to have also…and I think this is it. It is adapted from the chickpea cutlet recipe in The Veganomicon.

Bean burgers

1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup mixed beans
3 tbsps olive oil
1 cup wheat gluten
1 cup wholemeal bread crumbs
1/2 cup veg stock
3 tbsps tamari soy sauce
3 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 tsp miso
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp smoked pimenton
1/2 tsp yeast extract
Salt and pepper

Mash the chickpeas, beans and oils with a fork until all the peas/beans are mashed but a few remain as lumps.
Add everything else and mix well.
Knead for 3 minutes.
Using a spoon or your hands form into about 14 burgers
Fry in some olive oil – about 8 minutes each side.

Sorry – no pictures!! They were delicious and my son has DEMANDED I make them again.

Now, we don’t often have over ripe bananas in the house but when we do, we used to make a banana bread (recipe from Nigella Lawson) and I have wanted to try to veganise it for a while – this is the result and it worked awesomely well….you wouldn’t know it was any different from the original.

Banana bread

100 grams sultanas
75 ml dark rum (or Bourbon)
175 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
125 grams vegan marg (melted)
150 grams caster sugar
1/2 cup plain soy yogurt mixed with 2 tbsps cornflour (this replaces the eggs)
4 small very ripe bananas (mashed)
60 grams chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Put the sultanas and rum in a saucepan and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat, cover and leave for an hour or longer.
Preheat the oven to 170ºC/gas mark 3 and get started on the rest.
Put the flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt in a medium-sized bowl and combine well.
In a large bowl, mix the melted marg and sugar and beat until blended. Beat in the yogurt/cornflour mix, then the mashed bananas.
Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, sultanas and vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture, and stir well.
Scrape into a loaf tin (2lb) and bake in the middle of the oven for 1-1¼ hours.
When it’s ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish.
Leave in the tin on a rack to cool.

And if you still have some bananas needing used up – this recipe is adapted from River Cottage.

Banana fridge flapjacks

100g pitted dates
100g dried prunes
2 ripe or slightly over-ripe medium bananas, peeled
150g syrup – golden and maple worked well, or you could use agave
2 tablespoons coconut oil
325g medium porridge oats
100g raisins
100g unsulphured ready-to-eat dried apricots, finely chopped
100g mixed seeds – sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, hemp

Line a shallow baking tray, about 20 x 30cm, with baking parchment.
Put the dates, prunes, bananas, syrup and coconut oil in a food processor and blitz to a thick, fruit-flecked purée.
In a large bowl, combine the oats, raisins, chopped apricots and seeds.
Stir in the puréed fruit and mix well
Tip the fruity oat mixture into the prepared tin and gently press it out, getting it as even and level as you can.
Put the tray in the fridge for 2–3 hours to allow the flapjack to set, then turn out on to a board and slice into bars.
Keep in a plastic container in the fridge and eat within a week.

These bars are gorgeous and feel oh so virtuous too! My wife says they are good for the colon!

And finally – a restaurant. We got a babysitter last night and headed into Edinburgh to Yeni, http://www.yenirestaurant.com/ a Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Meze restaurant. I had heard good things about it and the selection available for vegans and it did not disappoint.

The deal is you choose 3 – 4 items each and they come as and when they are ready. There was a good selection of items marked as suitable for vegans and I was spoilt for choice. The updated wine list will also highlight wines that are suitable for vegan also.

I had spinach filo rolls, baked aubergine (which was amazing!) spicy potatoes with a tomato sauce and baba ganoush; we had olives and flatbreads to share also.

AND they had some vegan dessert options – I went for the Turkish delight which went well with a coffee.

All in all, a really good meal and I heartily recommend a visit. We will be going back with the kids very soon.

Tags Banana bread, Banana fridge flapjack, Bean burgers, Meze restaurant

Categories Cake, Dinner, Pudding, Restuarant, Uncategorized

Lunch at a new Indian Restaurant

November 7, 2013 //

I heard via Facebook that a new Indian restaurant has opened up in my student stomping ground of Newington in Edinburgh and that they do great vegan food. So I felt duty bound to explore and suss them out!

Bindi (in what used to be Anna Purna) is on St Patrick;s Square and is a Gujarati Indian restaurant – totally vegetarian and there is a huge amount of choice for vegans, either meals that are already vegan or that can be adapted. I was really impressed and will certainly head there again with my family.

I opted for the Thali main which is a dish of many parts – a Daal soup, 2 curries (mine were cauliflower and an aubergine and spinach) roti flatbreads and basmati rice. All of these were delightful – the rice was probably the fluffiest I have ever had and the roti were really good.

Whilst waiting I was given a plate of puri (a fried flat bread) and chutneys which were really tasty. The coriander one was really fresh and zingy and was accompanied by a sweet tamarind chutney and a firey lime pickle.

Price wise the food is really good value – the Thali costs £5!

I definitely recommend a visit.

Find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BindiEdinburgh?ref=ts&fref=ts

Tags Bindi, curry, Indian

Categories Curry, Lentils, Lunch, Restuarant

Vegan boys hit York (again!)

October 13, 2013 //

So yesterday I met one of my best mates in the beautyfull city of York. We walked, we talked, we (tried to) set the world to rights and we ate!

York is home to the wonderful Goji cafe and Martin and I had lunch there.

http://www.gojicafe.co.uk/

For mains: Martin had the stir fried rice with smoked tofu and I had the Indian platter.

and to follow I had the Lava Java coffee cake and Martin (who doesn’t really like desserts!!) had the chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream.

We returned later in the day to get takeaway – Martin bought some cake (allegedly for his wife!) and I got a smoked tofu and veg wrap and a piece of quiche (yes, vegan quiche!) for the train home.

Utterly delicious food and a fab day!

Who says vegans don’t get to eat great food! If you’re ever in York do pop into Goji – you will not be disappointed.

And then, to cap off a great day, on my way home I discovered that Hobnobs nobby flapjacks are suitable for vegans…cue happy dance!!

Tags cake, Flapjack, Indian, lunch, York

Categories Cake, Lunch, Restuarant, Tofu, York

Veggie burgers, pasta sauce and scones.

April 12, 2013 //

Last week the family and I were back in my homeland of Wales and a regular haunt of ours is the fabulous Great Oak Cafe in LLanidloes. It is a vegetarian cafe and does a good variety of vegan nosh. I have always loved their veggie burgers and was delighted to discover they are vegan. They come with some salads and I was especially pleased that the coleslaw and Waldorf salad come with egg free mayo. Happy Andrew.

You will by now, of course know of my penchant for chocolate and cake so when I discovered they had a vegan chocolate cake on the menu….well it would be rude not to! Even happier Andrew.

Should you ever visit the treasure that is Mid Wales do make sure you pop in to the Great Oak.

Tonight called for a simple and quick supper – pasta was the order of the day and I was delighted recently to discover that Sacla’s Italian tomato and olive stir through sauce is vegan.

I have always loved a good fruit scone and saw a recipe that I just had to try out. With a low expectation for success (given that I have struggled with nonvegan scones in the past!) I gave these a go and was blown away by how awesome they are. They need to be a little sweeter in my opinion, but they are light and airy and delicious, especially warm from the oven with a good raspberry jam!

Makes 6 – 8 large scones

125ml soy milk
1 tsp cider vinegar
320g plain white flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
pinch of salt
5 tsps sugar
65 g vegan margarine

Add the vinegar to the soy milk and leave for a few minutes to thicken slightly
Mix the flour, raising agents and salt in large mixing bowl and mix with a whisk (I do this rather than sift) to incorporate lots of air
Add sugar
Rub marg into the flour mix until it looks like breadcrumbs
Mix gently again with a whisk
Make a well in the middle of the mixture
Add most of the milk and gently stir the flour in with a fork. Only add the rest of the milk if the resulting dough looks a bit dry
Handling as little as possible pat the dough into a ball
Turn out onto a well floured surface and flatten the dough gently to 1 inch thickness
Cut out 6 scones with a large, sharp cookie cutter
Pat the scraps together to make another scone
Place on a greased and floured baking tray
Brush the scones with soy milk

****Update – I forgot to mention that as I like fruit scones I added a handful of raisins just after mixing in the liquid!

Bake in the top of an oven at Gas mark 7 (220C) for 10 – 15 minutes until golden.

Tips for well risen scones:

Get air into the mix – sift a few times or mix with a whisk
Mix the liquid in slowly with a fork
Handle the dough as little as possible – don’t roll it with a rolling pin but gentle press it down
Use a sharp cookie cutter and try to minimise dough scraps as reshaping these will result in scones that do not rise as well

Tags Chocolate cake, Pasta sauce, Scones, Veggie burger

Categories Cake, Dinner, Lunch, Restuarant, Scones

Simple supper – Roast veg tart.

March 22, 2013 //

Tonight I fancied some carbohydrate based comfort food but not anything too stodgy, something quick and easy yet tasty too!
The result – a yummy Roasted vegetable tart served with potato wedges. Just what the doctor ordered for a cold Friday evening.

Roast a load of veg of choice in some olive oil, salt and pepper. I used an onion, half a butternut squash, a courgette, half an aubergine and a red pepper. I roasted for about 40 minutes at Gas mark 7

Roll out I block of puff pastry (Jus Rol is vegan) to cover a baking sheet. Score a rectangle 5 cm in from the edge
Bake at Gas 8 for 10 – 15 minutes until lightly golden
Squash back the inner rectangle (so you make a large vol au vent case!) and spread something like pesto onto this. I used a jar of Sacla sun dried tomato and garlic pasta sauce.
Spoon and spread out the roasted veg onto the tart base and bake again for another 10 minutes watching that the pastry edges don’t burn!

Last week I visited Henderson’s at St Johns http://www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk/st-johns.php with Lucy for lunch. I had a delicious Smoked tofu and white bean stew which I am going to have a go at making this week.

Tags Roast veg tart, Smoked tofu and white bean stew

Categories Dinner, Lunch, Restuarant

Vegan boys hit York and Nutty Treacle Tart

February 17, 2013 //

Yesterday I had an awesome day. I caught a 7.30am train to York to meet a Facebook friend I have never met in real life before but have grown very close to over the last year. Martin and his wife Debbie travelled up from Solihull and we met up in York train station. Debbie spent most of the day in and out of shops whilst Martin and I talked, set the world to rights, drank coffee, talked, did a bit of sight seeing (York Minster is wonderful) and talked some more.

It also gave us the opportunity to sample some of the vegan delights of this wonderful city. We met up with Debbie at El Piano – a wonderful Tapas bar which just happens to be vegan and it was great. http://www.el-piano.com/ A really vibrant and colourful restaurant situated only minutes from the Minster. I had one of their “Platos principales” where you choose 3 main dishes and it comes with rice also. I opted for the chilli sin carne, dhal and veg pie with gravy. All were thoroughly delicious (although, for my taste the chilli could have been hotter) It was really nice to go to a restaurant and not have to enquire what on the menu was SFV (suitable for vegans!)

After this we were stuffed so decided to not have a dessert but their sweet offerings looked marvellous. So after our visit to the Minster we went to Goji cafe http://www.gojicafe.co.uk/ again only a stone’s throw from the Minster. Here I sampled their very fine chocolate and vegan ice cream – utterly scrummy.

What a great day was had!

Today I made the first sweet treat from my new cookbook “Divine Vegan Desserts” – Nutty Treacle Tart (originally Walnut Treacle Tart – but I only had mixed nuts so I amended the recipe accordingly. I also substituted oats and plain flour for oat flour and agave syrup for rice syrup)

Pastry
100g plain white flour
20g rolled oats
140g wholemeal flour
pinch of salt
130g non dairy spread (I use Pure Sunflower)
2 – 4 tablespoons cold water

Filling
50g non dairy spread
1 tbsp molasses
125ml maple syrup
125ml golden syrup
60ml agave syrup
grated zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
100g chopped nuts
1 apple (skin on) grated
150g wholemeal bread crumbs

Preheat oven to Gas 4

In a food processor combine the flours, salt, oats and spread until it looks like breadcrumbs. Then add 2 tbsps cold water and whizz again until it forms a ball of pastry – you may need more water.
Wrap in cling film and place in fridge for 1/2 and hour
The pastry will not roll out so slice it up and place on the bottom of a quiche dish or loose bottomed pie dish (9″ diam) and push together using the back of a spoon. Use more slices of the pastry to line the walls of the tin and press with a spoon again. Trim any rough edges.
Bake in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes until it looses the “raw” look but is not browned. I didn’t use any baking beans for this but you could if you wanted.

Melt the syrups and spread together over a gentle heat.
Mix the other ingredients together then combine with the melted syrups.
Pour into the pastry case and press down gently.
Bake for a further 20 – 25 minutes – cover with foil if the pastry edges look to be browning too much.

Serve warm with with soy cream or vegan ice cream

Tags lunch, Treacle tart, York

Categories Cake, Chocolate, Lunch, Restuarant, Treacle tart, York

Lunch out and Beetroot seed cake

February 2, 2013 //

On Thursday I was in Edinburgh picking up some supplies from the fabulous Real Foods http://www.realfoods.co.uk/ and I popped into the equally fabulous Henderson’s http://www.hendersonsofedinburgh.co.uk/ for lunch. 🙂

The main course was nut burger with large spicy potato wedges and a chilli mayo and to follow I had their scrumptious cherry pie with soya cream.

If you’re ever in Edinburgh a visit to Henderson’s is definitely to be recommended!

As it’s the weekend I decided to do some baking today. At a meeting of our local Transition group this week a friend had made a Beetroot seed cake from Nigel Slater’s “Tender” vol 1 which she had “veganised” which I absolutely adored so I had a go at that myself.
Now, some folk are a bit put off by “beetroot” and “cake” in the same sentence but let me assure it is awesome – think carrot cake but, well, with beetroot!
The recipe uses eggs which I replaced with soya yogurt (1/4 cup = 1 egg) and 1 tbsp cornflour per egg

SR Flour 225g
Bicarbonate of soda- 1/2 tsp
Baking powder – 1 tsp
Ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
Sunflower oil – 180ml
Light muscovado sugar – 225g
3/4 cup plain soya yogurt and 3 tbsp cornflour
Raw beetroot – 150g
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Sultanas – 75g
Mixed seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, linseed) – 75g

For the icing

Icing sugar – 8 tbsp
Lemon juice
Poppy seeds

Set oven to gas 4/180C
Grease and line the base of a 2lb loaf tin
Sift all dry ingredients into a bowl
Beat sugar and oil until well creamed then add the yogurt and cornflour
Grate the beetroot coarsely and fold into the oil/sugar
Add lemon juice, sultanas and seeds
Fold in the flour mixture

Pour into loaf tin and bake for 30 minutes
Cover with foil and bake for a further 20 – 25 minutes

When done (a skewer should come out clean) leave in tin for 20 minutes then turn out onto wire cooling rack

Mix icing sugar with enough lemon juice to make a thick but runny icing and pour over the cake allowing to run down the sides if you wish
Sprinkle with poppy seeds

Tags Beetroot seed cake, Henderson's

Categories Cake, Lunch, Restuarant

Birthday dinner, baking and port.

December 15, 2012 //

Last night, Lucy and I went out for my birthday dinner to David Bann’s restaurant which is a lovely vegetarian restaurant in Edinburgh’s Old Town. All food is vegetarian with a few vegan options and some dishes that can be made vegan to order.

http://www.davidbann.com/

We had a brilliant evening and beautiful food.
To start I had home smoked tofu, pan fried and served with a mango chutney.

Main course was Aubergine, chick pea and cashew koftas. (Spicy koftas of roasted aubergine, chick pea and toasted cashews in a spicy aromatic coconut, courgette and tomato sauce. Served with coriander rice, pineapple chutney)

And to finish I had Orange jelly on lemon cake with coconut rum sorbet. (Orange segment jelly sitting on lemon cake and topped with homemade coconut sorbet. Served with lemon dressing and Amaretto soaked figs)

A thoroughly good evening and I highly recommend a visit to this restaurant!

Today I did some baking – a Lemon drizzle cake for my birthday:

230g self raising flour, white
2 tsp baking powder
160g caster sugar
6 tbsp sunflower oil
230ml water
1 tsp vanilla extract
Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180o/Gas 4. Grease a 2lb loaf tin. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl; add the sugar, zest and vanilla and mix. Mix the oil and water together and add slowly. Mix to a batter like consistency. Pour the mixture into the prepared tins for about 30 minutes until springy to the touch.

For the drizzle:

85g caster sugar
juice of 1 and 1/2 large lemons

While the cake is cooling in its tin, mix together the lemon juice and sugar to make the drizzle. Prick the warm cake all over with a skewer or fork, then pour over the drizzle -the juice will sink in and the sugar will form a lovely, crisp topping. Leave in the tin until completely cool, then remove and serve.

Recipe from www.ourlizzy.com

I also made a batch of mince pies – I admit to cheating today due to time and I used Jus rol shortcrust pastry which is vegan.