I almost didn’t post this but I needed to take my mind off some sad news I received today. Sometimes focusing on the small things in life can help you appreciate the bigger picture and this Sunday was an exercise in recognising how terribly fleeting our time here can be. With that in mind I might have clung a little tighter to my Husband, hugged my Sister a little closer and tried to be a little kinder to those around me.
These are just photos from our morning meal and I’m not even sure they’re blog worthy – other than to show you a glimpse into our weekend routine. I don’t always make a big hoohah at breakfast, so often rely on cereals and bread. Of course, I can’t resist multiple toppings and one of my frequent favourites is plain soya yoghurt, chopped dates, fresh fruits, nuts and date syrup.
I’m also obsessed with this rye bread, which toasts perfectly and is a staple in my cupboard. This morning I opted for cashew butter, chopped strawberries, desiccated coconut and date syrup. Not forgetting a good grating of nutmeg and generous sprinkling of cinnamon.
Not exactly a recipe, I know, but still delicious and really satisfying on a lazy Sunday morning. Right now I’m preparing myself to travel back to Ireland to be with my family during this difficult time, and tonight I will be savoring every single second with my beloved Hubby knowing that these small moments matter.
Anyone fancy a totally awesome, fail safe, fool proof, painfully easy recipe for vegan banana bread? Sure you do! I am here to dutifully deliver….
recipe based on my vegan chocolate banana bread
what you’ll need
2 cups plain white flour
1/2 cup organic sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 bicarbonate of soda
pinch of seasalt
3 ripe bananas
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup oat milk
1 tbsp water
1 tsp cider vinegar
1/4 cup agave
1/3 cup oil
method
Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees celsius/350 fahrenheit
Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and gently combine.
Mash the bananas to a pulp before adding the oat milk, cider vinegar, agave, water and oil. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Grease a loaf tin with vegan spread/margarine.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and into it pour the wet. Gently fold until everything is incorporated before stirring through the blueberries.
Transfer the batter to the loaf tin and bake for 20minutes before turning the tin. This will ensure the loaf will bake evenly and the top won’t be more raised at one end.
Bake for a further 20 minutes before inserting a skewer into the centre – if it comes out clean the loaf is done! If not, don’t panic, let it bake for a further 5-10minutes and test again.
Remove from oven and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove it from the tin.
Et voila! The perfect banana loaf….
Bread , Breakfast , Desserts/Sweets/Baking , dinner , Mexican , outfits , PeaSoupWears , personal , Starters/Sauces/Dips , Vegan , Vegan Fashion , vegan recipes , vintage
Food and Fashion Highlights 2012
Can you believe today is officially the last day of Christmas. We’ve eeked it out to the bitter end but will reluctantly be taking down the tree and decorations today. Whilst I’m sad to say goodbye to a wonderful holiday I am excited about what the future holds so it seems only too appropriate to look back on what has been another fun year in blogging terms, as well as a pretty eventful year professionally also – I’m one step closer to a full time job in fashion with my new placement at the Financial Times starting next week:)
On the personal front, it’s all about making our flat more ‘us’, saving money so that we might be able to put a deposit down on a property at some point soon and just generally relishing every minute with my Husband and Family because really, when it comes down to it, that’s what makes me happy. Forget burning ambitions and dreams of a successful career, Family and home life will always be my priority. That doesn’t mean I won’t be making music(getting back into my violin playings kids!), learning to dance(laban here I come….) and sharpening my acting skills(i’m thinking a masterclass in method?!) because that’s all happening too. But you can only do those things if you have your priorities straight and I think for once I can safely say I do.
Is it too early to start posting Halloween recipes yet? I like to get in early (or am I late, I can’t tell…) with these things. Mostly because ‘Holidays’ are my thing and Halloween is one of my favourites – Christmas clearly comes first but Halloween has always held a special place in my, ever so slightly dark, heart.
Yes, I am one of those ‘Horror’ loving geeks that leaps at the first chance to dress up like a ghoul, eat spooky inspired food (which generally means green food colouring a go go) and soaking up every bit of Halloweenie (I can’t believe I still haven’t seen Frankenweenie) spirit that is going.
So, in honour of this impending pagan festival I give you my three recipes that wouldn’t go amiss at any Halloween/Trick or Treatin’ event.
Just so you know, I have my costume under complete control. I’m actually quite smug about my idea – which will remain top secret until the night of. Even if I don’t have a party to attend – we thought we did but now we don’t…I am wearing this goddamn outfit and traipsing about the streets with my Husband. I might even knock on a few doors. Probably not a great idea in South East London but in this instance I’m willing to take the risk. BRING IT, HALLOWEEEEEEN!!!!
Wow, it’s been a loooooong time since I did one of these posts, i.e. a recipe post with about a gazillion accompanying photos….too many? Ah, who cares, I had fun and what’s a a gazillion photos between friends, eh!
I should say from the get go that I am not a baker. So NOT a baker, especially a bread maker – the kneading, the waiting, the hoping for it to rise….not my bag.
I like a no knead bread. A cheat, if you like. No yeast, no covering with tea towels, returning to the bowl, giving it another knead before returning it to the blah, blah, blah, like I said, so NOT my bag.
Maybe I’m a lazy baker. In fact, I know I am. But that’s fine. It means we’ve got bread on the table in 40minutes. Oh yeah, I ain’t kidding, forty goddamn minutes people! Now THAT is my kind of bread making. No fuss, no worrying, no painstaking waiting, crippling (okay, I exaggerate) kneading. Bish, bash, bosh, on the table, in my belly. Yeow!
ingredients….
2 cups white flour
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp good quality sea salt
1 tsp herbes de provence
2 large carrots grated
1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
2 tbsp mixed seeds
3/4 cup plant milk (i used 1/2 soya & 1/2 almond)
method….
pre-heat oven to 200 degrees celsius
mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. squeeze the carrots to remove any excess liquid, add to bowl and thoroughly combine. stir through the seeds and walnuts.
make a well in the centre and pour in the plant milk. mix together using a spatula ensuring not to overwork the mixture.
flour a clean surface and baking tray. turn the mixture out onto the floured surface and shape. transfer the dough to the baking tray, score the top with a sharp, floured knife. Sprinkle over a little more sea salt, herbs and seeds. lightly dust with some flour.
bake for 30 minutes or until it sounds hollow when you tap the bottom. allow to cool for a few minutes before slicing.
fabulous spread with hummus!
Bread , Desserts/Sweets/Baking , Vegan
Vegan Chocolate Banana Bread…..and a very important PicMonkey mention too!
Okay, so I’m not sure why I felt the need to prefix my recipe title with ‘vegan’ because that’s kind of a given, right? Although I think it may be useful for googling purposes and I thought it might be helpful to newbies to the site. Helpful?
Before I continue down the banana bread route though, let me just pause for a second to mention a very exciting discovery. PicMonkey is essentially the new Picnik – the same photo processing site I was bemoaning the demise of not so long ago. To say I was fuming would be an understatement. I’d already come very late to the picnik party, so when it was announced they’d be shutting the site down I felt like someone who’d been told to leave early without my slice of cake.
Out you go.
Door slammed behind me.
Sobbing in the hallway.
In that time I’ve tried to find a replacement site to run my photos through but none matched the ease of picnik – I tired of lightroom a long time ago and to be honest my little laptop doesn’t cope very well when I do use it. Poor little laptop.
You can imagine my delight then when I opened up picnik today to discover an announcement informing me of the launch of another, better photo processing site. I reserved judgement, of course, until I tried it myself but I was super impressed when I did. It is excellent. So, if you’re looking for a replacement for picnik, look no further, picmonkey is where it’s at yo!
Now. Bread. Banana bread. Chocolate banana bread. VEGAN chocolate banana bread. Sweet mama this is a good one. Spread with smooth peanut butter? Oh lordy, I may just pass out and start frothing at the mouth. THAT GOOD!
vegan chocolate banana bread
2 cups plain white flour
1 cup unrefined dark molasses sugar
1 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 bicarbonate of soda
pinch of seasalt
3 small very ripe bananas
3/4 cup oat milk
1/4 cup soya yoghurt
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup sunflower oil
handful of large chocolate chips
Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees celsius/350 fahrenheit
Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and gently combine.
Mash the bananas and add the oat milk, soya yoghurt, balsamic vinegar and sunflower. Whisk until thoroughly combined.
Grease a loaf tin with vegan spread/margarine.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the wet. Gently fold until everything is incorporated before gently stirring through the chocolate chips. Don’t overwork the mixture – you have been warned!
Transfer the batter to the loaf tin – it should be quite thick – and bake for 20minutes before turning the tin. This will ensure the loaf will bake evenly and the top won’t be more raised at one end – a little tip I picked up from Sweetapolita.
Bake for a further 20 minutes before inserting a caker tester into the centre – if it comes out clean the loaf is done! If not, don’t panic, let it bake for a further 5-10minutes and test again.
Remove from oven and allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before attempting to remove it from the tin. Let it cool completely before slicing and spreading with smooth peanut butter (obviously that last bit is optional but highly recommended).
Seeing as it’s St.Patrick’s Day and I happen to be back in the Motherland I thought it appropriate to offer up some Irish grub – vegan style.
I made this bread last year for the occasion and it was a great success so here it is making another appearance again this year.
Having attended a 60th Birthday Party last night I have already been treated to Irish Dancers and plenty of ‘ceol agus craic’, which has made this trip feel very Irish indeed. Goodness knows what the day itself will bring, as we hope to venture into town to watch the St.Patrick’s Day parade and join in the fun.
Of course, nothing beats Chicago on St.Paddy’s Day – those Americans know how to throw a party and the atmosphere in Chi-town is second to none. However, I do have one tiny bugbear I must correct, which is that it isn’t and has never been called St.Patty’s Day, it’s always and will forever be St.Paddy’s Days.
If you want to know why this is the case then this website explains it all: paddynotpatty.com
That title is surely stuff dreams are made of and yet I am even hesitant to post this two parter recipe for several reasons.
Remember when I said I was trying to chillax when it came to my blogging? Not putting myself under too much strain? Pffftt, who am I kidding! I’m fairly certain all my fellow perfectionists out there would agree that is easier said than done. Would I be right? Nod in agreement.
So, the lighting in my new flat is essentially pants. Couple that with having to shoot all my photies at night and you get a batch of pretty dreadful shots of food looking either anaemic or at the very least underwhelming – there’s only so much my limited photography skills and fancy dslr can do!
Nether the less, I shall upload this anyway because, quite frankly, it’s a little winner. The cornbread – which I am still perfecting – was a peculiarly massive hit, particularly with the Hubster and the chilli was made even more delectable with the addition of dark chocolate. Of no great surprise to many of you I am sure, chocolate and cocoa are magnificent additions to any great Chilli.
I hope then that you will forgive the below par photos and instead merely enjoy the food. After all, that’s what really matters.
Black Bean Chilli
1 onion, diced
2 peppers (1 red, 1 yellow), roughly chopped
400g or approx 2 cups chopped canned tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
400g/approx 2 cups cooked black beans
3 minced garlic cloves
1 red chilli, de-seeded, sliced and chopped finely
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
splash of vegan worcester sauce
few drops of tabasco
4-6 small squares of best dark chocolate
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper
oil
heat a little oil in a heavy based saucepan. add the onion, season and allow to sweat for several minutes before adding cumin and then the peppers. clamp on lid.soften the onion and pepper for a few more minutes before adding the garlic and chilli.
stir in the tomato puree until everything is coated before adding the tomatoes. add a pinch of sugar and the remainder of the spices, worcester and tabasco sauces, season, stir to incorporate and simmer for around 20mins.
tumble in the beans, season, taste for spice and add a little more chilli powder is necessary. simmer for a further 15-20mins and then just before serving stir through the chocolate. the sauce will turn thick and glossy. close lid and allow everything to amalgamate before serving.
serve with freshly chopped cilantro (coriander), sliced avocado and cholula hot sauce. tortilla chips go well with this dish, as well as…..
Vegan Cornbread Loaf
1 cup finely ground polenta (this is crucial – it must be fine ground)
1 cup plain all purpose organic white flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup sweetcorn puree
1/2 cup sweetcorn kernels (canned or frozen but obvs. thawed)
3 tomatoes, de-seeded and chopped
1 cup soya milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup, agave or sweet freedom
1/4 cup canola( rapeseed) oil or oil of your choice
pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius/390 degrees fahrenheit. grease a loaf tin with vegan margarine spread – or coconut oil?
mix the polenta and flour and stir through the baking powder, bicarb, salt and pepper.
in a separate bowl whisk together the sweetcorn puree (basically sweetcorn kernels whizzed in a blender with a little soya cream), soya milk, water, oil and sweet freedom (or whichever sweetener you favour).
make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet. using a spatula gradually incorporate ensuring not to overwork the mixture. gently stir through the sweetcorn kernels, chopped tomatoes and a good grinding of black pepper. immediately pour into the prepared tin. sprinkle over a little sea salt and fresh grind of black pepper. bake in oven for 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
cool for 20 mins before removing from the tin and allow to cool completely before slicing.
enjoy x
Bread , Breakfast , Desserts/Sweets/Baking , Pasta/Rice/Noodles , Salad , Vegan , Vegetable side dish
Me on Marcus plus 8 vegan recipes you may or may not know!
If you’re not already privy to my Marcus Samuelsson contributions, let me fill you in. Since May of last year Marcus has kindly featured two weekly PeaSoupEats recipes (one savoury, one sweet) on his rather fantastic website, which has many amazing cooking tips, dishes, as well as a boat load of info on food and health. My kind of site.
Gluten and Soy Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
Thus far I have resolved to not make any resolutions and instead appreciate what the past year has brought and what 2012 has yet to bring. I’m continually amazed at how unpredictable life can be and I can safely say that my Husband and I are now officially go with the flow people – plans are for suckers.
Super Duper Green Kale Smoothie
Okay, so we still make plans but are more prepared for those plans not to work out. You learn such things after moving your entire lives across the Atlantic only to have to return a mere two years later. These things happen. You deal with it and move on.
If you had told me even a few months ago I would be sitting in my new London apartment about to embark on a fashion internship with the Daily Express I would’ve thought you were mad or at the very least delusional. And yet….here I am. In London. And I start my placement next Monday. Crazy.
Pistachio, Pecan and Goji Berry Bites
Throughout everything that’s happened in 2011 – moving (again!), changing career – the two continuous things that have kept me grounded, happy, sane are my Husband (of course!) and my blog. Obviously, Ma, Pa and Sister get a mention too;)
Humdinger Hummus, Carrot, Cucumber, Avocado and Alfalfa Sprout Sandwich
In all seriousness though, this little blog has kept me going on many an occasion when I was feeling useless and gave me a much needed outlet. More significantly, I believe it has enabled me to flex those rusty writing muscles thus giving me the confidence to enter the world of fashion journalism and for that I am ever grateful.
Peanut Butter, Banana and Chocolate Baked Oatmeal
It goes without saying (although I will say it) that I am so incredibly thankful to everyone who reads my blog. Without an audience this blogging lark would be a lot more difficult and I appreciate every view as if it were gold dust. Quite honestly, you are the reason I continue to write here, so to each and every one of you, thank you, thank you, a thousand times, thank you x
I started with noodles and therefore I will end with noodles – spotting a theme anyone? I think I can safely say noodles, chocolate and kale are my top 3 foods. Not a bad top 3 if you ask me!
Miso and Mung Bean Noodle Soup
Did I really put cold gravy on my Christmas leftover sandwich?
You bet your cotton headed ninny muggins ass I did!
For me, this is the only way to eat those Christmas dinner remains although even I forgot one crucial ingredient that would’ve taken this sandwich from great to, well, even greater.
I could’ve kicked myself when I remembered the Swedish mustard I’d especially purchased for such an eventuality after I had consumed the entire thing – gah!
Sweeter than American mustard and not so ‘blow yer head off’ as English, Swedish mustard is, in my humble opinion, the best example of a condiment there is.
Luckily this sandwich was all sorts of awesomeness, it actually didn’t matter I had forgotten to smear it generously on my tofurkey slice. I have no doubt we’ll be indulging in another Christmas style dinner on New Years Day, as is tradition, so I have a chance to rectify my minor oversight then.
In the meantime, I insist you put those leftovers to good use and make an ultimate sandwich of your very own. Suffice to say, after eating one of these monsters you’ll not be wanting dinner although there’s always room for random forkfuls of cold green bean casserole in my world.
Christmas rocks!
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