mango salsa recipe – post: ‘choose organic. change the world’

I feel a little bit like a duck on water at the moment – calm on the surface whilst furiously paddling away underneath. Don’t get me wrong, it is great (GREAT!) to be busy, although I can’t help but feel peasoupeats is suffering as a result. This new work juggling act (assistant one day, blogger the next, intern another) is all very new to me (i was an actor for pete’s sake) and I’m still finding my feet – and ways to keep some equilibrium. It’s not easy but it’s also kinda exhilarating because I reeeaaaalllly don’t do well not doing anything. I think the phrase I’m looking for here is ‘stir crazy’ – too much downtime sends me a little bonkers, as my poor Hubby and Family can testify.

Now though, I can finally reveal what I’ve been working on and whilst there are still some teething problems, I hope you agree (when you click on the link – CLICK ON THE LINK!) that it’s looking pretty impressive (toot toot!). A little something for everyone….. at least that is the aim.

I talked a bit about Sublime here but to break it down for you again, it’s a sustainable lifestyle magazine, available bi-monthly either via subscription or in selected shops. It’s international, so even if you live outside the UK you should still be able to get your hands on it.

I’m involved with the online side of things and have been working on posts and also finding appropriate contributors – in fact, if you are interested in contributing a little sumpin’ sumpin’ we’re on the lookout for like minded individuals who have a vested interest in all things sustainable. Shoot me an email (address in the about section) and we can talk it through.

chinti and parker heart striped tee – post: ‘the real price of cotton’

Unsurprisingly my interests lie between food and fashion although I am branching out and writing posts on other topics too. So far, I’m feeling challenged (always a good thing in my book), terrified (you put me in charge? say wha?!) and also somewhat fulfilled (my blog got me this gig – true story).

Please, please, please give me any feedback on what you think of the site (it’s the latest section only) – I really value your opinion, I have the best followers ever, so intelligent, savvy and stylish, I totally trust your opinion. We’re trying to appeal to a wide spectrum of people, which is tricky but maybe there’s something you’d like to see covered. If so, let me know and I shall endeavour to make it happen.

By the way, there is a totally awesome craft post coming your way very soon (via Sublime), which was kindly contributed by the super talented Cariad (she makes stuff, owns a shop in Wales, and is generally all kinds of awesome). Check out her website for an array of pretty gifts, stationary and more…ooh, and like her facebook page too!

Watch THIS space!

poola kataryna necklace – post: ‘ethical fashion with a POP!’

You’d think I’d be a Spitalfields regular by now seeing as I’ve been in London on and off for a decade and currently live about a 30minute journey away – for those outside of the Capital, this is considered relatively ‘near’. Truth be told though, I’ve only been to the place a handful of times and have never actually bought anything there. Shock, horror!

However, on my way to work the other day I was running early and decided to pay this famous Market a visit, not planning on spending a penny and ending up with two very sweet vintage dresses that are perfect for the summer.

In fact, I’ve been on the lookout for dresses like these for quite a long time but haven’t had much luck. I’ve tried etsy, ebay, searched many, many vintage stores/charity shops both here and in Cornwall all to no avail – it would seem vintage summer dresses of this sort are in shortage. So, as soon as I seen this adorable red one and its blue counterpart (I’m sure I’ll take a photo of myself in that one too at some point) I couldn’t resist and promptly made a double purchase.

I won’t deny going in for a bit of hard haggling, which meant I almost got two for the price of one but times are hard and money (my money) is tight. You gotta do whatcha gotta do, right? I’ll definitely be back to the guys stall (he was super nice too, facebook page here) at some point in the future anyway so he’s made a customer for life – he had way too many cute clothes for me not to return.

What I love most about these dresses are the sleeves. Whatever happened to sleeves? I think sleeves are the biggest downfall in current fashion. They’re just not given enough consideration, wouldn’t you agree? Nowadays, dresses, for the most part, aren’t made for real women with shape – I don’t have stick thin arms nor do I have tiny hips. Vintage dresses seem to accommodate my figure so much better than ‘modern’ dresses – unless you’re prepared to spend a small fortune at Anthropologie or some such place and whilst I’d love to have the funds to dress myself from these mid market establishments, that is currently not a reality.

Besides, what is more fun than finding a pre-loved garment and giving it a whole new lease of life. For me, that really is something money cannot buy.

One of my favourite things in the world to do is host dinner parties. Whilst I’m not exactly the ‘hostest with the mostest ‘ (although I do try) they used to be a regular occurrence (try once a week) particularly when we lived in Chicago – I miss my American chums – but have been a little scarce of late due to us settling back into London life. Still adjusting but we’re getting there.

Even in Cornwall we were marginally more sociable and enjoyed having friends and family over for drinks, nibbles and homecooked grub. I’m a self diagnosed feeder. You come to mine, be prepared to eat.

I don’t why then it’s taken us so long to have a guest over to our new London abode. It’s silly really. Of course, my parents came to stay over Christmas and I did plenty of cooking and feeding then but that doesn’t really count because well, they’re my folks, not guests. Not that I don’t treat them like guests but……ach, you know what I mean. Talking myself in circles again!

Anyway, we had a guest. I went with a (loosely) Mexican theme (it wasn’t ‘themed’ per se, just inspired by, if you get my drift…) and started with some guacamole and chips – blue corn, from a fancy grocery store in East London, called unsurprisingly The Grocery. Catchy!

I’d been marinading some potato wedges all day (cumin, cayenne, smoked paprika, chilli, salt and pepper and a little oil), which I roasted until golden – they would’ve been perfect had my guest showed up on time….

The wedges accompanied the main event, which was a large dish of enchilladas (spring greens and kidney beans – ooh, that rhymes!), which were pretty freakin’ spicy but also pretty freakin’ tasty. As this was our guests first vegan meal I kept the menu relatively safe and I think it paid off, having got a resounding thumbs up, which I believe was genuine. Or at least I hope so. If not, I know where they live…

A dinner party wouldn’t be a dinner party without afters and so I popped a little vegan cake in the oven. A coconut, lime flavoured number made with polenta and gr0und almonds – and some white flour but this could easily be subbed to make the cake entirely flourless. Let me know if you try this!

Our guest was surprised how moist it was, which never fails to surprise me – I mean their surprise surprises me, not that I was surprised the cake tasted good…. there I go again!

I’m not exactly sure where this notion all vegan baked goods are dry as cardboard has emanated from, do you? Maybe I haven’t had the misfortune yet to sample such underwhelming morsels but I can honestly, truthfully say I prefer vegan cakes, cookies, etc to their ‘normal’ counterparts. Besides, the good news is, apparently you wouldn’t know this cake is vegan until told so as per the words of our guest. He can come again.

Here’s how the recipe goes…..

ingredients

1/4 cup white flour (or any of your choosing)

1/4 cup fine polenta (cornmeal)

1/4 cup ground almonds

1/4 cup palm sugar

1/4 cup desiccated coconut

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp bicarbonate soda

zest of one lime

1 mashed banana

1/2 cup coconut milk (from a can) including some of the water

1 tbsp coconut oil

juice of one lime

pinch of salt

pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees celsius/350 fahrenheit.

place the flour, polenta, ground almonds, palm sugar, desiccated coconut, baking powder, bicarb, salt and zest in a bowl. Gently mix to incorporate.

Whisk the mashed banana, coconut milk, coconut oil and  lime juice together in a separate bowl.

Prepare a cake tin by either lining or greasing it.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the coconut, banana mixture. Using a spatula fold gently to incorporate fully and immediately transfer to the cake tin. Tap the tin on the surface a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Place in oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, turning after 20 minutes to ensure it bakes evenly. After the recommended time insert a skewer into the centre – when it comes out clean, it is ready.

Allow to cool fully before piercing the top all over with a cake skewer.

For the drizzle….

1 tbsp coconut oil

juice of one lime

2 heaped tbsps palm sugar or agave nectar

bring to a boil and then reduce to a rapid simmer allowing it to reduce for a few minutes until you achieve a syrup like consistency.

Gently pour over the syrup allowing it to seep into the holes – I also like to use a pastry brush to ensure even coverage. Do this in two steps until all the syrup is used.

Before the second drizzle, layer the cake with freshly sliced lime and use the pastry brush to coat them with the sugary syrup – this will make them almost like candied limes.

Sprinkle with desiccated coconut and serve. Would be excellent with some sweetened whipped coconut cream or do as we did and have a dollop of banana soya yoghurt on the side, yum!

Well it would seem that Spring has finally decided to return to us. Hurrah! I mean a bit of rain never hurt anyone and all that but I sure do love those sunny skies. I even dared to don a dress today when I made a visit to the magnificent Ms.Cupcake bakery in Brixton – more on that at a later date!

It’s on days like these that I need wholesome, simple, goodness. Not that I don’t love to linger in my kitchen because I think we all know very well I do. But there’s nothing more satisfying than whipping up something in a matter of minutes – seconds even.

In this instance that something happens to be a beetroot hummus. Of course, you can use shop bought beetroot (not the pickled kind!), however, I’d already roasted some a few days back, which obviously adds a few minutes onto the whole procedure but lets just gloss over that little detail for now shall we….ahem.

beetroot hummus

1/2 cup chickpeas

1/4 cup chopped beetroot

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

pinch cumin

pinch smoked paprika

seasalt and pepper

method

put everything in a blender and blitz until smooth!

Before you even say it, I totally realise this is a copycat post – I don’t know any blog that hasn’t done a ‘my week in instagram’ installment, so here’s my unnecessary offering.

I succumbed to instagram quite a while ago actually (if you follow me on twitter you’ll know this already – by the way, i’m @AineCarlin if you do wanna follow…) and have pretty much been hooked for several months now. How very predictable, right? Ach well, it is what it is.

I do love the way it can capture a moment so perfectly and I can’t deny it makes life look just that little bit more wonderful. Of course, most of my images are of food – again, yawn – but I can’t help it. Some things just need to be immortalised photographically and I sure as hell ain’t lugging about my Canon even if I do happen to own a very cute case for it.

What exactly did I instagram then? Starting at the top, it goes a little sumthin’ like this…..

1. the best soya latte (greenwich market) and vegan banana cupcake (ruby tuesdays) 2. vintage summer dresses from spitalfields market 3. dinner table all set for our guest 4. incredible sandwich from TROYganic with vegusto vegan cheese and salad. 5. me and the boy – at the behest  of his nibs, I’ve replaced this with a shot of the sugar free coconut lime polenta/almond cake I baked:) What can I say, he’s a shy one!

…..oh yeah, and if you seen the first time I posted the coconut cake photo, that wasn’t my instagram one. Duh! My brain is so not working tonight, I dunno….

We’ve all been there. Blankly looking at a full to bursting wardrobe with not a single clue what to to wear. Talk about first world problems.

Like most girls, the way I dress is totally dependent on my mood and my mood of late has been all over the place – hence my lack of inspiration in the outfit department. It hasn’t been helped by the unpredictable weather here in London at the moment, which is also seriously messing with my ability to dress myself.

Do I dress for rain? What if the sun decides to grace us with its presence? What if, what if, what if….

This brings me to another issue. Living in London means walking and I do A LOT of walking, therefore heels are out the window for the most part.

skirt-new look  jacket-h&m bag-primark  scarf-borrowed from my Mum  shoes-toms  tights-tabio  hair scarf-vintage  glasses-specsavers  red lippy-bodyshop

Back to the problem at hand.

What exactly do you wear when you don’t know what to wear?

Well, day one of the Bank Holiday Weekend, I went for sheer comfort in a maxi skirt and bundled myself up in a thick scarf, as we were going to watch a firework display and I didn’t want to feel the inevitable chill. I wasn’t in the mood (there’s that word again!) for bright colours so I kept to a more muted palette.

pleated skirt-charity shop  navy blouse-charity shop  stripey tank-primark  tights-tabio  pumps-coolway

And today I was not only uninspired but unfortunately feeling a bit worse for wear (I should NOT have ordered that second margarita….) and in definite need of cheering up, which came in the form of a stripey tank and lemon pumps – I just discovered the coolway shoe brand and am now completely obsessed. They have about a dozen pairs I need immediately in my life (somebody slap me please), especially their amazing selection of low heeled clogs and summer sandals.

Sitting here now I can sense tomorrow will be yet another ‘i don’t know what to wear’ day. Feeling a bit blah, a bit hmmph, a bit whatever – know what I mean?

If clothes are supposed to reflect your personality then what the heck does mine say? Split personality?

The one thing I know for sure is that a slick of red lippy makes a girl feel good (even when her mood is more ‘ugh’ than ‘ey’) and when you’ve got a day at a cobble stoned market planned, always wear flats. That’s the best piece of advice you’ll get from me today. Over and out.

I like cocktails. You probably know that already – strawberry margarita anyone?I’ve been using my giraffe cocktail sticks a lot lately – freebies from, not surprisingly, Giraffe. I like to keep plastic cutlery because I fear it will end up in a landfill when they are all perfectly reusable….

I acquired a jug that I happen to LOVE. Bonus that it cost me only 2 pounds in a charity shop and it fits right in with all my other kitchen acoutrements. Oh and we finally converted our Dualit toaster (we had to change the elements, yawn) so we can now have toast in two minutes flat. This is kind of (very) exciting…..

The NSPCC left a bag for us to fill with clothes and fill it I did. I donated numerous pieces I haven’t worn in ages and as it was for a good cause I didn’t hesitate for a second. It also made me realise I have an embarrassing amount of clothes I wear far too infrequently if indeed ever. This dress/top (I’m not brave enough to wear it as a dress) is one such garment, which my Mother bought me in St.Ives, Cornwall. I thought I’d don it for a recent trip to the supermarket and it definitely brightened up my day….

My herbs, spices and oil collection is reasonably big (I would love more oils but they’re so expensive!). Cooking is so much more fun when you have all these flavour combinations at your fingertips – cumin might be my favourite spice closely followed by smoked paprika….

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!

If you don’t dwell in the UK, you probably won’t know the weather of late here has sucked. Big time. I think it’s pretty much rained like a mofo the entire month of April until yesterday when we had a brief hiatus before the skies opened yet again and we endured a crazy thunder storm to boot.

Again, if you’re not living in this small(ish), usually grey (but not always!) Island you may or may not be aware that we are currently in the midst of a drought. During such times you are not permitted to use your hose pipe nor are you allowed to shower for more than 5 minutes at a time (I made that last bit up), so you would think a bit of the wet stuff might be welcome. And I guess it is. The farmers are jumping for joy no doubt whilst the rest of the country have taken to hiding in their living rooms waiting (praying) for spring to return.

Truth be told, I don’t mind it so much. I am the proud owner of a pair of wellies (rain boots to my American chums) and a red raincoat (which, according to my friend resembles licorice) so I’m prepared for any weather eventually.

Puddles?

No problem.

Hail?

Got ma hood, suckers!

Wind?

Plastic is my friend.

See? It’s not so bad when you’ve got the gear. So, next time I hear anyone moan about the rain – unless you’ve got the necessary (essential and ‘don’t you know where we live’?) equipment – I don’t want to know.

Have a think before you buy that new pretty chiffon top or you decide you definitely need a new pair of strappy sandals but still (how long have you lived here?) haven’t made the above purchases (I repeat – wellies and raincoat, wellies and raincoat). Should you fail to do so and end up sodden for the umpteenth time this year please don’t be upset when I give you zero sympathy. Mkay? Mkay.

Heads up on the wellie front – Seasalt do the best rain boots on the market, made from natural rubber with mega cute designs and so comfortable. Not a sweaty foot in sight.

I took these photos with the intention of tweeting them – not blogging them! I then had a thought that some of you might be possibly interested in the recipe, as it’s an everyday sort of dish, which is how and why this blog began.

You see, it’s been over two years since this site was born and along the way it’s changed direction somewhat (let’s call it progression) and I’ve almost forgotten what my initial desire was – to share simple recipes that I cook pretty much every single day.

Of course, in that time, I’ve taken up a plant based diet but really that has altered my cooking style very little. We still have the same meals (and some new ones too), albeit it veganized versions, and I still like to keep things simple. To me, that’s what home cooking is all about. Sure, I occasionally push the boat out but on a daily basis it’s those staple dishes I turn to.

So, before I got a chance to tweet this recipe, it suddenly dawned on me that it might be a good one for the blog. I hope you agree.

n.b. the grotty photos are merely a guide as to how it may look, I can assure you it tasted a heck of a lot better. In fact, it was delicious.

vegan cottage pie

1 pack cauldron tofu mince (you could use any brand or replace with lentils/beans)

1 small leek

1 celery stalk

1 parsnip

1 carrot

1 cup frozen garden peas

2 large minced garlic cloves

1 400g organic canned tomatoes

1 tbsp tomato puree (or if you’re desperate, ketchup)

1 tsp brown rice syrup or other sweetener

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tsp marmite

1 tbsp herbes de provence

1 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper

mashed potato

5 medium organic potatoes

1 tsp vegan margarine

1 heaped tsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp finely chopped dill

salt and pepper

pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees/ 350 fahrenheit.

heat the oil in a large skillet on a medium heat. finely slice the leek and chop the parsnip, carrot and celery into small pieces. add to pan and gently sautee until they begin to soften.

add the tofu, garlic, seasoning, add a tablespoon of the balsamic and cook for 10mins before adding the chopped tomatoes. season with salt and pepper, add the sweetener, balsamic (remaining tablespoon), puree, marmite, splash of water and simmer for 20minutes adding more water if it becomes too dry.

meanwhile, peel the potatoes and chop into small pieces, salt, cover with water and clamp on lid. bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes or until soft. drain and mash with the margarine, salt and pepper until creamy. using a spatula mix through the mustard and dill.

finally, add the frozen peas to the sauce and cook for a further 5 minutes. transfer the tofu/veg sauce to a casserole dish and cover with the mash ensuring the mixture is completely encased in potato – I like to use a fork for this.

bake for 25-30minutes, allow to cool for 5-10minutes (it will be piping hot!) before serving.