Bharwaan Baingan: Vegan stuffed baby aubergine curry

I picked up some baby aubergines (eggplants if your not a Brit) they were a total bargain of a quid for 8! I remember seeing on a menu in an Indian restaurant once stuffed aubergines and investigated further and found this dish of Bharwaan Baingan which is a North Indian tangy curry.I adapted the recipe slightly and added some dessicated coconut to the stuffing mix and some soya yoghurt to the curry sauce for extra richness but apart from that it's pretty authentic. I promise you even though it's not the most beautiful thing you will ever see the taste is phenomenal with a combination of sweet coconut, deep spiciness and tangy yoghurt.

You will need:

• 6-8 small Eggplants
• 1 Large Onion chopped roughly
• 3 cloves of garlic chopped
• 1 green chilli chopped
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1 tsp dry mango powder or amchoor
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1 tsp corriander
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp dessicated coconut
• 2 tbsp soya yoghurt

•  Wash and cut the aubergine in a cross, while keeping them together at the stalk (ideally you want your aubergines to be plumper than mine as they hold together better but this is all the market had)
• Put all other ingredients except cumin seeds and oil, in a blender and make a smooth paste, add a little water if necessary.
• 
• Fill the split eggplants with half of the paste.
• Heat olive oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and toast.
• Add you aubergines and cook with the lid on turning to make sure all sides cook evenly.
• Once all sides are cooked, stir yoghurt into the remaining paste and add to aubergines and simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes.
• Serve with a little soya yoghurt and some warm chapatis.

Happy 1st Veganiversary to me!

So guys, you have journeyed with me on my tofu clad road of veganism for a whole year! To be honest I knew I could do it i'm a Capricorn so can be a very stubborn goat at times. But it's not only stubborness that has helped me stick to being vegan it's throwing myself into vegan cooking and really enjoying explaoring new techniques and ingredients and learning alot about food production ethics along the way. Here's to this time next year! 

My first vegan Christmas

I thought I would find my first vegan Christmas difficult with the lures of cheese boards, brandy butter and my Nana's famous sherry trifle - but with a little planning and perseverance it turned out to be easier than I thought!

Firstly, I made myself a standby Christmas cake loaded with rich dried fruits and brandy to treat myself to when everyone else was chowing down on flaming Christmas pudding with lashings of cream.

My vegan Christmas Cake

You will need;
340g plain flour
170g soft brown sugar
200g currants
200g raisins
60g chopped glace cherries
30g chopped mixed peel
280ml dairy free milk (I used almond)
70g dairy free spread (I used Pure sunflower spread)
grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tsp bicarbonate soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp mixed spice
pinch of salt
A few glugs of brandy

• Sift flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and mixed spice in to a large mixing bowl, then rub in the dairy free spread.
• Stir in the sugar, currants, sultanas, raisins, peel and cherries. Add the lemon rind and give it a good stir. 
• Add all but 2tbsp of the soya milk and stir lightly. Heat the remaining soya milk in the microwave for about a minute and a half microwave so its the temperatur of a warm bath. Pour on to the bicarb and then stir it thoroughly into the mixture lightly.
• Put into a lined 73/4 inch diameter tin, smooth and slightly hollow out centre.
• Bake at about gas mark 4 for an hour, then turn down to gas mark 3 for a further 30 minutes. Until when you push a skewer into the centre of the cake it comes out clean. 
• Let the cake cool and then skewer the cake all over and carefully spoon the brandy over the surface of the cake, depending on how boozy you want it repeat this over the next week or so every other day. 
• To store wrap the cake in baking paper and store in an airtight container. 
• Finally to serve, cut a large slice of the cake I like to warm mine slightly in the microwave for a couple of minutes and then pour over some dairy free cream (I love Aplro single cream) and some icing sugar. Nom! 

My vegan Christmas dinner

My actual Christmas day dinner was a bit of a cheat as I have almost zero cooking time as we have dinner at my Nana's house and while she is finishing off the veggies and potatoes I have to cook my whole meal.

So I had prepared and cooked my nut roast beforehand - I don't normally eat nut roasts like most carnivores don't normally eat turkey any other time that at Christmas. I use the Granose mix and add some little extras to make it a bit more special I had lots of chopped nuts to give it texture and some soaked porcini mushrooms for meatiness and then I made a simple redcurrant currant sauce by reducing redcurrants, water and sugar over a low heat to serve over it. I then roasted my parsnips in agave nectar and nutmeg which went crunchy and gooey at the same time. Mmmm!

I hope you all had a great veganoid Christmas and I wish you a very peaceful new year!

Vegan mexican marrow tostadas

This is a recreation of a dish I recently had in Wahaca in Islington of crispy toasted mini tortillas topped with a spicy and fresh tomato salsa a generous squeeze of lime juice and a first for me cactus! They were so delicious I wanted to create something at home that was just as tasty but easier to make (these would also make incredibly good vegan canapes)...

You will need;
Tortillas (as many as you want to gobble)
Marrow, chopped into small cubes
1 tomato, diced
3 spring onions, finely slices
1 can refried beans
3 cloves garlic
1/2 green chilli

To garnish;
Juice of a lime
Your favourite chilli sauce (mine it smoked chipotle)

• If you want to make mini tostadas take a small cutter and cut out circles from the tortillas, if you want to make a larger version and have one per person then miss this step out.
• Lay your tortillas onto a baking tray and brush with a little olive oil and salt on each side, place a rack on top of them to stop them curling up and bake in a low temperature oven (100 C) for about 10 minutes until crisp then allow to cool. 
• Meanwhile fry your marrow in the chilli and garlic until golden and soft and heat your refried beans in a pan. 
• Finally assemble your tostadas by spreading a teaspoon of refried beans followed by a teaspoon of marrow then top with tomatoes and spring onions a splash of chilli sauce and a squeeze of lime. Munch!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy roast gnocchi

This is by no means the most complicated recipe I could post it is however incredibly, easy, tasty and quick. This is something I make almost every week and its' a really good addition to your 'bung in the oven' vegan recipe book. Depending on how much time you have on your hands you can make your gnocchi from scratch or buy a pack ready made from the supermarket they're normally about 80p and totally veganoid. I've chosen to use butternut squash here as it is in season at the moment and incredibly cheap at about a £1 for a huge one but you could make this with cauliflower, carrots, beets or parsnips.

You will need:
2 cups gnocchi
1/2 butternut squash peeled
2 bunches of basil (yes i'm still trying to use it up)
4 cloves of garlic
1 lemon
olive oil

• Mix the juice of one lemon with 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper and the garlic chopped and stir. Chop your butternut squash roughly the same size as your gnocchi and add to the lemon and oil mixture place in a roasting pan and bake in the oven for about 20 minutes turning once finally finish with an extra squeeze of lemon, sprinkle of salt and some freshly chopped basil.

Vegan Orange & Strawberry Pancakes

 This is my go-to vegan pancake recipe you can make all sorts of additions and changes to flavour yours in whichever way you want sometimes I pop 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder to them to make them chocolate pancakes other times I cinnamon and have them with baked apples but here is a variation I really love of zesty orange and sweet strawberry. I'd love to know how you guys have your pancakes!

1 cup flour
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup almond milk (use any non-dairy milk you prefer)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1/2 orange juiced
strawberries, chopped to top
2 tbsp canola oil

• Easy as pie just stir your dry ingredients together and then whisk in the wet ingredients until a smooth batter is formed, then fry until golden brown on both sides. (Tip: you know when the side cooking is ready to be flipped as small bubbles will start to form on top)

30 Minute Vegan Pizza

Vegan pizza has got to be the ultimate healthy vegan 'junk' food. I like my bases super crispy and because I am a garlic fiend I use about 4 cloves of garlic per pizza (feel free to not use quite as much as I do) and I still haven't found a vegan cheese in the UK that I actually enjoy eating so my pizzas never have vegan cheese on which definitely allows you to drizzle that extra glug of extra virgin olive oil on them.

Here is my speedy vegan pizza base recipe so that you can have a pizza from scratch in under 30 minutes.

375g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
7g dried active yeast
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
225ml warm water

• Combine the dry ingredients into a bowl, make a well in the centre and add the oil and water and mix with hands until a dough comes together, pat into a tin and top with whatever you like! 
• Bake in a 200C oven for 15 mins until cooked

Topping suggestions: 

• mushrooms and thyme
• pesto and asparagus
• courgette, mint and hummus
• chillies and garlic
• aubergine with minted soy yoghurt

Summer vegetable minestrone soup

As much as I love fresh veg everyone gets to that stage in the month before payday where all you have left is some squishy tomatoes and a zucchini stuck to the back of your fridge, this is a perfect leftover veggie soup pretty much any veg can go in this. I pep my minestrone up with a quick homemade pesto as I always have a pot of basil going crazy in my garden.

What I used for the soup:
2 red onions, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
6 carrots, peeled and chopped into cubes
2 zucchinis/courgettes, chopped into cubes
4 ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 cup of peas
Half a cabbage
3 cups of pasta (I used baby macaroni)
1L veggie stock

For the pesto:
1 big bunch of basil
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove grated garlic
Half a cup of olive oil

• Lightly fry off the onions and garlic until soft then add the carrots and zucchinis and fry until starting to soften. 
• Add the cabbage and tomatoes and stir then add the stock and peas and bring to the boil then add your pasta and season, simmer for appropriately 15 mins until pasta is al dente.
• Meanwhile in a pestal and mortar mash up the basil, lemon juice and garlic and slowly add the oil until a pesto paste comes together. 
• Once pasta is cooked serve your soup with a dollop of pesto on the top and a chunk of crusty bread.

Vegan peanut butter and chocolate squares

 

Everyone loves a little vegan junk food now and again and generally anything that involves a whole jar of peanut butter will satisfy my cravings! Plus these are gluten free, cooking free and so simple.

You will need; 

200g dark chocolate (generally one large bar) 

150g soya butter (I used Pure Sunflower soya butter) 

250g digestive biscuits (most own brand supermarket digestives are vegan, Waitrose have the Vegan mark)

200g soft light brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

300g crunchy peanut butter (feel free to replace your fave nut butter)

• Chop the chocolate and melt in a bowl over a pan of simmering water and melt the butter in a separate pan.
• Meanwhile whizz up in a food processor the biscuits and sugar, then add to melted butter and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract
• Line a square tin with baking paper and spread the biscuit mix in to an even layer and then spread the chocolate on top and refrigerate for about 2 hours until set and slice into small squares with a hot knife.

And here's what Gregg Wallace and John Torode from Masterchef UK thought of them...

My Top 3 hot vegan breakfasts

Don't get me wrong I love my bran flakes and fruit, cashew butter on toast and porridge however there is nothing more enjoyable than a proper cooked breakfast on a lazy Sunday morning, as a vegan it's not quite as easy as chucking some eggs and bacon in a pan. However I have come up with three dishes that I think are quick, easy and really hit the spot if you've had a bit of a heavy night.

Boxty meaning 'poor-house bread' is a traditional Irish potato cake and everyone has their own way of making it, sometimes its even in loaf-form. I like to make mine like little hash browns, that way they get super crispy and have them with some spring onions (scallions) and plum tomatoes. 

1 large potato
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups soy milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
Olive oil 

Boil half of the potatoes until soft, and mash. Grate the remaining raw potatoes, and set aside in a colander to drain. Add the vinegar to the soy milk, let sit for a few minutes until thickened, and stir together the mashed potatoes, grated potatoes, flour, baking powder and salt.  Slowly stir in the soymilk and vinegar to form the consistency of a pancake batter. Cook on medium to low heat for about 4 mins on each side until crispy.

I absolutely love tofu omelettes there are so many different fillings that you can choose and different ways of spicing the omelette mix that almost every time I make them they turn out differently. The omlette in the picture is one of my favourite cobinations of garlicky omelette filled with spinach and mushrooms sauteed in a little nutmeg.

3 cloves garlic
1 packet silken tofu, lightly drained 
3 tbsp nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chickpea (gram) flour
1 tbsp cornstarch

Add the tofu, garlic, nutritional yeast, olive oil, turmeric and salt to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the chickpea flour and cornstarch and whizz until combined. Lightly grease a pan and ad a cup of the batter use the back of the spatula to spread the batter into a thin even layer and cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes then very carefully lossen the mix from the bottom of the pan and flip, cook on other side for another 4 minutes and fill with whatever you fancy!

Officially my favourite breakfast ever is curried tofu scramble with and on pretty much anything. I love the way its crisps up but stays soft inside... This is a really simple version but I do like to spruse it up ocassionally by adding some coriander and spinach.

2 cloves of garlic
1 Tbsp medium curry powder
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 block of drained firm tofu
Handful of halved button mushrooms

Crush the garlic cloves and add them to a little oil in a pan, then add curry powder and stir to form a paste then add the soy sauce, finally crumble in big chunks the tofu and mushrooms into the pan and stir lightly while cooking for 8 mins until crispy.

Basil & Olive Aussie Damper Bread

I'm definitely no known for my patience and this is probably one of the main reasons I don't bake bread very often. I know this is the beauty of the beast but it's something I will avoid if at all possible. So last week I was watching Lorraine Pascale's 'Fast, Fresh and Easy' cooking show and she made an Aussie Damper bread which had no rising time at all!

I made a few adjustements to my bread just so that it suited my taste more as I don't have rosemary in my garden but I do have a rather out of hand basil plant at the moment.

As Damper bread is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by travelers and cooked in campfire ashes. It consists of very few and simple ingredients flour, water, salt and raising agent. It's quite a dense bread perfect for dipping in hummus or simply good olive oil.

You will need;
440g self raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp olive oil
Bunch of basil chopped (could also use any other fresh herb e.g. rosemary, parsley or corriander)
225 ml warm water
45g chopped olives (could also use sun dried tomatoes, caramelised onions or roasted garlic)

Grab a large bowl and pour the flour in, make a well in the centre and pour in the water, oil, salt and chopped basil, mix with hands until combined then pour dough out onto lightly floured surface and flatten into a disc and pop your chopped olives in the centre then fold the dough up around the olives and knead until olives are evenly distributed (don't knead for too long) then place on a baking tray and push a star into the top with the handle of a wooden spoon and bake in an oven pre-heated at 200C for 30 mins, when the bread is done but still warm brush some olive oil onto the top.

My Top 3 Vegan Summer Salads

For the sake of this post and my sanity I am for now going to ignore the fact that it is July and raining...sigh. However when it gets warmer I turn away from my soups and stir frys and look for a big, crisp wholesome salad.

Before I go ahead and tell you the recipes for the salads I have a couple of tips for best results;

•  If your using kale as the main leaf in your salad make sure you rub the dressing really well into the stalks to soften them. 

•  If you are using fruit or veg with seeds (e.g. tomatoes/cucumbers), scoop them out as it stops the salad becoming watery and losing its taste and crunch.

• Wait until the last moment to dress your salads, as soon as your dressing hits the veg it will start to wilt it. 

So there are three types of salad that float my boat - sweet and crunchy, savoury and spicy and creamy and sharp.

1. Chicory, White Grape and Apple Salad - Chop up the chicory into bite size pieces, grapes into halves and apple into small cubes. Meanwhile toast some pine nuts in a pan and whisk up a simple dressing of 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 2 tbsp of olive oil plus a squeeze of half a lemon. Mix everything together and munch!

2. Miso baked tofu, Kale and Edamame Salad - First drain your tofu, then mix 2 tbsp miso paste, 2 tbsp lemon juice and 2 crushed galric cloves in a small bowl then chop your tofu into large cubes and carefully coat them in the miso mixture transfer to a lightly greased baking sheet and roast for about half an hour turning once hal way through. Meanwhile mix up 1 tbsp rice wine venagr, 2 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil and massage the dressing into your kale then add the edamame beans (you can also add shredded cabbage, spring onion, avocado, green beans, peppers) top with your crispy baked tof and finish with some sesame seeds.

3. Summer Slaw - Grate up 2 carrots, half a mild red onion, quarter of a white cabbage then mix up 3 tbsp of soya yoghurt and the juice of half a lemon then add a tbsp of capers and mix into your grated veg! (I love this with Linda McCartney vegan sausage rolls)

I'm back my Veganoid Bitches!

Sorry I have been so lame with updating the blog - work got crazy with a massive yearly exhibition we do. Then I went on a family holiday to the White Cliffs of Dover for awesome hikes and cycling along the seaside - I even had some chips with onion vinegar in the rain.

But of course it wouldn't be fitting to post about my holiday without showing you guys a couple of things I scoffed...

Curried scrambled tofu with a portobello mushroom on toast

Sweet baby peppers stuffed with garlic tofutti with locally picked mushroom risotto and a kale, beetroot and avocado salad.

j.viewz playing Teardrop by Massive Attack with vegetables

This is nothing but amazing, watch it and be astounded by the power of veggies, technology and of course a (kinda hot) super talented DJ.

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls

Sometimes only cinnamon and bread will do. I have nothing more to say other than MAKE THESE AND EAT THEM ALL!

Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
Makes 12 rolls

You will need;
For the bread roll dough

• 1 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• 8 Tbsp vegan margarine
• 2 Tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 sachet active dry yeast
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

For the filling

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp vanilla sugar (if you have it)
• 3 Tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tablespoons vegan margarine, melted
• 1 cup raisins soaked in orange juice (or brandy)

For the glaze

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 Tbsp water
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• Chopped walnuts

To Make the Dough

1. Heat the soy milk, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and margarine in a small saucepan over low heat until the margarine is just melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla and set aside to cool until body temperature.
2. Then place the warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, and yeast in a measuring jug. Stir and then set aside somewhere warm for 10 minutes. The yeast should double in size.
3. Whisk together margarine mixture with the yeast and beat. Then add 2 1/2 cups flour, mix and then add 2 more cups of flour. Remove dough from mixing bowl and place on a lightly floured surface. The dough will be super sticky just keep kneading and resist the temptation to add loads more flour.
4. Place dough in a large bowl greased with mild olive oil and roll around dough so it is covered in oil. Cover with a tea towel and set aside in a warm place until is has doubled in size – about 1 and a half hours.
5. Once risen, punch in the center so that the dough deflates. Take dough out of bowl and place on a floured surface to let rest an additional 10 minutes.

To Make Filling and Assemble Rolls

1. Grease a pan.
2. Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface into a wide rectangle.
3. Combine brown sugar, sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Brush melted margarine evenly over surface of dough. Spread cinnamon sugar mixture over margarine and finish with raisins.
4. With the long end towards you, roll the dough up evenly. Then using a piece of cotton or a cheese wire cut the rolls out. Then place the rolls, cut side up, into the prepared pan. Cover with tea towel and place in a warm place until they have risen, about 1 hour.
5. Preheat oven to 190 C.
6. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Let the rolls cool about 10 minutes before putting on the glaze.

To Make the Glaze

1. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla and water in bowl and stir with a whisk unit smooth. Brush glaze over warm cinnamon rolls and top with chopped walnuts and any left over raisins.
2. MUNCH!

Smoothies: A Beginners guide

This is a bit of a request post by my buddy Kazia (check out her beauty and baking blog) Madame Tatouage who has recently got a smoothie maker but doesn't know where to begin with making delicious smoothies.

I'm happy she asked actually as I remember when I first started making smoothies and feeling a bit lost and intimidated by the copius amounts of information. I did a lot of online research and got a couple of books as I couldn't really find the one-stop-shop for starter smoothies that weren't full of crazy powders (fairy dust) and endless amounts of bananas - plus I didnt want to buy loads of gorgeous fruit and make something similar to swamp juice.

So here are some top tips and simple recipes for you to start with if your not sure what to whizz up...

Think about what kind of fruity cocktails you like, sounds strange but its a great way of defining what kind of flavours you enjoy enough to pay 12 quid a glass for. I'm a pina colada girl so I love tropical and creamy flavours but you may be in to your mojitos so go for something citrus based and zesty.

Get your hands on some jars, you will get some funny looks in the office (you can always decant the smoothies into glasses) but for storage sake get some sealable jars or clip fresh cups. Plus you need to shake it to wake it so lids are a must.

Buy some milled flaxseed, you can get it from most health shops including Holland & Barrett. It's a bit pricey but you will only use a teaspoon per smoothie on average and if kept in a sealed container it will last for weeks. This is one fairy dust I would definitely recommend adding to smoothies as it makes the smoothie way more filling. Plus it is amazingly good for you as it is proven to lower the risk of all the bad things in life such as heart disease and cancer, it also balances female hormones so if you have skin and mood problems related to your menstrual cycle it will help out with the endless struggle for clear skin.

Add kale whenever you can. Kale has more iron per calorie than beef. Fact. It makes your smoothies a bit of a sludgy colour but boy it is worth it.

Don't feel ashamed to sieve. At first the texture of pulpy smoothies can be really off putting, don't be proud just sieve that stuff out in to a seperate bowl and add it back in tablespoons until you get a texture you are comfortable with and trust me within a couple of weeks you will miss this step and not even realise you did it.

Cream it up. If your a non-vegan I would suggest adding fat free yoghurt to your smoothies, this will make them super silky without any added fat. If you are a veganoid add some soy yoghurt, for a touch of indulgence add some low-fat coconut milk.

Lastly, keep it simple. Don't go adding every fruit you can find, the overall flavour will be a bit confused plus some fruits just don't go together.

 This is the first smoothie I ever made and I still make it on a regular basis, its really simple and tastes absolutely delicious.

You will need;

• 1 mango cut into chunks
• 2 cups of orange juice
• 3 Tbsp yoghurt (dairy-free or otherwise)
• 2 Tbsp milled flaxseed 
• 1 cup reduced fat coconut milk

Whizz everything up and add some berries (they'll absorb all the flavour and juice and be a nice treat at the end)

This is a great smoothie to start introducing some greens with as the flavour of the strawberries and mango is quite strong (the smoothie above hasn't been sieved hense the sludgy look)

 You will need;

• 1/2 a mango cut into chunks
• Handful of strawberries hulled and cut into halves
• Bunch of kale washed and large stalk removed
• 1 cup of orange juice
• 2 Tbsp milled flaxseed
• 1 cup of almond milk 

 Whizz up and top with a cheeky strawberry.

I hope this has helped smoothie newbies, the recipes are really flexible and once you have the combos down you will be whizzing all day and night!

My yoga retreat; Les Passeroses, France

Do you ever do something just to see if you can actually achieve it? Well this was mine...

To go on a holiday on my own with people I had never met before. I chose to do it in the safer environment of a yoga retreat in South West France, near Bordeaux this way if I got lost I would end up in a vineyard somewhere which isn't at all bad. I have been practising yoga for about 5 years and I pop it in the category with hot bubble baths and eating grapes on the sofa while watching The Big Bang Theory - one of life's simple lone pleasures so it made sense to me to go on my own to the yoga retreat. Come to think of it I have never done yoga with any of my friends probably because I'd end up laughing and falling on my head.

I googled yoga retreats in Europe and Time Out's top yoga retreats feature came up and on it was Les Passeroses, I read the reviews and contacted the yoga teachers and I was really impressed as the price was only 300 quid for a week full board, all I had to buy on top of that was some Eurostar tickets as you are at a retreat there arent any shops to buy loads of wine and chocolates.

So I set off on a Monday morning in the midst of a grey, dull October in London and headed off to King Cross to cath my train to serenity. With a good book (Caitlin Moran's 'How to be a Woman', lots of comfy clothes, a bar of chocolate and a box of Hummus, carrot and courgette wraps to last me the journey (lasted till about 11am).

 I can honestly say this was the most relaxing holiday I have ever been on. The 5 hours of yoga a day, awesome vegan food, meditation, lounging in the garden surrounded by dragonflies and not having to worry about whether friends or family are enjoying themselves - it all felt very self indulgent (I even took the battery out of my phone for the whole time out of sheer escapism).

Without getting too 'deep' and hippyfied this retreat pretty much sorted my mindset out for a good while and I came back to London feeling refreshed and so unbelievably chilled. I didn't really go on the retreat to 'find myself' I just went to test myself and I discovered along the way that I'm braver than I know.

http://www.passeroses.com/

A few snaps from my time at the beautiful Les Passeroses...

Vegan cinnamon and pear maple French Toast

Oh yeah that's what I said...

I think one of my favourite parts of the weekend is being able to have a proper cooked breakfast preferably while sitting in my consevatory watching the squirrels play in the garden and listening to some old records...bliss! As a vegan its a bit tricky to think of things that you can whip up to have as a hot breakfast and I must admit when I was vegetarian one of my favourite breakfasts was something I ate a lot of when I used to go camping as a child with the Woodcraft Folk which is eggy bread (French Toast if your american or posh) I used to have one slice with nutella and one with cinnamon sugar.

I've been craving this recently and decided to make a vegan version - I think this recipe combines pretty much all of my favourite sweet flavours, hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

You will need;

1 carton of silken tofu
1/2 cup almond milk
2 Tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 to 6 slices of wholegrain bread

To top;
1 pear cut into chunky slices
3 Tbsp raw cane sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
Raisins soaked in orange juice
maple syrup

Add the tofu, milk, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and oil into a blender and whizz then pour the mixture into a shallow bowl or deep soup plate. Dip the slices of bread in the mixture until fully covered and heat a little oil in a pan or griddle and fry until golden and crispy. Set aside and in a seperate bowl mix up the pear slices in the cinnamon sugar and griddle until caramelised and softened. Stack your french toast up with pears, the soaked raisins and a slick of maple syrup. YUMMO!

Happy Pancake Day!

I've decided I am more sad to not have pancakes on pancake day than I am a Valentine on Valentine's Day so here is my super-easy vegan blueberry pancake recipe. I love it, it's an occassional Sunday treat and is packed with antioxidant, vitamin C bullets aka blueberries and I will be having these for dinner tomorrow, make no mistake about that.

You will need;
1 cup of plain flour
1 Tbsp of sugar
2 Tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 Cup of almond milk
1 Tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Whisk all the ingredients up, add a little oil to a pan and fry the pancakes off in small batches, top with extra blueberries and maple syrup... NOM!

Avocado & chocolate Mousse

This is my Valentine's treat to myself, yes I am that sad. The avocado makes this silky smooth and luxurious and the chocolate helps it to set. I genuinely can't explain how amazing this mousse is, it's too good for words.

To a blender add;
1 large ripe avocado
120g dark chocolate
1/4 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 pinch salt
(You can add different flavourings such as almond extract, vanilla extract, coffee, liqueurs)

Whizz everything up until super smooth and fill your ramekins/jars and garnish with your favourite fruit and chill overnight if possible if not an hour will do, then find a massive spoon and devour!