I don't currently have access to a microwave at lunch time. Which is a pity because making a pot of something I can eat all week is much easier than faffing around with sandwiches or crackers, or heating food and a flask so you can eat the lukewarm contents some hours later. I've also developed a taste for eating bowls of salad/raw vegetables with something hot and preferably fried added – which isn't going to happen unless I'm lunching at home. Consequently lunch has been less than inspirational lately.
So here's my effort to put together something cold, portable and interesting. It's good to have a motive for getting through the morning.
Here we have a tub of radishes and cucumber, a banana, and pasties made with homemade pastry and filled with potato, vegan sausage, onion and kale.
To read:
This was an amazing read which has left me thinking about so many things. It opens with Patricia who has dementia and is living in a care home. She can remember 2 different lives with different children and although she knows she is often confused she's pretty certain that this duality is real.
I loved the passion for Italy that ran throughout one of her lives and it made me want to see Florence and get out my pasta machine. And I was inspired by the satisfaction she took in her children and community in another.
In one of her existences she has a wonderful partner, fulfilling work, ample money and an unusual but wonderful family. However the world around is an increasingly brutal, miserable place. In her other life she has an unhappy marriage and takes solace in her children, and involvement in her community. This world is a very different place. It becomes more liberal and peaceful.
What world should she choose? Which is best? I couldn't decide. I'm still thinking.
I fear I may have lost my mojo when it comes interesting lunches. In part I'm blaming the kitchen arrangements in my current office. There's no microwave which means it's either cold or its in a thermos. As much as I love my hot jars I do find having to heat (or reheat food) while getting the jar warmed up a bit more than I can cope with most mornings. Cooking something from scratch seems easier somehow but I think that would become a burden too if done daily, and I still prefer to batch cook at weekends where I can.
So this is a tub of cold spaghetti topped with cabbage, picked onions and a mayo vinegarette dressing and eaten along side some sales peanuts and cucumber. It filled a gap!
To read: The guns of the south by Harry Turtledove
This is proving to be a fascinating read. What would have happened if the South had won the American Civil War? I'm half way through and it's clear that winning a war creates more issues than it resolves. The main characters are thoughtfully drawn, and the source of the guns in the title proves to be a blessing and a curse. Some things turn out the way they do because that's the way it – but then whoever said war was fair?
I love flatbreads. They're quick to make. Easy to do. Seasonings and spices allow them to vary in taste. And depending on flour and rolling thickness you can ring the changes in texture.
So I was inspired to up my flatbread game by a scrap of newspaper on my fridge that suggested using leftover Dahl as a basis for making flatbread dough. I just so happened to have made Dahl for dinner so I put aside a few generous spoonfuls. You basically add a chopped chilli and then knead in gram and whole meal flour until you have a dough that can be rolled out and fried.
These turned out lovely. Good hot and cold with a great texture. I served mine accompanied by a salad with lots of celery and tahini dressing.
To read:
This was a slow starter. It took a good hundred pages for me to regain the interest that the opening had. However having got to grips enough with a Japanese style society obsessed with status, not possessing much in the way of tech and with plenty of gods and demons I began to once again get caught up in a plot so complicated that I really have no idea what might happen next or where the end game might be. It's a bit like real life.
One of the goodies I picked up at VegFest in London over the weekend was a new product from Fry's Family foods – a soy and quinoa country roast.
As I generally dine with a friend once a week I thought this would be an excellent opportunity to share and see how reaction compared between vegan and non-vegan tastebuds.
Naomi, my charming host, had prepared a delicious autumn vegetable stew to go with it so we plated up and got stuck in.
It sliced well, had a firm texture and a pleasing taste. The vegetable stew turned out to be a great accompaniment (and much less bother than boiling potatoes and vegetables).
And how did it go down with the non-vegan? Well she asked if she could keep the leftovers…
It was a bit of busy weekend. I volunteered at London VegFest one day, went along on another day as a customer, and fitted in some dancing at a Rock Night, a yoga session and a few episodes of Mad Men.
So lunch needed to be quick to prepare (time was short), easy (creative skills in limited supply) and not too fiddly to eat (long lunch breaks are not anticipated in the coming days).
Hence Monday morning saw me whipping up some vegetable noodles using left over cauliflower cooked in coconut milk, a chopped onion, rice noodles, vegan thai curry paste, and cashews. Then it went straight into my pre-warmed keep-it-hot lunch jar for when I got to grab those few minutes to refuel.
To read:
The Arsenic Century by James Wharton
Possibly not the ideal book to read while eating! This is fascinating and looks at how arsenic seems to be in everything in Victorian England. What was really disturbing was how unconcerned everyone seemed to be about the dangers of Arsenic. If it wasn't being used to add green colour to everything from dresses to wallpaper to cake decorations then it was being added to candles, beer, and confectionery. And this is before you get to those who were deliberately partaking for reasons of health and beauty. A fascinating read which will make you question how safe anything is.
Posted by Instagrate to WordPress
Posted by Instagrate to WordPress
I seem to have done a lot of washing up in the last week or so. After my freezer refused to work for 3 days (but is now operating perfectly!) it all seemed to be about cooking food up, eating rich meals and washing up all the plastic containers in the freezer. Still it's an inconvenience, not a crisis or disaster, and had made me wonder about how I want to approach 'frozen assets' in future and whether I should switch to glass for food storage.
I evaded the need for freezers or fridges by going camping for a few days in the place I used to go as a child.
My sister and I enjoyed reliving childhood memories right down to floral curtains (yes curtains in a tent), tankards and Camper's chocolate (a secret family recipe). Alas the goat is no longer in residence at the local pub.
The beach was nearby and down a lane with lots of foraging opportunities. It was beautiful but the breeze was on the strong side and the mud underfoot in places was a tad squelchy!
After a week of freezer food and camping provisions I was deoubly delighted by green things soup made by Mimi.
And finally the second Colchester vegan drinks meeting was great. Lots of interesting people chatting away. A table sign ensured that people knew where to find us!
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