A Taste of England

Being in England for the past 10 days, I’ve done a lot less cooking, but just as much eating.  If you happen to ever be in England, here were a few of our favorite finds…

The Primrose Eatery, Primrose Hill, London
A small cafe-style breakfast + lunch spot, nearby Ricks flat.  We ate here twice, it was that good.  First time I got the Primavera Crepe, which was light and super satisfying.  Second time I got the Falafel Feast.  Both were very delicious!  Matt enjoyed a full english breakfast (scored it a 7 out of 10, the mushrooms being the highlight) and the bacon and brie sandwich.  Overall – we would definitely recommend an outting here. The food was made fresh and with care and the service was spectacular.

The InSpiral Lounge, Camden, London

The Inspiral Lounge is a vibrant vegan/raw-inspired cafe downtown Camden.  We frequented here twice, per my request.  The Banana Karma smoothie was amazing (A blend of soaked cashews, dates, banana, cacao and rice milk).  I also got a cappuccino and mint brownie, which were both also decadent and de-li-cious! go!

Chesire Tandoori, Northwich, Chester

A favorite Indian spot of Linda and Dave, we ventured out for a traditional curry on our first night at Brookside Cottage.  The popodums and chutney are definitely the best we’ve had.  I opted for the Vegetable Kashmir, a sweet and mild yellow curry and Matt was impressed with his Chili Chicken Masala.  Good picks.  The Kashmiri Naan was perfectly doughy and fluffy and full of fruits and nuts.  Overall a great meal.

Carriers Inn, Hatchmere, Chester

Thursday afternoon, following a morning of shopping, Linda, Matt and I settled in for a pub lunch at the Carriers Inn. The pub has operated since 1637 and was easy to picture what it might have looked like back then.  We sat right next to the fireplace – a cozy spot.  The people were super friendly and the food was delicious.  To start, we shared a bowl of sweet carrot soup and Matt got chicken livers, a popular dish in the motherland.  For mains, we enjoyed a broccoli and stilton quiche, hake with roasted peppers and tomatoes (beautiful presentation btw) and sausage and mash (another English favorite).  After that meal, all we wanted was an afternoon siesta.

The Salt House, St. Johns Wood, London

Upon our arrival back to London, Stu took us to his ‘local pub’.  It was an intimate traditional pub with a nice open bar up front and a small dining room out back.  We split a bottle of red wine and shared the fish and chips (best yet!) and beetroot and wild mushroom risotto (will be planning to make my own version of this recipe).  Overall great meal and a cozy environment.

Camden Lock Markets, Camden, London

Imagine a world food festival packed tightly into a small market alley, with aromas sizzling, frying and stewing from each corner of the world. Camden markets is a food-lovers dream. After some serious deliberation, the ‘Israeli Queen’ stall fed me well with a classic falafel pita sandwich.  Topped with shredded cabbage, couscous, soy bean mash, hummus, tahini, pickles, chili sauce and raita, the felafel was stuffed in a warmed whole wheat pita bread.  Matt settled on Venezuelan-inspired food at ‘The Cornbread House’ stall.  The corn-based, fluffy english muffin-looking pita pocket was filled with a chicken and avocado salad-type filling.  Both picks were full of flavor, tasty and warm – just what we needed as we stumbled through the crowded markets on a 30 degree afternoon!

The Honest Sausage, Regents Park, London

On our walk through Regents Park from Primrose to Covent Garden, Matt was literally taken from his track when his eye caught a sign for a ‘hot, bacon sandwich’.  The Honest Sausage is a small, random hut in the middle of Regents selling bacon sandwiches and sausage rolls.  Matts bacon ‘buddy’ ( english-style bacon on soft bread  was perfectly cooked and the bread nice and soft.  Just the energizer we needed for our walk into town.

Bar Italia, Soho, London

We luckily stumbled upon Bar Italia (recommended by Ryan) as we roamed through Soho.  It was a perfect stop, as we were in need of some warming up.  Bar Italia reminded me of Cafe Pompeo or some other authentic Italian cafe in the North End.  With Panetone boxes lining the shelves and Italian pastries filling the display windows, we enjoyed a strong cappuccino and a rich hot chocolate with the Italian futbol match blaring from the flatscreen in the back of the cafe.

Cove Bar, Covent Garden, Central London

We found this place back in 2005 and it forever remained in Matts mind as ‘that great pasty pub’.  Overlooking the piazza of Covent Garden, this small, cozy, Cornish-themed pub serves all sorts of pasties.  This time around, we settled on a vegetable + cheese, which ended up being taken to go since it took so long to make.  A pastie on the road isnt such a bad thing really, and it was pretty cold anyway.

Thanksgiving at the Cottage!

The Turkey cooking the turkey!

Being in England for one of the best American holiday feasts did not mean we weren’t about to bring it with us.  With a tentative pre-planned menu, Matt and I got working in the kitchen and cooked up a well-thought-outThanksgiving meal for the Pilkington clan (grandmas included).  Our menu included a 13 lb turkey (ordered from the local butcher’s and bred right here in Chesire), roasted carrots, potatoes and parsnips, sweet potato casserole, sage and onion stuffing, peas, brussels spouts, homemade applesauce, and (inspired by recipes from Vegan with a Vengeance) gingerbread apple pie and molasses ginger cookies.  Three hours in the small cottage kitchen proved worthwhile, as all 7 of us sat down to enjoy a full-out Thanksgiving in England.  The Toccos would have been proud, especially since it was out first time serving Thanksgiving!  A few of the recipes are below (all serving about 8 people). 

 

The Turkey 

 Ingredients

• 1 13 lb turkey (local if possible)
• fresh rosemary
• 4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste 
• olive oil, as needed

 Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Rub the turkey with the oil, garlic, herbs and spices.  Place turkey on a large roasting pan upside down and cover it with foil to maintain moisture and cook for 1 hr.

After an hour, remove from oven and baste it, re-season and turn over and place back in oven for another 2 hrs. Let the turkey sit for about 30 minutes and slice as desired to serve.

Drain the juices and fat to use for gravy and/or vegetables.

*Generally speaking, you should plan to cook a turkey about 20 minutes/pound.

 

Roasted Vegetables

 Ingredients

• 1 bag of carrots
• 1 bag of parsnips
• 10 King Edward potatoes (or any small potatoes)
• turkey fat + olive oil

Instructions

Peel and chop vegetables to desired size (the bigger the better).

Par-boil for about 10 minutes on medium heat.  Once they are soft, drain water and let them sit for a few minutes to dry out a bit. (They should be a fluffy texture before putting in the oven to roast).

Place in a roasting pan with oil and/or turkey fat and roast in oven for about 45 minutes.  (The oil or fat should be really hot before drizzling on vegetables).

Ginger Molasses Cookies

An impromptu addition to the menu, I just couldn’t resist.  Molasses cookies are my favorite, especially Auntie Lauries.  I luckily found a recipe for Sparkling Ginger cookies in Vegan with a Vengeance, a cookbook we gave to Linda as a gift, so I thought it would be appropriate to try them out. Despite that I used self-rising flour instead of all-purpose + baking soda and had no turbinado sugar for coating, they still ended up pretty tasty (good chewy-ness and spice) and were enjoyed by all!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 1/2 ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup safflower oil
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease two cookie sheets.  Put the turbinado in a small bowl for later.  

Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.  In a separate large mixing bowl, mix together the oil, molasses, milk, sugar and vanilla.  Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and combine well.

Roll into 1-inch balls, coat in the turbinado sugar and press the cookie flat like a dish into the cookie sheet.

Bake about 10 minutes and let cook for 3-5 minutes before serving.

mangia!

Fruit and Nut Granola

The great thing about homemade granola is that 1)you cant really mess it up; unless you burn it liked Ive done a couple times 2) its quite simple to make to your liking ( using any sort of grain, nut and/or dried fruit you choose) and  3)its versatile; being a energy-packed breakfast, a healthy snack or a great on-the-go superfood.  Ive been trying for a while now to master the perfect granola – one bursting with nutty flavors, an earthy crunch and with just enough sweetness.  After some time, I think I figured it out!  And it was all an ad-hoc urge I had at 9pm on a Friday night.

 

makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups of old fashioned whole oats
• 1/2 cup each of chopped (or smashed with a rolling pin) walnuts, almonds and/or pecans *I love nutty granola so for me I like alot of nuts, but depending on your taste and preference can opt for any variation
• 1/4 cup sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 dried cranberries or raisins
• 1/3 cup of shaved coconut
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup coconut oil (sunflower or safflower will also work well)
• 1/3 cup of 100% natural maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp almond extract, coconut extract and vanilla extract (the coconut and almond extract are optional but I just put them in because I have them and thought it would be good).

*Like, I said – ‘granola’ is really just a medley of whatever grains, nuts, berries and spices you prefer.  So use this as a basis to create what you choose to add. The key ingredients that make this recipe appealing is the maple syrup combined with the oil, which gives it a nice light hint of natural sweetness.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl and add cinnamon to taste.

On the stove top over low heat (or in a small bowl to nuke), mix together the oil, maple syrup, and extracts just until blended and warmed.

Combine the wet ingredients with the dry, making sure to coat all the mixture.

Spread mixture on a baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes, while stirring and moving the mixture around every 5-10 minutes.

Once the granola is slightly browned, remove from oven and let cool.  Store granola in air tight container.

mangia!

Chai-Spiced Almond Cookies

Adapted from a recipe in ‘The Vegan Table’ by Colleen Patrick Goudreau, these cookies taste like a cup of chai tea, but make your kitchen smell even better.

makes 2 dozen

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup of non-dairy butter, soft
• 1 1/4 cups confectioners sugar, divided ( I didnt have confectioners at the time so I used regular cane sugar + 1-2 tbsp cornstarch and it worked great)
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tsp all-spice (or pumpkin pie spice)
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup whole wheat (pastry is best) flour
• 1 cup of chopped, toasted almonds
• rock salt (for coating)

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  With hand mixer, beat together butter, 1 cup of sugar, vanilla, almond extract and spices.  Add flour and mix until blended.  Add 1/2 of the chopped almond to dough.  Roll into small balls, about the size of a tbsp and coat them in sugar +salt mixture.  Then, coat in remaining chopped almonds.  Bake for about 10-15 minutes.

mangia!

Indian Salmon with Chapati and Raita

A fairly-quick Indian-style lunch for two, a tasty break from the standard soup and sandwich.  It was our first time making Chapati and they came out surprisingly well! Next time, I will let the dough sit for an hour and see how that works out.

Chapati (Indian Flat-breads)

makes about 8 small flat breads

Ingredients

• 1 cup of whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup yogurt (greek or soy is best)
• ghee, as much as needed

Instructions

Mix flour and yogurt and knead dough. It should sit for an hour (I was short on time and didnt let it sit and it turned out fine).

Split into small balls (about 1/2 of a fist), coat with flour and roll flat into ovals about a 1/4 inch thick.  Brush with melted ghee.

On medium heat, cook flat breads in a saute pan for about 3-4 minutes per side.

Indian Salmon

serves 2

Ingredients

• 1-2 6 oz Atlantic Salmons
• cumin, pepper, paprika, cinnamon
• olive oil

Instructions
Combine spices and oil and marinate salmon in mixture.  Grill or lightly saute over medium heat until cooked through.

Dipping Sauces and Sides (Raita  + Chile and Onion + Sliced Veggies)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup yogurt (greek or soy)
• lemon juice
• mint sprigs
• fresh ground pepper, paprika, salt, sugar
• red onion, chopped
• 1 red or green chile, chopped
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced

Instructions

For Raita: combine yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, mint and spices to taste

For Chile and Onion: finely chop and combine

For Veggies: slice and serve as a compliment or substitute for the salmon.

To serve: Top the flat breads with salmon and/or veggies and serve with raita, onions and chiles.

mangia!

Spicy Orange ( Pumpkin, Sweet Potato + Carrot) Soup

Every September, I start to get excited for fall when the orange vegetables show up.  Pumpkin and sweet potatoes are my two favorites – and those veggies combined in a soup is one of the most comforting, yet healthy soups of the season.  Inspired by this recipe, we tweaked it a bunch and added pumpkin. Another experiment that turned out delicious. I think this could be my favorite pumpkin soup recipe. The garam marsala gives it a nice kick!

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp Earth Balance
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 tsp garam masala spices (cinnamon, black peppercorns, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves). *if you dont have all these spices, use what you do have.
• 3 cups of vegetable broth (or 1 cup broth 2 cups water)
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 can of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup coconut or soymilk

Instructions

Saute the onion in the butter until browned and soft.  Add the spices and cook for about 1-2 minutes.  Add the broth, milk, potatoes and carrots and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer until vegetables are soft.  Remove from heat and puree.  Put the puree soup back in the sauce pan and add pumpkin puree and additional spices to taste.

mangia!

Rice and Red Beans

In a quest for the perfect rice and beans recipe, Matt went to town in the kitchen on this rainy Thursday.

serves 4

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 6 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• olive oil
• 4 cups of veggie stock
• 2 cups of long-grain brown rice
• 1 large can of red kidney beans
• garam marsala spice mix ( 1 tsp of each cumin, cinnamon, salt, black pepper, paprika)
• 1/3 cup white wine
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce (optional)

Instructions

In the bottom of a large sauce pan, sauted onions and garlic in olive oil until brown.  Added the beans and spices.  Meanwhile in a smaller sauce pan, combine stock and rice and bring to a boil.  Add the rice to the beans and spices and add the wine and hoisin to taste.  Mix together and let sit for 10 minutes.

mangia!

Lemon Coconut Bundt Cake

An amazing bundt. Its light, moist and great for dessert, breakfast, an afternoon snack…or anytime really.


Adapted from Veganomicon

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 14 ounces can coconut milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/4 cup rice or soy milk (i used vanilla soy)
• 3 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
• a few tablespoons confectioners sugar for topping

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8 or 10 inch bundt pan.  Mix in a large bowl the sugar, oil, coconut milk, soy milk or rice milk, lime zest and lime juice together.  Mix in another bowl the flour, baking powder soda and salt.  Mix the ingredients of both bowls together. When it is well mixed add the shredded coconut.  Put the mixture into the prepared pan, and bake for 60 minutes at 350 or until a knife comes out clean.  Take the cake out the oven and let it cool for 15-30 minutes. When the cake is completely cool, you can flip it out of the pan and sprinkle it with powdered sugar.

mangia!

Soba Noodles with Parmesan-crusted Tofu and Broccoli

Dinner last night was an experiment inspired by a few different soba noodle recipes, and lucky for us – it turned out pretty good! Although just about a 30-40 minutes meal, the preparation turned out to be a little more cumbersome than expected, as most of the steps below have to be done simultaneously, yet separately. Nonetheless, it was worth the effort.  Also, I served the noodle dish at room temperature, but it was better today when I ate them cold!

serves about 4

Ingredients

• 1/2 package soba noodles
• 6 cups of water
• 1 package of firm tofu
• parmesan cheese*
• sea salt
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 heads of broccoli (asparagus could also work in the summer time)
• lemon or lime juice
• olive oil
• serrano pepper (or tabasco is a decent substitute)
• sugar, to taste
• parsley or cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Boil the water and add soba noodles. Lower the heat and simmer for about 3-5 minutes.  Place noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water. (make sure to not over cook the noodles as they will get mushy).

Meanwhile, drain the tofu from its package and pat with a paper towel to remove the moisture.  Chop into 1 inch cubes and coat in grated parmesan cheese and sea salt (use just enough to cover all the tofu).

In a pan, saute the garlic and onion in olive oil.  Once browned, add the parmesan-crusted tofu and saute until browned.

In a small saucepan, steam the broccoli for about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the lemon/lime juice, pepper or tabasco, sugar, olive oil and additional parmesan cheese (if desired) all to taste.  *when I make dressings like this I rarely measure anything and just add a little of each until I get the desired taste.  it usually works, so I just go with it.

Add noodles to the dressing and toss lightly.  Add the broccoli, tofu and onions and top with parsley.  You can opt to make additional ‘dressing’ for when you serve.

*To veganize this recipe you can always marinate tofu in nutritional yeast marinade. Ive made it this way as well and its delish.

mangia!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

I go a little pumpkin crazy around this time of year and tend to put pumpkin in everything, but I like it and it often works! Try this one out.

serves one

Ingredients

• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup soy or nut milk
• 1 handful of nuts (I use walnuts, cashews or almonds)
• 6-10 ice cubes
• cinnamon or nutmeg to taste

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in blender or bullet and enjoy!

mangia!