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I really think a trip to the Iberian Peninsula will happen in 2018!  I can’t wait.

In addition to going to Portugal and Porto, I’m also heading to Barcelona in Spain.  Saving this article for future reference.  All of the food looks absolutely amazing!

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The Hidden Benefits of Coffee

I love coffee! It's an absolute passion for me. And it I was spending a fortune at Starbucks and other coffee shops to feed my addiction.  A few months I decided to bit the bullet and get an espresso machine for my home.

I searched through several home espresso machine reviews and made my choice.  It was an investment, but I know it will be good for both my health and my mood. Despite what the naysayers might say about my beloved cup of coffee, solid scientific evidence shows that a regular dose of caffeine is going to help me live longer. Take that!

The University of Hawaii and the National Cancer Institute, USC did a study that tracked people over a period of 16 years. This study showed that coffee drinkers have 12% longer life expectancy when other factors like smoking, BMI, diet etc. Had been adjusted for. Coffee drinkers were also found to be less susceptible to leading killer illnesses including diabetes, kidney disease, stroke, lower respiratory illnesses, cancer and heart disease.

This has been further backed by evidence from data drawn from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study. This data was from 10 European countries (Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom). It showed that 25% of coffee drinkers were less likely to die of the causes that killed non-drinkers.

Anecdotal evidence has long shown that coffee has several benefits that could be the reason the studies turned out the way they did:

·       Coffee helps burn fat

Drinking caffeine will boost metabolic rate by 3-11%. Caffeine also keeps away hunger pangs, which encourages the body to burn fat instead of taking in more food.

·       Higher physical performance

There is a good reason for energy drinks having caffeine. It stimulates the production of epinephrine (adrenaline) in the blood stream. This hormone takes performance to a higher level by delivering more oxygen and glucose to the muscles, making their output higher.

·       Higher mental alertness

Taking a cup of coffee during a dreary task or mind-numbing work injects more enthusiasm and attention to the details of the job. It has been seen that regular drinkers of coffee were at less risk of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia in later life.

·       Reduction of inflammation

More research studies published in the Natural Medicine journal shows that caffeine blocks certain receptors in the brain which promote production of inflammatory molecules. The absence of these molecules in the blood stream means blood arteries remain more flexible in old age, and less susceptible to diabetes and heart disease.

·       Keep off diabetes

Scientists at Harvard tracked 40,000 American men over the age of 20 years. The study showed that coffee drinking men were less likely to develop type-2 diabetes than their non-drinking friends.

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Stumbled on this site from Australia and found it to be really useful.  There’s something so fulfilling about eating healthy...and cheap!  Great recommendations here.

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Vegan Porto!

I may be vegan, but I love wine.  And I really love port wine for dessert!

So, when I found this article about <a href="http://www.aluxurytravelblog.com/2017/07/19/8-vegan-luxury-experiences-in-porto-and-the-douro-valley/">Porto</a>, I was just thrilled!

I’m saving this for later.  And hopefully I can go!

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Vegan Cooking: How to Make Vegan Curry

I’ve been craving a really good curry and have two recipes that I like, which I wanted to share!  Enjoy!

Vegetable-Based Vegan Curry

Ingredients:

1-2 Medium Potatoes

1 Medium Onion

½ Large Sweet Potato

½ Red Bell Pepper

1-2 Stalks of Celery

1 Large Carrot

½ Cups Frozen Peas

1-2 Medium Tomatoes

1 Medium Block Firm Tofu (I actually like the Nasoya Extra Firm)

1-3 Tbsp. Curry Paste (Recommended: Patak’s Curry Paste in Rogan Josh (mild) or Madras (spicy) depending on taste)

300-400mL Water

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Finely chop all of the vegetables and put them into a large saucepan.

Chop the tofu into small cubes and add it to the vegetables.

Add vegetable oil and a pinch of salt and sauté vegetables until they just start to brown.

Add in the curry paste and water and stir until curry paste is completely dissolved.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to medium/low heat and leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until all of the vegetables are cooked. Add salt to taste.

Chickpea-Based Vegan Curry

Ingredients:

1 Large Onion

2 Medium Tomatoes

1Tbsp. Crushed Garlic/Garlic Puree

1 Chilli Pepper (or Bell Pepper for mild flavor)

400g (1 14 oz. can) Chickpeas

1-3 Tbsp. Curry Paste (Recommended: Patak’s Curry Paste in Rogan Josh (mild) or Madras (spicy) depending on taste)

200-300mL Water

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Finely chop the onion, tomatoes, and pepper and put into a large saucepan with the crushed/pureed garlic.

Add vegetable oil and sauté until the onions begin to turn translucent.

Add in the chickpeas and sauté for another couple of minutes.

Pour in the water and add the curry paste, stirring until all of the paste is dissolved.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower to medium/low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Extras and Options:

If you like your curry extra mild, or if you prefer a creamier flavor to your curry, you can always replace a portion of the water in these recipes with coconut milk.

Alternatively, skip the coconut milk and simply add the juice of ½ a lemon or lime for a punch of flavor that compliments curry amazingly. (It also helps add a bit of a “salty” flavor without adding the sodium!)

To add a unique flavor to your curry, try switching your plain tofu for smoked tofu instead, or, if you have easy access to vegan meat alternatives, try switching the tofu for veggie chicken or beef strips.

Serving Suggestions:

Try serving your curry over a bed of fragrant basmati or jasmine rice. Alternatively, serve it on its own with a side of vegan-friendly naan bread or popadoms (crispy Indian flatbread). Enjoy!

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Absolutely love this photo!

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One of the most difficult things for me is traveling while vegan.  I don’t have access to my own kitchen and can’t prepare my own food.  And, I can never be sure that restaurants are actually cooking.  Meat and cheese are usually easy to identify, but what about other dairy products?

This article is so good and so thoughtful!

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Blueberry Muffins!

So...my first attempt at vegan blueberry muffins!

They tasted pretty good. Obviously, no butter in this one. Instead, I used a olive oil. Usually olive oil makes things lighter, but can sometimes leave a bit of an aftertasted. Not this time.

However, nothing was able to help the fact that I left them in the oven for about 2 minutes too long. They came out a little crispier than I was hoping for. Oh well, lesson learned.

So, a good effort, but I'm not in love with the result. I'll keep working on the recipe before I post it here.

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True Food

Went to brunch today at True Food Kitchen, a new concept restaurant that has opened near me. Originally, I thought it would be some kind of fasual/counter kind of place, but it turns out it is a full, sit-down restaurant.

I opted for the soy chorizo breakfast burrito - it was absolutely delicious and had some real heat on it. Soy chorizo is one of those unique vegan items that even meateaters agree tastes better than the original. Soyrizo is one product never out of my kitchen for long.

I think I'll be heading back to True Food soon!

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Zucchini and Melon

One of my favorite summer foods before becoming vegan was melon and prosciutto. I just loved sitting outside on a warm day eating this special treat and enjoying a glass of white wine. While I don’t regret becoming vegan, this classic combo is one that I miss.

Until now! I discovered that zucchini and melon is even better! This is a picture of what has become one of my favorites of summer!

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Mexican Style Potato Wedges

Preparation Time: 10 minutes Cooking Time: 50-60 minutes Ingredients: • 1 to a million of Baking Potatoes Pack cut into wedges (The amount of actual potatoes you want varies on how many people you want to serve, whether they’re a side-dish, a full meal, or a snack. I’d guess at about 1 medium sized potato per person is about right for a snack/full meal or 1 medium sized potato to serve 2 people as a side-dish.) • Paprika • Mild Chili Powder • Black Pepper Mill Method: 1. Firstly, mix the spices and the pepper in a mixing bowl with some vegetable oil (enough to cover all of your wedges, lightly). Add as much or as little spice as you like; depending on how spicy you want your potato wedges! 2. Put the potato wedges into the bowl and mix them around so they’re completely covered in the spices and oil. 3. Put the wedges on a baking tray and cook on the top shelf at 200degreesC in a fan assisted electric oven for 50-60 minutes or until they’re thoroughly cooked. Serving Suggestions/Tips: • I like to put these on the top shelf so they get nice and crispy while cooking. • These go nice with just about anything, quite literally. Chillies, burgers… well, you name it and they’ll go with it. They’ll also do very nicely by themselves in a big serving bowl for parties or gatherings. • You can use any spices you like for this to be honest, as long as you get the chili powder or some cayenne pepper in there for the spiciness. Experiment with what you like and with what tastes best for you. You could always add the black pepper after you’ve put the wedges on the baking try, that works nicely too. I also decided not to put up any nutritional information for this recipe as it’s basically all just carbohydrates and fiber… I mean, they’re just potatoes. I like having these when I feel low on energy or like my blood sugars are getting low as they give me a nice, permanent top up on carbohydrates which break down into blood sugars.

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Tofu and Vegetables in BBQ Sauce

Preparation time: 10 minutes Serves: 2 people Cooking time: 20 minutes - as long as you want. Ingredients List: • Full pack of Cauldron Marinated Tofu • 7 of Extra Special Picollo Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half • 2 of Organic Onions - Red, chopped • 1 of Peppers - Red, cut into chunks • A handful of Smartprice Sultanas • 2 of Organic Spring Onions, washed and chopped • 1 jar of Cooking Sauce – Barbeque • A squeeze of Gia Puree – Garlic Method: 1. Firstly, cook the red onion, spring onion, pepper, sultanas, tofu and tomatoes in vegetable oil on a medium heat in a normal pan until they’re starting to look nice and cooked then stir in the garlic puree (add as much as you want; if you like a lot of garlic, obviously add a little more!). (10 minutes) 2. When the mixture has got nice and hot and the ingredients are all cooked, stir in the full jar of the cooking sauce and turn down to the lowest heat. Leave to simmer until the sauce is heated throughout. You can leave this to simmer for as long as you need to finish whatever before eating. (10 minutes - as long as you need) Serving Suggestions/Tips: • I had this with some Mexican style potato wedges. You can either pre-buy these (Inspire Mexican Style Potato Wedges) or make your own by chopping a potato into wedges (I like to keep the skins on), mixing a little vegetable oil, mild chilli powder and paprika in a mixing bowl; putting the wedges in the bowl and “swirling” them around till they’re fully covered. These will take about 45-50 minutes to cook in a 200-degrees-C, fan assisted electric oven, but I like to leave them in a little longer so they get all brown and crispy! • You can replace the fresh vegetables with the frozen, pre-chopped varieties if you prefer and are feeling extra lazy! (Don’t be ashamed if this is you, we all can be lazy at times!) Don’t worry about getting frozen vegetables, they’re just as good as the fresh kind and they still keep all of their nutrients. • Feel free to add extra vegetables too! Or to replace the tofu with another meat substitute. There’s no such thing as too much veg! • The sultanas add a little sweetness to the meal; yummy! • This can serve 2 (if you like big portions) or can even serve 4. If there’s just one or two of you and you don’t have as big an appetite as I do, you can freeze this easily enough and just throw it in the microwave for 3-4 minutes on full power (850W microwave) next time you fancy it! Nutritional Information (these are approximate and based loosely off of the ingredients added together - per 100g): Fat: 18.9 of which saturates: 2.9g Calories: 360 Protein: 17.9g Carbohydrates: 28.5g of which sugars: 21.4g Fiber: 3.2g Sodium: 2g equivalent as salt: 4.4g

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Cherry tomato time!

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Introducing Me!

Alright, so this is the first time that I’ve done this, so please be gentle.  I will try to regularly update this blog, but please be patient.

I hopefully want to make the blog pretty accessible, for both vegans and non-vegans. I’ll be putting as much information in as possible, including prices, nutritional information and tips.

Please let me know what you think!

Jamie