7 Days Vegan Challenge: Day 6

   Here I am again after skipping yesterday post, but I was busy day before work,  and after I got back home and collapsed in bed :-) Food wise, it was was good day, having again some rice with vegetables in a paprika stock. But the big news yesterday were about this week vegan challenge: a week might have became a month! After chatting with Maria, a week doesn't feel a big challenge and we want to see the health changes and benefits, so a week is not enough to show real changes. So here it comes the Month Vegan Challenge!

   I had at work today a cold udon noodles salad with tofu, mandarin slices and vegetables with a black pepper and mandarin dressing. Really felt today to get some cold noodles: in Japan, during summer times, there is a popular dish called Hiyashi chūka (冷やし中華), literally "chilled Chinese" consisting in cold ramen noodles with different toppings. This was similar dish but with dressing.

Not mine, but you can get an idea about Hiyashi Chuka

  The other decision I took today, and after extending the Vegan Challenge to a month, was to start taking some vitamin B12. I have being taking some B12 in the fortified cereals and soy milk but I am a bit worried about not taking enough, so I decided to top it up with some tables.

   And dinner was again a cold dish: quinoa, alfalfa sprouts cauliflower, sun dried tomatoes and hummus salad. I don't know if I said that weather is still incredible hot here in Ireland. It supposed to chill down a bit during the weekend but good news came in the morning: another week of summer! So this two extension good news, vegan diet and weather, deserved a proper celebration. And nothing better to celebrate than a cake: a chocolate and lemon cake!

Chocolate and Lemon Cake

   It took me not more than 1 hour to make this vegan cake. You can see I've already tried it, and I can't say no other thing that it was and it is delicious. Chocolate and lemon, what can go wrong? I need a few friends to share it with if I don't want to put a few pounds!

7 Days Vegan Challenge: Day 4

   It seems that this Vegan Week Challenge should had been called Hot Vegan Week Challenge:  one week vegan diet, one week very hot weather at the same time! For those of you not leaving in Ireland, having more than a week with temperatures close to 30 C celcious would be an amazing topic to talk all day long, like 99% of the Irish population is doing now.

Deric Hartigan tonight (3e weather presenter)

   But, let's back to talk about food! Usual cereal breakfast, with fruits time. Lunch was a exiting time cooking and eating. Last week it was my birthday and Dermot gave me a few presents: one of them its a wonderful cooking book called 'Supergrains' by Chrissy Freer. Very informative recipe book with most of the top grains: quinoa, barley, chia, amaranth, millet, faro, etc. It is not a vegetarian or vegan book, but most of the recipes can be easily adapted (when not already) to a vegan diet. Based in two of the recipes, I cooked two dishes, or better, a dish and a drink.

Supergrains, by Chrissy Freer

   First one, a wholemeal quinoa and barley salad with zucchini, cauliflower, mint and alfalfa sprouts. Dressing, soy yogurt, tahini and dill. And on the side, hummus. Great taste, full of energy and nutrients and very refreshing dish. I made quite a lot, so next few days it will be used as a side salad with other dishes.

barley and quinoa salad

   The drink: I made exactly the same recipe that you can find in the book. A barley and lemon water. Simple, quickly and, served very cold, more than perfect for these hot temperatures. Bit sweet but not too much, bit bitter, but just enough. I really liked the flavour.

   Dinner was bit more simple as I was working in the restaurant: vegetable paella. A good mix of vegetable with short grain rice, cooked in vegetable stock and paprika. No time to make a picture this time, but I can tell you that it was as simple tastefull.

   Fourth day is gone, and still not missing meat or fish. Maybe some times it comes to my mind milk or cheese, more because it would be easier (o lazier I guess) to make some of the dishes. If you are not vegan, diary products are very handy in the kitchen. But every day, and tomorrow is the fifth, things are easier, finding great alternative products. I am very exited about tomorrow, because, working day time, it ll give me more time to make food. And I have already a few dishes on mind that I want to cook tomorrow.

So, good night!