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!

7 Days Vegan Challenge: Day 2

   Another very warm today this morning. Actually I slept all night with the window open, something not very common here even in summer. Forecast for today: Hottest day of the year. This is probably helping the challenge, as salads and fruits are easy meals to prepare.

   So usual cereals in the morning with soy milk, chia and flaxseed seeds (its not lack of imagination or laziness but what I like more for breakfast) and out of the house, this time went to Ben of Howth (long walk over there with amazing views of Howth, Dublin, Malahide, etc) and North Bull Island (another walk this time in Dollymount Beach). Both walks awaked hunger on me and I realised how important are snack between meals so next time I wont leave the house without them.

The Ben of Howth

   Back to the house, Maria had prepared a Gazpacho, the spanish cold tomato based soup (although the dish is not cooked and all the ingredients are raw), a very refreshing summer meal extremely popular in Spain. There are many different variations of Gazpacho in Spain (Portugal and some other countries have similar dishes) but the mail ingredients are tomatoes, olive oil, salt and cucumber. Then, green peppers, onion, garlic, vinegar and bread can be in the recipe.

gazpacho

   Together with gazpacho, I have a salad (with alfalfa sprout that I was growing for the last two days) and falafel (dip in the vegan mayonnaise I made yesterday.

   Great time for dinner: another summer favourite is homemade lebanese hummus. Last night I put in water some chickpeas and today, after cooking them for almost 2 hours, made this great, simple a versatile dish.

lebanese hummus

  For main dish, quinoa spaghetti with sausages, cheese and sun-dried tomato pesto. Great surprise with the vegan parmesan-style cheese, wonderful flavour.

quinoa spaghetti with sausages and sun dried tomato pesto

   And the big surprise of the night was the Hugo's Vegan Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble...here is where we didnt miss at all any non vegan options: simply delicious!

Hugo's Vegan Rhubarb and Strawberry Crumble

   This second day of the challenge was a day to discover some great vegan substitutes and deserts. Not missing any meet and diary so far!

Thanks for reading!