Fragrant Aubergine Curry

Tuesdays dinner - fragrant aubergine curry.  This was my first time cooking such a large quantity of aubergine - he recipe says use three aubergines but I only used two and it seemed plenty.

This tasted amazing - I love Thai curry so much.  I didn't make the paste like it says to do in the recipe I just used some ready make hot red Thai curry paste and it seemed to do the trick.  I also used light coconut milk instead of full fat.

oil
aubergine, 3small, quartered lengthways then halved
coconut milk 400ml
vegetable stock 300ml
turmeric 1tsp
coriander - to garnish

Curry paste

Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan or wok and cook the aubergines until golden.  Scoop out.  Fry the paste in a little coconut milk until fragrant.  Add the rest of the coconut milk, stock and turmeric and bring to a simmer.
Add back the aubergine and simmer until its tender - around 10mins.
Scatter with coriander leaves and serve with a bowl of basmati rice.  Yum!

Tarka Dal

Tarka Dahl  -  a classic vege Indian dish. This recipe isn't supposed to be hot but I guess you can make it to your taste and if you want to make it hotter just add extra chilli.

450g red split lentils                          
1 onion
3 cloves of garlic
2 pints of water
2 whole chillies
1 teaspoon turmeric
salt & pepper

Fresh coriander to garnish

The lentils I used didn't need soaking so I just chucked them in a large saucepan with the 2 pints of cold water along with the chopped onion and garlic and two whole chillies - actually just chucked everything in.  I then brought it to the boil and then simmered for 25 mins.  If I were to make it again I think I would actually chop the chilli and incorporate it in the dish as it could have done with a bit of a kick.  I served this with fresh coriander and fresh bread. Yum.

1 week on

As of today I have been on my vegan diet for one week exactly.  It has been really enjoyable and whats even more enjoyable is getting on the scales this morning and weighing 5lbs less than last Monday!  That was a total surprise - I have not once been hungry this week which I usually am every time I embark on a diet.  I have eaten so well and have made simple but delicious food all week.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to totally keep off the alcohol.  On Friday we had a work lunch at Prezzo which was a starter, main and a drink for a tenner - not bad.  I was very proud of myself as  normally I would have gone for the most calorific, cheese laden dish I could find but no.. not this time.  I chose the brushetta for starter and for main the pasta arabiatta with extra chili.  I did have a nice cold beer with my lunch though...whoops.
Friday night I was so stuffed from the cooked lunch I just had a pitta and 2 ryvitas with peanut butter for dinner.  I actually thought peanut butter was made from butter so was pleasantly surprised to find it was just peanuts and oil.

Saturday night I had left over root and lentil casserole which I had frozen while the rest of the household enjoyed pork, chili and bean sausages, mash with chives and soya butter and onion gravy.

Today I have eaten a bowl of nut and seed muesli with soya milk (I bought oat milk today so am quite excited about trying that tomorrow) for breakfast.  For lunch we went to Fannys Farm where my fam enjoyed cakes, scones and pasties - they don't cater for the vegan diet there unfortunately but I still managed to have something to eat - a packed of sea salt and black pepper crisps!  They tasted amazing though.  I then had two squares of dairy free chocolate which I found whilst out shopping.


Dinner is Tarkha Dahl which I will blog about tomorrow!

Thai

Tuesdays dinner was Green Thai Vegetable Curry - was so delicious.  I didn't make the paste from scratch as I didn't have time and have never done it before. I used a shop bought paste which was a total mission to find without any fish sauce added to it - I then mixed it with low fat coconut milk.  I used baby corn, onion, beansprouts, cashew nuts, green beans, peppers and broccoli.

Last night I didn't seem to be hungry so just had a wholemeal pitta bread and some jalapeno hummus.  I think it may be all the grains I have been eating - they fill you up so well.  For lunch I made a big brown rice salad which I have been having everyday a work.  Tomorrow our office are going out for lunch so will let you know if I manage to find something vegan on the menu wherever we end up!

Lovely Lentils

Monday night I did my shop - I couldn't be bothered to drive to a big store so just ended up going to Morrison's in Sutton.  I bought most of the ingredients on my list which I was pleased about - the only thing they didn't have was Pak Choi. 

Monday nights meal was Spicy root and lentil casserole and OMG was it amazing.  It was a bit boring peeling all the vegetables but well worth it....

700g potatoes
4 carrots
2 parsnips
150g red lentils
2pts veg stock
2 tablespoons of curry paste
Chili Oil
Onion
Garlic

Fresh coriander and yogurt to serve

This recipe is so simple - just fry the onion and garlic for 5 minutes then chuck in the potato chunks, carrots and parsnip for a further 10 minutes.  Add the curry paste and mix with the stock - chuck in the lentils and simmer for 30 mins.  Delicious!

I couldn't find red lentils pre soaked so just used green tinned ones and it turned out fine.  This dish is so filling and totally vegan - just make sure you check the ingredients on the stock and curry paste. 

I also ate this cold for lunch today and it still tasted great - BUT the best thing about this recipe (which serves 4) is that its only 1g of saturated fat for the whole thing!  I took a photo to show you guys...

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The Kind Diet

I always have my Kind Diet book to hand - I love browsing through it and re-reading the recipes and different levels of veganism Alicia talks about.

To build the perfect (vegan) meal she suggests it is based around the three same elements: grains, beans, and vegetables.  Basically we should think of our meals as one quarter grain, one-quarter protein, and one-half vegetables. 

I have kept this in mind whilst planning my meals for the week and making my shopping list - I love a good list.  

This weeks shopping list

Rice milk

Cereal

Rice

Red lentils

Cous Cous

Wholemeal pitta bread

Cashew nuts

Chili oil

Soy sauce/teriyake sauce

Vermicelli noodles

Peanut butter

Selection of seasonal fruit

Spring onions

Sweetcorn & baby corn

Peas

Mange tout

Bamboo shoots

Peppers

Cucumber

Chili

Onion

Mixture of leaf

Pak Choi

Parsnips 

Carrots

Coriander

Tofu

I should have been planning

Today I should have been planning my menu for the next week but I havent got around to it yet - I guess it will have to be tomorrow now. I will spend the afternoon planning then on Monday evening will go and do the weekly shop. Yum.

Hello

Hi, I'm Jen - welcome to my blog! So since I was a teenager I have never been a big fan of meat - well apart from the odd happy meal from McDonald's and roast chicken with my Sunday Roast and then of course there is the turkey on Christmas day and don't forget cold turkey and coleslaw sandwiches on boxing day...... However, things seem to have changed.

After spending three years studying food and nutrition at University I have read about every type of diet - and must admit have attempted nearly all of them (apart from the maple syrup!) with little or no success. Now I have a qualification in nutrition I feel more confident in structuring a plan to follow and also making sure I get the right amount of minerals and vitamins to keep my body and mind healthy - I knew my 10 boxes of nutrition books would come in handy one day! This time I dont want to just go on a diet I want to make a total lifestyle change - maybe its the thought of turning 30 in 6 months bringing this all on - who knows. Since the beginning of this year I have become more and more grossed out by the thought of meat and what it actually is - flesh! I don't need to eat dead animals to be healthy and to be totally honest I don't even really like the taste of them - and there it was I made a commitment to myself to become a totally dedicated vegetarian. I am proud to say that since making my pledge to not eat meat I have 100% stuck to it - I haven't even been tempted by the smell of bacon sandwiches cooking on a Sunday morning or burgers on the BBQ this summer. I am quite happy with my bean burgers thank you very much.

Last month I bought a book (to add to my huge collection) - The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. I have read this book from cover to cover and am in love with the thought of living as a vegan. How long I would actually be in love with the lifestyle if I actually converted to veganism may be a different story. Anyways I could do with losing a few holiday pounds and seem to be stuck in a junk food rut and need to get OUT! Plus I like a challenge - especially if its around my favourite topic - FOOD.

As from Monday I will be embarking on my journey to veganism. I will detail my diet plan and everything I eat and drink on this blog in an effort to stick to it (and any exercise I decide to do too). Its gonna be tough - I love cheese and as a veggie everything I eat seems to consist of cheese - this must be one of the major factors contributing to my muffin top! It would be a bonus to cut out all processed food as well which I will try and adhere to but the main object is to stick to a vegan diet. With that in mind wish me luck! It doesn't start until Monday so I still have time to sneak in a few more bevvies and a slab of cheese....

Happy living x