Banana choc chip cake

I don’t know if I have ever made banana cake before, but since there were some sad (and I mean SAD) looking bananas in the kitchen, I decided to give it a try. I looked at a few recipes online and came up with this (adding chocolate chips was my own rather brilliant idea. I know, I’m modest.). It came out really well 🙂 and it was super quick and easy to make.

Preheat oven to 175 oC

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup soya milk
• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar

• 1/4 cup oil (rapeseed or other mild flavoured vegetable oil)
• 1/2 cup demerara sugar
• 2 small very ripe bananas

• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup wholemeal flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp salt

• 1/2 cup (or more) vegan chocolate chips (I used waitrose dark chocolate chunks)

1. Mix together the soya milk and vinegar and set aside
2. In a blender, or with a handheld blender, whizz up the bananas, oil and sugar
3. Mix dry ingredients together (flours, baking powder and soda, salt)
4. Put the milk mixture in with the blended banana mixture and whizz a bit more
5. Mix the wet into the dry
6. Fold in the chocolate chips
7. Pour into a baking tin
8. Bake for 25-30 mins, until a skewer jabbed in the middle comes out clean
9. Leave to cool
10. Dust with icing sugar, if you can be bothered
11. Cut
12. Eat

Yes I made a heart shaped cake

Yum

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InSpiral in London

I was in London last week to go to a gig at the Jazz Cafe in Camden (wonderful group called We Were Evergreen – I’d highly recommend them), and there was a bit of time beforehand so we went for some food. I wasn’t massively hungry since I’d eaten out at lunchtime but I knew that InSpiral was close by and I knew it was vegan or vegetarian. On close inspection of their website it seems they are vegan apart from the cow’s milk they have as an option for drinks.

When we got there I really wished I hadn’t eaten out at lunchtime! The range of food looked awesome. I decided on cake and a small smoothie 🙂

terrible photo! but it was delicious!

This cake was beautiful. I asked the guy who served me what he’d recommend and he said this one. Wow. And the smoothie was awesome too.

I definitely plan to go back there sometime when I am hungry! The staff were lovely and there was a lovely atmosphere, and the range of food (including lots of raw food) was great.

Here’s the useful info:

Website

250 Camden High Street

London

NW1 8QS

• Mon – Thu: 9:00 – 22:00
• Fri – Sat: 9:00 – 2:00 (late)
• Sun: 9:00 – 23:30

Happy Cow reviews

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222 in London

In July I went to London and had the joy of going to 222 Restaurant. I’ve been there before and it didn’t disappoint the second time.

It’s about a 5 minute walk from West Brompton tube station, and I think when I went there before (2 years ago) it was all vegan apart from offering cow’s milk as an option. Well it now looks like they are completely vegan, and the milk options are soya, rice or almond. Yay! 🙂

Here’s the menu.

For my starter I had the bean and tofu pancake:

A delicious blend of black-eyed beans and tofu wrapped in a tender wholemeal pancake topped with tomato and vegan cream sauce

My main was the chef’s salad:

Seasonal vegetables, avocado slices, asparagus, potatoes, tomatoes and marinated artichokes in an extra-virgin olive oil dressing.

This was an AMAZING salad. Really special.

And for dessert I had the apple crumble with vanilla ice cream:

The whole experience was lovely. The place is really nice, the staff are great, and the food is really amazing.

Hello random people who happen to be in my photo. You look like you’re having a lovely time.

Useful info:

Address: 222 North End Road, West Kensington, W14 9NU

(nearest tube stations are West Brompton or West Kensington)

Tel: 020 738 12322

Opening hours:

Lunch buffet 12:00-15:30
Dinner a la carte 17:30-22:30

Website: here

Happy Cow reviews

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Tahini Lemon Rice and Beans

I love my Vegan Yum Yum cookbook. It’s probably the most used of all of my vegan cookbooks (I have a vast collection). The recipes are lovely and I really love that there are photos for each of them – I’m so much more inclined to cook something if I see a picture of it first!

This recipe is from the cookbook, but I also found a version on the website – here.

I adapted it a bit, mainly because you can’t really buy seitan over here so making it specially would be a big effort! And I’m more likely to have spinach in the fridge than kale, so I tend to use that.

It really is a wonderful dish. I’ve made it for lots of friends and family too – I like things you can make a little in advance (i.e. before they arrive) and then warm up when you want to eat – it means you don’t spend ages in the kitchen when you could be chatting to people. And it is so full of flavour, it’s delicious. And super easy – especially with my microwavey rice shortcut!!

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Other ingredients:

• I microwave packet of brown rice (or 1 cup of cooked brown rice if you’re not being lazy)
• 1 bag of baby spinach (or kale)
• 1 tin of black beans
• 1 tins of butter beans

Instructions:

1. In a big bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients together (with a fork, or a whisk) and put to one side
2. In a large pan, start to wilt the spinach in a little oil (while this is happening, microwave your rice pouch)
3. Add the beans and rice
4. Once the beans are warmed through and the spinach is fully wilted, add the sauce
5. Heat through
6. Serve
7. Eat
8. Yum
9. Easy

there was very bright sunshine on my windowsill this afternoon 🙂

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