Restaurant Review | Temple of Camden, London.

I'm not only late to the party but am quite possibly the last guest to arrive, HOWEVER, I made it and that's the main thing really.

Temple of Seitan has been in London for over two years now and I can still remember the day I first learned about it... I was very, very excited. The problem is I don't travel to London all that often (or as often as I'd like to) and if I do venture to the capital it's normally for a specific reason and so I haven't managed to divert said plans in order to try the delicious looking food.

The fated day thankfully did come - I was visiting a friend in London (not vegan she's just lovely and indulges me!) and as we had no specific ideas on what we would do once there, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to head to the Temple of Camden and buy ALL THE FOOD.

The first thing I have to mention was that the walk was a bit of a mission if I'm honest, considering it is supposed to be in Camden it is quite a distance from Camden Market and the main centre. Not a massive issue but something to think about if you wanted to go yourself, it's in the middle of nowhere!

Once we eventually got to the restaurant I couldn't believe the amount of choice available, both I and my friend just stared at the menu for a good 5 minutes.
Now I was a huge KFC fan back when I ate meat and I haven't really had any form of "fried chicken" since which might explain why I ended up ordering enough food for four people and put a lot of pressure on this meal...

The service was super friendly and also really quick - we were there fairly early in the day and the queues did get a little bigger while we ate but it wasn't ever too much of a wait, even on a Saturday.

When selecting the food I knew I had to try one of the burgers and then we were torn between the wings and the popcorn chicken. We opted for the wings purely based on the fact that I've never liked wings because of the bones however as there is no animal in these wings there's also no bones!
You can choose the sauce in which the wings come in and I know traditionally it should be spicy but whenever I see it I just can't say no to BBQ.
In the end, our total order was the BBQ wings, Temple burger, Mac 'n Cheese, Gravy and fries.

My favourite dish was the wings, the BBQ sauce was sticky, smokey and there was a disgusting amount of it.... just the way I like it. I will say though that although the coating was crispy and did have some flavour the "meat" still had a hint of seitan (similar to soya) flavour to it so not quite a perfect match to KFC, but it was very close!






















The burger was also crispy and so delicious, the only negative again is that I was still left with the seitan essence, I also found all the ingredients a little overwhelming so next time I might go for the classic burger or a chicken burger with less in it!






















The mac 'n cheese was a little rich for me, but that might be more due to the sheer amount of food I was eating rather than the pasta itself! I would still recommend this to a mac 'n cheese fan as it is definitely a good substitute and would be a great side instead of fries rather than as well as!

The fries were amazing and I couldn't fault them at all which is why in future I would probably skip the mac 'n cheese for just the fries as the side. They also pair beautifully with the gravy which although thin was packed full of flavour!

Overall I think I would give Temple of Camden a 4/5, it is very out of the way from everything else so you need to make a special effort to get there and back to the main streets and Camden Market so not somewhere I would go ever time I'm in Camden.
The food was truly delicious and I'm sure next time I go I will choose the perfect medley of options for me and it will be even better (and I WILL be going again)!
I would like to add finally that unlike non-vegan fast food I genuinely was not left feeling bloated and gross from all the grease like I would have with the meat/dairy, now I know it's not a healthy choice by any means but I certainly felt like I was eating something a darn sight healthier than KFC!

x

Recipe | Costa Rican Rice

 Back last summer I was lucky enough to take a trip to Costa Rica and it quickly became one of my favourite places in the whole world.


Not only is it beautiful but it has a strong focus on renewable energy and protecting the local environment which is a bit of a passion of mine, so naturally I fell utterly in love!

Being a vegan and not speaking the language created a slight barrier when it came to eating, which was a shame as Costa Rica has some glorious offerings!
I ended up eating the very traditional dish of rice and beans every day... and no that is not an exaggeration. When staying in a lodge on an island I ended up having it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for two days as there were no other options to choose!
And although the rice was always flavoursome and filling I'm sure you can imagine why I didn't feel the need to eat it again once back in the UK.

However 8 months later I began to crave it and so tried my hand at re-creating what I'd eaten on my trip, in my own kitchen. It ended up going fairly well considering I threw random food together hoping to get a similar flavour. I wanted to share in case anyone else has experienced this joy and wants to relive it or if you just want to give it a go!

I recommend using leftover rice or microwave pouches to make it a super quick recipe! You could even play around with your own ideas, maybe add some extra veg like peppers or peas!

Ingredients:

2 tsps garlic
3/4 cup of onion chopped
1 tin black beans
1 veggie stock cube
1-2 tsp Worcestershire sauce (can get vegan options from thevegankind.com)
1.5-2 cups rice (pre-cooked or microwave)
0.5 cups boiling water
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

1. Fry garlic and onions with a small amount of oil in a saucepan
2. Pour in black beans including water from the can, simmer for 5 mins
3. Break up and sprinkle stock cube into mixture and Worcestershire sauce then stir until the cube is dissolved
4. Add rice to the pan with extra water and simmer for 10 mins or until most of the water has evaporated/been absorbed.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve!

Yes, it's that simple - easy and delicious!

x

Recipe | Vegan Granola

Up until now I had always shop bought granola, simply because I hadn't realised just how quick and easy (not to mention cheap) it is to make at home!

After watching a couple of youtube videos and reading countless recipes I thought I'd amend them to make the perfect granola for me! 

Once I had looked at a huge number of combinations within loads of different recipes, I finally cracked exactly what I want in mine, and now I want to share it with you!

Now there were a few things I learned that I wanted from my granola before attempting the final mixture:

1. Not to add too many nuts, as well as being picky with the nuts I choose. A lot of recipes called for a huge amount of different nuts but I've never been the biggest fan of a strong nut flavour (don't judge me but I can't even handle peanut butter!) so I stuck with a lower proportion of nuts and only chose those with a subtle taste - obviously this can be mixed up to your own personal taste!

2. I need more liquid than other recipes suggested. As important as the proportions of flavours is, it turns out that the texture was equally as tough to get perfect and I like granola that's a tad chewy as well as crunchy.

3. It takes a surprising amount of time to get to the right level of crispiness when cooking. Oh, also raisins don't take as long to cook as the rest of the mix, so I add them in halfway through baking.



So without further ado here's what ya need:

Ingredients:

- 1.5 cups of nuts (I used walnuts, pecans and cashews)
- 2.5 cups oats (the bigger the flakes the better)
- 3 tbsp golden syrup
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- 0.5 cups raisins (or other dried fruit)

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 170 oC
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except for the raisins. You will need to melt the coconut oil in the microwave first.
2. Cover tray with baking paper or a silicon mat and lay mixture out in a thin layer.
3. Bake in the oven for 20 mins
4. Remove from oven and turn over to ensure even baking. Also, add the raisins at this point.
5. Return to oven and bake for 10 more minutes or until all the mixture looks golden brown.
6. Allow to cool and enjoy!

This granola can be kept for at least a week in an airtight container. Let me know what you like to put in your granola or if you give this one a try!
x

Monthly Favourites | March.

March was a crazy busy month so it's been hard to dedicate as much time to the blog as I would like, however I can still share some of the things that have been my favourite through the month!
There are, as usual, specifically vegan products - however there are also a couple more personal things on the list that although they don't quite fit into my vegan theme I still feel I want to share them!

In March I managed to finish my normal toothpaste and decided to try something different .... and 100% vegan! I was worried that as it isn't mint flavoured I'd struggle to get on with it but it's a subtle and rather tasty flavour! This is a toothpaste aimed at sensitive teeth which I have suffered with in the past, I can honestly say this is the only toothpaste I have notice actually making a difference! My teeth are noticably less sensitive, I don't find myself preparing before sipping cold water or eating ice cream now! I bought mine from Holland and Barratt.

For the first time I'm including a book in my monthly favourites because I was in quite a reading slump that has finally ended thanks to this fabulous read. Anyone that enjoys YA, magical, fantasy novels will adore Poison Study as much as I did so I urge you to pick it up.
Health warning though that this is the first in a trilogy so you might end up needing to purchase more because the writing is beautiful, the story is incredible and I JUST NEED ALL THE BOOKS NOW PLEASE.

This month also led me to getting my third tattoo, all my tattoos have been done at the same parlour and two by the same artist. When it comes to getting something permanently put on your body it's vital you do research and are comfortable with the shop you get it done in .... and then stick with it if you get more!
Let me introduce you to Alfonso. When I was in my first year of university my housemate, in a fit of boredom, doodled on my feet... yeah that's kind of uni in a nutshell. One of the doodles was a little giraffe and at the time I thought it would make a cute tattoo, fast forward almost 8 years and I got the real thing! It is now a reminder of not only my housemates but all my friends that support me, raise me up and help me to stand tall. He's also pretty cute.
If you're ever looking to get some ink and are in Bath go to Northgate Tattoo (formerly Broadstreet Studios) they are professional, friendly and so talented it makes me a little sick.

I couldn't write a favourites post without including some food! This month I discovered Smooze ice lollies from Sainsburys. They are coconut and mango flavour which means they taste like frozen mango smoothie and are perfect on a hot sunny day .... which we had one of in the UK before it got cold again....
Even if the nice weather doesn't stick around these are a worthwhile staple for the freezer when you fancy something fresh, healthy and sweet.

Monthly Favourites | February.

A little late with this post which I apologise for.... work has been a little crazy lately. However I have managed to get sat down at my keyboard and am ready to this months bunch of favourites (this month really meaning last month!)

Firstly (as per usual) is a food item. I have always loved onion ring crisps, yes they stink and you'll be burping onion flavour for weeks afterwards but they are just SO good and I was very sad to loose them when becoming vegan.
Normally the ingredients (like a lot of crisps) contain milk powder ..... UNTIL NOW! Thanks to Sainsburys new and improved formula there's no longer any animal products involved and they're completely vegan, HALLELOO!

The second food item I've been obsessed with this month are Sainsbury's Meatless Meatballs ..... or as I like to call them Balls.
Some people are very skeptical of fake meats (rightly so in some cases) but these are soft, moist, filling and taste suspiciously like stuffing, which in my opinion is no bad thing!
If you are looking for an easy and healthy vegan alternative I can't recommend these enough, they were also omnivore improved.

I wanted to share this next item with you because I could not believe just how incredible it was!
Now a thermos might not seem like the most exciting product, but anyone that enjoys a hot beverage on the go knows the struggle of keeping it at a temperature that doesn't make you cringe when you finally get around to drinking it.
Look no further than the Bestek flask, it isn't too pricey and kept my coffee warm for at least 4 hours and it was still tepid 6 hours after I made it!
I found mine on Amazon  for £7.99!

My final and possibly number one favourite for this month is actually a new online coaching programme I have signed up to. I technically joined in January but wanted to try it for a few weeks before rating and sharing it.
The idea is to sign up to the website to get access to hundreds of at home workout programmes which are of different lengths and intensities (they also come with meal plans if you want to fully commit). This doesn't sound like anything new but what makes this one special is the accountability groups you can join to help you stay motivated. You find a coach (I came across mine on Instagram) and they will set you up in a group using the app which allows you to update the workouts you do and communicate with other people on the journey.... the daily notifications to remind you to workout are also pretty encouraging!
I've always struggled to keep up with my fitness, I'm lazy, busy and hate gyms, but this option takes all of that out of the equation - the workouts are 30 minutes on average and can be done anywhere!!
If you are interested please go and speak to Jen because she is wonderful and can talk you through everything you need to do.
Granted I am not a fan of the name Beachbody on Demand - if you have a body then it's a beach body regardless of shape or size - but the actual product is fantastic!

Restaurant Review | Koh Thai.

I love Thai food. I love Tapas. Thai Tapas just made sense.

The chain Koh Thai serves a huge range of Thai tapas in a few cities including Bath, Southampton, Bournemouth, Romsey and many others! We ventured to Southsea to try some of the delicious food they had to offer.
There were quite a few vegan options and we tried them all accept one.....

For the actual Tapas we had crunchy tofu and vegetable tempura which both came with a sweet chilli dip. I definitely enjoyed both dishes and considering they were battered and deep fried neither were overly greasy so you don't feel quite so bad about eating them! The vegetables were so soft, perfectly cooked and the batter was super light and crispy, once dipped in the sauce both the tofu and the tempura were jammed with a super comforting flavour (the broccoli was my personal favourite).
The only vegan tapas option we didn't have was the vegetable spring rolls, firstly because that is a hell a lot of batter/pastry but also I can get spring rolls from many other restaurants/take aways so wanted to try something different!

The other potential dishes for vegans is the stir fry, of which we opted for the cashew (there was garlic, chilli, ginger or Thai basil) with just veg - you can add tofu as well if you want extra protein!
I have no idea what the sauce was that this came in as it is simply described as "house stir fry sauce" but it was sort of a soy sauce base with a definite kick at the end from chilli. Scrumptious without over powering the vegetables.

And finally we also ordered the only vegan curry which was the yellow - this is the most mild you can have so if you like your spice you might be a little disappointed about not being able to have the hotter versions. However this was still full of flavour and I think it was my favourite dish of the night so if you try only one dish I would go for this one.

Oh and we had a portion of coconut rice because clearly we hadn't ordered enough already!

The one and only negative I would say about the restaurant is not about the food at all but the lighting! Now I understand having a chilled and cool ambience but it was so dark I had to hold the candle next to the menu to actually read it!! This is the reason for the rather poor quality photos (Also completely forgot to take pictures before we started digging in..... oops).

We finished the meal off with a cocktail because they have a whole tasty looking menu so would highly recommend you try at least one if you go!

x

What I Eat in a Day | Vegan.

Not sure what to eat as a vegan or curious about whether we eat just salad? Follow me for the day as we journey through my food story!!

Breakfast - Fruity Porridge:
Currently I am utterly and completely obsessed with porridge.
I make mine with water and then just a splash of soy milk at the end but you can use soy milk instead of water if you prefer! I have seen many wonderful and adventurous toppings for this breakfast but I tend to keep it simple with just a handful of frozen fruit (I often take it to work so this is nice and easy to transport!)

I put the fruit in before I microwave it because I'm not yet prepared to eat solid frozen fruit... it just doesn't appeal. Also if you cook it for long enough the berries burst and so the sweet fruity flavour mixes in with the whole bowl!

 

Lunch - Vegetable Pitta and Hummus:
This is such a simple, yet delicious, fresh and healthy (yay!) lunch option - it's easy to take with you as a packed lunch too, you just need to pre-prep if you want the veggies cooked!
All you need is your choice of Mediterranean veg, cook it slowly in a pan I add a bit of Worcestershire sauce and black pepper for added flavour.
Once it's all softened, leave to cool (or eat warm if you fancy it!), spread some hummus on your whole-wheat pitta, add the vegetables and enjoy.

Dinner - Roast Dinner!
I know it's hard to believe but it is in fact possible to have an amazing roast dinner without any animal products at all!
To start obviously all the vegetables you'd normally have as sides are fine for vegans.... just make sure the roast potatoes are cooked in vegetable oil and not animal fat.
Most herb stuffing packets are completely vegan so eat until your hearts content just add water as instructed by the packet.
You don't even have to miss out on bread sauce, just check on the ingredients that there is no milk powder in the mix and make it up with a dairy free milk... voila!
Continuing along the thoughts of sauces, most tomato ketchup and bbq sauces are vegan and double check but I have found nearly every vegetable gravy (granules) to be vegan too!

Now for the main substitution ..... the meat. There are literally hundreds of meat alternatives out there, chicken, turkey, sausages even beef wellington so just take your pick. If you want to avoid the highly processed products then nut roasts are a really great option and they taste much nicer than you might imagine and that's coming from someone that isn't a huge fan of nuts! I actually opted for simple vegetables and stuffing this time.

The one thing that is normally off the cards is Yorkshire puddings however there are egg replacers you can buy but I haven't been brave enough to test them yet..... Maybe one day.

(I apologise for the quality - something in the transfer to laptop slightly ruined the photo ...)

Let me know if this sort of post is interesting and or useful so I can keep doing them each month!

x

Restaurant Review | Las Iguanas.

As most of you will be aware the month of January is now known as Veganuary which is a movement to encourage people to try veganism for a month!
This has led to many shops and restaurants having deals and special products available throughout January.
One such place is Las Iguanas who have decided to do 2 for 1 on all vegan main courses - pretty great huh? One of my work colleagues messaged me about the deal knowing how happy it would make me and so I suggested we take a visit and make the most of the opportunity.

Before we get into the food I just want to give a mention to the staff who were brilliant from the start. Our waitress in particular was friendly, informative and crazy helpful. My friend that I was with isn't a vegan and they were accommodating enough for her to keep the cheese and sour cream on her mushroom fajita and still have it as part of the deal! Las Iguanas, you so great.

STARTER: I opted for Holy Guacamole and Tortilla Chips & Dips, now before you get your judgey pants on we shared the two!
Out of them I think the guac was my favourite... you can't beat a bit of avocado but I would recommend either and be aware that the piccalilli type dip does have a kick to it! Both were fresh and not too heavy so perfect to start.

MAIN: When it came to choosing a dish I was a spoilt for choice .... well between 5 options, but they all sounded INCREDIBLE (see the choices here just scroll down to the menu). I ended up choosing the Moqueca de Palmitos as it is a dish I doubt I'd ever make myself at home, but I am planning to try the mushroom fajita next time I find myself there.

My curry reminded me of a Thai curry as it was creamy, not to mention delicious plus it wasn't too spicy which is good as I'm not a huge fan of crazy hot food.

The palm hearts were new to me and they were soft and added to the super creaminess of the curry - I'm going to be trying them again as soon as I can.

The other addition that I'll be attempting in future is the toasted coconut to sprinkle on top - adding that bit of crunch gave some much appreciated texture!
It was accompanied by pico de gallo (essentially salsa), spring onion rice and green beans, I draw your attention to the below photo. The only slight gripe I had was the sides were a little cold when they got to me, having said that they were still tasty and I'm a fan of adding onion to basically everything so the rice was a winner with me!
Overall I absolutely fell in love with this dish and left feeling satisfied and full of goodness.

Dessert: After all that food we decided there was just no room left for dessert however it was pretty exciting to see that they actually had two vegan plates! The sorbet is a go to for a lot of restaurants as vegan puds are always tricky.
I was intrigued by the Tembleque which is a set coconut dessert - if you've experienced this do please let me know what you thought and I might order it at another time!

Now of course the main focus of this post is the food however the drinks need an honourable mention - It was a work night so we decided not to go for the 2 for 1 cocktails..... until we realised they had mocktails! The Virgin Piña Colada was something of true beauty and I highly recommend to all that drink and those that don't.

Cheers!!

x

Simple Recipes | The Magic of the Chickpea.

Aaaah the chickpea - though you be but small, you still be mighty.

If like me you have spent far too many years unaware of how marvellous these peas are then I'm here to show you the way, with 3 super quick, simple, cheap and healthy....ish recipes.

Important side note: when draining the chickpeas make sure to hold onto and store the water... just trust me on this one, you'll need it later.

If you have done any research into vegan alternatives you may have come across the idea of using chickpeas to replace tuna in sandwiches or salads - Yes you heard that correctly. I was extremely sceptical of this at first and didn't think it would taste nice at all, let alone remind me of tuna.

I was wrong! I bit the bullet and tried it. You're welcome.... I mean that many vegans couldn't be wrong!

 1. Chickpea Tuna: 

 1. Drain and mash a tin of chickpeas with a fork.

2. Add some vegan mayo or salad cream (Tesco “free from” mayonnaise is fab!).

3. Add any extra garnishes you want!

I tend to stay simple and add a pinch of pepper, spring onions and sweetcorn if I have some in the cupboard - It does need a little something something to make sure it's not too bland.

Honestly this is an amazing alternative that actually works and tastes great (It was even confirmed by my omnivore sister who thought it was delicious too!!). Perfect if you're low on time or need a lunch to pack and take on the go - Plus no actual fish so you won't stink out the whole office!

This next one is a really fab and easy snack - it's a tad better for you than the crisps and biscuits that are arguably tasty, but not the healthiest choice.

2. Crispy Chickpeas:

1.Preheat oven to 170oC

2. Drain your chickpeas and place on baking tray.

3. Add some spices (I used curry powder, garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, thyme and cumin).

4. Bake for an hour or until golden brown and crispy.

Voila!! Jobs a good'un.

And now something sweet to finish!
Desserts for vegans are always a bit of a pain considering we don't eat eggs, butter or milk. All of which are rather important constituents to most puds!

But don't fear there are always options. Oh by the way this is the point you'll want that chickpea water I told you to hang onto.

3. Chocolate Mousse:

1. Melt 50g of dark chocolate.

2. Use an electric hand whisk to whisk the chickpea water until soft peaks form.

3. Once the chocolate has cooled gently fold it into the fluffed chickpea water.

4. Freeze for 20 minutes to speed up cooling.

5. Keep chilled in fridge.

And again that's all there is to it! Simple right?

So there's no reason to have boring food or think being vegan requires a lot of time and effort. Once you know the tricks it's easy as pie.... vegan pie of course!

x

Token Introductory Post!

Hello!

Welcome to my new blog - The Veganarium.

I've been a vegan on and off for a while but am finally settling into it properly and thought I might share my journey towards a healthier and happier lifestyle with others.

But why "The Veganarium"?

This blog is meant to be all about growth ..... just like the cute little succulents you'd grow in a vivarium... but instead, here we grow vegans!

I'm still learning and discovering so this might be a good place for other newbies to learn with me or more experienced vegans to reminisce, make suggestions or (dare I say) even find new tips/ideas themselves!

You should expect to find "what I eat in a day" posts, trialling vegan recipes, recipes of my own, reviews of vegan food/restaurants and general life/opinion posts.... if it's vegan it'll be here!

The vegan community has always been a strong and ridiculously supportive one and this is my small, but hopefully positive contribution.

Come on in, take a look around and lets enjoy some vegan goodness.

x