So how is the new diet going? I am definitely doing more experimenting and New Recipe Sunday, along with every other day of the week, is well and truly in full swing. We have had some hits and misses and by no means has this been an easy or fun journey for me but I am hoping time to find some staple ingredients again will make things easier. I thank the thousand of other bloggers around the world for sharing their ideas and recipes as without them I would be finding this journey a thousand times harder and trust me it is hard enough as it is.
Some of the more challenging things I have found is trying to find some sweet recipes or more realistically replacements for chocolate. I love chocolate, especially when I am having a tough day, it is without a doubt my comfort food. It has therefore been really important for me to have some alternatives at the ready as tough days are coming from all directions it seems. If only cheating once every now and then was an option, but sadly not! So many 'healthy' sweet alternatives include coconut oil which for me is a big no no as is anything with cocoa butter, making chocolate recipes incredibly tough. With this in mind I have spent some time trying to adapt and change recipes to make some chocolate replicas and I have found a ripper slice that I am really happy with. I am calling it a raw vegan hedgehog slice, but call it what you will, it is delicious. It is really simple but be warned it is incredibly rich. I think I will decrease the cocoa/cacao when I make this again but it is a really good alternative and one that I will have on hand at all times. It is primarily nuts and dates so it really is a much healthier option than the biscuit based hedgehog I am used to, so if you want to mix things ups, give it a crack.
I know I have been banging on about sweet dishes but it realistically isn't my main priority. let's be honest, we do eat at least 2 main meals a day so there has been a lot of time trying new suitable dishes. I really hate having the same meal two nights in a row so there has been a LOT of researching and recipe hunting. On reflection, as I flick through the 100 plus photos from the last fortnight (I know I am back in blogging mode when literally the only photos on my phone are of food) I have tried a lot already. So far I have ticked off roast veggie pasties, prawn and chilli spaghetti, lentil lasagne and salmon burgers to name a few but the one that deserves the biggest mention was pad thai with prawns. I had to do make a few adaptions to a recipe from Taste, taking things out such as eggs, but I think my version still tasted very very similar to any that I have had a restaurant before. I think this is easily the most authentic tasting pad thai I have made myself and I have tried a few times in the past. This is the first time I have used a recipe with tamarind paste and I think this made all the difference. If you don't have some in the fridge, grab some from the supermarket as I swear this is the secret ingredient to such simple deliciousness.
Finally let's talk about New Recipe Sunday this week. I am already starting to get a little sick of fish as well as root vegetables so trying to experiement with some more vegetarian options and some less boring flavours. I saw a picture on Facebook for a vegan 'meatloaf' and I thought this not only looked delicious but would be something very different to what I have been trying. I did some researching and found a recipe that looked half decent so gave it a whirl. I made some small adaptions and I was really really surprised with the results. Chickpeas haven't been a staple in our pantry before so I wasn't too sure what to expect but they didn't seem to have a lot of taste and I think could be incredibly versatile an ingredient for future. The chickpea loaf was such a similar consistency to an authentic meatloaf and the flavours were really great too, the chickpeas seemed to soak up all of the sauces really well. I served it up with some roast vegetables and I think I would happily have this as an alternative to a Sunday roast again in future.
As this week draws to a close I am counting down the days (7 for those keeping track!) until I am on holidays and it couldn't come around quick enough. I am really looking forward to some 'me' time to try and get on top of things and to get myself back into a better routine. I have really neglected exercise of late and my body is starting to let me know it with a few aches and pains popping in to say hello. Time to get those muscles moving again as they seem to be seizing up with old age! That's it from me, always keep smiling even if at times it feels like 'grinning and bearing it' as you never know who will do something so simple that will brighten your day.
