Another late round up! I have had a really busy week and was so tired yesterday I didn’t have the energy to write up my blog.

On Monday I went out for lunch with a colleague to The Cafe Below which is situated in the crypt of St Mary-le-Bow church in the City of London. This was my first visit to the cafe and I think they used to be fully vegetarian but now serve meat and fish. I went for the olive and houmous salad and my friend had the cheese souffle salad. I was impressed with the dish and would recommended popping by if you are in the area. They make all the food in house including the bread and salad dressings and their menu changes regularly with the seasons. I had a root beer too, which I love and it’s quite hard to find in the UK so I always have it when I see it on a menu!

My Husband met me from the station and as I was feeling lazy we decided to eat out. It was a bit extravagant after having lunch out as well (!) but I decided to just have a starter as I was still quite full from the salad. We went to a local Turkish restaurant where I had the falafel starter and grilled onions. Grilled onions may sound really simple, but these are gorgeous and I would urge you to try them if they’re on the menu when you go to a Turkish restaurant.

On Tuesday we had an office away day at the Tower of London. I’m always a bit nervous of what I am going to be served food-wise at work events. I got a matcha latte on the way in as I didn’t expect them to have any dairy free milk with the refreshments. For lunch I was served couscous with roasted vegetables which was OK, but it could have done with some type of beans in it. There was also some tomato and basil soup which my colleagues said didn’t taste like it had any dairy in it, but to be honest I was so full after the massive bowl of couscous I didn’t want anything else.

On the way home I picked up a wrap and some yogurt from Pret a Manger, they have really expanded their vegetarian offering recently and it good to be able to grab something on the go and actually have a bit choice! I had the avocado and chipotle chickpea wrap with the dairy-free bircher.

On Wednesday I made a stir fry dish using some mock chicken I had picked up in an Asian supermarket with roasted peppers and aubergines. The mock chicken was marinated in a curry seasoning and I added soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger and chilli into the mix. I really enjoyed this dish and I think roasting the peppers and aubergine first was a good idea as it really developed the flavour.

On Thursday I went swimming with my Mum but unfortunately my phone ran out of battery so I couldn’t take a picture of my food! We had some  falafels made from a packet mix with black beans, mashed celeriac, broccoli and cauliflower, all very wholesome!

As Thursday was pay day we decided to have a takeaway on Friday. I had my usual of sea spice bean curd with rice and deep fried aubergine balls with sweet and sour sauce. Unfortunately the restaurant forgot my beancurd so I ate my aubergine while I was waiting for them to come back with it and by that point I completely forgot about taking a photo! It was satisfying as always and I love the seaweed in this dish. There was enough left over for breakfast on Saturday too!

On Saturday after the Chinese for breakfast I had a couple of avocado and falafel wraps for lunch and that saw me all they way through the evening. Its only when I read this back I realise how much falafel I’ve eaten this week!

Last night we tried out a Satay Sauce from Blue Dragon. It had a seasoning pouch which you rub in and then a sauce you pour over the top. My Husband had it with chicken and I had some mock duck. We fried some peppers and spring onions with it and had it with noodles. I really liked this sauce, it wasn’t overly peanutty or thick. It just left a nice coating of sauce over everything.

I have a week’s annual leave from work this week so I think I’m either going to do lots of cooking or be very very lazy! Let’s wait and see!

Plumes x