I’ve tried some new dishes recently and wanted to share them with you.

I made tofush and chips on NYE by seasoning and wrapping some tofu in nori seaweed  (the kind you get on sushi rolls) and then dipping in batter and frying. The batter was a bit thin and the tofu a bit too thick but the flavour was definitely there!

We spent the evening with my Brother and Sister-in-law playing board games and my Sister-in-law cooked these Indian snacks from Tesco. I think they were in the Christmas range so may not longer be available but they were a bit different to your usual samosas and bhajis.

I made a dhal using Jack Monroe’s recipe on their budget recipe site Cooking on a Bootstrap and some dried split fava (broad) beans I had in the cupboard. I also made some spiced roasted cauliflower and some sag aloo using some Oatly cream I had. It’s is so good in curries!

I also wanted to use the Oatly cream to make some pasta sauce. I blitzed some silken tofu I had in the cupboard with the cream and added mustard, I used Sainsburys dijon mustard which is actually quite hot. I served the pasta with roasted cauliflower and cabbage and topped with Tesco smoked soya cheese.

Marks and Spencer are good for lunch for vegans if you want salad. They do loads of mini salads with all sorts of ingredients that are usually two for £3. Now after years of pestering and I think in line with Veganuary they have launched two vegan sandwiches. I bought the supergreens one the other day. It has crushed peas and edemame beans with some salady greens on a multiseed bread. It was nice but could of had more filling. I wouldn’t rush back to buy one but it’s nice to know there’s an option as there is an m&s in most big train stations.

I grabbed some lunch from Spitalfields market on Friday and went for this Ethiopian stall. Ethiopian is one of my fave cuisines and if you haven’t tried it you must! Lots of beans, lentils, veg and a pancake type bread called injera which is made from the flour of a seed called teff. It has quite a sour flavour and is high in iron.

I also got my first veg box delivered from Riverford on Friday. This supports two of my goals from my Goals for 2017 post, reducing plastic and supporting independent, local suppliers. The box I have gone for is the grown in the UK only veg box, so this will also help us eat more seasonally. I’m really looking forward to using my veg!

I bought some cupcakes from a new bakery which has opened up off Brick Lane called Vida. They were delicious and I’m going to write a separate blog post going into more detail about them.

I made this dish only for the second time this week so I’m including it under new food! I made veggie meatballs and gravy with mash potato and cabbage. I didn’t realise I didn’t have any gravy granules in so I had to improvise with a stock cube and some arrowroot to thicken. These meatballs are from Sainsburys and they’ve recently changed the recipe to remove the egg so now vegan friendly! These are soya based and I prefer them to the Ikea ones which a more vegetable based.

Yesterday I went to the theatre to see “An Inspector Calls” with my Brother and Sister-in-law, we had a fabulous time and headed out for food afterwards as we had been to the matinee. All Bar One are doing a vegan menu in collaboration with Veganuary so we thought we would head there.

I went for the kale and houmous flatbread which was delicious although the flatbread was a bit crispy so you couldn’t really fold it. I was planning on having the rice pudding for dessert but I didn’t realise the flatbread came with chips and I was too full by the end. Oh well that’s an excuse to go back!

I’m thinking of doing food posts more like this, showcasing new dishes I have tried rather than weekly round ups where you may see the same staple dishes I eat. What do you think?

Have you tried any new foods recently? Or taken advantage of any Veganuary offers? Let me know in the comments.

Plumes x