fatgayvegan

Eating en DF

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I have just woken up from an afternoon nap in my rented vacation apartment in Mexico City. In a short while I will be getting dressed and having a few sips of mezcal before heading out for some early evening drinks in the nearby gay cantinas.

But you didn’t come here to hear about my leisurely holiday. You want to see gorgeous photos of enticing vegan food, right?

When have I ever let you down? Keep scrolling to see a fraction of the food I have been busying myself with here in Mexico. This city does have vegan dining-out options but what follows is a small selection of my self-catering creations with a few store bought snacks thrown in for good measure.

Enjoy.

Vegan brunch included fried herb tofu, fried tomato, papas bravas, totopos y guacamole
Salsa verde and totopos
Esquites – corn, onion, garlic, epazote & lime juice topped with vegan sour cream & hot sauce
Wheat steaks with hot sauce
NuGo mint chocolate chip bar
Charritos!
Kale chips with nutritional yeast and chipotle
Fresh fruit salad topped with salted peanuts and pumpkin seeds
Silk chocolate almond milk
Blue corn quesadillas
Toffuti ice cream
Nut snacks
Mini macaroni with beans, olives & spinach in a tomato hot sauce
Guacamole on mini bagels
Fried rice with pineapple, corn, spinach, beans, broccoli, cauliflower, spring onions, tomato & chile
Warm oats cooked with Mexican chocolate topped with salted peanuts & pumpkin seeds
Beans with epazote & black pepper served on tostada
Giant dark chocolate with almond candy
Tofu pate on crackers

You can follow all my food adventures over on Instagram

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Italian comfort dinner

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You all know my friend Sara runs vegan supper clubs and is hired as a private chef, right? So you will also know everything is inspired by her Italian heritage and is 100% vegan, yes?

Check out her upcoming Italian Comfort Food supper club taking place on Thursday February 20, 2014. The menu sound ridiculously amazing. The only excuse you have for not being at the dinner is that you will be with me at London Vegan Drinks instead. You must choose. Choose now!

Check out the menu for Sara’s dinner:

STARTER * Farinata * – baked chickpea pancake with red onions served with handmade vegan mayo and homemade Focaccia

MAIN COURSE * Handmade Italian Flag Tagliatelle with Porcini mushroom sauce * – red, white and green coloured tagliatelle handmade with spinach and beetroot home-squeezed juice served with homemade tomato and Porcini sauce

SECOND COURSE * Homemade Beetroot Burger * – served with vegan Stroganoff sauce 

DESSERT * Caramel Tiramisù * – vegan caramel Tiramisù

Amazing! You can book tickets online.

 

Look of love

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Are you one of those people that likes to mark Valentine’s Day with a special meal and a bottle of wine? That task becomes all the more difficult when you throw being vegan into the mix, right?

You can stay home and challenge yourself to create a fancy meal or you can head into the wilds of London looking for a vegan dinner amongst a sea of carnivorous eating options.

Recently-closed Saf was set to host a gorgeous dinner on February 14th, but you clearly can’t count on that option. So let’s help each other out. Jump into the comments section below to sound off about the best London location for a romantic vegan meal this Friday.

I am half the world away in Mexico but I would like to get the ball rolling by suggesting tibits on Heddon Street in Mayfair. This vegetarian restaurant used to be home to London Vegan Drinks and is a favourite of vegans and their friends.

Sietta & tibits
Sietta & tibits

On Friday February 14th, tibits will be transforming their food boat (where all the food is held) into a vegan wonderland. They are removing all non-vegan items for the day so your romantic meal can be cruelty-free. People who like to drink will also be happy with a selection of vegan beers, wines and cocktails (make sure you ask for vegan wine options to be pointed out).

That’s my tip for Valentine’s Day 2014. Now I want to hear yours!

Vegan airways

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A quick little post to continue my thematic entries about food I eat while up in the air.

The meal featured below was served to me during my recent flight with British Airways between London and Mexico City. Vegans are only too aware of how erratic flight food can be, but I give serious dues to this meal. It was a solid effort.

I eyed my tray suspiciously
Liked all good vegans, I eyed my tray suspiciously
The cous cous was tasty
The cous cous was tasty
Mixed pulse salad
Mixed pulse salad
Fruit with compote
Fruit with compote

As you can see, I did alright!

I would love to feature your meals in the sky if you are keen to share your experiences. Just let me know.

Closed in Kentish Town

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First it was Mella Cafe, then it was Saf Restaurant and Bar. Now a vegan friendly restaurant and coffee house in north London has also disappeared.

If you ever got the opportunity to dine at Muya Ethiopian Restaurant, you undoubtedly loved their cuisine. It was irresistible. It wasn’t a vegetarian restaurant but they had a separate vegan menu that was unrivalled in the capital.

But they have closed and London vegans are the poorer for the loss.

Closed
Closed

The vegan menu featured delicious traditional Ethiopian stews packed with vegetables and spices, served with a seemingly never-ending supply of injera. A vegetarian platter was always more than enough to fill us up and truth be told, we often struggled to finish.

I phoned the number listed on the Muya website and a recorded message instructs callers to keep checking the website and Facebook page for updates on where the company will show up again. I hope they resurface soon.

Did you ever eat at Muya? Share your memories below.

 

Try your potluck

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London Vegan Potluck is legendary.

When I started this food event back in May 2011, I never thought it would become the runaway success it has. On the first Wednesday of every month, up to 100 vegans and vegan curious people converge on our Holborn location to share homemade food.

It has been a true thrill to watch the potluck grow from its humble beginnings of just 20 people inside Brixton market to the huge crowds it now attracts. We have enjoyed a record attendance of 110 people while most potluck nights come in around the 80 mark.

London Vegan Potluck gives attendees a chance to show off their culinary skills and learn from others. A strength of the event is the friendly competition that has sprung up, encouraging people to come up with inventive, tasty and unique meal ideas. It encourages and inspires potluckers.

The potluck is also a safe and friendly space for new or potential vegans to investigate plant-based eating. Long term vegans and newbies interact, share recipes and give each other tips on how to make the best vegan food they can.

The following photos were taken at the February 2014 London Vegan Potluck. These dishes were just a sliver of the amazing range of food being shared.

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Mexican chocolate

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As you might know, I am currently in Mexico City where I am eating up a storm.

Stay tuned here or to my Instagram feed for lots of shots of delicious vegan food from the Mexican capital.

Photo above shows a bag of giant dark chocolate and almond treats I bought in the nearby grocery store. They are fabulous.

 

Can the can

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I was talking with my friends at the Cool Chile Co a few days ago about the different brands of seitan available in the UK. Following our chat, I went on a quick exploration of my usual shopping haunts to see if any new wheat meat products had passed me by recently.

And one had. Wheat chunks in a tin!

Wheat meat in a tin
Wheat meat in a tin

I am not sure how long this canned seitan product has been available in the UK, but my discovery in Vx last week marked the first occasion I had laid eyes on it.

Sadly, I am yet to taste the Nuvale Vegetarian Cubes as I flew out of London for Mexico City before I could attack the product with a can opener. Have you tried the chunks? What are they like? What is your favourite ready made seitan?

News you can eat January 2014

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I am late. Six days late, actually.

I offer my heartfelt apologies for keeping you waiting for my January news round up. I do have a good excuse. I have been eating a lot.

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M & S

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I know that Marks and Spencer have for a long time shared a list of products that are suitable for vegans (usually available in a pdf format), but I’ve never noticed them using the ‘v’ word on any actual grocery packaging.

Until now.

Josh sent me the following photo taken to his recent stroll through the M&S Ealing Broadway location. The word vegan can clearly be seen on this houmous packaging.

hummus

I am not sure if this is the start of a new trend by the retailer or a one off. The only products I have previously seen marked vegan in store were bottles of wine.

Do you buy anything from Marks & Spencer that carries a vegan label?