Carrot, banana & apple muffins (vegan)

img_1481-600-x-416Day 2 of our vegan adventure and now we are starting to get organised. Supplies of some types of fresh food are not reliable around these parts, particularly in the winter, so it is sometimes difficult to plan ahead.

This morning, when we were out for a walk in the absolutely glorious sunshine we are enjoying at the minute, I popped into the little Migros supermarket in our marina, which often stocks items that aren’t available elsewhere. Triple score. Beansprouts, fresh coriander AND oat milk. I feel a Thai curry coming on.

When we first decided to take part in Veganuary, I had a trawl through some vegan websites to get some ideas of what we might eat (largely because we were going on a trip to Europe, and I thought I might bring a few goodies back with me).  Although I did find some good ideas, many of the sites seemed more like a chemistry lesson than somewhere I might find a recipe for something nice I would like to eat. Continue reading “Carrot, banana & apple muffins (vegan)”

Vegan ‘Cornish’ pasties

img_1483Today is the first day of our vegan adventure, inspired by the Veganuary campaign. We really should have started yesterday – what with it being the first day of January and all that – but we only got back from our trip on Saturday and we’d invited Linda for Sunday supper, so it didn’t seem appropriate. (Roast chicken with all the trimmings, followed by mince pies, since you ask).

So far, so good. Breakfast today was Bircher muesli, made with apples and almond milk – slightly on the soggy side for my liking, but Robin pronounced it delicious. Luckily, I’ve made a large supply of super-nutty toasted granola this afternoon, so I won’t have to put myself through that again. Continue reading “Vegan ‘Cornish’ pasties”

Super-nutty quick granola

IMG_1438.jpgWe are off to Prague on Friday for a short holiday – we thought it would be nice to spend Christmas somewhere where it is actually Christmas, after 12 years of eating turkey and stuffing in the sunshine here in Kaş. We’ve bagged tickets to the Nutcracker Suite on Christmas Day, followed by  what looks like quite a posh dinner in a lovely restaurant in the centre of Prague. Clearly I shall have to assess my meagre going-out wardrobe for a suitable frock and shoes – somehow I don’t think shorts and a pair of Keens are going to cut the mustard. Continue reading “Super-nutty quick granola”

Preparing for Veganuary

DSC00026.jpgI’ve been very poor at blog posting for the last month – we went to the UK for a couple of weeks on a house-hunting expedition in Devon and Cornwall (of which more later), and a quick catch-up with our respective families in Warwickshire. Sadly, while we were in the UK, a very old friend of ours died, so I returned to Turkey for a few days, only to execute a quick turnaround to go back for the funeral.

I am now back for a short stay before we head off to Prague next weekend for the Christmas holiday. We won’t be home until new year’s eve, and are planning to take part in Veganuary for the month of January, so I am getting ahead with a few things for the freezer, so that my resolve is not too severely tested on Day One! Continue reading “Preparing for Veganuary”

Thai-spiced pumpkin soup

IMG_1407 (600 x 450).jpgIt’s hard to believe we are two thirds of the way through October already – the weather is absolutely glorious, the water is still warm(ish) and our government has decided not to put back the clocks with the rest of Europe next weekend. Woohoo, this is such good news – it means we will have daylight later into the afternoons for walking this winter. Continue reading “Thai-spiced pumpkin soup”

Slow roasted tomato and red pepper soup (5:2 recipe)

IMG_0954 (600 x 408).jpgI am very excited because tomorrow we are off on an unexpected jaunt to the Jurançon wine district in France and then travelling back here next week via Amsterdam – a city I have always wanted to visit. Getting to places from here is never simple, so we are going by a very convoluted route, which involves four different airlines. (*Sighs dramatically*) The route was originally going to involve the TGV, but in view of the strikes, we’ve decided to avoid that option. Continue reading “Slow roasted tomato and red pepper soup (5:2 recipe)”

Moroccan spiced carrot & lentil soup (5:2 recipe)

IMG_0871 (600 x 450)It’s Tuesday so it must be diet day. Hey ho, that also means Don Draper Day, though we’ve just reached the end of Season 6, so not long to go now. I am not sure where we will spend our evenings when we are no longer gadding about in 1970s Madison Avenue, though it will soon be too warm for sitting inside after dinner, so perhaps the timing is excellent. Continue reading “Moroccan spiced carrot & lentil soup (5:2 recipe)”

Hot and spicy vegetable balti

IMG_0779 (600 x 450).jpgIt’s Tuesday so it must be a 5:2 day. Oh joy. And it’s residency permit renewal week for us, so we’re spending the day gathering the several thousand pieces of paper required to show that, since this time last year, we haven’t been in prison, haven’t become bankrupt, haven’t radically changed our appearance, have health insurance, still live at the same address and haven’t been out of Turkey for more than 120 days. Every piece of paper has to have an official stamp, so we are trawling around from office to office, dragging our feet like a couple of slothful teenagers. Continue reading “Hot and spicy vegetable balti”

Broccoli soup (5:2 day recipe)

IMG_0690 (600 x 450)We’re back in Turkey following two weeks in the UK, main-lining pork products, rhubarb crumble and hot cross buns, not to mention quite a lot of Old Speckled Hen in Robin’s case!

Today is rainy, so no walks for us, making it an ideal day for a super-strict 5:2 fast. Because we’ve done so much walking this winter, we’ve found it a struggle at times to stick to our calorie limit on our fasting days, so we’ve resolved to get back into the swing of things over the next few weeks. Very soon, we will be entering the short period of the year where it is too hot to walk anywhere other than high up in the mountains, but the pool is too cold for swimming, so the pounds will soon start to pile on if we don’t keep our wits about us. Continue reading “Broccoli soup (5:2 day recipe)”

Asian ‘lobby’ rice pot

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My brother loves a ‘lobby’. The kind of thing where you just lob everything into the pan and hope for the best. Despite his enthusiasm for throwing caution to the wind, I tend to be marginally more scientific about it – I start with a recipe, pick it to pieces, keep the bits I like the look of, and change everything else. I don’t apply this principle to baking, I hasten to add – in that case, I would definitely try the recipe first, then make modifications. Continue reading “Asian ‘lobby’ rice pot”