Makrovega Leština ulica Split - 30th September 2015

I found Makrovega on Happy Cow and it got rave reviews, so when we docked in Split on a cruise, I headed off for lunch.   If you visit Makrovega do not be put off as to its location, its a little off the beaten track, but certainly worth it.

Makrovega has a daily lunch menu for 60 kuna, which is roughly £6, although you can omit the soup course if you wish, for a small reduction which is what I did.   They were very helpful, when I asked if the dish could be made without soya and husband swopped his steamed vegetables for my bean casserole, made with pinto beans which I am sadly also allergic to.

My husband loved the vegetable soup, which was light, fresh and full of flavour and a good sized portion.

The main course was really good, I really enjoyed my first taste of gomashio and you could tell the food was freshly made, as my husband's seitan had tofu layered with it and was served with tofunaise.   Mine however was a thicker piece of seitan with no tofunaise, crisp on the outside and chewy in the middle.   I loved the place and its food and it had a lovely chilled out atmosphere.

Makrovega is really popular, with a diverse customer base, women were lunching on their own, families dining together, workmen in overalls coming in for a takeaway, which was a brisk trade at lunchtime and as for the cake display, I was swooning but far too full, to take advantage.   If in Split you have to visit Makrovega.

Nishta Restaurant Prijeko bb Dubrovnik - 28th September 2015

I had done some research, as to vegan options in Dubrovnik and Nishta was definitely the place to go, after reading reviews on both Happy Cow and Tripadvisor.   It is easy to find in the old town and I am glad we got there early for lunch, as it is a busy, busy place, with tables reserved for later diners.

The menu is vast with many vegan options, so it was hard to decide what to have, but I went for the Bar Bea seitan burger with naan bread and sweet potato sticks and it did not disappoint, it was fantastic.

I was far too full for a dessert, but if the main course was anything to go by, I do not doubt the desserts would be as good.   If in Dubrovnik, do not miss out on a visit to Nishta, or you will regret it and as for the price, well a meal for two with delicious local sparkling water was 182.00 kuna, which I worked out to be about £18.00.

Rosy's Bakery Paleologou Corfu Town - 27th September 2015

I stumbled across Rosy Soussis's two bakeries on 37 & 71 Paleologou by chance, whilst visiting Corfu Town on a cruise.   I first of all saw the sign below and so had to go in and have a chat, as I could not believe I had found vegan baclava.

I was most impressed by Rosy's knowledge of the vegan diet, she explained her vegan baclava was made with olive oil and sugar syrup, to replace butter and honey.   I also enquired as to why she had begun making a vegan version in the first place and she just said "why not" explaining that she had been asked so many times by visitors and it was a big seller.

If you are ever in Corfu Town, you have to visit Rosy's Bakery and sample the baclava, it is awesome.

Costa Coffee Salford Quays Manchester - 10th September 2015

I have been tweeting Costa Coffee on and off, since last year, regarding vegan options in their stores, which were zero, bar a packet of mixed nuts or dried mango chunks.   Finally today I sampled their falafel and couscous salad which is a really tasty product and wolfed down immediately.

Sadly on their website it says unsuitable for vegans, but scrutinise the label and I cannot see anything unsuitable.   I think once more, their confusion is over allergen legislation, as in "may contain" versus "does contain" and there is a big difference.   Earlier this week I had the same issue over their hot chocolate made by Cadburys, the ingredients of which are vegan friendly, but deemed not so on Costa's website, presumably due to possible allergen cross contamination.

Costa Coffee really need to get their act together, if I was in a queue in store, with loads of people behind me, I am not going to stand there and read that long ingredient list.   I am sure others will do the same and not buy the product, the result of which will be Costa Coffee saying vegan options are not popular and withdraw the product from their food range.   They really need to put their house in order as regards vegan labelling.

Spicy Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

I have never eaten traditional "wings" but found this recipe courtesy of Peta and is an interesting and delicious way to serve cauliflower.

100 g chickpea flour
210 ml almond milk
1 garlic clove crushed (Peta's recipe used garlic powder which I did not have)
Salt and pepper
Pinch of hot chilli powder
1 cauliflower
100 ml hot chilli sauce
1 tbsp olive oil

Separate the cauliflower into florets of similar size.   Sieve the flour into a bowl with the chilli powder, garlic and a good grind of salt and pepper.

Add the milk to the bowl and whisk until you have a smooth batter, add the cauliflower florets and thoroughly coat them with the batter.

Put onto a baking tray and roast at 200° for 20-25 mins.  Mix the chilli sauce with the olive oil, take the cauliflower out of the oven, add the chilli sauce, mix well and return to the oven for 20 mins until browned and crisp.

Serve with your choice of dip, which in my case is more hot chilli sauce!

Vegan Spanakopita

I was motivated to make this dish, by my Twitter friend @xBinkyPatronusx who was herself inspired by Maple Spice.

500 g frozen spinach defrosted
270 g Jus Rol filo pastry
1 portion of Almond Feta
1 large onion chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
50 g vegan margarine melted
Black pepper

Serves 6

Make sure the filo pastry is at room temperature, otherwise it will be too cold to use.   Drain the spinach in a colander to remove any water, add the almond feta and mash together with a fork, until thoroughly combined.

Fry the onion with plenty of ground pepper for 10 mins until translucent, allow to cool and add to the spinach mixture and combine.

Brush some margarine into your tin of choice so the pastry does not stick, I used two small tins but you can use one large tin if you want.   Place the filo sheets in a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out.   Take one sheet of filo pastry, brush with margarine and put into the tin.   Repeat with another sheet, slightly overlapping, so the pastry is not all in one big layer, but fills the entire dish.   Continue until you have two filo sheets left.

Add the filling and spread evenly in the pastry and then fold over the pastry edges to cover. Scrunch the remaining filo sheets and place on the top to ensure the filling is completely covered.

Brush the top with melted margarine and bake at 200° for 30-35 mins.   If the top begins to brown too quickly, cover with foil and then remove the foil for the last 5 mins.

Superdrug Sensitive Antibacterial Hand Gel

I am always on the go and never found a vegan friendly hand gel, until I saw this product in Superdrug.   I was particularly interested in the sensitive nature of the product, as I am prone to dry skin and it fits easily in my handbag for when out and about and on holiday.

It has a lovely smell, dries quickly and is not sticky at all, which I really like so this product comes highly recommended.