Vegan Friendly Restaurants

Eating out vegan

I've been vegan for 4 months now and thankfully I've still been able to pig out at a majority of the places I ate at before - hoorah! I did think it was going to be harder eating out, and I guess it is in terms of not having as much choice as before, but there's not been a place I've come across yet that hasn't been able to cater to my vegan needs yet. 

Vegan options at restaurants

Most restaurants have some form of vegan option or a veggie option that you can ask to make vegan by skipping the cheese, mayo, etc.

Some places I've visited that have been good for vegan options:

1. Nandos
Who knew vegans could eat out at Nandos?! Not me, until I saw JME (yep he's vegan and I'm a fan ha) say he was at Nandos on Twitter. Their veggie burger/pitta/wrap is vegan, without any mayo or yogurt dressing though.  

2. Whetherspoons
The cheap and cheerful Whetherspoons also have vegan options!! I got the sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry last time I visited. I wasn't sure if the naan was vegan so swapped with the poppadoms to be safe.

3. ASK Italian
Ask have a separate vegan menu that I had no clue about until recently! Just ask (lol) your waiter or waitress for it and choose from pastas, pizzas and desserts! I went with the aubergine pasta and it was divine.

4. Indian

I've found Indian restaurants the most accommodating! They always have veggie dishes which are vegan friendly and my local restaurant even make my favourite vegetable Rogan Josh vegan by frying the tomatoes in oil instead of butter. Shout out to Clove in Reigate ;)

5. Zizi's

I'm yet to have a Zizi's yet since being vegan but they too have a vegan menu and their lentil bolognese looks delicious. I'll add a pic when I've visited...

I will carry this list on as I find and eat at more vegan friendly restaurants!

...Watch this space.

Veg Fest 2017 Brighton

Vegan Festival in Brighton

It was veg fest this weekend at Brighton and I visited on the Saturday with my Mum. I wasn't sure what to expect as I had never been to a vegan festival before but I was pleasantly surprised.

New vegan brands

There were so many different vegan brands there, some that I had heard of before but loads I hadn't. It was so interesting seeing all the different things people had to offer. My mum and I mainly went for the food, and we ate so much lol, but there was also different charities, clothes companies, book brands etc there. 

For lunch my mum had a hot dog from the Vegusto stand and omg it was sooooo tasty (I tried some). I got a pizza from the Purezza stand and we also got some vegan ice cream from Yorica. But most importantly we got some brownies to take home from Liberty Loves and OH MY GOD... they were hands down the tastiest brownies I've ever had in my whole life, non vegan brownies included in my list of comparison. My boyfriend who's not vegan even said they were unreal. If I could create those every day myself I would. Well done Liberty Loves **applause here**. 

 

 

Who else went to veg fest?! Let me know what your favourite stall was.

Vegan Cheese Burgers

Vegan Burger

I made these vegan 'cheese' burgers last night and I am not lying when I say they were absolutely amazing!!!

Not much else to say other than, they were Linda McCartney 1/4 pounders, which I bought from Morrisons plus some Violife cheese slices. I grilled the burgers for around 20 mins and then added the Violife cheese and grilled for another couple of minutes. I was surprised to see that the cheese actually melted too.

Not just for vegans

I made these for my Mum as well who's not veggie or vegan and she absolutely loved them, even said they were better than meat burgers. Win!!!

Go out and try them now if you haven't - let me know what you think.

Easy Vegan Meal - Fajitas

Quick and easy vegan meal

When I haven't got a lot of time in the evening but want something tasty, these fajitas are what I turn to at the minute! I used to love vegetarian fajitas with Quorn chicken but since turning vegan I have found they are just as nice without the Quorn chicken, just with tonnes of veg.

Healthy and Tasty

Since it's only vegetables and some seasoning, I'm going to guess that they're fairly healthy, which somehow makes them taste even better. I use the following ingredients but obviously add whatever veg you want:

Vegetable Oil

Red bell pepper

Green bell pepper

Red onion x 2

Corguette or Cucumber 

Fajita mix (make sure it's vegan - the one from Tesco definitely is) 

Salsa or tomato pasta sauce (like Dolmio)

Tortilla wraps (The wheat and white ones from Lidl are vegan)

1. Heat some vegetable oil in a frying pan and start chopping your peppers

2. Put the chopped peppers in the pan and start chopping your other veg (I always find the peppers take longer to soften so that's why they're in first)

3. Fry all the veg for about 10 mins depending on how crunchy or soft you like (I prefer everything a bit soft!)

4. When the veg is nearly done pop your wraps in the microwave for 30 seconds 

5. Sprinkle about a quarter of the fajita seasoning on your frying veg and stir it all around

6. Spread a small amount of salsa or pasta sauce (which I use) on the wraps

7. Put your seasoned veg in your wraps and you're good to go

Packed Lunch

I also then put some of the fried, seasoned veg in a tupperware box and in the fridge ready to take to work as a packed lunch. I take a wrap and some salsa and then prepare it all in the office. If you wrap it all up before you take it to work it gets soggy and horrible. So I take it all separate and heat up the veg in the microwave before putting it in the wrap. Yum!

Let me know if you've got some alternatives to this or if you've had it before...