RootMaster!

My flatmate and I went to go see the great Eddie Izzard at Wembley Arena last night. He was amazing, as usual. The show was part of his stripped tour (which I saw the very first performance in Boston two years ago) so it was really interesting to see how the show evolved over the years.

Anyways, I've been super busy with finishing up my final projects for class...I'm drowning in clay, plaster, and glaze and have zero time to cook. So now I get to make a post about my favorite vegan restaurant! RootMaster is in a converted double decker bus (kitchen on the bottom floor, seating on the top with additional tables outside). The menu is constantly changing and everything is fantastic and made even better by the prices (most entrees are under a £10 and appetizers are around £6). It's my favorite restaurant in London and I take everyone here...all of whom are proud meat eaters and were quick to admit that the food at RootMaster was awesome!

Garden burger with the most amazing fries you will ever taste!!

Burrito

Happy Slapsgiving!

Thanksgiving was a surprising success this year. It was my first year I wasn't home or with my family so I was worried about being homesick, but I was fine. I think inviting my American friend, Anna, made it a lot easier since we could be homesick together. I went back to the flat with Anna around 6:00 and had to start cooking straight away. Anna was in charge or mashed potatoes and boiling the dumplings that came with the tofurkey. My job was everything else (tofurkey, apple sage stuffing, and kmouse's spinach artichoke dip).

The torkurkey was a hit! Everyone was a bit skeptical but ended up wanting seconds. Point for team vegan! Kmouse's dip stole the show though. Soooo delicious!
Aimee made pumkin raisin and oatmeal cookies (from VWAV) for dessert. No pictures, but trust me, they were delicious!

Of course the best part of Thanksgiving is the leftovers....note to everyone: Kmouse's spinach artichoke dip is even better the next morning on toast! Mmmmm

Pumpkin Muffins

Today I went to the Christmas lighting on Oxford Street with a few friends and it was craaaazy busy! Lots of fun though...Jim Carrey (who has a very non-Carrey-ish beard nowadays) did the lighting while promoting his new film A Christmas Carol. After the lights went on, we sprinted to Leicester Square to go to the premier. Since we didn't get to the premier at stupid o-clock, we weren't able to get good standing room so we went to go grab dinner. On the way out of the restaurant, we walked by the theatre just in time to see Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy!

Anyways, I obviously didn't have time to cook today, but my awesome flatmate made Isa's pumpkin muffins from VWAV a few days ago and they were fantastic!

Seitan Stroganoff

So it's a gloomy day after Halloween (and world vegan day! Woo!) which means it's prime comfort food time! I decided to make stroganoff for lunch and used this recipe from What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway? I didn't have any vegan sour cream so I used cream Sheese....and wow! It was awesome! I served it over shells with peas and roasted carrots.



Bonus Halloween pictures!

Caramelized Onion Mashed Potatoes

Last night was our 90's flatwarming party! It was a hit, even if the 4 of us were the only ones that dressed up. I woke up this morning with a killer hangover and needed something to nurse it asap. When I fiiiinally heaved myself out of bed I went downstairs....now I remember why I never threw parties in high school. The flat's a mess, but that didn't matter; I needed mashed potatoes.


I still don't feel like cleaning...Gilmore Girls and potatoes are much more tempting.

Carrot and Potato Curry

One of my favorite things to do is experiment with different curries. They're so easy and versatile and...OH! I heart them so much. Tonight I tried a new one using carrots, potatos, and peas and the main ingredients. I didn't measure anything, but I'll write down basically what I did so you can try it. It was amaaaazing! Seriously, the picture does not do it justice! Sweet, tangy, and savory all in one. Mmmm...


canola oil (to sautee the onions)
1 onion
3 carrots (peeled and grated)
2 potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)
frozen peas
soy milk
garlic paste
ginger paste (you can use fresh garlic and ginger, but I use these to save time)
soy sauce
~ tbs curry powder

While you're sauteeing the onions, put the potatoes into boiling water until soft. Once the onions are transluscent, add the grated carrots and a few splashes of soy milk. Bring to a soft boil, and the peas, and reduce to a simmer. Squeeze in some garlic and ginger paste (I tend to be preeeetty liberal with the ginger), curry powder, and a splash of soy sauce. Let simmer for a while until slightly thickened. I served mine with quinoa, but rice or clear noodles would also work well.

Sweetcorn Chowder

It was a pretty gross Saturday this weekend: cloudy, grey, and the misty type of rain that makes my hair explode. My flatmate, Tasha, and I were both nursing some nasty colds so the plan for the day was clear: SOUP!

Of all days to be barren, our pantry chose this one. Of course. We found some vegetable stock granules, a can of cannelini beans, frozen peas, an onion, and tvp. Don't try this at home...we weren't expecting anything great. We were sick and just wanted something to fill the soup void in our ickle ill hearts.

No such luck. The groul that bubbled and hissed in the pot could not have been less edible. Somehow we were going to have to soldier on to Tesco for ingredients...and find a recipe. No more romantic hopes of creating a perfect soup spontaniously. Non. Us wild birds needed some taming. Boundaries. Instructions.

Aaaanyways, we managed to get all the ingredients for Sweetcorn Chowder from VWAV and some root vegetable soup Tasha found online.



I didn't try Tasha's or take a picture of it, but my corn chowder was delicious! It was a bit too sweet at first but some extra salt made it perfect.