Pasta with pink pesto

I've just posted a recipe for pasta with a pink pesto style sauce on my food blog, which you might find interesting.

When I say pink, I mean pink!!!

It's really tasty, and so very, very easy to make.  Pop over to http://christineeatsglutenfreevegan.blogspot.com and see for yourself.

Chocolate Muffins, gluten-free and vegan

I've just posted a recipe for chocolate vegan, gluten free muffins on my other blog at http://christineeatsglutenfreevegan.blogspot.com/ , so if you fancy a little indugence, then why not pop over and have a look?

They're moist and have a lovely soft texture - not a cardboard like feature in site - trust me:)

World Premiers of "The Cycle Symphony"

It's not often we ordinary mortals get to be present at a "World Premiere", is it?  And, if I'm honest, I didn't know that I was present at one until after it was finished.  Well, that's life, isn't it?  And, since I enjoyed it, without knowing how priveleged I was, that's all to the good:)

It happened that David and I were walking through Old SPitalfields Market, on the 2nd May in the afternoon.  We heard strains of music, and shortly appeared before a stage on which assorted instruments were being played proficiently by a group of musicians, some of whom were wearing helmets on their heads.

Initially, I wondered if , perhaps, they were prone to epileptic fits, and needed them for protection in case they had a seizure.  A more careful appraisal showed that they were, in fact, cycling helmets.  Several cycles were evident near the staging.

One of the green jacketed members of the seated ensemble stood and waved his arms.  I jumped as a cacaphony of bells pealed out!  Several of the audience had been provided with cycle bells, or whistles to accompany the music when conducted by this Jack-in-the-box.  Very effective it was too!

A television screen near the stage played a continuous loop of footage, but I couldn't really see much apart from a white van travelling along, but clearly this was integral to the performance.

If you see Amelia Robinson's work is to be produced near where you are, I urge you to go and participate.  It was a lovely performance to happen upon.

Green Burgers

I wanted something tasty and quick to make for lunch, so I wandered out into the garden to see what was there. At this time of year there's not a lot, but I returned with some kale, a leek, some red spinach leaves and plenty of marjoram.

From the cupboard I took:


1 tin a borlotti beans,
1 carton of silken tofu,
2 tblspoons flax seeds,
2 tsps harissa powder,
2 tsps sesame oil,
2 tblspoons soy sauce and
2tsps sunflower oil.

I also grabbed 4 cloves of garlic.
You'll need gluten-free breadcrumbs to thicken your mixture at the end.

To make the burgers, whizz the washed kale and leek together with the tofu, marjoram and oils to give a green soft mixture. Add this to a bowl containing the soy sauce, harissa powder, flax seeds (linseeds), drained, rinsed borlotti beans and crushed garlic.

Blitz roughly so that you still have some whole beans visible. Caorsely chop the red spinach by hand and stir into the mixture. I like to see the flecks of colour in the burgers, which is why I don't just blitz the red spinach in with the greens.

Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and salt if you feel it needs it, then stir in enough of the breadcrumbs to give a thickish mix.

Drop dollops into a hot, lightly greased fry pan, or, if you'd rather, you could form really neat burger shapes, or sausages, even. But I was eating alone, and I'm lazy!!! Turn after about 4 minutes, when golden brown underneath. Cook the second side, then serve with a salad, or a jacket baked potato for a speedy, nutritious, and tasty lunch.

You could stir in some sweetcorn kernels for additional colour if you like, or some nuts for texture. You could use different herbs, and obviously use dried if you don't have fresh ones to hand.


When cold these burgers retain their shape, and are firm enough to take in a lunch box with a salad. They also make ideal sandwich fillings. If I was making them specifically for sandwiches, I'd make them a little flatter, and form them into approximately the shape and size of my rolls, or bread slices, to fill the sandwich nicely.



Trust me, they smelled divine as I was cooking them, and they tasted just as good. They're a great way to get anyone to eat their greens that normally has a problem with them, as they're all whizzed up and amalgamated into the mixture. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss :)

Eat vegan in London

We've just returned from London, where we spent three days exhausting ourselves ambling around taking in the sights, smells and sounds of our busy capital city.

Wherever I go, food is never far from my mind!  Sad?  I don't think so - we all need to eat, so I reckon it might as well be a pleasure:)  So, as we walked, we looked out for placed to eat.

I'd downloaded the names and addresses of a few Indian veggie restaurants before we left home, but that didn't stop us looking out for other places too!

This one was on my list, and we ate there one evening.  I've never seen dosas as large as those that appeared on the table adjacent to us - they must have been three feet in diameter - they were wider than the tables!!!!  They looked delicious, and I enjoyed watching crisp, golden sections being broken off and dipped in the accompanying sauce.

Our food was slightly less exotic!  We started with a Potato Bonda and an onion Bhajia.  The potato balls were soft inside, and crispy on the outside, with just enough chilli.  The bhajia was less oniony than the traditional northern Indian food we usually eat, but still tasty.  We then shared a Brinjal Bhajee and a Suki Bhajee, which were both tasty.  The single portion of boiled rice defeated both of us, and about a quarter of it we had to leave untouched!

It cost around £20 for the pair of us, which for a central London venue I consider good value.  Sadly, I'd forgotten that we'd gone in with the intention of trying the pre-theatre dinner at £5.95 a head, so it should have been more of a bargain!!!!

I couldn't resist filling a take away box at the Buffet Take Out, on New Oxford Street.  David doesn't eat Thai or Chinese, but I enjoy them, so to see a VEGAN Thai/Chinese buffet just made my day! 

Here's the view through the window.

I could choose virtually anything, as long as I avoided noodles, so I did:)  For £3.50 I tasted heaven in a box.  So many ways of preparing tofu, and delicious salads, too.  I'd love to visit there to eat in some day.

Where did you find your best meal on holiday?