What's in my lunchbox? When I grow up I want to be a sandwich

It's that glorious time of the year. The market is full of produce. Friends drop by with food to share. Lunches are easy to prepare, and eat.

The man at the vegetable stall added a few extra aubergine to my purchases. So I roasted them on Sunday morning. The form this basis of this lovely sandwich ingredient salad. For best results you should add the olives, tomatoes and bread while the aubergine is warm. However I can't say that waiting until it was cold has impaired the flavour. The sourdough bread is softened by a morning in a tub with the fresh vegetables but remains chewy. This works well against the other softer textures.

 

I was a bit surprised by how well this combination worked. I suppose though it's only a Brie, grape and celery sandwich minus the bread and Brie. Sweet and savoury. Soft and crunchy.

To read: Real World by Natsuo Kirino

Does one enjoy Kirino's novels? I was drawn into Out, and the same is true of this one. Maybe it's something about the way the characters feel as if they are acting out their own lives. The ways secrets are never secrets. The glimpse of Japan that isn't the exotic Western view. This had a David Lynch feel in the way the actions of one character impacted on a community.

 

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My year of more and less: month six

So June was busy, and included among its highlights a very sunny car boot sale, a reception at the Japanese embassy, and plenty of time spent in parks. I resisted the urge to buy any clothes of shoes so I think I can consider month six of my project/experiment/exploration a success.

I am actually horrified by the size of my summer wardrobe. I really only need a third of the clothes I have. That said I do wear most of them, just over a few years rather than a few days or weeks. So maybe I should be continuing with my ‘no purchases’ experiment into 2016.

My June goals were:

• Keep a sugar diary
  
• Upcycle my raincoat
  
• Do a Real Wild biography

Progress in June

Keep a sugar diary – I keep reading things online and getting in flap about my sugar intake. I’m fairly certain that it’s ok; my diet is pretty clean. However there seemed to be all kinds of things to take into account, and I wasn’t sure about fructose, glucose, and sucrose. So I did some reading up around the subject, noted down what I ate every day, and then analysed the sugar content. As it turned out my diet is largely clean, and when I do reach for sugar it’s with open eyes.

Upcycle my raincoat – take one stained and torn raincoat that I can’t bear to part with. I decided to dye, purchased and applied dye, and came up with a design to cover the rips. I just need to do a few minutes of sewing and it’ll be done.

Do a real wild bio – I enjoyed Do What You Love’s New Year Revolution pack so much that I thought I’d give their Real Wild Bio a go. Despite breaking it down by section I found it quite difficult to get cracking on it. However when I did it took much less time than I expected, and I was quite pleased to be able to see some themes that run across my life.

July goals

I’m taking a slightly different approach to my goals this month. I’m working through each of them on a three day rotation. That means if circumstances mean I miss doing a task I can pick it up on the next day assigned to this goal. I’m hoping this will make me feel less stressed, and give me more flexibility.

• Plan and write a draft of an ebook on letter writing
  
• Give blood – I’m terrified of needles so this should help me get over that, and behave in a socially responsible manner.
  
• Work on 5 forty for 40 goals- I’m starting this by picking 5 things to work on.

I’m anticipating July will be another busy month with burlesque, allotmenting, vegan meetups, BBQs, and books.

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What's in my lunchbox? Rice, not potatoes

 

Usually at this time of the year I’m all about potatoes. But I had a big bag of rice in the cupboard that seemed to be heading to be way out of date. So I cooked the whole lot and froze it. This was a brilliant move as it allows me to make dishes like this spicy rice. Perfect for using up the odds and ends in the fridge. Also perfect for when you find you have no soy sauce left.

Use plenty of oil and fry an onion and some garlic. Dump in the cooked rice. Then add whatever you have to hand. In this case the last of a pan of marinated tofu ( a soy sauce free marinade), my faithful chilli flakes, and my new favourite seasoning turmeric. Then take this from plan old fried rice to amazing fried rice by turning off the heat and stirring in a few handfuls of greens.

It reheated really well in a microwave. Clearly it’s one of those dishes that benefits from reheating. I served with tomatoes and cucumbers. They complement the flavours and the heat nicely.

To read: The long earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter

This is so easy to read, but at the same time fills your head with thoughts about how you would cope with the situation, and what the right thing to do would be. It’s the literary equivalent of enjoying a really well prepared and presented meal that leaves you feeling full but not stuffed.

I like the way that individuals are presented as being different, and that they are not always thrilled by this prospect. I'm intrigued by the different ways they deal with not fitting in. By contrast other characters think that they’re thinking outside the box, but they’re not. It’s a great demonstration that when mankind is presented with something really exciting their first thought is money, and their first action seems to be destruction.

This reads like a perfect blend of Stephen King, David Brin, and Philip Pullman. I'm delighted that it's the first in a series.

The concept of the long earth itself is massively exciting. To be able to be elsewhere in an instant. To be able to escape from the madding crowd. To be alone. I was almost tempted to put my potato crop to use and build a stepper.

 

 

 

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What's in my lunch box? A tale of two pancakes

I’ve had a real craving for some kind of vegan cream tea. A scone with strawberries and vegan cream of some kind. Then a non-vegan chum told me they were planning Eton mess but had forgotten to buy meringues so they used pancakes. And so was born my lunch of stuffed pancakes.

From top right:

• Cucumber
• Vegan pancake filled with macadamia crème and strawberry compote
• Vegan pancake filled with cashew cheese and raw spinach
• Cherry tomatoes

To read: She-wolves by Helen Castor

I love to read about history, and Elizabeth I has always been one of my heroines. That said I have a slightly less rosy view of her than I did as three year old. Anyway I was intrigued by the thought of reading about other strong charismatic queens and I haven’t been disappointed. Family trees for the various noble families are always complicated and confusing so looking at three families in detail has been brilliant for filling in the gaps in my knowledge. I now understand why the loss of the White Ship was so significant. I’m finding this hard to put down which has got to be a good sign of readability.

 

 

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What's in my lunch box? Posh toast

I'm reading, in a terribly slow fashion, An Everlasting Meal by Tamar Adler. I can only manage about a page at time because I then feel the need to think deeply about whatever brilliant truth about food she has revealed. And I then want to follow that up by experiencing it. So this time it was about putting things on toast. In fact pretty much anything on toast. No one can deny toast is a marvellously versatile food, which works at al lends of the gourmet scale.

So today it was lightly toasted bread topped with hummus, peppers, tomato, and radishes. I had just enough cashew cheese to cover a single slice. Then I followed up with plenty of strawberries. You don’t get much more gourmet than that!

To read: Night Film by Maria Pessl

I adored Pessl’s first book Special topics in calamity physics. This one wasted no time in setting the scene and making you question everyone and everything. I particularly liked the bits of media scattered throughout the book revealing information about the mysterious Film maker Cordova. A great way of dragging the reader into the story.

 

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What's in my lunch box? Take four

 

Summer has definitely arrive on my allotment. I came back from my plot with potatoes, spring onions, spinach, and strawberries. Sag aloo suggested itself as the ideal recipe. I decided to use the recipe for from indian cookery from Pebble Mill at one by Lalita Ahmed. It's a cracking little book. Very matter of fact.

It might have helped if I’d actually started following the right recipe and not in an absent minded fashion gone along with the potato curry in gravy on the opposite page.

However the end results were good, if a little spicy. I think some flatbreads will be making an appearance with other servings to offer a contrast in texture and taste.

Sweet, fresh strawberries were very, very welcome for dessert.

I’m wondering what other recipes I can create using the four ingredients from my allotment. Potato salad? Some kind of frittata?

To read: My Amish childhood by Jerry S. Eicher

Arcadia, which I read last week included some Amish characters, but you only caught a glimpse as if they weren’t of much interest to our main character (a pity as his community surely had much in common with theirs – they ‘d just been doing ti longer). Anyway it seemed fitting when this turned up on my ‘to read’ pile. Admittedly I wasn't expecting a tale of a new Amish commute in South America but it's opened my eyes. I wasn't entirely surprised by an Amish community that was so trusting and calm, but was expecting the struggles to adapt to a modern world and the questions about the direction their religions should take.

 

 

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What's in my lunch box? For a grey June day

 

This seems at first glance a warming, hearty dish, and so surely inappropriate for the height of summer. However as we've experiencing our usual changeable weather with a good dose of grey it actually suited summer vey nicely.

Plus it's very easy to put together. It's a vegan version of this Butter bean, parprika and chorizo stew. It's a very forgiving recipe which happily adapts to the ingredients at hand, and you pretty much just chuck it in a pan. Mine included gently fried onions, garlic and peppers. Then I threw in parprika and rosemary, gave it a good stir and finished off with a can of tomatoes.

I served with toast, lettuce, radishes and advocado.

To read: Arcadia by Lauren Groff

With most of the actions taking place on a commune it's a delight to find a book where the characters are pretty much all vegan. As a result a reference to quesadillas filled with mushrooms and soy cheese, or squash ravioli is a meal that I can really relate to. We follow Bit through his hippie childhood until utopia falls apart. And then we pick him up in his adult life when things don't seem to be much more stable. Yet the thing that makes this so enjoyable is Bit's ability to appreciate small delights. From his observations of nature on the commune to the feeling of connection that domestic lights create in a city.

 

 

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What's in my lunch box? Seasonally new

 

The thing I really like about trying to eat in a seasonal manner is how the variety in my diet massively increases as the summer gets closer. I was very happy when I got the market last week and was able to pick up new potatoes, asparagus, and radishes. This was a nice easy lunch to throw together with some tofu and a few bits from my allotment.

Salad – boiled new potatoes, boiled asparagus, raw spinach, raw rocket, radishes, fried tofu (Dragonfly brand – and a particularly tasty batch). Dressing made with oil, cider vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper.

Rhubarb crumble – home grown rhubarb topped with flour, brown sugar, oil, cinnamon, and ginger

 

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The great snowdrop hunt

The Japanese go on Cherry Blossom viewing picnics. Americans head to New England in the 'fall' to admire the colours of the turning leaves. Our English equivalent in recent years would seem to be snow drop viewing.
This year's mild winter seems to be turning to spring so I spent an afternoon with the Club 10 ladies enjoying some fresh air and hunting snowdrops at Mark Hall.
Despite taking a wrong turn (the charming gentleman in the ticket booth chased after us to ensure we didn't get lost) and wading through a lot of mud we soon began to spot signs of our quarry.

Our goal was Robins Grove (shades of Jilly Cooper). So we kept going, admiring the delightful view of the walled garden, and then we spotted it!
Just across a little bridge was a little woodland with a white carpet.

It was wonderful to wander round. The weather was perfect - bright and cool. The snowdrops looked like a piece of miracle.

And then it was back to the tea shop for a nice cuppa. Sadly there was no vegan cake (always hopeful) but the company made up for it.

Dry January

 

I always do a dry January. From the 3rd to tne 31st I avoid alcohol.

It's got nothing to do with detox, or making resolutions I won't keep. Instead it's a way of reminding myself how satisfying life without booze can be. See habits take time to develop, and changing or giving up a habit takes just as long. You have to practice quitting something a lot before actually doing it.

The first few years of Dry January the impact on the rest of the year was negligible. Then as if I'd gotten the hang of it I found that the memory stayed with me during the next few months. Or stayed with me enough to make me think that I might prefer a cup of tea to something stronger right into the summer.

And then it began to spread to the rest of the year. A replacement and refocus of my leisure activities until I'd suddenly realise that it had been several weeks since I'd poured wine to go with a meal, or gone to the pub - because I was too busy living my life. The festive season is now about gingerbread latte, rather than mulled wine.

So that's why my January is dry. To remind myself at the start of the year that there are other things I can do with my time.

 

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Eleventh day, twelfth night

The days following Christmas are great for meals made up entirely of leftovers. As the days past and the choicest items are gone meals either get duller or more inventive. The first week in January is the one where you try to make sense out of what is left.

In my case two pots of hummus (that the label claims should be off by isn't), not as crisp as they could be vegetables, and some of the nut mountain.

Clockwise from top right:

• Brazil nuts, pistachio nuts, dark chocolate – should have added some dates
• Hummus with a blob of fig chutney
• Cracker selection
• Raw cabbage and carrots

To read – A greedy man in a hungry world by Jay Rayner. This promises to challenge my assumptions about food. I'm interested to see how this will compare to Not on the label. So far I'm willing to concede that supermarkets did open our eyes to a broad range of ingredients, and reduced the time it takes to shop. However it doesn't make the terms they offer suppliers any better. Let's see how things develop in the next few chapters.

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What's in my lunch box? Peas and the past

Ever keen to expand my knowledge of pulses, I decided to give marrow fat peas a go. I vaguely recalled reading somewhere that they were grown and produced in the UK (although I haven't investigated this any further. I'd also read somewhere about the benefits of eating seaweed, something I do enjoy. So I purchased a nice packet of Hijiki harvested in Japan to keep my carbon footprint skyhigh!

Putting these together I planned to make something fish and chips inspired. Theoretically the marrow fat peas should have been made into mushy peas for dipping polenta fries into. Old habits die hard though and I ended up making something more akin to refried beans. Guess my love affair with chilli isn't anywhere near cooling off.

Clockwise from bottom left:

• Refried marrow fat peas - soaked, boiled and fried up with oil, onion, lemon juice, salt and chilli.
• Polenta fries - from The Vegan lunchbox cook book
• Roasted Brussel sprouts with toasted garlic from Vegan with a vengance. These are favourite vegetable and I love them so much that I hate the thought of interfering with the flavour. However the oven was on so I gave them a go. Tasty and they keep better than steamed sprouts.
• Hijiki seaweed - bought dried and soaked in hot water

To read: The boy who loved books by John Sutherland. I don't know where I picked this up but I put off reading it for ages.the appeal had been the thought of someone else who's childhood was definded by what they were reading but I thought it might get heavy or overtly sentimental. I was also worried he's waffle on about books that passed me by as a child (Roald Dahl for example). Instead it turned out to be a smashing read for the most part. Sutherland shares his largely neglected childhood in war time time Colchester. It was wonderful to get a glimpse of how the town used to be. He'd read different things to me but it didn't matter. He's fabulous at summing up a book, and offering what he thought then, and what he thinks as an adult. The last few chapters where he talked about his time at university and his alcohol problems were less engaging but that hardly surprising. He clearly found them gloomy too.

 

Wishing you all things green,

Annastasia

 

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What's in my lunchbox? Chew well

This was a fabulous lunch. A great mix of flavours and texture. I should warn anyone thinking of cooking along similar lines that it's advisable to chew the polenta fries well before swallowing. Failure to to do could put you in the same situation that I found myself in on Friday lunchtime. I'd decided, as part of my learning new things, to start attending the Friday lunchtime concerts at the Cathedral. I'm not into religion but appreciate the community aspect.

I was surprised by the large audience, but found a seat and began tucking into my lunch as I listened. Alas as I closed my eyes and tipped my head back in appreciation of the piano I began to choke. I tried to suppress it which seemed to make the jalapeños in the polenta burn more fiercely.

So either chew well or don't consume with live music.

Clockwise from bottom left:

• Plum cake - rather a lot of plums in this one resulting in a very soft texture
• Polenta fries - the recipe from The Vegan Lunchbox with added jalapeños.
• Bob the book by David Pratt
• Home made guacamole
• A fresh fig cut into quarters
• Shredded sweetheart cabbage

What's in my lunch box this week? Inspired by the season

This was one of those lunches I aspire to where I see what is in season, and then cook accordingly.
Clockwise from bottom right:

• Plums - as they are because you can't have plum cake every week.
• Pan bread - made with gram flour and somewhere between a bread and a pancake.
• Dal - made with a super easy recipe from Rose Eliot's Vegan Feasts. I added spinach and rocket. The former worked better than the latter.
• Death of a Pirate: British Radio and the making of the Information Age by Adrian Jones. After an exciting start this is proving to be a more academic work than I anticipated. However I'm learning all kinds of things about the set up of the BBC, and the goings on at rival broadcasters.
• Roasted romanesco cauliflower - I'd forgotten how good this was roasted. It's a wonder it survived to go in my lunch box.

Learn something new for September

 

September is a month all about fresh starts, scanning for signs of autumn, and rediscovering a desire to learn.

Essentially it's a month to challenge yourself. To find out more. To take a look at where you are (after the distractions of summer) and see what you can do with those cliched winter evenings.

If you're looking inspiration, I have the perfect thing. I got chatting to Duncan from Noonesreadingme at carnival yesterday (a rather wonderful evening of leaping around to various bands) and he told me about a friend who had recorded an album. It's her and a piano. The 'feel inspired' bit is that a year ago she couldn't play a piano.

Of course, you don't have to go to such lengths. I've signed up for some courses with Futurelearn. These are free online course from UK universities. All kinds of things with varying time requirements are on offer. I'm going to be learning more about Richard III in November, and discovering the basics of Forensic Science in January.

So here's to an inspiring autumn where I discover all kinds of new and exciting things.

Wishing you all things green,

Annastasia

 

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Saturday adventure

Gosh, I hear you say, that looks a bit bleak. Not surprised that you've been worrying about September blues.

It may look a tad desolate but it was an excellent place to spend an afternoon, even with a bit of rain. I was visiting some family and they suggested an afternoon at Thames Chase community forest.

It's a fantastic site. The paths are wide and gravelled making it highly suitable for users of mobility scooters and wheelchairs as well as small children on bikes and scooters.

There are plenty of things, in additional to nature, to look around the trail. Excellent for encouraging said small children to keep moving ("we're nearly at the fort"). Great for acting as landmarks and ensuring one doesn't get lost. Oh, and rather good fun for climbing and frolicking whatever age you are.

They'd thoughtful labelled lots of the trees.

And there were no end of blackberry bushes. Which did lead to some discussion about why we felt ok picking blackberries as we walked but were hesitant about doing the same for apples or any other fruit.

The teepees are both fun, and slightly Blair witch.

Building your own is good exercise, although my technique needs some work.

There's a visitors centre with a cafe, crafts for sale, and various activities. Parking seemed plentiful. And there was a wonderful juxtaposition of untamed nature park and manicured golf course.

Definitely an excellent afternoon by my standards. It put a glow in my cheeks and left me more than ready for a cup of tea, and some dinner.

Wishing you all things green,

Annastasia

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September blues

Everyone talks about the January blues. That period after Christmas when it’s cold and dark and a long way from summer. When there seems to be no joy in the world. When everyone is broke, on a diet, and just in hibernation.

Just like January, September is a time that is earmarked for new beginnings. It’s the start of the new academic year. You tell yourself that you’ll buckle down after the madness of summer. Then after a few days you’ve stopped packing inspiring lunches, ironing your clothes in advance, and doing morning yoga.

Instead life feels joyless as the days get colder and darker. Anything exciting seems a long way off. You have a strong urge to stay in bed with the cover over your head until next spring.

I’ve been facing the September blues by:

· Getting out of bed when the alarm goes off – may as well face up to the day

· Thinking about all the things I really enjoy at this time of year – seasonal vegetables, preparing to do a wardrobe changeover, stomping through piles of leaves

· Planning things to look forward to. This has nothing to do with looking ahead to Christmas. Instead I’ve booked places on some free talks (the local university has an excellent programme), and noted some free events to attend (impressive work by the City council).

· Taking time to relax – I’ve marked out a weekend to stay home and read – all weekend long

· Letting things go – I want to look for things to celebrate, not invite misery by getting worked up because a car is parking in the wrong place

Wishing you all things green,

Annastasia

 

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Things I Love Thursday - embracing autumn

Walking to work along the river – because it looks so lovely. It's also good to note the seasonal changes day by day, observe the ducks, and reflect on how the river would have been such a central part of the town in the past. Given how well trafficked the footpath is I can only conclude that this is still the case.

Changing up my morning routine – because September is that wonderful month for fresh starts, and making changes. Also because one of my changes is…

Getting out of bed when the alarm goes off – This makes me want to embrace the day while pressing snooze makes me want to avoid life. As a bonus I have more time to…

Dance – I'm doing a bit of burlesque in the morning (post yoga, pre-breakfast). Not only does this free up some evening time but makes me feel energetic. So lively and smug as outcomes! My heads is full of moves at the moment. I'm learning new routines for October Cabaret and choreographing a couple of things for Hogswatch.

Cooking fresh food as I buy it – I've been inspired by the Everlasting meal and have started cooking immediately vegetables that would either require cooking before consumption or that I would be likely to cook before eating. As a result I always have a fridge full of food that is ready to go. There's also added incentive to use the vegetables up. Evening meals suddenly seem to require less planning.

Other stuff – nettle tea – great books – a cosy chair to read in – the positive effects of lots of sleep – sunshine.

Wishing you all things green,

Annastasia

What's in my lunch box? The time has come at

I came across a recipe for a salad with lentils and stone fruit earlier in the summer, and have been waiting for the moment stone fruits came into season to spring into action. Yes, I’ve made my usual substitutions (particularly in the dressing) but think I stay close enough. I even did the onion pickling, which proved to be quick and easy, and definitely worth it.

From bottom left:

 

Lentil and stone fruit salad – based on a recipe from PPK. Spinach, rocket, Cos lettuce, red onion, green lentils, and greengages with a dressing made from rice vinegar, mustard powder, olive oil, dried onion, garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper.

Apple and blackberry crumble

To read – More adventures of Ms Stackhouse in Dead as a doornail by Charlaine Harris

 

Tomatoes – a mix of market bought and home grown.

 

Wishing you all things green,

Annastasia

 

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What's in my lunchbox? Simply idyllic

The word 'idyllic' springs to mind as regards this lunch. It was a pleasure for so many reasons.

From a food point of view:

It used lots of produce from my allotment, or lovely seasonal things from the market. It was easy to throw together as it used leftovers from the weekend. I got to try out some of the ideas in An everlasting meal simply by throwing a load of vegetables in the oven.

From the top down:

· Cherries, purchased from the market and gently cooked to make them extra yummy

· Popcorn, home popped and mixed with coconut oil, salt and nutritional yeast

· Salad with spinach, rocket, roasted chickpeas, peppers and onions, with a drizzle of oil and balsamic vinegar

From a location point of view:

I explored the other side of the river and found a new delightful location to eat in.

Wishing you green ink and good food,

Annastasia

 

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