Liverpool sights and vegan eating from The Egg Cafe

Last week I had a trip of three firsts. It was my first overnight work trip in the UK (my role doesn't usually involve much travelling, but for various reasons will have a bit more this year); my first overnight stay away from Mini Bite; and my first visit to Liverpool.

Liverpool docks

At 18 months, I know many parents will have left their children overnight before. However, it felt like an enormous milestone for our household. I confess to feeling some excitement as well as apprehension - the excitement mostly centering around uninterrupted, extended sleep. I was rewarded with exactly that: 10 hours of blissful sleep after a prior hour reading in bed. Poor Mr Bite had the opposite scenario at home, with Mini Bite being awake from 1-3am and then starting her day at 5am. It is probably for the best I have no more overnight travel planned.

World Museum, Liverpool

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African sweet potato and tomato quinoa

I've become very partial to the African flavour mix of sweet potato, smoky tomato or paprika, and creamy peanut butter. This dish is a simple twist on this classic combination and it is satisfying, comforting and tasty. It's also very easy.

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Best ever fluffy vegan pancakes

A few weeks ago, I took a day of annual leave over a 'normal' weekday. By this I mean a day when Mr Bite was at work and Mini Bite was at nursery. It gave me the opportunity to catch up on various things and have some very rare time in the house alone. As part of the day, I enjoyed a leisurely late breakfast after a morning run. These pancakes were the breakfast in question and they were delicious.

'Best ever' is a serious claim but these are the best vegan pancakes I've tried. I credit this to the magic of aquafaba (tinned chickpea liquid). Aquafaba has a huge following these days and there is a reason for this! It provided a beautiful fluffy texture here.

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Eat Dairy Free: Cookbook review + recipe

I was recently given the opportunity to review Eat Dairy Free by Alisa Fleming (BenBella Books, 2018). The book isn't vegan (or even vegetarian) but it includes many recipes which are. The author also includes details of her personal experiences cutting out dairy and offers lots of tips on how to make the transition.

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In my kitchen - February 2018

I am linking this into the monthly In My Kitchen round-up, hosted by Sherry of Sherry's Pickings.

In my kitchen, the days are getting longer. Last week it even felt a bit like spring - but then this morning it snowed, proving we are not quite there yet.

To offset the wintry weather and the reduced variety in winter fruit, my kitchen regularly has imported berries. I ease my guilty conscious slightly by trying to find ones that come from southern Europe rather than south America (fewer air miles).

In my kitchen are new vegan 'chicken' slices by Quorn. I was very excited to see this addition to the vegan Quorn range. The slices are very reminiscent of chicken, although a little too processed for my usual tastes.

 

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Vegan pear upside down cake

This is a cake that I need to make again. In part this is because the cake was delicious and I would like to eat it again. In part, though, it is because my current photos do not do the cake justice. Poor winter lighting, hastily snapped images, and a camera battery that died at the wrong moment all contributed to sub-par photos. I apologise. However, I am sharing this anyway because the cake really was delicious and poor photos shouldn't get in the way of recipe sharing.

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