Vegan banh mi sandwich

After my delicious bahn mi lunch at Mono, I returned from Scotland determined to make bahn mi at home. This led me to look up the dish and learn that bahn mi really just means bread. To be specific, baguette made with rice flour as well as wheat flour. A bahn mi sandwich, on the other hand, refers to the complete dish: a filled Vietnamese baguette with meat or tofu, picked vegetables, chilli, and coriander (cilantro).

My version used a standard wheat baguette, but I tried to stay true to the spirit of Vietnamese sandwich fillings. Online information suggested I could pickle the vegetables quite briefly - for an hour or so - rather than needing an extensive pickling process. I used carrot, cabbage and radishes but cucumber and daikon would be authentic additions to the mix. Fresh coriander isn't in season here, but if you can find it, it would be a great finishing touch. As it is, I used the dried variety in my tofu marinade.

I've shared a few recipes lately with the note that you don't really need to press your tofu. Here, you do. Allow time to press it in advance and then marinate it for 30 minutes or so before cooking. The result is crispy thin slices that really make the sandwich.

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Glasgow, including vegan food at Mono Cafe Bar and Nippon Restaurant

Like so many places, Scotland has a bit of an east/west divide. This is particularly true for Edinburgh (the eastern capital, which is refined and elegant) and Glasgow (the larger western city, which is edgier and scruffier). I ought to love Edinburgh, but I hope I won't offend anyone by saying that in fact I love Glasgow.

Central Glasgow

My views of Glasgow may have been shaped by the weather and the food. The weather was autumn showcased to perfection. The food was boosted by a host of vegan eating options, and the particular appeal of Mono, a fully vegan cafe / bar that we ate at twice.

Mono

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Lani Muelrath's The Plant-Based Journey: Review, give away + recipe for cranberry sauce with dates and oranges

I am delighted to share this review and give away of Lani Muelrath's new book The Plant-Based Journey. Whilst there are many vegan-focused recipe books out there, this contribution stands out because it focuses more broadly on the whole lifestyle of plant-based eating. There is easily accessible science (reminiscent of The China Study but in summary form); helpful descriptions of plant-based food groups and how they can combine to give different meals; an actual meal plan example; and then both recipe templates (including customizable bases for burgers, soups and bowl meals...) and specific recipes.

Lani Muelrath has an impressive reputation as an author, speaker and teacher on plant-based and mindful living. She has a qualification in plant-based nutrition from Cornell University and is active in promoting a plant-based lifestyle in the US. In The Plant-Based Journey. she draws on her own 40-odd years of plant-based eating experience.

Cranberry sauce with dates and oranges

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Purple vegan lasagna

If I'd been more organised, I might have shared this post for Halloween. Purple lasagna would have been particularly fun then, but as it is, we're having it in mid-November. I'd like to think it is fun now too - difficult to photograph well, but fun.

As with my previous purple meals, the colour in this dish comes from purple carrots. It amazes me how much colour they are capable of providing. They usually cost a little more than regular carrots, but I get such pleasure from them that I think they're worthwhile every now and again.

Other than carrots, this dish drew inspiration from the lasagna with hummous I made earlier in the year. I used tahini here instead of hummous, but either would work well. Whilst purple carrots don't taste very different to regular ones, their dark colour conjures up a depth of flavour that tahini complements nicely.

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South-west Scotland

Before our recent trip, I had been to Scotland twice, but both times only to Edinburgh and both times only briefly (a day trip and an overnight trip). I am sure it goes without saying that there is a lot more to Scotland than its capital city, but I will note it anyway, because the rest of the country was so very different. It blew me away and if you haven't visited Scotland, I urge you to go, and go west and north in particular!

Culzean Castle, Scotland

I'll get to the north of the country in a future post, but am starting where we started - in the south-west corner. We based ourselves in Dumfries, which is a small town 30 miles north of the English border and 75 miles south of Glasgow. We chose it as a base for the south-west and because it was one of the closest Scottish towns we could drive to. However, as we only had 1.5 days in the region we didn't spend much time in Dumfries itself, and even less there in daylight. What we did see was pleasant enough but I can't pretend to have a good grasp of the town.

Dumfries' 15th century bridge

What we did see in the area were two magnificent castles. Culzean Castle, pictured top and below, is the flagship property of the Scottish National Trust. As English National Trust members we could visit for free, and got in just before the property shut for winter (it shut in November and we visited on the 30th October!).

Culzean Castle

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In my kitchen - November 2015

I am linking this in to Celia's monthly In My Kitchen event at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial.

We're back! Scotland was wonderful and I look forward to sharing photos and highlights in future posts. For now, though, I am joining Celia's monthly In My Kitchen series to summarise some of what is happening in my kitchen this November.

In my kitchen, there is the tried and true mix of (soya) yoghurt with oats and fruit. I go through phases with this combination - sometimes I can't get enough and then suddenly I'm over it for a little while. Right now, I'm in the can't get enough phase.

In my kitchen, there are assorted products from Morrisons. Until recently, this was the British supermarket we didn't shop at, on account of not having one within walking distance in London or particularly close to our new home in Kent. In Scotland, though, they were the most frequent chain and we enjoyed discovering their products. I was especially pleased to see vegan millionaire's shortbread (caramel slice) in their own brand 'free from' range. I liked it a lot and more so than the other vegan millionaire's shortbread I've tried.

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