Get out of Jail Free Card

O.k. I'm taking the easy way out today. Reading the VeganMoFo RSS feed is taking so much time I don't have any energy left to cook. Seriously, although I've linked to the RSS feed page you might prefer to bookmark the Where in the World page and concentrate on one country at a time. My brain is fried trying to keep up.

This is the list from IEatTrees that everyone's doing... if you've not done it yet, hang on to the thought. It just might save your life.

What is one food you thought you’d miss when you went vegan, but don’t?

You know, I don't think there is one. I knew I'd miss meringues and I do, but I'm working on it. I do miss good cheese, and I expected to. I suppose a lot of commercial confectionery - I had a mild sweetie addiction but if I do take a bite of something by accident these days I find it tastes stale and rancid, not very nice at all.

What is a food or dish you wouldn’t touch as a child, but enjoy now?

I was mainly brought up in a houseful of conventional eaters and it stunted my curiosity to an extent. Luckily I had an Aunt who was a great foodie and she introduced me to the complexities of French cooking. From there, the world was my oyster.

What vegan dish or food you feel like you “should” like, but don’t?

Oh, anything with buckwheat in it. Yuck.

What beverage do you consume the most of on any given day?

We talking volume or frequency? A lot of low caffeine teas, like redbush or herbal blends and then I make up for that by as much espresso as I dare.

What dish are you “famous” for making or bringing to gatherings?

That weird stuff that was strangely addictive! My safe offering to omnis is baklava. They love it, and so do I.

Do you have any self-imposed food rules (like no food touching on the plate or no nuts in sweets)?

Am I OCD? No comment. I don't much like fusion cooking but luckily that fad has fallen out of fashion.

What’s one food or dish you tend to eat too much of when you have it in your home?

Pickles

What ingredient or food do you prefer to make yourself despite it being widely available prepackaged?


Everything.

What ingredient or food is worth spending the extra money to get “the good stuff”?

Chocolate, oil, spices. Almost anything really, although sometimes corners can be cut in the interests of economy.

Are you much of a snacker? What are your favourite snacks?

Normally, not much of a snacker. I just have six meals a day.

What are your favorite vegan pizza toppings?


Marinated artichoke hearts.

What is your favorite vegetable? Fruit?

I love aubergines. And grapes are so easy to eat but really, all fruit and vegetables are fab.

What is the best salad dressing?

Classic vinaigrette.

What is your favorite thing to put on toasted bread?

Seriously? Soy sauce. However, I eat a lot of marmite too.

What kind of soup do you most often turn to on a chilly day or when you aren’t feeling your best?

Any kind of soup. Feeling feverish? Miso Soup. Full of cold? Hot and sour soup.

What is your favorite cupcake flavour? Frosting flavor?


I don't eat cupcakes. Really.

What is your favorite kind of cookie?


Or cookies. Well, I'm lying. I like pink wafer biscuits but they're hard to get vegan. Also Nice biscuits, a sort of fine coconut thin shortbread biscuit which are probably not so well known world wide. Oh, and Bourbon creams... eh, takes me back to my youth!

What is your most-loved “weeknight meal”?

Most frequent is probably a big pan of mixed roast vegetables. I love all the food we eat, or I wouldn't make it.

What is one dish or food you enjoy, but can’t get anyone else in your household to eat?

The Stripey male is much less keen on foods that are acid or bitter than me, so I don't make meals like that. He'll eat them but he won't ask for seconds and it breaks my heart.

How long, in total, do you spend in the kitchen on an average day?

You mean cooking? Depends, the evening meal usually takes about an hour but other food prep and meals can bump that up to three hours or so.