To soya or not to soya

I recently went to the London Coffee Festival. I'm rather partial to a Starbucks "Grande Soya Latte" you see, and so I went on search for other coffees from around the world (but really I just wanted to fill myself up with more Starbucks coffee and gossip with my friend). Upon entering this hard-core festival my eyes lit up when I saw the Alpro stand, so like a true fan and ambassador of the brand I ran over there and declared to the staff that I love Alpro soya and I drink it all the time.
However, a couple of weeks ago, my fiance sent a link to videos and articles about how bad soya is for you. It says the process the soya beans goes through makes it toxic to the system. What a blow this was! So we went about purchasing hemp milk, almond milk, rice milk and hazelnut milk. I'm not completely new to these other types of milk, I've tried them all at one point or another because I've been off cow milk since Nov 2007. I even made my own milk from hemp seeds, and it tasted amazing. However, nothing is more convenient AND tasty like soya, and you find soya in so many products, including vegan specific products.
But after reading too many articles from doctors and health professionals and from what I already learnt from documentaries such as Forks Over Knives, I know we have to cut this stuff out. One of the best articles I've read is this one from Natural News. What is says makes sense to me.
I'm now on a voyage to find the 'good' soya milk available in the UK and I'll post about my findings when I, erm, find it. 

Is Alpro good or bad soya?

Vegan options out and about

Eating out is a bit of a challenge, and this is where our all-vegan diet often gets put aside momentarily. We're introverts and a bit shy about making a fuss, so we tend to make do with what is on the menu. However, there are vegan friendly places, vegetarian restaurants and sometimes you get lucky with options. We were recently wandering along the Thames in London and came across a cluster of Indian food market stalls and they had plenty of yummy vegan options, just check out this menu, where everything is vegan.

Vegan options a-plenty on the Thames

Chickpea Chana Masala

This was the first time I'd made a curry completely from scratch. It had never crossed my mind to embark on such a thing, as I'm not a natural cook, nor do I have much desire for cooking. Like a rebellious teenager I don't bother measuring ingredients, which almost always makes things taste pretty terrible as I found out once when I made a Thai dish and didn't measure the fish sauce.
But this time was different. I bought all ingredients fresh, and did my best measuring job for each one. The result was an absolutely amazing curry that I am very proud of. This recipe is from Post Punk Kitchen's website - a great source of vegan dishes. The only thing I changed was the amount of jalapeño in the dish - only a sprinkling was enough for me.

Post Punk Kitchen's Chana Masala

Pizza!

Yes that's right, you can even eat pizza, without being windy and regretful after. I haven't actually found vegan cheese yet, but I'd love to try that, because I must admit, cheese is the only thing I really miss. I used to eat loads of it, along with lots of milk, and wonder why I had bloated stomach cramps every day of my life. I don't miss the dairy kind of milk at all, in fact I really dislike the taste now. It's soya or nut milk all the way for me now! Anyway, back to the pizza - this one has artichoke heart pieces, green pepper, mushrooms, olives, corn and pineapple. My brother tells me instead of tomato paste, a mix of mashed sweet potato and hummous makes for a delicious pizza base. 

Home made vegan friendly pizza in poncy instagram hipster shot

My favourite vegetable soup

I love this vegetable soup. I'm so glad I found it. It's really basic, but tastes out of this world. It contains vegetable broth, potatoes, carrots and barley. Boil it, serve it, slurp it. You'll feel great afterwards. 

Vegetable soup - home made, vegan friendly

Cannellini bean salad-ish

My fiance makes a more traditional Cypriot style cannellini bean salad, but because it was bitterly cold, we made a hot version, with carrot and celery. I love this as it's a great mixture of textures and tastes, and is light and fresh, but filling at the same time. For the salad version, we have it with coriander and freshly squeezed lemon. Team this with some fresh bread and dip it into the oils and juices.

Cannellini beans FTW

Succulent vegetables

Depending on your mood, you can have an array of juicy vegetables, or combine them with heavier textures (roast potatoes, rice, bean burger etc.). How could you not feel good munching down on this lot. Mmm mmm.

Juicy veggies