Vegan/ Veg*n/Vegetarian Guide to Barbados

THIS BLOG IS CLOSED
I RELAUNCED THE BLOG . Please click here to go to my new blog

I have been getting a few emails from people who are coming to Barbados, some for the first time who are veg*n and wonder what they are going to eat for the time they are in Barbados. I decided that I would give a full guide for anyone interested in coming to the island but who is a little worried about not having vegan options.
I will be telling you about some dishes I know that are vegan for sure,supermarkets, names of foods that you are not familiar with and beaches to go with nearby vegan friendly restaurants.


Casual dining/Fast Food/Bajan Food

For casual dining you can check out a health food store in Bridgetown. It is on the left hand side opposite RBTT Bank. It is called Jenn's Health and Beauty. It is actually a grocery store,book store and cafe in one.
It serves breakfast from 7:30 and you have veggie sausages and tofu scramble all sorts of things like plantains,muffings etc (Update there is a sign saying they have discontinued their breakfast)
Be sure to try the lentil patty it is a pastry filled with spicy lentils and it is very filling. There is a spin off to this pastry called the super and it is filled with pineapple and peas and more veggies and this pastry is called The SUPER ! There is another pastry called a granburger rolland this is actually minced tvp which is seasoned in a savoury pastry .In Barbados they do not call it TVP they call it granburger or burger chunk.
From 11 Jenns has a variety of Caribbean inspired dishes,brown rice,eggplant stir fry,tvp stew,bean stew,garlic potatoes and their daily vegan soup and even a starch that you may be unfamiliar with which is called eddos and they have sweet potatoes and yam sometimes depends on the season. It is a hot meal place but not much seating but u can walk to the beach near Pelican village 5 mins away and eat on the picnic tables if you want a tan. I surely do not want one:)
They also serve vegan cakes and gluten free cakes and a whole range of roti and samosas.
There is also affordable shopping for the groceries.
They sell a variety of protein shakes and fresh fruit juices just tell them soy protein when you go. At Jennsit is a pay first and then serve and it is not a big places and it is noisy because of the shake making. I do not mind this very much but as I say you do not have to eat there you get a takeaway container and the beach is down the street with tables.

In the city there is a place called The Balcony restaurant. Here it is a kinda buffet but not the American style buffet . It is all you can put on to your plate LOL. and that's it. It is a fully stocked salad bar which has many vegan options and your can really enjoy it because there is always Barbadian peas and rice and gravy which is an onion gravy. If you go around 1 pm there is long line heading into the clothing department store yes! It moves quickly and the Bajans usually do not dine in and they go along their merry way so there is seating and the plus of eating here is that there is a wonderful view of the city of Bridgetown.

(Fast Food)I do not like fast food but there is a Cheffette restaurants which is yellow and purple building they sell a vege burger with a pickle tomato and that's it. It is very good.:)
Cheffette sells an all potato roti which is Indian inspired curry potatoes in a thin tasty dough. I would not eat this because there is no protein inside so I would get my roti from elsewhere.

Indian Grill is just on the tip of Bridgetown and it is in Baystreet on the coast. My hubby (who is not Barbadian) and I really enjoyed the roti from here. Even the skin is tasty. They really do it right. They make about 14 different types of roti both meat and vegan and, there is a wide variety. You can have all chickpeas or chickpeas and potato. My hubby loves the vegetable which a mixture of vegetables and chickpeas and he says it has a very good taste as the sweet pumpkin and curry work well in the roti and you have some potato and chickpeas to balance it out.

Oh another place Big John's they have a roti which is more nutritious and it has tvp chunks,chick peas,carrots,green peas with or without potato in a thin dough. There is a Big John's in Hastings near Accra beach on the south coast

Well let me get to Accra Beach. This is a very popular beach in Barbados but not the only one. I think the reason people like this beach is that it is close to so many restaurants and food stalls.You can spend all day at Accra rent a chair and sleep and you can leave your chair and come back but just leave your towel in the chair. On the beach itself there are many restaurants but I never checked any out for vegan treats. We usually go across the street to Quay side center which is a mini shopping and restaurant area. There is a coffee places and you can ask for soy milk in your coffee treats. There is also a grill which does fish but do not worry they have some wicked sides like peas and rice grilled potatoes and vegetables and it is about 3 usd for a side and I am telling you it is hefty. This place with the hefty sides is called Just Grillin.
I was never a fan of Chinese food until I got desperate and ate at the Chinese Restaurant over there and boy was I happy. I had mock duck and fried rice. What a treat and you can always ask for no MSG. Next to the Chineese place there is Picasso's they have a vegetarian menu which has no cheese and so I will dare to call it vegan. It is around 10 usd and it is full of protein as it has TVP as the main course!
Down the street from Quay side next to the Greek restaurant Opa there is an icecream place that I frequent with my hubby and it is called dolce gelato I hope it did not interchange the words. It has a daily soy icecream which is always a treat. He also makes sorbets too and there is an extensive Italian treats menu but I did not see much vegan stuff . It is lovely inside and I promised myself I should take pics of these places next time so you can see how lovely Barbados is.



Bubbas sports bar Worthing Christ Church has a veggie burger made of vegetables. I tried this burger and it was decent they served it with fries and some sauce and it cost me 17 Barbados dollars not bad. Bert's Bar down the street boast of a veggie burger I never went to Berts!

Apsara which I review is a good Indian place to dine with a beautiful bathroom (smile) The staff is fairly attentive just tell the reservationist u are a vegan like the last girl who came there with her friends me (just kidding) Just make sure you say no milk . I do not think their naan was vegan. I tasted a little piece and it taste buttery maybe I was wrong.

Grocery Shopping in Barbados
Well I worked for a company that makes some vegetarian products as a side thing. They make Farmers Choice veggie burger which in my opinion taste better than Morningstar. They make a veggie nugget which is decent and a love bite which is breaded veggies with a samosa flavour. I work there for now( 2morrow is my last day as I have to do one more course at uni to graduate). They do not fry in oil which is used to fry animal stuff. They make their veggie stuff first thing in the morning monday mornings and all the machines are clean. The plant is HACCP certified which means it has international standards. You may want to try those especially if you are on a self catered holiday.

I shop at Super Centre or Big B mainly for my ingredients for cooking as they are the more Americanized supermarkets so they have everything u can find overseas except tempeh we do not use this here...
If you are coming from the UK or America you would you would see all of your familar brands. There are vegan stuff all over just ask them to point you too the right place. They sell fresh produce kinda and baked peanuts. They would have local Barbadian mangoes now which are all organic. Some of the stuff is imported so you would have to read the labels.
All supermarkets in Barbados carry TVP,granola and soy milk,vegan microwave products,tofu all brands the fresh ones and the ones in the tetra pak and they sell premade hummous and chick peas and all sorts of things u will not be bored or hungry I assure you.
Fresh fruits and veggies

Trimart also has a few vegan items and it is a cheaper than the other supermarket but if you are coming from the USA the dollar is 2 to 1 so it will be fine for you.


I personally get my fresh fruits from Pricesmart which is a membership only thing and it is located in Warren St Michael 2 mins away from a big Super Centre supermarket and Food Court. There is also a roti place there and downstair in the supermarket have a restaurant which has vegan options ..hmm oh yeah supercentre has a subby station where u can get a salad sandwich .

On Sunday in Barbados there are fresh coconuts on the highway for sale. They cost for abt usd 50 cents for one and it full of sweet juice and soft flesh. You can buy a litre of coconut water which we call it here for 5 usd and you can bring a baggie to get free soft flesh which they give u if you ask for free. Do not let these ppl fool you because you are a tourist(smile).If you have a rental car you can get up on Sunday morning down ABC highway near Deighton Griffith school and there is a nice man who sells there. When you come in ask the taxi to show you Deighton Griffith school I live 5 mins from the airport driving.


I think I covered many places if you have any questions you can email me at my yahoo address provided.

I was looking through my cam for a pic of Barbados but I have none.
I promise all my reader I will provide some soon.

Hiatus- Veggie Roti Post

Hi all
I know I have been a bad person for not posting but I am in the process of some major changes in my life so I will not have time for this blog for the next few months. Once I get settled I would be fine.
Here I leave you with a little dinner I made for the hubby. It is called roti. I kinda cheated this time and bought the skins from the supermarket but I made the filling with tvp chunks,curry,chickpeas,potato,cumin and sweet peas. It can be spicy to mild. The roti is just the dough but in Barbados we call the entire thing with the filling roti.
I will be back soon during the holidays so look out for some new holiday post.
Coming from....
I will tell you that later.
The Barbadian Vegan may be coming to a city near you
lol

Barbadian Vegan eats Guacamole?

UPDATE: THIS BLOG HAS BEEN MOVED HERE
Howdy,
I decided I wanted to make some guacamole since I had some avocado( on the street you can hear the vendors calling it avocado pear). I decided to make some guacamole because I always knew about it but I never tried it in my life. Barbadians eat avocados just like that with rice as a side thing. I need your help as I do not know if I got the taste right.
Is it suppose to be limey because my mom said it was too limey for her. I do not mind lime or lemon as I usually drown my hummus in lemon but is guacamole suppose to be predominant lime or predominant onion and spices.
Let me know
I want to try it again
I used lime,cilantro,salt,onion,tomato and some black pepper or cumin..Hmm I don't remember

Tay's Dhal and Basmati Rice

Hi all,

Me again cooking away on a Sunday afternoon. Normally in Barbados the lunch is eaten again at dinner time on Sundays. I was very inspired by Indian dishes that I decided to make a dhal at home. Now unlike baking this is one thing I am good at. I make mine different each time as I throw in what is around. This time I paid special attention to the type of curry I used, I used star anise in my dhal to give it a special flavour. I added some tomato sauce to my dhal yes, very untraditional and I also added some american mustard and Bajan seasoning. I guess you would not call it dhal anymore but the taste is very special, very spicy and very good overall. I have decided to restart my book which was on pause for a long time and include this wonderful dish. I cannot stand bland dishes at all esp vegan dishes which need a helping hand to be up there with the other dishes so my dhal is super spicy and full of wonderful flavours of clove,garlic and cumin.

Basmati Rice Cooking Tips

I have noticed that some people cook Basmati rice very badly

The rice ends up sticky and poor in flavour. Here are some tips to perfect basmati rice from scratch. Most people in Barbados cook rice from scratch. I have noticed when I travel around the world that many people use the so called instant rice. This is very nice but some people are afraid to cook rice from scratch.

1. Soak basmati rice for 30 mins prior cooking.

2. Infuse oil with cardomom, clove and cumin seeds

3. Fry up your soaked rice with this oil and add your water and salt.

I came across a site that had some wonderful tips a few months back

If you google it you will find it.

I am yet to find good place mats.

My placemats at home are xmas or valentines or some brown ones that ruin my pics

I know the banana leaf looks tacky but I will be back with a wonderful kitchen set soon.

I love curries but we do not usually do curries with coconut milk here.

I am yet to try this. I also need to seek out different curries and more interesting ingredients which I will showcase to you.

Cheers

Tay

Apsara Restaurant (Indian Food)

HEY MY BLOG HAS BEEN MOVED HERE
I do not really go dining out as I do not trust most restaurants with my meals.
You say you are vegan and people do not understand and it is difficult. I almost had to go to Greek restaurant tonight and that would have been a disaster as I called and there was no vegan options. I found a nice restaurant which was a North Indian and Thai restaurant in one. What a wonderful idea there are sure to be some vegan options.
They boast of over 18 vegetarian dishes but I would have to find out if some were vegan or could be veganized by the chef.

First of all this place is beautiful !!! I usually go to some Indian restaurants and the layout sometimes is a bit cold inside but this place was better than home. I did not want to leave. The service was excellent and my dinner was good. Next time I would be more adventurous and try to from Thai menu. My dished called the Dhingri Matar with mushroom and peas. At first they bought a vegetarian one which was pretty but not what I wanted. They quickly remade the dish in a few mins and I had my vegan version. I have a pic of both. The service was excellent. Even my omi feasters had a great time and I admit their dinner smelled really good too.
It was a good trip had by all
I am sorry I did not get pictures of this beautiful place even the bathroom was beautiful!!!
I hope to bring more restaurant reviews again. I may very well go back to Apsara soon to try a different dish. The prices are quoted in Barbados dollars which when you divide it by 2 gives u the US dollars.
I am tired now.
Until next time
Tay

To Slaw or not to Slaw

Coleslaw a big favourite but also a fattening favourite.
I admit even in my meat eating days I always passed at the slaw as I always saw it as a fat laden sweet dish that I could have avoided.
Today was baking day so I wanted a quick dish but I have not been vegetables shopping in 2 weeks now so there was not much to choose from.
I decided to develop a slaw that can be used to top veggie burgers and sandwiches or it can be used as a side dish.
The coleslaw in Barbados is very very very simple.
I have seen some alternatives using apple and onion but the way I know is this

Traditional Bajan Slaw
1 cabbage head shredded
1 large carrot shredded
2 tbs or more of mayo
1 heaping tablespoon sugar
pinch of black pepper

Now as you can see this is a horribly fattening recipe so I tried to veganize it and also reduce the fat because I do not want to be a fat vegan!

My Vegan Coleslaw
1/2 head cabbage shredded
1 large carrot shredded
1 tsp vegan mayo yes 1 tsp you can be a bit genourous with it
1 tbs. agave nectar
1/8 tsp star anise ground
1 small onion minced
1/4 cup scallions
1/2 tsp black pepper
Chopped walnuts and chopped pumpkin seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)

Method
Mix all ingredients together for at least 10 mins until your veggies start to wilt
Use this as a side or a topping for your sandwiches and burgers
It is a sweet and spicy taste but if you want just sweet your can omit the chilli flakes

Happy eating!
Tay

Chocolate Birthday Surprise

My friend is having a little get together tonight so I decided I should give this chocoholic a birthday cake. Unfortunately I have never done vegan cakes in my life. I tried last Christmas but it was a disaster. So I told her I would make her a vegan cake for her birthday. Since I have not developed any recipes on baking I turned to Julie Hasson Chocolate Mocha Cakes.

I was a bit skeptical I admit because here I was promising my friend cakes when I never tried vegan baking. I followed her recipe step by step and voila the most delicious moist not overly sweet cakes I have ever had. Now I do not want to give them to my friend because there would be none left for me! I did not have a nice heart pan or even a cup cake pan. I manage to find disposable muffin pans and they worked well. I just followed her pan release and the cakes popped out well. I did not want to give my friend dry cakes hey it is her birthday so I did the topping Julie did and here we have some of the best chocolate cakes I have ever had so far!

I need to take a photography class as my pictures are really horrible these days.

I have confidence in vegan cakes now so I will be buying My Sweet Vegan and also Julie Hasson's Book.

Cheers

Tay

Cookie Mania

Well I decided to try my hand at some more cookies tonight.

Lessons learnt from cookie making

1. Brown rice syrup makes your cookies hard and poor flavour

2.Brown sugar esp the one I have at my house makes ur cookies super hard.

3.Agave nectar makes cookies hard

4. Maple syrup is amazing in cookies and gives them a wonderful flavour

5. Fructose is a better tasting sweetener and you use less as it has a more sweeter taste than sugar

I made dutch chocolate and walnut again but as you can see it is a nice rich colour. I realised that dutch chocolate is amazing and these cookies remind me of brownies.

I found a really nice blend for a cookie mixture. Almonds, walnuts, chocolate and vanilla.

This is excellent and it gives such a how should I say this. High classed bakery taste.

The dutch chocolate is amazing when paired with walnuts.

I will try pecan next time and use black strap molasses to give a "butter pecan" flavour.

My mom told me I should sell these cookies to the vegan restaurant in the city as they have loads of cakes and stuff but no cookies.

I will take some to work again 2morrow and see how it goes with the co workers.

I will post the recipe very soon for you soon but I am working on the perfect cookie still.

These are soft and have a slightly hard exterior what we call american style cookies that chewy soft feel.

There is still a lot of work to be done.

Anyone has some suggestions.

I see many visitors to the blog but no feedback.

What is wrong ??

If anyone has cookie advice for me please share it.

Thanks

Tay

Cookie Virgin

Hi all,
Today is a big day for me. My first vegan cookies. We eat cookies in Barbados but it is not very common to make them at home. That is a more North American thing. Some of us do but not me until today. I whipped up a batch of 3 different cookies.
1. Chocolate walnut
2. Mixed nut and carob (I cannot find just black unsweetened chocolate chips at all)
3. Carob chip

I should have gone a little heavier on the dutch chocolate but I was scared it would become bitter.
Oh well next time
I am still perfecting the recipe as I am a sugar hater.
I prob will only eat 1/2 of these cookies as I packed them in little baggies as gifts for my co workers.
I wish you can smell them from here.
I am excited about vegan baking now.
I am still on a healthy path so I would just enjoy the view for now.
I really never have a sweet tooth and when I do I have a mango!
Cheers
Tay

Warm squash and green banana salsa with sliced Vegan Roast "Beef"

Ok, now you know how to peel green banana we can now use it in a dish which incorporates Barbadian and international cuisine all in one. This dish is totally delicious but the prep time can be long as I was doing my Vegan Roast "Beef" sandwich which I would post after.
I admit I was not a big seitan lover until today. I must say that experimenting in my kitchen I have come up with a juicy seitan (gluten for my Barbadian readers) sliced meat.

I was impressed by Brian P McCarthy dish on Seitan Corn Beef.
I decided that I wanted to try a seitan loaf at home but I did not have all of the ingredients to make his corned beef so, I came up with a delish recipe that people in Barbados can do that does not call for some of these hard to find ingredients. The only down fall here was that I think my seitan has too many holes. I think I know how to deal with this. Next time instead of using cheese cloth I would steam in aluminium foil to make it more dense. Anyways the taste as I say makes up for this lovely dish that can be used in sandwiches and anything you like. I plan to make a batch again for my boyfriend and we will grill it and see how that comes out.
Anyways to the recipe

I shop at Jenn Health Food store in Bridgetown to get all my stuff most of it.
Most supermarkets here carry many vegetarian things as many Rastafarian's live here and many young and old people alike that avoid animal products. Barbados is fairly vegan friendly as there are things in restaurants that you can get that are vegan so you do not have to just eat sides all the time.

Seitan Roast Beef (Sliced Mock Meat)

Dry Ingredients
1 cup of wheat gluten
1 tbs onion powder
1 tbs crushed chilli
1 tsp salt
1tsp dried sage
1tsp ground clove
1 tsp paprika

Wet Ingredients
1 cup of water
1 tsp liquid amino acids
1 tbs Bajan Seasoning ( Tutorial on how to make this at home in North America or any country out of the Caribbean is coming up soon)
1/4 olive oil
1 tbs Barbados Molasses

Method
Combine wet ingredients to dry ingredients
DO NOT KNEAD
I did it by mistake and then the gluten started to get activated
Place your big chunk of seitan on cheese cloth of any cooking cloth
Fasten ends of the cloth and place in simmering water and cook for anywhere over 1 hours
Cool and slice
Serve however you like it

I will do a tutorial on making seitan at home again

Remember Barbadians you can get gluten flour from the health food store. It is fairly cheap and easy to work with and a nice alternative to fatty sliced meats.

Warm Squash and Green Banana Salsa

1 large squash sliced and cut into fours( raw)
1/2 zucchini sliced and cut into fours (raw)
1 1/2 cup of green banana sliced
1/2 cup green onions chopped ( fresh green seasoning)
1 large clove garlic chopped finely
1 large onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1 tbs dried parsley or fresh
1 tbs black pepper
1 tbs amino acids
1tsp cumin
2 tbs crushed chilli's or less I like it spicy ;)
1 large sweet pepper chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup water for steaming
1 tsp sea salt for pre-salting vegetables
Method
Salt the squash and zucchini with some sea salt
In an oiled frying pan combine onions garlic,sweet peppers and green onion
Add all the remaining ingredients except the banana and water.
Cook for 5 mins
Carefully add your cooked green banana
Add water to the side of the dish
Carefully add cooked banana which should have been cooked in a little salted water for about 15-20 mins
Add the water to the side of the frying pan
Cover and cook for 25 mins until all the water evaporates

This is such a yummy dish that I could eat it over and over
For those who do not have green banana in your country see if you get a green plantain
Slice plantain and cook in olive oil and add back to the salsa 3 mins before your turn off the heat.

There you have it a warm summer salsa with a Caribbean twist

Tutorial on peeling green bananas

THIS BLOG HAS MOVED PLEASE CLICK HERE TO HEAD ON TO THE NEW BLOG































































Now I asked my mom to help me with this since she is more of an expert than me on peeling green banana.
I think many people do not know how to peel the hard skin without destroying the green banana so here it is.
Green banana can be used like potatoes and sweet potatoes as it is starchy and delicious
For those who are reluctant to eat green banana trust me there is no banana smell or sweetness. I cannot eat raw banana because it makes me sick from the smell but I love to eat green banana because it is a totally different thing.

1. Remove the two ends from the green banana.
2. Score the banana skin but do not cut into the banana
3.Carefully peel back the skin
4. You are done

Thanks again mother.

Attempted Gardening

I love the idea of planting my own vegetables around the house but within recent times there has been a lot going around the house thus limiting the space I have available so I cut 2 garbage cans up and made a portable garden for now until I get more space. I attempted to grow Romaine lettuce, thyme, marjoram and parsley. I also have some green onion around that the grass is taking over but they are surviving.
As you can see I have many green banana and plantain trees around
Aloe vera which I sometimes eat raw on mornings
I have many lime trees and orange trees
I had a grape tree but it was cut down due to prowlers trying to steal
Anyways do enjoy the pictures.
Cheers
Taymer

Juicy Black Bean & Mushroom Burgers

Hi all,
I am a little busy these days doing nothing but I will share today a new burger I am developing.
I am not finished perfecting it yet so I will not post a recipe today.
However I will share what I am having for my early dinner.
It is black bean burgers with some mushrooms.
I had some left overs from my previous post so I threw that in there.
Enjoy

No that is not ketchup just some tomato sauce I threw on because I made them too spicy!

Tay

Black bean, mushroom and quiona medley

HEY I MOVED MY BLOG CLICK HERE TO GO TO MY NEW BLOG
Hello again people,
I said before that I am trying to maintain a more healthy website so I will share with you a lovely fat free high protein dish that I will be having for lunch tomorrow.
It took me 20 minutes to make.

1cup left over quiona or fresh one
1/2 cup mushrooms
1/4 cup green onions chopped
1/2 cup black beans
1/2 cup diced tomatoes
1/2 carrot diced
1/2 zucchini diced
1 tablespoon amino acid I used Braggs by the way
1 clove garlic
1 onion chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsb parsley flakes

Method

Throw in the vegetables except the beans and the tomatoes in a frying pan just like that
Add the liquid amino acids and cumin
Add quiona
Carefully add black beans and tomatoes
Stir in the parley flakes and cook for an additional 3 mins and thats that
Game over!

Signature Mac and "Cheeze"

HEY THIS BLOG HAS MOVED HERE

I was in a hurry so I did not allow the dish to set so I could get a nice chunk

However the taste made up for it

I used penne because we do not buy a lot of pasta at my house and it was either that or linguini

which makes me sick most of the time.

Mac and Cheeze

2 cup Vegan White Sauce

2 cup penne cooked

1/2 zuchinni chopped

1 tsp black pepper,paprika, basil,

1 tbs amino acids

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 large clove garlic crushed

1 medium onion chopped

1 tsp coconut fat ( this is what you get from the coconut milk when you leave it for a few days to settle in the fridge)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tomato diced

4 fresh basil leaves

Breading

Method

Cook pasta

Stir in sauce and all ingredients other than the tomato,basil and breading

Place pasta in baking dish and top with tomato basil and breading

Bake until brown

Enjoy

Note: My dish was a little low on salt because I like it this way but you can add more salt to taste and maybe some vegan butter for more richness.

I made some vegan sausage at work and I forgot to add it in the dish

Dad's 3 way sampler

I am tired of cooking recently after that moussaka.
I will do real post again like from august 2008.
I am studying so my dad cooked lunch and it was very delicious
He did seasoned fried tofu, curry chick peas and seasoned kidney beans. The dish was seasoned rice with sweet fried plantain.
I am getting sleepy from all that food
See you soon

Tay

Guadeloupe 2007

I found some pics I took in Guadeloupe at my boyfriend's house.
I really enjoy some of these meals and I tried to mix some of the meals with his French heritage.
Hope you enjoy
The first dish is a rice stir fry with TVP chunk and French beans(thats what he calls it)
The other was a dhal I made him with curried rice and French beans.

Wheat and artichoke pasta with "Cheeze" and Leftover TVP Stew

No it is not as unhealthy as it sounds...
I did this tonight because I had no lunch as I was getting my hair done and I wanted something quick and tasty and a little unhealthy tasting.
I have been having some problems with cheeze sauce
I am allergic to dairy so I miss rich sauces as a vegan
So I was kinda bummed when the vegan cheese sauces taste so bad.

Cheeze Sauce ( Improved Version)
Squirt of American Mustard
1/4 cup plain soy milk
1 heaping tbs thahini
pinch of black pepper
1/2 tsp yeast flakes
Method
Heat for about 1 min on medium until the sauce starts to curd
Set aside

I used left over pasta for this dish and frozen sweet peas

Pasta Dish
1 1/2 cup left over pasta ( I like whole wheat)
1/2 cup left over TVP stew
1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tbs. green onion chopped
Cheeze sauce improved version
Tomato and artichoke sauce
1/2 tsp yeast flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Method
Mix pasta, TVP stew, frozen peas and green onion in saucepan
Stir in cheese sauce at the end
Top with the tomato sauce and sprinkle with yeast flakes
Enjoy this one

Cheers
Tay

Tay's Hummus

This is my favourite thing to eat nowadays
Chickpea spread

If you do not have a food processor do not continue because if you want creamy hummus it will not work in a blender or a potato masher

1 can of chickpeas ( I get mine in a brine which is not too salty because I have seen worse there is 360 mg salt in here) pour off brine water amateurs.
2 big tbs tahini ( get it at a health food or Asian shop)
1/4 cup lemon juice (I like to use more the more acid the better)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large clove garlic (or more if you wanna scare away people with your breath)
pinch of sea salt
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil or more I like more I love to smell the oil in here)

Method
Place all ingredients in food processor except oil
Spin on low and gradually add in oil
Turn on high and blend until smooth like butter

Enjoy
Note: you can taste this and add more salt if you like it is to taste
Serve with crackers or pita bread

Mashed Green Banana

SORRY ABOUT THE AMATEUR PICS
I do not like mashed potatoes because it is not robust and rich enough for me.
I am not one to use a lot of fat in potatoes to make it rich
So I use green banana and it is the best thing I ever tasted.
I asked my mom to do a tutorial for peeling or she says skinning green bananas as there is a special technique for this.

Now for people outside of the Caribbean you may have to see if there is an exotic fruit section because the bananas I see overseas are not for cooking
If you use a semi green eating banana it will not work and you will have this yucky sweet tasting crap!
A green banana is void of sugar when you taste it
It is not as plump as a regular eating banana

Mashed Green Banana
12 green bananas cooked ( DO NOT COOK IN THE SKIN DO NOT! JE REPETE DO NOT COOK IN SKIN)
1 can coconut milk except I like Valrico or the Thai brands I do not use Goya in my mash
1/2 cup onion
1 tsp salt

Method
Cook bananas with the salt
Strain
Add onions and start to mash
Gradually add coconut milk and mash until you have a creamy mashed potato consistency
Mash smooth
Cool for 15 minutes

Serve with TVP Stew and enjoy and get lost in this delicious mess of a recipe!

Tay

Random Sunday Lunch Post

My dad use to make this most Sundays. It is a spin off to what Barbadian people eat on Sunday. They eat rice and peas some kinda meat usually baked chicken, coleslaw and a whole bunch of other vegetables. I really hated this traditional Sunday Lunch and I always complained. Anyways I am rambling.... This is rice and peas which seasoning. This rice does not need a sauce because it has high flavour. We cheated and bought a can of vegan chilli BUT we jazzed it up because nothing is good for a Bajan until we add some more flavour so my mom usually adds some chopped onion, black pepper, paprika, sweet pepper and a little curry. It is great with a corn on the cob and some raw salad.

Enjoy

New Post Coming Soon

Hi All
I have exams coming up so I will be a little tardy on the post.

Look forward to a mouthwatering hummus recipe
I will be using eggplant this weekend and maybe a little whole wheat pasta

I have a TVP stew I will upload on Friday so, look out for that
Thanks

Tay

Tofish with tamarind sauce and confetti Bulgar

Yes Bulgar is available in Barbados from the health food store and guess what? It is very cheap even cheaper than rice. I got decent sized package for a little under 3 Barbados dollars. Anyways,Bulgar is eaten in the Middle East but I have never seen Bulgar around here being sold as a staple. The good news about this is that it is high in fibre and has a higher nutritional value than rice. It can be used just like rice or cous cous but the great thing about it you do not have to cook it like rice. You just need to soak it in hot water .

For my Sunday lunch today I wanted something like a steak of protein so I decided to make my tofu look like a piece of white steak fish. I was going to do a vegan tar tar sauce but my dad got a hold of some acid tamarinds so I decided to make a spicy tamarind sauce to pair with my to -fish.

To balance off everything I was going to do a brown rice dish but I want to introduce everyone who has not been introduced to Bulgar. I love raw salads with my meals so I just pair spinach with Romaine lettuce and poured some flax oil on it which is a cold pressed oil which is rich in omega -3- fatty acids. What more can you want with a cool dish like this.

Tamarind sauce

In Barbados we are not as lucky as the Asians to have those sweet tamarind trees abundant but there is more you can do with your tamarind than roll it into tamarind balls.

1 cup of tamarinds boiled out twice

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp of sweetener of your choice ( do not worry you use this like a pepper sauce

1 tsp molasses

Method

Boil everything up seeds and all for about 10 mins adding a little water to prevent burning

Stir,strain and store in the fridge.

Simple

To-fish

I am starting to eat a little tofu again I must admit even being a vegan I did not like tofu at first but I have tried with it and I must say I am quite pleased now

1 tbs lime juice

1/2 cup soy milk

1 tsp lemon pepper

1/2 tsp mustard (I like to use this mustard I get from France, I do not see it anymore in Barbados but regular American mustard would do)

2 pieces of tofu sliced

Bread crumb and flax meal for breading ( There is this Asian supermarket that opened up that will sell Panko breadcrumbs that would have been ideal for this dish)

2 tbs olive oil

Method

Carefully place tofu into the batter

Bread the tofu all over with the breadcrumb mixture

Heat up oil in your pan. You can use an unblemished non stick pan if you like .

Brown to -fish and set aside

So now we have our tofish and sauce finished

Now our Confetti Bulgar

1/2 cup Bulgar

3 cups of boiling water for your Bulgar

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped sweet pepper

1.5 tbs liquid amino acids ( use like soy sauce but be careful it is salty)

1/4 cup carrots

1/2 cup shredded spinach

2 cloves crushed garlic

1 tsp cumin

1/8 tsp cayenne

1 pan that you use to cook the to-fish

1 cup of chives chopped

Method

Soak Bulgar for 25 mins until soft

Saute all veges

Add Bulgar (if some water is inside it don't worry you can leave it in or squeeze it out)

Add spices and amino acids

Serve hot

Note I didnt use any salt in this dish

Enjoy with a raw salad of your choice

Cauliflower and sweet potato ,mash with curried lentil stew

Hi again,
Well my inspiration for this dish was mashed cauliflower that they serve up in some American restaurants and, I wanted to pair it with a dahl and fresh salad.
It was my first time making tofu "cheese" sauce and it turned out pretty well.
So lets start with that

Tay's Tofu Cheeze sauce
1 cup tofu
1 tbs prepared mustard
pinch of sea salt to taste
1/4 cup plain soy milk
1 tsp lime juice
1/8 tsp black pepper

Method
Blend well until creamy consistency
Store in air tight container

We are lucky in Barbados to have well stocked supermarkets and a few health food stores that one can find his/her vegan ingredients. On my way home yesterday I picked up some red lentils which i love very much because of their delicate texture.
Bajan Lentil Stew (Dhal)

1/2 cup lentils washed
1 tbs Bajan seasoning
1 tsp hot sauce
1 tsp curry,cumin and paprika
2 tbs tomato paste
2 cup water ( add more during cooking if desired)
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 small carrot chopped finely
1/2 cup pumpkin chopped finely
couple of chives chopped (not sure what it is called in America I heared green onion)
1 tsp channa/ chick pea flour

Method
Cook up the onion,garlic,carrots and green onions
Add in your lentils and spices( whoh that smells great now)
Add water and cook on medium heat for 25 mins
You may need to add more water
Now add the rest of the ingredients and cook for an additional 25 mins
If you have a dried bayleaf just crumble a bit in this it smells amazing
In the last 15 mins of cooking add your pumpkin ( I do like it a little hard)

Cauliflower mashed
1.5 cup of cauliflower cooked
1 cup sweet potato cooked
Tofu Cheeze sauce
Salt to taste

Method
Mash all ingredients
Top with some cheeze mixture and chive

I am stuffed now from this dish

Thats it for the weekend post

Look out for more interesting and healthy eats

Tay

Scrambled Tofu and Toast

Hi all,
Well thanks to my boyfriend I am trying to increase my protein intake on mornings. What we have here is scrambled tofu and toast

1 cup of firm tofu crumbled
1/2 tsp amino acids
pinch of black pepper and paprika
1 small onion chopped
1/2 small tomato chopped
1 tsp. finely chopped sweet pepper
1 tsp fresh parsley chopped

Method
Cook vegetables in a non stick pan for a few mins
Add amino acids and spices
Cook for an additional 4 mins
Serve with toast

I really enjoyed this meal this morning with a fresh fruit salad and green tea
It is very easy to make and those who missed eggs from their diet ( not me) will like this one.

Help needed newbie blogger

I am new to blogging.
I do not understand how I can get my site listed in search engines
Can anyone help me?

Heart of Palm and Spinach Salad with double Curried rice and Curried Chickpea stew

Sorry about the dirty fork but it is too good not to dig in before the pic was taken. Look out for this recipe in other post. I am now starting out so I just want you to have a feel of what I will be showcasing.

Veggie Burger and "Fries"

Since I have been vegan for two years I find I do not eat too much soy products. However, this is one of my non -vegetarian friends favourites. Yes the burger is made out of TVP,breadcrumb,ketchup,onion,garlic,paprika, a little curry powder (yes I like curry alot), fresh basil, blackpepper, mustard and some liquid amino acids. I sometimes add a tsp of Barbadian seasoning and some grated carrots. I do not add any salt because some of the TVP I get in Barbados comes pre-seasoned in its dry form.I find the burgers are not to sticky and if you like you can roll them with some floured hands. I grilled my burgers and I brushed them with olive oil. You do not have to put any oil if you do not want to. I topped my veggie burger with sweet relish, vegan cheese and fried onions. For the bun I combine in my food processer some tomato,olive oil, garlic, fresh basil from my garden and a little salt. I spread this on my buns and grilled them too. Be careful not to load on too much tomato mixture because it tends to make your bun soggy. For the fries I baked- grilled them. These are sweet potatos actually cut into medium wedges. I mix olive oil ,sea salt, Bajan seasoning and some cayenne pepper. I put them in just like that in their raw marinated state and I put them to broil on low. Be sure to watch them they cook up quickly. Sometimes I double season them and put them back to broil again.

Thats it.

Comfort food vegan style

Sunday Vegan Lunch

This is a vegan lunch I made last summer for my parents and they really loved it as my mother did not like tofu so she ate some of the sweet and sour seitan below in the middle of the baked tofu. I served both protein sources on a bed of fresh spinach drizzled with olive oil and sea salt.

The warm almond salad was easy to make.I combine some broccoli stems, spinach ,bok choy,egg plant,and almonds and chopped green onion.I tossed the ingredients around in some olive oil with amino acids and some garlic and called that a day.Finally, the start portion was spicy basmati rice logs.I combined cooked basmati rice which was a little softer than I usually eat it.

I added some onion ,sweet pepper,blackpepper,curry power,bajan seasoning( will give you recipe for that later) ,crushed garlic and paprika.I rolled them around and covered with breadcrumb,yeast flakes and chilli powder.Baked until golden brown.That sauce it is served is a tomato onion gravy that I had from the Saturday.I will start posting exact recipes a in a few weeks for my new creations.I will be using alot of Bulgar which I fell in love with and mixing Caribbean cusine with other international dishes.