The Ordinary Vegan - Sainsbury's Free From - Gluten Free Roasted Pepper Arrabbiata

Sorry for the long blogging break. The Vegan Grindhouse has taken over most of my waking hours of late and we have just returned from a lovely holiday in sunny Devon. However, I am back and blogging. This week TOV is a new frozen product from Sainsbury's. It is a Roasted Pepper Arrabbiata pasta dish which is vegan and wheat/gluten free. The pasta comes in a separate sachet from the arrabbiata sauce and you can oven cook or microwave. The meal was nice, not too spicy with a good texture and flavour, but would have been easy to make from scratch or just as quick to use a jar of sauce and some gluten free pasta. This ready-meal is pricey at £2.50, however for a quick frozen meal which is gluten and wheat free as well as vegan, it provides another option.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

The Ordinary Vegan - Fox's Party Rings

Fox's have reformulated their Party Rings recipe to get rid of the animal products and animal-derived colourants and they are now completely animal-free! Yay!

These Party Rings Minis bags are on offer at B&M Bargains at the moment for 89p. The new packets are labelled as suitable for vegetarians on the front and back. There may be old stock in some shops which are not suitable so please check the packets before you buy. 

I contacted the company to check the vegan status of the products and they assured me there are no animal-derived ingredients, however they do manufacture biscuits which contain dairy at the same facility so they would not label them as vegan due to cross contamination/allergy risks.

Enjoy reliving your youth!

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Vox Reviews...Tibits Restaurant, London

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to be invited to London to try out the new all-vegan days at Tibits Restaurant. Tibits is an all-vegetarian restaurant on Heddon Street, just off Regent Street in Central London. A few times a month, they have an all-vegan day at the restaurant, which means all of their buffet showboat is full of yummy vegan starters, salads, mains and desserts as well as an extensive drinks menu including fresh juices and vegan beers.

We arrived at the restaurant and were shown to our seat by the manager who was a lovely lady, full of useful information on the food and drinks and we were seated under a beautiful chandelier.

We had some soft drinks and cashew nuts whilst we were getting settled and then went up to look at the impressive buffet range.

The buffet consisted of a range of healthy salads, hot dishes, snacks and sides.

This is what I chose for my main meal:

Tabouleh, couscous, breaded tofu escalopes, ratatouille and lots of tasty vegetables.

Mr Vox had the following:

Pizza, crusty bread roll, salad, tofu slices, onion rings, guacamole and falafal. We both really enjoyed our meals, they were fresh and tasty and full of flavour. There was a good range of dishes to mix and match to suit all diets, including gluten-free and raw vegan.

You choose your items and then take your plate to be weighed at the till, the food is charged by weight to reduce food waste often associated with buffet restaurants.

Next we had some more drinks, Mr Vox went for a vegan beer by Brew Dog and I had a fresh Carrot, Apple and Ginger juice which was super refreshing.

Next, it was time for dessert. There was a nice selection of desserts on offer:

I went for fresh strawberries with cherry coconut cream, it was so nice and light.

Mr Vox had the sticky toffee pudding with chocolate cream - pure decadence.

We finished off with a coffee and a loyalty card, as we will definitely be returning!

Tibits is our new favourite London restaurant and we will be returning later this month.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Disclaimer: We were invited for a free meal and drinks to review this restaurant, however the review is entirely my own opinion and has not been edited or amended by Tibits or their associates. All photos are my own and I received no payment for this review.

Vegan Recipe of the Week - Super Quick Pitta Pizzas

Super Quick Pitta Pizzas are easy to make, taste great and are a quick meal when you've had a long day at work. They are fun to make with children too and taste lovely.

Makes 2 pizzas:

You will need:

1/2 jar of sundried tomato pesto

1/4 packet of veganic pizza cheese

1/4 red bell pepper, sliced

4 cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 wholemeal pittas

2 portobello mushrooms, sliced

1/4 red onion, diced

a few strips of smoked tofu

1 tsp olive oil

Fry the onions and mushrooms in the olive oil over a medium heat whilst the pittas are in the toaster.

Once the pittas are lightly toasted, spread with the tomato pesto.

Next add all of the chopped veggies, the fried veggies, the tofu and the cheese.

Place under a pre heated grill for 3 minutes to melt the cheese.

Eat and Enjoy!

VVx

The Ordinary Vegan - Waitrose Large Vegetable Samosa

This yummy samosa is available in the kiosk section of Waitrose, is great as a delicious snack on the run and is vegan-friendly too! They cost £1.35 each and can be frozen. The packaging is recyclable and they can be eaten hot or cold.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

The Ordinary Vegan - Hot Cross Buns

This week's TOV is a yummy British classic sweet bread - Hot Cross Buns. Sainsbury's Hot Cross Buns are vegan and taste yummy toasted and spread with a little vegan butter. Perfect!

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Vox Reviews...Veggie Lounge, Wolverhampton

Veggie Lounge in Wolverhampton is a small vegetarian fast food cafe/takeaway with delivery service, which offers to make most of the menu vegan upon request. The range of food is similar to a regular fast food takeaway - burgers, pizza, chips, wraps, salad etc but this takeaway uses all mock meats, mock fish etc.

We ordered a "Chicken" Tikka pizza for delivery with vegan mozzarella. The order was simple and easy and they were happy to make the pizza vegan for us. The delivery did take a little over an hour as they were very busy that evening. 

When the pizza arrived it was tasty, the mock meat was nicely spiced and there were plenty of veggies and cheese on the pizza with a nice crispy base. We ordered mid-week and they do a mid-week special - any large pizza for £6.99, which was a good deal. There is a minimum order of £10 for delivery and they deliver anywhere in the Wolverhampton area.

You can visit Veggie Lounge's facebook page here

Or visit in person at:

441 Dudley Road, Wolverhampton, WV2 3AQ

Overall, great if you fancy some vegan fast food.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

The Ordinary Vegan - Birds Eye Rice Fusions

Birds Eye Rice Fusions come is a variety of flavours, many of which are vegan. They are microwave pouches of rice, vegetables and seasoning which can be steamed in a few minutes and eaten as a snack or as a side dish with a meal. They are available in most supermarkets for around £1.75 but are often on offer for £1 or 2 for £2, in the freezer department. They contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives and are great for a quick meal when you don't have time to cook.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx