Vegan Vox Reviews...222 Veggie Vegan Restaurant - London

I visited this restaurant in Kensington, London last year before I started this blog and therefore do not have any photos of my food for you. However, I had such a great meal and experience that I wanted to review it for you anyway.

222 Veggie Vegan was my first ever visit to an all vegetarian restaurant. We visited at lunchtime for the buffet and I'm so glad I did. Everything on the lunchtime buffet was vegan with half of the dishes raw and gluten-free too.

The lunch buffet is great value for money, with an all you can eat sit in meal for £7.50 or a take out box for £5.50. I tried some of every option on the buffet - there was stir fry, noodles, salads, curry and rice.

I washed it down with a glass of organic agave-sweetened cola. All of the food is low fat, low salt, non-GMO, contains no artificial ingredients and is organic. They had clear labels on gluten-free and wheat-free options. They will make up allergy free specials on request and they had a hot soup and fresh bread option at lunch as well.

222 is a small restaurant but it wasn't overly busy when we visited. I have heard that it can get very busy in the evenings when they offer the full menu which is available to look at here.

The chef, Ben has been a vegan for a long time and is committed to great, healthy, vegan freshly cooked food - no frying or microwaves allowed!

The buffet is served 12-15:30 and dinner 17:30-22:30.

You can find 222 Veggie Vegan at:

222 Veggie Vegan Restaurant

222 North End Road

West Kensington

London W14 9NU

It is a few minutes walk from West Kensington and West Brompton underground stations. I can't wait to go back in the evening and try the a la carte menu, I've heard on the vegan grapevine that the burger is amazing! Lunch Buffet 5/5.

What are your recommendations for great value tasty vegan lunch restaurants? Comment below and let me know.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Recipe of the Week - Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

This week's Vegan Recipe of the Week is the perfect seasonal dish of Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto. Warming, filling and perfect autumnal food for the darker, colder evenings ahead.

Here's what you will need:

Ingredients (serves 2):

Half a butternut squash

1 red onion

4 tbsp olive oil

600ml of vegan stock

50g of vegan butter (I used Vitalite)

2 cloves garlic, chopped finely or 2 tsp of Lazy Garlic

1 tsp nutmeg

2 tbsp dried chives

2 tbsp dried basil

140g Arborio Rice

3 tbsp apple cyder vingear

2-3 mushrooms sliced

50g vegan parmesan (or make your own - recipe here)

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 210C/190C fan/Gas mark 6

Separate the squash as shown in the picture. Keep the thin end with peel on and peel the bulbous end after discarding the seeds.

With the thin end cut length-ways into 3 pieces and place on a baking tray. Drizzle with half of the olive oil and then sprinkle half of the the nutmeg, chives and basil over the pieces, season and roast in the oven for around half an hour.

With the other end of the butternut squash, peeled, chop into small cubes.

Place the cubes into a medium saucepan and add salt, pepper and the stock. Put onto a low heat and leave to poach gently.

While the squash is cooking, peel and chop the onion. Then warm a frying pan over a low heat, add in the remaining oil and half of the butter and then saute the onions for a few minutes.

Add the garlic and rest of the herbs and some pepper, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Next increase the heat to medium and stir in the rice. Stir fry the rice with the onions and herbs for around 5 minutes uncovered.

Turn the heat up to high and add the apple cyder vinegar until it evaporates. Reduce the heat back to low and add the stock/butternut squash mixture one ladle at a time, stirring constantly. Don't stir too vigorously as the rice will become mushy. Each time the stock has been absorbed, add the next ladle of stock until all of the stock/butternut squash mixture has been added and absorbed.

Once all of the stock has been added, stir the mushrooms into the risotto and cook for another few minutes until soft.

Turn off the heat and add the remaining butter to the pan along with 2/3 of the vegan parmesan. Stir and check the seasoning. Add salt/pepper as needed. Spoon the risotto into 2 bowls and get the roasted squash from the oven. 

Scoop the roasted squash from the skins and discard the skins, mash the squash with a fork and season with salt/pepper.

Then spoon the roasted squash over the top of your bowls of risotto and finish with the remaining parmesan cheese.

Garnish with some fresh basil leaves and serve with crusty bread. Perfect!

Eat and Enjoy!

For more of my recipes, click here. Please comment and let me know if you try this recipe, what other vegetables do you use in your risotto?

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

The Ordinary Vegan - The Great Vegan Challenge

This week's TOV is a special edition totally devoted to The Great Vegan Challenge. Now, if you haven't heard of this before, it is a great way to try out being vegan for a few weeks and see how it works for you. It is run by the great people over at http://www.govegan.org.uk/ and if you or someone you know is currently an omnivore, a pescetarian or a vegetarian and is interested in veganism, the idea is you can sign up for free via the website, get loads of information, help, support and tips and you pledge to go vegan for one month during November. 

This is an easily achievable goal and then you you can see how it makes you feel and what you learn about the meat and dairy industries during your month. You may decide after the month to go back to your old diet, you may decide to make some key changes and reduce your meat/dairy intake or you may just realise how much better you feel and how much fun vegan cooking and eating can be and make a commitment to veganism for life. Whatever the outcome, you will have educated yourself about the choices you make when you eat, cook or buy products and will have made a positive difference during your one month challenge, so what is stopping you?

Here is some information about the challenge from the govegan website:

November is Vegan Month so why not try our 30-day vegan challenge? This is your chance to enjoy an animal-free diet, while we offer you all the support and information you need to make it successful and enjoyable.

You can share your experiences, swap recipes, and ask us any questions you like via our online Agony Aunt! And everyone who takes up the challenge will be entered into our prize draw to win a hamper of vegan goodies. This really is a wonderful opportunity to try a diet that is kinder to you, the planet and to animals.Register now!

If you live outside the UK, you may wish to look at the support available from a group in your country: check our list.

Mark Gold

Vegan Challenge Co-ordinator

Now, you might be thinking, "it's easy for you, Vegan Vox, you are already vegan", but remember I only became vegan in January 2013 so it wasn't that long ago I was making this pledge. Also, I thought to make things a little easier for those of you who might like to try the challenge, Mr Vox is going to join you on the one month challenge in November too. He is signing up through http://www.govegan.org.uk/ and he will be guest blogging here on veganvox.co.uk throughout the month with his updates on how it's going for him. He faces the challenge that he works in the food and beverage industry and has to serve meat, fish and dairy to customers daily, so whilst he may have it easy at home having me cook fab vegan meals for him :-), every day will be more of a challenge at work for him.

The govegan challenge is run by Animal Aid who are the UK's largest Animal Rights Group, why not get family and friends to sponsor your vegan challenge and donate the money to Animal Aid to help support the great work they do to try and end animal suffering and cruelty.

If you are already vegan but know a friend, neighbour, child or relative that may be up for the challenge please forward this post to them, encourage them to sign up and show them all of the gorgeous vegan recipes available on my blog to help them through the month!

Good Luck on the challenge and feel free to comment on this post or email me veganvoxblog@gmail.com with any questions or if you are finding it tough, maybe I can help you along your challenge.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx

Vegan Recipe of the Week - Slow Cooker Leek and Potato Soup

Now we are well into autumn and nothing is better than piping hot slow cooked soup. I make this soup in my slow cooker and leave it cooking all day. You can prepare the vegetables the evening before if you like and then put it together in the morning before work. By the time you are back from work you will have lovely warming soup to greet you.

Here's what you need:

Serves 3

1 leek
1 onion
1 potato
1 carrot
1 red pepper (optional)
1 clove of garlic (or a teaspoon of Lazy Garlic)
2 stock cubes in 750ml boiling water
dash of vegan Worcester sauce (or Henderson's Relish)
2 tbsp dried parsley
2 tbsp dried chives
3 tbsp soy milk
salt and pepper to taste

First wash, peel and chop all of the vegetables into small bite-size chunks.

Next make up the stock in a jug using boiling water and two stock cubes.

Place the vegetables into the slow cooker with the root veggies at the bottom as they take longer to cook.

Next add the garlic, herbs, sauce and seasoning.

 Then pour over the stock, stir, cover and cook on low for around 8 hours.

After 8 hours, stir again and add the soy milk. Stir this into the soup and turn the heat off.

If you have a hand blender you can blend the soup to your liking or wait for the soup to cool for 15 minutes and add it half at a time to a jug blender. Pulse until at a consistency you like.

You can then serve straight away with some warm bread and vegan butter (perfect!) or freeze in foil containers for another day.

This soup keeps in the fridge for 2-3 days and can be frozen for 3 months. Just take it out of the freezer as you leave for work in the morning to defrost and warm it on the stove when you get home. Simple and easy!

Eat and Enjoy!

For a round up of my weekend at Vegfest London, come back to the blog on Thursday for Vegan Vox Reviews.

Big Vegan Love,

VVx