Tag: Foodie

VEGAN MERINGUES

Published on by simplycarinaxo21 Comments

Good evening beautiful souls,

If you follow me on Instagram (@simplycarinaxo) you will already know that I made vegan meringues the other day!!

If you’re a meringue fan but are like myself a vegan and can’t eat eggs or are allergic to eggs or even just fancy trying something new, then this recipe is for you.

I’ll warn you in advance, although easy it takes almost 3hs to make these meringues, but they are super tasty and so it’s totally worth it!

Now you might be wondering how on earth you can make vegan meringues when one of the main ingredients is egg white. Well I’d heard ages ago that chickpea brine could apparently be used as an egg white replacement and so when I stumbled across this recipe I was eager to test it.

I was a bit skeptic at first but apart from turning out somewhat hollow and crisp rather than chewy, they were very tasty!!

If you’re not drooling already at the thought of a meringue dessert then here’s the recipe for you to test yourself :

Makes 6-8 meringues

  • 400 g can of chickpeas which should yield
  • 100g of aquafaba (brine)
  • 110g of caster sugar
  • Vanilla seeds

Whisk the aquafaba at high speed until stiff white peaks are formed; this will take about 15-20 minutes.

Mix the vanilla seeds into the sugar before adding the mixture to the aquafaba a couple of spoonfuls at a time, making sure the sugar is whisked in properly before adding the next few spoonfuls.

When all the sugar is mixed in and the meringue is thick and glossy, it is ready.

Preheat the oven at 130 degrees centigrade and line two baking trays with grease proof paper.

Spoon the mixture (I’d say a large heaped tbsp) onto the baking tray well apart as the will grow quite a bit.

Now bake for 1 3/4 – 2 hours until the meringues are fairly firm unto and on the base. Take out of oven and leave to cool completely.

Once cool, you can enjoy this delicious treat however you like. I suggest some vegan vanilla ice cream and a fruit compote or fresh berries!

Now enjoy!

If you give these a go do let me know how they turn out!!

MATE DATE AT THE BOHEMIAN

Published on by simplycarinaxo1 Comment

Good evening beautiful souls,

On Wednesday I went to Newcastle to catch up with an old friend from uni. My friend Rachel was doing dry January and so we decided to meet up over lunch in Newcastle instead of over drinks as we usually would. I was excited to see what Newcastle had on offer regarding food because with my biggest new years resolution being to eat a vegan  diet this was a great opportunity to try out a new restaurant I wouldn’t previously have given much thought. After some browsing I decided on The Bohemian which had great reviews. It took us a couple of minutes to find (google maps aren’t always helpful aha), but once we found it I realised I’d walked past it many times before as it was just past one of my favourite pubs in Newcastle, The Fourth. It has a cute vibe and is a mix of restaurant, bar and record shop. I didn’t look at the records this time round but will definitely have a browse next time I go!

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Once in and seated we were lucky to discover that The Bohemian was participating in the Newcastle restaurant week and so we got a special three course menu for £15, not a bad deal at all. After some deliberating (I’m actually glad we had a restricted menu as all the choices sounded so good) I went for the Shredded Peking Jackfruit, with hoi sin sauce, pancakes, spring onion and cucumber for starters, The ‘Greek’ Pizza for mains and the Cointreau and chocolate tart for dessert. Wow it felt like I was splashing out, I mean I never order three courses when I go out!

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I really loved the starters, the peking jackfruit was ok on it’s own but wrapped up in the pancake with the spring onion and cucumber and dipped into the hoi sin sauce was an amazing combination!

The Greek pizza was also scrumptious; on what seemed like a homemade stone baked pizza base the vegan cheese was perfectly melted and flavours fantastic. Now I’ll admit vegan cheese can definitely taste different and isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but the vegan mozzarella on the pizza tasted fab to me and I really enjoyed the pizza as it had been a while since I had a freshly made stone baked pizza.

After starters and mains I really was rather full, however I still managed to polish of my dessert! The chocolate tart served with a fruity sorbet was the perfect combination of light and tart with creamy and heavy chocolate – heaven.

So if  you haven’t been able to guess – I would highly recommend The Bohemian in Newcastle. If you ever try out this restaurant do let me know what you think – I’d love to know!

Love Carina xo

10 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT ME

Published on by simplycarinaxoLeave a comment

Hi friends,

I think it is time for a get to know me tag, I saw this idea on another blog and thought it was a good idea. So hope you enjoy getting to know me better.

1. Do you have a nickname?

Nope, not really. When I was young some of my friends would call me Cari and whilst at Uni I occasionally got Car, but nothing stuck.

2. Do you have any weird habits?

Erm, I have a little OCD tick with toilet roll having to face forward; as in to pull from the front and not the side facing the wall if that makes sense.

3. Do you have any phobias?

Agoraphobia – the fear of being trapped in a public place, the fear of not being able to escape.

So if I go to the cinema for example I need to sit on an aisle seat same goes for the theater and planes and trains…

4. Do you have any habits others find annoying?

Yes aha, I crack my finger joints all the time which others can’t stand.

5. What position do you sleep in?

I am a stomach sleeper.

6. What drink do you always order at Starbucks?

I try and avoid Starbucks to be honest. Being a barista I prefer to support independent coffee shops. If available, my go to would be a freshly filtered coffee, but occasionally I would also enjoy an oat milk flat white.

7. What is your favourite comfort food?

Ooh this is a difficult one. I’m really not sure; crisps are definitely high up there for snack comfort food!

8. What series are you currently watching?

Z The Beginning Of Everything – It tells the story of Zelda’s marriage to F Scott Fitzgerald. So far it is quite good, although it is not painting F Scott Fitzgerald in a very good light haha.

9. Who are your three favourite YouTubers?

I follow a lot of YouTubers who cover various topics from makeup to veganism. It’s hard to just pick three, however if I had to I would say currently my three favourite YouTubers are Helen Anderson (makeup & fashion), Kate Flowers (health & veganism) and the SacconeJolys (family life).

10. If you could only use three makeup items for the rest of your life what would they be?

Oh it would definitely be concealer as my skin is always blotchy and red and my mascara and brow kit to make my eyes more prominent.

Well that’s it for now, until next time peepes, I hope you enjoyed this post!

Love Carina xo