London ExtraVEGANza

Med Kitchen - a healthy place to eat

2011-11-14T10:51:00.001Z

If you are in London and you are looking for a quick meal which is filling, healthy and reasonably priced, you should go to Med Kitchen. As the name suggests, they offer Mediterranean food, from pasta to veggie soups, to French fries, to couscous, to salads and so forth.

The prices range from £2 to £15, and I can assure you that if you pay a lot for something, you are not going to regret it because you're going to be fed at the end of your meal. If you're feeling in the mood for something very tasty, you should go for their French fries. For as little as £3 you get a whole bowl of finely chipped fried potatoes that won't let you down. Surprisingly enough, they are light and not at all oily. I always have them with vinegar :) Or else, if you're in the mood for healthy food and you're very hungry, go for their couscous with roasted veggies, it is delicious. Or you can have soup! I usually go for their soup of the day which, you're never gonna guess, changes everyday. Or I know many people would kill for their French-style onion soup, which you can see here.

There are many branches around London, as you can see from the map below. Even though I've only been to the one in Angel, you can find some around Soho, which is good if you're out for a play in one of the West End's theaters. Or, if you're out and about for some fancy shopping, why not try one of the branches in Holland Park or Kensington!

Thai Coconut & Banana Cream

2011-11-13T18:22:00.001Z

This recipe is an homage to my dear friend Belle, who is leaving the UK to go back home, in Thailand. I will miss her and I will miss her amazing cooking skills.

Here is her coconut & banana cream, easy - quick and yummy!

Ingredients:
4 bananas
creamy coconut milk - 1 can
4 oz sugar

How to:
Mix the sugar with the coconut milk and put it in a pot. Place it at medium heat and stir well. Meanwhile, peel the bananas and chop them. Once the milk starts simmering, put the bananas in the pot with it and keep stirring for about 5 minutes at medium heat. Then, take the pot away from the hob and let it rest for about half an hour. Eat at room temperature.

Enjoy!

KT Tunstall @ The Union Chapel, voice of an angel

2011-11-09T10:24:00.000Z

Hiya folks,

I guess the purpose of this blog is to advertise upcoming events, rather than the ones that have already taken place. Instead, I figured that since I was told of this event only last minute, I would write about it anyway. Last night I attended a KT Tunstall concert at the Union Chapel, Upper Street Islington, London. Lit'ally across the street from my apartment.

For those who care, she is performing again tonight at the Union Chapel, for more information and for the tickets click here KT Tunstall @ Union Chapel Nov, 9th 2011 7pm.

She was amazing. Breathtaking. Moving. Her voice is powerful and soft. And the venue was great as well. The Union Chapel is a proper two-storey church, the quality of the sound was excellent and the atmosphere was even more so. She can juggle her voice, the piano, the guitar, pedals, all at once. And her a cappella rendition was spectacular. With no flaws. I have to say, I had not heard of KT Tunstall in a long time, I used to love 'Suddely I see' and the uber-famous 'The Black horse and the Cherry Tree', but I had never gone so far as to look her up on the Internet or look for new songs.

So last night was quite a revelation to me. She really has the voice of an angel and you might wanna consider going to one of her concerts al least once, because she is worth every penny. I'm proud to be a Royal Holloway alumni, like her!

Below, I posted a few videos. I obviously came unprepared for a proper recording session, and took videos with my iPhone. Better than not having any videos at all, but the quality is quite low. But at least you can get an idea of the atmosphere and of her beautiful voice. Enjoy!

KT Tunstall performing 'The Black Horse & the Cherry Three' with a rendition of 'Seven nation army' towards the end. Awesome!

KT Tunstall performing 'Shanty of the whale' a cappella.

Happy (belated) Halloween with some delicious vegan peanut butter cups!

2011-11-04T14:40:00.000Z

Hi everyone,

hope trick or treat went well and you had the scariest Halloween night! I celebrated Halloween with a night out, horror movies and, of course, peanut butter cups! Here is a super easy vegan recipe:

Ingredients for 20ish peanut butter cups:
6/7 oz peanut butter (I like it crunchy) from Peanut Butter & Co (100% natural)
200 grams diary-free dark chocolate

You need:
An icing syringe
A pastry brush
Small cups

Let's do it:
Melt the chocolate (place it in a bowl over barely simmering water). Meanwhile, get the cups ready and, once the chocolate is thoroughly melted, coat the insides of the cups with half the chocolate using a pastry brush. Once all cups are ready, put them in the refrigerator and let them freeze for about 20 mins.

Once the chocolate is frozen, put the peanut butter in the icing syringe and fill in about 2/3 of the cups (leaving some room for a chocolate layer). Then, use the other half of the melted chocolate to seal the cups... Put them back to the refrigerator for another 20/30 mins. Enjoy!

ps: as you can tell from the pic, I did not quite follow the 2/3 rule and ended up having peanut butter cups sealed with... Mm... More peanut butter :D

We are obsessed w/ Erin Fetherston!

2011-10-28T17:14:00.000+01:00

Just a quick new post to tell the whole world how much I love the work of Erin Fetherston. I mean, not only is she super cute and OMG I ♥ it when she sports french braids, she is also an exceptionally talented artist! I have to say, she might very well be my #1 designer. She is really into beige, white and black and all she does is very simple yet stunning. I am obsessed, seriously, her only flaw is that she doesn't design shoes (but we all know we have Louboutin for that ;)). And to top it off, her collection is relatively cheap! Just look at this masterpiece... You know you want it!

And in case you had never seen her pretty face before, here is Erin.

And FYI, some items are currently on sale, if you want to give her art a go!

Stay tuned peeps!

Wrap yourselves in purple: it’s Spirit Day!

2011-10-20T14:49:00.000+01:00

Today we are celebrating Spirit Day, an occasion to show our support to the LGBT community and especially all those kids who are victims of bullying. I think in 2011 diversity is an asset and we should celebrate people’s peculiarities, rather than bullying kids. Let’s hope for the best and show our support by wearing something purple! Honestly, I’m wrapped up in my snuggie now, but I'm planning on sporting some purple later tonight. The following would definitely be my choice if I had the time to purchase it last minute!

I laid eyes on it a while ago, I love Diane Von Furstenberg and this dress is a perfect combination of Indian style (which I loved all summer) and, of course, purple. Pretty expensive but hey, you gotta dream! I think it would make the perfect cocktail dress for tonight, wouldn't it?

You can find the dress on Yoox, here Diane Von Furstenberg, WomenCollection

It's Pimm's O'Clock!

2011-10-20T07:53:00.000+01:00

Have you ever wondered how to distance yourselves from all those sweaty tourists and spend an evening doing what real Brits do? Well, if this scenario sounds familiar, jump on a train to Angel tube station and walk all the way to the Upper Street Islington, one of the most lively and youngest parts of London. If you wanna have a taste of what people really drink in London as an alternative to the Italian aperitivo, go to the Vineyard, a bar with a post-modern look where you can sit on a couch in the garden and read an old dusty book. And ask for a glass of Pimm’s, possibly the second most famous drink after beer. Similar to Venetian’s Spritz, this light drink is created by mixing Pimm’s and lemonade, with a sprinkle of chopped fresh fruit on top. Be there between 5pm and 7pm, take over one of the stylish tables, get yourself a Pimm’s and go British!

Vi è mai capitato di essere a Londra con gli amici e non sapere come trovare un posto popolato da veri inglesi, invece che da turisti in cerca di fish&chips? Bene, se questo problema vi suona familiare, prendete la metro e spostatevi verso Angel, e percorrete la Upper Street Islington, una delle zone di Londra più vivaci e ricche di locali. In particolare, se avete voglia di scoprire l’alternativa inglese al nostro aperitivo, cercate di accaparrarvi un tavolino al Vineyard, un locale dalle sedie tutte diverse, dove ci si siede su divani anche all’esterno e dove potrete sfogliare qualche libro molto polveroso... Per fare tutto a regola d’arte, fatevi fare una Pimm’s, probabilmente la seconda bevanda nazionale dopo la birra. Parente del veneto Spritz, questo cocktail leggero nasce dal matrimonio tra Pimm’s e limonata, con un’aggiunta di frutta a pezzettoni. Andate lì dalle 17 alle 19, lottate per un tavolo nelle giornate di sole e fatevi una Pimm’s, in vero stile inglese!