MILK

I've been living in Haymarket for about 6 months now, and my main let down about the area, aside from the junkies and drunks, is that none of my favourite cafes are in the area. 
I've been missing being able to roll out of bed, walk a couple of minutes down the road, sit down and have a lovely coffee with my crossword (My idea of heaven).
Then... I found MILK. 
Not the drink, obviously, this is a vegan blog people, keep up, it's a cute little cafe on Morrison Street. I say found, but I've been walking past this cafe for the last 6 months and have never gone in. Then one day last week I was looking up cafes that are involved in the slow food movement serving fresh, local produce and I found them listed, alongside a tonne of great reviews.
I was not let down in the slightest, not only are the girls that work there absolutely lovely, the coffee is fantastic, they have soy milk (an extra 20p, as always), AND vegan food! 
So far I've tried a delicious roast red pepper, aubergine and cashew pesto wrap... three times. A quinoa, wild rice, orange and pistachio salad (amaaaaaazing) and this morning I had porridge with banana and muscovado sugar.
As accurately described on their website:

All our sandwiches, hot food, salads and home baking are served up straight away to sit in, or to take away in 100% compostable packaging.

Our seasonally changing menu is freshly prepared here at Milk using only natural ingredients, plenty of fresh herbs and more than a bit of love and passion for what we do.

We aim to serve food that is quick, nutritious, tasty and environmentally sound.

And they do all that plus more, very, very well. Glad to finally found my new local, my only regret is that I only have six weeks left in Edinburgh to enjoy it.

A good, honest feed at Hendersons

For months I've been going to the bistro part of Henderson's Cafe and buying discount sandwiches and have always wondered what the food was like in the cafe below.
Henderson's has been open for 50 years, which is amazing in a country that seems to be a little bit behind when it comes to vegetarian food. They now have two cafes, one restaurant and one bistro in Edinburgh and brilliant reputation amoungst locals and tourists.
So finally I decided to go in for a bite and see what a 50 years old vegetarian restaurant was cooking up.


Not bad. not bad indeed.

The food was simple, honest and affordable. I had a 'light lunch' deal, consisting of my choice of two salads, a choice from a selection of hot dishes and a slice of bread. I chose an asian tofu salad and a broccoli and cauliflower salad and the vegan haggis with neeps and tatties. Theres also a selections of very yummy side sauces; vegan mayo, homemade chutney and toasted sesame seeds.
And I must say, the haggis was by far the best haggis I've tasted in Scotland so far and for £6.95, I felt I had definitely got my moneys worth. 


They operate on a 'cafeteria' service at Henderson's. You grab a tray and move along the line until it's your turn to tell the lunch lady what you'd like to order and then continue to move your way along the lunch line to the counter with your food. This system gives it a really laid back, relaxed feeling, and with all meals costing under £10, I think I'd prefer to be transported back to my youth than to pay more to be served at a table.


I'm looking forward to having more visitors in Edinburgh so I have an excuse to go back and try more of their tasty lunches.

Scrambled Tofu Bagel

There's just something truly great about breakfast for dinner, it's quick, it's easy, and you can eat it in your pyjamas in front of the telly... it's just brilliant.

A few months ago in Amsterdam, a friend and I went out for lunch and I had a hummus and roast veggie bagel.

I think that was the moment I fell in love.. with bagels.

So I introduced my two loves together and said "Bagels, let me introduce you to someone very important to me... meet scrambled tofu". The two have been together ever since.

I've tried many different accompaniments with my scrambled tofu, I've even tried kiwi fruit and onions once (probably don't try this one, my taste buds are still trying to forgive me), in my defense my choices are usually based on whats left over in the fridge.

But my all time favourite is....

Curried Scrambled Tofu Bagels

To serve one lazy, hungry girl:

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, diced

1/4 red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup of firm tofu, slightly mashed with a fork

1 tbs curry powder

1 tsp chilli powder

handful of coriander

Salt and Pepper

To Top:

Spinach or lettuce

Hummus

Mango chutney

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the onions and red bell pepper and saute for around 3-4 min, add the garlic, cook for another minute.

Add the tofu and continuously stir for about 5-8 minutes, add your herbs and spices and cook for another 2minutes.

Toast your bagel (co-operative supermarkets bagels are vegan), spread on your hummus, garnish with some salad, tip your tofu lovingly on top and finish it off with a big dollop of mango chutney.

Now you're already to curl up on the sofa in your pyjamas and watch a movie with your late night brekky.

Making sushi friends

Turns out making sushi in overcrowded hostels can be fun! And a great way to make friends.
Everyone is curious about how to make sushi, everyone, hence how to make friends.
Let me give you an example of how your conversation will go

CURIOUS BACKPACKER: "Is that sushi you're making?"

ME: "Why yes it is, do you want to learn how to make it?"

CURIOUS BACKPACKER: "I'd love too.... then lets be friends"

Ok, it doesn't always follow that exact example, but you get the gist of it.

Sushi is super easy to make. You don't have to be Japanese or overly patient to be blessed with the gift of rolling good sushi ( though it does help if you've rolled a few marleys in your life time ), you can learn simply through practice, practice, practice. Plus I bet there's probably at least one Japanese tourists at your hostel that can show you a trick or two.

My favourite sushi is with marinated tofu or tempeh, which you can usually find at most supermarkets, otherwise google to see if there is a health food store nearby.
Most cities or even towns have atleast one chinese supermarket, there you can find cheap nori paper, rice vinegar, ginger and wasabi.
Find a local farmers market and buy some seasonal veggies. I love using red pepper, cucumber, sprouts and avocado if it's in season.

And... BOOM a wicked vegan dish that you can make over and over again with all your newly made hostel friends,