Friday Night Takeaway at the Alleycat

I know that if you've been around for a while (thank you if you have), you absolutely will have heard me raving about Inverness' one and only fully vegan restaurant - The Alleycat. Serving amazing food all year round, they have recently come up with a new initiative -  recreating everyone's favourite takeaways, vegan style. They recently hosted a 'fish' and chip shop night which I was gutted to miss out on so when they announced they would be recreating classic chinese takeaway dishes I grabbed my food bestie and off we went.

The absolute worst part of the entire evening was having to try to decide what to have, so we didn't and ordered just about one of everything off the menu to share between us (yes, we are VERY fond of food). The food was delivered to our table in takeaway containers and the staff even 'forgot' an item from each diners order to ensure the true takeaway experience.

We shared a portion of spring rolls which were perfectly stuffed and oh so deliciously crispy that my mouth is watering again just thinking about them. Alongside those we had a noodle, beansprout and mushroom dish which had an excellent balance between the noodles and beansprouts and somehow also had them evenly distributed which I struggle with when cooking.

I ordered the vegetables in blackbean sauce as soon as I spotted it on the menu, I LOVED the Alleycat's tempura veg with black bean dipping sauce when they were 'just' a pop-up restaurant and knew that this would be a massive hit. The dish was a mix of green and red peppers, mushrooms and baby corn in a beautifully balanced sauce. I have to admit, I normally hate green peppers and my heart sank a little when I opened the dish but I would happily eat them in this sauce every day of the week. My order came with a portion of wonderfully crispy little fries, ideal for mopping up any sauce left over.

My friend ordered the sweet and sour 'chicken' which I nabbed a few pieces of. I don't remember, having been veggie for 20 years, what chicken tasted like but I can vouch for this being delicious. My friend is an Omni and happily tucked into her portion leaving not a trace on the plate. This came with a lovely and fluffy fried rice which was the perfect accompaniment to the sauce.

The drinks menu at the Alleycat has a brilliant selection of soft drinks, most of which are now made in house. We had a smokey cherry sparkling juice as well as a mango and orange one both of which were a treat for the taste buds.

The Alleycat is a stockist of the wonderful mallownuts and teafakes from Prissy Queen of Deserts so we finished off the meal with a chocolatey treat, or two.

We did order a lot of food but it was all so delicious that our plates were scraped clean and our waistbands were fortunately elasticated!

Rumour has it that the Alleycat are planning a pizza night and I would thoroughly recommend cancelling all plans to be there. I know I will.

Apologies for the lack of photos, I was far too busy stuffing my face!

If you haven't heard of The Alleycat before check out these posts...

http://whatsaffydid.blogspot.com/2019/02/the-alleycat.html

http://whatsaffydid.blogspot.com/2019/08/sunday-market-and-afternoon-tea.html

http://whatsaffydid.blogspot.com/2018/08/jvnk-pop-up-by-friends-not-food.html

Biscoff Blondies

It was my Other Halfs birthday and, as you should all know by now, "it's not a birthday unless theres a Saffy birthday cake". Work had been hectic and I hadn't had time to create anything elaborate and he had kept mentioning my Biscoff and Cinnamon cupcakes recently so I thought I would do something similar that I could whip up quickly after work and these blondies were the result. Soft and incredibly morish, everyone I have fed these too has instantly requested more along with the recipe for them as well. The hardest part of making these was trying not to eat all of them at once, they are rich and high in sugar but oh so worth it. I have slightly damaged my camera so apologies for the dodgy quality of some of the pictures.

Ingredients:


250g plain flour
350g caster sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
250ml water
250ml vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 tsp raspberry jam
5 tbsp icing sugar
1 jar lotus biscoff spread 
6 lotus biscuits

Method:

Preheat your oven to 160c and grease and line a 30cm by 15 cm baking tin. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon into a large bowl and mix together. Take roughly half the biscoff spread and microwave for 1 minute until runny like single cream then add to the bowl along with the oil, water and vanilla. Mix thoroughly until everything is well combined then pour into the baking tin. Dollop in spoonfully of raspberry jam and swirl through the mixture with a knife then crumble the biscuits over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes until golden brown and just set to the touch but still with a little wiggle to keep the blondies moist. Turn out onto a cooling rack and leave to cool.

Once the blondies are cool, microwave the other half of the biscoff spread and mix in the icing sugar then spread over the top of the blondies and leave to set before cutting. I would recommend popping some kitchen towel under the cooling rack before icing to prevent the biscoff icing sticking to your counters.

Slice into generous chunks and scoff with a cuppa.

Please take a picture when you make these and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Enjoy!

North Kessock Community Fair

As you will know from previous blogs, I have been desperate to try the produce of the Left Coast Kitchen for some time after seeing rave reviews about their cheese on Facebook. I finally had a Saturday off when they were to be at a market so I grabbed my mum for a morning out and off we went.

The market is situated in the village hall of the picturesque seaside village of North Kessock, just outside Inverness, as part of the Black Isle Community Markets that happens every Saturday around the Black Isle. The markets offer a range of goods from crafts to food, while not everything is vegan ( we were greeted initially by a fresh fish stall) there was a surprising selection for a small village market.

Having picked up several goodies, I wanted to share my haul and encourage everyone to frequent this market and other local ones.

Left Coast Kitchen 

Having stalked this company on Facebook for over a year, I was delighted to finally get to try their wares and my god do they live up to the hype. Hand crafted by Ella, the range of hummus and cheeses is any vegans heaven and the taste is sensational. My mum is a huge cheese fan and loved the entire selection while I didn't know which to try first and had a real struggle only buying what I knew I could sensibly eat. I eventually settled on their new 'to brie or not to brie' and the American Muenster style cheese while my mum bought a tub of the carrot, walnut and red lentil hummus. I have loathed walnuts in anything for as long as I can remember and surprised myself by really enjoying the hummus. The cheeses sold out within half an hour of the market opening and while I know Ella will be making more for the next market, I would highly recommend getting in there quick!

The Muir Baker 

We first tried samples of this bakers bread at the Left Coast Kitchen stand as they had purchased a loaf to spread the cheeses on and the crisp crusted sourdough was the perfect accompaniment. I love making my own bread and couldnt resist a drool over the produce. We went home with a small but perfectly formed loaf of the rosemary and garlic sourdough which really packed a punch.

The Chocolate Place

I have purchased from The Chocolate Place before and adore their range of chocolates and knowledge of allergens, ideal for someone like me. The selection seems to get better each time I see them and this time the pistachio and marzipan truffles as well as the dark candied orange chocolate caught my eye. My other half and I have already scoffed all the truffles and I'm saying the chocolate bar for a lunch time treat at work tomorrow.

Rowanhill Homemade Preserves


Another stand with a fantastic knowledge of potential allergens. While not specifically geared towards vegans the owner was more than happy to advise which of her products were suitable. I chose a jar of green tomato and apple chutney to accompany the bread and cheeses while my mum went home with a selection of jams as a gift for a friend. The chutney was perfectly balanced between sweet and savoury with that wonderfully sharp note to cut through a creamy cheese. 

Perk Doughnuts

Last but not least, we visited Perk doughnuts. A relatively new shop in the centre of Inverness, it was nice to see them at the market. Their selection of donuts was fantastic with two vegan choices, a raspberry jam filled one and my choice, a lime and coconut confection. The donut was well flavoured with the sharpness of the lime cutting through the potential cloyingness of the coconut.

Overall, we had a great morning out and very happy bellies when we went home to share our haul over lunch. I would definitely recommend this market to both locals and those from further afield.

If you go, please take some pictures of your purchases and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife.

Lemon Vurd

I have always loved lemon curd. Slathered on toast or just by the spoonful out the jar, I'd happily eat it several times a day. My granny makes mouth-wateringly good lemon curd and I was determined to recreate it so I could enjoy it once more, with no eggs and no dairy, two of the main ingredients. I have amalgamated several different recipes to come up with my ultimate lemon curd with just enough bite to tweak the insides of the cheeks but the mellow smoothness that makes the bitterness all worth while. This recipe makes around 2 medium sized jars and should last about 2 weeks in the fridge if you haven't already scoffed it.

Ingredients:
Finely grated zest of 4 large lemons
200ml fresh squeezed lemon juice (about 5 large lemons)
3 tbsp cornflour
100ml water
200g granulated sugar
60ml soy milk
70g butter - I used dairy free

Method:
zest the lemons then roll on a hard work surface to release the juices before squeezing (its amazing how much more you get). Place the lemon zest and cornflour into a non-stick pan and slowly whisk in the water until the cornflour has dissolved and a smooth paste forms.

Place the pan over a medium heat and add in the remaining water, lemon juice and sugar and stir to dissolve the sugar. Keep stirring the mixture until it becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon without sliding off.

Add in the milk and butter and turn the heat to low. Gently stir the mixture to melt the butter and create a smooth consistency. Once a silky texture has been reached, remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into sterilized jars and leave to cool and set.

Serve on crusty bread or over ice cream!

Enjoy!

When you make this please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

The AlleyCat

Tucked down an alleyway off the high street, The Alleycat is the latest and greatest restuarant and cafe to hit the food scene in Inverness. Owned by the team who brought us JVNK, The Alleycat blends traditional cafe and pub fair with an all vegan twist. If you've been following me for a while then you probably saw my rave review of JVNK here on the blog and I went back several more times, taking friends and family along with me.

I went for lunch with my foodie friend who is completely omni though loves trying new things so we could have an honest opinion from all angles. We went in at around 12.30 and the cafe was quiet but quickly filled as time went on. There was a slight wait for food but in a good 'I know this is freshly prepared' kind of way rather than a 'for gods sake' one. Its also worth bearing in mind that this was their first week open and that a member of staff had called in sick as well. The menu is split into 3 sections ... breakfast (served between 10 and 12 though the all day is, well, all day) lunch ( served from 12 till 5 and dinner from 5 till 9. There is also a drinks menu featuring soft and hot drinks while I believe you are more than welcome to bring a bottle for a corkage fee. I have popped pictures of the menu at the bottom of this post.

The huge (for me) menu meant I spent a while deliberating over what to have, even though I have been drooling over it since it was posted on facebook. Having had food from JVNK before, I knew everything should be delicious and this made it doubly hard. Fortunately, I have fantastic friends and my dining partner is more than happy to share food which meant we could try a little more.

We started out with a milkshake each while we decided on exactly what we wanted to eat. I went for a simple vanilla which is always a great test of the quality while my friend had a chocolate milkshake. Made with their signature homemade oat milk, the shakes were just the right amount of sweet without being sickly or pudding-y. The big dollop of squirty cream on top had us both nose diving into the concoctions with my friend declaring she prefers vegan squirty cream. I have to admit, we both scooped it into our waiting gobs with our fingers - classy!

Decisions finally made, I chose the all day breakfast - a novelty for me having been vegetarian for nearly 20 years and mainly vegan for the last 10. The dish as a whole was really lovely,  the sausage and bacon were perfectly cooked and the hash browns ( a personal favourite wherever I go) were a total delight but the crowning glory for me was the scrambled 'egg'. As someone who has been allergic to egg since birth, I was a little nervous for this in-case the texture or flavour triggered me but it went down a treat. While the textures and flavours aren't exactly the same as those of a traditional cooked breakfast ( I consulted my friend), this was one great plate of food we would both have been happy to scoff.

My dining partner chose the coronation chicken baked potato, a personal favourite of hers, and declared it was the best she's ever had. The baked potato was well loaded with filling and perfectly cooked to soft fluffiness while the filling was well seasoned and drool-worthy. I had a mouthful and nearly stole the plate. A crisp salad of iceberg lettuce and red onion accompanied the dish, with both elements fantastically fresh - always a good sign to me.

The portion sizes of both dishes were excellent, enough that we felt full but not so much we couldn't sample the selection of cakes and hot drinks on offer...

I chose a hot chocolate, again topped with the squirty cream, to accompany my chocolate chip cookie while my friend had a coffee with a chocolate brownie.

Again the use of the oat milk gave creaminess and a softness of flavour to both the hot chocolate and the coffee, with the coffee beans being ground in house too. The baking was delicious as well, crumby and soft with a fantastic bake.

Overall, we loved our meal at the Alleycat and while I feel I've probably used the word 'delicious' a few too many times, it really was. We are already trying to work an evening visit into our schedule so we can sample the new range of puddings.

I would highly recommend that anyone, vegan or otherwise, tries Alleycat and helps support a new, local business. The team are already great and I can see this cafe going from strength to strength and quickly outgrowing its current home.

When you go, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Enjoy!

My Favourite Food Shops in Inverness

I have been meaning to take the time, and a friend, and go around my favourite local food shops to create a list of places that are hidden gems in our local area. I love food and for me, trying new and different ingredients is a great part of my food journey. I probably spent a bit much on this shopping trip but I feel like I can put it down to research - plus I've eaten a fair chunk of it already!

I have listed the shops in the order that we visited them simply for ease; the Health Shop, Oil and Vinegar and Saffron Oriental Food Shop are all within a couple of streets from each-other in the centre of town where as the others are slightly further out. None of these shops are completely vegan but all offer a fantastic range of vegan friendly products, though you may need to spend some times reading labels. I have linked all of the websites and social media pages for each of the shops as I can find them but the best thing is to pop in and see for yourselves why I love food shopping.

The Health Shop

My mum has been shopping here since before I was born and a lot of the staff have watched my brother and I grow up, sharing in our achievements over the years. A real Aladdin's cave, this shop has everything you could possibly wish for and everything you didn't know you absolutely had to have too! Being family owned and run means that the staff are incredibly knowledgeable about all the products and are also willing to try to source things for customers even if they don't usually stock them. I went a little mad in here, as I always do, and came away with chocolates, squirty cream, flavoured salt, pasta sauce and  - joy of joys- a box of individual soy milk cartons, something I've been searching for for years. Even having shopped here for a long time, there's something new each and every time I go in. Find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/The-Health-Shop-Inverness-386719128057126/

Saffron Oriental Food Shop

Another Aladdin's cave, the smell of spices and good things hugs you the moment you walk through the door of Saffron. Kasia, the owner, is incredibly knowledgeable about her products and always willing to help and have a chat. The shop is very small so do be prepared to wait outside, but every inch of space has been used to pack in as many treasures as possible making it well worth the wait. I came away with some mochi - which I couldn't resist opening before I'd even taken a picture - and some lotus steamed dumplings which I still need to try. I could happily spend hours in here, exploring all of the incredible goods that are on offer. Her Facebook is https://www.facebook.com/Saffron-Oriental-Food-Shop-118741838150840/

Oil and Vinegar

Oil and Vinegar is another shop your nose will tell you is a good place as soon as you walk through the door. A large section of one wall is dedicated solely to an incredibly array of oils and vinegars while surrounding shelves groan under the weight of pickles and preserves. While we were there, Oil and Vinegar were running a lucky dip style 'surprise bag' which my shopping partner and I couldn't resist. I went for the £15 option which had an incredible selection of pieces in  - these aren't vegan bags but both of us only had one non-vegan item ( egg pasta) which I'll be passing on to my mum. I felt like a kid at Christmas opening mine, there was bruschetta mix, BBQ sauce, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, bread sticks, pasta and even a cute little bowl for the oils to dip the bread sticks into. I also treated myself to some of their apple caramel jam as its the best thing on sliced bread.  Find them at
https://www.oilvinegar.com/en-gb/home/ or https://www.facebook.com/OilandVinegarUK/

Eurasia

My mum and I stumbled on this Asian supermarket by accident a few years ago when wandering, waiting for her car to be fixed. Tucked out of the way, down towards the Ferry, Eurasia is designed  for restaurants and caterers but is also open to the general public. One thing to note is that the freezer section does contain a large number of prepared animals and I have been in on occasion when they are prepping meat but its no 'worse' than going to the supermarket. There are so many things in here I an dying to try, the range of exotic vegetables is incredible with several I haven't heard of before. Being a catering suppliers, Eurasia specialise in huge sacks of ingredients, ideal if your particular to a certain food type! I went home with a large bag of ground cinnamon, a full kilo of dates and a jar of plum sauce. Their website is http://www.eurasiascotland.co.uk/ but I would highly reccomend just popping in for a look.

Highland Wholefoods

Last but by no means least on our list of places to visit was the Highlands Wholefood store in the Longman. The front looks like a normal little health shop but head through the doors and you're in a warehouse of food heaven. The selection of vegan products is huge and can happily be bought in bulk, ideal for stocking up on favourites or if your having a party. Another place I could spend a fortune without even trying, I was very restrained and  treated myself to a jar of aubergine pickle which I've been desperate to try and a carton of my favourite 'milk'. Check them out at http://www.highlandwholefoods.co.uk/ or https://www.facebook.com/HighlandWholefoods/

Left Coast Kitchen

Left Coast Kitchen gets an honourable mention on this list, unfortunately they are usually at markets when I'm working and so I haven't tried any of their produce yet but the rave reviews on line and from fellow vegans have ensured I WILL be making a pilgrimage to try their wares next time its even vaguely possible. Check them out at https://blackislelarder.org/business/left-coast-kitchen and
https://www.facebook.com/leftcoastkitchen/

Another great place to shop is the local farmers markets, which are definitely gaining popularity. While they may not have vegan specific ingredients, the range of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as delicious breads is usually far more rewarding than what the supermarket has to offer.

If there's anywhere else you love to shop, please leave me a comment and let me know. I would love to see your food hauls, take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Happy Shopping!

PS. I'm still getting the hang of flat lay photography so bear with me!

Haggis, Neeps and Tatties Pasties

This recipe has been enjoyed by vegans and omnis alike, I used vegetarian haggis for mine but a meat one would work equally well I would imagine. I made the filling from scratch but this would also be a brilliant way of using leftovers from Burn's Night. Great as a lunch by itself, this could also be paired with green veg as the main part of your evening meal. Most vegetarian haggis is vegan but it is always worth double checking the ingredients. The buttery shortcrust pastry perfectly complements the soft and flavoursome filling. I am aware that this differs from a classic pasty recipe but sometimes its fun to mix things up a little.

Ingredients:
For the pastry:
450g plain flour  - plus extra for dusting
200g butter
1 tsp salt
8 tbsp water  - you may not need all of it
For the filling:
1 standard sized haggis
1 large carrot
1 medium neep
2 baking potatoes
4 tsp onion gravy powder
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste

Method:
Take a large bowl and pop in the flour, salt and butter and rub together until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Carefully add the water a spoonful at a time to bring the mixture together into a dough. Stop adding water as soon as the dough comes together, it should be soft but slightly crumbly. Once the dough has come together, wrap it in clingfilm and place in the fridge for at least an hour.

While the dough chills, cook the haggis according to the instructions on the packet. Chop the vegetables into bite sized cubes and boil gently until soft. Drain the vegetables then add the haggis in along eith a tbsp of butter and salt and pepper to taste. Fill a mug 3/4 with hot water then stir in the gravy granules to create a thick gravy then pour over the filling. Mix everything together, dont worry if the vegetables mash a little into the haggis. Add a little more salt and pepper if needed then place to the side to cool.

Once the filling has cooled, preheat your oven to 160 fan. Flour your work surface and two baking sheets. Grab the pastry out of the fridge and diving into 6 balls. Roll each ball out into an oval roughly 20cm by 15cm. Place 2- 3 tbsp of the filling onto half of each oval until there is around 1 cm pastry clear around the edge and a generous mound in the middle. Carefully fold over the remaining pastry and crimp the edges to seal. I folded the corners in then crimped round, meeting in the middle to prevent leakage. My crimping skills aren't the most aesthetically pleasing but it worked and tasted good so thats what matters!

Once all of the pasties have been made, place on the oven trays and bake for 20 minutes until golden brown all over. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes on a cooling rack before serving as these are incredibly hot to bite into.

When you make these, please take a picture and tag me using #diaryofadefectivehousewife

Enjoy!