Avocado Love and my biscuit downfall.

I've only realised in the past few days how good avocados are. I've never really tried them or used them until I made guacamole last week. They're often in my fridge as my sister always eats them with balsamic vinegar.

I threw some into the sandwich I eat all the time and it was an excellent addition! It tastes unreal and adds a whole load of added nutrition. However with a high calorie intake with each avocado they seem to be avoided. The nutritional benefits of them definitively outweigh the high calories.

So with a pitta bread add hummous, chilli sauce, cucumbers, red onion, spinach, balsamic vinegar and of course half a mashed up avocado. I mash it up with the chilli sauce. I tend to use the same ingredients in my sandwiches but I can't get enough of all of them combined. I guarantee that this is delicious! I made one and had to make another right after it was so good. My mum had a try and got me to make her one too!

And at about 69c in Dunnes stores per avocado, it's a bargain! I've seem them priced up to 1.50 euro in other shops.

In other news. I have been informed by other vegans I know that biscuits such as Tesco's bourbon creams and Boland's cookies are vegan( and are sooo addictive). I wish I didn't know this to an extent! I am a biscuit junkie and would be my biggest downfall in terms of junk food. I was glad when I decided to become vegan that I would be cutting out all the biscuits I previously ate and maybe I would loose some weight. However, this hasn't been the case! I come home with cravings and if they are there, I pig out. Oh my addiction to sugar! So if you didn't know they were vegan, pretend you didn't read this. Unless you're able to control yourself.

Lentil, Quinoa and falafel stuffed peppers.

I had made some of the Lentil and Quiona salad, mentioned below on this blog and had some left over. I also had some falafels in the fridge and lots of peppers. So a stuffed pepper was made. I added lots of chopped chilli and garlic into the mixture of cooked lentils and Quinoa along with some broken up falafel and sweet chilli sauce.

My mum bought me some Cheezly mozzerela. I had seen this in the health food shops but I'm quite wary of it. I grated a little bit on top and tasted grand. I didn't really put enough on to make it stand out to much though.

I baked the peppers until tender and served it with left over guacamole, spinach, sun dried tomatoes and balsamic dressing. It was very tasty but sooo spicy!

Bagels!

I go to Itsa Bagel a fair bit as I am in love with their Kind Veggie Bagel. It never fails to please me but It always promises a messy lunch. There is no way to eat it gracefully without getting food allover your face. I have managed to eat it neatly once, but I was alone so Bring lots of tissue if you are going to eat it. I have talked about it on this blog before but It needs another mention as It is Vegan. This bagel is Vegan and the Vegetable and Lentil soup, which is also unreal. There is an Itsa Bagel in Dun Laoghaire, Abbey Street in Arnottss, Sandyford, Fitzwilliam lane, Malahide. They're Irish, reasonably priced BUT I do not like the coffee one bit.

I tried to make one myself at home, didn't taste as good but still very good.

I started off by making some guacamole. It was my first time and it went as follows:

1 avocado

2 cloves of garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

Half a red chilli ( I made mine spicy)

1/4 of a chopped onion

salt and pepper

 all in the food processor

I then grilled some strips of red pepper and sweet potato.

Layered it up with some of the guac, hummous, strips of veg, spinach and balsamic dressing.

The photo isn't very pleasing but I was in a rush and just wanted to eat!

And another bagel idea, I have posted before.

Bagel with Hummous, sweet chilli sauce, Grilled or roasted thin strips of sweet potato in sweet chilli sauce and a salad on top!

Vegan.. 3 and a half weeks.

So Vegan for about 3 and a half weeks! I've wanted to update this sooner but been so busy with college work. I am nothing but positive with my choice to become Vegan. As I said at the start of my diet change, I felt very weak and tired. That,however has gone completely now. I feel the exact opposite now! I have loads more energy and have even lost a little bit of weight. I still eat a bit of crappy food but I've cut most of it out. For example, my previous biscuit and chocolate bar habits have gone out the window. Baking cookies is probably my biggest downfall. I eat them all to soon. And I've just after buying a jar of vegan dark chocolate spread!

I went out to The Happy Pear today in Greystones for some lunch. I got a celeriac, pepper, squash and onion bake thing. It was the first time they had made it but it tasted good! I ate half of it before I remembered to take a picture.

And I had some cake for the first time in ages. It was a vegan coffee infused chocolate cake. It tasted good but was very heavy.

I made some more roasted Butternut Squash falafel, the same recipe as below but just minus the egg, which works perfectly the same! I had some in a wrap with hummus, chilli, cucumber and spinach ( pretty much all I eat).

More cookies! yummm.

I've gone to Dehli o Deli a few times in a the past few weeks. The menu now states what is vegan, which is great! The majority of the menu is vegan. I am in love with the samosa and chole. It is so good every time.

Puy Lentil and Quinoa. I've made this before and it tastes great. It is great for bringing into college. I roasted off some peppers and squash and mixed it in with the cooked lentils and quinoa with a lemon juice and chopped chilli dressing. It is so yummy and of course very healthy.

Some of the bad stuff I have to keep in my room to make sure I can get my chocolate fix when needed!

In terms of cosmetics, I have gotten some Lush products. They're fairly expensive though but I found out that Simple skincare and most of their haircare is vegan and not tested on animals so that is a bit better on the pocket!