British Food...
As those that are close to me know, I love food. I love everything about food. Coming from San Francisco, the land of avocado stuffed, queso cheese-filled, sushi-rolled, dumpling deliciousness, I was a little skeptical of the food in London.
My first duty, while my partner was at work, was to discover the grocery store. The "grocery store" in central London was about 1/10th of the size I was used to seeing in the states, but I did appreciate how the Europeans seem to stuff their store with the essentials and not overstuff with products that are unhealthy and wasteful.
I am no cook, but being the one at home during the day, I knew this responsibility would fall unto moi. We definitely do not have the budget to eat out each night and London's menu prices were not much different than what I saw in SF. So it was up to me to figure out 1. how to create edible food, and 2. keep to a strict budget.
Oh and one more challenge.. we're vegetarian. But the great thing about being here is that it seems like pastry and bread-like items are taken a bit more seriously, which I appreciate. As soon as I headed down the cheese aisle, I thought "I can work with this."
Oh and the other challenge.. we're in temporary housing, so the kitchen is not fully equipped. We have a hot plate, microwave, and fridge to cook with. I am usually not one to shy away from a microwaved meal, but that really isn't a thing here.
Here are a few recipes I created that satisfied us veggie lovers:
Breakfast
Oatmeal:
No Quaker oats to be found so, make your own!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup rolled oats or old fashioned oats
- 1 cup water
- Dash of Milk
- Trail mix - nuts and dried fruit (no chocolate)
Steps:
1. Add oats, and water to a saucepan (or microwave together)
2. Boil for 5 minutes, remove from heat and cover
3. Stir stir stir! Add a dash of milk or cream, (everyone has their own preference on how creamy they like oatmeal)
4. Once the oatmeal is the texture you want, drop in a half cup of a trail mix that contains nuts and dried berries, this will save you money because you're not buying each nut and berry individually. Also, there is a fair amount of salt in most trail mixes, this gives the oatmeal a bit more flavor.
This meal cost me about £2.89
Homemade Lattes
Long gone are the days of my daily Starbucks run :sigh:
This recipe does require an espresso machine, which is not common in households in the states, but quite common in homes and hotel rooms here.
Ingredients:
- Espresso pod
- Handheld frother (under £10)
- Milk
- Brown sugar
- Mug (tall)
Steps:
1. Heat milk, we do not have a fancy steamer, so my alternative was to gently warm some milk but keep stirring it like crazy to keep it frothy
2. Make espresso while milk heats
3. While milk is heating, add a just a dash of brown sugar, it should melt a little into the milk
4. Place espresso into a tall mug, gently pour sugary milk over the expresso
5. Use the frother to create that yummy foam!
Tip: Heat up your kettle and add a smidge of hot water
Cost £0.52 per day (10 espresso pod pack)
Lunch
Olive & Hummus Pita-Pockets
Lunch is actually the hardest meal for me as a vegetarian. It's so easy to stick a piece of bologna between some white bread, but sandwiches are hard for veg-heads! And putting veggies on bread can get soggy and gross. I usually turn to ciabatta rolls or pita bread instead because it absorbs more.
Ingredients:
- Pita bread
- Pitted olives
- Tomato
- Hummus - plain
- Sliced mature cheddar
- Sprouts & avocado (optional)
Steps:
1. Slice the pitas into halves, making two pockets
2. Slip a slice of cheese into each pocket and use the toaster or microwave for a few seconds to heat cheese
3. Once the cheese is nice and gooey, spoon in and spread hummus on one side of each pocket
4. Slice tomato thin and slide into pockets
5. Chop or leave olives whole and stuff into pockets
6. Top with sprouts, or just a nice side of crisps!
This meal cost about £3.00 and I was able to make 4 sandwiches
Dinner
Mushroom Cheesesteak Boats & Tomato Soup
I usually am good with one of these boats, but a cup of soup on the side can round out this meal nicely.
Ingredients:
- 1 package White Mushrooms diced
- Sharp cheddar or something equivalent
- Salt & Pepper
- Rockets (greens)
- Tomato diced
- Wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1/4 tsp vinaigrette dressing
- French baguette
Steps:
1. Heat oil into a medium saucepan
2. Saute mushrooms adding salt and pepper - bring to a medium heat
3. Begin shredding or adding slices of cheese on top of mushrooms - low-medium heat
4. In a large bowl mix rocket, diced tomato, and dressing- set aside
5. Slice up baguettes, I did fourths removing the ends
6. Remove the centers of the sliced bread making it boat-like in shape, in the hollow spread a very thin layer of the mustard
7. Once the cheese has melted into your mushroom saute, remove liquid and scoop mushrooms into the hollows of the bread
8. Take salad greens with tomato and place on top of the mushroom
Serve with a side of tomato soup!
This meal cost about £7.28 and I was able to make large 4 boats
