What We Ate Wednesday--Chilli Sauce Chilli

Hello lovelies! Brrrr! Cold weather is upon us and all I am craving at the end of a damp and chilly day is hot soups and spicy chilli. Chilli defeats chilly! Woohoo!

This recipe is adapted from a recipe card I picked up at a Sainsbury's about 10 years ago. It is one of my favourite meals and you can have it as chilli the first night and turn the leftovers into soup. It also freezes well. I am making some this week for a friend who is having a baby so she can have some food in the freezer for when the baby comes.

It's hearty and nourishing with a real stick to your ribs quality.

Chilli Sauce Chilli
2 onions, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 pepper, diced
plenty of garlic (I do about 6 cloves) 
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp red chilli flakes (or less)

1 tin tomatoes
2 tins black beans, drained and rinsed (or whatever kind of beans you have on hand)
1 tin kidney beans in chilli sauce
1 and 1/4 cup sweetcorn (defrosted if frozen)

50 grams dark chocolate bar chopped into tiny bit (optional, but not optional....this gives it a real rich depth of flavour. If you don't want to use a chocolate bar use 3 TB cocoa powder  but it won't be as nice)  
juice of one lime

1. Cook your onion in a splash of water until softened and then add the garlic, carrots and pepper. Cook for a few more minutes and then add your spices and stir to coat.
2. Add the tin tomatoes, beans, chilli sauce beans and sweet corn. Bring to boil then simmer until the carrots are tender.
3. Add in the chocolate and stir til melted and add the lime juice.
4. Serve over rice.

I save back a little less than half and the next night:
1. put the leftover chilli in a large pot with 4 cups vegetable stock and a small tin of coconut milk (about 3/4 cup?) then heat until bubbling. Add 100g (several big handfuls) kale and cook until kale is softened.

2 meals in one!

Magical Mystery Tour, part two

Day two Magical Mystery Tour

To Market, to Market to see a Rose by any other name. (1)

Haberdashery. Now there’s a word to Lift your hat to. (2)

Frank Dicksee, you’ve been framed. (3)

Sunny day, sweeping the clouds away (4) then

 Old Friends and Young Friends, but

(not) Thomas the train (5)

Q: How many Oz books does a greedy person need?

A: I would think about 30. (6)

Library, lunch at the Safe for Everyone café (7) and then back the Wiggly Brick House for shady drinks by the paddling pool.

Beware the squirty duck, my son! (8)

Do you bite your thumb at me, Miss? No, but I bite your thumb. (9)

Catching up

(kids) growing up

My heart swells up. (10)

My feet swell up (I think it is the heat)

Mango salad picnic and

 then sleep with a side order of perchance to dream.

(1) My friend Rose used to run the fabulous haberdashery stall in Hitchin Market. She retired right around the time we moved to Wales. I knew she had sold the business, so was hoping it was still going and it was. A lovely, friendly couple now run it and I bought lots of fancy wooden buttons and things I cannot find locally. They also do mail order, which is great.

(2) I (like the poet Emily Dickinson) adore the sound of certain words. Haberdashery is one of those.

(3) For my birthday last December, Thomas bought me the signature of Victorian painter Frank Dicksee for our collection of Pre-Raphaelite artists. His most famous work is probably his version of La Belle Sans Merci. All of our other autographs were framed by Tim’s Art shop, so we posted the signature and picture of his painting to the shop last month and we had it framed to match the other collection. They did a beautiful job. Now we have 8 framed Victorian painters!

(4) A reference to both Sesame Street (as we were spending the day with friends Iain and Rachel and their two young children) but also a coded reference to how bloody hot it was.

(5) There was a *small* hiccup when Iain told his son Kieran that they were going to meet Heather and Thomas at the train station because Kieran thought for a moment his dreams had come true and he was going to get to meet Thomas the tank Engine. Sorry to disappoint.

(6) Rachel is an Usborne Children’s book rep. She hooked me up with an illustrated Wizard of Oz for my collection. Now I have 30! If you live in the UK and are interested in good quality children’s book and want to support a mumpreneur (mum + entrepreneur) contact me and I’ll put you in touch with her.

(7) We had a delicious lunch at a café that did lots of vegan and gluten free options. Iain has recently been diagnosed a coeliac, so everyone was able to get something tasty. Hoorah!  

(8) It was really hotting up, so we all sat by the paddling pool while Kieran had a swim. Iain attempted to squirt his son with the rubber ducky but somehow got me instead. (it actually felt pretty good!)

(9) Hazel must be the most easy-going baby ever. She sat on my lap for ages. She was, however, soon to be teething so she bit me several times.

(10) we had such a perfect day with people we love that completely forgot to take photographs. But I do not need a camera to remember as the pictures are in my heart.

Stay tuned for part three of the Magical Mystery Tour.

Magical Mystery Tour, part one

Day one Magical Mystery Tour

One dark night in the middle of the day (1)

Sleepy, but excited, we board the

 

(2)

I play the game of Goldilocks and the 3chairs

I am (not) my mother’s daughter (3)

The sun rises as we drive through Cardiff.

It’s Hwyl Cymru, Hello London. (4)

All for £10 each. (5)

(

Arriving at Victoria Coach Station, we leave our luggage and go seek breakfast

(we do not want a Hangry Heather on our hands) (6)

Cashew milk porridge with almond butter and berries  (7) at 

1) The Megabus leaves Carmarthen at 2:30 am. We had some debates as to whether this was late Thursday night or Early Friday morning.

(2)  The Megabus could be compared to riding a Greyhound bus for my American peeps. Although according to their website, Megabus has an American presence as well.

(3) I AM my mother’s daughter. Knowing we would be on the bus for 7 hours, I needed to find the most comfortable seat. The first was wonky somehow, the second was not as cushy as I thought it should be and the third was *just right*. However, Spiderman informs me that if I had made a fourth change he would have been contractually obliged to call me Becky as I would be violated the “I will not act excessively like my mother” part of marriage contract.

(4) Hwyl Cymru means Goodbye Wales in Welsh.

(5) £10 is an amazing deal. The train from Carmarthen to London would have cost us £100 each. It is worth leaving in the middle of the night to save £90. 

(6) I easily get “hangry” (hungry + angry). I can go from being pleasant and friendly to a furious grizzly bear in about 60 seconds when I need to eat.

(7)  Leon is great. They are “healthy fast food.” The food is cheap, but it is real food not processed gunk. We ate there many times (as you will see)

The heat begins to rise (8) as we wind our way to the

 

To see which one of them is Pink. (9)

Psychedelic music swirls around my head

Oh mother…tell me more (10)

Summoning our cosmic powers (and glowing slightly from our toes) (11) we tear down

   

(12)

(13)

 I know a room of musical tunes (14) where we bought The Piper at the Gates of Dawn and A Saucerful of Secrets  (15) then back to 

 

 Okra! (16) then monkeys push the train to Hitchin (17) and I can see my house from here. (18)

     (8)This was our first inkling that a heatwave was on the way.

     (9) This was once asked of the band “which one of you is Pink?” because they thought the band must be named after someone was in the band. It wasn’t. It was actually named after two blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.

(10) A line from Matilda Mother from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

(11) A line adapted from Let There Be More Light from A Saucerful of Secrets.

(12) The Wall. Duh!

(13) A reference to the song Wish You Were Here. We’re just two lost souls, swimming in a fish bowl year after year.

(14) It’s called the gift shop. Also, it's a lyric from the song Bike from Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

(15) I had these on cassette back in the 80’s—thrilling to recoup them on CD.

(16) we had sweet potato and okra stew over brown rice for lunch. It was delicious.

(17) English trains make a OOOoooOOOooo sort of noise like a monkey. Welsh trains do not. They are powered by silent dragons.

(18) The hotel where we stayed was being built as we were moving 3 year ago and it actually overlooks our old flat.

Stay tuned for part two of the Magical Mystery Tour!

Cilgerran Wildlife Centre

On Sunday we had our last Carmarthen and PembrokeshireVegans outdoor gathering for the season as it is getting colder and wetter and not as easy to be outdoors anymore. We have had a few hikes over the summer that we persisted with despite heavy rains because we are all stubborn, but I think everyone was hoping this one would not result in us all huddling under a tree in a downpour. AGAIN.

There was a bit of rain (this is Wales after all!), but there were also plenty of shelters and the rain never lasted long. Hoorah!


If you look carefully you can see Spiderman  doing his Benedict Cumberbatch style photobomb in the back.


Being a Wildlife Centre there were lots of interesting animal related things.
Here's a lovely insect hotel with a variety of cubbyholes and spaces for wee beasties to hide in.

Notice the wasp sculpture on top

There was also this amazing giant willow sculpture of a badger.

me and Rosie Mai

this made us all fall about laughing

More hiking stuff:

This last sculpture was so real that both the greyhounds Eddie and Rufus had to go sniff its butt. 

It was a lovely day but as it was getting colder in the late afternoon we all went to the cafe to get a hot drink. We had to sit outside as we had the dogs, but at least the hot drinks warmed us up!

Overall, it was a great day with (reasonably) good weather and (definitely) good friends. It is great to have a social group to hang out with. In total we walked seven miles that day--not too bad. 

Happy autumn!

Diwrnod Dewi Sant (St David's day)

Well ffrindiau, March the first was St David's day. St David is the patron saint of Wales (and of doves) and it is a big deal here. Many places in Wales have parades and events and all sorts of stuff going on. Some friends from the Carmarthen Vegans had an outing last  weekend in honour of Dewi Sant --we especially like him because he was a vegetarian and early animal rights activist. He was a tad bit on the extreme side with his asceticism (we Carmarthen vegans love to have fun) but his ideas about animals were right on the money.

So who was St David? 
According to an article in the Telegraph with a bit of wiki thrown in:

He was born in Caerfai in Pembrokshire, Wales in around 500 AD. He was recognised as a national patron saint at the height of Welsh resistance to the Normans. He helped to spread the word of Christianity, and he founded around 12 monastaries in his lifetime. Monastaries founded by him were known for their extreme asceticism, where monks abstained from worldly pleasures, living on a diet of bread, vegetables, water.They also did all hard labour themselves, including farming without the aid of ox to plow the fields.

While little is known about St David's life, he is known for performing miracles. His most famous miracle was when he was preaching to a large crowd in the village of Llanddewi Brefi stands on the spot where the ground on which he stood is reputed to have risen up to form a small hill so that those gathered could see him better. A white dove, which became his emblem, was seen settling on his shoulder. John Davies notes that one can scarcely "conceive of any miracle more superfluous" in that part of Wales than the creation of a new hill. note: this cracks me up because if you have ever watched Little Britain the village of Llanddewi Brefi is where "the only gay in the village" lives. Also Wales is full of hills. Everywhere you go is uphill, both ways. I swear. That is the Welshest miracle ever!

St David also lived after eating bread poisoned by monks at his monastary who tired of their life of austerity, and restored the sight of his tutor, St Paulinius. Ha! This is why St David needed to be a bit more of a "joyful vegan"--so his own monks wouldn't revolt against him!  

In medieval times, St David was thought to be the nephew of King Arthur. In some stories, it is his mother who was the niece of King Arthur. Legend also says that St Patrick foresaw David's birth.

St David is thought to have died on March 1, 589 AD, and his remains were buried in St David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire, which was a popular place of pilgrimage after he was canonised in 1120 AD.

 

the daffodil is the national symbol of Wales

People often wear leeks in remembrance of St David's guidance during the battle against the Saxons when, supposedly, St David advised Welsh warriors to wear a leek during a battle with the Saxons, so enemies and allies could be distinguished.

They won the battle and leeks became a Welsh symbol.

 

During St David's last sermon he said words to his followers were: "Be joyful, and keep your faith and your creed. Do the little things that you have seen me do and heard about. I will walk the path that our fathers have trod before us."

"Do the little things" has become a well-known inspirational saying in Wales.

So when the Carmarthen vegans heard that you could get into the Botanic Gardens for FREE (am ddim!) on the weekend before St David's day we were there like a shot because love nothing more than a free day out with lovely outdoor surroundings and a picnic lunch (even if it is freezing cold!)

It was fantastic. We walked all around the outside gardens and when we got cold we went into the dome. The dome was used in the Doctor Who episode of The Waters of Mars as Bowie Base One.

Inside the dome there were lots of stalls selling their wares--crafts like stained glass to spicy chutneys. Of course the obligatory sausages (Wales is a farming country, sadly) but we just ignored those and looked at all the other things. There were several choirs singing--both in Welsh and English. There was a fabulous duo called Fiddlebox walking around and playing their instruments like ghostly apparitions. George Whitfield on accordion and Helen Adam on violin wandered the grounds and the sounds of traditional Welsh tunes like The Ash Grove and All through the night floated over the hills. Magical!

There was also tonnes of people wearing traditional dress. I love the Welsh national costume--the stovepipe hats the women wear are astounding. Several men and women in traditional dress did some folk dancing which reminded me of my old days in Hitchin at Staplers and The British Schools Museum.

My heart longed to join in and then what do you know--the call came for others to dance! I was over there like a shot, my face beaming and my feet bouncing up and down in little hops. It was only then did I notice that this was mainly aimed at kids and their parents. Some nice lady in a stovepipe hat asked where my partner was and so I quickly called my friend Priya over as I knew she loves to dance and doesn't mind looking a bit of a fool. I'm in my pink coat and Priya is in yellow. You can't miss us!

Big circle of fun

this dad had to step in because the little girl would not hold my hand!

1, 2, 3 clap!

swing your partner

skip to the right

swing this way

swing that way

We were heading to the café at this point to get a hot drink, but after the dancing I certainly didn't need one!

We had a brilliant day, enjoying the view, feeding a duck, stuffing our faces full of vegan goodies and laughing like crazy. All for free. It really doesn't get an better than this, folks.

We had so much fun we decided to make this a St David's day tradition. Hoorah!

World Vegan Month

November is World Vegan Month. What are you doing to get healthier, save the planet and eliminate suffering?

Three times a year the Carmarthen Vegans host a "Meet and Greet" where we provide free food and entertainment and invite the public in to find out about being vegan. This one is special because it is World Vegan Month. Also this officially makes it an annual tradition as we started this last November.

The weather here has been rain with a side of rain and double helping of rain for pudding if you know what I mean. Despite the fact that it was pissing down all day we had 51 people come--about 30 of them were vegan curious so that was great.

Here is the new decorations I made. We decided last time in the summer Meet and Greet to make some permanent decorations that can be pulled out every time--ones that look fabulous without being disposable so I whipped these up with my trusty sewing machine.

Here is the table heavily laden with food. Sandwiches and savouries on this side:

And puddings on this end:

Can you see my delicious brownies?

Here is Spiderman doing the most important job--making the tea! British people cannot go more than a half an hour without a cup of tea or they will die. FACT.

Here we are--the core members of the Carmarthen Vegans (with a few Pembrokeshire Vegans thrown in there) posing in front of the table.

Lastly, the part you have all been waiting for--the entertainment. Last time several of us dressed as cows (and a panda) and sang a song about being vegan. This was so popular that we decided to try another song. This time only two cows, but better choreography, more acting and more fun! We had such a blast putting this together and it gets a good message across. Please enjoy Vegan Challenges Answered in Song and Dance! 

We are so glad to be a part of this group of extremely fun, slightly mad vegans. Our lives have been so rich since we moved to Cymru. There is never a dull moment with this crew.

Be vegan, make peace!