Farewell, France!

In the end, I decided to eat out one last time—to celebrate the conclusion of my journey in France as well as the 4^th of July (I must say, though, I’m a little sad not to be hosting a vegan barbeque today). Part of me really wanted to splurge on a meal at the Gentle Gourmet, a 100% vegan B&B, restaurant, and cooking school, but I just couldn’t justify the price ($58.00 per individual meal. YIKES!). Nevertheless, as I hope the last two entries have confirmed, Paris has a number of other vegan-friendly venues to explore. For lunch, I decided to visit Le Potager du Marais, especially after I saw that Angela had visited it before.

For my first course, I ordered a salad . . . and oh, was I disappointed! All I received was a plate of mixed greens. The picture in the menu included a variety of raw veggies with the romaine, so I felt cheated. But at least each table was equipped with gomashio and nutritional yeast for condiments.

My main course was the vegetable gratin topped with crushed hazelnuts and a drizzle of pesto, quinoa, and a small side salad. It was okay, but I felt the gratin could have been more flavourful. It's a great concept, though, so I intend on remaking it at home, with a few improvements.

Dessert was the orange-carrot flan with a drizzle of cherry sauce. Again, I was disappointed. I'd never had a flan before, so I thought it'd be a fun experience . . . but I think I should have ordered the chocolate crème instead.

My conclusion about Paris: eating out has mixed results. I generally found myself more disappointed than pleasantly surprised by my meals, and the prices were rarely worth it. I often even felt like I’m a more skillful chef than those employed by some of these restaurants, despite the fact that I only first started frequenting the kitchen less than 3 years ago. I am almost always impressed by the recipes I try at home, whereas I’ve only been impressed by a handful of restaurants in my couple of years as a self-proclaimed foodie.

So, for those of you who may someday find yourselves in Paris, here’s a quick, personal analysis (namely based on the quality/flavour of the food and the price) of the vegan-friendly restaurants I experienced:

The Loving Hut = totally, totally worth it, as in a MUST.

Les Saveurs Végét’Halles = worth it, though a couple of the sides were a bit bland.

Voy Alimento = totally worth it, even just for the sake of exoticism.

Pousse-Pousse = worth it, but just barely. It was very expensive, but the raw chocolate cake definitely impressed—would go again just for that dessert.

Krishna Bavan = very cheap and authentic, but veggies were severely lacking in my opinion.

Au Grain de Folie = not really worth it. I could have made everything at home, and the hummus was rather flavourless.

Oh! Bio = cheap, but boring. Not worth it.

Le Potager du Marais = quality food, but expensive and a bit lacking in flavour. I left severely disappointed. Considering the price, probably not worth it.

Anyway . . . today’s post is also the last in the What I Miss Monday series, and oh, do I miss SO many things—kale, kombucha, vegan pizza, braised daikon radishes, waffles, blueberries, black sesame seeds, lemon-poppyseed overnight oats, blueberries, sprouted-grain tortillas, miso soup, red delicious apples, green peas, tempeh, cornbread, and Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, to list just a few.

Above all, of course, I miss my HOME. But tomorrow that will all change. I fly out of Paris at 10:30 AM, arrive in Dublin within 30 minutes, depart from Ireland for an 8-hour transatlantic flight to Chicago, where I’ll arrive at 3:30 in the afternoon before boarding one last time around 5:00 for my final destination: Omaha. I will finally be finished with that horrendous journey at 6:45 PM (if, of course, there aren’t any delays. Let’s all cross our fingers!). I have already planned to go to Whole Foods afterward for dinner and groceries—I’ll probably start crying when I step through those doors and smell that wonderful, holistic, magical spices-and-soy-candles-and-Putomayo-music Whole Foods aroma.

Until then, though, I will need to fuel my body elsewhere, and as a vegan, I’ve had to conduct a little planning as to what I can eat and where. Tomorrow’s breakfast will be a no-brainer—an Apple Pie Larabar and an apple. Check.

Lunch required a little research. Of course, for my longhaul flight on Aer Lingus, I also had the option of requesting a vegan meal, which I did, and it’ll be interesting to see what I receive. For one, in my experience, airplane food is never that great, vegan or otherwise. Secondly, airlines are notorious for not fully comprehending exactly what “vegan” means. And thirdly, even if the meal is totally free of animal products to begin with, the food’s quality will probably be questionable—think overcooked veggies, soggy white rice, a partially squished refined-white-flour-and-fiberless roll. You get the picture. So, I’m planning on purchasing an easy lunch-to-go in Dublin. Is Dublin International Airplort veg-friendly? Yes, indeed, according to this fabulous blog. I’m already planning on seeking out a falafel Panini at Starbucks. Because, as has been established, falafel rocks my world. If the onboard meal doesn’t meet my standards, I’ll at least have a back-up plan; if it appears edible, then I can save my sandwich for later, either for another meal or for snacking.

I also brought along some other easy snacks, namely nuts & dried fruit, carrots, and a second apple. This traveling-back-in-time thing will be an interesting test where intuitive eating is concerned—I’ll probably end up eating 4 main meals tomorrow, but that more or less makes sense since I’ll also be adding an extra 7 hours to my day. Plus, I’ll need SUPER nutrition and nourishment to combat any potential jetlag, though I’m hoping my excitement, anxiety, and adrenaline will surge just enough to avoid exhaustion (or at least, the feeling of exhaustion) whilst making my way from country to country, from continent to continent, from one side of the airport to another. It’ll be a horrendously looooooong and boring day, undoubtedly.

But I am MORE than ready to return home, ready to relax for the remainder of summer, ready to get back into the kitchen for some serious culinary experimentation!

What I Miss Monday 7

I couldn’t decide on just one food today, namely because I’ve been craving them all together rather than separately.

Mushrooms + Nutritional Yeast + Risotto

[Source: VeggieNumNum, which is a fabulous blog!]

I’ve been eating a lot of rice as of late because I’ve embarked on Operation Clean Out the Cupboards—as in, I’ve only 3 more days in Pau, and I need to eat up the remainder of shelf-stable foods I purchased. This is why I haven’t posted any recipes as of late; there’s no reason now to buy certain, more specialized ingredients, so I’m relying on salads at the moment. I travel to Paris on Thursday, though, so expect at least 3 posts detailing my foodie adventures there (I’ve already planned my culinary itinerary, and while I won’t spill the beans about my restaurant choices beforehand, let’s just say that I’m as excited to eat out as I am to luxuriate in the Louvre for a day!). More recipes will follow as soon as I’m home again next week (YAY!), I promise.

Anyway, back to the rice—I’d noticed several bloggers I follow posting risotto recipes, and oh, the photos looked so creamy and delicious that, naturally, I started wishing I had some nutritional yeast on hand. A lot of these said recipes also included mushrooms, something I haven’t enjoyed now for three months, and a mushroom-less Teniesha is a sad Teniesha. Mushrooms are ghastly expensive in France, and not just the celebrated truffles and cèpes either, but all varieties.

Oh, well, only a week to go now.

In the meantime, I’ll share some photos of today’s lunch. A friend treated me to a delicious, wholesome meal at Asphodèle, which I’d visited once before. We’d considered Indian or North African cuisine, but today, it’s pushing 100 degrees! Curries and tagines would have been much, much too hot!

For my first course, I had gazpacho with tomato, basil, and a hint of ginger. Perfectly chilled for a hot, hot day, and yes, those little specks of colour are tiny flowers. <3

The main course was . . . a salad beast! Romaine, purple cabbage, grated carrots & beets, summer squash, mushrooms (YAY!), tomato, olives, pineapple, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and hazelnuts. There was also some wonderful hummus, which I spread on the bread that accompanied the entire meal, and then, there were some cucumbers in a yoghurt sauce, which I ate despite the yoghurt. There was a glob of soft cheese, which I didn't eat at all, but of course, I enjoyed that slice of wonderfully juicy cantalope.

A nice little dessert to finish the meal--light strawberry tofu mousse.

What I Miss Monday 6

Today’s post was originally supposed to feature coconut, but as I revealed yesterday, I recently bought some flaked coconut, much to my delight. One thing I’ve wanted for a number of recipes, but haven’t been able to find, is . . .

Cilantro

[Source]

A staple of Indian and Southwestern cuisine, cilantro is one of my most used herbs at home, alongside parsley and basil. When I made curried veggies this weekend, I could tell something was missing—and that something was cilantro. Then, for tonight’s dinner, I made the following recipe I dreamed up last week, which was delicious, but would have been admittedly better with some fresh cilantro.

Caribbean Coconut Beans & Rice

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup long-grain brown rice, soaked overnight and cooked

1 cup black, kidney, or pinto beans, soaked overnight and cooked

1 large sweet potato

1 cup sweet corn kernels

2 large tomatoes, diced

1 large green bellpepper, diced

4 scallions, chopped

1 orange, segmented and chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1 large banana, sliced

Toasted flaked coconut

For the dressing

¼ cup orange juice

1 Tbs. safflower oil or other neutral oil

1 Tbs. lime juice

1 Tbs. minced garlic

2 tsp. cumin

¼ tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. allspice

Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

1. Microwave or roast the sweet potato until tender, but not too soft. Chop into ½-inch pieces.
2. To make the dressing, whisk together all ingredients, and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine all the rice, beans, sweet potato, sweet corn, tomatoes, bellpepper, scallions, orange, and cilantro. Mix together well, and add dressing, drizzling it on evenly and stirring everything a second time.
4. To serve, divide mixture amongst four plates, topping with banana slices and toasted coconut as desired.

Instead of orange and banana, try adding mango, pineapple, or other tropical fruits of your choice!

Cilantro

What I Miss Monday 5

Breakfast is my absolute favourite meal of the day. I love waking up to a hearty bowl of oats or, even better, the prospect of making homemade waffles. Unfortunately, breakfast in France has been, well, boring, to say the least. Not that I mind eating my classic banana bread overnight oatmeal every. single. day. I just miss the variety, which includes . . .

Granola

At home, my boyfriend makes the most wonderful batches of granola, based on this recipe (although we only use 1/4 cup maple syrup). It’s wonderfully sweet-and-salty and pairs very well with fresh blueberries and vegan yoghurt for delicious parfaits!

Parfaits truly can be some of the prettiest and elegant breakfasts. I especially like to eat mine served in fancy wine glasses using extra long silver tea spoons. <3

[Source]

Last week, my best girlfriend here in France surprised me with a batch of homemade granola, or müseli, as it is more commonly called here in Europe (plus, she’s Finnish, so of course she knows the ins and outs of traditional Swiss müseli). I sampled a nibble then and there—and immediately asked for the recipe. It is as decadent as a dessert, but packed with whole grains and healthy fats.

Milka’s Sweet Sesame Müseli

Makes a bunch!

Ingredients

2.5 cups rolled oats
1.25 cups wheat flakes
1.25 cups rye flakes
1 cup cashew nuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup whole almonds
¾ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup sesame seeds
½ cup flaxseeds
3 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
½ cup toasted sesame oil
2/3 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup raw cane or brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. almond extract
2 Tbs. cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cardamom
2.5 cups dried figs, chopped
1.25 cups raisins
¾ cup flaked or shredded coconut

Directions

1)   Preheat the oven to 300˚ F.

2)   In a large bowl, combine oats, wheat flakes, rye flakes, nuts and seeds, and chocolate.

3)   In a saucepan, add oil, agave nectar, sugar, extracts, and spices, and heat carefully until the spices have dissolved. Pour this mixture onto the dry ingredients, stirring well to coat everything equally.

4)   Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet and bake for approximately 15-30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes or so to prevent burning. Remove when desired crunchiness factor is reached. Allow to cool completely before adding the dried fruit and coconut. Store in an airtight container.

Perfection. <3

Another thing I really, REALLY miss today is my mother, because today is her birthday! If I were at home, I’d be cooking her a gourmet vegan dinner, followed by a vegan cake—likely this cake, in fact, despite my very, very (as in virtually none) baking skills.  Less than a month now until my much-anticipated return!

However, in an attempt to celebrate from afar, I enjoyed a packet of . . .

[Source]

My wonderful mummy sent me a care package last month, which included a box of Dr. Lucy’s chocolate chip cookies (I haven’t had an opportunity to try any of the other varieties, unfortunately, though I’m sure I’d love the oatmeal cookies). My mum and I have a longtime tradition of indulging in iced tea and a treat when we visit Barnes & Noble together, and even though I’m not a fan of Starbucks, I was SO pleased when they started offering Dr. Lucy’s cookies alongside their considerably less healthy (and by no means vegan) desserts. I must say, while homemade is always best, these are pretty tasty and satisfy my sweet tooth whenever I’m in need of a little sugar fix beyond my daily dose of dark chocolate.

Granola

What I Miss Monday 4

So, last week, I suddenly had a HUGE craving for . . .

Pesto

[Source]

Pesto on sandwiches, pesto on pizza, roasted summer vegetables tossed in pesto—you name it, I was salivating just imagining it. Unfortunately, traditional pesto is not vegan. I skimmed the ingredients list of several bottles at the supermarket, hoping, perhaps, for one with which I could satiate my craving, but my search was in vain, for, indeed, every single brand contained cheese. For me, pesto is not so much about parmesan as it is basil, so, when I saw that the organic market I haunt had fresh basil this week, I jumped for joy, and oh, does it smell divine! The last few days, I’ve been enjoying the simple, but classic combination of fresh tomatoes and basil drizzled with a little olive oil. Heaven!

Last week, I also bought some whole wheat pasta (another craving!), and as I was adding the package to my makeshift mini-pantry, I noticed my bag of walnuts.

Instantaneous light bulb!

I essentially had all the ingredients I needed to make vegan pesto. I just don’t have a food processor. Hence, the idea for “deconstructed pesto,” no blending necessary!

Deconstructed Pesto Pasta

If you’d like a slightly parmesan-y flavour, add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.

Ingredients

Serves 4

8 oz. whole wheat pasta of choice

1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped

3-6 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped*

2 Tbs. olive oil

4 plum tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 large green bellpepper, chopped

2 small eggplants

1 cup cooked chickpeas

¾ cup chopped fresh basil

Salt & pepper to taste

Walnuts (raw or roasted, whole or chopped) to serve

*I like my dishes, especially my Italian dishes, extra garlicky. Feel free to adjust to taste.

Directions

1. Halve eggplants lengthwise and sprinkle each half with a pinch of salt, which will bring out subtle flavour and help maintain the eggplants’ shape when they are sautéed. Allow them to sit for at least 30 minutes before chopping into bite-sized pieces.
2. In the meantime, bring water to boil in a saucepan. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, probably about 5-7 minutes, or until al dente. Drain, then return the pasta to the pan and toss with 1.5 Tbs. of olive oil, salt, and pepper.
3. In a skillet over high heat, sauté the chopped onion and garlic in ½ Tbs. olive oil until slightly translucent. Add the other chopped vegetables and cook until the eggplant is lightly browned and tender. Sprinkle the basil evenly over the mix, stirring briefly to combine before removing the skillet from the heat.
4. Add sautéed vegetables to the saucepan with the cooked pasta, mixing well. Serve warm or cold, garnished with roasted walnuts and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Bon appétit!

The only thing that would have made this dish even better would have been some summer squash. Otherwise, perfection! Craving conquered!

Basil

What I Miss Monday 3

What I Miss Monday

Summer heat is quickly elevating here in Pau, and without air-conditioning, and considering that sunlight floods directly into my little room all afternoon, well, it gets a little stuffy in there, to say the least. Naturally, my body has no desire to eat warm foods as a result, so I’ve been chowing down on a lot of salads and just good old-fashioned raw veggies. If I were at home, I would TOTALLY be experimenting with more extravagant raw foodism, which brings me to today’s topic:

Green Smoothies

[Source]

Smoothies are perfect for any meal or snack, ESPECIALLY when you toss a big handful of leafy greens into the blender.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Spinach?! Kale?! Collard greens?! In a smoothie?! Gross!”

Now, before you forego the idea altogether, let me reassure you that you WILL NOT taste the greens AT ALL. Trust me, the sweetness of the fruit will still shine through, and you’ll be sipping a nutritional powerhouse packed with vitamins and minerals—replace that caffeinated cup of Joe or can of High-Fructuse-Corn-Syrup-laden Diet Coke with a glass of natural energy! Plus, you can customize however you please, based on personal preferences and/or what’s in your refrigerator. Feel free to add other vegetables, too, such as carrots, roasted beets, celery, cucumber, or even pumpkin. Love pumpkin pie? Mix ½ cup canned pumpkin, ½ ripe banana, a handful of greens, 1 cup milk alternative, and pinches of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and allspice (and if you want, some vanilla extract and a little maple syrup for optional extra sweetness), and voilà! Pumpkin-y goodness without ever turning on an oven! Are you a chocoholic like me? No problem! You can add 1 Tbs. of cocoa or carob powder to your blends for a special treat. What a deceptively delicious way of consuming fruits and veggies—you’ll be well on your way to 7-9 servings per day!

Here’s a great website for ideas:

The Green Monster Movement

As for cooked foods, well, for the most part I’ve been able to avoid them by making TLT’s (Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato sandwiches—which remind me of another luxury I miss: liquid smoke!) and also what I like to call “bric-a-brac salads.” They’re all based on a simple formula: choose a bean, a whole grain, some veggies, some fresh and/or dried fruit, some nuts and/or seeds, and some herbs and/or spices, and you’ve got a complete meal with protein, complex carbohydrates, fruit, veggies, and healthy fats all in one!

Recently, a friend of mine here gave me some fresh bing cherries picked straight from her neighbour’s tree! So, I decided to make a version of this old favourite recipe, with just a few alterations:

Cherry Jubilee Salad (Without the Vodka!)

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 cup wheatberries, soaked overnight and cooked*

1 cup green lentils, soaked overnight with ½ vegan bouillon cube and cooked, or 2 cups cooked chickpeas**

1 large cucumber, diced

4 scallions, chopped

1-2 Tbs. freshly minced garlic

1 cup fresh bing cherries, pitted and halved, or ½ cup dried cherries or dried cranberries

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 Tbs. olive or safflower oil***

1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

1 Tbs. lemon juice

Salt & pepper to taste

Roasted almonds, to serve

*To properly cook wheatberries, see here. You can also use quinoa, like in the original recipe, couscous, bulghur, brown rice—basically any grain will work here!

**To properly cook lentils, see here.

***Feel feel to follow the original recipe and use plain soy yoghurt for the dressing rather than my oil and vinegar–the tang of the yoghurt and the sweetness of the cherries are a delicious combination!

Directions

1. In a skillet over high heat, quickly steam the scallions and garlic in 2 Tbs. of water. When the scallions turn bright green, immediately remove from the stovetop. Allow to cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine cooked wheatberries and lentils, cucumber, fresh or dried cherries, and parsley. Add cooled scallions and garlic, stirring well to combine before adding the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Mix well and chill until ready to eat. Serve on a big bed of romaine lettuce, spinach, or kale with roasted almonds.

You can see how bright and, hence, imagine how hot it is here! But this salad, served on a generous bed of romaine lettuce, helped me cool down after walking home.

Cherry

What I Miss Monday 2

This week I’ve been missing . . .

Japanese cuisine

I’ve been avidly eating Japanese food since before I was born—yes, when my Mum was pregnant with me, she frequented a Japanese restaurant in Omaha that would later become my favourite childhood restaurant. It’s weird to think about it, but literally, my fetus thrived on miso soup, seaweed, tempura, teriyaki, California roll, and sushi.

Now, where curry excites me and warms my insides, Japanese calms and cools me down. It’s been quite warm here as of late, and in turn, I haven’t really wanted to eat anything cooked, so I’ve been eating a lot of salads, including . . .

Super Simple Japanese Seaweed Salad

I splurged on a package of mixed sea vegetables because, well, they’re delicious and nutritious, and my body was really craving their cooling energy.

Back home, I usually reconstitute dried seaweed because it's much cheaper. Seaweed is expensive--hence, an occaisional treat. This WAY-TOO-TINY package contained dulse, nori, and sea lettuce.

Ingredients

Serves 1-2

1 cup pre-prepared or rehydrated seaweed

¾ cup cucumber, thinly coined then cut into strips

1 Tbs. soy sauce, tamari, or shoyu

1/2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

Toasted sesame seeds to garnish

Essentially, combine all ingredients and garnish with roasted sesame seeds when ready to serve.

Eaten with chopsticks, of course!

Seaweed is a MAJOR superfood packed with phytochemicals. I make it whenever I feel:

1)   that I haven’t eaten enough vegetables lately. And yes, even as a vegan, I sometimes don’t get my daily recommendations for produce—like last Monday, dinnertime rolled around, and I was rather horrified when I realized I’d only consumed 3 servings of veggies that day, when I usually aim for 7-9!

2)   that my body needs a detox. For example, a couple of days ago, I ate a few too many dried dates, which I absolutely adore, but whose sugars my body sometimes cannot handle, especially when I eat 2 servings in one sitting. I literally crashed on my bed for an hour afterward and sort of napped until the sugar high wore off. Lesson learned, detox the next day.

3)   that I am “internally imbalanced” and require the salty Yang of sea vegetables to recenter myself. I’m a huge proponent of Macrobiotics, a diet philosophy based on Zen that explores the balance of Yin and Yang in food. It’s really quite intriguing, and I will inevitably discuss it more in-depth in future posts, but for now, if you’re interested, you can learn more about it here.

4)   whenever I make homemade vegan nori rolls! Oh, I miss my kitchen!

Despite not really wanting warm foods, I did make a delicious stir-fry last week, and while not necessarily Japanese, it can perhaps qualify as “Asian fusion,” blending elements of Chinese and Thai cuisine. Multiple sources inspired this particular—an old, old, old Jane Fonda recipe, this recipe, and this recipe. Essentially, you can add any vegetables you want; had I the resources, I would also have included snow peas, shiitake or straw mushrooms, and, most importantly, baby corn!

Asian Apricot-Almond Stir-Fry

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 16-oz block extra-firm tofu, pressed & drained*

2 medium eggplants, coarsely chopped

½ lb. fresh green beans, ends trimmed

½ cup chopped scallions, green & white segments

8 dried apricots, coarsely chopped

1-2 Tbs. freshly minced garlic

1 Tbs. olive oil

½ cup packed fresh basil leaves

2-3 Tbs. soy sauce, tamari, or shoyu

2 Tbs. brown rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

Cracked black pepper & red pepper flakes to taste

Roasted almonds & toasted sesame seeds, to serve

Directions

*First off, if you’ve never cooked with tofu, here’s a little crash course for you, Tofu 101. There are 3 main types of tofu textures—extra-firm, firm, and silken. Silken is best used for smoothies, desserts, and vegan omelets. Firm works very well for tofu scrambles. And extra-firm, well, is perfect for essentially everything else since it doesn’t crumble as easily. In order to ensure the firmest texture possible, you must first “drain” the tofu. How? Easy. Place the block of tofu between two plates and put something heavy (for example, some ridiculously large college textbooks, which, from personal experience, work very well!) on the top plate. Wait 30 minutes to 1 hour before removing the weight and dumping the pool of water that has congregated on the bottom plate into the sink.

Now, you’re all ready to wok and roll!

1. Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add garlic and scallions, and sauté until slightly translucent. Add eggplant, green beans, and ¼ cup water or vegetable broth, steaming the vegetables until the green beans become tender.
2. Add tofu, dried apricots, soy sauce, and vinegar, stirring frequently for another 1-2 minutes. Add basil leaves, and cook until just wilted. If you’d like a bit of spiciness, sprinkle ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes into the mix and stir well to combine.
3. Serve garnished with roasted almonds and toasted sesame seeds and accompanied by brown rice.

Seriously, if I could get away with it, I'd eat with chopsticks ALL THE TIME.

Sea Vegetable

What I Miss Monday 1 + Product Review: Bjorg

So, this is a highlight I’ll be including only whilst abroad, as the title implies. In short, every Monday, I’ll profile one food I’ve had to temporarily exclude from my everyday diet, whether due to cost, availability of ingredients, or lack of necessary kitchen gadgetry.

This week’s featured food:

Hummus

[Source]

Also known as puréed heaven!

No, seriously, alongside nectar and ambrosia, hummus is the snack of the gods. It provides every key macronutrient your body needs—protein, good carbohydrates and fiber, and healthy fats! At home, I eat hummus every. single. day., usually with whole grain crackers and crudités. Unfortunately, here, I don’t have a food processor, nor am I willing to spend 4 Euros on a tiny tub of hummus that would be emptied within two days (or less!). Thus, it appears there’ll be no beloved hummus sandwiches (one of my comfort foods!) for quite some time . . .

Thankfully, I am not altogether without bean spreads. A French organic company called Bjorg makes three delicious purées: split peas & zucchini, white beans & roasted red pepper, and lentils & butternut squash. Bjorg markets a large number of organic AND vegan-friendly products. I use their vegetable bouillon cubes on a regular basis, and instead of crackers (and let me tell you, finding crackers without butter or eggs is not so easy in France), I particularly enjoy their hearty, seedy, and altogether wholesome bread—baguettes, whole wheat or otherwise, have nothing on this stuff, especially if you smear on some ripe avocado. Seriously, it doesn’t get any better than this, folks!

But, la pièce de résistance is their . . . soy yoghurt!

Unfortunately, the packaging isn't the most eco-friendly, but I've no complaints otherwise!

Oh. My. God. This stuff is WAY superior to anything I’ve tried in the States! I mean, back home, of the four brands of soy yoghurt I’ve tried, only one was creamy enough and didn’t have a funky aftertaste. The plain yoghurt here is truly fantastic. There are several other flavours, too, but I’m content with plain, or nature, natural, as the label reads—it’s so tasty I don’t even feel the need to add fresh or dried fruit. It’s perfect all by itself. Still, I find it incredibly ironic that, in a country obsessed with dairy, one can find really high-quality soy yoghurt of all things! I just hope that, upon returning to the States, Whole Soy & Co. won’t disappoint me too much.

Speaking of disappointment, I went to an Indian restaurant last Friday for lunch, and boy, was I unimpressed! It wasn’t bad, but it was bland—and when describing Indian cuisine, “bland” rarely comes to mind.

I'll give the restaurant some credit--the pappadums and accompanying sauces/chutneys were quite tasty.

I’d been majorly craving some curry all last week, but unfortunately, those cravings weren’t satisfied. Oh, well, there are a couple other Indian restaurants in Pau . . . and besides, look what I bought today!