Vic's Vegan Kitchen

Everyone likes cake right? I mean sometimes I tell a white lie n say I don’t but I really mean yes I want a bit of cake.

That's not to say that a vegan alternative is any less delicious, if anything there's so much more going on in it. Oats, nuts, seeds, veg, peppery flavours and lots of different textures. It definitely holds its own up against the meat version.

I know a lot of folk including myself maybe aren't partial to it as I always remember at the end of a really heavy four course Christmas dinner being presented with this massive frozen cake that I was forced to eat some of, even though all I really wanted was a bit of mint chocolate Vienetta.

So this morning I thought what's an easy five minute sandwich that smashes all others out the court that I would eat right now? Plus, one that covers all tastes - sweet, spicy and sour. The banh mi!

The vegetables in season now are way hardier than the salad and fruit selection that's been available in the last few months so you can now start making big pots of delicious stews and curries. Perfect for the months ahead and suitable for freezing so you can come home and have a way better than store bought ready meal.

Sometimes you get caught up in the day to day stuff like work, being a parent, helping out others, going gym, trying to be healthy, not having any free time, or not spending too much money.

I'm totally fine with that as I love them, although, like most meals I eat when out, unless its one of my go to favourite restaurants I always think to myself, I could definitely make these in the house and be getting way more for my money.

It's available in the summer, but as soon as I start noticing it again about this time of year I suddenly remember that I want to eat it all the time - sort of like kale in the winter for me.

This one has a creamy pesto sauce, much lighter and more summery tasting, perfect for hanging out in the back garden or a light lunch.

At this time of year they have four solid days of going to each other's houses, drinking copious amounts of wine, sampling whatever they may have on the spit roast in the garden, eating delicious grilled vegetables with lashings of skordalia, tzatziki or fava, oily horta straight from the hillsides and then whatever boozy dessert they can muster from the fridge leftovers whether that's fresh fruit with wine or a staple in my friends house, an extremely boozy tiramisu.