My Thai Vegan Cafe

A funny little spot on the second floor in the heart of Chinatown, Boston, My Thai Vegan Cafe has a large menu filled with Thai and Chinese dishes.

Pad Sew with tofu and my favorite wide rice noodles

Panang curry...

It's not the best thai food, but the vast menu and coconut-milk boba tea, make it a great late-night bite. 

Rule #1 of Living Free From- Failure is OK!

The one thing I miss most from my pre-gluten days is pizza- homemade pizza in particular. Pizza is the perfect, "clean out your fridge, make everyone happy meal," and it's so versatile, you can literally top it with whatever you like. 

I used to buy pre-made, raw pizza dough to save time and clean-up, but I haven't found a gluten-free dough that I like yet. So I decided to set out and make my own.

I followed a simple recipe from the Better Homes cookbook and replaced the flour with an all-purpose flour. Seemed like a great idea at the time, but something went terribly wrong.

This is the first sign that the dough was destined to be disastrous- it resembles Play-Doh.

Going with it anyway...

 I figured great toppings could save the pizza.

After some red sauce, Daiya, and time in oven, it looks the pizza will be delicious after all.

 

Admittedly, the crust might be one of the most disgusting things I have ever put in my mouth.

 
 I suspect the flour was too dense, and it had a real beany flavor that was very unappetizing. Lesson learned? Free from dishes won't always turn out the way you'd hoped, but scrape off the toppings, call it a day and try again next time.

Today's Eats

Today was busy and left me little time for food preparation...actually most days are like this.

 

Breakfast was a smoothie of Kale, Spinach, Spirulina, Blueberries, Strawberries, and Almond Milk, and a piece of Gluten Free bread while running out the door.

Lunch was a simple gluten & dairy free enchilada from Trader Joe's

For supper I made a tofu scramble with spinach, zucchini, bell pepper, and GF toast.

London Eats

It's been a while since I've last posted, and a lot has happened in our lives since. The biggest being that the Queen would not renew our UK visas, and we had to leave London. It still pains me. We've settled in Boston, and are still exploring the food scene, but I'll surely post my food adventures.

In the meantime, let me share some of our favorite free-from-friendly cheap eats in London.

Vitao, which is no longer an all you can eat buffet and has therefore lost 5 points in my book, would serve up hot tasty Indian multi-ethnic dishes with a small cozy ambiance. 

Cost: $$; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !

A small cozy joint that's equally satisfying and light.

Cost: $$; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!

An international chain that is great on a budget, on a cold day, or just when you want some high calorie noodles. Opt for the rice noodle or veggies, and hold the egg to make it vegan & gluten free.

Cost: $; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!!

Another chain, but some of the best falafels you'll find outside of Paris (you read that right, Paris)

Cost: $; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!

My former place of part time employment. Extremely quick, delicious salads, hot bar, smoothies, and juices. Expert tip: Muswell Hill location has the best food, by far.

Cost: $; Vegan Friendly: !!!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!!

Oh how I love and miss Indian Veg Buffet. When on a strict budget, you can't beat all you can eat, pretty great quality, Indian food for only £5. Exper tip: embrace the vegetarian propaganda smattering the walls, it's quite entertaining.

Cost: $; Vegan Friendly: !!; Gluten-Free Friendly: !!

Falafels- Paris

Falafels are a vegans best friend. They are quick, cheap, and a lot of non-veggies like them as well.  While a falafel sandwich is best enjoyed in its original pita form, for the gluten-intolerant, you can often ask for a falafel platter. It's basically a deconstructed falafel sandwich- all the elements laid out on the plate.

I am no expert, but I have had my share of falafels, and I can confidently say that the best I have ever tasted have been in the Marais district of Paris. Falafel houses line the streets, and all have a decent sized line running out the door. Don't let the lines deter you though, it's definitely worth the wait. 

On our recent trip to Paris, we tried three different falafels places and tried to determine once and for all which was the best.

We got take out, and therefore didn't get a platter. I just picked out the insides and let my husband finish my pita.

 

King Falafel Palace: Best toppings 

26, Rue des Rosiers

 

Mi Va Mi: First falafel I had in Paris five years ago, and still fantastic. They had the best falafel balls, bright green and soft on the inside.

27, rue des Ecouffes

Chez Hanna: Really great all around flavor.
54 Rue des Rosiers

L'As Du Falafel: Often rated the best falafel place in Paris, unfortunately it was closed when we went. So I guess I'll never know if it lived up to its hype.
34, rue des Rosiers

Bob's Kitchen- Paris

On a recent day trip to Paris, we stopped for breakfast at a cute little restaurant called Bob's Kitchen. I would definitely add this to your list of Paris eateries.

First, the staff were extremely friendly, and even accommodated us 30 minutes before they actually opened. And as a bonus, they spoke impeccable English.

I ordered a mango and avocado sushi roll, and Dan had the gluten-free buckwheat pancakes.
 

Pancakes!

Sorry for the long hiatus. But in good news, I've decided to get this blog up and running again, so be on the lookout for more posts. We've done some traveling, and I'll be posting about how to find free from food in Paris, Italy, Wales, and of course here in London. Today though, I am sharing our favorite weekend treat- Free From Pancakes. 

With pancakes, I usually use a store bought mix. It's not the cheapest way to go, but it's definitely the most convenient. I really like the Hale & Hearty 4 Grain mix. The recipe calls for an egg and milk, but you can easily adjust the recipe to be vegan. Here's how!

For an egg replacement in pancakes, one mashed banana is a good substitute and it adds a great flavor. My favorite though is 1tbs. of ground flax mixed with 2.5 tbs of warm water. This adds a bit of protein and nice nutty flavor.

 

Thoroughly mix the flax before adding the rest of the ingredients or mix it separately, then add.


The milk replacement is just a simple one to one switch with a non-dairy milk. I like coconut milk a lot, but using soy is definitely the cheaper option- just make sure you use organic.

Note: I like my pancakes really thin, so I doubled, maybe even triple the amount of milk

Now on to the fun part, toppings. I really like Hale & Hearty's Agave maple syrup. It has a great flavor, has a lower GI, and is cheaper, than the all authentic counterpart, but I'm not going to lie- nothing beats Grade A Vermont maple syrup.

As you can see, we were running low on maple topping, so we used jam and powdered sugar.