Monthly Archives: March 2014

Iceland Diary: Reykjavik’s Street Art

Street art says a lot about a place; It gives you an opening into the soul of a city. In my opinion there is a huge gulf between street art and “graffiti” but you rarely get street art without a prevalence of graffiti. Maybe precisely the openness needed for one breeds the other.

Either way, the buildings of Reykjavik are privy to a huge amount of it. These were some of my highlights: (warning: very photo heavy!)

Reykjavik Street Art - Acorn Reykjavik Street Art - Blue Reykjavik Street Art - Chimp Reykjavik Street Art - EagleReykjavik Street Art - Drainpipe Reykjavik Street Art - Face Reykjavik Street Art - Faces on Buildings Reykjavik Street Art - Fish Reel Reykjavik Street Art - It's not what you look at Reykjavik Street Art - Man Reykjavik Street Art - Melting Reykjavik Street Art - Mountain Reykjavik Street Art - OctopusReykjavik Street Art - Mushroom Reykjavik Street Art - Peace hands Reykjavik Street Art - Playground Reykjavik Street Art - Single Gloves Reykjavik Street Art - Smoking Reykjavik Street Art - SunflowersWhat is your opinion on street art? Do you think it adds to a community or takes away from it?

More in my Iceland Diary:

Iceland Diary

Ways to Explore Reykjavik

Vegetarian Reykjavik

The Golden Circle

The Blue Lagoon

Iceland Diary

A mere two and a half hour flight from the UK, Iceland is surprisingly the perfect destination for a short break. It would, of course, be entirely possible to spend far, far longer here and still only scratch the surface. But with many sights are within easy reach of the capital, a four-night trip is ideal to catch the highlights.

Budget-wise, in my opinion and very roughly speaking, you need to allow at least £100-a-day if you intend to go on excursions and eat out for dinner, without doing any shopping and self-catering for breakfasts.

Iceland Three-Day Itinerary
With three full days in Iceland, my trip took this shape:
Day 1: Explore Reykjavik, Northern Lights excursion
Day 2: Golden Circle tour, dinner in Reykjavik
Day 3: Blue Lagoon, explore downtown Reykjavik

Getting There
Plane viewBoth Easyjet and Iceland Air offer very reasonable flights. I’d definitely recommend taking a look at their prices for each individual flight – I flew out with Easyjet and back with Iceland Air since that worked out the cheapest.

Iceland Air are a fairly new airline and have a very cute/quirky brand tone (right up my street), plus there is the added bonus of having your own screen with a good selection of films/TV. I went straight for the Icelandic offerings, watching two music documentaries: Electronica Reykjavik and Sigur Ròs’ Heima.Iceland Air SeatKeflavík International Airport is about 45 minutes from central Reykjavik. Airport transfers are easy to arrange on arrival or in advance. I booked mine online through the Reykjavik Excursions (here) before setting off which made things very easy. Through Reykjavik Excursions it is possible to arrange bus transfers direct to your accommodation for 550ISK extra (about £3) – you are taken to the main bus station and transferred to a mini bus that goes on to individual accommodations. Just be sure to ring and confirm your return journey the day before.

Getting Around
Since public transport isn’t really a thing in Iceland, there are two main options for getting out of the city and into the countryside. Many people opt to hire a car, giving a lot of freedom to stop wherever you please and take your time. This would be a great option for a group of four or five, where splitting the cost and the possibility to split driving duties. However, as we were only two people and I don’t can’t drive, we decided against hiring a car.

The other option is to take bus tours. Depending on your budget, you can take a coach or mini bus but the price does rise sharply for a smaller bus. I do prefer smaller excursions but to stick to a budget in Iceland, it made sense to go with the larger buses. I was happy enough with this decision as it never felt too overcrowded upon arriving in places.

When to go
What time of year you go, depends very much upon what you want to see.
The Northern Lights are only (potentially) visible from September to Mid-April, whilst many national parks will be far more accessible during the summer months. I visited in late February – optimum time for seeing the Northern Lights, still cold but past the worst of any ice or snow.

Accommodation
Welcome Apartments ReykjavikI stayed in a studio apartment in Welcome Apartments – ideal for two people and with enough facilities to comfortably make toast and coffee in the mornings. Only a minute walk from Laugavegur, a central street lined with restaurants, cafés and shops, it was also a minute in the other direction away from the Sólfar monument and waterfront. I found a pretty good deal online and paid £20 each per night for the studio here.

More in my Iceland Diary:

Ways to Explore Reykjavik

Vegetarian Reykjavik

Reykjavik’s Street Art

The Golden Circle

The Blue Lagoon

Slow Cooker Vegan Iraqi Daube

Trying a new cuisine is always exciting and exploring lesser known countries – or at least, lesser known for their food – can introduce you to unexplored ingredients and exciting new flavours. I was taking a look in my boyfriend’s slow cooker cookbook () for inspiration, nosing at meat recipes I could adapt, when I came across a recipe for Iraqi beef daube. Inspired by the recipe I found, I have reworked their original into a vegan alternative. For this recipe I had to seek out dried limes (sometihng I have never cooked with before) and finally got to use some all spice I picked up a few weeks ago.

The history of Iraqi food is as rich as its flavours, with thousands of years, past empires and neighbouring countries having made their mark on the food we see today. In fact, the very first cookbooks are said to have been found in Iraq on ancient stone tablets. Despite all of these influences coming together, I can honestly say this dish tasted like nothing I have ever eaten before and I can’t wait to make it again!

The daube is a hearty dish that uses no oil or other fats in the stew. This recipe is a far stretch from the one I found in the cookbook, with an array of vegetables in place of brisket, and the addition of Marmite to create a depth of flavour that complements the rich tomato base. The method for today’s dish is very simple as everything for the stew simply cooks together in the slow cooker and is ideal to serve up with a buttery saffron rice (I used a dairy-free spread) and tangy caramelised barberries. The method for the barberries here is borrowed from one element of this recipe by the lovely Goli who has a whole blog of Persian dishes just waiting to be adapted into veggie ones!Slow Cooker Vegan Iraqi Daube | The Tofu DiariesIraqi Daube 4Iraqi Daube 2 Ingredients

For the daube:

2 white onions, cut into eights

300g mushrooms, cut into halves

2 celery sticks, sliced

1 courgette, thickly sliced

1 large sweet potato, cut into large chunks

Handful of broccoli, in small florets

Handful of fine green beans

2x 500ml cartons of passata

125ml veg stock

2 heaped tsps Marmite

6 cloves garlic, sliced

2 dried limes, make a slit on one side of each

½tsp ground all spice

1 cinnamon stick

Fresh coriander to serve

For the rice:

Saffron rice (50g per person)

Handful of dried barberries, well washed

½tbsp vegetable oil

1tsp sugar

½tbsp water

Place all of the ingredients into the slow cooker and cook on high for five hours or on low for ten hours. Once ready, remove the cinnamon stick and dried limes. Sprinkle on the fresh coriander leaves.

Serve with saffron rice (method here, substituting dairy-free spread in place of butter) topped with the barberries. To prepare the barberries, cook the washed berries, oil, sugar and water on a medium heat, stirring well until the berries have darkened and softened.Iraqi Daube 1Iraqi Daube 3

Have you tried any new cuisines lately?

Eating Out: Handmade Burger, White Rose Leeds

Some days, every now and then, all you want is to be indulgent and wolf down a satisfying burger. Today was one of those days.Handmade Burger at White RoseI first visited Handmade Burger early last year in Wakefield – in fact my sister and I made the journey over especially to visit the restaurant there as she loved it and wanted me to try it. We were then delighted when one opened in Leeds, but I have to say I haven’t been as much as I thought I would because it can be such a hassle getting into the city centre just to eat (and there are so many amazing places out of town). Well, as if to answer my prayers, a brand new Handmade Burger opened up at the White Rose Centre, about fifteen minutes out of central Leeds, only a couple of days ago.

Handmade Burger is a small chain that began in Birmingham and has since grown to nineteen restaurants across the country. Priding themselves on only using traceable, fresh ingredients, they have an imaginative menu that regularly changes. Far from the token veggie burger you find on a lot of menus, the menu here boasts an impressive seven – including one vegan burger (the chickpea & quinoa – yum!). I always appreciate a restaurant where the veggie dishes have taken as much thought as the rest of the menu, and think this makes Handmade Burger a really good option for dining out with meat-eaters.Handmade Burger MenuHandmade Burger There were no queues when we arrived (there was as we left) so we were seated very quickly before ordering at the counter. The food took around twenty-five minutes to arrive but we figured it was only their first weekend since opening so I’m sure it will speed up a bit. On this particular visit I opted for the three cheese & baby leek burger with no mayo. The outside of the burger was very crisp (only an ear away from being burnt but still on the right side), perfectly complementing the moist slightly gooey inside. It is served with an apple and sultana chutney, adding a slight sweetness. The bun was soft with fresh tomato, lettuce and red onion to round things off. My boyfriend, the non-veggie around here, ordered the peppered burger. He said it was excellent but not really peppery enough to warrant its title.Handmade Burger - Three Cheese & Leek BurgerOn the side we went for peri peri chip with a chipotle dip to share. The portions of chips are pretty huge so I definitely recommend sharing. Thick-cut and almost like (less greasy) chip shop chips, they were covered in an amazing “fresh” peri peri seasoning – rather than a ground powder, this was chilli flakes, herbs and black pepper. The chipotle dip had that trademark smokey flavour but was very fresh tasting and balances out the spice perfectly. This was all rounded up nicely with bottomless drinks – I did say we were going for indulgence! Handmade Burger - Peri Peri ChipsHandmade Burger - Peri Peri Chips SeasoningThe food, sides and drinks came to just shy of £25 for the two of us, which isn’t too bad given the quality. I’ll definitely be back to try out the other new vegetarian options!

Where is your favourite place when you fancy a burger?

Slow Cooker Paneer Curry

We seem to be at that funny time of year here in the UK when we’re all dreaming of spring and the sun is beginning to shine, but, in Leeds at least, there’s still a distinct chill in the air. To me this sort of weather calls for spicy food; something warming, something comforting but something that speaks of warmer climes. This dish certainly fits the bill – although whilst making it I realised how much I am looking forward not only to warmer weather, but lighter evenings and the chance to take more recipe photos in natural light. I often take photos at lunchtime a day after I’ve cooked but there’s not always chance so I don’t feel like these are the best, but hopefully they convey enough about just how yummy this curry was.

I’ve spoken about my love of paneer before and how ideal it is for a vegetarian curry to give it a bit of extra texture. Saag paneer and mutter paneer are both classic North Indian dishes, but for everyday cooking I prefer not to limit myself to one or two vegetables. This dish is packed full with different veg which could really be substituted for any veg you happen to have in the fridge.

This would be wonderful accompanied with brown rice or wholemeal chapattis – but sometimes I prefer to fill up on extra veggies and forgo any sides so I ate this as it is.Slow Cooker Paneer Curry | The Tofu DiariesSlow Cooker Paneer Curry 2 Slow Cooker Paneer Curry 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil

2 celery sticks, sliced

2 red onions, chopped finely

3 shallots, chopped finely

2 carrots, sliced into rounds

1 large sweet potato, cut into cubes

Handful of purple sprouting broccoli

200g paneer, cut into large cubes

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 inch cube ginger, cut into thin slices

1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp turmeric

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp paprika

100ml vegetable stock

Crème fraiche, to serve (optional)

In a pan, or slow cooker insert if possible, heat the oil on a medium heat. Add the onions, celery and shallots. Once they begin to soften, add the spices, garlic and ginger. Stir well and after a minute or so add a tablespoon or two of water to bring out the flavours. Add the carrots and sweet potato, cook for a further couple of minutes.

Add this along with the other vegetables, fresh chilli, and stock to the slow cooker. Stir well. Cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.

Heat another tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Once hot, add the paneer cubes. Turn regularly to brown on all sides. Add these golden cubes to the slow cooked curry and mix well. If you like, you can reserve a few pieces to add on top. If desired, serve with a dollop of crème fraiche on top.Slow Cooker Paneer Curry 3 Slow Cooker Paneer Curry 5Do you have any favourite curry recipes? Share them below!