Hummus Time in No Time At All!

When I first moved to Dubai, I hated hummus. I found it dry and as though it lived in the shadow of bread. Why would I eat a liquid, half formed and tasteless version of a carbohydrate that I could get so easily, cheaply and didn't have to eat with mountains of carrot sticks?

However, it didn't take long for my taste buds to wake up from their ignorance and realise that the 'tasteless' taste was actually a gently satisfying zing. Now one of my favourite lunches is (perhaps, rather boringly) barbecued chicken, arabic bread and hummus.

I've been wanting to make hummus forever but being wary of what the word 'tahini' meant, I never ventured into that culinary sphere. But I wish I had sooner because I could have been making this all summer!

But 'should've', 'would've' and 'could've' are the last words of a fool, so at least I now know how simple (and healthier) homemade hummus can be!

Super Speedy and Satisfying Hummus

1. Blend 1 x 400g can of chickpeas with 1 clove of garlic, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp tahini paste and 1.5 tbsp lemon juice in a food processor. 

2. Continue to blitz until the mixture comes together then add 1 tbsp of water (for the consistency above) or continue adding water until you have your desired consistency

Simples!

Change the way you eat, change the way you live!

After the Easter holidays, at the start of May this year, I came back to uni with the resolve to be a vegan - or at least try it.

The decision to change my diet came from a health perspective which is read about but as I became more aware of what veganism was, I began to realise the benefits and feel good about what I was going into my body. However, as we broke up for summer, I was back to my normal ways.

At first, I was reluctant. Every time I put a piece of meat to my lips, I felt guilty. The taste of milk was refreshingly creamy, but it felt wrong. 

It didn't take long, however, to eat without even thinking. 

Recently, though, I've seen a lot of posts about animal cruelty and the benefits of cutting meat from your life. I spoke to one of my friends a couple of months ago about how I'd become vegan. The meat debate is a bit of a toss up. 

When I think of the world, I think that everything is designed for purpose. So chickens lay eggs that aren't poisonous or toxic or don't fertilise soil because the purpose of them is for us to eat. They are provisions from God. 

But, this is where religion comes into it because Christianity believes that the earth was made for humans, whereas, Buddhists believe that everything is equal. I guess what it comes down to is how you view humans. What is our purpose? And how do we function or rank in relation to other animals? 

It's difficult because, if there are nice ways of providing food then why shouldn't we use this bountiful supply and appreciate the things that we have. If we take the example of chickens, what I mean is that, if there is a more humane way of egg production (free-range hens), then why shouldn't we take advantage of the fruits of the hen? 

But I realise when I write this, that the word: 'production' maybe shouldn't exist. Perhaps the problem lies when animals become a product or simply mechanisms and parts to a production line. Everything, animals and humans, should be free. Or maybe, you believe different. 

I suppose that the solution, I often think, might be to go completely back in time to a hunter-gatherer era, where you only catch the food that YOU and your family need, WHEN you needed it and, if you're unable to catch anything, then you must eat the fruits off the land. 

I've read that veganism can end world hunger, but another article reminds me that hunger is a multi-faceted problem which has a number of factors which do not just include removing meat from our diets. (You can read the article here.)

I don't have the answer to whether veganism is the way forward and apparently no one else does either. It is a personal choice and the world probably benefits from all of being different. It needs the blood-thirsty carnivores and the plant eating vegans. 

So whilst I know that something has to change, I won't feel so guilty about willing going back to meat. 

When I go back to uni, I can't see myself becoming a vegan again because I'm such a massive foodie and cooking is what I do. I am, however, going to make changes. 

At ASDA, you can be fooled by low prices and forget about the quality of the products. So that is the main thing I'll be changing. But there are other things that I thought I would share and here are a few. 

Buy local produce

This is something that I don't really take much care about. Especially in Dubai. At the moment, as I've said before, peaches are my new found love. And though the best ones, I believe, come from Jordan, the next choice is American peaches - from, literally, the opposite side of the world. On my part, this is a bad choice. By reducing the demand for produce that is flown from many hours away, contributes to the green house effect. Local produce means a significant reduction in green house gases.

Stay away from beef

This has to do with carbon emissions and health factors. An article published by the Guardian says: 

"The popular red meat requires 28 times more land to produce than chicken, 11 times more water and results in five times more climate-warming emissions."

Based on this, it would seem that chicken is the way to go, which leads me onto my next change factor ...

Free range eggs

I never used to worry about eggs. I always went for the cheap eggs in supermarkets to reduce the cost of my overall shop, not wanting to spend a few extra pence on free range eggs, allowing hens a better life.

Dairy-free products

Until recently, I believed that cows produced milk on tap. I have now learnt, however, that milk is taken from lactating cow mothers who are separated from their calves. This is a step towards eradicating animal cruelty.

Responsibly sourced fish

Prevent over-fishing and allow edible ocean fish the chance to reproduce. Eat: crab, hake, halibut, mussels. AVOID: bream, cod, haddock

Meat-free Mondays

Meat-free Mondays is something I saw Jamie Oliver do. It's actually relatively easy to live vegan or even vegetarian for 1 or 2 days a week. Try tofu stirfry, meatfree 3 bean chilli, quorn sausages. 

I hope that you've enjoyed this post. I wanted to write it partly because I wanted to engrain in my own head how important it is to be a good citizen when it comes to food but also because I thought others would benefit and appreciate information which can help change lives. (--- maybe that statement is a bit bold!)

Overambitious baking

I am fairly ambitious with my baking, trying new things that I expect to turn out brilliantly. Needless to say, I am sometimes disappointed.

Today I made a chili and lemon bread - which should have turned out as a baguette but instead came to be an over-sized roll. I also made, probably more successfully, a blackberry and coconut cake taken from this recipe from the BBC Good Food site. I followed it to the 'T' so I can't claim any credit for this.

Mine didn't look quite as good as there and I feel like 1 hour might be slightly too long baking, so if I tried again I would probably have it going for 40 minutes instead and then giving it a quick check.

However, and I admit that it wasn't a complete disaster, I had a lot of fun baking which is the most important thing.

Unfortunately, I reckon that it's a lot more calorific than it makes out but small slithers will make it last longer anyway!

NEW CREATION: Christmas clusters (by mistake)

It always so happens that when I plan to how you a recipe, it always goes wrong.

I baked individual pineapple upside down cakes for my parents anniversary meal - I didn't take a picture and actually they went splendidly well. 

Still, I don't think I could have salvaged the look of that Swiss roll! 

* 

It's too early to be thinking about Christmas, by apparently it's only 20 Fridays away. 

And these cakes have nothing to do with Christmas, bar the fact that they give off, what reminds me of, a Christmassy aroma. 

The culprit: mixed spice. It is one of my all time favourite spices and I just had to add them to these rock cakes gone wrong. 

This recipe here is a mixture of some of my favourites in the baking world: the aforementioned mixed spice and rock cakes. 

Rock cakes were one of the first things that I learnt to make at school in year 7 and they've been one of my favourite things to bake. They're so simple, delicious and don't (unlike most cakes) rely on appearance to make them a winner. In fact, the messier the better. 

So what I've conjured up today is a smaller and more spices version of the traditional raisin rock cakes. 

Behold the Christmas Cluster!

Yeah ... the oven makes them look better.

We ate them as they were, but I feel like they should be served warm and with cream! Feels like winter's coming!

Rub butter into flour

Add dried fruit, sugar and spices

Add 1 egg

Add milk and stir

Bake at 200 degrees C for 20-25 mins

And you're done! Tah-dah!

Barbie Girl

Surprisingly, we don't have barbecues nearly enough since Dubai has the most perfect weather for them. We, in fact, have them less than we used to in England - only about 3 times a year. Much of the barbecues we go to are ones that we are invited to by friends. And, off we went, yesterday.

To be honest, I don't know why we don't do barbecues more. They are just perfect for every occasion. You can eat as much or as little as you want and can pair every taste with a selection of spices, side dishes and salads. 

Yesterday was a 1st birthday party. A first for me and all! 

The food was kept simple, but there's nothing wrong with simple when the flavor is there! The burgers were chunky and homemade grilled on the barbecue and topped with jack cheese. I then added lettuce, tomato and avocado to a sesame seed bun. Then summer berries to finish. 

A dessert that was also on offer was an ice-cream straight from Texas: birthday cake ice-cream! It was, actually, delicious but it wasn't enough on the cake front with my eyes lingering over a Micky Mouse cupcake stand.  

Carrot Soup Recipe

Soup most probably isn't something that you want to be eating on a boiling hot summers day but, for me, it beats a salad. Personally, all that a few lettuce leaves, tomatoes and cucumber says to me is: "WHERE are my carbs?!?!" This usually ends with me going on a bread rampage afterwards which almost defeats the purpose of having not having a sandwich.

Soup, however, does it for me. There's something about a load of blended vegetables that makes refraining from a ham sandwich a good thing.

So I've decided to share with you my FAVOURITE carrot soup recipe. It's my favourite for a number of reasons but namely it's super-duper easy, tasty and makes for great snacking. 

"Slap-dash" Carrot Soup
To serve 4

1) Peel and slice 4 carrots

2) Boil 600ml of water and, once boiled, pour into a jug

3) Dissolve one vegetable stock cube in the boiled water

4) Then, place the carrots in a deep pan with the vegetable stock and boil on a medium heat until the carrots are soft (15-20 minutes)

5) With a hand blender (or a sieve should work just as well) purée the carrots until you have a smooth orange paste

6) Now, top this purée up with boiled water until you have the amount of soup that you want (perhaps another 300ml of water)

7) Add finely chopped coriander, a pinch of salt and pepper and blitz once more (or, if you don't have a hand blender, simply stir)

8) Then, serve!

Simples! And it tastes absolutely lovely.

*

Vegan Sm-eegan!

Taking me away from my meat, is like trying to put a tutu on a fully grown Bengal tiger: highly dangerous and senseless. Taking me away from a steaming bowl of pasta drowning in thick cream sauce with cheese, is like trying to squeeze yourself through a paper shredder: you wouldn't even go there. And telling me that I can't eat chocolate would be like having a wailing, snotty-nosed toddler on your lap in the midst of a temper tantrum: you can't imagine.

So when I found myself seriously contemplating becoming a vegan I was taken aback by my own resolve. Talk about self-inflicted pain!

It was rather chance that I happened to take out a certain book from the library which got me started.

Like a true geek, I had been dying to get my full library card for the library in town and when the time came I was able to increase my loans from 2 books to 30 at a time! So, naturally,I went on a rampage pulling out everything from 1000s of things to do with eggs to Harry Potter to essays by C.S.Lewis. I looked round every section as though I had all the time in the world to read. I thought of everything I needed, everything I had been meaning to read up on and as I browsed the 'health' section I stumbled on a book of particular interest.

I knew I wasn't an unhealthy eater but I knew how much I ate. I pulled out a book: "Eating Less: Say Goodbye to Overeating". I glanced at it. It made sense. I wasn't about to start a diet but I did need to know when enough food was enough. I had previously looked for solutions online. The only one I remember is one that I constantly use when I get a little craving. Apparently, if you switch your cravings from food to something else, you'll no longer feel the urge to eat but to do whatever you thought about. The example they gave was craving going to the cinema. I use it all the time, but the last time I saw anything at the cinema was in November and I don't even remember the time before that.

I thought this book was a blessing. Whatever knowledgeable doctor had written it had just the right idea for me and I wasn't about to let the opportunity slip through my fingers. I added it to the stack of books I was resting on my hip. Then next to it I saw another: "The 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart Diet".

To be honest, I have no idea why I picked it up. I can only think that it was for the rainbow coloured font down the spine. Anything with the word 'diet' in I tend to steer clear of. The word, for me, shouts TEMPORARY WEIGHT LOSS ON A DIET OF RICE CAKES AND CELERY STICKS. Alright if you like that sort of thing, apart from the fact that you're more than likely to bounce back to your starting weight when you give up or turn back to your old guilty pleasures. Diets aren't for me.

Nevertheless, I was aware that I was still suffering the adverse effect of too many student nights out.

I began reading and soon found how, according to these studies, potentially dangerous too much meat, fish, eggs, cheese and dairy was for you. The statistics made me look at meat differently. I suddenly wasn't so keen.

I also was reminded of the fact that vegetarianism and veganism could put an end to world hunger.

So after much more reading and meal planning, I decided I should try it.  

Today is the 28th of April. The 28th of May celebrates world hunger day. So, to me, it seems right that between now and then I should attempt to go vegan as a personal challenge. I have a feeling that it'll be a struggle but, without a doubt, I'm going to try my hardest. (I've got it sorted. Quorn and tofu at the ready!)

Stop. Starve. Sexy.

Finding out that I had grown a dress size in the middle of fighting against a bout of compulsive eating definitely was unwelcome news.

Dieting has never appealed to me. I know my strengths, and they one hundred percent do not lie in resisting temptation. I find Lent on of the most difficult challenges and so having to give something up eternally does not appeal to me.

Nor does drinking a load of slimming shakes, counting points and recording them in a book or giving up my favourite foods.

Weight is such a humongous issue these days, particularly when we're growing up. Unlike our parents and those before them, we don;t have to walk or cycle to get where ever we need to go. Our daily entertainment doesn't come from a tennis racket and ball. It's, usually, within the comfort of our hands, living rooms or in front of eyes. And when our mums tell us to pop to the shop to get some milk, she might as well, far easily, make a few clicks and have a Tesco home-delivery man bring it to her instead.

There's little reason to exercise anymore. But there's every reason as before to eat what we like, when we like it; because we're human.

You can't browse anything without being notified of miracle cures for the flat tummy, ways to drop 5 stone in a week and how to get whiter teeth - because it's not just our weight. It's how we look.

But there are more reasons that I will still not diet than just because I physically can't.

I'm healthy. I almost eat my 5 a day. Everyday. I go for low fat over full and, I try my best, not to over-indulge.

But most importantly, eating is something I absolutely love! Food is such a big part of my life; cooking, planning menus, working out how flavours go together, recreating dishes I see in shops, sharing cake and tea in John Lewis. If I stopped eating everything I loved and began rationing, I would be losing around 40% of the enjoyment that I get out of life. I would be 40% less. And that's not a sacrifice I'm willing to take. And, to be honest, if food gives anyone as much happiness as it gives me; I don't think anyone else should feel like they have to sacrifice what they love either.

Santa in the sun and super sad Christmas films

I love Christmas and when it comes, whether it be in the torrential rains of England or the blistering sun of Dubai, it is always special. And even when it doesn't feel like Christmas, the sentiment of the event is ever-present. 

This year didn't, at all, feel like Christmas. There is no limit during the festive period to the amount of times one plays 'Last Christmas' or 'Carol of Bells' but there is the sense of understanding that once they are played over and over, it may still not seem like Christmas Day. 

I came over to Dubai for Christmas this year and so when I told everyone at Uni that I was "going home for Christmas", the fact that I was home meant that I had already reached Christmas a week and a bit before the 25th of December. 

Nevertheless, the presents, mood and food could only be counted as a Christmas Day. 

Unlike every other year, this time we went out for lunch at an Italian buffet restaurant complete with a white-bearded "ho-ho-ho"-ing Father Christmas.  Despite my initial reaction of "I'll try it out" to mask the gravity of the chane, the meal was absolutely delicious. 

Crackers were laid about the table ready to pull. Silver trays of vegetables, potatoes, pastas, alternative Christmas dinners and then the authentic version were plated up. Starters were offered as crab salad, tiger prawn and mango salad, cold meats, shellfish and beef and bean mix. Desserts, reserved in a room of their own, included Christmas pudding, cheesecake, chocolate pots, crème caramel, chocolate fudge cake and small tarts. 

It wasn't as traditional as our family meal but a welcome change I'd like to do once more :D 

After eating, Christmas films are always a must. There's our favourites; Home Alone, which we watch repeatedly every year, and Elf. But with an array if differing tastes in the household, we chose something different. Browsing Netflix we found a film with a cute, animated bunny wrapped in multi-coloured lights and rated 'U'. 

I thought it would be a quick film; light-hearted and cartoon. Instead it was the most depressing Christmas pick of ALL TIME! It was called: the Christmas Bunny - cute right? No. No, no, no, no, no.

The story line was good; commendable and undeniably emotive, but it wasn't right for the 8-12 year old target market to which it was broadcasting. It was about a psychologically disturbed girl who was fostered and was looking after the bunny which her brother shot with a BB gun. 

It had the desired effect of the script - moving and thought-provoking - but it wasn't exactly the light-hearted Christmas themed film we needed to watch at the end of our Christmas Day. 

But it didn't over-shadow it at all. It provided a balance, a way to act against the elation of being with family to be centred in a world where your family doesn't love you or doesn't exist. 

It played the part of the Church at Christmas time and put all the meaning back in! 

25 things Uni has given me

So, I've been at uni for about 7 weeks now and of course there has been may changes, so much to learn and a handful of things to remember but most importantly there have been several 'gifts' (corny, I know!)

Here are 25 things that uni has given to me:

1. A reason to eat kebabs in the morning
2. Fresher's flu
3. Free condoms and wall posters
4. A double chin
5. An internet connection better than the wifi at home
6. Constant and insatiable hunger
7. An incentive to get drunk
8. A concept of money
9. £300 of free money
10. A comfy mattress
11. A gym membership
12. A partial cure for my two left feet
13. A love of cranberry flapjacks
14. Multiple reasons to enjoy hot chocolates
15. A free bus pass
16. A large bill for replacing ruined shoes
17. The awkward task of peeing into a tube
18. The knowledge that, actually, I'm not as good at cooking as I make out
19. A desperation to use a dish washer
20. Topics for my blog posts
21. Free food when family or friends come to visit
22. My own shelf in the fridge
23. An appreciation of a free washing machine
24. A writers account for the University magazine
25. Some of the nicest flatmates and friends

Time to move on ...

In a few days I'll be leaving Dubai. A country that has been such a lovely place to spend the last 2 years. It is, because of the memories I have here and the experiences it has given me, one of my favourite places to be. That isn't to say that there aren't parts to life out here that drive me absolutely insane or things that I desperately long for. Back in the UK everyday we used to walk our Cocker Spaniel across the common near our house for an hour and a half, twice a day. I hated it at the time. During the summer, a farmer used to keep his cattle in there. They were huge, horned and would sporadically run after dogs or tearaway puppies (as was ours) or charge, in stampede formation, for a drink at the community trough as though they were on a pub crawl. Every step you took had to be carefully calculated to make sure that you made it round the field before the cows blocked off the exit gate. That's not to mention the joy of walking through the dry, knee high grass in sandals on a blazing hot day and coming home with cow pat splattered up your leg and staining your feet.
In the winter, the field was always a test of character. The common was a series of hills, on top of which you could see all the way to town. Walking at the peak with the infamous British rain blowing through a raucous wind, dog walking became an activity of little enjoyment. It wasn't uncommon to not be able to feel our faces when we arrived home, dripping but thankful that it would be someone else's turn to take the dog later on in the day.
Now, having omitted the colour green from my eyesight since finding my home in the desert, I would give anything to go back to those temperamental bulls in that luscious field. That's something I can't wait to get back to.

If there's anything I'm guilty of, it's thinking too far forward and forgetting to live for the now. As I'm sure I've probably mentioned before I have always thought about having a job and family without thinking about how I would get there. So whilst I am excited to move back to England for a few years, there are so many thing I'll miss about not being in Dubai. I thought I'd write a few below.

Here are some of the many things I'll miss about Dubai!

• My favourite places.

One of my favourite places in Dubai is down by the creek. I absolutely love the feel down there and the different way of life. It's not really a place that gets a lot of credit from tourists so it's a secret retreat for a different perspective of Dubai. We've spent many nights, entertaining guests there, pointing out the lines of fridge freezers, tyres and bags of rice lining the dock that would, in another city, have already been stolen and sold on. It's always an excellent venue to take photos. There's so much activity and lights but one of the bet things to do there is to visit the spice souk. We always cross over and see with our noses, smelling each bright bag of cardamom, chili or dried herbs. 

Another one of my favourite places is Le Royal Meridien hotel. This was the first place we stayed in when we moved out to Dubai and it's the experience that epitomises Dubai for me. The reception hall was so grand and the pools so clean, that it was a world away from any other hotel I had ever stayed in. We only stayed a week though we were desperate to spend more time there. Thankfully, however, we are members of the pools there and occasionally pop down for the day to bask in the sun, swim in a chilled pool and walk the beautiful beach. Its a true day of luxury! 

• My favourite restaurants. 

One of the things I've come to learn is that one cannot simply live in Dubai and not be a fan of food. Every street you turn is lined with every eating establishment from, near on, every main worldly cuisine. Lebanese to Chinese, Indian to Middle Eastern, steaks to fish and cakes to dates. Everything! Absolutely everything! And I suppose that explains why most of the things that I do in my spare time involve booking a table, slipping into a loose skirt and loading my bag with restaurant vouchers. 

Ask me what my favourite restaurant is and, without a second's thought, I'll tell you that it's Kalidescope on The Palm. For me, that's a no-brainer. I think it's main selling point is the variety. It is expensive but with 2 vouchers, for the 5 of us it's well worth the money. A food-loving family, Kalidescope is right up our street. The buffet is HUGE with multiple stations including; sushi, salad, seafood, Indian, Indian vegetarian, Chinese, Italian and British as well as the dessert stand with hot Middle Eastern puddings and cold continental dishes, miniature potted treats (like pannacotta and cheesecake) and a GIANT chocolate fountain with steps leading to the milk chocolate waterfall, a selection of fruits an sweets rounding the base. And then, if you're still hungry, you can help yourself to ice-creams. 

• My favourite time of year.

I love being in Dubai during Eid; the end of the Ramadan fast. The city is so alive and it's such an important time of year for the whole country with events and celebrations that Muslims and non-Muslims alike can enjoy. 

• My favourite time of day.

During the summer, I love waking up early before the sun gets too warm and going out around the city. Even in the early hours the roads are still quite busy but you could walk the back streets and not see a person for at least an hour. In the winter the middle of the day is the best time. Having the ability to tan in the coolest time of year is quite a novelty.