Homemade Vegan Granola Recipe

Lewis and I are big cereal fans. For us, it is more than just breakfast but also something that we eat as a snack and dessert. So having discovered that cereal in Canada is either really tasteless, really sugary or really expensive, we decided to try making our own granola...and now we can never go back. 

We normally make our granola batch on a Sunday night - it's a lovely easy thing to do to get ready for the week ahead and it fills the apartment with an incredible smell. If you are doing "Veganuary", I salute you! I am currently doing my monthly 'vegan week' and look forward to this breakfast every morning - check out our recipe below. 

For a week's supply for two people, you will need:           

600-700g of large rolled oats

300ml of maple syrup (or honey for a non-vegan version)

3 tablespoons of coconut oil

Your choice of nuts and filling, we use:            

3 handfulls of almonds

1 handfull of cashew nuts

3 handfulls of pumpkin seeds

Sliced almonds

Coconut flakes

3 tablespoons of chia seeds

How you do it:
1. Mix the maple syrup and coconut oil together over a low heat until combined.

2. Stir in oats followed by whole almonds, cashew nuts, chia seeds and pumpkin seeds (or your alternative choice of nuts) until evenly covered and there is no excess liquid.

3. Spread the mixture evenly and thinly on 2-3 parchment lined baking trays and put in a pre-heated oven at 370F.

4. After 10 minutes, remove the trays and add the sliced almonds and coconut flakes and stir. Return to the oven for a further 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Remove the trays, mix in the chocolate and pat down the granola onto the tray. Leave to cool.

6. Serve with rice milk (or the milk or yoghurt of your choice).

7. Sit back and be in sweet, oaty heaven!

Izzie x
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Lola Rosa Vegetarian Restaurant Review

Montreal has so many restaurants that even if you ate each of your three meals a day at a different one, it would take you over four years to eat in every restaurant in the city. With that crazy tidbit in mind, the fact that vegetarian (and vegan friendly) restaurant, Lola Rosa, is ranked in the top 20 on Trip Advisor is a pretty telling sign of how good the food is. 

Originally I wanted to save this review for a 'Top 5 Vegetarian Eateries In Montreal' post or something similar but a) that could take an age to test and compile and b) I just wanted to share it already. I may still do the aforementioned post but a bit of repetition never hurt anyone - am I right? OK, back to the review - Lewis and I actually visited Lola Rosa twice in the space of six days back in October because we had already planned to take my mum and stepdad there when they were visiting and then decided we should "test it out" a few days before and treat ourselves to a "pat on the back" meal for having painted and decorated our new flat. Anyway, it was certainly good enough to eat at twice in six days is basically what I'm saying so let's get on and review our second visit as A LOT more food was consumed that time round. 

Lola Rosa's menu is mexican influenced so to start, the four of us shared what was almost quite literally a mountain of nachos. I mean, just look at the size of it! Piled on top of homemade nachos and melted cheese (vegan option also available) were the usual lashings of refried beans, sour cream and guacamole as well as chopped tomato, sweetcorn and a deliciously warm tomato sauce. This is actually a main course which we ordered as a starter and there is no way that you would want to share this between just two people, let alone have it, well, alone! Definitely up there with the best nachos I have ever had so grab your mates and head down to Lola Rosa.

The first time Lewis and I went to Lola Rosa we shared two different main meals. Normally I bloody hate agreeing to share meals or even puddings because I get the fear that I will like one more than the other and then begrudgingly have to trade. I agreed that time because I could tell Lewis also wanted the grilled tempeh and vegetable green curry that I had chosen but we thought it was silly to order two of the same thing from such an excellent menu. So we ordered that and the black bean, mozzarella and 5 veg burrito and this is exactly what we did on our second visit.  

The black bean burrito is a delicious take on a classic, jam packed with vegetables, mushed sweet potato and black beans. I warn you now that it is quite spicy but if Lewis (AKA biggest spice wimp) can handle it then I am sure you can too! The burrito is served with the same warm tomato sauce that was on the nachos, some wild rice and a side salad drizzled with an amazing strawberry dressing! So if you like flavours, I would highly recommend this taste explosion - it's got everything going on.

The vegetable green curry is a nice, mild compliment to the spicy black bean burrito which is why sharing these two dishes worked so well for us. The Thai-style curry comes with a bed of wild rice and it topped with two pieces of tempeh. As a Quorn lover through and through, I am not mad about tempeh but Lola Rosa do it the best I have ever had it - marinated in a rich maple and tamari sauce, which goes perfectly with the curry. 

Having post-nachos binge guilt and growing food babies, we decided to just order two puddings. Lewis and I shared a gooey chocolate brownie topped with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce - a classic but for good reason, it was delicious. Mum ordered a ginger and basil crème brûlée, which gave me serious food envy because ginger and basil are both my ultimate smells and tastes. Luckily she let me have some as she's generous like that and also the food coma was imminent. 

Lola Rosa prides itself on being "the favourite vegetarian restaurant for non vegetarians" so I would definitely recommend trying it out even if you are a meat eater! What "lacks" in meat is made up for in the gorgeous flavours, which is something vegetarian food should be recognised for so thank you Lola Rosa for leading the way! I cannot wait to go back and try something new - although I am a creature of habit so no promises there! Happy eating!

LOLA ROSA | 4581 Avenue du Parc, Montreal

Other location | 545 rue Milton, Montreal

Izzie x
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An Afternoon At The Market

Lewis and I love a good market. The boy even gets excited going into new supermarkets so imagine our joy at spending an afternoon exploring the Marché Jean-Talon in the Little Italy area of Montreal. I simply could not resist photographing - and sharing with you - this beautifully presented and vibrant market, which is without a doubt the best food market I have ever been to. It is full of fresh and local produce with free samples everywhere, which Lewis took full advantage of, and it was such a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

We were so impressed at the quality and price that we spontaneously decided to pick up some ingredients to make a vegetarian bolognese that evening. A basket of tomatoes, a large bunch of basil and some vegetables cost under 10$ between us and we still have loads of basil left over so we are going to make pesto tonight!

I had never made a tomato sauce from scratch before but it was super easy and tasted so much fresher and healthier than having it out of a jar. We simply fried some onion and garlic before adding lots of diced tomatoes and letting it simmer down while roasting sweet potato, courgette, aubergine and pepper in the oven. Once a sauce had formed, we added the roasted vegetables and vegetarian mince to finish off the bolognese. I would definitely recommend taking the time to source good, local produce and spending some time in the kitchen because then you know exactly what you are eating and the taste is so worth the extra effort.

The market also sells sweet treats including lots of maple syrup - of course - and pateis de nata, much to our delight. We missed out on trying the chocolate one so we shared a classic vanilla and a maple syrup - only in Canada eh? They were absolutely delicious, therefore vindicating our point of never passing up on a pateis de nata if we get the chance.

Izzie x
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The Best Brunch in Bristol

Welcome to the Bristol brunch project! As I have mentioned previously, Bristol has so many great places to eat out with such a variety of cuisines and vibes to choose from. So, with this is mind and a lot of spare time on my hands, I roped in my sister Jess - AKA Queen Of Brunch - to take a tour of familiar and new cafes in Bristol in the quest to discover Bristol's best brunches. I have organised this post in chronological order rather than order of preference - it's long and contains lots of food porn so grab a cuppa (and maybe a snack) and let's see which brunch comes out on top.

PRIMROSE CAFE

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First stop on the brunch tour just had to be Primrose Cafe. Located in the beautiful Clifton Village, in the charming Clifton Arcade, I have been brunching at Primrose Cafe for as long as I can remember. What I love about Primrose Cafe - before we even start on the food - is its style and character. This cosy, family-run cafe has not succumbed to the recent popularity of minimalist, hipster cafes but it has remained its charming-self, with stars on the ceiling and a small, cluttered counter. Primrose Cafe offers the usual brunch characters such as full/veggie breakfast and eggs benedict/florentine/royal but what I am here for is something quite different. 

Both Jess and I chose their bubble and squeak brunch served with two poached eggs and a grilled tomato (plus a side of smoked salmon for me and mushrooms for Jess). I love this dish because it is such a different approach to brunch - plus it's gluten free, which can be tricky to find in a brunch. The eggs were perfectly firm but runny and the smoked salmon was gorgeous. The only slight criticism that we both could make is that the bubble and squeak could do with a bit more seasoning. Otherwise, Jess and I both left Primrose Cafe very happy brunchers. 

PRIMROSE CAFE | 1 The Clifton Arcade, Boyce's Avenue, Clifton Village, Bristol, BS8 4AA

BAKERS & CO

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Next up was Bakers & Co, which is Jess' all time favourite brunch place - I'm telling you, the girl is obsessed. Situated on Gloucester Road, in the heart of where I "live" (and grew up) in Bristol, Bakers & Co has become our go-to brunch place so I had already been quite a few times before starting this brunch tour. What I like about Bakers & Co is its bustling, down-to-earth vibe, although sometimes the service can be a bit slow and definitely be prepared to queue on a weekend! 

Now let's talk food. I have always ordered the same thing at Bakers & Co and it's a classic - smashed avocado on sourdough toast with two extra poached eggs. Jess orders the same thing but with mushrooms as well and even though she has sampled other brunches on their varied and changing menu, she always comes back to this. I know that avocado has become such a predictable brunch staple but Bakers & Co's is the best I have ever had. It is smashed just to the right consistency, freshened with just the right amount of lime juice and has the perfect kick thanks to the chopped chilli - that's right, I am analysing avocado here. Our mum joined us on this particular brunch trip and she ordered something completely different. I tried her citrus quinoa salad with smoked trout and poached eggs and it was just delicious! Normally I would not even consider ordering a salad for brunch but this dish has certainly made me reconsider this stance! Bakers & Co won 'Best Breakfast' in the Bristol Good Food Awards in 2015 so keep reading to see if in our eyes they've still got it!

BAKERS & CO | 193 Gloucester Road, St Andrews, Bristol, BS7 8BG

THE NORTH STREET STANDARD

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Having been to the sister restaurant, The Urban Standard (as it is more in our neck of the woods) a few times before, we decided to venture south of the river to The North Street Standard and I am so glad we did. The Bedminster branch is much bigger and brighter with a large outdoor seating area from which you can watch the world go by.

I had The Standard on my brunch list from the beginning because they do a mean veggie breakfast and that is exactly what we both ordered (apologies that we keep ordering the same brunches but we know what we like!). The veggie breakfast consists of a fried egg (which we changed to poached), a small bubble and squeak, two slices of grilled halloumi, baked beans, spinach, mushrooms and grilled tomato. Oh and one slice of toast, which Jess thought was a bit stingy but that's our only complaint. I love this different take on the veggie breakfast with not a fake meat sausage in sight, just lots of lovely little bits that go together so well. Also, I think halloumi is an inspired addition to a veggie breakfast and it is one of the main reasons I order this. I had this brunch before heading to London on a long bus journey and it kept me going rather well indeed!

THE NORTH STREET STANDARD | 11-13 North Street, Bedminster, Bristol, BS3 1EN

Other location: THE URBAN STANDARD | 35 Gloucester Road, St Andrews, Bristol, BS7 8AD

SOUK KITCHEN

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After a slightly disappointing mid-week brunch stop at GRUPO LOUNGE (great for eggs on a hangover but nothing special), we kicked off a sunny Sunday with our first ever visit to Souk Kitchen. Located just off Whiteladies Road in Clifton (with another location south of the river in Southville), Souk Kitchen does a Mediterranean take on brunch and god is it good. 

Everything on the menu sounded so good that it was hard to choose but eventually I went for the courgette, sweetcorn and feta fritters with a poached egg, roasted tomato and Moroccan chilli jam. It was a total taste explosion in the mouth and exactly the kind of quirky brunch I had been looking for. After nearly ordering the Shakshouka, Jess chose the garlic mushrooms on toasted with wilted spinach, a fried duck egg, pumpkin seed dukkah and lemon butter. Even though my brunch was absolutely divine, I have to admit that Jess' may have been even better. As a big mushroom fan, Jess was in heaven and when I asked her for a more detailed description, she just replied "it was so so so good." Well there you go - you will just have to go and try it yourself. So if you are fed up of smashed avocado or traditional full English breakfasts, get yourself down to Souk Kitchen - I guarantee that you will not be disappointed.

SOUK KITCHEN | 59 Apsley Road, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2SW

Other location: SOUK KITCHEN | 277 North Street, Southville, Bristol, BS3 1JP

BEST BRUNCH?

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I hereby declare Bakers & Co the best place for brunch in Bristol thanks to its changing menu, perfectly smashed avocado and ideal location. Bakers & Co will always be a go-to brunch place for us both and how could I ever think that Jess would choose anyone else as the winner?! Souk Kitchen definitely comes in at a close second with its alternative take on brunch that introduces out of this world flavours and unusual ingredients to the Bristol brunch scene.

I hope that you have enjoyed this brunch tour of Bristol and thank you to Jess for being my trusty co-bruncher and for being patient while I photographed all these brunches when really she just wanted to eat! There are certainly a few more brunch spots that I would like to try in Bristol but in the meantime, try the above and let me know which is your favourite.

Izzie x
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I Love Bristol | Flour And Ash Restaurant Review

Flour And Ash, a pizza and ice cream restaurant ideally situated where Bristol's famous Gloucester Road meets Cheltenham Road, is a firm family favourite of ours so I just knew that this had to be the next stop on my culinary tour of Bristol. In fact, we like it so much that since I took the first batch of photos for this blog restaurant review, I have been again! I tried a different (and much better pizza) the second time this month so I am going to talk about both experiences in this one post.

Just by looking at the menu, you can tell that this is no ordinary pizza restaurant. Flour And Ash certainly experiment with their pizza toppings and as their menu changes regularly, there will never be a lack new flavour combinations. On my first trip to Flour And Ash this month, I went for the Marinated Aubergine, with mozzarella, basil and ricotta, which admittedly is not the most adventurous choice but I just love ricotta on pizza. 

The pizza as a whole, was delicious. Flour And Ash pizzas unusually have a sourdough base, which makes the dough super spongey and light and the whole pizza experience just quite different. Due to my personal taste of not liking vinegar, I was a bit disappointed with my choice of Marinated Aubergine. I know, I should have asked the waiter what the aubergine was marinated in so that is my fault and not a reflection on the pizza itself. If you love vinegar and aubergine then this pizza is for you! Luckily the ricotta was lovely and creamy so that made up for it.

Round two at Flour And Ash was the highly rated taste experience that I had been yearning for, made all the more lovely by the company of two of my favourite girls. This time I got what my sister had ordered on our previous visit - Severn Project Kale, with buffalo mozzarella, garlic semi-dried tomatoes, ewe's curd and extra tomato sauce (because a pizza really is not right without it). I was extremely impressed with this pizza. The chewy and bitter kale was the perfect contrast to the creamy ewe's curd and sweet tomatoes and I would definitely order this again!

Finally, you simply cannot go to Flour And Ash without sampling one of their divine homemade ice creams. Once again, the selection does change and the flavours vary from classics such as chocolate or rum and raisin to bizarre combinations such as lavender and honey or basil! After my disappointing Marinated Aubergine pizza, I played it safe and ordered chocolate. Flour And Ash chocolate ice cream is certainly no ordinary chocolate ice cream - it is indescribably on par with the best chocolate ice cream I have ever had (the other one being at The Lido Restaurant in Bristol). As a big golden syrup fan, I just had to try their ice cream in this flavour that my mum had ordered. While feeling refreshing, you could also taste the thickness and smoothness of the golden syrup come through the ice cream - it was just excellent!

I would certainly recommend Flour And Ash if you fancy a good old fashioned pizza and ice cream binge. There is something for everyone - a simple margarita pizza and chocolate ice for you play-it-safes (Lewis I'm looking at you) or some unusual taste combinations for those of you that like to be taken out of your comfort zones. 

If you would like to got to Flour And Ash, call ahead because it gets booked up quickly, even during the week!

FLOUR & ASH | 203B Cheltenham Road, Bristol, BS6 5QX

Izzie x
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I Love Bristol | Bulrush Restaurant Review

Bristol is a city full of really really good places to eat and I am so excited to share with you some old favourites and new discoveries while I am back in my hometown for an extended stay. We are starting this culinary tour at BULRUSH, a relatively new restaurant located in Kingsdown, which serves deliciously exotic and experimental food.

We kicked off with some Kir Royals - always - followed by some complimentary white onion soup with stout vinegar reduction, chargrilled onion dusting served with some beautifully soft bread. Free food is always such a bonus and a real sign that a restaurant wants to treat their customers and show them a good time. I would not normally order onion soup from a menu but I would certainly order this again and pay for it! It was super silky and flavoursome whilst not being too "oniony".

When it came to ordering food, it was seriously hard to choose a starter as so many of them sounded right up my street. After much deliberation, I went for the scallop rose ceviche with watercress puree, black sesame and rock samphire. Sounds fancy doesn't it? Well it certainly was. For my first mouthful I was not so sure that I liked it because I could taste some vinegar which, as I do more and more of these food posts you'll get to know that I hate, but after a couple more tries, I was completely sold. The dish was fresh with lots of different textures and flavours and just look how beautifully it is presented! Anything with flower petals gets a thumbs up from me!

My main course was another taste explosive in the form of pan fried hake with sweetcorn, cavolo nero, mussels and pickled girolles (don't worry, I was assured that they were not too "vinegary"). The hake was beautifully cooked and being not too strong, was the perfect fish to sit on a bed of such contrasting flavours and textures. The sweetcorn and grains were crunchy, the mussels were soft, the girolles were rubbery (if that is the best way to describe mushrooms!) and the hake just melted in the mouth. 

Right so we all got the same dessert - chocolate delice with parsnip sponge, parsnip mousse, honeycomb pieces topped with yogurt sorbet. Hang on, did I say parsnip? Twice? That's right and although you could taste the parsnip, thanks to the vegetable's natural sweetness it was the perfect partner to a gooey chocolate dessert. The yogurt sorbet brought the tangy and less sweet element while the honeycomb pieces were a welcome crunch to this otherwise soft dessert.

We finished off the meal with coffees, mint tea for me and some complimentary homemade peanut fudge and blackcurrant fruit pastilles - another lovely touch!

I would highly recommend Bulrush restaurant for any special occasion, birthday or celebration you have coming up - any excuse eh? I would say that it is slightly pricey but it is always nice to treat yourself once in a while and the food is so worth it!

BULRUSH RESTAURANT | 21 Cotham Road, Bristol, BS6 5TZ

Izzie x
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