I'm joined by the fabulous Rebecca Heap for a good old chinwag about fuss free cooking whilst camping. We come up with a brilliant menu for a weekend away which makes it easy to cook. No more slaving away over the bbq and certainly no more charred sausages. We're talking healthy, tasty, filling food without the hassle. Sounds good right? And if you like the menu you can purchase the kit here: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/product/camping-kit/

Whilst we're at it we put the world to rights - did you know 250,000 tents were left at festivals last year? Crazy! Well Rebecca is doing amazing things to help reduce this waste. She has created a wonderful tent marketplace where you can rent out or rent a tent. I love this idea! So no need to buy new tents for one off trips. It's a great way to make some money if you own your own tent too. Definitely check it out: https://www.tentshare.co.uk

Are you looking for inspiration to make this pancake day a bit different? If you love pancake day as much as I do then you'll love this video! 

I'm joined by Ankita Stopa of One Girl and her Thermie to have chinwag about our favourite pancake recipes including Indian and Japanese pancakes. 

We discuss how to make pancakes that are suitable for different occasions and food intolerances.   

See my blog on pancakes here: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/pancake-day-recipe-ideas/ 

See Ankita's Japanese okonomiyaki pancake recipe here:  https://onegirlandherthermie.co.uk/okonomiyaki/ 

For more quick recipe inspiration: https://www.facebook.com/Virtuelicious and https://www.instagram.com/virtuelicious/

And here's the peri peri seasoning I mentioned: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/product/peri-peri-kit/

Want to win the meal planner journal? To be in with a chance all you have to do is sign up to my newsletter and when you receive any newsletter from Virtuelicious just reply saying you want to win. That's it! You can sign up from the blog post, just scroll to the bottom of the page to get to the sign up form. Here's the link: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips 

Good luck! xx

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

Add the va va voom factor

• always have onions, garlic, ginger and chillies to hand
• pre-prepare then and either refrigerate or freeze
• don’t be afraid of using ready made blends - just check the label for nasties. Here are mine: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/shop/
• keep the water from steaming or boiling veg - it can make a tasty hot drink or use it to add flavour to sauces
• add texture with seeds, nuts, croutons or raw diced veg e.g. peppers
• make your plate visually appealing with colour and garnishes

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

Eat more veg

• again, batch cooking is key. Roast or steam a load of veg when you get it home from the supermarket. Then store in a large container ready to pick on and add to dishes whenever you want it.
• hide veg in dishes e.g. add pureed veg to pasta sauce, grate parsnip into rice
• sub carbs for veg e.g. cauliflower rice

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

Keep your carbs in check

• eat a variety of grains
• choose wholegrains where possible to keep yourself fuller for longer
• batch cook, portion up and freeze so that they are ready whenever you want them
• substitute some of your carbs for pulses e.g. reduce the amount of pasta on your plate and replace some of it with butter beans; likewise, add beans or vegetables to rice.
• try not to have carbs with carbs e.g. potato curry with rice or a chip butty
• replace breakfast with a non-carb/low-carb alternative e.g. smoothie, rosti, fry up etc.

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

Eat More Protein

• eat more protein by eating more pulses
• make your own hummus (you can get my recipe blend here: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/product/hummus-recipe-kit/)
• sprout your own beans (so much cheaper than buying then sprouted)
• batch cook pulses - a slow cooker works wonders for this
• add nuts and seeds to meals e.g. cashew nuts in your curries, seeds on your porridge

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

Ensuring a balanced diet

Whatever type of vegan you decide to be, ensuring you eat a balanced diet is a must. All too often turning vegetarian or vegan results in a carb heavy, low protein diet. It’s just so much easier to put on a pan of pasta and top with pasta sauce than it is to bake a lasagna packed with lentils and vegetables - that’s just one example. But that lasagna can be portioned up and frozen so you have a nutritious ready meal whenever you want it. It just takes planning.

Make sure that each meals contains protein, carbs, vegetables and what I like to call va va voom.

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

Be prepared

Going vegan is a big change. It requires planning. If you want to eat a balanced diet of largely unprocessed foods then you can do that but it takes a bit of work upfront. My 3-Hour Cooking Week e-book can help with this. It’s a vegetarian plan but with a few swaps the meals can be turned into vegan ones. Get it here:  https://virtuelicious.co.uk/product/3-hour-cooking-week-e-book/

Set aside some time to do your meal planning. Get your diary out and work out when you’ll be home and when you’ll need food to take with you on the go, especially when a vegan meal may not be an option.

Work out what meals you want and when you will have time to prepare them. And make sure you set aside time to do the shopping.

Batch cook so that you have some to eat now, leftovers in the fridge and portions in the freezer for another day. Don’t forget to portion up the food so that you can defrost one portion at a time.

Make sure you always have something ready to eat for when you get home ravenous. And don’t forget the snacks!

My meal planner journal covers all this and more: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/product/meal-planner-journal/

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

What’s your motivations for going vegan? Is it to save the planet or is it for health reasons? Do you want to eat more “clean” foods? Do you want to focus on upping your cooking skills? Do you want to loose weight? Or are you just trying to prove to yourself that you can do it?

Whatever your reason, it is worth spending a bit of time thinking about what you want your diet to look like. Changing your diet can mean spending a lot more time in the kitchen. But it doesn’t have to mean that at all.

It is possible to eat largely the same as you did before (depending on how you ate before, of course) by swapping out foods for their vegan alternatives. You can get a lot of vegan look-a-likes e.g. bacon, sausages, meatloaf, beef, charcuterie, tuna, black pudding, haggis, fish, milk, cheese, spread…nearly everything. Eating like this will save lots of time and effort. It will also be expensive and if your goal is to eat foods that look like what they are made of then this may not be for you. Check out this shop for vegan alternatives: https://thevegankind.com

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

On the face of it going vegan is an easy decision - and it can be if you want it to be. It’s simply giving up meat, fish, eggs and dairy products right? Well, yes it can be that if you want it to be.

Or you  might want to go the extra mile and give up honey too. Or start checking labels to ensure that foods don’t contain ingredients that are derived from animals - eggs and gelatine are the obvious ones. But what about the not so obvious? Some alcohols use animal products in the production process. The wax on may well be shellac (E904) which is a resin secreted by the female lac bug.

And then there’s the clothes - should you give up your favourite leather shoes? Or keep wearing what you have but not buy new ones? Or only buy second-hand?

These are all things to think about. There is no right or wrong answer. Just what feels right for you!

Read the blog: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/veganuary-tips and listen to the last episode to find out how to win the mean planner journal.

On the face of it going vegan is an easy decision - and it can be if you want it to be. It’s simply giving up meat, fish, eggs and dairy products right? Well, yes it can be that if you want it to be.  But there's a lot to think about. There is no right or wrong answer. Just what feels right for you!

What’s your motivations for going vegan? Is it to save the planet or is it for health reasons? Do you want to eat more “clean” foods? Do you want to focus on upping your cooking skills? Do you want to loose weight? Or are you just trying to prove to yourself that you can do it?

Read on to find out how to get prepared and eat a balanced diet.

It’s been a funny old year but there is so much I have learned and embraced about food. In this episode I share my food ups and downs.

Cooking obstacles: developing a chronic illness

Best dinner out: Laksha Bay in Wapping, London https://www.laksha-bay.co.uk

Best breakfast out: https://www.littlefarthingloefarm.co.uk

Best dish I have made: Malai Kofta

See the recipe video here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CXEazEqo2-X/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Gurka Palace: https://gurkhapalace.co.uk

Holy Pundit: http://theholypundit.co.uk

New products: BBQ sauce, Veg stock, meal planning course, meal planning journal, 3 hour cooking week: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/shop/

New thing I have learnt to make: bread

Most proud of: being stocked in four zero waste shops

New foods: Eczema Detox by Karen Fischer https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eczema-Detox-low-chemical-eliminating-inflammation/dp/1925335534

Kitchen gadgets that have upped my game: air fryer, slow cooker

Coming up next year:

• Veganuary
• Weight-loss special
• Best kitchen gadgets
• Thermomix series
• Airfryer tips
• meal planning series
• quick cook tips
• how I learnt to make to bread
• what to expect when you shop in zero waste shops
• recipes

Happy Cooking x

Apparently Christmas isn't Christmas without bread sauce! But who's got time to make bread sauce from scratch? You do, of course :-)

In this episode I'm going to tell you exactly how I make bread sauce from scratch in minutes. How do I do it? Well, you know me…always love a cooking hack. And lucky for you I'm going to share it :-)

In the recipe on my website I compare the cost of making bread sauce from scratch with buying it in a packet (where you still have to add the milk yourself) and buying a premium ready-made version. It's it's an eye-opener to see the difference in price.

Here's the recipe: bread sauce recipe easy

Here's the Instagram reel so you can see the video: Instagram reel

Hit subscribe to hear more Christmas recipes.

Happy cooking :) x

How to Make Christmas Cake to Your Tastes and WIth Just a Few Minutes in the Kitchen

Do you dream of making your own Christmas cake but never get round to it? Why is that? Could it be because it takes so long and it's a bit of a faff? Well if that's you then don't worry, I've got your back.

Or are you one of those people that just don't like Christmas cake? Neither did I until I developed my amazing recipe tailored to my taste.

In this episode I'm going to go over how I made my Christmas cake into a quick and easy affair and how I tweaked the recipe so that I actually enjoyed eating it! In fact, I actually look forward to it and can't resist a nibble when no one's looking!!

After listening to this episode you will be fully armed with everything you need to make a Christmas cake you and your family will enjoy with just a few minutes of your time in the kitchen.

Fancy trying my Christmas Cake Kit?

Get it here (UK only): https://virtuelicious.co.uk/product/christmas-cake-kit/

See pictures and videos of my Christmas Cake here and let me know how yours goes:

Instagram: http://instagram.com/virtuelicious/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/Virtuelicious

Pinterest: http://pinterest.co.uk/virtuelicious_/

Today’s episode is about how to make a quick and simple Diwali dinner. If you’d like to have an Indian themed lunch or dinner to celebrate but can’t face spending all day in the kitchen then fear not, I’ve got your back. I’ver got some amazingly quick tips to help you celebrate Diwali dinner without the drama!

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a full on traditional spread, this is a fantastic three course meal made quickly but with all the flavour that will leave you satisfied....you may even go back for seconds!And because it's simple and easy, you'll have the energy to enjoy it. 

I'll talk you through how to make the yummy lassi drink we all love, pakora, curry, roti, rice and even a beautiful yogurt dessert. 

So if you want to make a meal you can be proud of, you won't want to miss this episode.

If you want to make an Indian Feast using my ten minute meal kits you can check them out here: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/product/indian-feast-kit/

Happy eating :) x

The sun has got his hat on and he's coming out to play. So get the coals on the bbq and let's celebrate. In this episode I share with you my tips and tricks for an easy but tasty bbq.  I'm still writing up the full article but I'll send it to my email subscribers when it's ready and will be offering a discount on my new BBQ sauce pack. You can sign up here: Sign Up Listen now to hear how I make have a bbq a doddle. I'll cover:  Key principles:  keep prep easy and limit the number items that you make make it easy for people to help themselves to the food Mains: choose just a couple of mains. shop bought it fine if making it yourself then choose low prep meat or fish and a marinade  the veg option should be a course in its own right - swap meat for tofu (tofoo is my favourite brand), veg sausages and burgers, bean burgers, halloumi or paneer Salads: make as easy as poss, use a processor - salsa and coleslaw are great for this potato and pasta salad are good make-ahead options Veg: corn on the cob, roasted veg, portobello mushrooms Carbs: warm bread on the coals, it makes it taste like fresh bread buns - brioche are all the rage at the moment other options include rice (great with kebabs), cous cous, bugler wheat and potato - baked or wedges.  Sauces: make your own if you like or buy it: options include: bbq sauce, peri peri, chilli sauce, ketchup, mayo, yogurt with herbs and other flavours mixed in, mustard Sides: fired onions cheese pickles crudités - use veg that requires very little prep e.g. baby vegetable, sugar snaps, veg that is easy to chop e.g. cucumber and peppers Dessert choose desserts that don’t require a lot of effort to serve up e.g. homemade ice lollies juice and water milk and chocolate/strawberry/rose syrup, milkshake powder? milk and fruit fruit salad grilled fruit - sliced pineapple or peaches charred on the bbq ice cream Drinks punch - both non alcoholic and alcoholic beer water ice glass identifiers (permeant marker for disposable glasses, stem rings for wine glasses, liquid chalk markers for glasses Don't forget to sign up to get the full guide: Sign Up

How to Cook When You Have a Chronic Illness or long COVID   Before I start, I just want to let you know about my FREE Meal Planning Checklist. It's full of tips to help you stick to your plan: https://mailchi.mp/7ba3e8b8584f/fjki0gt351   Want to cook but finding it hard due to lack of energy albeit physical or mental? Food is the very thing that to make us feel better, it gives us energy and strength to carry on. But how do you do that when you're suffering from a chronic illness which leaves you depleted? In this podcast I'm giving some of my favourite tips. It's a very long episode but I wanted to cover quite a lot of stuff to give you as much value as possible. Hope it helps :-)  Here are the broad section headings:  Plan, plan, plan  Cooking hacks  Batch cooking  Organisation  Equipment  Cleaning   Check out my other videos and podcasts for more tips on meal planning and cutting corners in the kitchen without compromising on quality.   Don't forget my FREE Meal Planning Checklist: https://mailchi.mp/7ba3e8b8584f/fjki0gt351   Happy Cooking :) x

FREE meal planning checklist: click here Link to three hour cooking week: https://virtuelicious.co.uk/product/3-hour-cooking-week-e-book/ In this episode I chat about how I managed to cook three meals a day for seven days in just three hours!! I had no idea that I could spend such little time cooking….and in the episode I give away nuggets from my 3 Hour Cooking Week Plan including how to save time by: cooking different components of each meal at the most efficient times batch cooking where poss using different components in different ways to optimise my time spent in the kitchen For example: I make pancake batter ahead of time when I am free I make extra batter and keep keep it in the fridge in a jam jar so that it is ready for the next time I want pancakes I make sweet and savoury pancakes I also chat about how the basis of my 3 Hour Cooking Week Plan revolves around the meal plan, shopping list, prep plan and instructions. I know you’ll love this episode…I certainly enjoyed recording it :) Happy Cooking :) Avni x P.S. don't forget to get your FREE meal planning checklist: click here

FREEBIE!!! meal planning checklist: https://mailchi.mp/7ba3e8b8584f/fjki0gt351

In this episode of the podcast we are talking about when I thought I recipe compared to when I don't follow a recipe and also when I'll take the middleground and take inspiration from a recipe but go off on my own tangent :-)

I might follow a recipe when I want to learn new techniques, experiment with new cuisines or flavours, or I just want to indulge in the joy of cooking.

But then there are times when I might not want to follow recipe, or I might want to tweak a recipe. I might do that when I am limited by the type of ingredients I have, for example by what's in season or what needs using up in the fridge. I may also tweak a recipe to cater to my own taste, or to make it suitable to a particular diet e.g. vegetarian or to make it healthy.

Here's the recipe for the orange cake we will be discussing in the Clubhouse chat on Tuesday at 6pm (send me a message through any of the Virtuelicious social media channels and I'll send you the link): https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/sep/28/claudia-rodens-orange-and-almond-cake

I hope you enjoy this episode, I'd love to hear from you.

Happy Eating :) x

P.S. don't forget to download the meal planning checklist: https://mailchi.mp/7ba3e8b8584f/fjki0gt351