Today was quite a busy day with family, going to the cinema and traveling back home to Reading with little time for food. I've just got home to make a wonderful Gluten Free Vegan Grilled Cheese Sandwich, but before that I didn't eat much. Due to this it is a small blog today, though I feel like it has been a pretty good week for food!
On the way to the Cinema to watch The Last Jedi (I know I'm a bit late to the party, good film though!) at 13:40 I realised that I hadn't thought about lunch or snacks for the Cinema. Unless I wanted to have Popcorn or Sweets that cost the same as a small car, which really isn't my idea of a good lunch. I remembered on the way that there is a Tesco just moments before the Cinema and with a few minutes spare before the film started I decided to stop off there. I have seen so much online about their new Wicked Vegan range that I thought there must be something for me! Fortunately, there was!
I chose the only option available to a Gluten Free Vegan, which was the Rainbow Curry Bowl. I found it in the Sandwich, Wraps and Salad section. Nice and convenient without having to take a step further than people with the regular choices. I bought it for £3.50, which was I thought a little expensive for such a small bowl. Yet when choices are as limited as mine and considering it was the only thing in the entire fridge I could eat I decided to cut my losses and get over it. I bought some Prawn Cocktail crisps as well. They are Vegan and Gluten Free you see as they just use false flavouring, so unusual to be able to have Crisps that aren't just salted and boy do I miss flavouring on Crisps!
I was then the weirdo in the cinema that brought a whole packed lunch in. Although I was a considerate weirdo, I ate the Crisps before the film started. Someone in the back definitely didn't get that message though, rustling through the entire movie so loudly. Hate that.
Anyway, the Bowl itself was pretty good. I didn't have the minty dressing as the flavours described were more than enough for me. I'm not that huge of a fan of Mint either. The Sweet Potato was nice and soft, there were mild spices and creamy sauce throughout, combining the Chickpeas, Lentils and odd bits of Mango together beautifully. The Onion Bhajis were a bit odd, I don't think I've had them before so I didn't really know what to expect! They were soft and quite dry, I had thought they were supposed to be crunchy. Maybe they are when served hot, I've decided that I'm not a huge fan. The upside to having them in there was the balance that they brought in. I find it is nice to have a bit of something to ground the dish when there are so many vegetables. They certainly did that well. There was also some crunch with Cabbage or a similar Salad base in there that brought out the freshness of the dish.
Overall, I was pretty pleased. It is nice to be able to grab a spot of lunch without making a meal out of it, literally. I normally go in, buy a basic Salad Bowl, maybe some Falafels, add some Mayo etc etc. I like that this is packed with flavour, healthy and quick! Well done Tesco!
I'm sure I'll review more of this range, although Chris will be mad if I buy any ready meals. He believes in my cooking ability so is helping me by banning ready meals in the house! I agree that I should be cooking more from scratch, after all, the meals always taste better when you've worked hard at them.
Happy Veganuary Day 26! Only 5 more days to go, I hope all those January Vegans have survived and are considering a permanent move. Even if you do it on a flexible basis, I'm sure the environment and your health will see a great difference. A few people choose to do Veganism during the week, then either back to full Carnivore on the weekend or just drop it down to Vegetarian. Worth a try for those not willing to say goodbye to real cheese!