Going vegan for a month - Day eighteen

I bought a magazine at the weekend and am enjoying looking at the recipes and reading the articles. Like Jasmine Harman (Presenter of  Place in the Sun, Channel 4) in her interview says I'm a fuss-free vegan. I see lots of recipes which include things I've never heard of. I try to buy things from supermarkets or health food shops and stick to things I already know and just change a few things in the recipe to make it vegan.

Take tonight's dish - sweet and sour tofu with cous cous. The tofu was left over from the can I opened recently and I stir fried it with onion, red pepper and left over beans. The sauce was from a jar and the cous cous was plain but infused (like it?!) with fresh lemon and lime juice, dried cranberries, sea salt and black pepper. A few seeds scattered into it as an afterthought made it lovely.

I really enjoyed this dish. I want to make other things and especially some desserts as I've been relying on shop bought vegan yogurts and ice cream, though there's nothing wrong with them. But I want to make a rice pudding - haven't had one of those in years, not home made (I love Ambrosia!). Rice pudding has memories of home with my mum and dad. I also want to make dumplings. All I need is more time. Most of what I'm cooking at the moment can be thrown together in about 15 minutes, which appeals to me when I have little time. I need to do a spot of planning - not my best strength!

See you tomorrow.