OUT AND ABOUT | NOM DELI

At the tail end of last month, Nom Deli, specialising in Vietnamese street food, opened on Great George Street in Leeds.

Joining the plethora of cafes and sandwich bars which the street plays host to, Nom Deli is in an ideal location to become a new favourite lunch haunt for those hungry suits and city workers.

Arriving on their opening day I went to have a little peek at their new place.

A fresh and clean interior, the cafe is small but openly warming. With their business based around serving healthy, delicious and reasonably priced Vietnamese street food, their menu offers the following:

Bánh Mì - Freshly toasted baguette served with carrot and daikon pickles, coriander, chilli mayo, and sauce with either tofu and mushroom, chicken, hoisin duck, grilled fish or BBQ pork (prices from £3.95).

Phở - Traditional rice noodle in slow simmered broth spiced with star anise, ginger and charred onions, served with bean sprouts, spring onion and fresh herbs, with beef or chicken (prices from £5.75).

Cuốn - Summer rolls wrapped with crunchy carrot and kohlrabi pickles, lettuce, vermicelli and fresh herbs (prices from £3.55).

Bún - Rice vermicelli salad with vegetable pickles, cucumber, fresh herbs, crispy onion 

and served with sh sauce or soy sauce (prices from £4.75).

I got talking to Anh who owns the business and she introduced me to her husband Minh and their co-worker Samantha who also happens to be their next door neighbour!

Ever so friendly and welcoming, Minh talked me through his experience of Vietnamese food and how it differs between cities. With photographs of Vietnam and their street food culture on the wall I was able to picture it for myself.

A hungry bear I was, I ordered a portion of the BBQ Pork Cuốn (£3.55). Two summer rolls with a portion of bbq hoisin dip. Dairy and gluten free this is a feel-good healthy option which was fresh and a tasty little snack. Filled with crunchy carrot and kohlrabi pickles, lettuce, vermicelli and fresh herbs, the pork shoulder was generous in its proportion but still soft and tender.

My friend Duc, also a Vietnamese street food trader from Le Petit Bánh Mì, joined me at this point and we ordered some more food. He dived straight into ordering the Beef Phở (£5.75). I had a good slurp and it was very flavoursome with a great stock. It was also really interesting to hear how many different variations of Phở there are between families, cities and regions in Vietnam. This is one special soup!

I had heard great things about their Bánh Mì from friends who had visited Nom Deli at their stall at Kirkstall Deli Market and eagerly ordered the Grilled Fish Bánh Mì (£4.25).

I have tried several different Bánh Mì's before but I have never been able to try one with fish. A white fish fillet was marinated in caramelised syrup, turmeric, garlic and grilled with dill and spring onion. Bright yellow in colour, the fish kept it's flavour and firm texture making for a substantial lunch. With the addition of the salad, herbs, mayonnaise and sauces this was indeed an absolute delight to eat. The baguette was also soft in the middle but crusty on the outside. The kind that leaves you with a puddle of embarassing crumbs in your lap. Spot on!

It is a pleasure to welcome Nom Deli as an extremely reasonable and delectable lunch venue to Leeds. It's great to see such authentic Vietnamese food grace the city. They are open from 10am-3.30pm Monday to Thursday and can be found at Kirkstall Deli Market on the last Saturday of every month.

OUT AND ABOUT | PHO AT TRINITY KITCHEN

Opening its first restaurant in London in 2005, Pho has kept its values of being a family run, small and informal whilst serving great value, deliciously healthy and authentically prepared Vietnamese street food.

Now with seven restaurants, its latest opening was at Trinity Kitchen in Leeds as a permanent trader back in October last year.

Picture: Diane Wong

As someone who likes to eat out on a regular basis I have welcomed Pho as my post work dinner stop for a quick, healthy and reasonable priced place to eat.

Healthy is the keyword here and although I am a regular Pho-goer I was invited to come and try out their menu and to discover just how healthy the options on offer were.

Whilst ordering some drinks and prawn crackers to start with. With a lovely sweet Vietnamese beer, their SUPER green juice made with kale, pineapple, apple and lime and a serving of Bánh Phồng Tôm which were prawn crackers with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

We sat down to start analysing the nutritional guide we were handed alongside our menu. The menu is sensible with a small but good mixture of Vietnamese street food on offer. This allows them to have the time to make everything in-house and fresh food.

Just scrolling through the list it is hard to find anything remotely naughty (except maybe the spring rolls!) which means that you can pretty much choose any dish you like and be comfortable with knowing that you have not overindulged.

We ordered our starters, sides and mains to arrive together. As a group of three we over-ordered but we still got to try lots of different dishes.

For starters my friends partner opted for the Nem Nướng, which are homemade pork and lemongrass meatballs homemade pork & lemongrass meatballs, whilst my friend and I chose the Gỏi Cuốn Tom which are lovely little rice paper summer rolls bursting with prawns, fresh vegetables and herbs.

We all had our own main dish. I went for the Phở Tái Lan which is a steaming bowl of rice noodle soup served with fresh herbs and flash fried beef (Hanoi style). It's the national dish of Vietnam and is extremely tasty, healthy and good for you! This massive bowl comes in at only 347 calories and 1g of saturated fat.

Pho is also extremely adaptable and a bit of a DIY act. Accompanying my Pho came a platter of hot red chilli, coriander, mint, beansprouts and lime for me to add at my pleasure. 

My friend and her partner both opted for the Bun Noodles with chicken and juicy tiger prawns which were still shockingly under 500 calories at 424 and 362 calories respectively.

 This came in a bowl with sot vermicelli rice noodles, fresh herbs, crunchy carrot and mooli pickle, crisp lettuce and a spicy seasoning to top. Garnished with roasted peanuts and fried shallots, it is meant to be soaked in the nuoc cham sauce which accompanies the dish and mixed before eating.

On hearing that all of the salads from Pho are under 300 calories we wanted to try a few of them out.

We went for the Gỏi Xoài salad which is a spicy green mango salad topped with pork, dried shrimp and peanuts, as well as the Gỏi Ngó Sen with tangy lotus stems, chicken, king prawns, green beans and sesame seeds. Both were extremely filling and deliciously fresh in flavour. A definite highlight.

I really enjoy the food at Pho and in particular I am impressed by their salads. With it being so close to where I work it is the perfect option for a healthy meal at an affordable price (most main dishes range from £5-8).

You can view all the nutritional information for Pho online here.

RECIPE | OAT AND COCONUT CRUMB LOAF

A healthyish take on the perfect cake for your cup of tea.

A loaf cake with texture, flavour and bite.

Ideal on it's own or slathered with a generous serving of your favourite jam. 

OAT AND COCONUT CRUMB LOAF

Ingredients:

Cake:

150g Butter/Margarine

175g Caster Sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2tsps Vanilla Essence

140g Self-Raising Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

50g Dessicated Coconut

25g Oats

100ml Creme Fraiche (I used Half Fat)

Crumb Topping:

2tbsps Oats

2tbps Coconut

2tbsps Demerera Sugar

Instructions:

1.  Heat your oven to 180ºC and line a 2lb loaf tin with butter and greasproof paper.

2.  Cream together the butter and the sugar until creamy and fluffy and light in colour - It's quicker and easier to do this with an electric hand whisk.

3.  Add the vanilla essence and eggs and whisk or beat until combined,

4.  Add the desiccated coconut, oats, self raising flour and baking powder to the wet mixture and beat until combined. Add the creme fraiche to the mixture and if it still feels like the batter is too heavy then add milk until it loosens.

5. Place the cake mixtures into the lined cake tin and then scatter evenly with the crumb topping mixture.

6. Place on the middle shelf of your pre-heated oven for 40-50 minutes until baked.

Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing from the tin.

RECIPE | BANANA BREAD

I have been planning on making banana bread for let's say...the last 3 months? I always eat my banana's too quickly though and never manage to let them get to the brown, blackened mushy stage. Alas - coming home this Easter I was in luck! A surplus of banana's all speckled and freckled - so to my joy I decided to whip up two different variations in these cute little loaf tins I found in our cupboard.

Basic Banana Bread recipe is as follows...

Ingredients:

140g of Light Margarine (I used Flora Light)

100g of Caster Sugar

30g Honey

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla Essence

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

2 large or 3 small-medium sized over-ripe Bananas

* I made two different types of Banana Bread - I added these extras with the mashed banana:

(1) Dark Chocolate and Nutty Granola - 75g of chopped Dark Chocolate and 50g of Granola (with a little extra to sprinkle on top).

(2) Maple Syrup, Oats and Mixed Seeds - 2tbsps of Maple Syrup, 20g of Oats, 20g of Oatbran and 3 tbsps of Mixed Seeds.

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 180 and grease and line a 2lb loaf tin (or two 1lb loaf tins) with baking parchment.

2.  Cream together the butter, vanilla essence and the sugar in a mixing bowl (preferably with an electric whisk) until light and fluffy and the mixture has turned from a yellow to a cream colour.

3.  Beat in the eggs and then fold in the flour and baking powder - add any extras at this point.

4.  Place the mixture into the loaf tin(s) and bake in the centre shelf of the oven for 40-50 minutes.

WELL BEING | TOP 10 TIPS FOR KEEPING MIND HEALTHY AT UNIVERSITY

As a student at university it can be an extremely exciting and world-opening experience!

However, the increased pressure and expectations, alongside the massive change, can for some people at some point or another in their degree appear to be all too much to cope with...

...have no fear - you are not on your own!

Whether you have a mental health diagnosis or not, there is a lot of help out there for YOU as a student which is available at your disposal. Sometimes you might have to dig around for it but once you are able to engage with help it can help you to feel more grounded and balanced with your studies and social life.

I will talk about the help on offer for you in a post next week, but for now I'd like to share my TOP 10 tips on how to keep "mind healthy" at university. If you have any tips you feel are important and not mentioned then please get in touch! It would be great to know what works for different people :)

TOP 10 TIPS FOR KEEPING MIND HEALTHY AT UNIVERSITY!

1.  It is important to figure out what triggers your stress levels to run sky high (e.g. nearing deadlines, lack of social support, money issues, relationships, disrupted routine) and to be able to identify these and create yourself a network of support to help you from these situations becoming too intense for you to.

2.  Establish a good routine and structure - regularity can help to settle your mind and aid your work/life balance. Stick to a timetable or figure out your plans for the week ahead.

3.  Establish a group of close friends who you feel able to talk to and can turn to when life is particularly stressful. Try to avoid isolating yourself and hibernating away in your room (as appealing as it is at times) - TOO MUCH alone time is NOT good for anyone.

4.  Keep on top of your finances - figure out how much money you realistically have to spend each week as a student and use that as a guideline to work around - you're more likely to stay out of your overdraft this way and avoid any nasty end-of-term single figure surprises!

5.  Eat well and eat regularly - lots of whole grains and energy-fueling food.

Make sure you eat enough protein, whether meat or a vegetarian option and Omega 3 is extremely important for keeping your mind healthy.

6.  Get involved with extra-curricular activities.

It can be a university society, a community group, part-time job, volunteering, etc...

7.  Getting enough sleep is VITAL - this can also help you with regulating a routine. Eight hours sleep minimum if you can. It's really not that big a deal going to bed before 1am as a student (unless you're out partying EVERY NIGHT) and you'll feel much better for it anyway.

8.  Exercise is also essential for maintaining a healthy mind. Try to do 20 minutes of brisk exercise at least five days a week, even if it's just walking to or from uni instead of taking the bus on some days or biking down to the supermarket for your shopping. You don't necessarily need a gym - if anything, being out in the fresh air will be much better for you.

9. How much are you drinking? Are you partying too much? Too much drink or too much party can cause anyone a slight moment of madness. You end up in that situation of asking yourself "What is my life?" (we've all been there!) - if you know this is going to upset your "balance" then recognise this and take action. It's ok to party, it's good for you(!), but try to understand your limits and use it as a treat. Your mind and your bank-balance will thank you...

10.  If you feel that your problems are severely affecting your ability to live and study then PLEASE contact external help. There are many options available for you as a student out there which can help you to manage your issues whilst at university (MORE ON THIS NEXT WEEK!).

However - If you ever feel in a point of crisis then please contact Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.

RECIPE | HEALTHY GRANOLA

Shop bought granola is YUMMY but it's also quite expensive and not all that great for you (if you're like me and get through a box in four days!).

I decided to have a go at making my own "healthy" granola to see if it was possible. After looking at various recipes and ideas for inspiration I came up with my own recipe.

You can use this is a "plain" base and add different grains, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, etc as you wish (just be sure to add the fruit after it has baked or it will burn).

HEALTHY GRANOLA

Ingredients:

300g Rolled Oats

100g Porridge Oats

50g Puffed Wheat Cereal (you can use Rice Krispies or any other puffed cereal).

20g Wheatbran

3tbsp Apple Juice

2tbsp Maple Syrup

1tsp Vanilla Essence

Sprinkle of Cinnamon

Instructions:

1.  Preheat your oven to 120ºC.

2.  Mix the rolled oats, porridge oats, puffed wheat, wheatbran and cinnnamon together in a bowl.

3.  In a saucepan, heat the apple juice, maple syrup and vanilla essence on a low heat until it starts to form a syrupy mixture.

4.  Mix the dry ingredients into the syrup and coat well - transfer onto a baking tray and make sure that there  is an even thin layer of the mixture over the tray.

5.  Place the tray in the centre shelf of the oven for 30 minutes, being sure to check and shake the tray every 10 minutes to avoid burning.

6.  Remove from the oven and at this point add your extras and stir.

Leave to cool and MUNCH!