Still here, still meat free

Well thank goodness I didn't make any wild resolutions like blogging more, because just three weeks in January and I'd look silly.

So the good news is that I am still meat free. (I didn't want January posts to be all about #meatfreeJanuary but hey ho, when this is your third blog it's what I'm going to write about.) I thought I might forget and eat meat or something but it's been alright and I haven't really be hankering after meat dishes. Rebecca tweeted that she thought stir fry would be loads tastier without the vegetables. Doesn't that just leave fried meat? Where's the flavour in that?! Not to sound all vegetarian worthy or nowt, but there's a whole world of taste I've discovered when your meal is largely just vegetables. I have deduced this is because of the herbs and spices rammed into the dishes. Truthfully, garam masala? Never heard of you beforehand (except are you in tikka masala?). Heck, I even got a basil plant I was using so much those little bunches from Tesco weren't enough.

Tonight I had a lovely chickpea curry. Last week's highlight was bean bolognese. When talking beforehand about the plan with Brian he said that I shouldn't go from meat to meat substitute. Fair enough, where's the challenge in that? So I haven't had anything with Quorn. But when I was round at Karen's I had a piece of 'chicken'. Oh. My. Goodness. Maybe it was just the two weeks meat free talking, but it was so like actual chicken. Made me think it can't be too good for you. What's mycoprotein anyway? Is that something I want to eat or spread on my skin to stop wrinkles? They have an advertising campaign on at the moment and so later in the week Quorn tacos are on the menu. Good luck everybody.

The sad news is that meat free January has resulted in some injuries. Nothing serious I should add. Well aside from nearly losing the sight in my right eye. And it's probably not fair to blame meat free January; these injuries could have occurred while cooking meat dishes.

Injury 1 was a small burn on my fourth finger in an unfortunate tea-towel-not-sufficient-to-act-as-oven-gloves while I was roasting a pepper (before stuffing it with mushrooms and ricotta cheese). I think it hurt more because it was my fourth finger because it's so underused. Oh woe is me.

Injury 2 was a cut to the side of my thumb while washing the food processor blade. Turns out those things don't just cut because they go round very fast, they're also quite sharp. Who knew? Those wee cuts are beasts though, aren't they? They never stop bleeding. I had to use several sheets of kitchen roll to mop up the blood. ('Mop' might be an extreme verb there.)

Injury 3 was the worst. It's the one that made me wonder if I was going to ever be able to see out my right eye again. If you've done what I've done you'll probably have wondered the something similar...chilli in the eye. Oh glory that hurts.

I've always thought I would be quite handy in an emergency situation. I never thought thought I would flail about the place. I'm not the flailing kind. I think I'm quite calm, quite level headed and able to...do something. Well, now I know for sure.

So there I was making tea (chickpeas with tomato and spinach). The recipe said to chop the chillies finely. Obviously before the advent of meat free January I had chopped a chilli finely before. This was not a new experience for me. I knew the chilli would be on my hands, I knew to wash them, I knew not to touch my face or especially my eyes anytime soon.

At this point it's important to remember I had been sick. And I had to slice onions. Those things make your eyes, well more moist, that normal. I knew what not to do, but I did it, I wiped my eye. Although I don't even remember doing it.

Oh, a few moments later I knew I had alright. The burning, searing pain, around what  I believe Olay would call my delicate eye area, told me. It got worse and worse until I couldn't keep my eye open. I ran water on some kitchen roll. There was some temporary relief but it wasn't enough. I ran more water on it. Then through the pain I had an idea. I don't want to overstate it, but it was possibly the best idea I've ever had.

I put milk on the kitchen roll. That's what you're supposed to drink with a hot curry right? Why wouldn't it work with chilli in the eye? Well, I can confirm it worked! I've said it before on here, but I am not a medical practitioner. I know, but it's true. But there I was, in the actual heat of the moment, I came up with a remedy all on my own.

It was at that moment, with a milky eye patch over my eye, I knew I'm alright in emergency situations.*



*Really sorry if it turns out I'm bad in an emergency situation sometime further down the line.