Recipe #73 Mushrooms au Vin

Shopping list

• 200 ml white wine
• 400 gr of mixed chopped mushrooms
• 1 onion
• garlic powder (2 teaspoons)
• cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon)
• salt and pepper
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• dry parsley (3 teaspoons)

 

Method

Chop the onion and place it into a pan or saucepan with the olive oil. When the onions are cooked add the mushrooms and let them cook for 1-2 minutes. Cover with wine and the seasonings. Let everything cook on medium heat until most of the wine has evaporated. Serve as a side dish.

Recipe #72 Green Lentil Gratin

Shopping list (6 portions)

• 150 gr dry green lentils
• 75 gr dry red lentils
• 1 stock cube vegetable
• 800 ml water
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 chopped carrots
• Pinch of salt, pepper, parsley, cayenne pepper
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 250gr vegan cheese (violate pizza cheese)

Method

In a food processor chop the onions, carrots and garlic. Place them into a saucepan, on high flame with the olive oil, seasoning and let everything cook for some minutes. When the onions get soft place the lentils into the pan and cover with water and the vegetable cube. Turn the heat down to medium and cover. Let it cook for around 15-20min and stir from time to time so the lentils don't stick to the bottom.
When the lentils are cooked; grated half of the cheese into the bottom of an oven proof dish, cover with the lentils and grate the remaining cheese on the top. Place this into the oven for 15min on 200oC.

Vegan Christmas Table

Merry Christmas to everyone, hope you are enjoying the holidays.
We had a quiet vegan Christmas eve dinner

Butternut squash & carrot soup:

Garlic butter, guacamole and olive tapenade:

Mini Falafel & hummus:

Butternut squash & carrots roasted with thyme ( in the back); bell peppers filled with couscous, peas & mini carrots:

Lentil & carrot gratin with violife cheese:

Mixed greens sautéed with garlic and pine nuts:

Mixed mushrooms au vin:

Chocolate Brownies:

Fruit:

Table: 

Recipe #71 Avocado Chocolate mousse

Ingredients:

-1 ripe avocado, 

- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder,

- 1/2 teaspoon almond essence, 

- 1 teaspoon of chia seeds powder, 

- 3 tablespoons dairy free milk, 

- 3 tablespoons of agave or maple syrup 

Place it all in a food processor with a chopping blade and blend till it's a smooth paste. No need for fridge, it's a great little snack to feed your chocolate crave.

PS: I made the chia powder by chopping a tablespoon of chia seeds in a strong chopping blender.

Recipe #70 Homemade Hot Cocoa

My homemade cocoa mixture

• 1/4 pure unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup of powder sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• pinch of salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix all dry ingredients in a small bowl or jar. Use 3 teaspoons of this mixture for 1 mug, fill 2/3 with boiling water and 1/3 with milk (hazelnut gives it a nice nutty flavour)

You can also 2x or 3x this and gift it as a DIY gift in a Jar.

Recipe #69 Curry Masala

masala (a mixture of spices)

My curry homemade masala

• 4 teaspoons curry
• 2 teaspoons of black pepper
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons of powder garlic
• 1/2 teaspoons hot paprika
• 10 cardamom seeds. 

Mix all spices in a small dry bowl and store it in an air tight jar. You should smell this !

Antibiotics and superbugs: Lance Price at TEDxManhattan

I took the Veganuary Pledge

Veganuary’s founders, Matthew and Jane, came up with the idea for Veganuary in 2013.

They knew that month-long pledges were not unusual, but felt that it could be done differently, and perhaps more successfully, by focusing on the month of January… a time for resolutions and new beginnings. Matthew and Jane are passionate and committed vegans who truly want to make a difference.
Following the success of 2014, veganuary.com has been rebuilt for 2015 and beyond.

It contains everything that Veganuary participants said they wanted most; a Product Directory, an Eating Out guide, and extensive information about Animals, the Environment and Health. You’ll also find case studies of vegans from all walks of life in the Vegan People section; chefs, athletes, celebrities, politicians… the list goes on. Veganuary is a global campaign and this website will grow to be available in more and more languages, with information specific to particular countries and different regions.

Check this out at www.veganuary.com/ 

Recipe #68 Orange Vegan Cake

Shopping list

• 3 cups of plain flour
• 2 cups of freshly pressed orange juice (around 4-5 medium oranges)
• 1 + 1/2 cups of white sugar
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 1 tablespoon of baking powder
• some drops of vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon of vegan butter (for the tin)

 

Method

In a bowl mix everything with a wooden spoon. Rub a cake tin with a tablespoon of vegan butter -  the inside of the cake tin. Transfer the cake batter into it.
Cook for 45-55min at 180o C.

Easy and tasty ! Very fluffy

From this Brazilian blog 

The Modern Savage: Our Unthinking Decision to Eat Animals

If you actually ask this question, according to McWilliams, “What you end up getting are these platitudes: The animal is treated well while the animal is alive; This is just one day of an animal’s life; the rest of the life was good; we were meant to eat meat, so we might as well do it humanely. But those aren’t answers — those are just excuses.”

(Macmillan)

McWilliams examines this question more closely in his upcoming book “The Modern Savage: Our Unthinking Decision to Eat Animals.”

“The title is intended to play up the idea that while we perceive ourselves to be civilized and sophisticated, that our behaviors are really barbaric, we just hide in a number of ways,” McWilliams told me.

In the book, McWilliams raises what he calls the “omnivore’s contradiction,” the idea of raising an animal with respect and dignity and then killing that animal. “I find that a contradiction, and I outline how very famous writers embrace that contradiction without resolving it.”

McWilliams re-assesses these seemingly idyllic farms, ones perhaps not unlike the farm owned by Watson’s Uncle George.

“In a sense, I’m holding a mirror up to it for consumers to see that in fact the promises of humane agriculture are not being met and very likely can’t be met,” McWilliams said. “The nature of animal agriculture is such that it is defined by the kind of exploitation that most decent people would find unacceptable.”

in Why we need Vegans now more than ever?

The book is out 6th January, at amazon.co.uk 

Recipe #67 Vegan Homemade Pizza

Shopping list

• 175 gr of plain flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 7 gr fast action yeast
• 120 ml warm water
• 1/2 red pepper
• 1 tomato
• 3-6 mushrooms (depending on size)
• 1/2 onion
• 100 gr of Sheese
• 1/2 tube tomato pure
• garlic powder (1 teaspoon)
• oregano dry (1 teaspoon)
• cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon)
• freshly ground black pepper (2x turns)

Method

Start off 2h before with the dough.
Place the flour in a bowl, the yeast on one side of the flour, sugar and salt on the other (don't mix the salt and the yeast as this might kill the yeast), olive oil and water and carefully stir with a wooden spoon. Stir until it form a ball of dough that loosens from the bowl. Cover with a cloth and leave it to rest for at least 1h30. It should grow in size.

In a small saucepan add the tomato pure, dash of water, garlic powder, oregano and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper and heat it up until the paste is smooth.

Grate the sheese. I used the cheddar style sheese:

take the dough and place a bit of flour on your hands, rolling pin and clean surface. Roll the dough very thin and round shaped. Make the edges by rolling a big the dough up, place it on a pizza oven tray or some aluminum foil and bake for 8 min at 220o C
Take this out and place the tomato pure paste, then the sheese, 1/2 red pepper sliced, tomato sliced, onion rings and mushroom slices. Sprinkle with oregano and bake for another 10min at 220o C.

This should give you a big pizza, enough for a meal of 2 people.

Recipe #66 Quorn Burger with caramelized onions

For this recipe I used Quorn Burgers, meat free

Shopping list

• 2 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 4 big leaves of dark green cabbage, cut into small chunks
• 6 Brussels-sprouts
• 1/2 Courgette sliced finely
• 2-3 teaspoons of powder garlic (depending if you really like garlic)
• Olive oil
• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
• 600 gr potatoes
• 1 onion
• balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• Nutmeg
• 2 full tablespoons of (vegan) butter

Method

For the greens check 

Recipe #65 Sauteed Greens

For the mash:

Boil the potatoes for about 20min in salt water. They should fall apart when you pierce them with a fork. Dran the water. Add the butter and 1 teaspoon of olive oil. A good dash of black pepper, salt, nutmeg. Mash it together.

For the burger: fry them for 5-8 minutes in olive oil. Take them out and use the same frying pan for the caramelized onions. Add a bit more olive oil and add the onion (chopped in thin loops). Let it get golden. Add a good dash of balsamic vinegar (2-3 tablespoons depending on the size of the onion) and the sugar. Let this thicken on medium heat. (2-5 minutes)

Why vegans make others uncomfortable

Bear in mind that veganism is threatening to a lot of people because it makes them feel judged, unkind or uncomfortable even if you haven't said a word. We are the elephants in the room who can't help but draw attention to things people would rather ignore and as such, we come with a lot of baggage - our own and that of the people we meet - just by existing. Because of this, there are many people who will try to undercut your veganism, some innocently and some intentionally.

in  Vegan Feminist Agitator

Cruelty Free Foie Gras

Check the recipe here 

Mushroom Mousse
1/4 cup finely diced white onions
1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup unflavored soy milk
1 Tbsp. agar-agar
3 cups de-gilled and chopped portobello mushrooms
1/8 tsp. truffle oil
1/4 tsp. salt

• Cook the onions and 1 tablespoonful of vegan margarine on low for 15 minutes or until extremely soft.
• Add the soy milk and leave on low for 10 minutes, or until it comes to a boil.
• Add the rest of the vegan margarine (7 tablespoonfuls) to the pot and leave on low for 15 minutes, or until it comes to a boil.
• Add the agar-agar and whisk until it comes to a boil again (approximately 10 minutes).
• Remove from the heat and pour into a Vitamix or other high-powered blender and blend until very smooth and creamy.
• Add the mushrooms, truffle oil, and salt and blend for 2 to 3 minutes, or until creamy and fully incorporated. If the mixture is not silky smooth, pass through a fine mesh sieve or a chinois.
• Pour into a nonstick silicon cube mold and tap the mold a few times to ensure that the mousse has settled. Pour excess mousse over the top of the cube mold to make sure that there is no air trapped in any of the compartments and scrape the top to make sure that all the compartments are filled.
• Refrigerate for at least two hours, or until solid. Note: These directions are for preparation on an induction burner set between 1 and 2; if using a gas burner, set the flame as low as possible and keep an eye on the ingredients, as cooking times will likely be much shorter. Serving Suggestion: Spread the portobello mousse on truffled toast made from baguette slices. Place thinly sliced, grilled portobellos on top to give it more texture, and add peach and fennel compote for sweetness, if desired.

Makes approximately 9 servings

Shopping made easy

quorn ham
vegan cheese
tofu
vegan sausages
burgers
cream

....yummm!

Recipe #65 Sauteed Greens

Easy Side dish !

Shopping list

• 4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves
• 6 big leaves of dark green cabbage, cut into small chunks
• (you can add more greens such as asparagus, kale, green beans, white cabbage, leek)
• 2-3 teaspoons of powder garlic (depending if you really like garlic)
• 2 tablespoons of oil (I like walnut or olive oil, use nut oil if you want to add nuts later)
• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne powder
• freshly ground black pepper (5x turns)
• a pinch of sea salt 

Method

In a wok heat the oil and the greens. When you hear it start cooking add the seasoning and keep moving them so they won't stick and burn.

After 5-10 minutes all vegetables should be cooked and you can serve (be sure to use the remaining oil from the pan as this is full of flavour and, of course, garlic taste!) 

Recipe #64 Falafel Burger (no frying needed)

Similar to recipe #22 -  Falafel

Shopping list

• 100gr of dry chickpeas
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• sea salt
• black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons of flour
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons of dry parlsey
• cayenne pepper

Method

Place the dry chickpeas in water for 4-8 hours. Rinse well and drain the water. Place them in a food processor with all the other ingredients. Chop in the food processor till it is a nice thick paste. Place in the fridge for about 1h. 
Put some flour onto your hands and make little patties of the mixture. It should be enough for about 3-4 patties. 
Cover an oven proof tray with some baking paper and place the patties onto it. Let them cook for 30 min on 220 oC. Turn them after 15-20min.
They will be cooked and crunchy on the outside.

I served with homemade hummus

Recipe #63 Roasted vegetables with cinnamon

Similar to

Recipe #3 Vegetable Couscous (vegan)

Shopping list (4 portions)

• 1 cup of dry couscous
• turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper
• salt & pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 carrots
• 1 courgette
• 1/2 butternut squash
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves

Method 

I cut the vegetables into big chunks and placed them in a wok with a big of olive oil (+- 1 tablespoon)

Seasoned with salt, pepper, cinnamon (1 teaspoon) and cayenne pepper till they were getting roasted on the outside.  (this pre roasting in a pan or wok gives the vegetables more flavour, you can use whatever vegetables you like: asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, etc)
Then I transferred everything into an oven proof dish and left it to roast on 250oC for 30min. At the end I added 1 mug of water and half a vegetable stock cube (optional 1 cup of frozen peas and 1/2 can chickpeas)

In a big bowl I added 1 cup of dry couscous with some turmeric and 1/2 vegetable stock cube. I poured over this 2 cups of boiling water, stirred a bit, not too much as you don't want to loose the steam. Cover this as soon as you can with a cloth or dish and let it be for around 5 min. When this is done you will have nice fluffy cooked couscous.
Serve the vegetables on a couscous bed.

Because it's Friday #fridaymeme

"Peace is not just the absence of war. It is the presence of Justice"

Almond Milk, make your own !

Check out on WikiHow

You'll need:

• 1.5 cups or 220 grams of raw almonds (unsalted, uncooked)
• 3 cups of spring water, plus water for soaking
• 1 vanilla bean; scoop out the seeds; alternatively, use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence or extract

1. Soak the almonds in water overnight. Do this for at least 8 hours, up to about 12 hours.
2. Blend the almonds in 4 cups of fresh spring or filtered water. Add the vanilla extract and continue blending until well mixed.
3. Sweeten to taste if desired. 
4. Strain. This is very important or you will be drinking almond pulp as well as the milk. Using something like a very fine strainer or sieve, or several layers of cheesecloth (muslin), pour the almond milk through the filter into a large bowl underneath. The filter will retain the almond pulp and the liquid will go through.
5. Store. Almond milk can be kept in the refrigerator for 4-7 days, covered. 

Ellen DeGeneres on being vegan

Ellen: Animal rights sounds like they’re about to get the right to vote. The welfare of animals. I always hear ‘animal rights’ and I just think it’s a crazy thing ’cause it’s really just the right to be left alone.