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Hey guys, I've currently added a 'Sponsor Me' button underneath my photo to the right hand side.
I am running a 5K 'Santa Dash' in Glasgow this Sunday for a charity I volunteer for called Fairly Beloved Rabbit Care (check them out here). They are an amazing charity dedicated to bettering the lives of neglected bunnies, baby bunnies, and everything in between. Its a massive network and a relatively new charity also but growing more and more each day. We are raising money so that we can find all these fluffy bunnies their forever home and give the more unfortunate ones all the veterinary needs they might require. It still amazes me that this whole charity was run completely by a man and his wife before all of us volunteers were asked to help. Such kind hearted people. Incase the button to the side fails to work, I shall put another one under this paragraph. Sorry I haven't posted in a while, even though I said I would!
Things got a bit busy. I started writing a post about my first visit to Whole Foods, so I'll continue.. A few months back me and the boyfriend decided to visit the Whole Foods store nearest to me, which is Giffnock, Glasgow. (picture from http://stirlingretail.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/whole-foods- giffnock-apples-or-pears/) It took some planning to figure out which busses to get from Glasgow City centre to Giffnock, but thankfully, there was a bus which took us straight to the door. By car was a nightmare! I was majorly excited to go here, I think I almost got ran over about five times trying to cross the umpteen roads that seemed to be between the bus stop and the store.. But it was worth it. Upon entering the store, I remember it being almost like a scene from a movie, where the guy sees the woman of his dreams and a big shining light is around them. I was stunned by the amount of veggies that were presented in front of me, some I'd never even seen before; smoked garlic, white asparagus, many types of lettuce! I grabbed a basket, thankfully one of those wheelie baskets you usually only see abroad (good thinking guys!), and made my way around the store. After spending about 20-30 minutes looking at the veg alone, we moved on to the fish/meat section, passing the cool coffee bean/nut/cereal dispensers with your choice of jar to hold it in (gazed in awe at it for a while, it was pretty cool). Now, I don't eat meat, or fish, obviously, but being a previous meat/fish eater, it was cool to see some different fishes/meat cuts that I'd never seen before, and it was all prepared and presented so nicely. Then we turned the corner and were presented by colourful juices and waters, which again, I looked at for what felt like hours, fascinated, but it was what was next to this juice display that I was interested in.. Vegan food. All the vegan glory you could imagine, tofutti, tofurky, vegusto, Amy's kitchen, tempeh, so much stuff I'd heard of and never seen before, I felt in my element. I packed my basket with as much as I could afford. Aside from this, I bought a few other things, a small tub of dairy-free icecream (far too expensive though), some fish-free fingers, coconut water and chocolate. I didn't get the best look around the place first time, but I went back a few weeks later and loved it twice as much (probably down to the fact I had more money and time). I advise everyone, vegan, veggie, or meat eater, to go visit your nearest Whole Foods, check http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com to find your nearest one! & I hope you enjoy it as much as me! - - - On another subject, I've been planting veggies, well, I planted them ages ago, and I've never really grew anything apart from cress, parsley, coriander and mint all my life, so this was new for me. Peanut Butter Mochi.
Ingredients (Serves 1) 4 Peanut butter mo-chi (found at Chinese supermarkets, I prefer the frozen to the fresh ones as they boil better) 300ml hot water Enough banana puree for garnish (I cheated here and used Tesco's dairy free banana smoothie, found in larger Tescos in the yoghurt isle!) Kiwi slice for garnish Method - Boil mo-chi according to packet instructions. - Place in a small ramekin. - Garnish with banana and kiwi. - Enjoy! * I must admit, I don't like peanut butter at all, but I loved these mo-chi! However, I didn't really know what to have with it, so this probably seems really random, but the sweet/sour ratio worked well for me, but feel free to use a garnish you think would taste much better! Sichuan Peppercorn Soup with Veggies and Crispy Tofu Bites.
Ingredients For the Broth 500ml hot water 1 tsp sichuan peppercorns (smashed) or powder (available at Chinese Supermarkets) 1 tbsp chopped garlic 1 tsp cayenne pepper 1tsp salt 1 vegetable stock cube 2 large florets of broccoli, quartered Small handful of udon noodles Handful of Brussels sprouts, chopped (you can swap them for cabbage if you don't like them!) 2 small carrots, roughly chopped Julienned baby leeks and spring onions for garnish For the Tofu Half a block of firm/extra firm tofu, pressed and chopped into chunks Handful of plain flour for dusting Method - Add all of the broth ingredients into a large pot apart from the leeks, spring onions and noodles. - When carrots are almost tender, add in the noodles and simmer for a further 5 minutes. - Meanwhile, heat a chip pan/deep fat fryer until boiling *BE CAREFUL*, dust the tofu with flour thoroughly and then carefully add to the fryer and fry until a golden brown in colour. - When the soup and tofu are ready, place them in a bowl (see above for serving suggestion) and garnish with leeks and spring onions. * These tofu bites are great on their own, you can make more and taste delicious dipped into the leftover broth! Enjoy! Crispy Sweet Tofu with Lemon Rice and Steamed Greens. Ingredients For the Tofu Extra Firm Tofu, pressed and cut into cubes/rectangles 3 tbsp of agave nectar (available at Holland & Barrett and larger supermarkets) 3 tbsp of dark soy sauce 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper (or any chilli pepper powder!) 2 large garlic cloves, minced For the Rice Rice, boiled (however much you want, just adjust to your taste) 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp salt 1 tbsp of dried coriander, or fresh, finely chopped For the Veg Handful of julienned leeks Handful of julienned choi sum (or pak choi, these are now available at supermarkets) Handful of shredded green cabbage Finely chopped baby radishes to garnish Method - Mix together the minced garlic, agave nectar, soy sauce and cayenne pepper in a bowl. - Add the tofu and coat well with mixture, leave this to marinate until you are ready to cook it. - Add boiling water to a wok (or frying pan) and line the bottom of a bamboo steamer with parchment paper (if you don't have a bamboo steamer, you can substitute the wok for a small saucepan and the steamer with a bowl, making sure you have a lid big enough to cover the bowl) - Add all veggies, except the radish, to the steamer and cook until tender, but still with a crunch. - In another pot, cook the rice, drain well and add lemon juice, salt and coriander and mix. Cover with a lid and reheat when ready to serve. - Heat a chip-pan, deep frying pot, whatever you call it in your house, on a high heat. When boiling, CAREFULLY add marinated tofu to the pot, discarding the marinade (you can use this to dress the dish afterwards if you like). - Fry the tofu until golden brown and crispy on the outside, you can check this with a knife or chopstick. *BE CAREFUL* - Reheat the rice, watching carefully as to not burning it. - Line the bottom of a dish with the steamed veggies, adding the rice on top and topping with the tofu. - Garnish with the chopped radishes and serve! Donkey Sanctuary
So today I came across this beautiful little website for a donkey sanctuary in Devon. You can play games, sponsor/adopt donkeys, watch loads of adorable donkey videos and just learn about donkeys in general! Donkeys go through so much cruelty every year, being used for entertainment purposes (Blackpool beaches etc) and being held in small stables with barely any room to move. I've also recently seen videos of New York horse and carriage ponies being kept in old adapted apartment blocks where they are forced to walk up multiple stories, if this happens to horses then it may also happen to the donkeys too. * Must add that I do not know if Blackpools donkeys in particular are cooped up in small places. I also have just read that they are checked every few months or so for any signs of cruelty/disease etc. (But they surely can't be very happy walking around the beach with little kids on their backs all day :(!) Help stop cruelty for these poor, defenceless animals <3 The Donkey Sanctuary Asparagus and Potato Soup.
Ingredients 1 decent sized packet of asparagus tips Half an onion 4 small potatoes Generous pinch of salt Generous pinch of dried chilli flakes (or 2 normal medium chillies) Small bunch of parsley Handful of quinoa (dry) 1 vegetable stock cube 300ml of water, add more if needed Method - Chop onions and asparagus tips roughly - Peel potatoes and chop into small cubes - Wash quinoa and dissolve stock cube in water - Add the rest of the ingredients and cook until soft - Remove from heat and add in any remaining ingredients - Blend until smooth and creamy - Garnish with chillies or parsley - Serve and enjoy! Vegetable Packed Miso Soup.
Ingredients - I used a mixed veg pack here, which consisted of: bamboo shoots, spring cabbage, carrots and beansprouts - 1 Dried nori sheet, torn into small pieces - 3 mushrooms, chopped - 1 large pak choi - 1 tbsp soy sauce - 1 tsp habanero tabasco - 1 tsp cayenne pepper - Dried/fresh coriander & parsley - 1 tsp Miso paste - 1 vegetable stock cube (or paste) - 250ml boiling water Spring onions for garnish Optional - Tofu - Favourite noodles, I recommend udon, soba or rice noodles! Method - Mix boiling water together with stock cube - Put all vegetables into a large pot and pour veg stock over mix - Add spices and tabasco and bring to the boil - Once brought to the boil, simmer for another five or so minutes until pak choi and mushrooms have softened slightly - Turn off heat, cover and leave to steam for ten minutes - Once steamed, add in miso paste and stir through - Garnish, serve, and enjoy ^.^! Miso Soup with Squash and Pak
Choi. This is my favourite! Pak choi, pak choi and more pak choi! And some vodka.. Ingredients 1 tbsp of miso paste (apparently you get different kinds, I haven't tried them, but I use the little jar from Sainsburys!) 2/3 cups of water 1 veg stock cube (I use knowe) As much pak choi/kale as you like (recently being sold at Tesco, but always available at chinese supermarkets) 1 seasonal squash 1 tsp of cayenne pepper 1 tsp of garlic puree/powder 1 tsp of ginger 1 tbsp of Five Spice Lemon pepper and salt to taste Method - Usually, I just chop everything up, throw it into a pot of boiling water and cook until the squash is nice and soft. Its really as easy as that! Vodka Screwdriver (shown above) Vodka Orange juice A little lemon juice Vegan Potato Salad.
This is one of those recipes that I feel doesn't need measurements, that is all about how much you want and what your taste is like. So I'm not going to give measurements but rather what I think are some lovely ingredients which make a great vegan potato salad! Ingredients Potatoes, roughly chopped (skins on if preferred) Vegan mayonnaise (I like Solesse- purchased at Asda, which is soya free too!) Red/green onions Spring onions Parsley/Coriander, chopped Cider vinegar (malt is fine too) Lemon juice Salt to taste Method - Salt a pot of cold water and boil potatoes for 20 minutes on a medium/high heat until soft but not falling apart - In a bowl, chop up all the herbs and vegetables, scoop in some mayonnaise and flavour with vinegar, lemon juice and salt - Once potatoes are tender, drain water and rinse with cold water to cool slightly * I find it easier to transfer the potatoes back into the pot and coat them here rather than in the bowl, however if you are using a larger bowl they can go straight into there - Either serve like this or chill for later! Enjoy :3 Chilli Non- Carne with Almond 'Feta
Cheese' Ingredients (Makes around 3 servings) Chilli 1 vegetable stock cube (I use knowe) Boiling water (enough to cover 'mince') 2 cups of vegan mince 1/2 tin of kidney/black beans (add more if you prefer!) 2 cups of rice (I've used spaghetti here but much prefer rice!) 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper 1 tbsp of paprika 1 full onion, chopped 1 can of tinned chopped tomatoes 1 tbsp of garlic puree 1 tbsp of tomato puree Parsley Coriander Optional I like to add bell peppers, red and green chillies and jalepenos too. Almond Feta Cheese (adapted from Food.com) Half a bag of ground almonds I find I always change the amounts of garlic/salt/lemon juice I use so add a little at a time until you have a desired taste! Half a cup of water (you can use rice milk etc if you prefer a creamier taste) Method - Dissolve stock cube in the boiling water - Add in the 'mince' and boil until mince has softened slightly - Add in chopped tomatoes, tomato/garlic puree and beans - Bring to boil (If you're adding peppers/chillies etc, add them now) - Add cayenne pepper and paprika -Put the rice on to boil at this point - Once rice is almost done, add parsley, coriander and onion to the chilli and simmer for the remaining time the rice has - Serve chilli on top of the rice, sprinkle with the feta 'cheese' and enjoy! Almond Feta 'Cheese' Method This ones real easy! - Put all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth but not runny - Put into a cheesecloth (I use Tesco Value disposable all-purpose cloths) and drain 'cheese' mixture I like to eat it like this, but you can put it in the oven, in an oven safe tin, at about 150 degrees for 20 minutes (until top is golden) Lily and Button Mushroom Soup.
Theres nothing I love more than a creamy bowl of mushroom soup! Ive used lily and button mushrooms here, but you can adapt it to your favourite mushrooms. Recipe As many of your favourite mushrooms 1 vegetable stock cube Half a cup of non-dairy cream (I used Alpro) Two cloves of garlic or two spoonfuls of garlic puree Half an onion (optional) 1 tsp of dried rosemary 1 tsp of dried coriander 1 tsp of dried parsley 2 tsp of cornflour to thicken Fresh sprig of one of the above herbs as a garnish Salt to taste Method - Boil mushrooms in the vegetable stock until soft - Add onion to soften - Let broth cool slightly then transfer to a food processor - Add dried herbs, cream, garlic and salt and mix for five minutes - Transfer back to pot and bring to the boil - Dissolve 2 tsp of cornflour in water and mix into soup - When thickened, transfer to bowl, garnish and serve I absolutely adore this soup recipe. I hope you will too :3! Tomato + Spinach White Omelettes
Posted on Tuesday 15th October '13 Ingredients 3 egg whites 6 cherry tomatoes 1 handful of spinach 1/4 onion, diced 1tbsp oil Method - Sauté the onions for 2 minutes (depending on how you like them), then add the spinach to the pan until just wilted, set aside to cool. - In a mini frying pan (about 10-15 cm in diameter), add in half of the onion/spinach mixture. - Pour half of the egg whites on top of this, stirring slightly. The half the tomatoes and dot around the egg mixture. - Turn on the heat and cook until opaque. I'm Back!
Posted on Tuesday 15th October '13 Hi guys, As you probably noticed, I moved! For the time being, that is.. Blogger was good, but the design aspect of things was terrible! It was difficult to control certain things and just got far too complicated. I hope Weebly will be better, even if it is a website rather than a blog.. Anyway, more news! I have decided to widen my blog a tad, including vegetarian recipes now too, as well as the usual non-recipe posts. Will be trying to include a few videos here and there also. You can still venture over to www.veganistik.blogspot.com to look at previous recipes, I will probably repost them on this in the near future. |
vegan + vegetarian home cooking. Caitlin x |