vegan

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Friday Foodies – Truffle cream and Courgette Pasta

pasta

 

 

 

  • 30g dried porcini mushrooms
  • 150ml warm water
  • 4 courgettes
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 seeded and diced tomatoes
  • 2 tbsps capers
  • 2 tbsps minced fresh parsley, for garnish
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 1 garlic clove crushed
  • 200ml Rice Dream Original or Calcium Enriched (almond milk works too)
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp tamari
  • 2 tsps raw sugar (optional)
  • 2 tsps truffle oil
  • Black pepper
  • 1 tbsp cornflour made into a paste with a little water
  • Freshly ground pepper to serve

Method

  1. In a small bowl, combine the mushrooms with the water, and allow them to soften for 20 minutes.
  2. Using a swivel potato peeler, cut long strips of the courgettes and carrots to form the pasta. Place in a large bowl and mix in the chopped tomatoes, capers and parsley.
  3. Drain the mushrooms and chop well.
  4. Sauté the onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a pan. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2 minutes.
  5. Mix the Rice Dream with the cornflour paste, lemon juice, tamari, sugar and truffle oil. Pour into the pan and simmer to thicken the sauce.
  6. Toss into the courgettes and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve immediately.
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Friday Foodies – Vegan Cream of Cauliflower Soup

This recipe has my little cousins, Aurora and Cassiopeia’s approval! From Blender Girl’s site.

Vegan Cream Of Cauliflower Soup

Creamy of Cauliflower Soup – My Most Requested Recipe

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons chopped garlic (about 2 cloves), plus more to taste
  • 2 cups (200g) chopped leeks (white parts only, from 2 or 3 leeks)
  • Celtic sea salt
  • 1 head cauliflower, chopped
  • 7 cups (1.65l) vegetable broth (I use Massel)
  • 1/4 cup (35g) raw unsalted cashews or 1/4 cup (35g) blanched slivered raw almonds, soaked
  • 3 tablespoons chopped chives or a grating of nutmeg (optional; choose one, not both), to garnish
  1. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the garlic, leeks, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for about 3 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
  2. Add the cauliflower and sauté for another minute.
  3. Add the vegetable broth, increase the heat to high, and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the cauliflower is com- pletely tender. Stir the mix periodically and mash the cauliflower with a wooden spoon.
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the soup to cool slightly; stir in the nuts.
  5. Pour the soup into your blender (I use a Vitamix) in batches and puree on high for 1 to 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy.
  6. Return the soup to the saucepan and warm it over low heat. Stir in salt to taste.
  7. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with either chopped chives or grated nutmeg.

Serves 6 as a starter, 4 as a main.

Tips!

What Is A Grain Ball?

I like to supplement a bowl of blended soup with a scoop of cooked grain (day-old is best, as it sticks together). I prefer the protein-rich grains—quinoa, amaranth, and millet (they’re alkaline, too). But use any grains you like—brown rice, buckwheat, or (if you’re not gluten-free) pearl barley. Try cooking grains in vegetable broth or coconut milk, and/or adding some ginger, garlic, sea vegetables, herbs, and spices for an added boost of flavour.

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Friday Foodies – Vegetable Biriyani

Vegetable vegan biriyani with carrot salad

Vegetable vegan biriyani with carrot salad

Cooking time

Prep: 30 mins Cook: 40 mins

Skill level –Easy

Servings –Serves 8

A meat and dairy-free, Indian-inspired basmati rice dish with cauliflower, French beans, peas, potatoes, homemade curry paste and carrot salad

Ingredients

  • 400g basmati rice
  • pinch saffron threads (optional)
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 2 potatoes, cut into chunks
  • 100g red lentils
  • 100g French beans, trimmed and cut in half
  • handful curry leaves
  • 2 handfuls frozen peas
  • small bunch coriander
  • 50g roasted cashew nuts, roughly chopped
  • poppadoms and naan bread, to serve

For the paste

  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • large piece ginger, roughly chopped
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 small green chilli

For the carrot salad

  • 4 carrots
  • pinch of golden caster sugar
  • squeeze lemon juice
  • handful cashew nuts, roughly chopped
  • handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
  • thumb-sized piece ginger, shredded into matchsticks
  • 1 tsp cumin seed, toasted

Method

  1. Soak the rice for 30 mins, then rinse in several changes of water until it runs clear. Cover with about 1 cm water, add the saffron (if using), cover the pan, bring to the boil, stir once, then turn off the heat. Leave for 10 mins, covered, then stir again and leave to stand, covered.
  2. To make the paste, blitz all the ingredients together in a food processor. Heat the oil in a saucepan. Tip in the paste, then add the cauliflower and potatoes. Cook in the paste to colour, then add the lentils and green beans, and cover with about 400ml water. Add the curry leaves, season with salt, cover with a lid and simmer for 20 mins until the lentils and vegetables are tender Add the peas for the last 2 mins to defrost. Stir the rice through the curry until completely mixed and hot, then spoon onto a platter and scatter with coriander and cashews.
  3. For the carrot salad, use a peeler to shave the carrots into ribbons. Sprinkle with the sugar and dress with the lemon juice, then toss with the other ingredients. Serve the biryani on a large platter for everyone to help themselves, with the carrot salad on the side, poppadoms for any vegans and naan bread for the vegetarians.
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Friday Foodies – Vegan Strawberry-Caramel Mousse

From The Vegan Woman’s website

Strawberry-Caramel Layered Mousse Cake 

Serves 3-4 cups (depending on the serving dish)

Vegan Strawberry Layered Mousse Cake – pampering and simple to prepare.

Ingredients:

For the mousse layers: 
400g chilled coconut cream (1 can) – Look for the tins with the highest percentage of coconut extract
1 tbsp of Vanilla instant pudding
5 tbsp strawberry jam
4-5 tinned strawberries (though its tempting to use fresh strawberries, tinned strawberries have the benefit of having soaked up the syrup making them softer and better for the mousse)
1/2 tbsp pink food-colouring gel (optional) 
For the caramel layers:
250g caramelised biscuits (the kind you get in the complimentary hotel hot drink tray)
5 tbsp of tinned strawberry syrup
For the topping:
3-4 tbsp of strawberry jam
Fresh strawberries for decoration

Strawberry topping for a perfect Vegan Strawberry Layered Mousse Cake

How do you make it:

  • Open the chilled coconut tin and drain the excess liquid until you’re left with just the thick creamy coconut extract. Add this into a bowl and whisk with the instant pudding. 
  • Add the 5 tbsp of strawberry jam, the food-colouring gel and the 4-5 tinned strawberries. Whisk together then refrigerate for 15 min.
  • Crush the biscuits in a food processor/ blender. Add the strawberry syrup and continue to blend until the mixture is moist but not too sticky.
  • In your serving vessel start with a layer of the biscuit mixture then alternately layer with the mousse. Top with a small layer of strawberry jam and decorate with fresh strawberries. 

    Enjoy!

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Friday Foodies – Breakfast smoothie

My favourite breakfast smoothie:-

1/2 pint of orange juice, 1 banana, handful of frozen berries, all mixed together in a blender. Simples!

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Foodie Fridays – Mushroom Pâté

Here’s a recipe that I came up with for a raw vegan spread that is absolutely delicious.

Take a large handful of whatever mushroom you love. Chuck it in a bowl.

Take a large handful of sundried tomatoes. Chuck ’em in too.

Add around two teaspoons of capers.

Throw in some olives if you like olives.

Add a clove or two of garlic.

Whizz with a handblender until smooth.

Add salt and pepper to taste.  A little mushroom ketchup adds a dash of awesomeness.

You can use up any old veg that you have lying in the bottom drawer in this way, padding out the recipe above and making it go further. Courgettes are good, as are aubergines.  Total time to make – under 5 mins from start to finish. Serve on toast, oak cakes, or with raw veggies.

Enjoy!

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Friday recipes!

So, I’m going to try out something a little different on this blog, and every Friday try to post a great new food recipe. I’m trying out loads of new quick and easy vegan food recipes, and will post the best ones up here on a Friday Foodie section! Something a little light-hearted – and please share your recipes too! (Vegan or vegetarian).

Recipe for Jo’s Spicy Vegan Bean Burgers:

Fry off an onion, half a grated carrot and half a red pepper in some oil
Chop into chunks and boil a sweet potato and the other half of the carrot
Heat up a can of kidney beans so that you can mash them
Mash the boiled sweet potato and carrot with the beans
Add the fried onion and carrot
Add as much fresh chopped or dried chili as you like
Add salt and pepper to taste
Add 100g of bread crumbs and about 3/4 cup of flour
Work with hands and make into patties, then pop in fridge for about half hour
Fry up (about 5 mins either side) and serve with salsa, or Jo’s easy quacamole (mash an avocado with some egg-free mayonaise)

Makes about 4 enormous burgers, or six normal size…

Enjoy! x

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When compassion is challenged…

Some people have differing opinions to ours.  That is their entitlement – we all may agree or disagree with each other, have different viewpoints and perspectives.  Only we can see the world through our own eyes, layered with our own experiences, trials and tribulations. Only we know our own story fully and completely.  No other can know us the way we know ourselves, the reasons for our actions and the choices we make.

Everyone is on their own path, fighting their own battles, making their own decisions according to the principles that they live by, the culture and society they grew up in, and their own soul’s calling.  We should never berate another for following their own path. We can certainly disagree, and stand up for what we believe in, whether that is against a political party, a company, an abusive relationship – but we must always remember that belittling someone is never the right thing to do.  People will make bad choices, people will not care about the same things that we do. However, making fun of them does not solve anything. Looking down on someone means that you have placed yourself in a position of authority or power over them – an illusory pedestal.

meat coThe photo here is an example of a meat company who are putting down vegans in order to gain more people to their “side”, using “humour” as a unifier against some perceived threat to their way of life. What we have to realise is that there are no sides in life – only differing choices and opinions.  There is no Us and Them – there is only the human experience.  The entire Us and Them mentality has led to the most atrocious human behaviour possible – war and genocide, murder and rape, crime and racism, just to name a few.

Those who choose to become vegan or vegetarian have their own reasons – health, weight loss, environmentalism, religion.  It is wrong to belittle someone for any of these reasons. In fact, it is wrong to belittle anyone – end of story.  I disagree with people all the time, and I know I’m not perfect, but when I catch myself belittling someone I do my best to stop it, to realise that they are on their own journey, and to have compassion for them.  I do not want to be like the person who wrote this sign. I choose to behave differently.

I chose to become vegetarian twenty years ago, and am currently in the switch to vegan. This is my personal choice, based on research and religious reasons that ring true to my own soul. This may not be the same choice for other people, and I understand that.  However, I do tire of people making fun of my choice – I have had to endure that for over twenty years.  It is inevitable at dinner parties where someone who doesn’t know you very well, and who is a self-confessed “meat lover”, will question your choice at the dinner table, confronting you on your life path when all you want to do is eat with a good conscience and enjoy your meal with your friends or family, in harmony.  The ubiquitous “screaming vegetables” always comes up, and I must explain my reasons for becoming vegetarian or remain silent. Sometimes I choose to, other times I simply let it be. For the sake of peace, I make a decision based on compassion for all those who are sharing the meal with me. I only wish certain others could do the same.

Would it be correct to challenge someone on their religion at the dinner table? I don’t think so.  What about their decision to join Amnesty International, or Greenpeace?  Would it be right to poke fun at someone because they looked different? We must appreciate each other’s diversity, and in that appreciation realise that we are all human beings on our own journeys- that unifying factor within the diversity is what compassion is all about.

looking downThat is why in response to the photo above, I am posting this other photo.  It reflects and is only my opinion, but it matters to me in my spiritual journey.  Zen Buddhism tells us to hold to our opinions lightly, and indeed I see the wisdom in this. Our opinions are always changing – we are always learning and growing.  However, we must do so with compassion and awareness of the journey of others as well, even those who challenge us and our opinions.  I must have compassion for the people who own that meat company, realising that they have their own reasons for writing this sign, however much I disagree with them. I can voice my own opinion against it with this blog, with my words, with respect and as much understanding as my situation allows.  I don’t have to think it is right. I don’t have to agree with them. But I shall not belittle them for their opinion.

Watching Parliament in full swing makes me cringe – I remember the first time I saw a “discussion” which never let the other side finish what they were saying, instead making so much noise as to drown out the current speaker’s voice in a wall of derision.  This was how our country was and is being governed. It saddened and enraged me – this so-called civilised way of government.  How much better could it be if we just took the time to listen to each other without judgement, allowing the other person their say, and respectfully choosing to disagree if it does not ring true to our souls?  If the government cannot govern their behaviour in Parliament, why should the people? I found it so saddening, and still do…

Never be afraid to speak out against what you think is wrong, or for what you believe in. However, do so with compassion, with respect. Otherwise, you are simply acting and reacting to the bad behaviour of others. Remember also that acting with compassion does not necessarily elevate you above these others – you are not “good” for acting compassionately. You are simply acting compassionately – that is all.

Live with honour and dignity. Act with love and compassion. It’s not that hard. Blessings on your journey. X