Vegan Recipe: Lemon Basil Butter Bean Salad

Mmmm butter beans, also known as lima beans, also known as in my belly. They have a flavour that is so stand alone indulgent that they don't need much doing to them. This makes these little pulses perfect for salads, so I set about making it happen. A little bit of dressing and the mineral rich sources of protein, potassium and b vitamins are ready to eat.

Lemon Basil Butter Bean Salad

Ingredients

250g cooked butter beans
2 medium tomatoes
1 tsp chipotle chili flakes
1 clove garlic minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 bunch of basil, chopped
pinch of salt

1. Mix tomatoes, chili, garlic lemon and basil together in a medium sized bowl. 
2. Add butter beans and mix until distributed evenly. 
3. Serve chilled over a bed of mixed leaves.

Vegan Recipe: Oven Baked Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Risotto

I bought some risotto rice ages ago and had big plans to add it to my repertoire. Everyone says how easy it is and that it's really versatile and blah blah blah. So I get the bag home and whip out my recipe book and suddenly realise that traditional risotto requires a lot of stirring. Like a whole lot. Like a where is Sweet Brown when you need her because I shouldn't have to tell you that ain't nobody got time for all that stirring, amount of stirring. And I did remember being at college with an Italian room mate who made risotto once and watched him stir it for what seemed like days. He made it look so simple, but he didn't leave that pan alone for a second.

So I procrastinated. For months. And every time I opened my cupboard, that bag of rice was starring at me like 'Whatcha gonna do?', 'What's that matter? You afraid of a little bag of grain?'.  ENOUGH, I thought. There must be a way to do this and keep my sanity - though I was already talking to vacuum packed food at this point.

Enter oven baked risotto. The no fuss, simple, one stir cousin of the traditional method. I made this recipe this afternoon and it was delicious first time - which is exactly what we like. It took me about 10mins to prep then I popped it in the oven and wandered off to check my Twitter feed. Came back gave it a stir. By the time I had retweeted the latest raw vegan smoothie in a mason jar, it was ready to eat. That's 30mins from start to finish. Now that I can do!  

But it's not all about convenience, this risotto was off the charts. The sweetness of the peppers and the tang of the sun dried tomatoes makes for a beautiful combination that tastes as good as it looks.

Oven Baked Red Pepper & Sun Dried Tomato Risotto

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 finely chopped yellow medium onion
4 sliced garlic cloves
1 finely chopped red pepper
1 cup of chopped sun dried tomatoes (about 15 slices)
2.5cups or 600ml of vegetable stock
250g risotto rice
pinch pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1. On the stove top, cook finely chopped onions and sliced garlic in olive oil until soft in an oven safe pan.
2. Add coarsely chopped red pepper and sun dried tomatoes to the pan and mix well. Add rice to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add vegetable stock to pan, stir through, cover and place in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring once in between. 
4. Season with pepper and vinegar to taste and serve.

And that's kind of it. Really simple right? Enjoy!

Sweet Potato and Fennel Pizza

Sweet Potato & Fennel Pizza

Yes, sweet potato pizza a pile of carbs. That is true. But my goodness if it isn't tasty, so you know...every thing in moderation! I had the authentic version of this Italian potato pizza at a friend's house and was fascinated. The original, pizza bianco con patate, is generally served vegan and consists of thinly sliced white potatoes, on a sauceless pizza base topped with rosemary and can be found throughout the pizzerias of Italy.

For my version, I joined up earthy sweet potato with fiery chili and subtlety flavoured fennel for something with a little vitamin K and that nostalgic taste of home.

Now, I must admit that this particular recipe is a bit of a cheat because I didn't make the base from scratch - I don't think this is something to be ashamed of because sometimes life happens and while mastering pizza dough is generally and aspiration of mine, it was not on this particular night - but if you are looking to have a pizza party or make your own there are a few good recipes around the web. That said, let's eat!

Sweet Potato & Fennel Pizza

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 small sweet potato
1 chopped layer of a fennel bulb - about 1-2 tbsp
1 pizza base
1 finely chopped deseeded red chili pepper
1 tsp dried basil
2-4 tbsp olive oil

1. Heat your oven to 450F/Gas Mark 8.
2. Peel and very thinly slice your sweet potato into little discs, lightly toss them in olive oil and set aside.
3. Coarsely chop the fennel, toss in olive oil and set aside.
4. Grab your pizza base and place on a pizza tray or baking sheet. Brush with a thin layer of olive oil and add your toppings. Sweet potato first, then fennel sprinkled on top, then chili and herbs.
5. Bake for 10 -15 minutes or until the crust is brown. Drizzle pizza with remaining olive oil.
6. Serve with salad.

Serve with salad greens for a balanced meal

Vegan Recipe: Avocado Yeasadilla with Scallion Salsa

Avocado Yeas-adillas & Scallion Salsa

¡Felicitaciones! Hoy es Cinco De Mayo! As a California girl, I don't really need any excuse to eat more Mexican food. I genuinely LOVE it. The spices, the vegetables, the chilies, the cilantro, rice, beans, tortillas and of course, avocados. This quick little rececta is a vegan take on the classic quesadillas that I grew up eating in Los Angeles and San Diego. Avocado gives it that gooey satisfaction while the nutritional yeast adds a slightly cheese flavour to the mix, and the simple scallion salsa refreshes the palette. I promise that you won't miss the grease and it will make a great addition to your vegan sandwich repertoire. Now who's got the margaritas?

Avocado Yeas-adillas

Makes 2

Ingredients

Avovado Yeas-adilla

1 avocado
1 scallion/spring onion
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp lemon juice
1-2 tsp vegetable oil
tortillas (I used tortillas that are about 8 inches in diameter)

Scallion Salsa

1 chopped tomato
1 scallion/spring onion chopped
1 tbsp dried cilantro/coriander

Instructions

1. Place the avocado, scallion, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, nutritional yeast and lemon juice in a blender/food processor and blend until smooth. Place to one side.
2. Mix chopped tomato, scallion/spring onion and cilantro/coriander together in a bowl and leave to one side.
3. On a medium heat, heat 1 tbsp oil in large flat frying pan, big enough to fit your tortillas. When the oil is hot add a tortilla to the pan and move it around to make sure that all parts have a thin layer of oil, then flip and do the same thing on the other side. Reduce heat to low. Add about half your avocado spread to one side of the tortilla and spread evenly. Then fold the blank half of the tortilla onto the part with the spread. Flip and cook until both sides are golden brown. Repeat or second tortilla.
4. To serve, cut yeas-adilla in half and plate up on a bed of salsa with a few scallions on top. Perfecto!

Vegan Recipe: Waffles of Justice

Vegan 'Chicken' & Waffles with Southern Fried Seitan

Let's be real: waffles are better than pancakes. It's just the truth. Pancakes are cool for stacking and everything, but when it's time to get the syrup, and the fruit and all the lusciousness out, you don't want some doughy flat like a frisbee thing on your plate, you want a multi-pocketed flavour receptacle so that you can fill every nook and waffley cranny.

This recipe for vegan waffles, makes for deliciously light and moist waffles that are fantastic with any lovely topping you can think of. There were only two of us, so we couldn't get through he whole stack at once, but they kept in the fridge for a couple of days with a bit of toaster reviving for snacking.

Vegan Waffles of Justice

8 - 12 waffles

Ingredients:

3 cups (700 ml) plain flour
2 Tbs baking powder
1-2 Tbs agave nectar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups (700 ml) almond milk
1/3 cup (80 ml) orange juice
1/3 cup (olive oil)

1. Turn the waffle maker on.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together all the ingredients until smooth. Pour batter onto waffle iron and cook until golden brown. 
3. Serve with your favourite toppings - agave nectar, chocolate spread, maple syrup, fresh fruit or even a little bit of Southern Fried Seitan.

Waffles: Best of the Batter Breakfasts

Vegan Recipe: Soy Roasted Beetroot

Beetroot is one of my favourite foods. Soy sauce is one my favourite seasonings. Kikkoman is by far my favourite soy sauce.  And now this is one of my favourite dishes. First I tried this simple recipe as a side dish for dinner, then had the cold left overs in a salad the next day. I'm not gonna lie: it was delicious both times.

Soy Roasted Beetroot

Ingredients

4-6 medium boiled beetroot
2 -3 tbs Kikkoman soy sauce
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs agave nectar
1 tsp rice vinegar
dash of pepper

1. Cut beetroot into quarters and place in a roasting tray.
2. In a separate small bowl, mix soy sauce, oil, agave nectar and vinegar together. Then pour over the beetroot. Rub the sauce into each of the beets making sure that they're all covered. Pepper to taste.
3. Place in the oven for 15 - 10 mins on Gas Mark 6/400F/200C giving it the occasional shake to the them a roasted on all sides.
4. Serve hot or place in the refrigerator to eat cold with salad.

Vegan Recipe: Green Plantain Chips with Lime

Pan-Fried Plantains Green Plantains with Lime

Plantains are a global food eaten throughout the tropics. African, Indian, South American, South Asian, Caribbean cuisine, all count plantain as a staple comfort food.  Plantains make me think of my Nigerian friend from college who made them pan fried with black pepper. My Venezuelan friend whose tostones are amazing. A little Cuban joint in Downtown Las Vegas where the waitress called me 'Mami' every time we spoke. I didn't grow up eating plantains, but when I do the natural sweetness and warm fluffy flesh, make me feel like I've come home.

Along with being quick and delicious to cook, they are a complex carbohydrate that provide a good source of potassium as well as vitamin A, C and B6, and I just love me some vitamins. If you're new to plantains, have a go at this tangy little plantain recipe which is a great side dish or zesty snack.

Green Plantain Chips with Lime

1 plantain
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt
2-3 tbsp coconut oil

Peel the plantains and slice into discs. Cover with lime juice, add a pinch of salt and mix well until each disc is covered evenly.

Heat some oil in a large pan. Drain the plantain slices, then fry them for 3 minutes until they are crisp and golden brown. When they are ready, remove them from the pan and place on a paper towel to dry. Serve when cool.

Source: luigig

Vegetarian Recipe: Quick Vegetarian 'Lincolnshire' Fajitas?

They say you can take the girl our of California, but you can't take the California out of the girl. No really, they say that all the time. So even though I've lived in England for almost 10 years now, Digital Underground's The Humpty Dance is still my favourite song. I still find it weird cheering for the Clippers. I  regularly take pictures of cars that I think are beautiful. And I am a little bit obsessed with Mexican food. I love everything about it. The beans, the salsas, the freshness, the versatility, the mixture of delicate flavours like corriander (or cilantro as they say in Cali) with earthy beans and tangy lime, tamarind and tomatillo. Oh, and tortillas might be the best thing ever. Dear Mexico, I love your food.

That said....living in England, sometimes it's slim pickings. People: they put sour cream in the guacamole here. No seriously. And it makes me cry. So sometimes one must get creative, when in Rome right? Like check out this little Mexi-British-Vegetarian fusion recipe that is a quick and satisfying, if inauthentic, supper I rustled up the other day featuring Cauldron's Veggie Lincolnshire Sausages. And I know that sounds like it shouldn't work, but I promise it does, and isn't that what fusion is about?

Quick Vegetarian 'Lincolnshire' Fajitas

Ingredients

2 firm 'Lincolnshire' veggie sausages -I used Cauldron
2 sweet peppers
1 small onion
1 clove of garlic
3 mushrooms
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander aka cilantro (dried or fresh)
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup of coarsely chopped raw spinach
1 tortilla

1. Take your veggie sausages and cut them into strips - I sliced them across the round in at an angle so that I got long discs and then sliced each disk in half.
2. Stir Fry the sausage strips, garlic, peppers, onion, mushrooms in a little vegetable oil and season with lemon juice, black pepper, cumin, black pepper, coriander until the sausage is a little brown, and the onions are soft.
3. Place fajita bits on warm tortilla add spinach on top of this and roll into a delicious wrap.

Vegan Sandwich: Tangy Tamarind Beetroot Sandwich

Vegan sandwiches are remarkably hard to come by. Hummus and roasted vegetables are lovely but ever so predictable. I'm not strictly vegan, but as a lactose in tolerant vegetarian, I eat a lot of vegan food. When I'm on the go and in need of a vegetarian lunch time solution, checking the counter at the corner shop or my local deli, I am often left sad and hungry because all their offerings are full of flesh and cheese. Everybody loves a good sammich and I don't see why I should go without! 

You've seen my recipe for Mediterranean Roasted Vegetable Sandwich on Toasted Turkish Bread with Homemade Vegan Olive Tapenade and Tempeh 'Chik'n' Salad Sandwich, my latest addition to my vegan sandwich roster is this tasty little flat bread number with beetroot and 'slaw. Yum!

 

Tangy Tamarind Beetroot Sandwich

2-3 boiled beetroot (boil yourself or use vacum pack style)
1 teaspoon Green Tamarind Pickle
Juice of 1 lemon
approx 1/2 cup water
flat bread - something thick like a chappati or paratha
2-3 tablespoons flat bread
3- 4 leave of Spring greens
1 carrot
1/2 onion
2-3 tablespoons of vegannaise/mayonnaise

1. Slice your beetroot into 1/4 inch thick disks and place in a long bowl.
2. Add your Green Tamarind Pickle, lemon juice and water to the beetroot and let them marinade while you make your coleslaw. Make sure that all the beets are covered.
3. For the coleslaw, finely chop greens, and onion and mix with vegannaise/mayonnaise until fully covered. This s a vey basic 'slaw without too much seasoning as I don't want to over power the beets. Let stand.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and saute the beets until you've got a few crunchy bits and they're hot all the way through. Add the marinade to the pan to make sure they don't dry out...they should be hot and juicy when your done. Remove from heat and let stand while you heat the flat bread.
5. In a hot pan(I used the same one!) add a tablespoon of oil and heat your flat bread until it's hot and foldable.Then remove from heat and assemble you tasty lunch. Place the beets on half of the flat bread, slaw on top and fold over for serious tastieness.

Marinating Beetroot

Sauteed Beetroot with Crunchy Bits

Warming Paratha Flat Bread

Tangy Tamarind Beetroot Sandwich

Huffington Post Reports: A Vegan Diet (Hugely) Helpful Against Cancer

Bell Peppers at the Las Vegas Farmers Market

Bestselling vegan author and wellness activist Kathy Freston, recently reported some pretty conclusive information the benefits of Vegan and Vegetarian diets in The Huffington Post. It seems there's more than just vitamins behind the health benefits of a vegetable diet.

Source: The Huffington Post 

If you're anything like me, the "C" word leaves you trembling. But today there is very good news to report: Research suggests you can improve your odds of never getting cancer and/or improve your chances of recovering from it. Not with a drug or surgery, although those methods might be quite effective. This is all about the power on your plate, and it's seriously powerful.

A 2012 analysis of all the best studies done to date concluded vegetarians have significantly lower cancer rates. For example, the largest forward-looking study on diet and cancer ever performed concluded that "the incidence of all cancers combined is lower among vegetarians."

That's good news, yes. But what if we're looking for great news? If vegetarians fare so much better than meat-eaters, what about vegans? Is that an even better way to eat? We didn't know for sure until now.

A new study just out of Loma Linda University funded by the National Cancer Institute reported that vegans have lower rates of cancer than both meat-eaters and vegetarians. Vegan women, for example, had 34 percent lower rates of female-specific cancers such as breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer. And this was compared to a group of healthy omnivores who ate substantially less meat than the general population (two servings a week or more), as well as after controlling for non-dietary factors such as smoking, alcohol, and a family history of cancer.

Why do vegans have such lower cancer risk? This is fascinating stuff: An elegant series of experiments was performed in which people were placed on different diets and their blood was then dripped on human cancer cells growing in a petri dish to see whose diet kicked more cancer butt. Women placed on plant-based diets for just two weeks, for example, were found to suppress the growth of three different types of breast cancer (see images of the cancer clearance). The same blood coursing through these womens' bodies gained the power to significantly slow down and stop breast cancer cell growth thanks to just two weeks of eating a healthy plant-based diet! (Two weeks! Imagine what's going on in your body after a year!) Similar results were found for men against prostate cancer (as well as against prostate enlargement).

How may a simple dietary change make one's bloodstream so inhospitable to cancer in just a matter of days? The dramatic improvement in cancer defenses after two weeks of eating healthier is thought to be due to changes in the level of a cancer-promoting growth hormone in the body called IGF-1. Animal protein intake increases the levels of IGF-1 in our body, but within two weeks of switching to a plant-based diet, IGF-1 levels in the bloodstream drop sufficiently to help slow the growth of cancer cells.

How plant-based do we need to eat? Studies comparing levels of IGF-1 in meat-eaters vs. vegetarians vs. vegans suggest that we should lean toward eliminating animal products from our diets altogether. This is supported by the new study in which the thousands of American vegans studied not only had lower rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, but significantly lower cancer risk as well.

This makes sense when you consider the research done by Drs. Dean Ornish and Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn; they found that a vegan diet caused more than 500 genes to change in only three months, turning on genes that prevent disease and turning off genes that cause breast cancer, heart disease, prostate cancer, and other illnesses. This is empowering news, given that most people think they are a victim of their genes, helpless to stave off some of the most dreaded diseases. We aren't helpless at all; in fact, the power is largely in our hands. It's on our forks, actually.

5 Totally Sweet Vegan and Vegetarian YouTube channels

I love YouTube but it's not all Korean pop music and honey badgers. There are some crucial resources made by some awesome people on the web. I recently found myself tripping and clicking through the vlogosphere and though that I would share some of the wonderful and inspiring vegan, vegetarian and raw food YouTube Channels I found. It's such a great resource for research, recipes, restaurants and recommendations. Post a link if there's anyone I've missed.

Manjula's Kitchen
Manjula's Kitchen has more than 12,000 subscribers to her full of start to finish vegetarian and vegan Indian food recipes. With her casual style and warm smile, Manjula reminds me of spending time with my grandmother in her kitchen when I was growing up. Her recipes are accessible and clearly explained, and with more than 200 uploads there are plenty to choose from. This Spinach Chaat Recipe looks scrumptions and she's got the whole thing on her website too. Nice one Manjula.

The Vegan Zombie
John's recipes are designed to prepare you for the upcoming zombie apocalypse.  He cooking has a lot of variety with some really good spice mixtures. The recipes range from advanced - home made seitan - to beginner - tempeh kebabs - but they all look tasty. Toss in a couple of zombie jokes, some pretty sweet tattoos and regular pop music references, you've got a wicked YouTube channel.

The Sweetest Vegan
This is Soul Food with a vegan Southern Belle. The recipes are home cooking with hot sauce and lots of a healthy dose of southern hospitality. Her most recent project is translating the Paula Deen's 'Southern Cooking Bible' in to vegan. Her recipes have all the love and flavour of traditional soul food with less grease and mo' veg. Check out her 'Baked Fried Green Tomatoes'

The Vegetarian Society of Hawaii
This is a wonderful resource for lots of great amazing lectures on all things vegan and vegetarian. From recipes, to business, to health and the environment they hold a monthly series of lectures and upload all of them. Speakers come from all over the world to enlighten their veggie brothers and sisters. In total, they have more than 125 of the best online vegetarian speakers in the world available online for free.

The Cool Vegetarian
This is a kind of magazine channel, with lots of interviews and discussions on vegan, vegetarian and raw food.  Really personable and honest, there are lots of great stories from people who can are living and loving a healthy and sustainable diets. My favourite video is easily this interview with Sunny Griffin.

Vegan Recipe: Chinese Five Spice Spring Rolls

Vegan Five Spice Spring Rolls

Chinese Five Spice is easily one of my favourite seasonings and I've always been a big fan of spring rolls, so when I came across Nigel Slater's recipe for Five-Spiced Pork Buns in his Real Fast Food book, I couldn't resist putting a vegan spring roll spin on it. And since I'm looking at Granose's Meat Free Lincolnshire Sausages for my Meet Your Meat Substitutes series, it seemed like a great opportunity to put the mix to the test.

The sausage mix is highly absorbent with a neutral flavouring making it perfect for Nigel's rich seasoning and really easy to work with as spring roll filling.

On this occasion I munched the spring rolls as my dinner with a nice side of Kung Fu Collard Greens, but I'm confident that these would also make an amazing wow factor vegan dinner party canape or starter.

Vegan Chinese Five Spice Spring Rolls Recipe

1 sachet of Granose Meat Free Lincolnshire Sausage Mix
143 ml water
2 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons of dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 teaspoons of five spice powder
2 tablespoons of runny honey
fresh black pepper
10 - 15 rice paper spring roll shells
2-3 cups of water
1 cup of bean sprouts (This could easily work with cooked carrots or cabbage or both as well)
Vegetable oil for frying

1. Pour the sausage mix into a bowl, add 143ml of water and let stand for 10 mins.
2. In the mean time, finely chop your garlic add to the mix with soy sauce, lemon juice, fives spice powder, honey and a pinch of pepper. Mix until all the flavours are evenly distributed.
3. Saute the bean sprouts until they're soft and then add into to mixture.
4. Grab a tray and fill it with just enough water to submerge one rice paper sheet at a time. Place one sheet in the water until it's fully wet, about 5 seconds, then place on to clean flat surface for filling. Scoop out one tablespoon of filling and lay left of centre in a short line. Now fold your spring rolls like a...spring roll or a tiny burrito. Wet the corners to seal.
5. Deep fry spring rolls in oil (don't use Olive Oil - it makes everything extremely oily) until brown.
6. Remove and place on a towel or rack while you cook the rest.
7. Repeat until you've got about a dozen rolls.

Vegan Recipe: Red Pepper Tapenade with Harissa

This vegan recipe for Red Pepper Tapenade is inspired by my recent discoveries of Ross Dobson's book Market Vegetarian and the wonders of harissa. I love olive tappenade and I love red peppers, so I had high hopes for Dobson's variation when I was reviewing the book. Add to it just a tiny drop of smoldering harrisa paste for a lovely warm hum of heat and I was in dipping heaven.

Red Pepper Tapenade with Harissa

 Red Pepper Tapenade with Harissa (Vegan)
1 Red Pepper
1 Garlic Clove
2 tbsp Olive Oil
a drop (literally just a touch) of harissa paste
salt and pepper to taste

1. Roast pepper and garlic in oil at Gas Mark 7 for 15 mins or until the skins are black. 
2. Remove pepper from the oven and let cool.
3. Put the pepper in the blender with a drop of harissa and a blend. 
4. Season to taste and serve as a dip or a spread.

Easy, delicious and the kind of thing that if you served it up at a party and told everyone you made it from scratch, they'd be well impressed.

Meet Your Meat Substitutes: Mock Duck Review

When I started on my Meet Your Meat Substitutes journey to try out high protein vegan and vegetarian meat replacements, I knew that one day, a duck would cross my path, specifically a Mock Duck. I won't deny it, I was little bit scared of this one. Alternatives to mince, chicken, burgers, and sausages have become so common place that we take them for granted, but something as gamey as duck...and in a can? That is a bold ask. But, MYMS is about trying new things, expanding my palette and trying what's tasty, so here we go.

First question: what exactly is Mock Duck? Well, it's wheat gluten marinated in a soy based sauce and shaped into duck style pieces for use as a duck meat replacement. It was originally developed by Chinese monks and it is now available throughout the UK courtesy of the fine folks at GranoVita. And it's vegan.

Now to answer the next question: is it any good?

Review: Good
'Meatiness':
The meatiness of this meat substitute is most manifested by the it's fibrous texture, which I'll get to in a bit, and the fact that it's quite filling. It looks delicate but it's actually got a lot of body and can be marinated overnight like one would with chicken. This, combined with the dark colour of the pieces, pretty much explains where the 'duck' reference comes from.

Yep, mock duck out of the tin looks like it's been plucked!

Texture:
I have two words for you on this: Plucked duck. Yes. It's true. Your pieces of mock duck will look as if they have been plucked before they were canned. At first, I found this to be both perplexing and off putting, but as this has been a part of the mock duck experience since it was a specialty item in Chinatown supermarkets, I've decided that it's charming. Once you get past the 'skin', the fibrous texture of the gluten is similar to what you would expect when you pull apart poultry. And each piece is firm and bouncy to the touch.

Taste:
Discussion on the web about Mock Duck seems to show it as a bit of a marmite meat substitute: some people love it and some people just hate it.  And like I said, I was a little bit nervous about this one. But after the first bite, the mystery was over because the truth is that mock duck tastes almost exactly like tinned Braised Tofu. And if you've never had braised tofu, then I should explain that it's got a smokey salty almost mushroomy taste. I like it, but it might not be your thing.

Mock Duck Kebabs with Grilled Mushroom on the side

Versatility:
I was having a bit of busy week and so tried mock duck in a little Grilled Mock Duck Kebab meal and in a Quick Mock Duck Coconut Stir Fry.  Both recipes are quick and easy. For the kebabs, I added the some of the marinade from the tin, soy sauce, pepper and garlic. Then I stuck them onto wet skewers, and put them on the grill. Voila! For the Stir fry, I sauteed mock duck, onions, peppers garlic and mushrooms until the onions were soft and then smothered the whole thing in coconut milk. It took about ten minutes and was mighty nice. If you've got more time, there are lots of good recipes across the web for things like Mock Duck Pancakes, Mock Duck Cashew Stir Fry, or Granovita's own Mock Duck Ragu. Fried, steamed, stewed, there are tons of things that can be done with mock duck, so it definitely scores highly there.

Overall, I was surprised by mock duck because I wasn't really expecting to like it. But it's pretty good and I'm actually looking forward to trying out the pancakes sometime soon.

Meet Your Meat Substitutes Review: Redwoods Vegetarian Bacon

Redwoods Vegan Bacon Rashers

I picked up Redwoods Vegetarian Bacon at my local whole foods shop, having decided to indulge in something new as part of my Meet Your Meat Substitutes series.

They're officially called 'Redwoods' Vegideli Organic Meat Free Bio Rashers' and along with being organic they are 100% vegan. The main ingredient in this is wheat. Wheat glueten, wheat starch and wheat protein along with a bit of soya and some seasoning.

I really wanted to like this because it Redwood are such a pioneering and inventive company. Their range of products includes everything from vegan and organic cheeses to faux fish, fake duck and dairy free desserts made from pea proteins. They've won multiple awards for their products from the likes of Viva, PETA and the Vegetarian Society. But, after two different outings, I decided that these rashers were really just alright.

Review: So So
'Meatiness'
Unlike tempeh, Redwood's Rashers are not really the main filling and satisfying part in a meal. They are at best a novel side note.  I was looking for something that might work in a veggie breakfast.  While it definitely looked the part and tasted nice, a veggie sausage would have been much more filling.

Texture
The texture is not fiberous but rather a tightly packed flesh coloured meal. It reminds me of processed lunch meats for children. The shape was familiar, but the one dimensional texture made the rasher boring to eat and boring to fry. And they we're so thin that cutting into them to eat is a disappointing non event. When I tried to make a lettuce & 'bacon' sandwich' the two rashers weren't really noticeable.

Redwood's Vegan Bacon Sandwich

Taste
The rashers tasted nice, not too salty, but they didn't actually taste like bacon. If you're looking for something that tastes like bacon, you'll do better eating some bacon flavoured junk food like Frazzles or Kettle Chips. Which made me think, why didn't they just steal that recipe?

Versatility
There is no way that these could be as versatile as actual bacon because they don't have the fat content and so can't be used as for stock in the same way. So it's essentially cookable lunch 'meat'.

In summary, while I appreciate what they're trying to do here - Redwoods catalogue of goodies must be a lifesaver to so many people who are learning how to become vegetarian - I'm not sure they've got it right just yet with their Bio-Rasher.

Tempeh Recipe: Carmelised Tempeh Pieces over Summer Salad

I got this tempeh recipe from the bloke at one of my favourite whole food shops, Seasons in Exeter. I told him about my plan tor try a selection of meat substitutes for Meet Your Meat Substitutes and he said that I must try this recipe for a great salad topper. The marinade - a mix of soy sauce and balsamic vinegar - might sound like an unlikely pairing but it is absolutely delicious and brings out a beautiful colour in the tempeh.

Carmelised Tempeh Pieces over Summer Salad

Ingredients
12 -15  cubes of  tempeh
2 tbsp of Balsamic Vineager
2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper
2 tbsp cooking oil
1 bowl of 'summer salad'

 Directions

1. Cut tempeh into bite sized chunks.
2. Mix balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and pepper together in a bowl.
3. Mix tempeh into sauce until evenly coated and leave to marinate while you...
4. Prepare your summer salad in a different bowl. This can be anything you want really. I mixed some leaves with tomato and avocado which is always good.
5. Heat oil in a skillet and saute the tempeh until it's gone a lovely carmelised colour with some crispy edges.
6. Remove tempeh from heat and leave to rest for a moment on the chopping board or on a towel.
7. Plate up your salad and add the tempeh to the top, drizzling any extra marinated onto the rest of the salad.

Tempeh

Tempeh Marinating

Out of the pan and resting...

Carmelised Tempeh Over Summer Salad

Introducing: Meet Your Meat Substitutes

Balsamic Carmelised Tempeh on a Mixed Leaf Salad

I've decided to put together a series of posts called 'Meet Your Meat Substitutes' because, I must confess, some meat substitutes scare me. Yes it's true. I get nervous at the fact that they are unfamiliar and made out of new materials or presented in away that is unusual, like in a can or in a glass jar full of....juice. What is that? What if it isn't nice? What do I do with it? What if it smells funny?

But then I think, what if I'm missing out on something delicious? What if that imitation mince is the secret ingredient in the best thing I've never cooked?

So, I thought, I'll get scientific, I'll confront my fears head on, documenting my findings for science and the greater vegetarian good. You know for community and that.

Chinese Five Spice Quorn & Celery Stir Fry

The meat substitutes I'll be trying will come in two main categories. There are things that try to replicate the look and/or taste of meat like Cauldron Sausages, Quorn Mince or Tofurkey. Then there are the products that try to serve the same nutritional purpose of meat by providing a filling and potent source of protein in a meal like tofu or tempeh.

A third category for meat substitutes might also include things like peanuts, cashews, avocados and legumes act as regular sources for protein for every vegetarian.

While these are all great, I'm not going to be looking at these as part of MYMS. No. MYMS is examining the pre-packaged stuff that sells itself as a straight meat swap appealing mostly to the transitioning and/or lazy (don't be offended, everybody's lazy sometimes) vegetarians. Each will be examined for texture, taste, 'meatiness' and versatility and will be tested in at least two recipes. And I will personally try them all.

Wish me luck.

Vegetarian Recipe: Chinese Five Spice Quorn & Celery Stir Fry

 

If you've never tried a vegetarian Chinese recipe with Five Spice that might be because it's most often used with meats like chicken and beef. I first tried this flavour combination when I was still eating meat, in a Beef Stew simmering in a five spice sauce for 5 hours and the flavour of the spices was something I'd never experienced before! As a vegetarian, I don't think something so wonderful should be off limits so, I've decided to try it with vegetarian meat substitute, Quorn.
 
Because it's such a staple of Chinese cuisine, 'Chinese Five Spice' or simply '5 Spice' should be available in any good international food shop though the specific blend of spices may vary. Apparently the name is a reference, not to a specific number of spices, but rather a balance of five types of flavour: sweet, sour, pungent, bitter, and salty. So while one recipe may include aniseed, fennel seed, ground cinnamon, whole cloves and whole peppercorns another might feature star anise or cumin or ginger. The mix that I used, was mostly cinnamon with coriander powder, bay leave powder, star anise powder and a hint of all spice.

I chose a stir fry as a first go because it's easy to control the flavours and I had a real hankering for cooked celery! I found that the mixture actually worked alot like a curry powder in that adding a little bit of water to it made a really thick sauce. I was interested to see how Quorn worked with seasoning and was pleasantly surprised.

Vegetarian Recipe: Chinese Five Spice Quorn & Celery Stir Fry

Ingredients
1 tbsp cooking oil
2 celery stalks
1 spring onion or chive stalk
1 green pepper
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of Quorn pieces or 1 cubed Quorn fillet
1 tsp of Chinese Five Spice
1 cup of water
 2 tsp vinegar
1 tsp garlic powder

Also, before beginning my prep, I put on the rice in the rice cooker, so it's all ready when the stir fry is done. 

1. Chop celery and green pepper into bite sized pieces. Finely chop green onion and garlic.
2. Heat oil in pan and add vegetables with Quorn pieces at the same time on medium heat. 
3. Cook for a few minutes until the celery begins to soften. Next add the five spice to the mixture stirring until well coated.
4. Don't let the stir fry dry out, use your cup of water (I added a few drops of soy sauce to this) to create a nice sauce by slowly adding to the mixture as it cooks.
5. Stir regularly and taste to make sure it's to your liking. If it's too sweet, add a bit of vinegar. Too bitter, add some soy sauce. I found that I need to to top up with a bit of garlic powder but key is to keep flavouring it as you go along.
6. When the rice is ready and the veg is nice an soft, then it's time to eat.

Book review: Michael Clarke Duncan agrees that Skinny Bitch is awesome

Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, describes himself as a 'big guy' and is not the image that most people conjure up when when they think of vegetarians. But last week, the star of Green Mile, and partner of American Appretice vegetarian vixen Omarosa, confessed to PETA that his recent conversion to vegetarianism was inspired by a combination of health concerns, a screening of Meet Your Meat and a reading of classic vegan/health manifesto, Skinny Bitch.

What is it about Skinny Bitch?
Well, Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin's book 'Skinny Bitch: A No Nonsense, Tough Love Guide for Savvy Girls Who Want to Stop Eating Crap and Start Looking Fabulous',  has been a New York Times Bestseller and spawned a suite of follow ups because it's more than just a book about vegetarianism or veganism. It's about getting you to understand how your body is affected by all the food and drink that you feed it. Caffeine, dairy, meat, aspartame are all strictly off the menu. Water, sleep, fruit and legumes are all definitely in.

I originally borrowed the book the shelf of my friend at Teeny Vegan Kitchen . She said it was a must read and she was right. The thing that really carries this book is the tone. The girls are straight talking, frank and curse a lot- their chapter on bowel movements is very amusing - but they speak the truth. By the end of it I felt more than motivated to cleanse myself of the toxins that were making me sluggish, unhealthy and keeping me from harnessing my inner skinny bitch.


I found the book to be quite an eye opener and a great read, and apparently I'm not the only one.

Happy Birthday to Hip Hop Vegan, Andre 3000

Source PETA

 It's May 27, which means that Roots and Greens has the honour of celebrating the birthday one our favourite human beings and commited vegan, Mr. Andre 3000. Along with performing serious services to awesomeness with hip hop crew Outkast, Andre 3000 has dabbled in acting, activism, fashion, and music production. His commitment to the cause earned him a place as PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrity in 2004. For his birthday, I put on the Love Below and I've prepared a special Andre 3000 inspired vegan meal that even Ms. Jackson would like. Happy birthday Dre, I hope you like the Bombs over Butter bean Cassoulet with Idle -Wild Rice and Spinachplayalisticohsosimpesideofsalad as much as I did.

  Idle-Wild Rice

Wild rice needs a little bit more prep than most store bought rice. I used a Thai Glutinous Black Rice for this and it need to be soaked for a hour before I could put it in rice cooker - but it was worth the wait for the beautiful colour and nutty flavour of the rice. I'll be honest, though, I didn't find it that sticky!