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  1. nom omm nom

    April 15, 2008 by Victoria


    humorous pictures
    see more crazy cat pics

    Category cats | Tags: | 2 Comments

  2. Falafel & Hummus Wrap with Bean Sprout Salad and a Cayenne Salad Dressing

    by Victoria

    Falafel & hummous wrap, garlic mushroom and a bean sprout salad with cayanne dressing

    Firstly, I have to admit that I’ve never made a falafel in my life. These falafels were made form a box. You know the “just add water” types. However, they were amazing and quite cheap, about three quid in the the Asian Market on Drury St.. They bake in the oven for about 10 minutes either side. I would like to try and make these from scratch, if anyone has any good recipes let me know.
    I put them in a wrap with some lettuce, hummus, vegan mayonnaise (That is available in the Tescos “free from” section), and some bean sprouts and shoots.

    On the side, is a tossed salad with more sprouts and shoots and a spicy salad dressing. This was a bit of an experiment. Usually I make my dressings using mustard, but we accidentally bought mustard with honey, and that definatly wasn’t going on my salad.
    Ingredients:

    • About 4 rough tablespoons of nice olive oil. You know when you let the oil keep pouring as you measure out the next spoon
    • To two tablespoons white wine vinegar
    • A teaspoon of cayenne
    • Teaspoon of celery seeds
      • Which have been used to mild anxiety and agitation, loss of appetite, fatigue and coughs
    • Teaspoon lemon juice

    I threw the whole lot of this into a jar and shook. This was so tasty that we’ve had it twice since. Drizzled on salad, it’s in small enough doses that I can handle the spiciness.

    The mushrooms are classic garlic mushrooms. I use about a clove and a half of garlic for each mushroom, blended with a large teaspoon of soya butter and the stalks of the mushrooms. These are baked for 20 minutes or so, but sometimes I like to bake them for an hour until the mushrooms are a tasty garlic mess.

    Bean sprout salad with cayanne salad dressing

    Edit: Tuesday 15th 20:30 vegan.com has blogged about my falafel photo. They say I had my first pita and falafel sandwich shortly after I began transitioning to a vegetarian diet, and my first thought was, “Wow, this tastes so much better than hamburger!” and boy is that so true. A falafel with tasty sauce is so much more satisfying that any of the hamburgers I’ve had in the past. nomnom

    Category mains, ommnomnom, products, recipe, salad | Tags: ,,,, | 5 Comments

  3. Vegan Jager Bomb Cupcakes

    April 11, 2008 by Victoria

    Vegan Jager Bomb Cupcakes

    One of my long time friends is having a birthday meal next weekend. A few weeks ago I promised him some special cupcakes as a birthday present. Special because they are going to be vegan Jager Bomb cupcakes ^_^ I did some googling to see if it could be done, and so far one person, over at ecupcake.blogspot has tried. They looked like they held up alright in the oven, so tonight I had a test run to make some vegan jager bomb cupcakes.
    Gooey innards of Vegan Jager Bomb Cupcakes

    I’m not going to post the recipe this time around. I am going to tweak the recipe next weekend and I want to see which batch turns out better.

    In essence, the bun is died with liquorice and ruby red food coloring gel, and I used a mix of soya milk, rapseed oil and red bull as the wet ingredients with colored butter-cream red bull icing and gooey jager innards. I haven’t been able to eat a whole one yet as they are fantastically rich! However, according to my boyfriend, who is pretty critical of new foods, they taste great. Like a tasty sweet and mild jager bomb. You can taste both the red bull and the jager. The one thing that I find quite odd is the smell, usually fresh cupcakes are sweet and enticing, not alcoholic and enticing. I can’t wait for round two!

    Category alcohol, baking, dessert, recipe | Tags: | 7 Comments

  4. Spud Snacks and Tescos

    by Victoria

    Pure organic soya butter and SpudsOne of my favourite left-overs is boiled spuds. Growing up I picked up a few spud habits from people around me that have stuck. For one, soup and spuds. Thick vegetable soup with a dollop of mashed potato (cold) is fantastic.

    Another favourite was boiled spuds in a bowl with a good layer of milk and absolutely tonnes of pepper. I picked that one up for my granny, who rarely ate sweets unless there were visitors, but loved to pick out her peppery spuds. Since going on the soya milk, I haven’t quite enjoyed this as much. I have yet to get the taste for soya milk on it’s own, but now I’ve got something new: Spuds with soya butter and tonnes of pepper.

    Awesome, in particular because the soya butter was bought at tesco! Up until a few months ago, all of the olive oil of other non-dairy spreads contained buttermilk, and thus were not vegan. This meant that we had to buy our soya spread in a health food store at about twice the cost. Now tesco sells Pure, regular and organic dairy free soya spread, and it’s fantastic. Quite creamy and salty, which is the perfect combination for a tasty vegan snack. Developed for the lactose intolerant, but enjoyed by vegans :)

    According to the website the Pure brand was developed for people with food sensitivities in mind, particularly those who have an allergy or intolerance to dairy. It’s free from:

    • Dairy
    • Artificial colourings & preservatives
    • Added flavourings
    • Gluten
    • Hydrogenated oils
    • GM ingredients

    Category ommnomnom, products, snack | Tags: ,, | 1 Comment

  5. Quinoa and Red Lentil Stew

    April 9, 2008 by Victoria

    Qunioa and Red Lentils
    Here’s another recipe inspired by my nutritional kick. Quinoa and lentils with any sort of vegetables and a good lashing of stock makes a super comforting food to curl up with but can also be a great source of protein and vitamins. There is a similar recipe over at eatpeacepleaserecipes.blogspot.com, but they have made theirs quite spicy. My spicy threshold is pretty low, and I try to avoid it as it gives me itchy ears!
    For this one, I really wanted to sneak in some of vegetables that are good for you but a lot of people hate, in particular my boyfriend. I used celery, cauliflower, and even carrots, probably three of the vegetables that he dislikes the most, but the stew went down a treat!

    Quinoa, Red Lentils and Celery

    Ingredients:

    • 1 cup quinoa rinsed
      • Quinoa is a great complete food. It has a very high protein content, a balanced set of amino acids, good source of fiber and iron and phosphorus and magnesium as well as being gluten free
    • 1 cup red lentils
      • Like I said in my Sweet and Spicy Lentils, these guys taste great and are a good source of protein and dietary fiber
    • 1 large onion chopped
    • 2 cloves of garlic crushed
    • 2 celery stalks chopped
      • Good if you are interested in weight loss because it is a negative calorie vegetable. It is high in dietary fiber, vitamin A, C, K, Potassium, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Magnesium and Phosphorus
    • 1 cup frozen baby carrots
    • 1 cup frozen cauliflower
      • Has a high nutrient density. It is low in fat and high in fiber and vitamin C. There are claims that it improves liver function as well as slow or prevent cancerous tumors in the breast and prostate.
    • 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
      • Good for the heart and high in antioxidants.
    • 2 cups vegetable stock
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper
    • 1 teaspoon rosemary
    • 1 teaspoon basil
    • 1 teaspoon fennel

    Directions:

    • Heat the oil in a fairly large pot
    • When hot, add the onions and cook until translucent then add the garlic
    • Add the rest of the vegetables, the tomato, and spices and give a good stir until everything is coated
    • Add the stock, lentils and quinoa and stir
    • Cover and simmer until the lentils are soft
    • You may need to add more water as the stock is absorbed
    • Once soft, blend to the consistency you prefer. I like to blend the whole lot, but you can do half and half if you like a chunky stew
    • Serve with a large slice of bread and soya butter

    Quinoa and Red Lentil Stew

    Category mains, recipe, stew | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  6. Sweet and Spicey Lentils

    April 3, 2008 by Victoria

    I was in hospital back in October for some scans, everything came back clear, but I got the impression that some of the doctors were not necessarily happy about my vegan diet and signed me up for an appointment with a nutritionist. I didn’t realise until the appointment letter came in the post, but figured that it was probably a good idea. I have to admit that I was a bit apprehensive at first. My boyfriend has had one GP tell him that he should do back eating liver (*yuck*), but the lady was lovely. She herself was a vegetarian and she even managed to root out some information about the levels of calcium and iron in vegan foods. Awesome.Pretty much what she was telling me I knew already, but hadn’t been putting into practice. It was just the boot up the butt I needed to start experimenting more in a more healthy way. My obsession with vegan enchiladas (Recipe coming soon) must end!

    To sum, I need get back on the vitamin tablets, in particular iron, B12 and calcium. I also need to be more conscientious about my protein intake. Meat is a whole protein and is absorbed into the body very quickly, whereas in nuts seeds and pulses it is released more slowly so it is necessary to incorporate some carbohydrates into each meal.

    So I came up with this, the reasoning behind some of the ingredients are listed after them :)


    Sweet and Spicy Lentils with Neutritional Mash

    Ingredients:

    • 1 onion.
      • I pretty much put and onion in every dinner. They do contain antioxidants, which lower the risk of heart and neurological disease.
    • 1 pepper (Whichever you prefer).
      • I can’t eat too much peppers, the seem to irritate my stomach, but they are a good source of vitamin C
    • 2 garlic cloves.
      • I love love love garlic, but I don’t use it enough. It’s good for cholestoral and high-blood pressure
    • 1 can chickpeas (or about a cup if you are soaking them)
      • Taste great, good source of protein and carbohydrates
    • 2 cups of cooked red lentils
      • Protein and good dietary fiber
    • 1 can tomatoes
      • vitamin A & C and a whole bunch of other good things, tasty too ^_^
    • 1 tablespoon chilli powder
    • 1/2 tablespoon fennel seeds
      • Good for digestion
    • 1 tablespoon cumin
    • 1 tablespoon tumeric
    • 1 tablespoon
    • 2 tablespoons of molasses
      • This portion contains 400mg of calcium, which is more than a cup of collard greens
    • 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
      • Protein, reduces cholesterol, reduces the chances of heart disease and even cancer
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • Rice or pasta to serve

    Directions:

    • Pour the oil into a pot and let it heat
    • While it is heating, chop up your vegtables and crush the garlic
    • Add all three to the hot pot, and cook until the onion is translucent
    • Stir in the mustard and all of the spices
    • Add the lentils, chick-peas, tomatoes, molasses and peanut-butter
    • Mix well, and leave to simmer on a low heat for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally
    • Serve with some rice or pasta

    This makes two massive servings, so there will be plenty left over for lunch. It was inspired by a recipe called Sloppy Lennys sandwich spread that I found in one of my favourite vegan cookbooks: Vegan Vittles. Oh, and even though I’d recommend this with brown rice, the picture above is with mashed potatoes, some soya milk and nutritional yeast flakes. Nick wanted some comfort food the night I was cooking so I did mash instead, and it tasted fab too. A big pile of spuds doesn’t fair as well on the healthy scale although ^_^

    Category mains, recipe | Tags: ,,,, | 3 Comments

  7. Teese for Me

    by Victoria

    After my last post about teese vegan cheese, I sent an e’mail inquiring about the possibility of postage and the costs it would incur. The guys over at teesecheese.com got back with a speedy reply as follows:
    Sorry Vicki.. . too much paperwork, too much $$. You MAY be able to through veganessentials.com... who will be carrying it within the next few days.

    Over at veganessentials.com they have added teese cheese to their shop. It’s going on sale on the 7th of April. The page also says:
    This item can be shipped outside of the USA, however, it must be done at the risk of the customer, as we cannot guarantee that it will arrive in perfect condition if you live in a very hot climate. Most likely the item will be fine, however, as noted above, this is shipped at your own risk.
    I’ve been wanting to try out the dairy free white chocolate chips for a while, so I think a test order might be called for after my next pay day. mmmMelty.

    Category ommnomnom, products | Tags: ,, | No Comments

  8. Teese Vegan Cheese

    April 1, 2008 by Victoria

    Never have I seen vegan cheese melt quite like this.

    The folks over at teesecheese.com have from what I can see the meltiest vegan cheese ever! They are of course, an American based company, however they do have an online shop. I’m not quite sure about the legislation governing the postage of vegan cheese from America to Ireland. So, to find out I have sent them an e-mail. Results will be posted :)

    Category products | Tags: , | No Comments

  9. Ginger & Garlic Sauce

    March 31, 2008 by Victoria

    A quick and tasty sauce that will turn regular fried vegetables into ommnomnom

    Ingrediants:

    • 1 cup hot water
    • 1/2 a veg stock cube
    • 1 tablespoon garlic salt
    • 1 tablespoon ginger
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 teaspoon dark soy
    • 1 tablespoon cornflour

    Directions:

    • Stir everything together in the cup
    • Add to veg about 2 minutes before you are ready to serve
    • Tip: If you’re using tofu with your veg, throw in a good dash of the sauce to get it started

    Category recipe, sauce | Tags: , | 1 Comment

  10. A word from one of my Favourite Veg*ns

    March 28, 2008 by Victoria



    I hold a warm place in my heart for the woman charmer that he played in Star Trek, and the quick witted lawyer in Boston Legal, and I adore the fact that he played host and narrator to a short documentary supporting vegetarianism: The Vegetarian World.

     



    I’ll admit, it’s a rather PG introduction to vegetarianism, but anything narrated by that wonderful voice goes down easy. Shatner believes “Vegetarianism is not just a diet, it is a whole approach to life” which, I guess, is the reason I became a vegan. He goes on to talk veganism as the purest of the vegetarian diets.

    It’s sad that at the time of making, back in the early 80s, there was a realization that if the world could reduce it’s consumption of meat by 10%, it could feed 60 million more people. As it stands, about one third of cereal grown is used to feed the rich countries live-stock. According to a report by the UN, entitled Livestock’s Long Shadow in 2006 the number of overweight people (1 billion) outnumbered the malnourished (800 million). Mmm, they have also gone as far as to state that livestock products are one of the major contributing causes. Their current statistics for world obesity weighs in at 300 million.

    Of course, it would be naive to think that you have to be an omnivore to be over-weight. Shatner himself nearly died during a hip replacement because of heart complications that were due to excess weight.

    William Shatner is not the only geeky vegetarian that I have a soft spot for. Leonard Nimoy would have to be up at the top of that list. As Mr Spock, the first officer aboard the Starship Enterprise, he played the first vegetarian to appear regularly on television. Vulcans did not consume meat, although they did use futuristic technologies to replicate food to taste like meat. A 24th century quorn no doubt.

    Category famous people, humor | Tags: | No Comments

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