Friday 1 November 2013

BREAKFAST - wake up to vegan deliciousness!

Happy World Vegan Day and Month!!!

Never has there been a better time to learn about and experience a plant-based lifestyle.
A lifestyle that's kind to you, to animals and to our beautiful planet.

Whatever you've heard about veganism or think about veganism - perhaps: how hard it is, how boring it might be, how bland the food must be - FORGET IT!!!

Negative perceptions - are just that - PERCEPTIONS - because a lot of industries want you to doubt how good a life vegans have.

But I'm here to let you in on the world's best kept secret - being VEGAN is WONDERFUL!!!

I'm going to show you even more ways that your diet can make a difference - through scrumptious breakfast, brunches, lunches, suppers and treats. And throughout this month I'll highlight small simple lifestyle changes that YOU can make very easily too. 

Reconnecting with yourself, with all sentient beings and with our amazing planet is something you can't afford to miss out on.

Right then - let's wake up with some scrummy breakfasts!

[All the meals you see here have been made by me, from scratch, in my kitchen at home. I take my inspiration from everywhere and love to be creative too. No time to add all the recipes, so please contact me if something takes your fancy and I'll send you your very own recipe sheet. Chantal xx]



Fri 01.11.13
 
cinnamon porridge with sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds & grated fresh apple
Sat 02.11.13
spinach buckwheat pancake with mushrooms, tomatoes & marinated tofu filling
 Sun 03.11.13
fusion: southern style corn bread & maple syrup, with indian spiced saag potatoes
 Mon  04.11.13
warm peanut butter muesli with soya yoghurt & blueberries
Tue  05.11.13
mini shredded wheat with chocolate oat milk (yum!) & fresh banana
 Wed  06.11.13
berry 'sunrise' smoothie with vegan dairy-free croissants (I know, who knew!)
 Thu  07.11.13
sweet creamy coconut porridge with tropical fruit (banana, mango & kiwi)
Fri  08.11.13
'pbj' wholemeal bagel - poshed up with cashew butter & low sugar apricot jam
Sat  09.11.13
spiced breakfast bean burrito with marinated tofu and pineapple
 Sun  10.11.13
scrambled savoury tofu with mushrooms, tomatoes and toast
 Mon  11.11.13
orange and cinnamon couscous with poppy seeds & fresh fruits
Tue  12.11.13
homemade sour cherry & almond granola with added flax - great with almond milk
 Wed  13.11.13
peanut butter on toast with a green juice (apple & kiwi)
Thu  14.11.13
rice and buckwheat flake porridge with griddled fresh apricots & agave syrup
 Fri  15.11.13
hummus on toasted olive bread with yogurt & berries on the side
 Sat  16.11.13
sweet potato cakes with spinach, raisins & pine nuts
 Sun  17.11.13
chilli potato hash with fried bread & baked beans (well it is sunday!)
 Mon  18.11.13
mixed citrus salad with (guilt-free) date & oat cookies
Tue  19.11.13
mixed wholegrain (Nature's Path) cereals with almond milk, yoghurt & berries
 Wed  20.11.13
banana, walnut, omega smoothie with amaranth quinoa rye toast & marmite
 Thu  21.11.13
oat porridge with pumpkin seeds & organic dried apricots
 Fri  22.11.13
'creamy' herby mushrooms on organic amaranth rye
 Sat  23.11.13
wholemeal tortilla wrap with fresh spinach, mushrooms & mexican refried beans
 Sun  24.11.13
baked portabello mushroom muffin with sweet potato pecan hash
 Mon  25.11.13
toffee apple pancakes - nuff said.... mmm [no eggs, no dairy!]
 Tue  26.11.13
cherry & almond granola with grated fresh apple
 Wed  27.11.13
red pepper, carrot & tomato booster juice with granary sourdough & marmite
 Thu  28.11.13
porridge with bruleed plums
 Fri  29.11.13
cranberry & pumpkin seed toast with fig preserve & fresh orange
Sat  30.11.13
vegan sausages with portabello, tomato, baby watercress & focaccia

So there you have it! 30 delicious breakfasts and brunches!
Vegan - never a dull start to the day ;)

Thursday 31 October 2013

Paws for thought: Destination Vegan? My journey to veganism.


Destination Vegan?

The journey; My journey . . .
 
For a few brave people – switching to a vegan diet and lifestyle is something that they throw themselves into pretty much overnight.  And if you are an ‘all or nothing’ character this may well be the best way for you.



For me, however, it was a little different. When I look back now, I see a gradual awakening that saw me progressing through a 5 year evolution from confirmed carnivore to veggie to vegan - where I am, very happily, now.

Pretty much over those 5 years I progressed through the stages of being an ‘ethical’, ‘organic’, ‘welfare-conscious’, ‘meat-free Monday’ consumer.

I read labels incessantly and knew that processed foods were laden with a whole host of alien ingredients that I simply didn’t want to consume. I cooked most meals from scratch and became increasingly aware of the widespread use of drugs and pesticides in food production and manufacture.

But I was still a consumer of meat, fish and dairy none-the-less. So just what was it that made me first decide to give up meat and fish for good?

Two things:

  1.  My best friend of 33 years being diagnosed with cancer.
  2.  Caring for some ex-battery hens.

Two starkly contrasting things; but, as I was to find out later – possibly inextricably linked…


Sally (pictured here on the left with me) had been my best friend since the age of 7. She was the type of friend who knows you better than you know yourself. We shared everything and she was a complete and utter joy to be around – one of life’s true beautiful angels.












When she got the diagnosis we both frantically researched, looking for answers as to why this had happened and how she could be helped, perhaps through a change in diet? She went organic, gave up her beloved Chardonnay, started on fennel juicing and having read the China Study, quit beef and dairy foods too.

But try as we might, and despite a double mastectomy and 2 rounds of intensive chemo she succumbed to secondary cancer of the liver and lungs and died within 6 weeks of being given that terminal diagnosis.

Nothing could have prepared me for the complete devastation I felt at losing her – particularly so young and in her prime. Even writing this now, two and a half years on, it’s almost unbearable to think of and I need to stop and wipe tears away. I miss her every day and always will.

In the months that followed I became obsessed with finding answers as to why this had happened to her. I resumed my MSc studies (formerly Health Science and latterly Weight Management) and read / surfed avidly. And, as is the way when you start internet research, I followed a trail that got deeper and deeper until it ultimately led me to uncover some very shocking truths about the way in which animals are farmed for food.

Of course I knew animals died in order to provide us with food – how can you not? But like so many of us, I believed it was a health necessity and a natural part of our culture to eat meat. I’d been victim to those oh-so-clever marketing tactics and I’d conveniently (blissfully) been ignorant to the way in which animals are treated as commodities.

What I found, sure as hell, ‘woke’ me up. This is not the place for the graphic details. But you should, in all conscience, take a deep breath and do some simple online searches. It is the stuff of nightmares, but if you consume the ‘products’, then you should know and understand what happens to create them. One word always echoed in my head: ‘sentient.’

sentient

Pronunciation: /ˈsɛnʃ(ə)nt/

adjective

  • able to perceive or feel things:she had been instructed from birth in the equality of all sentient life forms


And, as if to bring that word to life, at the same time I adopted 4 ex-battery hens through the British Hen Welfare Trust. (It was at the time when the campaigning to improve welfare standards for chickens was running and it seemed like a lovely thing to do.)

It turned out to be an act with far reaching consequences because each and every day as I watched these poor de-beaked, de-feathered ‘egg machines’ blossom into the hens that they were meant to be, I saw personalities emerging, and witnessed intelligence, logic, emotion – the full range infact. And by January 2012 I’d seen and experienced enough. I became vegetarian and began to change all my household and toiletry / beauty products from not only organic and eco friendly, but to containing no animal-derived ingredients and never tested on animals. I vowed never to buy any leather products, feather filled products, wool, silk or fur ever again, and to shun the use of animals in ‘entertainment’ settings.

I now knew that as well as for reasons of health, I no longer wanted to eat meat or fish and use animal based products, because I could no longer contribute to industries that were based on pain, suffering, exploitation and ultimately, murder.

I knew instantly I’d done the right thing. I worried that the change might be tough – but I worked my way through the plethora of meat substitutes on the market, tried hundreds of exciting new recipes I wouldn’t have dreamt of before and continued to research into it all.

But a year down the line into my new and ‘improved’ lifestyle (which still included eggs and dairy), I wasn’t feeling well at all (either physically or mentally). I had gained a lot of weight, was suffering with constant back problems, joint pain and swelling and migraines. I was bitterly disappointed that my diet didn’t seem to be that healthy for me and I was also still losing sleep over something that just wasn’t ‘right’. 

I couldn’t put my finger on it and at the time I attributed it to my ongoing bereavement depression over losing Sally.

But then another pivotal thing happened…

I watched 2 YouTube videos:

One called ‘A calf and a half’ about milk production at one of Cadbury’s dairy farms.
And the other a lecture by an animal rights activist called Gary Yourofsky.

That same afternoon I attempted to watch Earthlings, got 22 minutes in – to the point where a stray dog is thrown into a garbage truck (alive) and I pretty much had a breakdown. I cried for hours.

That was it for me.

No more dairy, no more eggs, no more ignorance.


I knew that for so many reasons I needed to follow a vegan diet AND a vegan lifestyle. This wasn’t a choice as such – it was an absolute compulsion, and as I’ve heard it described by others since – a ‘moral obligation and an imperative’.


Hand on heart, the day I became Vegan, I felt an actual sense of relief and everything in my life fell into place. I saw the world, I see the world, with very different eyes.

Some of that relief I believe, comes from an innate ‘knowing’ (that I’m sure all humans have, deep down), that using and eating other species, is, quite simply, morally wrong.
It is wrong because it isn’t necessary for our survival, in fact in most ways, as I’d also discovered, it’s detrimental to our survival. It’s scientifically proven that consumption of animal products contributes to modern diseases such as T2 Diabetes, Heart disease, Obesity and Cancers. Its decimating our wildlife and destroying our beautiful planet. But above all, it inflicts unimaginable suffering and pain on our fellow species - who can think, feel and hurt, just as humans do. 
*ALL species have the absolute right to live a peaceful existence on this planet.

Becoming vegan made me feel like shouting a million clichés – 'the penny had dropped', 'the cloud had lifted', 'I’d seen the light' etc. and this is something that you hear repeatedly when others share their story of why and how, they too, became vegan.


The destination…

Well what can I say?
Quite simply. I have yet to find ANY negatives.

I thought I’d miss milk, but there are multiple alternatives that suit all different culinary needs.
I thought I’d miss cheese, but knowing how milk is produced meant that nothing could ever taste as good as the alternative - compassion – felt (and the faux products are improving all the time).
I thought it would be hard to find things to eat, but it turns out that with a different mindset to cooking my food repertoire is now a million times more exciting (read my blog and you’ll see!)
I thought it would be hard to find non-animal derived products – but man is as clever as he is stupid and we’ve invented / manufactured all kinds of goods that don’t rely on animals to make them.
I thought I’d be joining a cult of 'hippy weirdoes' (apologies dear hippy friends) and labeled as a freak – but instead I found an incredible new family of consciously compassionate people only too willing to help me on my vegan journey.
And I’ve even been able to educate and inform friends, family, and people I meet about what it means to be a modern vegan in today’s society and the multiple benefits of its actions. If it’s a label then it’s one I’m very proud to wear.

But what of my health?

I’ve lost 12kg without dieting. My BP & cholesterol are below average readings and couldn’t be better. Genetically, I have inherited sickle cell trait (characterised by anemia - iron deficiency) and yet my iron levels and B12 levels are up since becoming vegan (much to my GPs amazement, because this is sometimes an area for concern with vegans). My joint pain, foot pain, back pain, hand pain, migraines and general malaise have all disappeared. I no longer have PMT that makes me want to kill others and then myself.
My skin has improved (no more hand dermatitis or facial spots), my hair is glossier (rarely do I need to wash it, apart from to remove environmental pollution), I need far less sleep, have far more energy, better cardio fitness and mentally – well I’m ready to take on the world!

I am left feeling incredible - physically and in my heart, conscience and soul.

Yes, I wish I’d done it years ago and in a way I wish I’d done it more quickly too.
But, I also know that, for me, this gradual evolution has taken me to a point where, no matter what, I will categorically never revert to my former way of living.


But like I’ve said at the beginning of this piece, if you have a mind to, then going from 'carnivore' to vegan overnight CAN be done. And I personally would advocate not going through a vegetarian transition phase – because, in my opinion, there is a tendency to then over-consume dairy products – which are amongst the worst possible for human health.
Just jump right in to veganism and ask the questions later! You won’t be disappointed, because I can assure you that the positive physical and emotional impact will be immediate. 
It will be the best, and most important life change you ever make – for YOU as a human, for THEM - the other animals and for US as custodians of a planet that’s gradually being destroyed for our blood lust.

So if you’re already vegan you may identify with some aspects of my story here and I’d love to hear how it was for you. Please either comment or get in touch.

If you’re not vegan – then you have the potential to be, because you’re reading this and that shows both curiosity and compassion. I'll gladly help you should you decide you'd like to try this kinder life. Again, please get in touch.


Try the vegan experience for World Vegan Month. 
One month. 
See how you feel.


I’ve added lots of info to this site to help you on YOUR journey.

Find:
More great recipes that you ever imagined here.
Vegan product ideas here.
Research on ‘why’ vegan here.
Helpful films here.
Interesting books to read here.
Events to attend here
Where to eat, where to stay.
and the fun stuff here!

Travel with us. 
It may be a slightly trickier journey at first – 
but the destination is completely amazing.


Chantal x

Dedicated to the best friend a girl could ever have – thank you for choosing me, my beautiful Sally B.

Tuesday 29 October 2013

Halloween Recipe - Roast pumpkin linguine with sundried tomatoes and a chilli, basil, walnut pesto.

Happy Halloween!
I love pumpkin - not quite as sweet as butternut squash and very versatile. But I bet there's a few people who carve one up for Halloween and don't know what to do with the flesh?! Oh! what a waste :(
So, no excuses now, I've come up with this delicious Vegan creation especially for you - perfect for a cold autumnal eve before sitting round the fire and telling ghost stories until the witching hour.........

Enjoy!  

Chantal xx

roast pumpkin linguine with sundried tomatoes & a chilli, basil, walnut pesto

[serves 2 - 4 or 2 generous suppers & 2 light lunches the next day]

Gather:

ingredients gathered - i used half of this pumpkin

Roast veg

Chopped flesh of a small - medium pumpkin.
2 small - medium red onions sliced into 8-12 (leave root intact so slices hold together)
1/2 jaror deli pack of sundried tomatoes in oil - tomatoes cut into 4 pieces each
freshly ground black pepper
salt (I use pink Himalayan - expensive but wonderful and toxin-free)

Pesto

2 cloves of garlic roughly sliced
1 small pack of fresh basil - roughly torn (reserve a few leaves for the garnish)
1 handful of walnuts (approx 10 halves)
1 red chilli deseeded and roughly chopped
extra virgin olive oil or light rapeseed oil (or oil of choice)

Other
150g dry linguine pasta
1 slice stale bread (I used granary sourdough)
A little oil for frying

Create:

Set your oven to high - 220C, 200C fan, GM 7, Aga 'hot'.

1.  Chop the pumpkin, onion and tomatoes, add to a roasting dish, season and pour over about 2 tbsp of the oil from the sundried tomatoes. Mix well to coat.
veg ready to roast

2.  Roast in the oven for approx 25 mins (stiring half way) or until the pumpkin has caramelised around the edges.

3.  Add the pesto ingredients to a blender and whiz to your preferred consistency - adding oil as you go - again to the consistency that you prefer. Season if you wish.

chilli, basil, walnut pesto
4. 15 minutes into roasting your veg bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the linguine according to packet instructions - usually for about 9 minutes for the perfect 'al dente' texture.

5.  Whilst this is cooking heat some oil in a pan and fry the bread cubes until golden brown and then drain on kitchen paper.
granary sour dough bread made incredible croutons
6.  Remove the roast vegetables from the oven, drain the pasta, add to the vegetables, pour over the pesto and stir to coat and mix in well. Serve topped with the croutons, fresh basil leaves and condiments as below!


Enjoy:

I can't resist serving any pasta dish with added Nutritional Yeast Flakes as sprinkles (good for your B12 intake too). I also added some Vegan bacon flavour salad sprinkles - which were incredible with this! And lashings of Vegan mayo on the side made my trio of condiments complete!


Cooks Tips:  This would also be lovely with other cucurbits such as courgettes and with pumpkin other herbs such as rosemary and sage work well roasted with it (although they are very pungent and pumpkin has quite a delicate flavour - so use sparingly).



Learn to love this veg and don't just cook it for Halloween (see why below!)

Health benefits of Pumpkin
  • It is one of the very low calorie vegetables. 100 g fruit provides just 26 calories and contains no saturated fats or cholesterol; however, it is rich in dietary fiber, anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins. The vegetable is one of the food items recommended by dieticians in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs.
  • Pumpkin is a storehouse of many anti-oxidant vitamins such as vitamin-A, vitamin-C and vitamin-E.
  • With 7384 mg per 100 g, it is one of the vegetables in the Cucurbitaceae family featuring highest levels of vitamin-A, providing about 246% of RDA. Vitamin A is a powerful natural anti-oxidant and is required by the body for maintaining the integrity of skin and mucus membranes. It is also an essential vitamin for good visual sight. Research studies suggest that natural foods rich in vitamin A help a body protects against lung and oral cavity cancers.
  • It is also an excellent source of many natural poly-phenolic flavonoid compounds such as α, ß carotenes, cryptoxanthin, lutein and zea-xanthin. Carotenes convert into vitamin A inside the body.
  • Zea-xanthin is a natural anti-oxidant which has UV (ultra-violet) rays filtering actions in the macula lutea in retina of the eyes. Thus, it helps protect from "age-related macular disease" (ARMD) in the elderly.
  • The fruit is a good source of B-complex group of vitamins like folates, niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin and pantothenic acid.
  • It is also rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium and phosphorus.

Halloween Recipe: Death by chocolate with frozen brains... (cake)

Happy Halloween!
This is the best vegan chocolate cake I've made yet! And 'death by chocolate' is an ironic name really cos nothing died in the making of it - as with all that I now create it's dairy-free, egg-free and cruelty-free all round. I guess you could explode, and hence kill yourself, if you ate a whole one - but hey, fun tryin!
Have a spooktastic Halloween 13!

(cue evil laugh effect...) wa ha ha ha haaaaaaa .....

Chantal xx


death by chocolate cake with frozen brains....


[serves 1 to 16]

Gather:

Margarine for greasing (I use either Stork gold block for baking or Fry-Light 1 cal 'butter' flavour)

Cake:
300g plain flour
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bicarb
1/2 tsp salt
300g granulated sugar (Silverspoon is Vegan)

375ml soya milk (I used Tesco organic uht)
125ml rapeseed oil
7 tbsp seedless raspberry jam
2 tsp vanilla extract

Frosting:
40ml soya milk
85g vegan dark chocolate broken into small pieces (I used Montezumas organic very dark chocolate)
60g icing sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup

fresh raspberries to decorate (mine were frozen from this summer's harvest - hence frozen 'brains'!)


Create:

1.  Heat oven to 180C  /  160C fan  /  Gas 4  /  Aga 'medium'.
     Line and grease a 23cm  /  9" cake tin.

re-usable liner with 1cal spray

2.  Sift all dry ingredients into a large bowl and combine.

3. Add wet ingredients to a saucepan and heat gently until the jam has melted and whisk to combine.

4. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix well.

5.  Pour the cake batter into the cake tin and bake mid oven for approx 45 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

6. Leave the cake in the tin to cool on a rack while making the icing. Remove the cake from the tin once cool enough.

lovely rise but note the cracking means my oven was too hot!

7.  To make the frosting, heat the soya milk gently in a pan with the chocolate and whisk until melted, remove from the heat and whisk in the maple syrup and icing sugar.

8.  Leave the icing to cool before icing the cooled cake and top with fresh fruit if desired.

just one more slice? go on, you know you want to...


Cooks tips: This could be made even more chocolatey and 'deathly' by adding chocolate chips in the batter and also on top. I think it would also be incredible made in a chocolate orange version - using marmalade instead of raspberry jam and crystalised orange peel to decorate. Yum!