Posts

Posted on

Think global, act local

I had a chat with recently with a friend after watching a couple of documentaries about the climate change threatening our way of life and what people can do to help reduce their footprint on the world. We got on to talking about how, although everyone wants to play their part in confronting the problem, how overwhelming it can feel and how difficult it can be to know where to start.

Here are some ideas that begin at home, by supporting your local community. No, doing one of these things won’t halt climate change in its tracks – but it will make a difference. And if you influence just one other person to do the same, you might just trigger a domino effect in your community that spreads far and wide.

Take part in your local beach clean or community clean up. The more people that volunteer for these vital initiatives, the more plastic can be picked up and recycled properly rather than making its way to the ocean, where it destroys marine life. Every single piece of plastic that you collect is one less piece to pollute the ocean. Go to the Marine Conservation Society’s website to find your nearest one, or Facebook to see if there’s a community clean up near you.

Image – Surfers Against Sewage

Help to eliminate food waste. Download an app like ToGoodToGo where you can pick up food that’s about to pass its sell by date for next to nothing – I got two bags worth of fruit and veg recently for £3.50 from a fruit and vegetable shop in town! And for your own food, rather than throwing it away, share it on Olio – great for when you’ve overbought or you’re going away somewhere and have too much food. Finally, if your food is too past its sell by date to eat or share – compost it!

I got all this for £3.50 through ToGoodToGo!

Support local vegan businesses – shops, cafes and caterers. Cutting out meat and dairy is the single biggest thing that you can do to reduce your carbon footprint – but it can be daunting to know where to start. Take a look around at the small vegan businesses in your area and you could find a whole new world of deliciousness that you didn’t know existed! Start off by committing to one vegan day a week, maybe picking up a salad for lunch from your local vegan cafe or treating yourself to some doughnuts from the vegan bakery around the corner.

Find out what your local representative is doing to tackle the problem in your community. If it’s not enough, or it’s not working, write to them with suggestions and ask them to commit to some or all of them. Encourage friends in your local community to do the same.

Leave the car at home. And take a look at how it’ll take you to walk or cycle to your destination instead. You might find it’s less time that you think – and along the way you’ll discover a whole new part of your village, town or city that you never knew existed, while you’re saving the planet from the unhealthy emissions from your car. And if it’s not possible to get somewhere on foot, by bike or by public transport, look into whether there is a car share scheme in your area.

Rewild your garden or an outdoor space. If you have a garden, take a break from mowing your lawn. This encourages the growth of plants like clover, that bees love – and we all know how important bees are to our ecosystem. Stopping weeding can also encourage the growth of bee-friendly plants that may encourage other wildlife to visit, too. You can even take it a step further and scatter some wildflower seeds – if there’s a communal green space near you try some guerrilla gardening with your seeds!

Recyle used items. This can be anything from clothes to that lightbox languishing in your attic from when you were into photography, cook books you no longer use or a piece of furniture. Stick them on gumtree or your local community noticeboard. The more we recycle, the less we consume, slowing down the incessant demand on retailers to constantly produce more for us to buy.

Fix things, don’t throw them away. It’s so tempting when you have a household item that breaks – like a kettle or toaster – just to bin it and head to Tesco to buy a new one. Instead, why not watch a YouTube video on how to repair it – or find out if your community has a RepairCafe where someone else can help?

Image – The Repair Cafe

Posted on

Green Vegan Coriander Soup

This spicy green vegan coriander soup can be put together really quickly and is delicious on its own or with steamed bao buns. It’s full of flavour and goodness with antioxidants and vitamins galore, but low on calories.

Ingredients

40g spinach

40g coriander

40g mint

5cm ginger, grated

1 litre vegetable stock

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

1 tbsp sesame oil

Plus you’ll need a blender.

Method

Heat a tbsp sesame oil in a wok and fry the spinach, coriander and mint for three minutes.

Add the ginger, chilli flakes and salt and fry for another minute or so.

Take off the heat and add the stock, then blend to make a creamy soup.

Garnish with a sprig of coriander and serve.

If you liked this, try our vegan okonomiyaki pancakes.

Posted on

Vegan Smoked Salmon Blinis with Sour Cream

Smoked salmon and sour cream blinis were one of my favourite things before I went vegan, and something I didn’t think it would be possible to recreate. But as I’ve said before, EVERYTHING can be veganised – so here for your enjoyment is the recipe for these vegan smoked salmon blinis with sour cream!

I recommend making the smoked salmon a couple of days ahead to give it plenty of time to marinade.

For the smoked salmon

Ingredients

2 large cooked carrots, dunked in icy water after cooking then peeled into strips using a vegetable peeler

2 tbsp dried seaweed flakes – I used kelp

1 tbsp dill

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp liquid smoke

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Marinade the carrot strips in the seaweed, dill, lemon, liquid smoke, olive oil and soy sauce in a sealed container such as a tupperware box in the fridge, making sure that they’re all coated in the mixture.

For the sour cream (blender required)

Ingredients

200g raw cashews, soaked overnight

160 ml water

Juice of 1 lemon

Teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Teaspoon salt

Method

Very simple – just put all the ingredients together and blend!

For the blinis

Ingredients

1 flax egg – 1 tbsp flaxseed and 3 tbsp warm water, mixed and refrigerated for 10-15 minutes.

250g mashed potato

150 ml plant milk

100g plain flour

Pinch salt

Lemon and dill to garnish

1 tbsp olive oil

Method

Heat up the olive oil in a pan. Drop a tbsp of the mixture in the hot oil to form a blini. Fry on both sides until golden then serve with the sour cream, smoked salmon and garnished with lemon and dill.

If you like this recipe, try our vegan cheese and spinach muffins.

Posted on

Vegan Turkish Delight Toast

Also know as pistachio and rose butter!

This vegan Turkish delight toast is made with home made pistachio and rose butter. I spread it on home made pumpkin and chia bread, but it’ll taste amazing on anything. It does have a very intense rose flavour, which you can dial down by reducing the amount of rose essence if you prefer – it really does taste exactly like Turkish delight spread on toast!

You’ll need a blender for this recipe.

Ingredients

200g shelled pistachios

1 tsp rose butter (or half a tsp for a less intense flavour)

4 tbsp warm water

3 tbsp golden syrup

Method

This is the easy part – add all the ingredients to the blender, and keep blending, stopping to scrape down the sides if needed, until you have a smooth, sticky green nut butter. Add a little more water if it’s too thick. Spread on toast and enjoy!

If you like this, try our vegan millionaire’s shortbread.

Posted on

Vegan Tomato Polenta Fingers

I first tried making polenta years ago and found it really bland and tasteless and was put off making it again for a long time, until I tried making these. The secret is to mix the polenta and water with other flavours when you’re cooking it – these vegan tomato polenta fingers are delicious topped with olives, salad and some grated vegan cheese, or dipped in houmus – plus they’re really easy to make! They look a bit like fish fingers when they’re cooked – and they’re great hot or cold.

Ingredients

150g polenta

1 pint hot vegetable stock

4 medium fresh tomatoes, chopped

Tbsp olive oil

Salad, olives and grated cheese to top (I used Applewood smoked)

Houmus to dip – this recipe is amazing if you’re making your own.

1 small loaf tin

Method

Saute the tomatoes over a medium heat for five minutes, then blend in your blender.

Add the hot veg stock to a pan and bring to the boil. Add the polenta and tomatoes and stir over a medium heat until the polenta is very thick and creamy, stirring regularly the whole time it’s cooking. You’ll know it’s ready when you can stand the spoon up in it.

Pour into a loaf tin and refrigerate for an hour.

Then heat up a griddle pan with a tbsp of olive oil. Cut the polenta into fingers and fry on each side for a couple of minutes. Now it’s ready to serve!

If you like these, try our spaghetti with truffle oil and lemon.

Posted on

Vegan Okonomiyaki Pancakes

If you haven’t tried these kimchi-based savory pancakes yet, you are in for a treat. These vegan okonomiyaki pancakes are made vegan by using flaxseed to replace the egg and topped with mushrooms and pickled veg.

Makes 4 medium pancakes.

Ingredients

150g plain flour

1 flax egg – add 1 tbsp flaxseed to 3 tbsp water and refrigerate for 10 minutes

One small Savoy cabbage, chopped

150g kimchi, I used jarred kimchi

250ml water

1 tsp salt

Pickled veg – make this ahead by cutting half a cucumber, a carrot, and 3 radishes into thin matchsticks/slices, and adding 4oz rice vinegar and 2oz water boiled in the microwave. Store in an airtight container in the microwave.

150g oyster mushrooms

1 tsp soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

Kimchi mayo – add 1 tbsp kimchi to 100g vegan mayo.

Method

Make the pancakes first. To make the batter, combine the flour, flax egg, half the chopped cabbage, kimchi, salt and water.

Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Spoon a large tablespoon of the mixture into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes then flip over. It’s ready when both sides are golden. Once you’ve made all of your pancakes, set them aside.

Slice the oyster mushrooms and fry them in the same pan along with the other half of the chopped cabbage, adding another tsp of sesame oil. Fry till soft and browned. Spoon the soy sauce over the fried mushrooms.

Top the pancakes with the pickled veg and mushrooms and cabbage, and drizzled with the kimchi mayo.

If you like this recipe, try this Vegan Coconut Rice with Miso Tofu, Pickled Veg and Peanut Chilli Broccoli.

Posted on

Four Walks Around Edinburgh

Like everyone else in the UK and further afield, we’ve been very restricted about where we can go in recent months. And like most people, we’ve become a little bit tired of the same old walks and have been making an effort to discover new places to go to change it up a bit. Here are four walks in nature around Edinburgh, from ascending an extinct volcano,: stunning lochs; beautiful clear rivers, and even some modern art along the way.

They’re also a lovely way to enjoy Edinburgh if you’re visiting later on in the year.

Water of Leith

The Water of Leith walk and cycleway runs for twelve miles through the heart of Edinburgh.

A favourite route starts at the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art. From the car park behind the Modern One building, take the steps down to a little bridge over the Water of Leith. There you’ll see one of Anthony Gormley’s famous 6 Times Installations – life size casts of the artist’s body – in the water. From here, keep the river on your left until you reach a bridge that takes you over to the other bank and through picture-postcard Dean Village with its houses dating back to the 17th century. Carry on up the river until you reach Stockbridge, where you can step back into the city, or retrace your steps back to the Gallery along the river.

Getting there – You can walk to the Scottish Gallery of Modern Art from the city centre, or catch bus 37 from South Bridge and get off at the Gallery.

6 Times by Anthony Gormley in the Water of Leith

Pentlands Regional Park at Flotterstone

The Pentlands Regional Park covers a huge area with several walks, but this one is particularly scenic – rolling hills, rivers, reservoirs, and even an ancient Roman fort!

Fields of sheep and turnips on the way to the reservoir on a beautiful February day

Start at Flotterstone car park, which lies just south of the city bypass. There’s a cafe and loo there should you need them. Follow the Glencorse burn along a fairly flat road for twenty minutes until you reach the picturesque reservoir with a wooded island in its centre and drowned chapel that you can sometimes see if it’s been very dry. Take the right path (signposted) for Glencorse View and Castle Law. This path gives you amazing views over the reservoir. From there, you can continue along to Castle Law farm and detour to see the Roman fort – a detailed guide to the walk is here.

Getting there – by car to the Flotterstone Inn EH26 0PP, or catch the 102 bus from Edinburgh bus station towards Dumfries and get off at the Flotterstone Inn.

Harlaw Reservoir

The Harlaw reservoir walk also takes in the Pentlands Regional Park from the other side. Start this walk at the Harlaw Visitor Centre car park .

Harlaw Reservoir

This is a lovely walk around Harlaw Reservoir that we love doing all year round – parts of it take you through woods that are filled with ditches that the kids have fun jumping across (though you can walk round them if you prefer!) It’s also possible to swim in the reservoir, though watch out for people fishing.

Start the walk at the Harlaw House car park, with its short walk along to Harlaw House. Harlaw House was originally built as a waterkeeper’s cottage after the reservoir was built in 1848, and is now a visitor information centre. On the way, there’s a beautiful gated Wildlife Garden, which a lovely place to sit and have a picnic. From there, you can choose whether to take a clockwise or anti-clockwise loop round the reservoir. Walk through the shaded woods and jump across the ditches, enjoy the views of the Pentlands hills from the path, or follow the banks of the reservoir.

Getting there – By car to Harlaw House EH14 7AS, or by bus 44 from Edinburgh to Balerno.

Arthur’s Seat

Arthur’s Seat

You can’t have a guide to walks in Edinburgh without including Arthur’s Seat. We love to walk up it on Christmas Eve, as a way of tiring the kids out, but it’s spectacular all through the year. Watching the sun rise from the top is an essential Edinburgh experience, and the views over the city and the Forth from this extinct volcano are breathtaking.

There are various routes up to the top of Arthur’s Seat. This one is of moderate difficulty – there are steeper routes, but we like this one as it’s manageable for the kids. Start at the Holyrood Palace car park and follow the red paved path. You’ll come to a corner – take the left path which heads towards the ruins of St Anthony’s Chapel. From there you can follow the line of cliffs up to the peak, or the path along the bottom of the cliffs. They both lead to the top. There are some quite steep climbs on this walk, but the views from the summit will reward your effort.

You can find more detail about routes up Arthur’s Seat here.

Getting there – Walk to the bottom of the Royal Mile towards the Scottish Parliament – you’ll see the foot of Arthur’s Seat once you turn the corner from the Royal Mile.

If you like these walks and want to go further afield, try the De’ils Cauldron Walk in Comrie for waterfalls and spectacular views.

Posted on

Vegan Coconut Rice with Miso Tofu and Pickled Veg, with Peanut Chilli Broccoli

This vegan coconut rice is a little time consuming to make, in that involves some prep in the days before you make it with the preparation of the tofu and pickled veg. And it’s definitely not the lightest of meals as it’s full of rich flavours and textures. But it’s so worth it! Once you’ve prepped the tofu and veg, it’s very easy to throw together.

Makes 4 medium bowls.

For the rice, tofu and veg

Ingredients

1 block firm tofu

500 g brown rice

3 teaspoons brown miso paste

2 cans coconut milk

1 teaspoon ginger

Juice of half a lemon

Salt

Half a cucumber

1 carrot

3 radishes

4 oz rice vinegar

2 oz water

2 tbsp sesame oil

Method

First press and marinade the tofu. For best results, do this 48-24 hours before you make this meal – the longer you press and marinade the tofu, the better the flavour. Either use a tofu press or wrap the tofu in a tea towel, put it in a sieve over a bowl and lay some heavy books on top of it.

Make the tofu marinade. Dissolve a teaspoon and a half of brown miso paste in 14 oz boiling water. Add it to a can of coconut milk, a teaspoon of grated ginger, the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt.

Once the tofu has been pressed for at least two hours, chop it into cubes and add it to the marinade, in a bowl or airtight container. Refrigerate until you’re ready to make the rice – the longer the better for the tofu to absorb flavour.

Now make the pickled veg. Cut the carrot and cucumber into matchsticks and thinly slice the radish. Heat the rice vinegar, water and a teaspoon of salt in the microwave for 30 seconds and pour over the veg. Store in a jar or airtight tupperware and refrigerate.

To make the rice, weigh out 500g brown rice and rinse. Add to a pan with 1 litre water and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil over a medium heat.

At the same time, dissolve one and half teaspoons miso paste in 14 oz boiling water.

While the rice is cooking, heat 2 tbsp sesame oil over a medium heat. Add the tofu cubes and slowly adding the marinade, fry until the cubes are golden.

When the rice is cooked, add the can of coconut milk and miso water and stir it through the rice.

Serve the rice in a bowl and top with the tofu and the pickled veg.

For the peanut broccoli

Ingredients

125g peanuts

125 g breadcrumbs

Pinch chilli flakes

200g tenderstem broccoli

2 tbsp sesame oil

Method

Steam the broccoli for five minutes till cooked. Toss in a tablespoon of sesame oil and a little salt.

Crush the peanuts, either in a plastic bag with a rolling pin or a mortar and pestle.

Heat the sesame oil over a medium heat. Add the chilli, breadcrumbs and peanuts and cook for 2 minutes till the breadcrumbs are golden.

Toss the broccoli in the peanut mixture and serve!

If you liked this recipe, try –

Vegan Potato and Spinach Pakora Sandwich

Vegan Japanese Mushrooms and Greens

Posted on

Bento Box Vegan Spicy Tempeh, Potato and Cauliflower

This vegan spicy tempeh, potato and cauliflower salad is a great lunch to eat at home or to make ahead for the days when we might be working from an office again (if you’re not already!) It has a spicy kick that’ll wake you up and stave off any post-afternoon slump. These quantities will make 4 lunches for one person.

Ingredients

150g new potatoes, peeled, boiled and riced or grated

Block tempeh, 200g

1 cauliflower

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika

3 tbsp chopped spinach

2 tbsp chopped mint

1 tsp salt

Juice of 2 limes

Method

Combine the chilli powder, mint, cumin, paprika,salt and lime in a bowl.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.

Slice the tempeh into thin slices and coat with 2/3 of the chilli mixture. Place in a baking tray.

Slice the cauliflower thinly into slices that are as flat as possible. Coat with 2/3 of the chilli mixture and place in a baking tray.

Bake the tempeh and cauliflower in the oven for 20 minutes.

In the meantime cut the potatoes into quarters and boil till cooked. For the last couple of minutes they’re cooking, put the spinach in the pan to wilt it.

Toss the baked tempeh, cauliflower and potato in the remaining 2/3 of the chilli mixture. Serve with side salad and a squeeze of lemon or lime.

If you like this recipe, try our vegan coconut rice with miso tofu and pickled veg.

Posted on

Vegan Cheese and Spinach Muffins with Sour Cream

In my pre-vegan days, I used to make cheese muffins all the time for parties, weekends and just-because-I’m-hungry days. They were so dairy heavy that I thought I’d never be able to match them with a vegan version until I made these! This vegan cheese and spinach muffins recipe makes about 16 so plenty for everyone to get tucked into as they didn’t last the day in our house!

For the vegan cheese and spinach muffins;

Ingredients

300g shredded spinach, immersed in boiling water for a couple of minutes to soften

400g self raising flour

4 tbsp nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

325ml plant milk

50ml sunflower oil

Flax egg for binding – this is 1 tbsp flaxseed plus 3 tbsp water, chilled in the fridge for 10/20 minutes

100g grated cheese, I used Applewood smoked

1 tsp salt

Method

In one bowl, mix together the flour, nutritional yeast and salt.

In another bowl, mix together the oil, plant milk, and mustard.

Combine the two bowls of wet and dry ingredients and add in the cheese and spinach. Spoon the mixture into muffin tins and bake for 30-40 minutes at 175 degrees. The bottoms can take a bit longer to cook, so check that they’re firm-ish before removing from the muffin tin – they do firm up once left for half an hour or so, but you don’t want them too soggy!

Sour cream

Ingredients

200g raw cashews, soaked overnight

160 ml water

Juice of 1 lemon

Teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Teaspoon salt

Method

Very simple – just put all the ingredients together and blend!

Serve the vegan cheese and spinach muffins cut in half with the sour cream.

If you like these, try our cheesy vegan puff pastry bites.