Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts

Thursday 19 June 2014

Paws for thought... 'Friend or faux?'



Fake, replica, mock, analogue - whatever you call them, faux meat and cheese products seem to be dividing the established Vegan community.




You may like them, you may not and you may have an opinion on them… and here’s mine:



I should just start by saying that this post, in part, has been prompted by a little online incident, of what I can only call ‘purist policing’. If you’re Vegan already you may know what I mean.

Vegans are pretty much used to having their food and lifestyle critisised and questioned by some non-vegans, but what can come as a shock is when Vegans are on the receiving end of it from – other Vegans. 

Fry's Louisianna 'chicken' tenders.

It’s only happened to me a couple of times and each time I’ve bitten my Vegan tongue, risen above it and replied in a positive way. But I observed an incident the other day that has meant I needed to vent a little – so forgive me!








It occurred when a fabulous food blogger I’ve come to know, and greatly admire, tweeted a picture of her shopping trolley. I was delighted because in one graphic it instantly showed a regular household food shop, filled with a wide variety of foods…. This always pleases me because non-vegans undoubtedly have a perception than Vegan living and eating is difficult and that we seem to eat nothing but mung beans and brown rice. Let me tell you – a very good Vegan friend and I only recently discovered what a mung bean was!!! So…

But low and behold, someone (A N Other Vegan – let’s call him ‘PP’) saw fit to critisise the contents of this shop for too many ‘junk’ items, too many replicas and not enough fruit and veg (which actually was more hidden further down the trolley).



Let me be very clear…

This makes me mad…


And as I have pointed out on several occasions – compassionate to the nth degree though I may be –in reality no-one wants to see a redhead get mad… it’s never going to end well.

What upsets me is that if a non vegan had been following this thread and had seen this interaction and seen the criticism… they would be deterred. It doesn’t send a positive message.



But the point for me, about this lady’s trolley, was that she was proving just how easy it is to be vegan and the main thing to focus on was that her trolley contained no dead animals or animal secretions, and surely THIS is THE ONLY point to focus on.



faux sausage and apple casserole



But it links in with some reactions I have seen to faux products – in particular those that are designed to be similar to meat.

I know some purists want us all to be juicing, spiralising, eating raw food and only using fresh ingredients – but this is NOT what Veganism is about to me. If you’re into that then of course that’s fine! Enjoy! And I would never critisise you for eating that way. But to place emphasis on it as necessary in order to be Vegan, and to be scornful of those who don’t, is not only hurtful, it’s alienating to so many people.  

In my mind this doesn’t help the Vegan ‘cause’ one little bit. 


If your average non-vegan on the street thinks this is how you have to live to be Vegan, then frankly they’re never going to try it and we’ve missed a trick in helping them to change their lives for the better and, of course, to save animal lives. We need to be realistic about what non-vegans currently eat and we need to be pragmatic in our approach to that. Visit any supermarket, observe peoples trolleys and you’ll see what I mean. They are full of convenience foods.


Yes, we all know that our own health is important and we also know that a Vegan diet can help improve this significantly. And in actual fact switching from meat to ‘copies’ of those things – even processed versions, is still far healthier for people. They contain almost zero cholesterol and fewer calories for a start! But making all of your own food, from scratch, is not a prerequisite to being Vegan and most people people lack the time, skills and dedication needed to make this happen.


Another issue that seems to be raised is why would someone want to eat a product that reminds them of a dead animal – why would they want to replicate that?

Here’s my view on it: that product - i.e. a sausage, for example, doesn’t remind me of a dead animal… I don’t think pig or cow when I eat one – because thanks to a psychological barrier called ‘cognitive dissonance’ (basically a mental disconnect) that I had when I was non vegan, I never associated pork or beef sausages with a dead animal either! I didn’t see them as sentient animals on my plate ever! I saw the items simply as ingredients either for a casserole or for my breakfast or with my mash… and it’s simply the same for a plant-based sausage – it really is. It’s just an ingredient that I am familiar cooking with, yet it comes with no violence attached. 


AND people like them. It does not mean they’re hankering for the good old meaty days of feasting on animal flesh though, because much of the flavour in any meat-based dish actually comes from the herbs, seasonsing, spices and vegetables that are used with it (think marinades, rubs, sauces and smokey flavours) – not from the meat itself. That’s how it’s so easy to replicate because it’s about a seasoning blend. That’s often what people miss.



So, in my opinion, whatever helps people to come into this wonderful compassionate lifestyle then I’m all for it. 
If that’s a readymade pie, a sausage or a burger then so be it – great! 

And as people become more aware of their eating, and learn more about food in general, yes they may then venture into the culinary realms of creating great wholesome plant-based dishes from scratch. But until that time let them eat tofurkey and facon in peace!


Allow me to illustrate my point further:

I’m actually quite a good cook and I enjoy cooking. But when my life changed and I wanted to try being vegetarian I was flummoxed as to where to start. However, help was at hand in the form of Quorn, Linda Mccartney and Goodlife products. So OVERNIGHT I was able to make that dietary change, and hey presto, I was instantly killing less animals. I didn’t need to think about it at all – I just did it. 

ready-made spicy bean burger



Scarily, I might never have done it if I had thought I would need to buy more ingredients, more equipment and more cook books whilst spending hours in the kitchen and planning my evenings around when to soak my mung beans. My research shows that THIS is how the vast majority of people think.







And now… a couple of years later when my husband (bless him) has decided he really should to learn to cook… how was the best way to approach it? Well, by starting out with meals that he’s familiar with and taking the pressure off in the kitchen by using an ingredient such as soya mince, or a veggie roast or a sausage so that he could ease himself into cooking and learn how to steam broccoli and other veg one step at a time. 


 
Dave's Sunday roast!

And let me tell you he can now make a mean Sunday roast with the best crispy potatoes and perfectly steamed veg because of it. Thank you Vegusto. His confidence has grown and now he wants to learn more and experiment more with cooking things from scratch.

What a great result!









At the end of the day, the vast majority of people are time poor, they lack cooking skills and do not have the inclination to break the habits of a lifetime, particularly for something that appears to be like hard work. It’s just a fact – humans are drawn to the easy option and even if they’re interested in Veganism it won’t take much to dissuade them from trying it. Research I’ve done over the last year has born this out time and time again. And it’s why you’ll see me focus on all of the positive and all of the easy ways in which you can live this amazing cruelty-free life.



If we make something seem difficult, when there is already a negative perception of it, then we are never ever going to change hearts and minds and progress to a kinder world. It just isn’t going to happen.



The fact is that hardly any of us were born and raised Vegan. Most of us have spent years eating animal ‘products’ – it’s what we’re used to and what we know how to use. And indeed our entire food culture is based around these ingtredients. Decades old habits will take decades to change. So to all the PPs out there, please understand, please think before you critisise and remember what Veganism is ultimately about. 


And if you disagree… yet you still enjoy an almond ‘milk’ latte, have vitalite on toast, like a good tofu ‘scramble’, eat cake bound with flax ‘egg’, grill ‘burgers’ made with beans, have ‘cheesy’ nooch sprinkles…. Then you may wish to reconsider your faux view.



Faux meat foods are old friends… it’s just that now, they’re not harming our friends.

Vegusto weiner 'hotdog' with paprika sweet potato wedges & slaw.

Friday 11 April 2014

Restaurant review: Tyepyedong, noodle bar, Exeter [Vegan options]


Where: Tyepyedong, Sidwell st, Exeter

Between Healthy Pulses (great shop!) & Timpsons.

Style:
Small independently owned noodle bar (Chinese/Asian fusion in style) tucked inbetween the shops of Exeter’s main thoroughfare – quite easy to miss if you don’t know it!

Service:
Always polite, friendly and efficient – a young service team & the owner on duty keeping an eye on things.

Clean simple seating inside.

Food choices:
So easy for Vegans as all Vegan options are labeled V+ (vegetarian are V). Chose from starters, filling noodle soups, strifries with rice and stirfries with noodles. They are also happy to accommodate preferences if you need to change a dish slightly.

Crispy vegetable tempura with sweet chilli dipping sauce.

Nom factor:
I love this style of food and I’ve yet to have a dish here that wasn’t good. They don’t use MSG, everything is cooked fresh to order and it arrives steaming to the table in the order it’s cooked. The tempura are crisp, the Hungry monk (garlic/black bean sauce) is very tasty, I love the Yasai Yakisoba noodles and the Sweet and sour is a sticky sweet indulgence. Rice and noodle dishes alike are always perfect and the veg crisp and fresh. I even like their soups which are far better and contain far more ingredients than those served at Wagamamas (for example). [ nb the soups are a very healthy filling option if you’re watching kcals – or want to have tempura as well;) ]

Delicious veg noodle tofu soup.

How much:
The lunchtime special is fabulous value at just £6 for a very filling main stirfry dish and a drink (I always have sparkling water).
Miso soup £1.70
Tempura £4.10
Edamame (soya) beans £4.20
Main dishes and large noodle soups approx £7

Other stuff:
The tiny kitchen is open so you can see in – which is always reassuring. They are open to creating dishes to your specific requirements and have a great understanding of Veganism. Seating is bench style and some small tables for 2 in the window. They will always endeavour to seat you away from other people unless they are very busy, which is lovely. It’s clean, tables always cleared and wiped down quickly and there is one toilet which is clean and spacious.

Other comments:
This is fast becoming my favourite pitstop in Exeter because it’s such good value and consistently good. It can get extremely busy 12-2, but lunch goes on til 3 which is great and the turnover of people having a quick working lunch means that you never need to wait long for a table. You can reserve a table if you need to and people often do. Many Chinese people eat there which is always a good sign in my opinion.
Handy if you’re going to a matinee at the Vue Cinema nearby – for a meal before or a bite to eat after.

Tyepyedong means ‘a place to eat without the fuss’ – and that’s exactly what this fabulous little place offers Vegans!

If you visit Tyepyedong - please let me know what you think!
Much love
Chantal xx

Tuesday 28 January 2014

Cook Book Review - 'tibits at home'


In my kitchen book stand this month: 

"tibits at home"

stylish vegetarian cuisine

£25 RRP, available from £14




*Note: all photographs are of the food I recreated from the book's recipes at home in my own kitchen.

Many of you will know that I'm a big fan of tibits restaurant in London. You can see my review of the dining experience here.

So I was delighted (and honoured) when they asked me to review their first ever cook book.
Yes, I know, me, new food, and some delicious Vegan options? A match made in heaven...!

And I can tell you that as I excitedly tore open the brown packaging... I wasn't disappointed. There followed much procrastination on work as I made two successive cups of coffee and perused the book cover to cover.

The first thing to say is that this is indeed, as it promises, a stylish book in every sense of the word. The quality of the book as an actual product is beautiful and the layout, graphics and photography is vibrant, modern and stunning.


It's simply laid out in four seasonal sections, each with a poetically written, brief introduction and then selections of juices, soups, salads, sandwiches and more complex main courses.
The style is contemporary, fresh and instantly aspirational! It's a little taste of the perfection we'd all love to secretly achieve in our (home-cooking) lives.

And why not?! A girl can dream can't she?

I was transported for an hour - but, more importantly, it made me want to get into my kitchen and get cooking, and, for me, that's what a good cook book should inspire.

Having spoken to many people about the way in which they use cook books, I find myself not alone in my approach. I skip all the waffle, blurb, life stories and pages of black and white text and cut straight to the recipes. I flick through greedily and see which pictures catch my eye, 'call' to my visual senses and make my tummy rumble. I then fold over the corners of those pages to refer back to later.  

The sign of a really great cook book is when I've given up folding pages over a quarter of the way through, because it's evident that I'm just going to need to try every single recipe!

That's what happened with "tibits at home" (aside from the fact its simply too beautiful to want to go folding corners down) and fortunately they do have two bookmark strands added so that, if you can narrow it down to two preferred dishes, you can safely mark the relevant pages without 'vandalising' the book.

this colourful vegetable jambalaya caught my eye immediately...

So, the important stuff...  

The recipes and what to expect:
  • 53 recipes in total of which 12 are for sweets, puddings and drinks.
  • Out of all of the recipes 15 are non-Vegan, but 8 of those can easily be 'Veganised' (the remaining 7 do rely heavily on the use of eggs and dairy ingredients).
warm dal with spinach - you'll probably have most of the ingredients in your larder already...


What I loved:

Most recipes require only a simple list of tasty ingredients which are easy to find in most large supermarkets. There are only one or two items that might be a little tricky.

The recipe information is laid out clearly with ingredients lists under a photo of the finished dish, as well as simple step by step instructions.

Many of the dishes are 'assembly' cooking and therefore it's ideal for people of all abilities in the kitchen - which is lovely.

bulgar and flat bean salad, with a spicy vinaigrette - why complicate the beauty of simple, delicious ingredients?

How could this book be improved? It's subjective of course, but in my opinion, it would help to have:

Info on how many portions a recipe yields, along with the time it takes to prepare a dish (I'm advised that this will be included in the next book.)

More puddings that are either Vegan, or have the potential to be easily Veganised (there was only one). Although I concede this is a 'vegetarian' cook book.


Recipe feedback:

I did find myself adjusting some of the techniques that are recommended in the cooking guidance - but that's just perhaps me and habits gained from years of experience in cooking a certain way!

Some of the quantities of oil suggested seemed excessive and as a rule, I tended to halve the amounts and the food was still delicious.

While tasty and unusual, some of the dishes can be enhanced by increasing the quantities of the seasoning / flavouring ingredients listed - but again, through years of experience I simply know what I prefer and can 'get away with' in the flavour stakes.

the pasta with courgettes in curry sauce is aromatic & creamy, but you can enhance the flavours if you prefer...


My favourite recipe so far:

The Goa Curry - made with tofu, pineapple and crazy amounts of chilli. But even Dave has made this successfully twice now and you know, I'm glad there are no portion quantities added because I have a sneaking suspicion it might have said [serves 4] when the reality is the two of us can happily consume the entire lot in one go ;)

Goa curry - an unusual and incredibly delicious curry that you could enjoy time & time again...

Overall verdict:

"tibits at home" did inspire me to cook and it delivers simple, contemporary, flavoursome Vegan food. Whilst the price seems high, this is a visually stunning book that is a quality product in it's own right and I know that I shall end up using it time and again throughout the seasons and for years to come.


Now what shall I cook next?...

Much love
Chantal xx



Disclaimer: Whilst tibits kindly gave me this book, free of charge, my review is entirely genuine and without bias. All constructive feedback has been passed on to the creative team for future reference.


* * Have YOU got a Vegan or vegetarian book that you'd like me to review? * *
'Veggie Soup for the Soul' blog attracted over 10,000 page views in it's first year alone and myself and my fellow Association Partner have more than 38,000 followers on Twitter between us.
So if you'd like to reach a wider target audience and for me to independently review your book here, then please do get in touch with me through the contact page on the rhs of this screen.

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Vegan food review: veggie cafe: Summersault - Rugby, UK




Boo! HNY (well late I know...)
Either I'm just getting better at finding great places to eat out now or maybe vegan food really is making it into our bars, restaurants and cafes more and more? Whatever, it's great!

For 2014 I'm opting for a new style of food review posts - I'm sure you don't need to read all about my lovely day out & how I met my girl friend and how we talked about the usual stuff - you know diets and men...! So I'll cut to the chase - what was the cafe, the service and the Vegan FOOD like?!

Enjoy! much love Chantal xx



Outside, with strange windbreaks?
Style
Organic Veggie Restaurant Cafe & 'emporium' - classy eclectic, yet cohesive decor, filled with beautiful home furnishing trinkets. Beautifully done & with dining on a glass roofed top floor which is lovely. Far better than the usual messy 'rustic' eclectic 'style' of veggie cafes......


Service
Warm greeting, friendly, helpful & knowledgeable about Vegan options.




Inside looking to front...
 
Inside looking to rear...

Fresh salad bar 12 options.



Food choices
6 veggie hot dishes on the day, sadly all with cheese! Only hot Vegan option was a lentil veg soup. 12 different salad bowls to chose from though (8 Vegan) + 3 different homemade breads + plenty of cakes/bakes - 2 of which were Vegan.






Soup, bread, salad & lemonade!

Nom factor
Eating in: The soup was like a thick hearty casserole & absolutely delicious! Huge chunk of sundried tomato bread was also incredible (and they have Vegan margarine). I had 4 salads - Quinoa & herb, butter bean, tomato & cucumber & bulgar wheat with veg - sadly all of these lacked any flavour - some more herbs, dressings, spicing & seasoning would have made all the difference.

Drinking: I drank Fentimans lemonade & didn't try the coffee, although I'm assured it's good.


Salad plate, quite expensive for what it was.

Took away: Some rich fruit cake - packed full of flavour & cherries (my favourite) - it was soooo good! The date flapjack slice I had a corner of (yes, really) was also lush - if a little crumbly.


How much?!
Soup & bread £5.30
Each salad £1.40 
and 5 pieces of cake for £11.00 + a mint tea bag for 20p









Other stuff
Child friendly (we had a babe in tow), didn't visit the loos (constitution of a camel), made me want to buy home furnishings (could make it expensive), would travel just for the fruit cake (which makes me a fruit cake - but who cares...).

Comments:
Wish they'd use less cheese!
Go for the cake. (Yes it disappeared without a photo...)
Live your life by the sign propped up against the bar ;)