THE VEGAN
NEWS
THE VEGAN
NEWS
SUMMER
2007
- Recipes
- Vegan Product Review
- In the Veganic Garden - Gardening News + Garden Diary
- Growing for Health - Parsley
- In the Wildlife Garden
- Web Sites
- Book Review(s)
Summer Recipes
Ingredients
Method
- 125g soba noodles, cooked as per packet instructions
- 50g carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
- 50g celery, chopped
- 3-4 slices of onion
- Broccoli florets, approx. 100g
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and chopped
- 1 chilli pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 1cm ginger, peeled and chopped
- 1 tsp miso
- 75-100ml boiling water (or use the water from the steamed vegetables)
- 1-2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
- 1/2 sheet of toasted nori, cut into strips
Serves 1
- Cook the soba noodles. (These can be placed in the top layer of the steamer for a few minutes to keep them warm, if they are ready before the vegetables are cooked.)
- Lightly steam the vegetables, ginger, chilli and garlic. (Alternatively, these could be cooked in a wok, adding a small amount of water.)
- Toast the nori sheet under the grill until it turns bright green, then cut it into thin strips. Toast the sesame seeds.
- Mix the miso into the hot water.
- Place the cooked noodles into a serving bowl. Mix in the steamed vegetables. Pour on the miso and decorate with the nori strips and sesame seeds.
Vegetable Porridge
Source: Own recipe (but based on a recipe in The Karma Cookbook).
Ingredients
Method
- 1 portion of porridge (I would use 50g jumbo oats + 200ml water, microwaved for 4 1/2 minutes)
- A handful of spinach leaves, washed
- Half a toasted nori sheet, cut into strips
- 1-2 tsp toasted sesame seeds.
- 4 Tbsp wheat bran (optional)
- 25g sultanas/raisins (or use two organic dried apricots)
- Carrot sticks/raw vegetables (optional)
Serves 1
- Add the spinach leaves and the dried fruit to the oats and water. Mix well. Cook porridge as on the packet instructions.
- Mix in the wheat bran, sprinkle on the sesame seeds and decorate with nori strips.
- Eat with carrot sticks or other raw vegetables.
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Simple No-Tahini Hummus
Source: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by Caldwell, B Esselstyn, Jr, MD.
Ingredients
Method
- 1 x 15 ounce can of chickpeas (or 2cups of cooked chickpeas)
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 Tbsp water or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp low-sodium tamari or Bragg Liquid Aminos (optional)
Serves: Makes about 2 cups.
- Combine the chickpeas, garlic, lemon zest/juice and water in a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Add the tamari, if using. Mix well.
Note: This hummus can be used as a sandwich spread, served as a dip with raw vegetables (e.g. broccoli/cauliflower florets, carrot and celery sticks, slices of red pepper, mushrooms etc.) or served with steamed vegetables.
Variations: Add 1-2 tsp mustard. Alternatively, add some chopped parsley, or some chopped vegetables (e.g. red pepper, spring onions, or celery). It can also be mixed with vinegar to make a salad dressing, using about two heaped Tbsp of the hummus, mixed with two Tbsp vinegar + 1/2 tsp mustard.
Summer Product Review(s)
Sindyanna Soap
This fairly-traded 120g bar of unscented olive oil soap is produced by Sindyanna of Galilee. The olive oil is grown by Palestinians and the soap is made on the West Bank in a women-led project. It is a very mild and simple soap that has nice smooth edges. Available from Ethical Wares for around £1.95.
Heath & Heather Ginger and Lemon Tea
This is a spicy, warming, enlivening tea that's also quite refreshing, making it ideal if you are feeling a little jaded. It's quite strong and I find it's possible to reuse the teabag by topping it up with hot water for a second cup. Great taste, if you like ginger. It's available in health shops for around £1.19 for 20 tea bags.
Qi Inspiration Tea
Contains green tea that has been blended with ginkgo biloba and ginseng to give a tea that's said to stimulate, uplift and inspire. I can't honestly say that I've ever felt terribly inspired or uplifted after drinking this tea, although it does seem to make me feel slightly more alert. It's flavoured with licorice, mint and natural fruit berry. I found the taste tolerable, but rather insipid and not particularly inspiring. Available from health shops for about £1.69 for a packet of 25 teabags.
YAOH Organic Hemp Seed Oil Sun Block Factor 30
A rich, creamy suncream with a marvellous mild coconut smell that I find quite addictive. Free from parabens, unnecessary additives and chemical preservatives, this sun block contains moisturising hemp and olive oils to revitalise the skin and assist in cell repair. It's made from organic ingredients and is Vegan Society approved. A 240 ml bottle costs £9.73. Order online from Yaoh. I have now managed to test out this sun block in moderately sunny conditions and I am pleased to report that it seemed to work very nicely. However, a more thorough testing of this product has not been possible due to the late arrival of summer this year! (Information updated in February 2009 - product still available. I have now thoroughly tested this product and can report that it works well when it is very sunny too.)
YAOH Stawberries and Cream Lip Balm
A mild, moisturising lip balm, containing hemp and olive oil with natural strawberry flavour. There was a strong and rather delicious smell of strawberries and cream when I first opened the case, but unfortunately this seemed to quickly disappear. Price £2.30 for a 4g tube. Comes in a compact tube that's easily slipped into your handbag for deliciously moist lips anytime, anywhere. Also available in coconut, mango, spearmint and blueberry. Why not try them all! Ordering details as above. (Updated February 2009)
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Gardening News
Summer Sowing and Planting Schedule
For more information on what to plant throughout June, July and August please visit the GARDENING DIARY.
Citrus Lemon
As my chilli pepper plants did so well indoors last year I decided that I would try growing a few more exotic food crops indoors this year. So I've recently obtained a small Citrus limon, which I am growing in a container indoors. Citrus fruits can fail to flower or set fruit indoors, but this variety, plus Citrus microcarpa and Citrus taitenis are supposed to be more amenable to indoor culture. We will see! Update January 2009: Unfortunately it died within about 9 months. I am unsure whether this was due to a fungal infection, or it may have simply become too cold for it in the winter even though it was indoors.
The best time to purchase citrus plants is in April and May, so that they can acclimatise to indoor conditions before the winter. They like bright, lightly filtered light in summer, with a minimum temperature of 55deg F in the winter. It's important to maintain the humidity by spraying the foliage with water on warm days and by standing the pot on a tray of moist pebbles. The compost should be kept moist throughout the growing period, but citrus plants should be watered sparingly during the winter rest period. They need to be fed once a month with a special citrus fertiliser from April to September. Possible problems include leaf drop, which is usually caused by over watering and draughts.
Citrus plants can be expensive to purchase, with a large fruiting plant costing around £60 in some garden centres. My experimental small plant cost just £3.99 in Wilkinson's, but it is going to need quite a lot of tender love and care before it starts fruiting! Incidentally, Thompson and Morgan also offer a hardy citrus that they claim is capable of surviving at temperatures as low as -10 degrees C.
Incidentally, Thompson & Morgan are also offering Goji Berry Plants for £6.49 each (3 for £9.99). Goji berries were originally grown in the Himalayan valley, but according to T & M this drought-tolerant, nutrient-rich superfood can be grown in a sunny position in your garden.
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In the Wildlife Garden
Many wildflowers and commonly grown garden plants are beneficial to animals and can be used to attract wildlife into your garden. Some of the plants, trees and shrubs that are suitable for this purpose have been covered in previous issues and are listed in The Wildflower Index. However, as well as planting suitable plants and nut-and-berry- producing shrubs and trees in your garden you could also invest in some of the following wildlife-attracting garden equipment:
The above items of equipment can usually be purchased locally and in many cases could even be handmade from recycled materials. If you fancy having a go at making your own wildlife equipment, then the Northumberland Wildlife Trust produces an excellent information pack on Wildlife Gardening, which includes plans for bat, mouse, hedgehog and bird boxes and detailed information on how to make a pond. For more information phone them on: 0191 284 6884. Price is £5.00. However this pack can also be downloaded as a pdf file, free of charge, from their website's merchandise section.
- One of the easiest ways to attract wildlife onto your land is to obtain a bird table or some bird feeders. You will also need to obtain a supply of suitable food such as wildbird seed mix, peanuts, fat balls, kitchen scraps etc. (If you are gardenless you could simply purchase a window feeder that fixes to your window, or use one or two of the hanging feeders available, such as inexpensive fat balls and sawn-in-half coconuts, which could be hung up on a patio or veranda.) Note: When purchasing bird and hedgehog food do check carefully that it is vegan as some products contain suet, meat or dead insects/mealworms. If you have squirrels visiting your garden, then a special squirrel-proof bird feeders are available, although personally I have never found this necessary in my own garden, which has visiting squirrels. Try and plant some seed-producing plants too, like evening primrose, honesty, sunflowers, thistles or teasels and leave the seed heads out over the winter months for the birds to eat. Don't pull out all of your dandelions either as dandelion seed heads will attract finches and other seed-eating birds!
- Nest boxes and water baths can also be provided to attract birds. Birds help to control many pests including caterpillars and slugs and snails, so it is important to encourage them onto your land in as many ways as possible. An upside down dustbin lid or large plant pot saucer could be used for a bird bath if you don't want to purchase one especially.
- Other ways of attracting wildlife include using squirrel feeders, bat boxes, hedgehog and frog/toad houses, lady bird and lacewing chambers and bumble bee nest boxes. Contact the mail order suppliers listed below for more information on these items.
- Create a small pond to attract frogs.
- Make a log pile in a shady area for use by creatures such as frogs, hedgehogs, shrews, ground beetles and slow worms.
- A nettle patch, left growing in a sunny position, will encourage butterfly larvae to feed.
- Grow some plants that are attractive to hoverflies such as phacelia, poached egg flower, teasel or angelica.
- If you don't have a garden why not plant up some wildlife friendly containers or hanging baskets? Wildlife-friendly plants that will grow in containers include lavender, nasturtiums, poached egg flower, marigolds, red clover, chives and oregano.
- Plant up a hedge, including some of the following native hedgerow plants: holly or yew for an evergreen hedge; or hawthorn, hazel, dog rose, bird cherry or blackthorn for a deciduous hedge. Honeysuckle and ivy could also be planted once the hedge is well established.
Reasonably priced ready-made equipment and food can be purchased in branches of Wilkinson's and can also be obtained by mail order from companies such as:
- Thompson & Morgan (Orderline: 01473 695225)
- Garden Bird Supplies (Tel: 0870 899 8989)
- The Organic Gardening Catalogue (Tel: 0845 130 1304)
The Vegan Society (UK)
Websites
An excellent source of information for new vegans, or for anyone who is thinking of going vegan. You can also shop or become a member online.
EPIC Study (Oxford)
It's worth checking out this scientific study, which looks at the dietary habits and health of both meat eaters and vegetarians/vegans. Some of the findings so far include lower levels of IGF-1 (a hormone thought to be involved in cancer development) in vegans than in meat eaters, an association between a high soya intake and low blood cholesterol levels, lower blood pressure in non-meat eaters (thought to be largely due to their lower BMI) and low mortality in both the vegetarians and the meat eaters participating in this study. More information on the EPIC study is also available at www.iarc.fr/epic
Why Become Vegetarian
How to successfully become a vegetarian, even if you think you can’t do it, even if you think it’s way too hard, even if you have tried & failed before. This is a twenty-chapter E Book.
Allsorts Psychic Cafe
Based in Southampton this cafe offers therapies, vegetarian food and drink, a second hand bookstore, arts and a library loan service. Worth checking out if you are in the area.
Vegan Lunchbox (USA)
If you are looking for new lunch box ideas, then why not check out this site which sells the book 'Vegan Lunch Box'? There was a great April Fool fried egg at this site when I viewed it, as well as some pretty imaginative lunch boxes!
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Summer Book Review(s)
The Macrobiotic Approach to Cancer: Towards Preventing and Controlling Cancer with Diet and Lifestyle by Michio Kushi and the East West Foundation (Avery Publishing Group, 1982)
The Macrobiotic Approach to Cancer is essentially an introductory guidebook, produced by the East West Foundation, for those seeking more information on the role of macrobiotics in the prevention and treatment of cancer and other degenerative diseases.
It covers various macrobiotic principles and provides information on the Standard Macrobiotic Diet - a diet which is composed mainly of whole grains, vegetables, beans, sea vegetables and soup, plus small amounts of nuts, seeds, condiments such as miso and locally-grown, seasonal fruit.
It then goes on to look at the use of macrobiotics to aid the recovery of health. This part of the book includes many interesting case histories, most of which involve the use of the macrobiotic diet in the treatment of cancer. However, case histories of recovery from hyperlipidemia, infertility, heart disease and various other diseases are also included. The author suggests that cancer may simply be the product of our daily behaviour and that in order to control it we need to look at our dietary and lifestyle choices. ISBN: 0-89529-209-2.
Karma Cookbook by Boy George and Dragana Brown (Carroll & Brown Publishers Ltd, 2001)
A beautifully illustrated, colourful and well presented recipe book that contains just under 100 simple, macrobiotic recipes, interspersed with interesting tidbits of information. For example you will discover how Boy George came off drugs and sorted out his diet with Dragana's help. Now if he can reform and start to eat more healthily so can you!
Many of the recipes have a traditional Japanese feel to them, as to be expected in any macrobiotic cookbook, but as macrobiotic principles can be widely applied you will come across quite a few other cookery styles too.
This book kicks off with a selection of hearty, warming soups, then moves on to main courses, which include noodle dishes, stews, pasta, sushi and riceballs. In 'Exciting Extras' you'll be introduced to the concept of mixing grains and vegetables together (yes even for breakfast!). I must admit I was quite intrigued and simply had to try out the idea of decorating my porridge with toasted nori strips and sesame seeds and munching raw veggies with it. (Not bad at all!) However, if that idea doesn't inspire you to eat more veggies, then perhaps the recipes for tempura vegetables, pickled vegetables, pressed vegetables or the selection of salads in this section will. There's also a variety of desserts, plus plenty of ideas for unusual breakfasts. So if you can't bring yourself to eat vegetables with your porridge, then maybe you could try eating raw carrots with your corn flakes instead?!
A super, lively and exciting introduction to macrobiotic cookery that makes this simple way of eating seem fun and quite funky. May even appeal to vegetable-hating teens! Price £12.99. ISBN: 1-903258-16-2.
Zen Macrobiotic Cooking by Michel Abehsera (Albyn Press, 1971)
A book of over 200, straightforward, traditional zen recipes - not all vegan. Learn how to produce meals similar to those eaten by Zen Monks, who are incidentally the longest-lived and healthiest people in Japan. Traditionally following a largely vegetarian diet, Zen Monks occasionally eat a small amount of animal food, mainly fish.
This collection of recipes includes, grain dishes, hors d'oevres and accompaniments, soups, fish and seafood recipes, main dishes based on vegetables and whole grains, sauces and a selection of deserts that are largely made from temperate-grown fruits.
Also contains advice about the concept of yin and yang, do's and don'ts, proper chewing of food, avoiding overeating and other macrobiotic-related things that you should know. Look out for this book in your public library.
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