THE
VEGAN NEWS
THE
VEGAN NEWS
MARCH 1999
- Recipes
- Readers' Contributions
- Vegan Product Review
- In The Veganic Garden
- Queries
- Vegan Websites
- Book Review
- The Wildlife Database
Recipe of the MonthCinnamon Porridge
Ingredients
- 1 cup of porridge oats (75 g)
- 1/2 cup (110 ml) Plamil concentrated soya milk, or 1 cup (220 ml) of ordinary soya milk
- 2 cups of water (440 ml), but if you are using ordinary soya milk, then use only 1 and a half of cups of water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp of concentrated apple juice (optional)
- A handful of raisins/sultanas
- Toasted sesame seeds
Method
- Place the oats in a pan and add the rest of the ingredients, except for the sesame seeds. Mix well.
- Bring to the boil and simmer the porridge for about 5 minutes, or until the oats are cooked.
- Divide the porridge between two bowls and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds before serving.
* If the porridge is not of the right consistency, then you may need to adjust the quantities of oats and liquid used as each type of porridge is made slightly differently. Consult the packet instructions.
To Toast Sesame Seeds: Place the seeds in a small, non-stick frying pan and cook over a low-medium heat until the seeds start to go brown and pop. Shake the pan regularly to prevent burning. Toasted seeds can be stored in a screw top jar in the fridge.
Readers' Contributions
In The Dock!
As dock, a hearty temperate-climate plant, grows at soil temperatures much lower than those required for tropicals, the dock had grown quite lush by the time I wanted to set out the tomatoes and peppers. By then, some 50 dock plants had already become deeply rooted; another 100 or so were quite immature, but had developed tap roots quite capable of regenerating even though the top was cut back. In other words, the only way to clear out the dock, as competitors for my food crop was to hand dig individually using a trowel and spade, culling out the giants and the young.
An obvious alternative to letting dock self-seed is collecting the seed as it ripens, drying and storing it, then setting it out in a feeder. This method allows the gardener the additional benefit of selecting controlled dock planting areas. They are magnificent plants, but can become as weedy as proliferating tomato seedlings in the cilantro patch.
The above information was sent in by 'Bill'. No address given, but I think he may be e-mailing me from the USA.
And also relating to the 'Weed' article here is another definition of a weed which was sent in by Lynn who lives in Hampshire:
Ralph Waldo Emerson said 'A weed is a plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered'.
March Product Review
Clearspring Buckwheat Ramen Noodles
Produced by the Sakurai family, these quick cooking noodles are made by the steam-then-bake method and contain no frying oils or preservatives. Very quick to prepare. Simply add the noodles to 2 cups of boiling water and they are ready in only 5 minutes. Each packet of noodles contains a packet of soup stock which is dissolved in the cooking water. However, although I liked the noodles, I found the soup stock a bit too salty. A 90 g packet of buckwheat ramen noodles costs £0.99.
Mitoku Sakurai Organic Udon Wholewheat Noodles
These noodles are also made in the Sakurai workshop - which is located in the foothills of the Gifu mountains in central Japan. They are cream-coloured noodles, made from organically grown 100% wholewheat flour and are hand-made using traditional methods. Use Udon noodles in stir-fries, eat them cold in salads, or serve them in a tamari/kombu dashi broth. A 200g packet costs £1.85.
Mitoku Sakurai Organic 100% Soba Noodles
Soba noodles are completely wheat-free, being made entirely from organic buckwheat flour and are therefore ideal for anybody who is allergic to gluten. Quick to cook, they are usually parboiled and are then drained and cooked with vegetables, or else they can be added to a miso stew. I also use them in stir-fries, but they need to be cooked gently as they break easily. A packet of 100% buckwheat soba noodles (non-organic, salt added) costs £2.77 for 200 g. Also available Jinenjo (£2.77) or Ito (£1.93) soba noodles.
You can find out more about Clearspring's products at the Clearspring website.
What's Happening in the Veganic Garden This Month?
Sowing and Planting Outside
Continue to sow broad beans and early peas and plant out your onion sets, as described in last month's issue. Perpetual spinach can be sown between rows of broad beans. Parsnips, turnips, spring onions, parsley and early carrots can also be sown in March. This month divide clumps of perennial herbs, such as chives, hyssop, lemon balm, welsh onion etc and early potatoes can go in towards the end of the month. It is also possible to plant out strawberry plants this month, although I usually wait until the beginning of April before I do this.
Indoor Work
Sow leeks indoors and prick out the Brussels sprouts seedlings that you sowed last month, if these are now big enough to handle. Sow lettuces (e.g. Little Gem, Winter Density), further Brussels sprouts and autumn cabbages and cauliflowers in your propagator. If you intend to set up an asparagus bed this year, then asparagus crowns, such as 'Franklim F1' (February 2009 Update: This particular variety is no longer available) and 'Grolim F1' (still available in 2009 catalogue) and packets of asparagus seeds can be purchased from the Organic Gardening Catalogue, but orders for crowns must be received by end of March.
Slugs!
Slugs and snails start to make their presence felt this month, so surround valuable plants and emerging shoots with sharp sand, cinders, ash or soot. Alternatively, invest in a vegan-friendly method of slug control - visit the Organic Gardening Catalogue to see what's on offer. You can also find out how to encourage slug-eating predators, such as hedgehogs, into your garden in the March 1998 issue.
Crops Available This Month:
Brussels sprouts, leeks, forced rhubarb, spring cabbage, kale and sprouting broccoli.
Any Queries?
A lot of vegan recipes call for yeast extract, miso or tofu - all of which, I gather, are fermented foods. What should someone suffering from a candida overgrowth in the gut do about these foods? Would they aggravate the condition? I have very recently started a vegan diet and am suffering unpleasant candida-related side-effects.
Conner Middelmann, London.
Systemic Candidiasis usually occurs when your immune system is not working very well. The best way to tackle this disorder is to strengthen your immune system, perhaps by taking yeast-free vitamins and minerals, or by using an antifungal agent such as garlic. You should also try to eat a live soya yogurt which contains good bacteria, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus. Your diet should not contain refined carbohydrates, sugar, vinegar, alcohol, yeast-containing foods (e.g. yeast extract, bread, or yeast flakes) or fermented foods such as tempeh, miso and tamari. (Tofu is not a fermented food and I do not see any reason why this should not still be eaten.) It is sometimes also recommended that wheat products should be avoided for three months with this sort of infection, so try eating alternative grains such as rice, oats, buckwheat and millet instead. By taking these steps you will make your digestive system as inhospitable to the candida as possible and hopefully you will soon have the problem back under control! Look out for the book: 'Recipes for Health: Candida Albicans ' by Shirley Trickett (Thorsons) in your public library. It is not a vegan book, but contains some recipes which can be used by vegans and further recipes which could be made vegan by substituting Plamil mayonnaise, or vegan yogurt. Another book which is also interesting to read is 'Overcoming Candida: The Ultimate Cookery Guide' by Xandria Williams, however, as she uses eggs in many of her recipes a lot of her recipes are not suitable for vegans.
The Vegan Society (UK)
Other Interesting Vegan Websites
An excellent site and a particularly good starting point, for obtaining information, for the new or intending vegan. You can now visit their online Shop.
Veggies Catering Ltd
Located in Nottingham, 'Veggies' will cater for almost any event! (No animal ingredients used.)
Animal Contacts Directory (February 2009 Update: Now known as Veggies Directory)
Over 4,000 Animal Rights and Welfare contacts. (Listing compiled by 'Veggies' in Nottingham.)
Buddhism And Animals by Dr Tony Page. (UKAVIS)
'Buddhism And Animals' is a study of animal-related material that has been collected from many different Buddhist sources. Throughout the book the author examines the source material in some depth and uses it in such a way as to enhance the campaign for animal rights. In the early chapters of the book, the author looks at Buddha's life and many of the Buddhist concepts, before going on to cover more animal-related topics, such as vegetarianism, hunting, vivisection and animal rights. This is not a particularly easy book to read in parts and so if you don't have a keen interest in Buddhist scriptures, then you may prefer to read one of Dr Page's other animal right's books instead.
Dr Page has also written 'The Use Of Animals in Medical Research: The Wrong Path ' (UKAVIS) and 'Vivisection Unveiled: An Expose of the Medical Futility of Animal Experimentation'. (Jon Carpenter Publishing.) He is the Founder of UKAVIS (the 'UK Anti-Vivisection Information Service').