THE VEGAN NEWS
THE VEGAN NEWS
WINTER 2006/2007
- Recipes
- Vegan Product Review
- In the Veganic Garden - Gardening News + NEW! Garden Diary
- In the Wildlife Garden
- Web Sites
- Book Review(s)
Winter RecipesSource: The Raw Greek by Gina Panayi (Trafford Publishing, 2006)
Ingredients
Method
- 1 cauliflower, roughly chopped
- 3 spring onions, sliced
- 1 red pepper, finely cut
- 1 cup of raisins, soaked for 2 hours
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tbsp flaxseed oil
- Sautéed mushrooms
'Sautéed' Mushrooms
- Put the cauliflower in the food processor and pulse until its consistency becomes like cous cous. Place in a bowl.
- Drain and rinse the raisins and place in the bowl with the remaining ingredients, including the 'Sautéed' mushrooms (recipe below). Toss well and serve.
Ingredients
Method
- 250g button mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 red onion, finely chopped
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 8 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- Add salt if desired
- Add all of the ingredients to a flat bottomed bowl and mix together well, let marinade over night until the mushrooms become soft.
Winter Product Reviews
Savon d'Alep Soap
A mild, perfume free, Middle Eastern soap that's made from 75% olive oil and 20% bay tree (laurel) oil. This hard and longlasting soap is made by a traditional method in copper cauldrons and is then left to dry for nine months in the soap workshop. Coffee coloured on the outside with a dark green inner core, it's suitable for all skin types, being particularly good for sensitive skin and for people with skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It can also be used as a face mask or as shaving soap. I even use a slice of it to wash my hair and find that it leaves my hair shiny and clean and easy to comb. A 200g bar costs £3.95. You can find out more about this soap at http://www.karawan.fr.
Trek Steady Energy Raw Wholefood Bars
If you are looking for a healthy snack bar, then Natural Balance Foods now offers three dairy and wheat free Trek bars. There's Peanut & Oat, Mixed Berry and Cocoa Brownie. Made from natural raw ingredients with no added sugar, these bars are bursting with vital nutrients and are designed to provide a steady supply of energy. They are also low in fat, high in protein and fibre and taste absolutely delicious! Containing between 200 and 240 calories per bar, the bars are made from raw unsweetened fruit, nuts, soya, oats, spices and herbal extracts such as ginkgo biloba and ginseng. Great for eating-on-the-go. I think my favourite bar in this range was the Cocoa Brownie, which contained nice crispy bits that gave it a very pleasing texture and so it came out slightly ahead of the Mixed Berry. However, I thought they were all yummy with a nice texture. Trek bars cost about £1.00 - £1.29 per 68g bar and are available in health shops and some supermarkets. Natural Balance Foods also produce Nakd raw fruit and nut bars. Choose from Berry Cheeky, Apple Tart and Cocoa Loco. For a free sample call: 01844 339 142. (Updated January 2009)
Oskri Organic Quinoa Bar
This gluten and lactose free bar is made from quinoa and sesame seeds and is sweetened with molasses and brown rice syrup. I personally found it rather too sweet. However, I liked the sesame seeds in it and thought it had a nice crispy texture. A pack of three slices costs £0.65 in Holland & Barrett. (Updated January 2009)
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Gardening News
A quick look through the 2007 seed catalogues revealed the following seeds that may be worth considering when deciding what to plant next season:
Winter Sowing and Planting Schedule:
- Sweetie F1 - Now available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue, this early maturing variety of sweet corn produces very tender sweet kernels. that are delicious eaten raw. Price £1.67. I will be trying this one out myself in 2007! (Order Code: SCSE.)
- Sweet Lightening - NEW! A small squash (500 -750g) that can be micowaved whole. Just the right size for an individual meal. Available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue for £1.43. Ring 0845 130 1304 to order. (Order Code: SQSL.)
- Black Aztec - An interesting blue corn on the cob that can also be ground when dry to make a tasty blue flour. This variety is available from Tamar Organics for £1.20. (Order Code: SCBA). Ring 01822 834887 to order.
- Hungarian Hotwax - A pepper that starts off as a yellow sweet pepper, then goes orange and finally dark red, becoming hotter as it matures. Not a new product, but I grew some of these plants in 2006 and would certainly recommend them. I found that although the plants did not do too well when grown outside, the three plants that I grew in a sunny position indoors were prolific and still producing peppers in November. Highly recommended. (Order Code: CPHW.) Price £1.51. Order by phoning 0845 130 1304.
- Sugar Snap Pea - I grew these peas in 2006 and was most impressed. Easy to grow and requiring little attention, these rather tasty peas can be eaten raw in their pods - or they can be cooked. Ideal for raw fooders. A tall variety that requires supports. (Order Code: PESS.) In 2007 I will try out Sugar Bon, a dwarf version (Code: PESB). Both of these varieties are available from the Organic Gardening Catalogue. Phone number as above. Incidently, the Organic Gardening Catalogue is now selling a carrot called 'Yellowstone'. It's a most horrendous shade of yellow, but they claim it's easy to grow, tasty and interesting. Try it if you dare! (Order Code: CRYE. Price £1.43.)
For more information on what to plant throughout December, January and February see the NEW! GARDEN DIARY.
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In the Wildlife Garden
Many of our wildflowers and commonly grown garden plants are beneficial to animals and can be used to attract wildlife into your garden. Here, I will cover four more plants that are especially attractive to wildlife. Details of other suitable plants are given in earlier issues and these are now listed in The Wildflower Index for easy reference.
Corn Chamomile (Anthemis arvensis)
Best grown from seed, this low-growing annual plant prefers poor, dry soil and a sunny position. It's at its best when planted at the front of a border, mixed in with field poppies, corn marigolds, cornflowers and corncockles. Its white daisy-like flowers should be visited by bees and butterflies.
Corn Marigold (Chrysanthemum segetum)
A lovely annual wild flower! Corn marigold has lemon-yellow flowers that are attractive to many small insects, including butterflies and bees. In addition, it's also used as a larval food plant by chalk hill blue caterpillars. Again best grown at the front of a border mixed in with other cornfield flowers. Sow seed directly in late April. (Note: Corn Marigold may need resowing annually as it does not always self-seed well.)
Corn Cockle (Agrostemma githago)
Growing up to 1.2m in height, corn cockle has purple-pink flowers and is a prolific self-seeder. Best grown at the back of a mixed cornfield border, perhaps up against a fence for support. The seed heads are striking and can be dried and used for winter decorations, but please note that the seeds are poisonous.
Cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)
Also known as 'Corn Bluebottle', cornflowers like a sunny position and dislike chalky soil. They have lovely blue flowers that are very attractive to bees and to several types of butterflies. As they can grow quite tall they may need staking in windy weather.
Finally, I would just like to remention the field poppy, which grows well with the above plants. You will find more information on the Field Poppy in an earlier issue.
Websites
The Vegan Society (UK)
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.
Bishopston Trading Company
Company offering fairly traded organic cotton clothing for women, men and children. The organic cotton is grown in North India and the cloth is either woven by hand or on small domestic powerlooms. I really like the kid's stuff!Top of Page
Wizzardoreas Wardrobe Ltd
Sells Namaste, Nomad and other brands of fairly traded men's and ladies' clothing. Note: Not all products are vegan, so please check each item carefully before purchasing.
Nomads
Mainly sells fairly traded women's clothing, bags and scarves, but there's also has a small range of men's shirts. Again not all products are vegan.
Raw Gaia
This new company produces a range of living skin care products using 100% organic, vegan and raw/living ingredients, plus some essential oils. The ingredients are processed below 40 degrees C, thus ensuring that the life force, antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, etc. remain in the ingredients.
Winter Book Reviews
The Raw Greek by Gina Panayi (Trafford Publishing, 2006)
This collection of just over 40 tasty recipes provides a welcome raw alternative to traditional, cooked Greek cuisine. These Mediterranean-style dishes are quickly and easily prepared using 100% raw ingredients and the usual electrical gadgets. Appetizers include Meze vegetables and olives, whereas in Dips you'll find raw versions of Houmus and Tzatziki. The Salad recipes include a 'rice' recipe, plus an amazing Pilafi recipe (cous cous salad) that's made from cauliflower. Indeed both of these recipes look so realistically grain-like that it is difficult to imagine that they are made from vegetables at all! Finger Foods include Dolmadakia (stuffed vine leaves) and the walnut-based Koftedes again really do look like meatballs. In the Main course section there's a raw version of Moussaka and the Pastitsio is a fantastic macaroni alternative. The stuffed vegetables are excellent! Sweets include some yummy cakes and biscuits (dehydrator needed to make these) and a halva recipe. Finally, the book concludes with a selection of juices and smoothies and some menu ideas/plans. Gina has allowed me to include the Pilafi recipe in the recipe section above, so do try it out! If you'd like to purchase a copy of this book, it's available from Trafford Publishing for £9.99, or you can email: orders@trafford.com. For more information visit the Raw Greek, where you can also purchase a copy of this book.
A Vegan Taste of Greece by Linda Majzlik (Jon Carpenter, 2003)
Tickle your tastebuds with this collection of over 120 Greek, meat and dairy-free recipes.
Starting with mezedes (traditional Greek savoury dishes that are served either with drinks or as appetisers), this cookery book then goes on to offer a selection of soup recipes, based on vegetables, pulses and pasta. Main courses include stews, casseroles, pies and stuffed vegetables, but you'll discover more than just the usual recipes for stuffed vegetables, moussaka and baked macaroni. Why not try out the more unusual briami or the spanakopita recipes for a change? There are also plenty of easily prepared vegetable and grain dishes, which could either be used as accompaniments to a main meal, or could simply be served with bread and salad for a light meal. The sauces and dressings can be served either over vegetables or with salads and include a recipe for Tsatsiki - a dressing that is made from cucumber, soya yogurt and mint. Fresh bread is usually served with all Greek meals, so a wide variety of sweet and savoury bread recipes are included, some being suitable for everyday use and others more suited to special occasions. In Greece dessert is traditionally served with thick Greek coffee. Check out the delicious desserts and baked goods, which include recipes for fresh fruit salads, halva and cakes. Price £5.99.