THE VEGAN NEWS
SUMMER 2007
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In This Issue:
Vegetable Noodles
Source: Own recipe
Ingredients
- 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
Method
- 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.
Serves 1
Vegetable
Porridge
Source: Own recipe (but based on a recipe in The
Karma Cookbook).
Ingredients
- 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)
Method
- 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.
Serves 1
Simple
No-Tahini Hummus
Source: Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease by
Caldwell, B Esselstyn, Jr, MD.
Ingredients
- 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)
Method
- Combine the chickpeas, garlic, lemon zest/juice and
water in a food processor. Process until smooth.
- Add the tamari, if using. Mix well.
Serves: Makes about 2 cups.
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.
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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 £1.60.
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 £9.95 (order code 1010).
Order online from Yaoh or by mail
order from Yaoh, PO Box 333, Bristol, BS99 1NF. Tel: 0117 9239053.
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!
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 £1.95 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. (Order Code: 1019).
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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!
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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GROWING FOR HEALTH
PARSLEY (Petroselinum
crispum)
I am going to start off this
new column with parsley, one of the most nutritious and
health-giving plants that you can grow. As well as being a good source
of fibre and the vitamins A and C, parsley is also high in potassium,
copper, calcium and iron. So don't be afraid to include generous
amounts
of this tasty herb in your diet. Parsley can of course be cooked,
although
it's much tastier when eaten raw and is at its nutritional best when
the leaves are freshly picked from the plant just before eating.
Growing
Instructions: Parsley belongs to the Umbelliferae family.
Strictly speaking it's a hardy biennial, although is best treated as an
annual. Make regular sowings in order to ensure a constant supply
throughout the year. Parsley can be sown directly into the ground and
makes an excellent bed-edging plant. Choose a sunny position and make
sure that the ground has warmed up properly before sowing. Sometime in
April is generally the best time to make a first outdoor sowing, with a
further sowing around August time. Parsley prefers a fertile soil and
likes plenty of moisture. Growing up to 60cm in height, depending on
the variety, it also makes an excellent container plant. I find it
useful to grow some in a pot indoors on my windowsill for winter use.
Indoors sowings can be made more or less all year round, but I usually
start it off in my airing cupboard when it's cold, otherwise the seeds
can be slow to germinate.
Varieties: Curly-leafed varieties and plain or
flat-leafed
varieties are the commonest types available. Flat-leafed
varieties include Italian Giant and Plain French and these have a more
pungent flavour than the curly-leafed types. Champion Moss Curled is a
very reliable curly leaf variety, which crops for a long time. Newer
curly varieties include Green Perle and Forest Green. There's
also Hamburg Parsley, which is mainly grown for its white parsnip-like
roots rather than its leaves, although its leaves can still be used as
a garnish. Finally, there's Mitsuba, a Japanese parsley that has a
flavour, which is a cross between parsley and celery.
Culinary Uses: Finely
chopped parsley can simply be sprinkled over cooked vegetables such as
new potatoes, mixed in with sandwich spreads, added to salads,
sprinkled on to soup, or made into a tea, which is supposed to be good
for rheumatism and to have diuretic properties. Whole sprigs of parsley
can simply be rinsed clean and used for decorative effect, the curly
kinds of parsley being especially suitable for this purpose. In
addition,
several varieties of parsley are grown especially for their roots,
which are usually roasted or grated up and used in salads. Parsley Tea
Recipe: Combine 100g finely chopped parsley with 300ml of water
in a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to
medium-low and simmer for 5 mins. Strain and serve. (From The Karma Cookbook).
Mail Order
Seed Suppliers Include:
However, seeds of the common flat and curly-leafed varieties
of parsley are usually fairly easily purchased from local seed
suppliers. Also look out for Sutton's 'Sow Easy
Seeds'. There is a Parsley Moss Curled 2 Seed Tape in this
series. This pre-seeded tape consists of a 5-metre strip that you
simply roll out in a row along the soil. Price around £1.69.
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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:
- 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.
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.
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:
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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.
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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Copyright © Pauline Lloyd
1996-2007
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