Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Veggie garden

We've renewed our efforts to get a proper veggie garden growing and it's already paying off - harvested the first butter lettuce and rocket today :)

Having morning sun but shade in the afternoon seems to help, as did the heap of compost we prepared the bed with.

Will post pics but just thought I'd share :)

Vegan Sources of Vitamins & Minerals


Thankfully Care2 has put together a list of vegan sources of essential nutrients, because I don't know when I will ever manage. I will however try to at some point post a detailed list of nutrients and veggie sources, with the per 100g content listed and compared to meat sources - quite useful and enlightening.

Anyway, from Care2:

Calcium

broccoli, green leafy vegetables (such as kale, bok choy, collard and turnip greens), tofu, blackstrap molasses, chickpeas, many beans, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, flax seeds, brazil nuts, dried figs, dried fruit.

Iron

green leafy vegetables & sea vegetables, legumes/beans, nuts & seeds, blackstrap molasses, dried fruits, watermelon, prune juice, spinach, cereals, whole grains.

Magnesium
brown rice, cooked spinach, beans/legumes, almonds/nuts, dried figs, broccoli, cooked oatmeal, wheat germ/bran, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, bananas, peanuts.

Phosphorus
pinto beans, cereal grains, almonds, nuts, dried beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, brown rice, avocados, spinach, many vegetables, yeast.

Potassium
raisins, bananas, raw and cooked spinach, potatoes, baked sweet potatoes, winter squash, raw cauliflower, avocados, kiwifruit, dried fruits, tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit, strawberries, honeydew melon, cantaloupe, dried apricots.

Zinc
pumpkin seeds, whole grains/cereals, legumes, lentils, peas, soy foods, nuts, sunflower seeds, wheat germ, yeast, garbanzo beans, raw collard greens, spinach, corn.

Selenium
brazil nuts, whole grains, kidney beans (depending on the soil they are grown in), yeast.

Manganese
brown rice & whole grains, cereals, cooked oatmeal, wheat germ, nuts, seeds, legumes, cooked spinach & kale, black beans, almonds, avocados, pineapples, strawberries.

Molybdenum
beans, breads, cereals, cooked spinach, strawberries.

Pantothenic Acid
whole grain cereals, legumes, mushrooms, peanuts, soybeans, avocados, sunflower seeds, bananas, oranges, cooked collard greens, baked potato, broccoli.

Chromium
whole grains, nuts, broccoli, apples, peanuts, cooked spinach, mushrooms.

Biotin
cereals & whole grains, breads, yeast, almonds, peanuts, molasses, legumes.

Copper
nuts and seeds, whole grains, dried beans, mushrooms.

Folic Acid
legumes, lentils, oranges, whole grains, asparagus, spinach, romaine lettuce.

Iodine
iodine-rich sea vegetables, kelp, vegetables grown in iodine-rich soil.

Vitamin A
carrots, winter squashes (acorn and butternut), sweet potatoes, cantaloupe, apricots, spinach, kale, turnip greens, broccoli, red bell peppers and other greens.

Vitamin B1 (Thiamin)
brown rice & whole grains, bread, pasta, oatmeal, brewers and nutritional yeast, legumes, cereals, sunflower seeds, nuts, watermelon, raw wheat germ.

Riboflavin
yeast, beans, cereals, whole grains, spinach, broccoli, wheat germ, mushrooms.

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)
legumes, brown rice, green vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli.

Vitamin B6
whole grains, peanuts, nuts/legumes, soybeans, walnuts, bananas, watermelon.

Vitamin C
bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, strawberries, oranges/orange juice, grapefruit, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, cabbage, collard greens, turnip greens, spinach, potatoes, melon, berries, papayas, romaine lettuce, watercress.

Vitamin D
The most significant supply of Vitamin D comes from sunlight exposure on the skin. Vitamin D-2 supplements are available, as well as Vitamin D fortified plant milks & cereals. Fortified vegan products contain Vitamin D-2 (ergocalciferol) as opposed to animal-derived Vitamin D-3 (cholecalciferol).

Vitamin E
safflower/vegetable oils, sunflower seeds, raw wheat germ, nuts, peanuts, green leafy vegetables, whole wheat flour, whole grains, spinach.

Vitamin K
green leafy vegetables, spinach, turnip greens, kale, parsley, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, soybeans and soybean oil, cabbage, green tea, tomatoes.


Vitamin B12
Red Star ‘Vegetarian Support Formula’ Nutritional Yeast, B-12 fortified non-dairy milks and cereals. Vegan B-12 supplements: VegLife (certified vegan) B-12 supplement, Twin Labs ‘Vegetarian Formula’ B-12 Sublingual Dots, etc. [Note that B12 is not readily available from vegetable sources. While some think this indicates that humans are "meant" to be omnivores, it has more to do with washing our vegetables and better food hygiene - B12 is naturally found in dirt and bacteria. Importantly, don't believe the hype about natural food sources. Just supplement kay?]

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Ready, Steady, Cook!

We are participating in LadyRaven's Ready, Steady, Cook! competition :)

Tonight is cooking night, so we'll post recipes as we finish the courses. Tbh we are still figuring it out :D

Monday, June 28, 2010

Nutritional info

Most vegans and vegetarians my age were probably raised on a diet that included meat and other animal products. We were also taught broadly that meat contains protein, milk contains calcium and vegetables contain vitamins, among other things. I am going to turn that on its head a bit.

In the next few days I will start putting up information about what nutrients your body needs, what it does for you and where to get it.

A well-considered vegan diet is probably the healthiest diet out there, but it is a good idea to read up a bit on nutrition and make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need.

Saturday, June 26, 2010

Yep, we're pretty useless, and Oat & Coconut Chocolate Bombs

A lot has been happening in our lives and so while the vegan gourmet journey continues, we have been too lazy/busy/disorganised to document it much :)

However, among other things I have recently obtained a decent camera and ordered a 320-page uber cookbook for my darling husband, and so soon we will be posting some awesome things with decent quality pics. Ta-daa!

Anyway, here's the recipe:

Oat and Coconut Chocolate Bombs
(veganised from: Lekker Sonskyn Resepte, circa before I was born)

Ingredients
500ml sugar
750ml oats
100ml cocoa
a fair bit of dessicated coconut*
125ml soy milk
5ml vanilla essence
125ml vegan low fat spread (i.e. Olé or Cardin)

Method
Mix sugar, soy milk, low fat spread and cocoa. Bring to boil, add oats and cook for 5 mins. Add vanilla essence. *At this point you can follow the original recipe and add the coconut, mix and spoon onto a greased baking tray. I made this for a school bake sale late at night and forgot to add the coconut. So I spooned little blobs of the mixture onto a layer of coconut covering said tray, rolled the little balls (+-2cm diameter) in the coconut and left to harden. Vòilà, oat and coconut chocolate bombs! And it contains protein, fibre and potassium so there :P

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Hot and Sour Soup with Shitake Mushrooms

Awesome soup for winter. It is usually made with rice wine vinegar but I prefer using lime to give it a nice citrus taste

You will need:

250g fresh shitake mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed (not necessary)
1 inch fresh ginger, finely grated (about 2 tsp)
1/4 tsp dried chilli (this is enough to give it a bite, just)
Juice of 1 small lime/ 2tbsp lime juice (or rice wine vinegar)
Red and yellow peppers, julienned
400g whole kernel corn
50 ml soy sauce/1 tbsp miso paste
1 tbsp vegan powdered ‘chicken’ stock (available from Fresh Earth)
1 tbsp cornstarch
6 cups water (plus a bit more to mix the cornstarch)
1tbsp sunflower or ½ tsp sesame oil
Seasoning to taste

Method:

Sauté the onions, garlic, ginger and dried chilli in oil.
Add mushrooms and peppers and cook for a few minutes.
Add corn, water, lime juice, miso paste/soy sauce and stock powder. Bring to boil.
Mix cornstarch to a smooth paste and add to soup while stirring. Allow to cook for a few more minutes.
Season to taste

Variations:

Add tofu.
Add more hot with chilli oil, hot pepper sauce or peri-peri sauce.
For a more Thai flavour add lime leaves, coriander leaves, basil leaves and lemon grass.

Roasted tomato and basil soup

We first had this at a local Italian restaurant and were both floored by how delicious it was. We had to try it for ourselves.

What you will need:

250g cherry or other small tomatoes
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic
Olive oil
1 handful fresh basil
1 can whole peeled tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
Water or good vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 180 deg C

Peel onion and cut in half leaving some of the root intact. Slice one half lengthwise into 1 cm wide wedges. Chop the other half as finely as possible and put aside.

Put onion wedges and cherry tomatoes with a little olive oil and seasoning into oven and roast until the tomato skins have split, the juices are flowing and the onions start blackening around the edges.

When the tomatoes are done roasting, sauté the finely chopped onions and garlic in a little more olive oil.

Separate the cherry tomatoes from the sauce and onions and blend the sauce and onions together with the whole-peeled tomatoes. (We blend the onions so that they are disguised for little ones that have decided they don’t like onions but the soup is quite chunky so you can leave them whole)

Mash the roasted tomatoes up a bit

Add blend with tomato paste and water/stock to the sautéed onions and garlic and bring to boil. Add basil, seasoning and cherry tomatoes to soup and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Serve with nice chunky Italian bread, vegan basil pesto (make it yourself, just leave the cheese out) and Olive paste.

Variations:

This is nice with different herbs (like origanum or marjoram) or with added roasted peppers. If it needs it, a pinch of sugar and a bit of vinegar (red wine, balsamic or apple cider) can be added.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Saturday evening rotis and epic dessert

On Saturday evening we had a very simple but utterly delicious meal at Chateau Mallencolly. I am very fond of rotis and the combination of veggies, chickpea spread and sundried tomatoes was epic. The banana dessert is always a winner. We added some dragonfruit (obtained at Fruit & Veg City) just cos. They are very odd-looking fruits - bright pink with yellow "scales" and inside they are translucent white with small black pips. It doesn't have a distinctive taste but went well with boozy bananas and ice cream.

Menu:

Main course
Rotis with roast vegetables, curried chickpea spread and sundried tomatoes

Dessert
Bananas with rum banana sauce, soy ice crem and dragonfruit

Recipes

Rotis
We used shop-bought brown bread flour rotis which you can freeze, thaw and heat in a frying pan.

Roasted veggies
Yellow peppers
Red peppers
Red onions
Baby brinjal
Green asparagus spears
Garlic cloves

Place in roasting dish, drizzle with olive oil and roast in the oven at 200 dec C for about 40 minutes

Curried chickpea spread

1 can chickpeas
1 tsp crushed garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
1 level tsp good mild curry powder
Pinch cayenne pepper
Seasoning
And whatever seedy goodness you feel like putting in. We used sunflower seeds

Blend all ingredients until smooth

Sundried tomatoes

Soak dried tomatoes in olive oil, chopped fresh basil and crushed fresh garlic

Bananas with rum banana sauce
At least one banana per person, split into three pieces lengthways
Rum
Banana liqueur

I know it involves flambeing the rum and banana liqueur and cooking the bananas in the sauce but will post the actual amounts later.

Serve with vanilla soy ice cream and dragonfruit balls.

Yum! ^_^

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Updates and pancake recipe

Yes. There will be. Soon.

No really. As soon as we get around to it. We've been terribly busy and I don't really see tthings changing soon. Hopefully we'll be trying this rather straightforward recipe tonight, lifted without permission but great intentions from the "VEGAN" group on Facebook.

Pancake recipe

Ingredients

100g cake flour
30ml vegetable oil
15ml sugar
10ml baking powder
Pinch of salt
200ml soy milk

Method

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.

Mix thoroughly. Mix in soy milk and oil and whisk until smooth.

Heat some oil in a frying pan. It is hot enough if a drop of batter on the pan sizzles.

***Update***

We did indeed make the pancakes and they are delicious! Mally added a bit more soy milk to thin it. The texture is soft and fluffy and it tastes awesome. They are a bit fragile though - we may experiment with No Egg (egg substitute) or otherwise just use them flat rather than folded over. Either way, WIN. Who needs eggs?