Cauliflower Soup with Parsley

This is another one from Vegan Italiano. The soups in that book are all really delicious!

I didn't actually make this, I was in uni all day so Gary made this for us both. It was really good. The herb balance in all the soups from this book is great. Every one is packed with flavour.

All in all, good soup.

Yum.

Tomato Bread Stew with Pasta

Yep, yet another rubbish picture, but I think it's been well established that I don't care.

This is from Vegan Italiano. I was looking through all of my cookbooks the other night looking for soft TMD friendly recipes and Vegan Italiano had loads!

This has tomatoes, onions, garlic, pasta, and bread all cooked into it. I was slightly sceptical about cooking the bread into the stew, I nearly left it out as I thought it would go really soggy, but it didn't. It was lovely and soft and doughy. I would highly recommend this dish, it's really tasty and comforting.

Gary's Dish Washing Rating - 1/5 It's a one pot meal!

In unrelated news, in the past few weeks I've been watching what I've been eating, and exercising a lot in an effort to lose some weight. I've lost just under a stone! Go me!

Tropical Fruit Smoothie

I prettied this glass up mainly because I thought it was funny. Gary came in and looked at me like I was a nutter, but then joined in by helping me choose a straw colour. We're odd.

In the smoothie is banana, pineapple, papaya and some multivitamin fruit juice. In the background is Geoff, our new cactus.

Why the smoothie I hear you cry? Well I'm currently on a liquid diet due to a bad case of TMD which has left me unable chew any food. Hopefully it'll be okay soon and I'll be back on the solids again.

I want to masticate, dammit!

Tester Recipe - Coriander "Honey" Tofu With Bok Choy

No, of course it's not actual honey! Don't be silly!

This is another tester recipe for Joy, and it's another keeper. I cannot speak highly enough of this dish. It's sweet, and spicy, and all in the right proportions. It also looked really classy when presented on the plate, but as usual I was in too much of a rush to eat to spend loads of time taking a good photo!

In conclusion, Yum!

Black Bean Burger with Chunky Salsa

I got the Black Bean Burger recipe from Vegweb (as always) and it was really good, and pretty healthy. Lots of protein from the beans, and lots of veggies in there too, and very little fat. They were quite spicy as they had a bit of cayenne pepper in them.

We had them with chunky tomato salsa on wholemeal buns.

I'm planning on testing another recipe for Joy tonight so I'll post some pictures of that when I get a chance.

Gary's Dish Washing Rating - 2/5

So you've got a vegan in your life?

I know this is a food blog, but every now and then I feel like writing something a little bit different, and it's my blog so there's nothing you can do about it!

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I’ve been finding it increasingly odd how people can have close friends or family who are vegan, yet seem to show very little interest, or knowledge of the subject. Vegans hear stupid things said about veganism most days of their lives. If you care about a vegan, and want to make their life just a little bit happier, don’t contribute to the general idiocy.

1. Know your food groups.
Dairy isn’t one, neither is meat. Something which has astounded me recently is that many people I know believe that eggs are dairy products, and generally don’t understand how dairy products are produced or generally where they come from. Here are some links which explain it.
Milk
Eggs

2. Watch Earthlings.
Or Meet Your Meat. If only to try and grasp a little bit of why vegans live the lifestyle they do. You’ll probably learn something.

3. Listen to Prof. Gary Francione speaking on Vegan Freak Radio.
He will at the very least make you think. He will most definitely say the things that the vegan in your life has probably been trying to say to you forever, but in a much more eloquent manner.

4. Understand that veganism is not a diet.
Nor is it a phase. It’s a lifestyle choice brought about by making a well informed choice. As such if you are being nice and feel the need to give a gift to the vegan in your life, make sure it is in keeping with their ethics. Ignorance is not an acceptable excuse for giving a vegan a leather wallet, or a wool scarf, or a silk tie, etc, etc. I personally would not give a gift that I did not think the person would use and enjoy, so doing a little bit of research will be greatly appreciated by the vegan in your life. If you really can’t find anything, then don’t give a gift. Overconsumption is something we’re all guilty of, and is something the majority of vegans disagree with. I would rather have no gift, than a gift ‘for the sake of giving a gift’.

5. If you start a conversation about veganism and it gets heated, remember that you started the conversation.
You have no idea how conscious most vegans are that every time they open their mouths people will think they are ‘shoving their views down everyone’s throats’ or ‘preaching’ and because of this, some vegans are wary of having these kinds of conversations. Honestly people, if you start the conversation, be prepared to hear things that you might not want to hear.

6. Veganism is not ‘going too far’
Once you know something, you can’t unknow it. Vegans live a lifestyle in keeping with their moral views, based on what they know. To quote the Vegan Freak theme tune “they say ignorance is bliss, well if that’s the case your brain dead myopia is hilarious”.

Okay so you may be asking yourself why you should care about any of these things, or why you should have to change anything in your life for us. Well, we all make adaptations for people we love, why should the vegan in your life be any different? Basically, if you care about the vegan in your life, you should at least try to care that they care.

Word, bitches.

Traditional(ish) Sunday Dinner

I was feeling in a traditional mood yesterday so after scouring Vegweb for a little while I found a lovely sounding recipe for 'Tofu Steak and Onions'. It was cooked in (vegan) worcester sauce and soy sauce and had a lovely tangy taste to it.

I served it with some carrots and broccoli. I'd usually have roast potatoes with this kind of meal but I have a tendency to make far too many of them and then eat the vast majority of them myself, so I decided against it. You can also see a little gravy boat, but I'm sorry to say I didn't make the gravy myself, I can just never get in the mood for doing that unless it's a special occasion, I suppose I should really start doing that!

Gary's Dish Washing Rating - 1/5

Tofu Salad Sammich

Yup, another sammich. Why? Well I've not been feeling too great and sammiches are quick, easy and tasty!

I just threw this together from stuff I had in the cupboards (which is always nice). I drained a block of tofu and then mashed it. I then added mayonnaise, mustard, onion, garlic (lots of garlic), sea salt, and some red pepper flakes.

It was really tasty and from one block of tofu I managed to make enough for two rolls for Gary, one pitta bread for me, and plenty of leftovers for lunch today. And when you're not feeling well, leftovers are always a bonus, especially leftovers where no reheating is involved!