Please visit my new site and sponsor me!

www.veganistik.weebly.com

Sponsor me for my 5K Santa Dash I'm doing this weekend in Glasgow, it's going towards a really amazing - animal related - cause.

x

I've moved!

Please visit veganistik.weebly.com to view my posts from now on!


xxx

Whole Foods Store and New Plants!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, even though I said I would! Things got a bit busy.

I started writing a post about my first visit to Whole Foods, so I'll continue..

A few months back me and the boyfriend decided to visit the Whole Foods store nearest to me, which is Giffnock, Glasgow.

(picture from http://stirlingretail.wordpress.com/2011/11/25/whole-foods-giffnock-apples-or-pears/)

It took some planning to figure out which busses to get from Glasgow City centre to Giffnock, but thankfully, there was a bus which took us straight to the door. By car was a nightmare!

I was majorly excited to go here, I think I almost got ran over about five times trying to cross the umpteen roads that seemed to be between the bus stop and the store.. But it was worth it.

Upon entering the store, I remember it being almost like a scene from a movie, where the guy sees the woman of his dreams and a big shining light is around them. I was stunned by the amount of veggies that were presented in front of me, some I'd never even seen before; smoked garlic, white asparagus, many types of lettuce! 

I grabbed a basket, thankfully one of those wheelie baskets you usually only see abroad (good thinking guys!), and made my way around the store. After spending about 20-30 minutes looking at the veg alone, we moved on to the fish/meat section, passing the cool coffee bean/nut/cereal dispensers with your choice of jar to hold it in (gazed in awe at it for a while, it was pretty cool). Now, I don't eat meat, or fish, obviously, but being a previous meat/fish eater, it was cool to see some different fishes/meat cuts that I'd never seen before, and it was all prepared and presented so nicely. 

Then we turned the corner and were presented by colourful juices and waters, which again, I looked at for what felt like hours, fascinated, but it was what was next to this juice display that I was interested in.. Vegan food.

All the vegan glory you could imagine, tofutti, tofurky, vegusto, Amy's kitchen, tempeh, so much stuff I'd heard of and never seen before, I felt in my element. I packed my basket with as much as I could afford. 

Aside from this, I bought a few other things, a small tub of dairy-free icecream (far too expensive though), some fish-free fingers, coconut water and chocolate. I didn't get the best look around the place first time, but I went back a few weeks later and loved it twice as much (probably down to the fact I had more money and time).

I advise everyone, vegan, veggie, or meat eater, to go visit your nearest Whole Foods, check http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com to find your nearest one! & I hope you enjoy it as much as me!

- - -

On another subject, I've been planting veggies, well, I planted them ages ago, and I've never really grew anything apart from cress, parsley, coriander and mint all my life, so this was new for me.

All growing incredibly well.

Strawberries, chives, onions, purple broccoli, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, radishes. 

I also made chive flower vinegar with the chive flowers, but more on that on a different post!

Hey Guys.

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, had a few things with the dog and college work etc. Been snapping food photos and will be posting about my fruit/veg garden soon! This weekend actually seeing as I'm going on holiday on Tuesday.

Speak soon, contact my Wizpert (button below somewhere) and I'll answer any questions you have regarding vegan/vegetarianism or even health/fitness.

x

Crunchy Peanut Butter Mo-chi with Banana Puree

Ingredients (Serves 1)

4 Peanut butter mo-chi (found at Chinese supermarkets, I prefer the frozen to the fresh ones as they boil better)
300ml hot water
Enough banana puree for garnish (I cheated here and used Tesco's dairy free banana smoothie, found in larger Tescos in the yoghurt isle!)
Kiwi slice for garnish

Method

- Boil mo-chi according to packet instructions.
- Place in a small ramekin.
- Garnish with banana and kiwi.
- Enjoy!

* I must admit, I don't like peanut butter at all, but I loved these mo-chi! However, I didn't really know what to have with it, so this probably seems really random, but the sweet/sour ratio worked well for me, but feel free to use a garnish you think would taste much better!

Sichuan Pepper Soup with Crunchy Tofu Croutons

Ingredients

For the Broth

500ml hot water
1 tsp sichuan peppercorns (smashed) or powder (available at Chinese Supermarkets)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1tsp salt
1 vegetable stock cube
2 large florets of broccoli, quartered
Small handful of udon noodles
Handful of Brussels sprouts, chopped (you can swap them for cabbage if you don't like them!)
2 small carrots, roughly chopped
Julienned baby leeks and spring onions for garnish

For the Tofu

Half a block of firm/extra firm tofu, pressed and chopped into chunks
Handful of plain flour for dusting

Method

- Add all of the broth ingredients into a large pot apart from the leeks, spring onions and noodles.
- When carrots are almost tender, add in the noodles and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a chip pan/deep fat fryer until boiling *BE CAREFUL*, dust the tofu with flour thoroughly and then carefully add to the fryer and fry until a golden brown in colour.
- When the soup and tofu are ready, place them in a bowl (see above for serving suggestion) and garnish with leeks and spring onions.

* These tofu bites are great on their own, you can make more and taste delicious dipped into the leftover broth!

Enjoy!

Crispy Sweet Tofu with Lemon Rice and Steamed Greens

Ingredients

For the Tofu
Extra Firm Tofu, pressed and cut into cubes/rectangles
3 tbsp of agave nectar (available at Holland & Barrett and larger supermarkets)
3 tbsp of dark soy sauce
1 tbsp of cayenne pepper (or any chilli pepper powder!)
2 large garlic cloves, minced

For the Rice

Rice, boiled (however much you want, just adjust to your taste)
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp of dried coriander, or fresh, finely chopped

For the Veg

Handful of julienned leeks
Handful of julienned choi sum (or pak choi, these are now available at supermarkets)
Handful of shredded green cabbage
Finely chopped baby radishes to garnish

Method

- Mix together the minced garlic, agave nectar, soy sauce and cayenne pepper in a bowl.
- Add the tofu and coat well with mixture, leave this to marinate until you are ready to cook it.
- Add boiling water to a wok (or frying pan) and line the bottom of a bamboo steamer with parchment paper (if you don't have a bamboo steamer, you can substitute the wok for a small saucepan and the steamer with a bowl, making sure you have a lid big enough to cover the bowl)
- Add all veggies, except the radish, to the steamer and cook until tender, but still with a crunch.
- In another pot, cook the rice, drain well and add lemon juice, salt and coriander and mix. Cover with a lid and reheat when ready to serve.
- Heat a chip-pan, deep frying pot, whatever you call it in your house, on a high heat. When boiling, CAREFULLY add marinated tofu to the pot, discarding the marinade (you can use this to dress the dish afterwards if you like).
- Fry the tofu until golden brown and crispy on the outside, you can check this with a knife or chopstick. *BE CAREFUL*
- Reheat the rice, watching carefully as to not burning it.
- Line the bottom of a dish with the steamed veggies, adding the rice on top and topping with the tofu.
- Garnish with the chopped radishes and serve!