Aberdeen’s beach and veganism is mainstream

Daniel was invited to a birthday party today and much to my disappointment it was at a trampoline place by the beach. I dislike going to the beach in Aberdeen for two reason - 1) It's a bugger to get to by bike. There's no good route and I'm always stressed and worried about large… Continue reading Aberdeen’s beach and veganism is mainstream

‘Tis the season to stuff your face with lots of yummy food

Every Christmas I make lebkuchen which is German for ginger bread except that it doesn't contain any ginger. I'm a bit slow making it this year because I've been making panforte - I've made three batches of it so far and probably eaten most of it myself because the kids don't like it. I had to… Continue reading ‘Tis the season to stuff your face with lots of yummy food

Eating stinging nettles

Spring is here and the nettles are growing again so I decided it was time to make a meal out of them. Most people know that stinging nettles are pesky green plants that irritate the skin when you touch them. What you probably don't know is that they're a nutritious source of iron, calcium, potassium,… Continue reading Eating stinging nettles

Emotional attachment to a place and good bread

Have you ever felt an emotional attachment to a place or even a landscape? A feeling of belonging when you go there even when you've never been there before? I feel that way about Scotland and to a lesser extent, England. It puzzles me a bit because the environment I grew up in was so… Continue reading Emotional attachment to a place and good bread

Growing your own food

Climate Café no.5 was on in Aberdeen last night. If you live in Aberdeen I highly recommend this series. It's an initiative of Aberdeen Climate Action, a community organisation for which I'm a volunteer, and we are spreading inspirational messages to encourage our communities to tackle the problem of climate change. Inspirational is absolutely the… Continue reading Growing your own food

Nutcrafter Creamery Vegan Cheese

Today I was feeling particularly decadent and bought myself some vegan cheese from Nutcrafter Creamery. Foodstory sell some of their artisan cheeses and I got the Aged Smoked Chipotle. It's not cheap at £8.50 for 190g but it was oh so worth it. The main ingredient is cashews. The nutrition information doesn't make much sense.… Continue reading Nutcrafter Creamery Vegan Cheese

VPud – vegan black pudding

I tried the world's first vegan black pudding this week. It's made by a firm in Lancashire called The Real Lancashire Black Pudding Company. It was delicious! It's made mostly with oats and pearl barley, two of my favourite foods. They use beetroot to give it a deep red colour. It's very easy to make:… Continue reading VPud – vegan black pudding

Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen

I had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with Daniel. I never had to take insulin and it went away after his birth. Oddly, I didn't have it during my pregnancy with Elizabeth and I say oddly because usually it gets worse as you get older. Most women who have the disease during one pregnancy… Continue reading Dr. Greger’s Daily Dozen

Porridge with peanut butter

Last Sunday we went to Bonobo for brunch and I tried their Bonoboats which is porridge made with peanut butter. I was a little skeptical at first but it exceeded my expectations so I decided to try making it at home. Here's what I got at Bonobo: Here's what I made today at home: Ok, so… Continue reading Porridge with peanut butter

Is this a scene from a horror film?

In keeping with my earlier proclamation about not giving a rat's arse about what anyone else thinks, behold the uninhibited Rachel looking like a dork and wearing pyjamas. I ate all that green stuff just after the photo was taken. It's produce from my plot at the allotment which is where I went in the… Continue reading Is this a scene from a horror film?

Cauliflower cheese without cheese

I'm not that into cooking however I like eating and I know I need to eat more fresh vegetables and fewer processed vegan meals. Last night I made a vegan version of cauliflower cheese that tasted wonderful and was very easy to make so I thought I'd share it. Someone at the allotments gave me… Continue reading Cauliflower cheese without cheese

Vegan ice cream for dummies

I adapted this recipe from one I saw in the August edition of Britain's Vegan Food & Living magazine. It is possibly the easiest, quickest, healthiest, and yummiest vegan ice-cream you will ever eat. Ingredients 3 large bananas 300g frozen black currents (or berries of your choice) 1 tbsp maple syrup 100ml soya milk Two… Continue reading Vegan ice cream for dummies

Is there anything kale can’t do?

The author of the book, How not to die, has some terrific lectures online. He's very entertaining to listen to and knows his stuff. This particular talk is about the best way to avoid death. It goes through the leading causes of death starting from heart disease and by analysing the latest research demonstrates how… Continue reading Is there anything kale can’t do?

Frank Spencer at the allotments

I went to the allotment today to assemble a small cage I purchased to keep the pigeons off the vegetables. I bought what I thought was an easy click-together frame but when I pulled it out I discovered screws and I hadn't taken a screwdriver with me. Who carries a screwdriver around with them? I… Continue reading Frank Spencer at the allotments