Tag: Vegan

  • Decadent choc marshmallow biscuits

    Decadent choc marshmallow biscuits

    We saw a video online the other day about making your own chocolate marshmallow biscuits and we decided to give it a try today. It’s very easy and requires only digestive biscuits, jam, marshmallows, and chocolate. Take two digestive biscuits.  Spread one biscuit with jam then put some marshmallows on top. Put the other digestive…

  • Vegan scones and cream

    Vegan scones and cream

    The Brits are known for their scones but unless you go to a vegan cafe they’re always packed full of butter and cream. It’s a shame because vegan ones are easy to make and delicious. You can even make the whipped cream without using any cow’s milk. I used coconut cream. Here’s the recipe: 2…

  • Living a low carbon life

    Living a low carbon life

    Last week the BBC came to our house and filmed us for a story on a low carbon family that aired on the news last night. It also went on the web at The Aberdeen family embracing a low-carbon lifestyle. In some ways I feel like a bit of a fraud because I feel there’s…

  • Fudgy no-bake brownies

    Fudgy no-bake brownies

    Elizabeth made the fudgy no-bake brownies from Dr Gregor’s How Not to Die cookbook yesterday. They’re so easy to make even a kid can do it. I just helped her a bit with the food processor. They’re delicious and healthy. There’s no sugar in the recipe and they’re gluten-free and vegan. Ingredients 1 cup walnuts…

  • Aurora hunting, vegan treats, and made in Scotland

    Aurora hunting, vegan treats, and made in Scotland

    We went aurora hunting last night because every newspaper said we’d see a magnificent light show when a solar storm arrived, supposedly sometime between 6pm and 9pm. But it turned out to be a non-event because there was no aurora. We drove to Dunnottar Castle thinking it would be a good spot because it’s away…

  • Aberdeen’s beach and veganism is mainstream

    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…

  • Mishmash of crochet, forceful vegans, ISIS brides, and made in China

    Mishmash of crochet, forceful vegans, ISIS brides, and made in China

    I’ve been a little quiet recently which does not mean I haven’t had a lot to say. I’ve just been busy. All my spare time lately has been spent crocheting. I’ve become obsessed with socks and have made so many now and even designed my own pattern for crochet socks which I’ve put up for…

  • How to be a healthy vegan

    How to be a healthy vegan

    Climate change is spawning a mass vegan movement in a way that concern for animal welfare never did. Animal Liberation was written in 1975 and until the last few years, veganism was a fringe movement with a bad reputation. Its impact has been small and slow. But this has changed with rising concern for the…

  • Merry Christmas 2018

    Merry Christmas 2018

    One of the nice things about having a blog is it becomes an historical record of what I’ve done or where I was at a particular moment in time. I sometimes wonder what I was doing for Christmas in 2012 or 2013 and all I need to do is go back through the archives of…

  • Vegan panforte

    Vegan panforte

    Ben’s mother often makes panforte during the Christmas period and it’s one of the yummiest things I’ve ever eaten. I thought I’d try making a vegan panforte this morning and it turned out beautifully! It’s dangerously delicious which means I’ll need to find some self-control to avoid stuffing my face. I used this recipe but…

  • Scones, tomatoes, fires, and pain relief

    Scones, tomatoes, fires, and pain relief

    I woke up this morning excited to start my day. As Ben would say, “Don’t worry, you’ll get over it”, I’m sure I will. I got up and made some vegan scones with a Scottish twist by adding oats. I love oats and they’re so good for you. The scones are delicious and the perfect…

  • Vegan haggis with whisky sauce

    Vegan haggis with whisky sauce

    After our visit to Glenfiddich last weekend I was inspired to make a vegan whisky sauce to go with vegan haggis. All the supermarkets here sell vegetarian haggis and there are two main brands to choose from – Simon Howie and Macsween. Both are very good. Last night we had Simon Howie’s haggis which contains…

  • Beetroots, beans and bikes

    Beetroots, beans and bikes

    We went to the allotment today and the kids harvested a couple of beetroots. The allotment is giving us beetroots, tomatoes, broccoli, kale, and herbs right now. The other crops have either died away with the cooler weather or have been harvested already. We have an abundance of kale which should see us right through…

  • Praise the oat drink

    Praise the oat drink

    I am loving the Marks and Spencer oat drink. I only just discovered it and it’s delicious! After having consumed soya drink for more than 15 years I’m now an oat drink convert. We’re not supposed to call it milk because the EU ruled that non-diary substitutes cannot be called milk. I’m quite happy about…

  • Vegan BBQ

    Vegan BBQ

    Argos are selling a vegan BBQ. The vegan industry is growing rapidly in the UK and I guess there’s money to be made by using the v-word. Obviously vegans can use any type of BBQ because all BBQs are vegan. Maybe I should start selling a vegan bike? The supermarkets here are ramping up their…

  • Aquafaba

    Aquafaba

    I learnt a new word on the weekend: aquafaba. It’s the leftover liquid from cooked legumes which, when whisked, becomes white and fluffy just like egg whites. I tried it on the weekend with the liquid from a can of chickpeas. Instead of tipping it down the sink, which is what I normally do, I…

  • It’s not all or nothing

    It’s not all or nothing

    I’ve recently started drinking oat milk drink. I usually drink soya but Ben recently went dairy-free at home and prefers oat drink so I thought I’d give it a try. It’s delicious. I’m addicted and prefer it to soya now. I like that oats are grown widely in Scotland and so I feel virtuous buying…

  • A plant-based diet and the protein myth

    A plant-based diet and the protein myth

    Some people have missed the memo because I still hear the myth that meat consumption is necessary for protein. It’s like the myth that the MMR vaccine causes autism. Despite evidence to the contrary it continues to spread around the blogosphere, like a zombie that never dies. At the risk of sounding like a conspiracy…

  • If you want to eat less soya, then you should eat soya

    If you want to eat less soya, then you should eat soya

    There’s a great quote from George Monbiot in the Guardian this week. Part of the reason [why a plant-based diet is better for the environment] is the extreme inefficiency of feeding livestock on grain: most of its nutritional value is lost in conversion from plant protein to animal protein. This reinforces my contention that if…

  • Akashinga – the female anti-poaching unit

    I love this short BBC video about the all-women anti-poaching unit in Zimbabwe. It brings tears to my eyes to watch, not just for the elephants they’re protecting, but for the women and how the job has transformed their lives. They are the Akashinga – the brave ones. It’s part of the International Anti-poaching Foundation,…