rachel.blog

Tag: vegetarian

  • My awesome bike and veggie Chinese takeaway

    My awesome bike and veggie Chinese takeaway

    The best thing about these dark days is how awesome my bike looks. If you’re looking for a good Christmas present for someone who likes to eat a lot of plants then I recommend The Veggie Chinese Takeaway Cookbook. Who doesn’t like Chinese takeaway? I made the hoisin sauce today then used it in one […]

  • The future of meat

    Eating animals poses a major global health risk and the costs are enormous and they’re not borne only by the meat-eaters themselves nor by the animals but by everybody on the planet whether they eat meat or not. I say this because we’ve seen this over and over again that epidemics and pandemics have come […]

  • A bumblebee, extraordinary changes for the UK, and thoughts on mother’s day for the most abused of all mothers

    I got stung by a bumblebee yesterday for the first time in my life. Since all our usual Saturday activities were cancelled I took the opportunity to do some gardening and as I put on my gardening gloves I felt a sharp prick. Thinking it was a spider (I’m terrified of spiders and yes I […]

  • A vegan’s blood test results

    A vegan’s blood test results

    I recently had the Well Woman blood tests done by Medichecks. There’s nothing wrong with me but now that I’m 44 I thought it would be good to start monitoring things like cholesterol since there’s a family history of it. I also like to check my HbA1c regularly for diabetes. Since I don’t have any […]

  • If I ruled the world …

    If I ruled the world …

    If I ruled the world … everyone would become vegan. Let me explain why. The fires in the Amazon rainforest are tragic but this is the cost of livestock farming. The fires were deliberately lit to clear the land for crops and cattle grazing. Most of the crops grown on the planet are used to […]

  • New vegetarian restaurant in Aberdeen

    New vegetarian restaurant in Aberdeen

    Inn at the Park hotel near Duthie Park now has a vegetarian restaurant. It’s a hotel/pub/restaurant all in one and the restaurant part of it has gone all vegetarian as of 1st August 2019. I don’t know the particulars of the change – it never used to be veggie – but I suspect it’s just […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • 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 […]

  • Vegan junk food

    Vegan junk food

    It’s easy to be an unhealthy vegan with more and more vegan junk food options to choose from at the supermarket. Recently Sainsbury’s added Goodfella’s vegan pizza and vegan Cornetto. The vegan pizza is so good. Even the very discerning Daniel likes it. It’s probably reasonably healthy for a frozen pizza. The Cornetto was also […]

  • Eating stinging nettles

    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, […]

  • Emotional attachment to a place and good bread

    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 […]

  • Nutcrafter Creamery Vegan Cheese

    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. […]

  • VPud – vegan black pudding

    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: […]

  • Vegan banana choc chip muffins

    Vegan banana choc chip muffins

    Is there anything more delicious than banana and chocolate mixed together? This has always been my favourite combination for a muffin. These are very quick and easy to make and they’re also a great way to use up elderly bananas. Ingredients 2 ripe bananas 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed 6 tablespoons water 1/4 cup vegetable oil […]