Lazy Person's Crumble

SCORE!

While some frozen mixed berries are warming themselves up over a low heat prepare the crumble by frying some nice sugar and cinnamon/nutmeg in some vegan margarine, then stir in enough oats to soak it all up. Pour the fruit into a bowl and top with the crumble. Ta-daaar!

Parsley Popcorn

Popcorn so good that it's impossible to take a photo without a hand being in it :-)

Popcorn is AMAZING! Fun to make, fun to eat. For this one I dried a few bunches of parsley in the oven, which was then crumbled so that it looked like the dried stuff. This was sprinkled over the fresh popcorn, with some sea salt. I guess you could take the easy route and just buy it dry, but hey! I was experimenting.

To make popcorn from its kernels use a big flat based pan with a well fitting lid. A good glug of sunflower oil and a small handful of kernels (less than you'd think) will pop pop pop to fill up the pan. Practise makes perfect with knowing how much of each ingredient suits your pan, so get popping!

Salad Soup

In winter, most people would rather something warm than a salad, but feel compelled to buy leaves for health reasons. This is what was behind my friend giving me half a bag of wilting salad, and why I decided to try to make something a bit more comforting out of it.

I boiled an onion, a chopped potato and a few cloves of crushed garlic with some bouillon until the potatoes were starting to disintegrate, then I added the spinach, rocket, watercress and red chard. After taking it off the heat I added a handful of frozen peas, which after a few minutes cooled the soup down enough to blend it.

A dollop of soya yogurt (the remains of the sojade from the reviewing session) and some freshly ground black pepper made this a delicious and nutritious soup.

Soya Yoghurt - Review

As a lacto-vegetarian I consumed natural yogurt at an alarming rate, so decided to try some vegan alternatives. Here are two soya ones, and a pea protein desert, thrown in for luck. I have split my review into four sections: eating experience, nutrition, and ethics, as these are the things I take into account when buying food. I’ve left out price as there wasn’t much difference.

Provamel’s Bio-Organic Soja

· Eating Experience

This was the most enjoyable product to eat on its own – it is sweetened with tapioca and corn starch, which put me off a bit, but actually gave it a well rounded taste. The texture is smooth, and there’s a fresh and creamy aftertaste, which may be a paradox, but it is a reality that I remember from eating low fat dairy yogurt. It’s not quite as satisfying an experience as my beloved Yeo Valley low fat natural yogurt, but comes close enough to stop me mourning the loss of yogurt. I imagine that I will use it in much the same way as I used to use dairy yogurt, i.e. guzzle it straight from the pot, look around guiltily, then guzzle some more.

4/5

· Nutrition

Both soya yogurts were very similar so I’ll write about them together. Although the recommended serving size is 125g, I think it’s more realistic to talk of 150g as a serving. (That’s not just me, is it?) So, in a Gwen sized serving you get about 75 calories, 6-7g protein, 3-4g carbohydrates, 3-4g fat, and reasonable amounts of everything else. Sojade’s product has next to no sodium, while Provamel’s has Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Live cultures in Provamel’s were bifidobacterium, Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus, while Sojade’s were Bifidus and Acidophilus. In laymen’s terms these are tummy friendly bacteria that do all the good things probiotic yogurt is said to do, including helping restore balance which has been disrupted due to antibiotics.

5/5

· Ethics

I LOVE this company. Originally set up to produce protein rich foods at an affordable price for developing countries, They are just all-round goodies, and to top it all off they have an IBD Ecosocial label, (http://www.provamel.co.uk/sustainability/ecosocial.htm) which guarantees that they are socially, economically and environmentally ethical. Especially cool is the fact that they decided to build their processing plant by a canal, so that for the main part their soya beans are transported by barge. I don’t know about the vehicles used to transport the products, but they clearly have a real desire to be as ethical as possible, just look at one of the projects they’re involved in: “The ‘Vitagoat’ is a bicycle like contraption that is helping to combat malnutrition and poverty in Africa and Asia and which we part fund. A small, entirely pedal-powered bicycle like machine, it produces nutritious soya milk without electricity or running water, cooking and grinding soya beans merely through ‘legwork’. Each unit can generate between 5 and 10 jobs, up to 30 litres of soya milk per hour and precious nutrition for literally 100s.”

5/5

Provamel have an online quarterly magazine: http://www.provamel.com/downloads/foodandlifestyle%20Summer10COMPCLOSED.pdf

· Conclusion

Feel good food 5/5

Sojade’s Fresh Soya Speciality

· Eating Experience

If you imagine what soya milk might be like if it were approaching a solid state, then you have a good idea of what this tastes like. It has the same soya aftertaste too, which isn’t something I enjoy very much. As the ingredients are purely water, soya beans and live cultures then it makes sense that its characteristics are very similar to soya milk. It was ok on its own, but would be much better accompanied by some jam or something else to add to the taste. I would buy this again to use in savoury cooking, e.g. to make mushroom soup creamier.

3/5

· Nutrition

See Provamel’s review.

5/5

· Ethics

Sojade is a Breton company with a background in organic farming. They use French soya beans which are organically produced, and GMO free. They seem like a really good company – their website says “In this complex world we live in, the values ​​behind the company are focused on respect for humans, nature, material, maintenance of good practice and common sense.” Energy used is partially from their solar panels, they are installing a wind turbine, and their vehicles are electric and hybrid. They are the same company as Sojasun, which are non-organic and don't seem to shout about their ethics too much. They also sell cow and sheep milk products, but don’t say much about how their animals are treated so I can’t comment on this. There is a rumour that the starter culture is animal based: http://plants-vs-vegans.blogspot.com/2010/11/sojade-sojasun-and-bacteria-problem.html

3/5

· Conclusion

Good for cooking, questionable suitability 3.5/5

Redwood’s Wot No Dairy? Plain dessert

· Eating Experience

In its defence, this product describes itself as a dessert, rather than a yogurt, so maybe my misled expectations caused my disappointment, but this isn’t something that I will buy again. It tastes like one of those cheap supermarket deserts that are sort of a cross between custard, mousse and yogurt and are more for the sake of having something a bit naughty, rather than actually experiencing any enjoyment. It felt artificial and without genuine character – the Katie Price of the vegan desert world. The ridiculous name with a kool misspelling put me off too. Not impressed.

1.5/5

· Nutrition

The small pot provides 122 calories, 4.5g fat, 16g carbohydrates, 3.6g fat, 1.45 mg sodium. It doesn’t have any nasty added extras.

3/5

· Ethics

Unlike the other two companies Redwood doesn’t mention the process which their soya beans undergo which makes me think that they may use chemicals to extract the milk, rather than doing it mechanically like Provamel and Sojade. I took an immediate dislike to the company when I spotted a basic grammar mistake on the website (there instead of their), but putting the pedant in me to one side, they seem to be making a good effort to be ethical. I should also remember the adage about stones and glass houses, and remind myself to learn the difference between a desert and a dessert. First impressions make me think that their ethical stance roots from a commercial shrewdness, rather than a true passion, but that might just be their PR failings. Environmental policies are available to look at, and they have won a large number of ethical awards – including Best Vegan Company in the Vegan Environmental Awards 2007 - so they must be doing something right. On top of the grammar mistake, I am also prejudiced against them because they are an American company which focuses on meat and dairy product alternatives. This probably says more about my issues than anything about them…

4.5/5

· Conclusion

Might be good for nostalgic eating here and there 3/5

Banana & Cherry Slices

I've been considering cutting down my refined sugar intake. Or maybe cutting it out completely. I met someone else who is already doing this and it sort of re-enforced my thinking. So, when I went skipping (see my last post) and found 2 boxes or cherries, 6 bananas, and lots of oranges, I decided it was a good time to start some sugar-free baking. The recipe is incredibly simple and I really enjoyed these treats. They have a lovely subtle sweetness with more character than the sugary buns I had been baking. Now I'm sold on this sugar-free lark, and well on my way. Here's what I did.

I took the pips out of the cherries, squeezed the juice out of a few oranges and a lemon, and blended this all in a bowl with the 6 peeled bananas (like a lovely, thick smoothie). I added flour until I got a nice sloppy consistency, and I chopped up the other box of cherries and threw them in to get a nice chunky sweetness in the slices. I added a bit of oil and some nutmeg and cinammon. I poured the whole mixture onto a baking tray, thinly so it would cook within a reasonable amount of time.  Then I sprinkled some sunflower seeds on top for a laugh. And that's it. Let them cool and they're even nicer. Sugar-free and vegan. Beautiful.

- Dara

Skipping in Galway / Tips for New Skippers

I went skipping in Galway (Ireland) recently. I had lived there for years before I ever did any skipping, so it was nice to go back in my current mode and SKIP IT. I was there visiting a friend, so I brought him along and it was fun. We had no luck at first, even after scaling a wall into a supermarket back yard (normally this much effort is not necessary). However, upon hopping back over the wall to freedom, we ended up finding a whole plastic-bound package of milk cartons, in date. Presumably thrown over the supermarket wall by some kids or adults or just people. A strange happening, but my friend wanted milk for his tea so it worked out nicely. Though he got a little more than he bargained for (about 8 litres), and after some recent dairy-heavy skip hauls, I wasn't in the mood to help him out with its consumption.

We thought we'd have to be content with our milky lot, but decided to check out the back of one more shopping centre. After discovering several bags of raw meat, I realised I was probably in the wrong bin. 'This must be the butcher's bin,' I thought. More bags of meat. 'Yes, this is most certainly The Butcher's Bin.' I guess the people of Galway don't buy much meat, because it wall all in The Butcher's Bin. Anyway, after this deathly, fleshy encounter, I spied some lovely, clean supermarket bins - but in a cage, as often happens. Luckily, this one was bound with a loose chain & lock rather than a tight bolt & lock. So with some serious team work (arm-stretching from the front to pull the bin near us, and minor finger-pushing from behind through the small cage holes) we managed to gradually wheel it over to the gap between the cage doors. Because of the awkward positioning of the bin, and the small gap between the doors, I could only reach the stuff on top - which proved to be more than we could carry anyway. I foolishly brought some weak bin bags with me (you know, those white ones - good for nothing), which promptly broke and tore and spilled everywhere as soon as we filled them and reminded me of my own film, Hannah, in some kind of joke the universe was playing on me (I even had flowers to add to the coincidence, and dare-I-say irony, of it all - you'll see in the film). It was funny though, and the universe must be a sport because it all worked out and we managed to get home and of course it made the whole thing funnier and more enjoyable. Below is the haul we brought back. I made some delicious buns from the fruit, which you can read about in my next post.

  

If you haven't been skipping before and are considering it (great!) then I would recommend the following:

- Bring sturdy bags for skipping. Ideally an old backpack or gearbag. Bin bags are very unreliable and do not make for a stealthy getaway. (Fittingly, I just found a beautiful new backpack in a skip in Limerick, so that will be my regular from now on!)

- Bring a torch, pretty essential for night-time skipping (though I've used my phone in the past - not ideal)

- Keep looking. If you don't have luck at the first skip don't give up, there are plenty more skips in the sea, or city even. The right one for you is just around the corner.

- Always leave the bin as you found it. If you make a mess then it's likely they'll lock them up or hide them away next time. If you like being a spy then you can always pretend you're a spy on some kind of bin-related mission.

If you have any skipping questions, or would like to share some skipping locations and tips it would be cool to hear from you. Leave a comment with your email or just drop me a line here:

dara [at] fakedogfilms.com

- Dara

Soy Milk & Soy Bread

I've never been a big fan of soy milk. In fact I never tried it until last year. And when I tried it I thought, 'I was right. This is horrible and sweet and fake.' Then I read the ingredients. Horrible. I hate rubbish ingredients. Then, another time after that time, I saw some soy beans in an Indian shop. I decided to buy them. I realised, yes, I am going to make my own soy milk. And make it not-so-sweet or full of rubbish. Turns out, it's really easy.

Wash the soy beans and soak them overnight. The next day, give them a rinse and a drain. There is no need to cook them, we're going straight into the blender (yes, you need a blender for this one - apologies to the blender-deprived). So, what you do is blend up the soy beans with water - start with a 3:1 ratio of water:soy beans. Then strain off the liquid (with a sieve or some kind of filter paper if you're really posh - or a tea towel, that might work) into a pot. It should look white, like soy milk. Keep the solid soy bean mush left in the sieve/ paper/ tea towel/ whatever,  and pop it back in the blender for a second go. This time use maybe a 2:1 ratio. Repeat the straining, and go once again with a smaller bit of water, like 1:1. That's what I found to be a nice consistency. If you like it with a strong soy taste, use less water, or just use the first filtration.

Add some syrup (or sugar) to the pot of strained soy milk, depending on your preference. I find just a small bit of sweetener sets it off, but not too much. You can add salt if you like, but I don't like salt. Bring the mixture to the boil to pasteurise it (or something) and that's it! Give it a last strain if you like, when pouring it into a container, and keep it in the fridge. Delicious and refreshing. Now I can have cereal again!

But ah, what of that left-over soy mush? Well, that's what I was thinking. So I thought, what can I do with it? And I heard bread. Bread? Yes, bread. Put the soy mush in a bowl, add plenty brown flour (till you get a nice dough consistency), a dash or two of cider vinegar, yeast (follow the instruction on the packet), and a few glugs of oil. Also, I find adding some nutritional yeast flakes and bouillon to be quite nice. Or salt, if you like. Coat a baking dish with oil and then place the dough into it. Cover it (perhaps with a plate? A tea towel maybe?) and let it rise in a warm place for about an hour, or as long as you can wait. I find the latter normally takes precedent. Then, place it into a pre-heated oven, at some kind of hot temperature. Cook it till it's done (stick a skewer in and see if it comes out clear) and then you're done.

And that's it. Some delicious, protein-rich soy bread to have with your soy milk! Nothing goes to waste. Sure isn't that better than rubbish soy milk in silvery box packets? The milk holds for about 3 - 5 days in the fridge, from my experience. And the bread, as long as you can hold off eating it.

- Dara