Vegan Effect

Written by   McDonald, T.    |  Date 12th of May 2025 A very quick and easy red vegan pesto!  This has a wonderful taste and goes great with pasta or even spread on some homemade bread.

Written by   McDonald, T.    |  Date 5th of May 2025 This was a favourite of mine while growing up.  With today's vegan ranges, it's very easy to make.  I used banana bread cut into fingers for the sponge, but you can use a regular sponge if you want. Notes I used banana bread cut into fingers in place of the sponge fingers. I used Flora double cream, which took a lot of whipping! I used Alpro vegan custard.   I used wibble strawberry jelly crystals   Serves 6 Time - 2 days Ingredients  Strawberries x 1 tin Vegan custard x 1 carton Vegan double/whipping cream x 1 carton Vegan jelly crystals x 1 sachet Vegan sponge fingers x  Apparatus Medium glass bowl Measuring jug  Hand whisk Method  Cut the sponge into fingers about the size of a finger and add to the glass bowl. Drain the strawberries and add to the glass bowl.  Make the jelly as directed on the packet. Pour the jelly over the sponge fingers and strawberries....

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 21th of April 2025 Filled with rhubarb and strawberries and topped with a biscuit crumble.  This has got to be one of the best desserts in the world! It's so comforting and easy to make.

Written by   McDonald, T.    |  Date 7th of April 2025 Straight forward bread with no need for a Dutch oven. Get great results the same day with this easy to make and fantastic tasting bread. Waste Short term waste: Zero  Long term waste: Flour packaging Yeast packaging Salt container  Notes Hydration is at 80%. Baker's notes Flour 100% (500 g) Water 80% (400 g) Yeast 1.4% (7 g) dry  [Fresh is 4% (20) g]  Salt 0.012% (6 g) Water temperature Between 40 °C and 46 °C   Makes one 800 g loaf Ingredients 200 g white flour strong bread flour 300 g wholemeal strong bread flour 6 g Salt   7 g active dry yeast/instant yeast 1 tbsp of vegetable oil 400 g of lukewarm water Seeds optional Apparatus Dough scraper Danish whisk Spatula Large mixing bowl Baking sheet Method  Add both flours to the mixing bowl and mix flours together with the balloon whisk.  Add the salt and yeast in different places, and then mix with the balloon whisk aga...

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Updated 31st of March 2025 Fancy a traditional English dinner?  This is one of my favourites and is easy to make vegan. Textured vegetable protein (tvp) has been around forever and is great when mixed with green lentils.  You will get great textures, flavours and a good dose of protein.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 24th of March 2025 If you love potatoes as much as I do, you will love this dish too!  Very simple, but will add that extra layer of taste to your meal.  Potatoes are a great source of carbohydrate, are sweet and delicious.  You can serve these on their own or with your main meal. 

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 17th of March 2025 Fresh, lemon and zesty!  This is great in the summer when you need something that makes you feel fresh and clean.  It's very easy and quick and is made with fresh lemon and cracked black pepper.  I love to have it with rice, quinoa, or potato and vegetables, but it's great with anything.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Updated 10th of March 2025. Soda bread is a favourite of mine.  I like to have it regularly because it's so quick and easy to make. Furthermore, it's a simple job to increase the nutrition if you want, which is what I'm doing with this recipe. Adding the seeds really increases the nutritional value of this Irish bread, and since next Monday is St Patrick's Day, why not get the ingredients this week and be ready to make it for St Partick's Day!

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Updated 3rd of March 2025. This is a great dish with crisp fun vegetables in a spicy sauce. If you have always wanted to try more Korean food, this is an easy dish to start with. 

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Updated 17th of February 2025. Traditional British food is amongst the greatest in the world!  Stews are great in the colder weather because they provide so much warmth and comfort.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 10th of Februry 2025  A quick and simple stew with a difference. This is very tasty and great with either potato, rice or quinoa. Ingredients Mock meat chunks Mushrooms Kale Leek Stewing sauce Method Chop the vegetables into bit size chunks and add to a pot. Add the kale and sliced leek. Add the stewing sauce and stew for about 40 minutes. Results   I hope that you liked this blog and if you do try this recipe, please let me know how you got on and what it turned out like. You can leave a comment in the comments below.  

Written by   McDonald, T.    |  Date 3rd of Februry 2025  Sometimes I want a different kind of stew and this is it. Very easy to prepare and woth the weight.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 20th of January 2025 Yes, this is another variation on banana bread.  The oats and the chia seeds add a lot of nutrition to this bread as well as flavours and textures, making this fun bread with perks. Chia seeds are great sauces of calcium, iron, fibre, and magnesium.  While dietary fibre helps us to fill full, magnesium is thought to help reduce anxiety and depression.  In keeping with alleviating the symptoms of depression, lemon juice is also said to help.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 20th of January 2025 I do like a bit of pizza for dinner.  This is also very easy to make with few ingredients and no hassle. The sauce is fun and exciting while the spinach and tomato provide texture and juiciness.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 13th of October 2025 This is so easy to make. I like to ave soup once in a while because it is easy tastes great, you can make a big batch and freeze it for latter.

By McDonald, T.   |  Date 6th of January 2025 Pink Lenfu is tofu made with red lentils.  It is incredibly easy to make and so worth it! It is made in 30 mins although you can't really use it for 2 hours, and it is best if you leave it overnight.  You can marinade it like tofu, fry it like tofu, use it like tofu. 

Written by   McDonald, T.    |  Date 7th of December 2024 If you are looking for a traditional British dinner, you can't go wrong with this comforting and hearty meal.  It has been a popular dish in the UK for as long as I can remember.  The white pepper gives it a worm and spicy taste, which is great for those long winter nights.

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 16 of December 2024     Christmas desserts need a thick brandy cream and this is the one for vegans.   Ingredients 1 tin of coconut milk (Check it is suitable for vegans because some are not) 2 tbsp of coconut cream 3 tablespoons of brandy (Most brandy is suitable for vegans but not all, so check out my vegan alcohol guide) 2 tbsp icing sugar   Method Pour the tin of coconut milk into a bowl.  Melt the coconut cream in a bowl. Take off the heat and add to coconut milk. Stir in the brandy. Place in a fridge to thicken Whip if you so desire. Results I very nice brandy cream that is sweet and flavourful.    I hope that you liked this blog and if you do try this recipe, please let me know how you got on and what it turned out like. You can leave a comment in the comments below.  

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 9th of December 2024 If you are looking for a true piece of decadence, this is it. Plenty of flavour from the rum and raisins and plenty of sweetness from the chocolate and coconut cream.  This dessert takes longer to chill than it does to make, so if you are sort of time, this could be for you.  All you have to do is soak the raisins overnight and make the dessert in the morning and put it in the fridge.  When you get home, the dessert will be more than ready. 

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 2nd of December 2024 If you want to make your pecan pie a little more fancy for this Christmas holiday, why not add some bourbon?  Yes, adding alcohol to desserts will always make them a little more Christmasy!  This vegan pecan pie is great and I think it is perfectly ok to cheat a little and use pre-rolled pastry, just be sure it is vegan.