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Best Vegan Burger

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By McDonald, T.   |  Updated 17th of July 2020 Ever since i began to eat vegan food, i have looked out for a great vegan burger.  This is my verdict on the vegan burgers i have tried. Beyond Meat This was not that bad.  I heard a lot about this on social media and decided to give it a go.  It has a great taste, but the fresh ones are diffidently better than the frozen ones. No Bull This I didn’t like at all.  Although it has a great advertising campaign, i was not impressed with it.  I found it to be soft and squidgy with next to no taste at all!  I found this burger in Iceland. Linda McCartney This was my favourite brand for years.  If i was going to have a burger, it would be either the vegetarian one with the mozzarella cheese or vegan burger.  I found these burgers to have good firmness and great flavour.  However, I was not that impressed with the pulled pork ones at first, but once i go better at cooking them, i changed my mind.  I learnt not to cover the burger when it was in t

3 Jewish Festivals Christians Should Know About

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By McDonald, T.   |  Date 14th of October 2020 The Jewish calendar is full of festivals with each of them full of meaning. However, there are three festivals that should be of interest to all Christians. The feast of Passover (Pesach) The feast of Weeks (Also called Pentecost or Shavuot) The feast of Booths (Sukkot or Feast of Tabernacles)  These festivals are the three harvest feasts for spring, summer and autumn. Why do Christians need to know about them? These are the three major festivals at the time of Jesus and are called the pilgrimage festivals: shalosh regalim. People from the Jewish faith would head to Jerusalem to celebrate these festivals. Moreover, these festivals also represent major events in the Bible for the Israelites all relating to Exodus. God explains how to celebrate them in Exodus 12 13, Leviticus 23 and Deuteronomy 16. The feast of Passover (Pesach) First, I will explain the festival and the story in brief. This is an eight day (seven days if you are in the H

Zughetti and spicy mushrooms (vegan)

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By   McDonald, T.   |  Date 10th of October 2020    Low carb diets are the big thing once again.  If you are wondering how to lower your carb intake, using a spiralizer is a great way to achieve it.  This is a veganized version of spicy meatballs and spaghetti where button mushrooms take the place of the meatballs and spiralized zucchini takes the place of spaghetti.  If you have never tried spiralized veg may I suggest that you do: it's amazing!  Ingredients For Spaghetti Zucchini (Courgette)  1/2 of garlic granules Pinch of salt For Tomato Sauce  1 cup of chopped tomatoes (from tin) 1 table spoon of salsa 2 gloves of chopped garlic 1/2 tsp of turmeric  1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper Black pepper 1/2 a diced carrot 1/4 of dice bell pepper Coriander  Handful of button mushrooms  Method Fry the mushrooms, carrot, garlic and bell pepper in a saucepan with olive oil until the carrot and mushrooms start to soften and get a glazed look.  Add all the other ingredients for the tomato sauce a

Seven Vegetable Couscous

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By McDonald, T.   |  Date 3rd of October 2020  The couscous represents many blessing while the seven vegetables represents the seven days including the day of rest that it took to create the Earth. Ingredients 1/2 Carrot 1/4 Onion 1/4 Parsnip 1/2 Bell Pepper 1/4 Zucchini 3 small florets of Broccoli 4 button Mushrooms A few Sultanas 1/4 cup of Couscous 1/4 cup of Apple juice 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar 2 Gloves of garlic   1/2 tsp of Garlic granules 1/4 Chilli  5 Olives  pinch of Saffron Salt 3 tablespoons of chopped tomatoes Method  Soak the couscous overnight in the apple juice and some water with the sultanas .  Chop all the veg into small pieces and lightly fry in a frying pan for 8 minutes with the chopped garlic. Now add the chilli, olives and tomatoes Cook for anther 5-8 minutes stirring constantly until the couscous is hot.  Serve and eat while still hot.

Fake sausages: are they worth it?

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By  McDonald, T.   |  Date 29th of September 2020 Do you miss a good old fry up?  Are you having trouble converting to a vegetarian diet?  After years of trying i finally have found these chipolata style sausages from Plant Chef by Tesco.  I have to say that i loved these sausages and found myself asking are they really plant based?  Yes, they are that good!  So yes, i think these are worth trying. Here is my recipe for a vegetarian fry up.   Ingredients 2 Plant Chef chipolata sausages  1 egg Small amount of onion Small amount of bell pepper Cheese 1/2 tsp of garlic grapnels 3 button mushrooms 2 peeled plumb tomatoes Coriander  Chips or hash browns Method  Put the chips in a preheated oven.   Make the omelet mix by mixing together the egg, diced bell pepper, diced onion, chopped mushroom, diced cheese, garlic granules and coriander.  Leave to the side for now. Fry the chipolatas for 2 minutes each side and then put in the oven for 10 minutes. Heat the tomatoes in a saucepan.   Options

Mediterranean Butter Beans with Wholemeal Pasta

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By   McDonald, T.   |  Date 17th of October 2020     If you like strong flavours, this is a must try.  The tomato sauce is bursting with flavour and the wholemeal pasta will keep hunger at bay for longer.  Easily veganized by omitting the pesto (pesto has cheese in) Servers 2 Ingredients 1.5 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 tsp soya sauce 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped  1 tsp garlic granules  50g of chopped tomato 1/2 tsp of maple syrup 50g of butter beans, rinsed and drained  wholemeal or lentil pasta 1 carrot sliced 1/4 cup of peas Some Coriander, chopped 2 tablespoons of salsa 2 tsp of chilli and tomato pesto (leave this out if you want vegan) Salt to taste Apparatus Sharp knife Chopping board Saucepan Method Except for the coriander, put everything in a saucepan and cook for 10-15 minutes.  Ensure the pasta is tender before serving.  Use the coriander to garnish.  Tips  Soak the pasta for 20 minutes beforehand. Nutrition  Did you know that tomatoes are actually a fruit, but are classed

Apple Overnight oats For New Year

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  By McDonald, T.   |  Updated 11th of March 2024.   What better way to start the year than with something sweet?  Food that symbolises the new year just got a lift with this easy to make all day breakfast.  You can eat this at any time of the day, and it will be both stratifying and filling, and it is 100% vegan.  The fruit symbolises the hope for a fruitful year ahead while the pomegranate represents the many bless we hope to receive. Completely delicious and symbolic making it idea for New Year. Serves 1 Ingredients 1/2 a cup of rolled oats  1 cup of soya milk  1 tsp chia seeds  1/2 an apple diced 1/4 of cinnamon   4 Crushed walnuts 4 Chopped pecan nuts   10g Sultanas  A sprinkle pomegranate seeds 5g of goji berries 1/2 tsp of vanilla essence  Salt to taste 1 tablespoon of maple syrup Apparatus A jar A sharp knife Method Using a mortar and pestle, crush the chia seeds.  This allows the body to absorb more of the nutrients within the seeds.  Put all the dry ingredien

Vegan Steak: what's the verdict?

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  By McDonald, T.   |  Date 13th of September 2020   If you are looking for something stake like, I would definitely give this a try. It is 100% vegan and very tasty. The steak, which is made from roasted onion and pea protein, is from Plant Chef by Tesco and comes with a garlic melt.   First I fried the steak on both sides with some salt and black pepper for about 1-2 mins each side.   Once ready, I transferred the steak to the oven dish with the chips and cooked for 14 minutes turning halfway through.       After 14 minutes, place the garlic melt on top of the steak and cook for a further 2 minutes.     Take out of the oven an serve.  I had mine with chips veg and home made tomato sauce. My verdict on the steak is 9/10.  This was the best fake steak i have ever had and will diffidently by eating this again.  I hope you like my blog.   

How To Pray The Rosary

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By McDonald, T.   |  Updated  5th of August 2021 You may of heard of the rosary beads, but did you know there are actually 4 sets of rosaries? Each set is said on different days; however, you can say all of them on the same day if you want to. Each rosary has five decades with the day's mysteries being announced at the beginning of the Rosary.   Each mystery is announced at the beginning of each decade.  You can get single decade, five decade fifteen decade and 20 decade rosaries.   Pocket Rosary - Single decade with The Divine Mercy Preparation before saying the rosary Some people might like to compose themself before praying while other will leap straight in!  I find it is a good idea to think about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit before I start.  Let the mind relax and then start praying. The 4 Rosaries Glorious Mysteries (Sunday and Wednesday) Joyful Mysteries (Monday and Saturday) Luminous Mysteries (Thursday) Sorrowful Mysteries (Tuesday and Friday) Start by mak

Israeli Salad

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By McDonald, T.   |  Date  25th of August 2020   Light and refreshing salad for those to hot to handle days.  One of the defining features of this salad is the strawberries, which make it so different.  Very versatile customisable and 100% vegan. Serves 1 Ready in 20 minutes Ingredients Strawberries Lettuce Cucumber Cherry tomatoes Olives 1/2 Avocado New potato (optional) Couscous Apple juice Soya sauce Balsamic vinegar Maple syrup Apparatus Sharp knife Chopping board Method Soak the couscous overnight in some water and apple juice. Cut up the salad and place on a plate. Mix the olive oil, soya sauce, balsamic vinegar and maple syrup together and pure over the salad.