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6 Vegan Shampoo Bars To Choose From

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By McDonald, T.   |  Date 20th of August 2021 Everyone knows the importance of personal care and grooming.  Whether you are a man or a woman, there are plenty of shampoos to choose from, but not all shampoos are vegan or Earth friendly.  One of the problems is the plastic packaging for the liquid soap.  This is a problem because the plastic either is incinerated or ends up in landfill and in turn is eaten by birds who mistake it for food resulting in the bird's eventual death. This makes it a problem for vegans since we wish no harm to the animals.  With this in mind, what shampoos can we use that are kind to the animals and friendly to the Earth? Well, the answer is vegan shampoo bars! All of these bars are cruelty and plastic free. 1.  Eco Warrior Easily the best value for money.  Can be found in some supermarkets and in some chemists.  Smells great and does the job.  I have included this one because it is such good value.  It gets good reviews and comes in plastic free packagin

Make your own vegan mayonnaise.

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 16th of August 2021 Making your own mayonnaise is not as difficult as you might think.  You can have mayonnaise with your vegan burger or in a sandwich.  Simple and tasty. Ingredients 100ml of vegan milk 1 tsp of cider vinegar 250ml of oil (I used rapeseed oil) 1 clove of garlic (optional) 0.25 tsp of mustard powder (optional) 0.25 tsp of caster sugar (optional) Apparatus Blender Spatula Jar to put mayonnaise in   Method Add the vegan milk and cider vinegar to a bowl. While using the hand blender, gently pour in the oil.  I find it is best to pulsate the blender until it thickens. This should take 2 - 3 minutes. Add the optional ingredients and blend again.

I Tried Chicago Town Vegan Smoky Bac'n Pizza

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By McDonald, T.   |  Date 13th of August 2021 One thing i really used to like was stuff crust pizza, so when i saw this in the supermarket I just had to try it.  I had seen it before on the internet, so i guess advertising works.  Nonetheless, it does look tasty and I wanted a pizza for a change and this fitted my needs perfectly.  It is meaty and vegan. What i liked The topping was every bit as good as it sounds.  The bac'n was tasty and bacony and went great with the mushrooms.  The vegan cheese was superb!  The base and the crust was soft, yet crispy on the outside.  It had a very bready feel and texture too it. In addition, the stuffed crust part was good and had a good amount of tomato sauce.   This pizza was too big for me to eat in one go, so i had the other have the next day cold and it was still great!  It comes with a vegan society logo, which is always a good sign. What i didn't like The negatives for this product are less to do with the product itself and more to d

No Knead Vegan Crusty Rye Rolls

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 9th of August 2021 I love bread!  These rolls are quick and easy to prepare and the rest of the time is just waiting.  If you want a no fuss bared, this is it! Makes 4 large, 6 medium or 8 small crusty rolls. Waste Short term waste: Zero  Long term waste: Flour packaging Yeast packaging Salt container    Sugar package  Ingredients  1.5 cup of self raising flour (195g) 1.5 cups rye flour (195g) 2g of instant yeast 1 tsp of salt 2 tsp of caster sugar  310ml (1.25 cups) of warm water Method Step 1 Mix all the dry ingredients together in a big bowl. Add the warm water a bit at a time and stir until you get a very sticky dough, see figures 1 and 2. Cover and leave for a minimum of 3 hours (i leave mine overnight on the counter in the kitchen).  Figure 1, make a well and poo in water. Figure 2, mix until you get a sticky grey dough. Step 2 The dough should be puffed up and bubbly, see figure 3 Use a spatula to gentle scrape out the dough onto a work board. 

Suma Vegan Meatballs Review

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  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 6th of August 2021 This is another thing that i messed as a vegan: meatballs!  I have tried different ones and saw these while shopping online, so i decided to try them out. What I liked This had a really great taste and did seem fairly meaty both in taste and texture.  I had them with spaghetti and vegetables and got two meals out of one can.  The meatballs came in a lovely tomato sauce. What I didn't like This is a difficult one to answer because they really were good.  If i was to nit pick, i would say that although they had a great meaty taste and texture, i thought the meatballs could have been a little more dense.    For a meal in a can, i thought these were great, but a little pricey.  I hope you decide to give this a try. If you do, please let me know what you thought in the comments or on twitter.  Please like, share with your friends and subscribe.   

Vegan Chow Mein

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  By McDonald, T.   |  Date 2nd of August 2021 Are you new to veganism?  Do you want to try something special that is easy to prepare?  If so, this is the dish for you.  It is packed with flavour and easy to use.  When you first go vegan, it's vital to pay attention to nutrition just the same as any other diet; however, unlike a meat eaters diet, a vegan diet lacks B12.  For this reason, i add nutrition yeast with B12 to some dinners. Ingredients  Courgette  Carrot  Parsnips Kale Spinach  Broccoli  Red Bell pepper Chow mein sauce (you could make your own, but i just use a packet sauce) Garlic  Nutritional Yeast with B12 Method Cut the broccoli, carrot and parsnips into strips and fry in a frying pan until they start to go a golden brown.  Add the kale, spinach, garlic and bell pepper.  Add the chow mein sauce.  While this is on a low heat, spiralize the courgette and add it to everything else in the frying pan.  Cook for about 5 minutes and serve with a sprinkling of nutritional

How To Make Guacamole

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 30th of July 2021 Guacamole makes a great dip or sandwich filling.  You may have bought it from a shop in the past in which case you know it comes in a plastic container, which you might not know is harmful to the wildlife. Thankfully, it is easy to make and if you shop wisely picking out the loose veg it can be completely zero waste too. Waste Zero package waste if you buy the ingredients loose. Serves 3-4 Ingredients  Avocado x 1 large Garlic x 3 gloves Tomato x 1 Pepper 20g Onion 20g Lime x 1/2 Method Mash the avocado in a bowl. Chop up the tomato, garlic and pepper then add them to the avocado. Add the lime juice and mix. Store or serve. Please like and share with your friends.

Vegan Honey And Mustard Chickenless

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 26th of July 2021 This is my veganised take on the classic dish Honey and Mustard Chicken.  The sauce is sweet and mustardy with tender pieces of tofu in place of the chicken.  The honey can be replaced by any number of sweetness such as maple syrup, pineapple juice or brown sugar.  It is possible to use any veg that you like in place of the ones i have used. The tofu, mushroom and mustard sauce are the main ingredients. Severs 2  Ingredients  Tofu 200g Onion x 0.5 medium sized Garlic x 3 gloves Broccoli x 60g Cabbage x 60g Carrots x 1 medium sized Parsnips x 1 small Courgette  x 80g Mushrooms x 4 or 5 medium sized  Sauce Mustard powder x 1 heaped tsp English Mustard x 1 heaped tsp Brown sugar or pineapple juice to taste Apple cider vinegar x 2 tbsp Water x 0.5 cup Method  Prepare the tofu . Cut the veg into bite size pieces. Boil the veg just enough to part soften it. Fry the tofu, veg, onion and garlic in a saucepan in a little oil. Put the veg in t

How To Prepare Tofu

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Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 23rd of July 2021     The trick to this is to find a really good press.  I had to get a plastic press out of a lack of choice. However, it does the job.  Once you have mastered the preparation of tofu, your vegan life will never be the same. What Is Tofu? Tofu is bean curd and originated from China where it has been a staple for 2,000 years.  It is made from soy milk where it is coagulated and pressed into white blocks of different firmness.  Silken Firm Extra firm Super firm Why Eat Tofu? Apart from tasting really good when it is prepared correctly, tofu is a great source of calcium, protein and iron.  In addition, it is low in calories.   Although the firmer varieties contain more calories, they also have more nutrition. How To Prepare Tofu. Even though some tofu claim there is no need to press their product, most of us will still want to press it overnight. Steps Freeze the tofu.  This is an optional step, but it is does change the texture a lit

Bregit lung

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  Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 20th of July 2021         If you are looking for something different or you are just an out and out Trekkie, this dish is for you! Bregit lung is a Klingon dish that is meant to be chunks of lizard, but since i am vegan, i will be using tofu instead.  You can have it on its own or with something else the choice is yours. I like mine with Gagh and veg. This is a dish best served with Grapok sauce. Serves 2 Ingredients  200g of tofu Cumin x 2 tsp Paprika x 2 tsp Cornflour x 2 tsp Salt x 2 dashes Method  Prepare the tofu by pressing it overnight.   Cut tofu into bite size cubes.  Add other ingredients to a bowl then add the tofu pieces.  Toss the tofu around until coated, see figure 1.  Add a little oil and toss around some more.  Place in a backing dish in the middle of an oven preheated to 200 C  and bake for 25 - 30 minutes.  Once ready, leave to cool for 1 minute.    Serve with Grapok sauce.  Dip the Bregit lung into the Grapok sauce and enjoy!