Vegan Effect

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 30th of August 2022  I was looking for something different and stumbled across a Polish dish for cabbage rolls.  On further investigation, I noticed how I could make it vegan.  I remembered using lentils in the stuffing instead of mince beef, but it needed something else.  As I tested the stuffing out, I realised I could make it extra special by adding some Goan spice to the mix, which i did and it was good! Notes If you are worried about nutrition, you can add some nooch (nutritional yeast with B12). It helps to think about the timing in this recipe.  The lentils and rice can be cooked together in the same saucepan at the start of preparation.   If the cabbage leave has a very big steamy bit, you can shave some of it of with a knife to help with its flexibility.  It is best to do this after boiling. Don't over fill the parcels or it will be difficult to roll them up. Ingredients  Cabbage leaves (3 per person)  For Stuffing Red lentils 1/4 cup Br

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 27th of August 2021 Abstract After browsing the internet looking for ideas of what to make next, I started to notice people talking about banana blossom and using it to make vegan battered fish and chips.  At first, I was reluctant to try it because of the frying aspect, but I liked the sound of this so decided to have a go at making this dish myself. However, I have never made batter before let alone battered banana blossom.  With this in mind, I decided to solve this problem by researching it online and in the library.  My intention was to compare different recipes for batter, battered fish and battered banana blossom in order to create a new recipe that was low in fat and completely vegan.  Subsequently, I chose to go with the shallow fry option to keep the flavour but reduce the fat.   In order to complete the project, I run tests on the batter to ensure its success, which was a great idea in solving the lack of experience in making batter.  Pra

Written by McDonald, T.   |  Date 1st of November 2021   I got this recipe from The Vegan Society magazine called The Vegan.  If you are someone that does not like the texture of meat, this could be for you.  I made some alterations to suit my needs.   Serves 8 Ingredients  1 small white onion, roughly chopped 4 finely chopped cloves of garlic  2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 1 tbsp yeast extract 120 g  mushrooms, chopped 400 g can of kidney beans, drained and rinsed 50 g oats 0.25 cup of plain flour 2 tsp fresh sage 3 apple slices, finely chopped 1 tsp nutritional yeast with B12 1.5 tsp of salt Apparatus Blender Spatula Scraper   Frying pan Method  Step 1 Add all the ingredients with the exception of 2 tbsp of oil to a bowl and mix. Put a little at a time of the mixture into the blender. Pulse until you have a smooth, meaty mixture.  Shape the mixture into 8 sausages with a little flour if needed. Meat dough Shape into sausages Step 2 Add  the oil to a frying pan over a medium heat and cook

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

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.

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

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.