It's Nuts To Eat Ice Cream In This Weather!

It is the weather for voolly (vegan woolly) hats and gloves, inside out umbrellas and ducks at the moment.  It is certainly not the weather for ice cream; unless you're us of course.  We are not ones to stick to seasonal food dictates, so when I picked up an old copy of Veganlife magazine from August 2017 and happened upon a recipe for pistachio ice cream there was no way the pounding hail against the window was going to put me off making it.

I nearly got put off making it however when I saw the price of pistachio nut butter;  one of the defining ingredients in the recipe.  It was £7 for a small jar!  However with only 3 tablespoons of the nut butter needed for just one tub, and one jar able to make 3 tubs, it works out cheaper than shop bought vegan ice cream offerings out there.  

Taste wise too; well we are just about to make our third tub so that should answer that one!  Hmmm, I feel an addiction coming on, as well as an empty jar of pistachio nut butter!

The recipe is a simple mix of soya milk (I used hemp though), soya cream (I used Oatly), the aforementioned pistachio butter and sugar (I used coconut sugar), with a sprinkling of chopped pistachios added whilst churning it.  It is more than the sum of its parts believe me; proving that you don't have to include a massive amount of ingredients to achieve tasty results.

Unfortunately it's not my recipe so I am not about to breach copyright and share it in its entirety.  If you have the August 2017 edition of Veganlife magazine though, break it out and have a gander on page 94 and there you will find it. 

Failing that the good news is that the original recipe is from a rather interesting book called 'The Best Homemade Vegan Cheese and Ice Cream Recipes'.   Even the compiling of just cheese and ice cream recipes in one book is an unusual concept and to see it includes such recipes as kombucha cheese is peaking my interest even more, and I may end up grabbing a copy myself.  

Ice cream weather it might not be but we will be eating this pistachio ice cream every day given the choice.  We might just have to save up for another pot of pistachio nut butter first though (or start making our own)!

Vegan - Fad or Lifetime Commitment?

Poll from The VegFest Express Online Magazine Poll 

With Veganuary now over the question will be how many participants will remain vegan and how many will return to their old way of living?  We know from previous Veganuary’s and also a recent poll by The VegFest Express Online Magazine, that quite a few people do continue as vegans and of those that don’t many end up at least making changes to their old way of eating and living.  The latter is the case with a colleague.  

He was an unlikely candidate for Veganuary so I was pleasantly surprised when he told me he was trying it.  I was delighted too with the way he threw himself into it and we’ve had many good conversations over the past month.  He made me a vegan cake as a thank you for my help and support and I shared the fact that I was proud of him for trying it.

Here’s the thing though.  It kills me that he’s not a ‘remainer’.  I’m not going to give him a hard time about it as I truly believe everyone has to find their own path.  I am pleased he at least tried it and will be a ‘reducer’.  I don’t get it though.  I really don’t get it.  Once you have successfully tried and survived on a plant based diet; once you have opened your eyes to the environmental advantages and once you have discovered the horrors of the animal industry, how can you go backwards?  That is the biggest kicker for me; how can you unlearn those things?

I have long term friends who were staunch vegans but are no longer.  I have a mental block in understanding, comprehending and analysing how they could have been so heavily absorbed in the reasons for being vegan but then have so easily ‘unlearnt’ that or ignored it years later.  I am by no means having a ‘pop’ at my colleague, my friends or any ‘non-remainer’ who took part in Veganuary.  After all any attempts to look into and try a vegan diet should be applauded.  I am merely expressing and trying to come to terms with something that for me seems to belong to another planet. 

I love Phil deeply for many reasons but one of them is that I know he totally gets what I mean and we discuss this frequently.  There is no way on this earth, or any other for that matter, that us two long term vegans would be anything but vegan.  For both of us we knew that the moment we went vegan.  The harsh realities that set us on that vegan path, which back 30 years ago were more centred on the sheer cruelty involved, couldn’t ever be forgotten or unlearnt.  All the other positive reasons to follow a plant based diet, including health, environmental and humanitarian, were wonderful bonuses discovered along that early journey.  Films such as Cowspiracy and What the Health have certainly highlighted the environmental and health reasons in the modern vegan world.  Many people have connected with this and become vegan as a result but are these then the vegans that stray from the path?  After all even the healthiest health freak indulges in that naughty cake every now and then, and the staunchest of environmentalists may buy a 5p plastic bag on the occasional unexpected shopping trip when the bags for life were forgotten.

What of the vegan that has truly, deeply, desperately and heartbreakingly connected with the mind of the animal in its final moments of its short life before it becomes another part of a packaged part of flesh?  Possibly that deeply embedded and shared pain is what sorts out the temporary vegan from the life vegan?  Surely once you’ve opened your heart to that and had it broken you would never be anything but vegan?  

Veganuary is an amazing gateway.  The sheer increase in the amount of interest in Veganuary the media has shown this year has certainly propelled veganism into the mainstream and the consciousness of many more people.  That is the important part as that leads to exploration and education into plant based living with people then connecting with it on various levels; and one level leads to others.  Which level however may possibly be the deciding factor as to whether they remain vegan in the long term or not.  It is the difference between a fad and a deep and compassionate understanding of the true impact that a plant based diet can have on your own life as well as many many other sentient beings.  Either way, I will continue to encourage and support anyone that shows an interest in a plant based diet, be delighted by anyone that remains a life vegan and no doubt continue to be perplexed by those that don't.

Jack in the Veg Box

Jackfruit seems to be taking over the vegan meat substitute world these days, with one national supermarket even stocking a prepackaged Sweet and Smoky BBQ Pulled Jackfruit and BBQ jackfruit sandwiches popping up on many a vegan restaurant menu now.

Back in 2002 we were in Southern India and frequently bought fruit from the local ladies for a healthy breakfast.  Our most gregarious and therefore successful seller/buyer relationship was with Lily.  Her small stature and flashing white smile belied the demon businesswoman she was.  She would have given Alan Sugar a run for his money for sure.  One day she said she would get us some jackfruit, something she didn't have as regular 'stock'.  True to her word she did and the three of us sat down on the beach to share and devour this huge fruit.  That was an example of how good a saleswoman she was; we bought it and we all shared it!  Not that we begrudged it in the very least, especially as the prices she charged were not only cheap but also far from ripping off the local tourists (but maybe we got mates rates?!).  Either way we were more than happy to 'buy local' and get the enigmatic smile of Lily thrown in for free.  

To us back then jackfruit was just a tasty tropical fruit.  Who would have thought all these years later that it would have become such a vegan staple.  I wonder what Lily would make of all that now?  You don't see fresh jackfruit much around these parts due to its size and tropical origins, but it is becoming widely available in tins.  We've even seen tins of organic jackfruit recently, and the price can vary considerably.  If you have a local 'world foods' type store nearby, they will be sure to have some.

The most familiar guise of jackfruit in the vegan world today seems to be in BBQ pulled jackfruit sandwiches but it is equally suitable for many other dishes such as creamy curries, Mexican tacos, or Chinese inspired stir fries.  We've recently been taking the BBQ jackfruit idea and adding it to the top of pizzas.  With our friend from Vegan Laptop Lunchbox coming round for a natter and showering us in jackfruit gifts, we've had plenty to experiment with too.

So as tasty as a pulled jackfruit sandwich might be, there are many more options to explore with this versatile fruit.  This Vegan Food and Living page is a great place to start but any web search will turn up a multitude of options too.  It's time to think outside the jackfruit box!

Wave Energy and Vitamin FA

Much is spoken about the nutritional value of food and lifestyle choices these days.  We should or shouldn't eat this or that, we should take this or that supplement, we should or shouldn't do this or that thing.  Whatever.  Undoubtedly though there are a couple of things that us vegans should be considering, as good as our diets may be.  

Some of you may get your vegan health essentials in other ways equally as valuable to body and mind, but for us we couldn't live without our Cornish Wave Energy.  There just seems to be such an energising and soothing feeling when you take the time to watch those waves roll in, or in Phil's case, ride them in.  Perhaps that is one of the main reasons many people head to the coast for holidays. 

Vitamin FA may be one vitamin that is not talked about too much in the medical journals and for good reason.  The pharma business surely would not want you to know about such essential nutritional values as it is totally free and of no monetary value to any big business venture.  It is super important though.  Vitamin FA is indeed Fresh Air.  Okay, so fresh air isn't an actual vitamin but its health benefits are very real, along with the very real and beneficial ability to grab some essential Vitamin D from being outdoors.  

Put Wave Energy and Vitamin FA together and you 'double your money' as it seems that these wonderful things called negative ions (which seem misnamed if you ask me) are in their highest concentration around moving water.  Scientific research claims that negative ions can reduce fatigue, depression, seasonal affective disorder and colds; amongst other debilitating mental and physical symptoms.

How many of us get a good dose of fresh air and daylight on a regular basis, especially at this time of year?  I know that, with all the inclement weather we have recently been experiencing, I feel I haven't been getting enough fresh air and daylight and the messy sea offerings haven't exactly given Phil much chance to recharge his wave energy.  

With this in mind therefore, at any opportunity to 'get out there', we will.  Phil has managed a couple of surfs here and there the last week and we have both been out stomping our home patch when the rain stops falling and the wind stops blowing sand sideways into our faces.  Physically it felt great and, with beautiful waves to gaze at, seals, choughs and oyster catchers to observe and wonder at, it was more than a breath of fresh air.  Mentally it allowed us to clear away some of those winter cobwebs of the mind and peer through to the not so distant spring.  

For details on stockists of Vitamin FA®, Wave Energy® and Negative Ions®, follow the link* to the outside world.  

* PS. There is no link.  Just step away from the computer, open the door and go outside!  It isn't Trade Marked and doesn't cost a thing!

Jo's Vegan Nosh

If there is one book you should get this Veganuary it's Jo's Vegan Nosh. On the merits of the tasty, comforting but predominantly simple vegan recipes it contains alone it is a must (and actually a very cheap buy at just £5).  However there is more to it than that. 

Jo's Vegan Nosh is a collection of recipes devised by Jo or donated to Jo by friends and family over the years and now collated in her memory.  All the proceeds from the sale go to organisations helping animals and the Penny Brohn Cancer Support charity.  Some of you may have known Jo as Jo Badger or her real name, Joanna Robertson.  She sadly died of cancer in 2013 at the young age of 36.  Regardless of whether you knew Jo or not you should know that this book represents a small part of what she was about, and how many people knew and loved her.  I can vouch for that as I spent time with Jo many years ago 'in the field' and although we moved in separate directions, her east and me west, and lost touch, I will always remember the sheer determination, energy, love, dedication, braveness and compassion Jo showed to whomever and whatever, furry or not, crossed her path. 

This book is a treasure to me now and every time I cook a recipe from it I will think of Jo.  I bought copies for a couple of mutual friends too as I know they will treasure it also.  

If you knew Jo you will either have already bought this book or upon reading this I'm sure you will now.  If you didn't know Jo, please do buy a copy anyway as the likes of Jo don't come along that much and her legacy is something definitely worth supporting.  The recipes are damn tasty too.

You can buy copies from either the Viva! online shop, Animal Aid's online shop, from Ebay or for an increasing list of stockists around the country and more information visit Jo's Vegan Nosh Facebook page.

Giving It Some Welly

I know, I know, the festive season is over so why am I putting this post up?  Well, we don't need Christmas as an excuse to have a good nosh up and we do love our roasts regardless of the season.  

I happened across this festive recipe on line for Portabello Mushroom Wellington before Christmas (the video below popped up on my Facebook feed) and I fully intended to make it for Christmas dinner but then we happened upon a Tofurky roast and succumbed.  Instead I made this for New Year's Day dinner and it was lovely, especially so as the chestnuts we used were foraged ones that we had previously cooked up and squirrelled away in the freezer.  It makes enough to feed a few Phil's so we have leftovers to enjoy too (another excuse for a roast tonight me thinks!).

So Christmas may be over but that is no excuse to not enjoy some wonderful filling winter warmers like this one!  We highly recommend it.

Vegan Christmas Cards

It is December so I reckon it is okay to mention the C word now (not that I haven't already).  Besides time is creeping on and if you want to do that whole Christmas card thing, it's about time you got on with it!  

Although I don't go mad with cards, I do like to send some.  However, I do struggle finding ones that fit how I feel about the season.  Not so this year as, with complete delight, I discovered a set of wonderfully bright, bold and very vegan Christmas cards in a shop in Glastonbury.  I've found out more about them since. 

The Seasonal Veggies range of Christmas cards by Go La La (pictured at the top) comes in 8 different designs created by a dedicated vegan.  You can read more about them in the link above, including how to buy them direct from the website and details on how to get your own local retailer to stock them.  Alternatively you can purchase any of the 8 designs from EBay.

There are it seems a few other options for vegan Christmas cards on the market too now.  Spreading the love around, I also chose to buy some from the Viva! website, one of which is pictured on the left.  With the bright colourful typographical vegan messages including 'Avo Merry Vegan Christmas', they were hard to resist. Do check out Viva's entire range from the link above.

I didn't just send these cards to vegans.  Of course I know it will put a smile on the faces of those vegans I did send to. I am also however hoping that these cards will stand out on the mantelpieces of the non-vegans too and just spread a little vegan thought throughout the festive season and beyond.

Here's to a more compassionate season to all creatures over the Festive period and beyond.  

The Surfer's Oracle

Surfing should be a fun activity.  Above all else, if you're not having fun out there then what's the point?  There are sure to be people reading this who think the idea of climbing into a cold damp wetsuit in a windy car park in a hail shower in December is not their idea of fun in any way whatsoever.  Well, "each to their own" say the surfers, as they try not to think about that too much, and focus instead on getting out to the waves before hypothermia sets in.  All that is instantly forgotten as soon as the first wave is surfed.  Plus, surfing provides an excuse for a nice hot Pasty or two when you are back on dry land.  It's all about balance.

There are many factors that go into making a surf session fun, and one of the most important is timing.  A good days surfing (surfing being a relatively ephemeral activity), is made up of many confluences of natural factors like swell size, swell direction, the conditions of the sand banks (reef breaks being a rarity around these parts), the wind direction, having the right equipment for the conditions, and last but not least; the state of the tide.  Turn up too late, and you will have missed the best of it.  Too early and you'll be forced to wait it out, and bore everyone around you to death loudly making up stories about the last great wave you had.  This is one of surfing's great traditions worldwide.

A beginner surfer might turn up at the beach at random and 'hope for the best' conditions-wise, but a more seasoned surfer will make a study of the many aspects that make for a good surf, and time their surf accordingly.  Some surf spots work best at low tide, some at mid., and some at high tide.  Knowing which is which comes down to timing and experience, which can only really be learnt through putting in the work (play) over the years.  Technology in the form of smart phones and apps can provide some good info (if you can get a signal), but long before the days of checking the conditions or forecast on the Internet, surfers have been relying on the humble tide times for planning surfs.  The familiar yellow jacket of this yearly soon to be well-worn booklet has come to be a must have item for any regular surfer, other ocean user, or beach walker. 

Speaking of which, another very important function of the humble tide timetable is one of safety.  Every year in Cornwall, particularly around the holiday periods, there are stories about people getting cut off by the tide, and needing to be rescued by the emergency services.  Mostly the people do get rescued, but occasionally they do not, and that's easily done if they are exploring caves and cliffs that are off the beaten track.  This makes for some pretty grim news.  If these people had known about and checked the tide times before making their decisions, then they might still be alive today.  Indeed one of the many jobs the lifeguards perform on an incoming tide each summers day, is patrolling the beaches and caves making sure that people are not about to be cut off by the tide.  Having fished a few people out of the sea over the years, if I see someone walking towards a cave when the tide is coming in, I'll always check to see if they know what the tide is doing, and it's not unusual to be asked for this info by random strangers out walking the beaches.  Prevention is better than cure, and all that.  

I can't remember exactly when I first came upon the tide times booklets, but I do remember they were brought to my attention by my fellow vegan surf friend Dave, many many moons ago.  He also came up with the idea of charting his surfs in them, just as a way of counting up each years number of surf sessions, and as a way to compare conditions over the years.  Now I also make a point of noting the number of surfs, the size of the waves, which board I took out, the times when I change from summer to winter wetsuits or vice-versa, or when I put gloves on, etc., as the water temperature changes.  Probably very boring stuff if you don't go in the sea, but it makes for interesting reading if you surf.  Patterns emerge, and you might even think of planning holidays around favourable times of the year, like September, when the waves pick up and the summer crowds go home.  Of all the surfing essentials, this single item may well be both the cheapest and most important item of all, and those two don't go together very often these days.  Whether you live in Cornwall, or come to visit, it's well worth the £1.50 to pick up a copy of this little gem (for the area you are in), and keep it with you when you visit the beach.  It could prove to be a lifesaver.  You can find them for sale in many shops in Cornwall, or buy them HERE.

Cool Grapes and Cool Vibes

Best served chilled before positioning yourself in front of the fire!

We had the pleasure of visiting the Gloucester Vegan Christmas Market last weekend.  We needed some cheering up so thought why not?  It looked a fab event and we could take in the great Saturday Farmers Market in Stroud, a naughty vegan Chinese take-away from Tangtastic (now called Superstar), and a trip to the Wholefoods Market in Cheltenham to stock up on Christmas goodies at the same time.  Sadly we discovered the latter closed down permanently just over a week ago, but all the others certainly made the mini break very much still worthwhile.

It's not often you are delighted to see such a queue to get into an event, but that is what greeted us on Sunday, as we arrived at the opening time of 11am for the Gloucester Vegan Christmas Market.  It added to the anticipation, and what vegan is not delighted about the ever growing interest in the world of vegan?  It didn't take long for us to drop our entry fee and donation for Dean Farm Trust into the buckets at the entrance and get at the vegan goodies inside.  Having foregone breakfast in anticipation of the vegan food offerings inside, we started early and headed straight for Seitan's Grill.  Let's just say it was worth the early morning abstinence and lived up to the catch line of 'tasty as hell'!  We had hoped that starting early we would have had sufficient time (and tummy space) later on to sample more of the many food options on offer from the other food stalls, but sadly the wonderful seitan burger filled the gap more than sufficiently (seitan truly at work there?!).  The queues for food later on however, made us realise we had indeed made the right decision on getting in there early.

The multiple rooms of stalls inside meanwhile were a feast for our eyes in themselves.  It was difficult to know which way to turn such was the choice and variety of vegan delights.  You had to fight your way in order to get a glimpse, which as frustrating as it was, is also a thing of wonder in a vegan world.  

One such stall with a constant crowd of people in front of it was Cool Grapes.  With the stall dominated by a display of Vegan Baileys bottles, shining almost like the gates of heaven, it was no wonder.  Alan Clement, owner of Cool Grapes, gave up his career in IT to specialize in his passion for wines; more specifically organic and bio-dynamic wines (all vegetarian and vegan too).  I would have liked more time to have talked to Alan, as Phil and I do like our wine, but such was the demand on their stall, it was quite a whirlwind.  On returning home I took the chance to visit the Cool Grapes website and find out more about what they have to offer so do check them out if you are partial to a tipple or two of good quality vegan reds, whites, champers, sparkles, and even orange wine (read about this new fashion in the wine world on the website).

We had been fortunate enough to have also been visiting the Cool Grapes stall to claim the prize of a bottle of Prosecco, after I had entered and won the draw on the Gloucester Vegan Christmas Market Facebook page.  Alan gave us a wonderful description of what to expect from this bottle of sparkly vegan wonder, and we assured him it would very much be savored over the Christmas period.  

We also had a chance to sample one of the glasses of Vegan Baileys being sold on the stall.  I hadn't had Baileys since before I was vegan 30 years ago.  I had fond memories of it and had wondered whether I would still like it.  As Phil and I shared the glass we both confirmed that indeed it was creamy nectar of naughtiness and we simply had to purchase some.  We were extremely fortunate enough to be one of the lucky few who were able to purchase one of the bottles that were being sold off at the end of the day.  

All in all, it was a wonderfully successful and tasty weekend away and certainly, with two bottles of Cool Grapes goodies now safely back in Cornwall with us, it will continue to be enjoyed into the Christmas break!

Make a Date With The Wild West Heroes 2018

Remember those days before computers when we used diaries and calendars to help us navigate our way through the complexities of how to fit too much into too little time?  Well, if like me you get irritated by the inhuman 'bing-bong' of an electronic device telling you what to do and when, you will no doubt be looking for a real calendar to hang upon your wall for next year.  Ahh, the good old days eh?  Apart from the fact that a real paper calendar is quieter, less irritating and nagging, you also get to look at lovely photos.  Make it even more of a win-win by splashing out on a charity calendar.

For anyone that loves calendars, Cornwall or animals, is vegan (or knows someone that is), wants to raise some funds for charity, or any combination of the above, it just so happens that we might know of the perfect solution.  The Cornwall Vegans Charity Calendar "Wild West Heroes" is a one-off design sold to support two wildlife charities in Cornwall; Cornwall Badger Rescue and Brock and Prickles and Paws Hedgehog Rescue.  Both of these charities are run by volunteers, and rescue and rehabilitate all sorts of wild creatures in Cornwall, and by buying this calendar you will be directly supporting their work.

The calendar itself, produced by Cornwall Vegans, features photographs and testimony from 12 vegan men who live in Cornwall and Devon, and explores their own individual natures and journeys.  Local vegans may even recognise some of these characters by face and reputation!  Let's face it ladies, any vegan man is a hero too!

The calendar was printed with solar power and is A4 opening up to A3.  There is plenty of space on it for making your own plans but helpfully a few special Cornish and animal related dates have also been added as well as bank holidays.  The cost of each calendar is £10 plus shipping, so if enough are sold that could be a very much needed financial boost for these two special Cornish animal charities.

To get your hands on your very own copy visit the Wild West Heroes Etsy page.  You can also read more about how the calendar came about on the Cornwall Vegans Calendar page.  And for even more details on the calendar, including more videos, check out the Cornwall Vegans Wild West Heroes Facebook page.  In the meantime, here is a plug from Mr October.....