ive been a vegan for 10 years or so now and been banging the drum for the lifestyle all that time. so this is a page for my vegan related output, some of which you will find duplicated elsewhere on the site. there are 2 groups of content - recipes and non recipes which translates as articles, cartoons etc. i dont expect many people to make my recipes but i like to keep a record of these things
i'm not a great vegan cook. passable and sometimes good by my own standards and so it's a big deal when i make something tasty, firstly because it means i havent ordered food in which is always an achievement, and secondly because it means my efforts havent ended up in the bin. usually i fail at cooking because i'm a short order cook who often types on a laptop or watches tv as the rice boils in the other room or because i'm trying a vegan experiment
preaching vegan is just part of the process. living in a culture so hostile to animals makes responding inevitable. and i do this quite a lot, thro YT and fb comments and unsolicited emails to people who have said or done the wrong thing
so here then are meals ive made and speeches ive given
i'm not a great vegan cook. passable and sometimes good by my own standards and so it's a big deal when i make something tasty, firstly because it means i havent ordered food in which is always an achievement, and secondly because it means my efforts havent ended up in the bin. usually i fail at cooking because i'm a short order cook who often types on a laptop or watches tv as the rice boils in the other room or because i'm trying a vegan experiment
preaching vegan is just part of the process. living in a culture so hostile to animals makes responding inevitable. and i do this quite a lot, thro YT and fb comments and unsolicited emails to people who have said or done the wrong thing
so here then are meals ive made and speeches ive given
essays
__________
1. the 4k vegan, additive-free, boycott diet
i've been on this diet for the most part of a decade now. it's aimed at being empowering for someone with radical political sympathies and to humiliate those without them in such a way as it might get them to change their behaviour. the main elements are boycotting additives, boycotting as many unethical corporations and countries of origin as you can manage, limiting your food intake to products sourced within a 4000 km radius (this stretches to north Africa, the Mediterannean east coast and the western nations of the old Soviet Union). many of these countries do not export food products to the UK, some export a few items, and a small list of alpha nations export a large number of products. for example, Egypt may only supply grapes in season, Turkey will supply hazelnuts and not much else. but these items are valued when you have them. other countries such as France, Italy, particularly Spain, and of course the UK itself, will supply most of the things you will buy
i've been on this diet for the most part of a decade now. it's aimed at being empowering for someone with radical political sympathies and to humiliate those without them in such a way as it might get them to change their behaviour. the main elements are boycotting additives, boycotting as many unethical corporations and countries of origin as you can manage, limiting your food intake to products sourced within a 4000 km radius (this stretches to north Africa, the Mediterannean east coast and the western nations of the old Soviet Union). many of these countries do not export food products to the UK, some export a few items, and a small list of alpha nations export a large number of products. for example, Egypt may only supply grapes in season, Turkey will supply hazelnuts and not much else. but these items are valued when you have them. other countries such as France, Italy, particularly Spain, and of course the UK itself, will supply most of the things you will buy
not all products are available in your local shops or supermarkets even if you live in a city but this is a tech savvy diet and some things can be got from the internet. the diet can be spartan and over the years I have allowed myself a limited number of exceptional products (chocolate, rice) and have allowed a guest country to provide food stuffs even tho it falls outside the 4000 km radius. in this way I have been able to eat either Indian or Chinese products on rotation as well as my staple 4k foods. in reality this means being able to buy spices and the occasional takeaway.
many food items these days are labelled 'product of the UK'. this is clearly ridiculous when it is written on the packet of some exotic dried fruit in H&B. in fact this statement means that the food was either packaged or processed – chopped or mixed with another food or something similar – in the UK. 'Product of the UK' items do not make the cut in this diet if the original foodstuff obviously comes from outside of the 4k limit.
this diet excludes all artificial additives. it isn't about what is best for your body. it is about what is best for your mind and your soul. And what is best for other people. it is responsible eating. it is an activist's diet. your body comes in a distant third but it will be more than sustained by what is possible here.
i am a vegan because i reject the need to kill animals. we don't need animal products in our diet therefore they are a luxury for those people that choose to eat them. this means carnivores, pescetarians and vegetarians prioritise their unnecessary indulgences above and beyond animal welfare. unacceptable.
i reject E numbers not because they make me unhealthy but because the people who put them in my food think it is acceptable to poison me in order to turn a profit. it isn't a question of your body being a temple. i'm an advocate of respect for your body but i aren't some kind of iron pumping macrobiotic obsessive. it's a matter of resisting the corporations who are going out of their way to poison you, whose employees sit back in plush boardrooms and shopfloor canteens happy to profit from filling your body with chemical effluent.
There are other ways in which food is polluted and why it must be rejected. Food producing corporations and countries of origin often have charge sheets as long as your arm. It is up to you which corporations you boycott. I've boycotted the following for many years and for a vartiety of reasons – Tesco, Asda / WalMart, Sainsburys, Marks & Spencer, Coca-Cola, MacDonalds, Israel and more recently Palestine. I don't want food produced by people who kill children.
restricting the range of your food miles radius to something practical like 4000 km (I did it for half a decade at 3000 km) reduces the effect of transport costs to the environment – oil consumption and gaseous pollution. this is a green diet.
so what happens when you stop eating animals, E numbers, food that has come from the other side of the globe to offer out of season treats and food drenched in the blood of corporate exigency?
you become empowered. regimes don't fall, corporations don't stop ruthless practices, but you stop participating in those practices yourself. on a personal level you wash your hands of these crimes. and that is as much as we can do. take it from me, you feel much stronger in a moral sense when you deal with many situations in everyday life because of the daily action you take with your diet. and that is the operative word – action. you are no longer being a passive consumer. you are proclaiming “i support a green environment, human rights, animal welfare and i am prepared to make sacrifices to demonstrate that”. it makes your own radical evangelism possible and credible because you are living up to your ideals and this broadens the whole radical dialogue.
the only downside is that you are human and you are dependant for your survival on the existing economic order. whilst i boycott Israel and Palestine for terrorist practice any half informed person would also boycott UK produce for the same reason. but i live in this country and i am dependant, reluctantly, on its food production. this might appear to make the boycotting arbitary. it isn't in this example if you factor in the practicalities of survival but in another way arbitariness is a strength whereby each person can tailor the companies or countries they boycott to their own interests. if you give a shit, any kind of a shit at all, i recommend you convert to this diet. it's reasonable, humanitarian and a practical expression of resistance. vive la revolucion.
---
update
have adapted the foodmiles boycott. very difficult to keep up a good diet with nothing from beyond 4K. now allow a few things past the gate. additive free regime still strong. boycotting of particular supermarkets is in abeyance as many have changed policies since i started the boycott. veganism still go.
many food items these days are labelled 'product of the UK'. this is clearly ridiculous when it is written on the packet of some exotic dried fruit in H&B. in fact this statement means that the food was either packaged or processed – chopped or mixed with another food or something similar – in the UK. 'Product of the UK' items do not make the cut in this diet if the original foodstuff obviously comes from outside of the 4k limit.
this diet excludes all artificial additives. it isn't about what is best for your body. it is about what is best for your mind and your soul. And what is best for other people. it is responsible eating. it is an activist's diet. your body comes in a distant third but it will be more than sustained by what is possible here.
i am a vegan because i reject the need to kill animals. we don't need animal products in our diet therefore they are a luxury for those people that choose to eat them. this means carnivores, pescetarians and vegetarians prioritise their unnecessary indulgences above and beyond animal welfare. unacceptable.
i reject E numbers not because they make me unhealthy but because the people who put them in my food think it is acceptable to poison me in order to turn a profit. it isn't a question of your body being a temple. i'm an advocate of respect for your body but i aren't some kind of iron pumping macrobiotic obsessive. it's a matter of resisting the corporations who are going out of their way to poison you, whose employees sit back in plush boardrooms and shopfloor canteens happy to profit from filling your body with chemical effluent.
There are other ways in which food is polluted and why it must be rejected. Food producing corporations and countries of origin often have charge sheets as long as your arm. It is up to you which corporations you boycott. I've boycotted the following for many years and for a vartiety of reasons – Tesco, Asda / WalMart, Sainsburys, Marks & Spencer, Coca-Cola, MacDonalds, Israel and more recently Palestine. I don't want food produced by people who kill children.
restricting the range of your food miles radius to something practical like 4000 km (I did it for half a decade at 3000 km) reduces the effect of transport costs to the environment – oil consumption and gaseous pollution. this is a green diet.
so what happens when you stop eating animals, E numbers, food that has come from the other side of the globe to offer out of season treats and food drenched in the blood of corporate exigency?
you become empowered. regimes don't fall, corporations don't stop ruthless practices, but you stop participating in those practices yourself. on a personal level you wash your hands of these crimes. and that is as much as we can do. take it from me, you feel much stronger in a moral sense when you deal with many situations in everyday life because of the daily action you take with your diet. and that is the operative word – action. you are no longer being a passive consumer. you are proclaiming “i support a green environment, human rights, animal welfare and i am prepared to make sacrifices to demonstrate that”. it makes your own radical evangelism possible and credible because you are living up to your ideals and this broadens the whole radical dialogue.
the only downside is that you are human and you are dependant for your survival on the existing economic order. whilst i boycott Israel and Palestine for terrorist practice any half informed person would also boycott UK produce for the same reason. but i live in this country and i am dependant, reluctantly, on its food production. this might appear to make the boycotting arbitary. it isn't in this example if you factor in the practicalities of survival but in another way arbitariness is a strength whereby each person can tailor the companies or countries they boycott to their own interests. if you give a shit, any kind of a shit at all, i recommend you convert to this diet. it's reasonable, humanitarian and a practical expression of resistance. vive la revolucion.
---
update
have adapted the foodmiles boycott. very difficult to keep up a good diet with nothing from beyond 4K. now allow a few things past the gate. additive free regime still strong. boycotting of particular supermarkets is in abeyance as many have changed policies since i started the boycott. veganism still go.
2. PETA
reporting from NY for the independent in december of last year, chelsea ritschel told us about an animal rights ad campaign that had recently been banned in london -
'Animal welfare organisation Peta is known for pushing boundaries with their ads - but their recent ad campaign went too far. Before it could reach the public, London Buses banned the foundation’s new ad due to the “offensive” nature of the content.
'Picturing a gruesome image of a cooked dog head, garnished with apples and grapes, along with the words, “If you wouldn’t eat your dog, why eat a turkey? Start a new tradition. Go Vegan,” it is no wonder the advert was banned.'
you can argue the toss about the merits of such an ad campaign but what interests me here is the subtle way that the animal welfare stance is undermined by the misrepresenting of its acronym.
the reporter reports 'Peta', when in fact the organisation is known everywhere in type as 'PETA'.
the uppercase adds a certain something. i'm tempted to say 'authority' but i wouldnt want to endorse that idea as there's way too much shouting in the world as it is. i think really it's more that the reporter just doesnt care enough to get such an important thing - the defence of animals - right. or, that some more conscious contempt / misrepresentation reflects actual ideological hostility.
i have long associated 'PETA' (uppercase) with an ad campaign i liked when i first became aware of the organisation - the dumb animals ads showing women wearing fur - and now 'Peta' with chelSEA ritSChel who stated in her article that 'it is no wonder the advert was banned' - a piece of judgmental piety that seems to be against animal welfare and against my own sense of right and wrong.
broken planet.
3. unused google doodle for Donald Watson's birthday anniversary
Donald Watson, 1910-2005, South Yorkshire carpentry teacher.
coined the word 'vegan', founded The Vegan Society (1944) and Vegan Magazine - vegan for over 60 years. drawing provisionally commissioned by the vegan society
coined the word 'vegan', founded The Vegan Society (1944) and Vegan Magazine - vegan for over 60 years. drawing provisionally commissioned by the vegan society
4. vegan / animal welfare cartoon slideshow
click thro the slideshow below or let it play on automatic
5. response to mail from european vegetarian union
...which is endorsing magnum ice cream's 'vegan' / 'may contain milk' products
EVU -
'it is technically impossible to guarantee absolute absence of traces of animal substances in every product.'
true.
as a vegan i am ok about eating oats or cornflakes or flour which may have animal contamination because i realize it is impossible to keep animals out of fields. i accept that there is a small risk that what i am eating is not vegan because it is beyond the control of the producer.
food that is made in factories is totally in the control of the producer. the producer decides that they will make milk products in the same place as 'vegan' products and therefore create the risk of contamination themselves.
to me this is not acceptable.
recipes
______
______
1. baguette with avocado, tomato, spring onion & V salad cream
ingredients
- granovita vegan salad cream
- 1 tomato
- 1/3 of a baguette
- 1 avocado
- 1 spring onion
- pepper and salt
method
make a sandwich
- granovita vegan salad cream
- 1 tomato
- 1/3 of a baguette
- 1 avocado
- 1 spring onion
- pepper and salt
method
make a sandwich
2. cauliflower tempura with sweetcorn rice
ingredients
- half a medium sized cauliflower
- 4 heaped tbs SR flour
- 1 cup rice rice
- 1 cup sweetcorn
- salt
method
chop and boil cauliflower florets until almost al dente, meantime make thick-to-runny batter with SR flour and a tsp of salt. take the florets off the boil and spoon into the batter. put the remaining water back on the boil and add rice, adjusting water level as necessary.
when the rice is half cooked put a pan with oil in it on a high heat (5/6) for deep frying. when the oil is hot enough add florets. stir occasionally. remove from oil when gently browned and drain on paper. leave a couple of minutes then 2nd fry until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
when rice is almost cooked add sweetcorn from frozen. drain rice and sweetcorn when come back to boil for a couple of minutes. remove florets from oil, remove rice from pan and serve together on a warm plate with a glass of cold juice and soda.
this recipe can be improved perhaps by serving with a dipping sauce of sweet and sour or dark soy sauce infused with fresh ginger.
- half a medium sized cauliflower
- 4 heaped tbs SR flour
- 1 cup rice rice
- 1 cup sweetcorn
- salt
method
chop and boil cauliflower florets until almost al dente, meantime make thick-to-runny batter with SR flour and a tsp of salt. take the florets off the boil and spoon into the batter. put the remaining water back on the boil and add rice, adjusting water level as necessary.
when the rice is half cooked put a pan with oil in it on a high heat (5/6) for deep frying. when the oil is hot enough add florets. stir occasionally. remove from oil when gently browned and drain on paper. leave a couple of minutes then 2nd fry until golden brown, stirring occasionally.
when rice is almost cooked add sweetcorn from frozen. drain rice and sweetcorn when come back to boil for a couple of minutes. remove florets from oil, remove rice from pan and serve together on a warm plate with a glass of cold juice and soda.
this recipe can be improved perhaps by serving with a dipping sauce of sweet and sour or dark soy sauce infused with fresh ginger.
3. pea and mushroom vermicelli
serves 2
ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 cup of peas
- 1-2 cups of mushrooms
- 2 servings of vermicelli noodles
- 1 tbs oil
- dark soy sauce
method
chop and stir fry onion and mushrooms in oil on a medium / high heat with 1 tbs soy sauce. when done, empty pan, putting mushrooms and onion aside, then add 1 cup boiling water to pan. add peas and vermicelli, stir for 5 minutes simmering. add more water if necessary as it reduces. when noodles are done and liquid in pan has reduced to zero (or drain to zero if necessary) add 1 tbs dark soy sauce and stir in.
serve for supper on a warm plate with a glass of elder cordial mixed with cold sparkling spring water. add more soy sauce to taste.
serves 2
ingredients
- 1 onion
- 1 cup of peas
- 1-2 cups of mushrooms
- 2 servings of vermicelli noodles
- 1 tbs oil
- dark soy sauce
method
chop and stir fry onion and mushrooms in oil on a medium / high heat with 1 tbs soy sauce. when done, empty pan, putting mushrooms and onion aside, then add 1 cup boiling water to pan. add peas and vermicelli, stir for 5 minutes simmering. add more water if necessary as it reduces. when noodles are done and liquid in pan has reduced to zero (or drain to zero if necessary) add 1 tbs dark soy sauce and stir in.
serve for supper on a warm plate with a glass of elder cordial mixed with cold sparkling spring water. add more soy sauce to taste.
4. fruit sorbet
ingredients
- 2 large cups fruit (eg. 1 whole pineapple)
- 1/2 cup caster sugar solution
method
blend the above, freeze, remove from freezer, let stannd for 20 minutes then mash with a fork and serve
ingredients
- 2 large cups fruit (eg. 1 whole pineapple)
- 1/2 cup caster sugar solution
method
blend the above, freeze, remove from freezer, let stannd for 20 minutes then mash with a fork and serve
5. herb dumpling stew
ingredients
dumplings - - 4 tbs SR flour - 2 tbs veg suet - salt - italian / french herbs - water to mix stew - - gravy salt - 3 large carrots - 3 large potatoes - 1 onion - 1 large cup peas - water |
method
mix suet, flour, salt and herbs. add water, stir to make firm dough and divide into small balls chop carrots, potatoes and onion, add to 1ltr boiling water in large pan, add 2 tsp gravy salt. drop in dumplings, cover pan and simmer for 20 minutes. uncover, add cup of peas and put pan under grill without lid to crisp tops of dumplings serve on a warm plate with sparkling water and juice and a slice of bread with Pure sunflower spread |
6. date and walnut afters
ingredients
- 1 large cup walnuts
- 1 large cup dried dates
- 1/2 large cup raisins
- 1/2 large cup soft brown sugar
- 5 large cups oats
- 1/2 large cup hemp powder
- 150g Pure sunflower spread
- 1/2 tsp salt
method
chop the dates and the walnuts, gently roast the walnuts in an open pan (no oil) on a medium heat, stirring constantly until browning. once done mix all ingredients in a large baking tray to a depth of about 3cm. bake for 10 minutes at a medium- high heat. remove when browning. without flour and only a little hemp powder the mixture wont set like biscuit but without the flour you get a slightly oiler more succulent result
serve in a bowl with a spoon and with elder cordial and sparkling chilled spring water to drink
ingredients
- 1 large cup walnuts
- 1 large cup dried dates
- 1/2 large cup raisins
- 1/2 large cup soft brown sugar
- 5 large cups oats
- 1/2 large cup hemp powder
- 150g Pure sunflower spread
- 1/2 tsp salt
method
chop the dates and the walnuts, gently roast the walnuts in an open pan (no oil) on a medium heat, stirring constantly until browning. once done mix all ingredients in a large baking tray to a depth of about 3cm. bake for 10 minutes at a medium- high heat. remove when browning. without flour and only a little hemp powder the mixture wont set like biscuit but without the flour you get a slightly oiler more succulent result
serve in a bowl with a spoon and with elder cordial and sparkling chilled spring water to drink
7. pancakes with brown sugar syrup
ingredients
- 4 tbs SR flour
- water to mix
- 2 tbs soft brown sugar
- oil
method
add 1 cup water to sugar in a saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally. mix flour and water to make a medium batter. put frying pan with 1 tbs oil on a high heat, just before starting to smoke, add half cup batter per pancake and fry 2 minute on each side. remove to warm plate and add a splash of syrup.
repeat to build a stack. use the back of a spoon to smoothe out the batter in the pan. thinner pancakes have better texture. doing it this way rather than making a thinner batter in the first place ensures a high flour content.
- 4 tbs SR flour
- water to mix
- 2 tbs soft brown sugar
- oil
method
add 1 cup water to sugar in a saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally. mix flour and water to make a medium batter. put frying pan with 1 tbs oil on a high heat, just before starting to smoke, add half cup batter per pancake and fry 2 minute on each side. remove to warm plate and add a splash of syrup.
repeat to build a stack. use the back of a spoon to smoothe out the batter in the pan. thinner pancakes have better texture. doing it this way rather than making a thinner batter in the first place ensures a high flour content.
8. potato mash with mushroom and onion gravy
ingredients
- 1 serving maris piper / king edward potatos
- 1 cup chestnut mushrooms
- 1 medium onion
- 2 level tsp comptons gravy salt
- half cup sunflower oil
- 2 tbs sunflower spread
- 3-4 medium broccoli florets
- 1 heaped tbs plain flour
method
chop potatoes into cubes and put onto boil. add broccoli florets just before done. meanwhile chop mushrooms and onion, fry with 1-2 tbs oil until browning. remove to a plate. add rest of oil to a pan and take off the heat. rest pan for a couple of minutes so oil isnt too hot then add flour and stir. crumble in gravy salt and stir in hot water from potatoes to make a roux. when sauce is consistency of gravy, add mushrooms and onion and simmer, stirring occasionally. meanwhile drain potatoes and mash with 2tbs sunflower spread. serve mash with broccoli and gravy on a warmed plate
- 1 serving maris piper / king edward potatos
- 1 cup chestnut mushrooms
- 1 medium onion
- 2 level tsp comptons gravy salt
- half cup sunflower oil
- 2 tbs sunflower spread
- 3-4 medium broccoli florets
- 1 heaped tbs plain flour
method
chop potatoes into cubes and put onto boil. add broccoli florets just before done. meanwhile chop mushrooms and onion, fry with 1-2 tbs oil until browning. remove to a plate. add rest of oil to a pan and take off the heat. rest pan for a couple of minutes so oil isnt too hot then add flour and stir. crumble in gravy salt and stir in hot water from potatoes to make a roux. when sauce is consistency of gravy, add mushrooms and onion and simmer, stirring occasionally. meanwhile drain potatoes and mash with 2tbs sunflower spread. serve mash with broccoli and gravy on a warmed plate
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