The British Christmas Stress

Over my lifetime I've lived in a few different countries and experienced different cultures. One of the common threads wherever I have lived, whenever and however it is celebrated, is the 'excitement' of Christmas. However, since moving back to the UK, I've noticed that on the island of my birth Christmas is nothing more than a stress. So much so that last year I spent Christmas on my own. And before you say 'bah humbug!' I have to say I had a really nice, relaxing few days off work, although I did have to fight for my right to celebrate Christmas how I choose to (so much for the season of goodwill!).
Here in the UK, the Christmas celebration lasts for a month. Basically, from the 1st December the whole island builds itself up for the biggest come down on 26th December. Today I visited Tesco to do a bit of last minute shopping before I drive to visit family in England. Although I have been doing my best to shop at local markets recently, in all honesty I went to Tesco because I had some vouchers to use up and I needed to fill my car up with petrol. After today's visit, however, I really don't want to go back there again. There's still two days to go until actual Christmas, but the supermarket was like some post-modernist film's prediction on utopian hell. Without wanting to cause offence to anyone, as I include myself amongst them, the whole shop was full of people who would genuinely starve if Tesco and other supermarkets like it didn't exist. Because they honestly have no idea where food comes from.

Too busy to chop?

Whilst attending a Christmas meal yesterday I heard someone say that they buy pre-cut, packed vegetables for Christmas dinner because, and I quote, 'you don't even need to chop them anymore'. Have we really got to the point where we are genuinely too busy to cut our own vegetables up? And do the people who buy these pre-packed vegetables, which I think taste like crap by the way, not question how the manufacturers manage to keep 'fresh' vegetables in a bag for so long whilst they're flown halfway across the planet?

The tardis of freezers

My freezer is like Aladdin's cave sometimes. Which is all the more amazing considering it's only a box freezer. Alongside the mushroon gravy I used to make the stew yesterday I also found a tub of the basting sauce from Chef Sarno's Seitan Briskett recipe. I added a teaspoon on cornflour, heated it gently whilst stirring continuously, and ended up with a lovely sauce to pour over vegetables.

Winter Warmer

It's freezing cold here in Wales (although I'm glad to say we have no snow in Cardiff yet). In an effort to win the battle against the freezing temperatures, I made a big batch of vegetable hotpot/stew this morning. A few weeks back I mentioned that I'd tried Chef Chad Sarno's Wild Mushroom Gravy recipe from the Planeat website with much success. I found a tub of it in my freezer, and it is a perfect base for my hotpot/stew. I simply defrosted the gravy with some vegetable stock to bulk it up a bit, and then added steamed vegetables. Whatever vegetables are seasonal to your area will do, personally I used the celeriac, potatoes, carrots and onions (fried in vinegar) that I bought at the market yesterday. This recipe will be of no use to anyone living in a warm climate, but for those of us currently experiencing winter it's a great way to warm up. And it means I've got my lunch sorted for the next few days. I've even got a little pot of pickled red cabbage to take into work with me and serve with my hotpot/stew.

My top real food market tip... Buy Bread Last!

Walking down to Roath Real Food Market on a Saturday morning has now become part of my weekly routine. I did make a schoolboy error this morning, though. As I was planning to drive to Bristol in the afternoon and visit a friend, I thought it would be nice to buy a treacle tart to take with me. So I bought this first, along with a loaf of spelt bread (really nice by the way, as was the treacle tart). I then spent the next hour trying to shop for vegetables and Christmas presents whilst balancing a treacle tart in my hand, as it had to lie flat, and trying not to crush the bread. So my tip is - buy the bread last. And the treacle tart.
Whilst I'm on the subject of Christmas presents, in an effort to find gifts that are unique and have a minimal impact on the environment, I bought my mum a lemon tree. I was smugly pleased with my purchase, until it occurred to me on the bus ride home that I'm going to have to keep the tree alive until Friday when I see my mum. Considering that the last plant I had visibly wilted the second I brought it into my apartment, and then died in front of my eyes over the course of two weeks (it's now an empty plant pot on my fire escape), I'm a wee bit nervous. Wish me luck!

Patchwork Quilts

The more I read and learn about conserving resources on a grand scale, the more I think about ways I can reuse things at home. So I've taken up quilting. I'm hoping that's the right verb, and if it isn't and I've said something offensive then I apologise and I'll explain. Rather than throw away old clothes (the ones that aren't suitable for the charity shop), I borrowed a book called 'Learn to Quilt' from the library and cut them up to make a quilt. I'm half way through my first quilt at the moment, and it's a great past-time while watching a DVD.

Carrier Bags

I've been reading Al Gore's tips on how we can individually help to solve the climate crisis in 'An Inconvenient Truth' and, although the book is a few years old now, I think there are things that some people could still learn. One of his tips is to bag your purchases in a reusable tote (I love that American word!). It is estimated that the average life of a single giveaway carrier bag is only 3 minutes before being discarded. All those resourses used up for three minutes of something we didn't really need!
Here in Wales a new law came into effect October 1st this year which means that if you want a carrier bag (plastic or paper) anywhere in Wales, at any shop/take-away etc you have to pay 5p for it. The proceeds are then donated to charity. I for one have welcomed this new law with open arms, although I stopped using plastic bags a long time ago. Firstly, it was hugely entertaining watching everybody think up ways to carry their shopping without using a bag on 1st October. I saw one man stagger out of Tesco to his car with a tower of groceries in his hands that reached to about two foot above him. Secondly, it's made the nation think about how they use plastic. I've decided to carry around a placard that says 'It's still a bag', as this is a response I seem to be giving a lot to people with comments such as 'They even charged me in McDonalds' and 'But I bought lots of clothes so I needed a bag'. My particular favourite was a lady in Sainsburys who said 'Well, if they're going to charge me they can keep their bags'. I think that was the idea, love.
I am somewhat surprised at the uproar to the new law. I'm only 31, but I can remember another time when it was normal to charge for bags. It was considered an ingenious marketing ploy when Kwik Save announced that they would no longer be charging for bags as they didn't think their customers should have to pay for them, unfortunately not realising at the time what they were starting and the effect it would have on the environment.
So even if you only make one change (and the law will soon come into effect in other countries too anyway) then carry a reusable bag with you. Especially if you're coming to visit Wales.

Tofu Bolognese Pasties

It's a bit of a culturally eclectic mix, but I experiemented with my lunches this week by making tofu bolognese pasties. Even if I do say so myself, they are delicious and even an omnivore sat next to me at lunch commented on how good they looked. The best thing is that the recipe makes 8, so you can keep them in the fridge to take to work and reheat when needed.

Pastry
450g plain flour
2tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
120g dairy-free spread
200ml chilled water

Bolognese
(This recipe will make a lot more than you need to fill the pasties, but it's handy to freeze in batches and reheat at a later date. It can be kept in a freezer for up to 3 months, and works well served with pasta or potatoes, especially baked sweet potato)
1 medium onion, chopped
320g closed cup or chestnut mushrooms, chopped
1 large courgette/zuccini, chopped
pack of minced tofu
6 soft tomatoes, peeled (prick the tomatoes, pour boiling water over them and leave for 5 minutes and the skins will peel off) and roughly chopped
75ml vegetable stock
small tin tomato paste

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
2. For the pastry, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter and fat until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Mix in just enough water to form a dough.
3. For the bolognese filling, fry the onions until soft (apple juice or orange juice are great for frying), add the courgette, mushrooms and tofu and stir-fry for another few minutes. When the tofu and vegetables have started to brown, add the chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and tomato paste and mix throughly. Cover and leave to simmer for about 20 minutes.
4. Roll out the pastry and cut out 8 discs approximately 15cm (6in) in diameter. Put 1 tbsp of bolognese onto each pastry disc and fold over to make a pasty shape (you can brush the edges with a little water or soya milk if they won't stick). Seal the edges, and prick a hole in the top of each pasty. Glaze with some soya milk (optional) and place on a greased baking tray.
5. Bake for 20 minutes until the pastry is golden brown.

Our last chance to save the world

The Metro published an article on Thursday about the UN climate change summit. Government ministers and the heads of influential environmental charities from more than 190 countries are represented. Rather fittingly, on the first night of the summit the lives of six Durban residents were taken by torrential rain, unseasonal weather for that area. Our thoughts of course go to the families of the six victims, and UN climate chief Christiana Figueres used the incident to demonstrate how weather is likely to get more extreme as the planet heats up.
This is our last chance to save the planet from global warming. Perhaps one of the reasons we don't act is because the biggest impact is on the world's poorest people, despite them being the least responsible. Here in the west we are causing the problem, but so far the changes have been so gradual that we can ignore them. I'm reminded of Al Gore's comments in his book 'An Inconvenient Truth. He said 'If we experience a significant change in our circumstances gradually and slowly, we are capable of sitting still and failing to recognise the seriousness of what is happening to us until it's too late. Global warming may seem gradual in the context of a single lifetime, but in the context of the Earth's history, it is actually happening with lightning speed.'
When I was at high school we watched a film called 'Two Seconds to Midnight'. The basic theory of the film is that if you think of the entire history of Earth as a 24 hour clock, so the Big Bang is at midnight on the first night and present day at midnight on the second night, then humans only arrived on the planet at two seconds to midnight. However, we have had more impact than any other inhabitants. I saw the film in the mid-90s, and it was old then. Although our attitude to environmental concerns have changed in the past 15 years, I think 'Two Seconds to Midnight' would still be relevant today. My old high school probably are still showing it on VCR.

Many cancers could be prevented

Just seen an article on yahoo http://uk.news.yahoo.com/many-cancers-could-prevented-000407948.html Apparently a 'breakthrough' study has discovered that the development of cancer can be affected by lifestyle choices. Are we really still surprised at these results? How many studies do we need to do before we stop looking at statistics and start making changes?

The Big Bread Experiment - Genius!

I just caught the first episode of BBC Two's 'The Big Bread Experiment' on On Demand. What a brilliant idea! I think bringing the community together to create great, fresh food is fantastic. Congratulations to the inspirational women in Yorkshire who have started the bread revolution, and also to the volunteers restoring the mill. I would definitely love to get involved in a project like that in Cardiff.

Scavenging for food at Heathrow Airport

The travelbug is in Austria this week, so I apologise for any spelling errors. I'm having to use a German keyboard, and the spell check is trying to correct me in German so everything is coming up in red!
Admittedly, Heathrow Airport is not on my top 50 list of favourite places on planet Earth. It is, however, a useful place to pass through if you need to get to an awkward destnation quickly. Which is how I found myself there on Saturday morning. The awkward destination being Innsbruck, where I was headed to visit family.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to see how difficult, or easy, it is to stick to a plant-based diet whilst in transit. I appreciate there are thousands of vegans out there who do this on a regular basis, and are probably telling me to shut up right now. But for me it was an interesting experience. It actually reminded me of when I first turned vegetarian, before the days of labelling foods for dietry requirements and before most people really understood what vegetarianism was. I remember many a trip where my staple diet would be fries, salad and bread, and I would constantly have to tell people that no, I don't eat fish, and I can't just pick the chicken out or eat around the beef.
So there I was in Heathrow airport, having to read every single ingredient again. I must point out here that, unfortunately, I was flying from Terminal 1. The larger terminals at Heathrow do have some excellent fresh food outlets, and I can't wait for them to make it onto the UK high street. I settled on a carrot, houmous and salad leaves on wholemeal sandwich from Boots, a fresh pear and filling my water bottle up from the water fountain. The sandwich is made by a company called fresh! (I believe the exclamation mark is an essential part of the name). The blurb on the box (which is recyclable by the way) promises 'no gunk and no junk', and I have to say it was a really tasty sandwich. The only downfall is that the houmous did contain tahini. On that note, does anyone know the correct spelling for houmous? I've come across a few different variations so far.
Extra brownie points go to Caffe Nero, where the lovely barista was more than happy to make me a latte with Alpro Soya, which I might add was one of the tastiest lattes I've ever had.
For the benefit of anyone else who is travelling through Frankfurt airport in the near future, they have a lovely fresh food outlet. The vegetarian options are still quite dairy-based, but there's a lot of fresh fruit and juices.

Magic Sprouting Beans

OK, so maybe they're not exactly magic, but they're still pretty impressive. One of the common arguments against a plant-based diet is that you don't eat enough protein and calcium. I must add at this point that most comments I receive like this come from omnivores with very bad eating habits. Like all nutrients, however, you can easily get enough protein and calcium from plants, you just have to do it right. Plus, plant-based protein is also much healthier for you. Green vegetables such as kale and brocoli are great sources of calcium, and beans, lentils and seeds will also provide essential nutrients. Which is where my magic sprouting beans come in. A few years ago, a friend took me to an organic farm shop in Devon. This was the first time I had been in such a place, and to me it was like Aladdin's cave. There, she introduced me to organic sprouting mix, a dry mixture of beans that you soak in water for 3-5 days until they're soft enough to eat and begin to sprout (hence the name). I immediately found a new favourite food, and when I returned to work abroad the next week I made sure I had a packet in my backpack. There are different contraptions you can buy that are specially designed for sprouting the seeds, but personally I prefer the jam jar method. Simply soak the beans in water and drain, then leave to stand out of direct sunlight. It's recommended you put a piece of muslin cloth over the top of the jam jar, but I discovered last week that a j cloth also works well. A clean j cloth, of course.
On my return to the UK, I couldn't wait to but another pack of sprouting seeds. After all, they'd proved to be an easy to transport snack whilst I was travelling. Imagine my horror when I couldn't find them anywhere in Cardiff!. Some shops did stock ready-sprouted mix, chilled in the fridge, but I didn't fancy the look of them, and would probably had to eat them up in an incredibly short time before they went out of date.
At this point I could leave you in suspense and make you wait until my next blog to discover if I was ever reunited with my magic sprouting beans, but I'm not that cruel. I'm pleased to say that a couple of months ago I was browsing in Beanfreaks in Cardiff (you can order online too) and was overjoyed to find they stock organic srpouting mix in their basics range. I was that excited that I think I actually did let out a small whoop of joy, and for that I apologise to anyone who was in the shop with me. I now put them on my salads to take to work with me, and chuck them in stir-fries to make them a bit more interesting. I've also discovered through (accidental) experimentation that it doesn't matter if you sprout them a few more days than you intended, they're still edible. Although the ones I put on my lunch today were so far gone that Alan Titchmarsh could have presented an episode of Groundforce on it.

Soya Milk Success!

Had a minor breakthrough the past couple of days. Through some controlled experimentation, well, through trying different things in my kitchen at least, I think I've solved the issue of my soya milk looking like it's gone off when mixed into hot drinks. If you leave the drink to cool slightly first before adding the soya milk, it seems to be fine.

Eliminate Oil!

My biggest learning this week has been to remind myself of what I said in my very first posting on this blog. Rather than rushing in and trying everything at once, the key to making big changes in life is to take them one step at a time. Although I had some successes with my cookery experiments on the weekend, I also had some total disasters. Being a keen baker, I'm really interested in developing recipes for healthier, animal-free cakes and biscuits. As interested as I am, though, even I couldn't muster enough enthusiasm to eat my first attempts. So, with my 'one step at a time' mantra in mind, I've gone right back to my original recipes and started to make small changes. My first step has been to replace dairy-based butter and fat with a dairy-free option. So far it's been working well, even with recipes that call for a hard vegetable fat.
There's another small change that I've surprisingly found a lot easier than I thought I would. Ann Esselstyn's third rule on her 8 Principles is Eliminate Oil! She urges everyone to empty all oil, even virgin olive oil, out of your cupboards. Instead any liquid works. Vegetable broth (no sodium), water, wine, beer, orange juice, carrot juice, vinegar are all viable alternatives. When I first read this I was dubious, but I have since tried using orange juice, vinegar and white wine vinegar and found that they do actually work. Most vegetables also produce enough liquid that they don't need much else to cook them anyway. Chef Sarno's basting liquid for the seitan brisket on planeat.tv is also a tasty way to cook other dishes, and I roasted some delicious vegetables in my own version by mixing vegetable stock, soy sauce and a drop of marsala wine. Coincidentally, whilst conducting my own experiements with alternatives to oil, I saw an episode of Secret Millionaire where the same thing was being done but for entirely different reasons. The secret millionaire in this particular episode was trying to fry a hamburger, and asked his neighbours if he could borrow some oil. They told him he didn't need oil, and he could fry his burger using water. Theirs was a discovery borne out of necessity, as in such a poor neighbourhood oil was a luxury they could not afford. I found it interesting that in these economically challenging times, the cheapest option quite often also turns out to be the most environmentally friendly.

As promised, I have spent a lot of time cooking and baking this weekend. I have had some successes and, well let's just say there are some recipes it wouldn't be fair to you to share yet. First of all I tried the seitan brisket from planeat.tv. One of the major drawbacks from using the recipes from the website is that the ingredients and meaures are quite often difficult to translate into British equivalents. I tried my best, but my efforts came out looking and tasting a bit too much like bread. I did a bit more research online, and it turns out there are other Brits out there having the same problems trying to cook seitan brisket. Never fear, though, I will persevere.
One definite success for me this weekend is the wild mushroom gravy from planeat.tv which tastes AMAZING! I'm definitely going to persuade my family to let me cook it on Christmas Day.

Go Exploring

I'm planning a big cooking and baking weekend to try out some of the recipes from Planeat.tv, and I also had a peek at some of the fab recipes on the Provamel website (www.provamel.com). I've found that when cooking fresh food the most important thing is to plan ahead, because if I don't know exactly what I'm going to need I always forget an important ingredient (like tomatoes for the bolognese sauce, and yes I actually did that once) and end up with lots of bits left over which are hard to use up for anything else. So I've been through the recipes that caught my eye, selected enough that I can feasibly eat in one weekend, and I've made my shopping list. I'm very lucky in that I live in a city and as well as having two excellent health food shops and a Saturday real food market virtually on my doorstep, I also pass a great farm shop on my drive home from work, and most of out local supermarkets have free-from and wholefood ranges. Understandably, depending on where you live, it can be difficult to get hold of fresh, whole food. However, it's worth searching online for farm shops and real food markets in your area because they quite often go unnoticed. Don't be shy to ask your local supermarkets to stock more options, either. I used to work in food retail, and any good manager will be happy to receive your requests. The Co-operative Food stores in particular are keen to provide healthier alternatives for the benefit of the community, and they also stock a great animal product-free range of toiletries and cleaning products.

Eat Oats!

Having made so many changes to my diet and lifestyle the past week, it's good to know that I was already doing something right. The first rule of Ann Esselstyn's 8 Principles is Eat Oats for breakfast. Oats help lower cholesterol and also reduce artery inflammation. Personally I like to eat oatbran made with water and a splash of milk (soy milk of course), topped with honey (or natural syrup if you're vegan) and sometimes sliced banana. It's also a handy breakfast to prepare when you're in a rush to get ready in the morning. I put the oatbran on a low heat whilst I dash round my apartment finding my work clothes and packing my lunch, and hey presto! breakfast is ready.

Ruben Tabares has written a great article about the training benefits of a whole food diet. Check it out at http://him.uk.msn.com/health-and-fitness/train-like-an-olympian
The phrase that stands out for me is "It's a matter of changing one thing at a time until it becomes the norm. It takes about 100 days of doing something before it becomes 'natural'".

Hummus is my new favourite snack

Without wanting to sound like a stereotypical vegetarian, I'm going to talk about the merits of hummus. Over the years I've tried various types and brands of pre-packed hummus and, whilst it is perfectly edible, I've never been a huge fan. Inspired by Ann Esselstyn's 8 Principles on www.planeat.tv, I decided to give in another shot. Number 8 on Ann's List is Eat Beans and Lentils instead of meat and dairy. You should, however, avoid hummus that contains tahini, and Ann has a great, simple recipe for making your own hummus. Blend together chick peas, lemon and garlic and add cumin, vinegar, red peppers, parsley or cilantro (coriander to us Brits) to taste. On a personal note, I'm alergic to garlic (I know, it's a nightmare) so instead I use chilli which tastes great. My top tips are to boil the chick peas for 5 minutes first for a smoother texture, and grate a bit of the lemon zest into the blender for an extra tangy taste. Whilst we're on the subject of blenders, it's an important piece of kit for any whole food home cook. I got mine for Christmas last year and it's probably been used more than anything else in my kitchen. When I'm trying new recipes, I always find that I have lots of vegetables left over that I'm not going to use up before they go off. Just fry some chopped onion and chilli in a large pan, chop the leftover veg and add to the pan with some vegetable stock (2:3 ratio is about right). Leave it to boil until all the veg is soft, and then once it's cooled down blend it to make a tasty soup. I then freeze the soup into batches so that I can reheat it at a later date when I don't have time to cook.
Anyway, I've finished my hummus and oat cakes that I've been eating whilst typing this, so I'm off to the fridge to get some more.

The first step is always the hardest, and sometimes tastes a bit funny

Aaaarrrrggggh! It's Ok saying that you're going to make a conscious effort to eat a plant-based diet and be more environmentally friendly, but where do you start? My biggest dairy crime is probably skimmed milk, so I decided to start there.
In the past I have made quite a few attempts to switch from cows milk to soya milk. As I was born with eczema, I've always been aware that dairy isn't good for me as it makes my skin break out and blocks my throat up. But, as a vegetarian, I've always been told that I should have more dairy. My most successful attempt was for a few months whilst I was living in Austria, where due to my vegetarianism I was fed so much cheese that I almost couldn't breathe.
Admittedly, though, the taste of soya milk does take a bit of getting used to if you usually drink cows milk. You can buy sweetened soya milk if you prefer, and you can also choose to buy organic. And if anyone can tell my why the soya milk sometimes looks like it's gone off when I put it in coffee, I'll be eternally grateful.

Dyfal Donc i dyr y Garreg

Apologies to anyone who can't read Welsh, and rest assured that 'Dyfal donc i dyr y garreg' isn't offensive. At least, my Welsh tutor told me it isn't. The phrase translates into English as 'It's a steady tapping that breaks the stone', and I thought it an apt mantra to adopt whilst tackling my latest challenge. Having been a vegetarian for the past seventeen(ish) years, I know a few facts about the impact our diet has on the environment. However, I'm always keen to broaden my knowledge, and with that in mind, last week I watched the Planeat film (www.planeat.tv). According to the scientists in Planeat the less animal-based foods and the more plant-based foods you eat the better, both on a health and environmental level. Their mission is to create awareness of the benefits of a plant-based diet, encourage consumers to reduce their meat and dairy consumption and be inspired by plant-based cuisine.
Already being a vegetarian, I fully admit that at the start of the film I was quitely confident that my diet was already pretty environmentally friendly. I was soon brought down a peg or two though, when Gidon Eshel, prof. of Physics and Geosciences at Bard College, explained that vegetarian diets aren't actually that much better than an average omnivore diet, and in fact a poultry-based diet can have less impact on the environment. This is due to us veggies tending to over-compensate by eating more dairy products and eggs. Which brings me neatly to another important message that I learnt from Planeat. In the Western world we are brought up to believe that we should eat lots of animal-based protein.The research of T Colin Campbell shows that too much protein from an animal-based diet is damaging to our health (As you may have guessed already, I'm no scientist, so please watch the film or visit the website for a more coherent explanation of this theory).
So, where am I going with this? I'm not saying that I'm going to turn vegan overnight, but what I am interested in, though, is to see if it's possible to make small changes towards the Planeat philosophy. I will use the free-range carrots blog to chart my ups and down, and also to share any tips and plant-based recipes that I come across. And I'll take it one small step at a time, because as we say in Wales 'Dyfal donc i dyr y garreg'.