Quick Catch up

Hola mis amigos. 42 degrees here on the Costa Blanca today - that's a staggering 104.0 Fahrenheit. Spain has been given a severe heat wave warning and for Spain to declare that - you know it's gonna be bad!! Just wanted to give you a quick catch up on what I've been doing since I blogged last - and what better way to do so than by pictures. Hope everyone is well and keeping cool and for my Southern hemisphere buddies - hope you're keeping warm!

This delicious Mushroom and Spinach Omelette was fashioned from Fat Free Vegan's recipe.
I did do it a bit differently though.
I omitted the Corn Starch/Potato Starch completely and instead of using regular Salt - I added 1 teaspoon Black Salt. This Omelette was delicious and even Mr treehugger was impressed with it (he's not vegan).
So ya all gotsta try this recipe 'kay.

This is a Tuna Friendly Tuna Salad and was Über YUM!
I took a tin of fried Gluten gloop (a.k.a Mock Duck) mixed it with some Plamil's Mayo and diced Gherkins (Pickles) and tossed it all together with Lettuce, Tomato and Onion.
Deeeeeee-liscious!

And a few photos of some little visitors in my garden this past week

This is Bob - he's gonna be a Swallowtail Butterfly when he grows up. Isn't he divine!

This is an Albino Praying Mantis!! Isn't he cool. I've never seen an Albino one before.

These birds make the most AMAZING noise EVER! Not sure what they are 'cos I'm not up on my birds at all. Notice the Spanish wiring!!!

GO VEGAN!

Musings from the Fishbowl Giveaway!!

Head on over there now to be in with a chance of winning one of two copies of Sweet Freedom.

Sweeeeet as.

click here


GO VEGAN!

Pepperoni Style Sausage

This is one of my favourite ways to make Seitan. It is seriously moreish. I've used it in sandwiches, stews, on pizzas and just for slicing off a hunk and snacking with.

Pepperoni Style Sausage
makes 2 sausages each about 200 grams

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of Vital Wheat Gluten
1/2 cup Nutritional Yeast
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Garlic Salt
3 Cloves of Garlic, squeezed through a garlic press
1 1/2 tsp Mixed Herbs
1 Tblsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (toast your own if you can)
1/2 cup Thick "Beef" broth
1/4 cup Red Wine
1 Tblsp Soy Sauce
1 Tblsp Olive Oil
5 Tblsp Tomato Paste
2 Sundried Tomatoes, diced thinly
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
few drops of Tabasco

Directions
Place in a bowl the Vital Wheat Gluten, Nutritional Yeast and crushed Garlic. Mix well with a fork.
Add the Garlic Salt, Onion Powder and Mixed herbs.
The contents of this bowl shall forever be known as "dry ingredients".
In a separate bowl - place the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
The contents of this bowl shall be known as "wet ingredients"
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork until it all comes together to form a dough.
Knead for a few minutes. Pesky bits of Sundried Tomatoes will keep popping out but just stick 'em back in.
Take 2 pieces of aluminum foil and lightly oil.
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts and roll each piece into a sausage shape about 6 inches long and 3 inches diameter. Roll up each sausage in each piece of foil and roll the foil round the sausage. Twist the ends tight so as the sausage shape retains. Bake in the middle of an oven at 200 degrees for 40 mins turning round half way through cooking time.
Unwrap and leave to cool completely.

Each sausage yields about 25 1/4 inch slices and will get scoffed very very quickly!
I should make double this recipe each time really.

The dough

Rolled out like a sausage

"I did a twisty, a tiny twisty"

NOM NOM!

GO VEGAN!

Is there anything more beautiful than a Coconut Cream Pie?

Apart from two Coconut Cream Pies that is?
NAH!
There isn't.
We were invited to our friends house for dinner last night and being aware of the fact that a lot of people go into a hyperventilating fit at the mere thought of making anything vegan - I offered to bring dessert*.
Admittedly this Pie wasn't my first choice.
I had made a Strawberry Cheesecake but my miscalculation of how much Agar Agar to use resulted in Strawberry Sludge.
Delicious Strawberry Sludge I hasten to add - but sludge all the same.
Never one to panic in the face of disaster *ahem* I had the brilliant idea of consulting the Vegan Tickles blog - where amongst her photos of beautiful mouth watering desserts, I knew I would find inspiration.
Oh boy am I glad I did!
How I had forgotten her post about Coconut Cream Pie is completely beyond me but I shall never forget it from this moment on.
I had all the ingredients as well so I didn't even need to make a special trip to the supermarket or anything (was this a sign or what!).
The recipe can be found here from deliciousTV.com

no inside shot 'cos it was scoffed up in seconds

The base is lovely and crisp and holds together perfectly and the filling is delicately coconutty with the right amount of sweetness. It sets perfectly and is oh so creamy and delicious. The fact that this was the eaisest dessert IN THE WORLD as well makes it an all round thumbs up ten out of ten and will be making a regular appearance in the treehugger household.
Yep - I'm glad the Strawberry Cheesecake was a big fat sludgey fail and I'm glad this Pie has come into my life.

GO VEGAN!


*which is one of the many good reasons for inviting me to dinner

That's Why We Don't Eat Animals

New book for children, and adults, because I'm sure gonna buy myself a copy and show my support to the Author and Illustrator, Ruby Roth.
Here’s the blurb from the book’s website http://www.wedonteatanimals.com

‘That’s Why We Don’t Eat Animals’ takes a candid, compassionate look at the plight of animals on factory farms, using gorgeous artwork and lively text to introduce vegetarianism and veganism to early readers.
An endearing cast of animals is shown both in their natural state—rooting around, bonding, nuzzling, cuddling, grooming one another, and charming each other with their family instincts and rituals—and in the sad conditions of the factory farm. The book also addresses the effect eating animals has on our environment, rain forests, and endangered species. At the end, a section entitled “What Else Can We Do?” suggests ways children can learn more about the vegetarian and vegan lifestyles.
The boldest step yet in children’s literature, this heartfelt, informative book offers a key resource to inspire parents and children to talk about a timely, increasingly important subject.

If you're in LA this Saturday 6th June then pop along to Storyopolis where you can meet Ruby for the official Launch Party. And if that's not enough to tempt you there, there will be Cookies and Milk too! Provided by Uncle Eddies Vegan Cookies and Rice Dream!

Click on poster to enlarge.
Go along and let me know how awesome it is!

GO VEGAN!

Happy Vegan Veggie Burgers and some RAD Onion Rings

Like a lot of you, I suspect; I have a list of recipes to make from all you awesome vegan bloggers as long as my arm. When I have the ingredients to hand is what determines when I make afore mentioned recipes and I was delighted to discover I had all the ingredients to make Jessy's Brown Rice Veggie Burgers

They were totally AWESOME AND I stuck to Jessy's most excellent recipe EXCEPT (haha) I added some mashed up Pinto Beans because I just can't help myself.
To accompany these Burgers I also made Onion Rings.
Recipe here.
I used White Wine instead of White Wine Vinegar (close?) because I have just about every other Vinegar imaginable except this one - and I always have White Wine cooling in mah fridge. I also used Water instead of Apple Juice (see previous sentence).
Let me tell you they were eeen-cred-eeee-bul!!
The Batter is so super tasty and coats the Onions perfectly and fry's up really nice and crunchy, and I'm sure this Batter would be perfect for anything.
Feast your eyes and enjoy. Licking of screen not advised.

All served up with a green Salad and homemade Coleslaw

I also made some Flapjacks

see

But I wasn't paying much attention to the amounts so I will make these again (the sacrifices I make....) and be a good vegan blogger and write down exactly what I did.
But for now I will just tease you all. Mwahahahahaha!

GO VEGAN!

Inspired by an alien and Cauliflower Uncheese

I've owned Hot Damn and Hell Yeah for a few months now but have, until now, not made anything from it. I am a bit of a sucker for seeing photos of recipes to give me a kick up the pants to try them but for some strange unexplained reason a lot of vegan cook books are sadly lacking in the photo department. I know that vegan cook books pack a lot of recipes into their pages but if I'm not gonna be inspired to make the recipes without some visuals then personally I'd prefer a few less recipes and more photos.

Anyhoo - this sounds like I'm moaning and I'm not - so ONTO THE FOOD!

Sal blogged about the Country Tofu recipe on her ace blog - Alien on Toast and it was seeing her gorgeous photos that made up my mind to give this recipe a try. I kind of winged it with the spices too but let me tell you - this recipe is DELICIOSO!

here it is served with some baked new Potatoes, Green Beans and Fried Onions. YUM!

And tonight I made a corker of a recipe that I wanted to share with you all right away.
I give you Cauliflower Uncheese.
So simple and so delicious.

Cauliflower Uncheese
serves 4

Ingredients
1 Large-ish Cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed
400g cooked Chickpeas
1 Clove Garlic
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
+/- Half a cup of Soya Milk or other non dairy milk (though I've only tried this with Soya)
1-2 teaspoons Dry Mustard Powder
Salt
Black pepper
1 cup of fresh Breadcrumbs

Method
Place the cooked Cauliflower into an oven proof dish. Whizz up the Chickpeas, Garlic, Olive Oil and Soya Milk with a blender or stick blender. Add the Mustard Powder and season to taste. Add the Sauce to the Cauliflower and coat well. Cover with tin foil and bake in a hot oven for 30 mins. Take off the tin foil and sprinkle on the Breadcrumbs and finish off in the oven so as the Breadcrumbs turn a nice golden colour.
Serve and scoff!

Served with Green Beans and Onion and Potato layer

I have also been super busy in the garden this past week and a half but I think that deserves a whole blog post all to itself, so watch this space.

GO VEGAN!