Month: December 2018 (page 1 of 1)

22 Meat Free Recipes to get you through 2019

Season’s greetings everyone, it’s Emma here again after a mahoosive break!

Alas, the festive season is nearly over and soon I’ll have to take down my beloved Christmas tree, stop playing “Home for the Holidays” and “Feels like Christmas” on loop, and actually head back to work. In a couple of days, I’ll make a resolution about spending less time on Twitter or not checking my work email after 5 pm or something else that I won’t stick to. But there is one resolution that I have stuck to since I made it in 2010, which for the purposes of this blog, we’ll say was made on December 31st. My vegetarianism. And I know that, especially with Veganuary coming up, many people choose this time of year to vow that they will cut down (or out) their meat consumption. That’s why I’ve created a list of 22 veggie recipes to get you through 2019.

Veggie Recipes to make you drool

1. Quorn Lime and Coconut Vegan Curry: If you need a bit of a palate cleanser, this surprisingly light curry is for you.
2. Seitan Pot Roast: Don’t let the vegan label fool you, this is a hearty meal, using seitan, potatoes, carrots, onions, and garlic to fill you up.
3. Vegan Pulled Pork Sandwiches: I’ve never had pulled pork, but the vegan version is delicious. You can make your own using jackfruit or buy ready-made from the supermarket (check for eggs!).
4. Vegetarian Haggis: Enjoy this warming Scottish dish with a dram of whiskey… if you’re over 18.

5. Tomato, Basil, and Tortellini Soup:  Only have 15 minutes to prep dinner before running out to work? Choose this slow cooker soup. It’s a great way to sneak extra veggies into your diet without noticing.
6. The Vegan Portobello Potroast: All you have to do is sear the portobello mushrooms before placing it in the slow cooker with vegetables, broth, herbs and (if your taste requires) red wine.
7. Quinoa Burritos: These are easy to make and even easier to eat too many of. All you need is a couple of tortillas per person, quinoa, your fave veggies, salsa, guacamole, and shredded cheese.
8. Veggie Duck Pancakes: One of my favourite dishes when making Chinese at home is veggie duck pancakes made with Linda McCartney’s shredded hoisin duck. Honestly, I rather have this than take out.

9. Vegetable Lasagne: I might have lived off this in uni. All I had to do was layer the ingredients and shove it in the oven. Even I couldn’t mess that up and I’m almost certain that my flatmate isn’t reading this, so you can believe that it was perfect every time.
10. Crock-Pot Baked Potato Soup: I didn’t even know this was a thing until recently and I don’t know how I lived without it.
11. Thai Vegetable Curry: Fresh vegetables and coconut milk will make this dish one that you’ll keep coming back to.
12. Wild Rice Salad with Haloumi and Grilled Fruit: Refreshing, but filling, sweet, but salty; this salad is perfect for those late spring/early summer days.

13. Vegan Barbeque Pizza: There is nothing that I don’t like about pizza, but with a barbeque sauce base, it is even better. This isn’t an opinion, it’s fact.
14. Honey-Sesame Tofu and Green Beans: I used to think tofu was a dirty word, but it turns out I just couldn’t cook it. Now, I love it and this recipe is one of the reasons.
15. Vegetarian Bibimbap: Tender vegetables, fried eggs, and soy-sauce infused rice. It’s not fancy, but it’s quick and delicious.
16. Goat’s Cheese and Red Onion Tarts: It’s creamy, sweet, and takes under than an hour from start to finish, so why wouldn’t you want to make these?

17. Pesto and pine nut pasta: As Tamara can attest to, I’ve actually had vivid dreams about this dish after first having it at MAKE cafe in Fratton. But, it’s also simple to make at home in less time than it takes to decide what to watch on Netflix.
18. Bamboo shoot, Mushroom, and Long Bean Stir-Fry: Be warned, the cayenne chillies that give this dish a kick should be added slooooowly.
19. Clear Soup With Bamboo And Tofu: Here, the tofu will absorb all of the flavours of the seasonings (bonito dashi, soy sauce, sake) meaning that each mouthful is incredible. (Omit the bonito dashi for veggie + vegan)

20. Pumpkin Gut Soup: It’s one for Halloween. Turn the leftovers from your Jack O’ Lantern into a warming soup, along with vegetable stock and any vegetable cut offs that might be going to waste (carrot tops, celery tops). After 30 minutes, strain and serve with crusty rolls.
21. Kitchen Cupboard Curry: Just pick your veg of choice, dump in a pot with curry powder, and cook for about 40 minutes on a low heat. Oh, and don’t blend it. It’s better chunky.
22. Nut Roast: It’s a classic veggie Christmas dish that everyone will love.

Okay, that’s it from me because I’m actually getting really hungry. If you have a veggie or vegan meal you’d like to share, leave it in the comments section.

Green Cat Paws

I am not a cat person. Cats are evil creatures that glare batefully for absolutely no good reason. They take pleasure in toying with innocent birds, will attack you with no warning, and oh my gosh, their fur just gets everywhere. The Dutchman, my partner for the last sixteen years, loves cats. Adores them. He will greet every cat he meets in the street and loves a good tussle with a playful kitty. Reader, I married him. I must have been distracted at the time.

So, you’re probably not surprised to read that I (Tamara) now have a cat. A hateful creature that I utterly adore called Popster, Poppet and, officially, Poppy. When my depression made itself known to me, I turned to ‘ye ole Internet to find a magical cure. The internet told me pets can help with positive mental health. Well duh, I kinda knew that already. As the Dutchman had waited patiently for fifteen years for me to relent, I felt I owed him at least an attempt at having a cat. But as a cat is for life and not just for Christmas, I did my due diligence, investigating cat behaviour, needs, costs, etc. I decided that fostering a cat would be the perfect compromise. The Dutchman would get his cat-fix, we’d be helping with animal rescue and if I didn’t like it, then no problem as the foster cat would go to its forever home.

Cat and human high five

We approached Second Chance Animal Rescue, a local cat rescue charity based in Southampton and Portsmouth, and after a thorough house-check and interview, we soon received our first foster cat. The only problem is within 24 hours, we were in love and adopted her. So now, our vegetarian household had an obligate carnivore to cater for. This was the first of many challenges at rearing an eco-conscious cat.

Here are my top hits and bombs on cattifying my life whilst attempting to be environmentally aware!

CAT HITS

cat food

Food: I did A LOT of initial research when it came to choosing the food for the Poppet. I decided that though vegan cat food is available, as cats are obligate carnivores, I would feed my animal other animals. But I didn’t want her to be responsible for the poor treatment of these other animals so her cat food had to be organic or free range. It also had to come in packaging that could be recycled in Portsmouth – that ruled out pouches immediately. I also was keen to feed her a low-grain diet, but that together with my animal welfare requirement was more difficult to source. Price was also a consideration as I had a budget to stick to.

I use Yarrah Organic for both wet and dried food, bought in bulk online. It contains organic meats and Marine Stewardship Council sustainable and certified fish. The cans are recyclable at kerbside here in Pompey, but the dry food comes in a plasticy bag so unfortunately cannot be recycled. I try to balance that bomb by ordering their largest bag available.

As a new cat person, I did attempt to make cat food with pumpkin, tuna, sardines, added taurine, and other vital cat vitamins and minerals but Reader, the bloomin’ cat wouldn’t eat it. I also tried cooking up a meat bone broth for her – but again, she turned up her hateful nose at my offerings. Ain’t nobody got time for that!

¾  Cat Paws

cat figurine on toilet

Litter: I was disappointed to find out that I could not compost the Poppet’s poop because of parasites in cat feces, which cannot be destroyed in a normal home composter. However, I was determined to use environmentally-responsible litter and settled on Cat’s Best, which is made from PEFC-certified secondary raw wood materials.

¾  cat paws

cat staring through catflap

Cat Flap: Thanks to Freegle, I was able to source a second hand cat flap for free. It then turned out the glass in the door wasn’t safety proof and had to be replaced – but that’s another story and not the cat flaps fault!

4/4 cat paws

cardboard box

Toys and Enrichment: I don’t deny, I wanted to buy the Poppet all the toys and all the things! I just about managed to restrain myself and discovered that boxes and string are Poppet’s favourite toys! Cheap and cheerful and not plastic – boom! The cat scratcher is made of cardboard and a longer lasting one made of sisal.

4/4 cat paws

cat sitting on chair

Cat Visits: A local pet sitter visits Poppet when the Dutchman and I are out of town with friends also popping in to check on her as well. This means she is less stressed and in a familiar environment with her familiar organic food and we are supporting local business. Ahhhh, it’s a cats life!

4/4 cat paws

drawing of girl and her cat

Mental Health: My hateful Poppet has brought an unmeasurable amount of happiness into my life. Just having her around on days when depression is engulfing me makes it better. She is our constant companion, she makes me laugh, and though she punishes us for going away by peeing in the hallway – I still love her!

5/4 cat paws

Cat Bombs

pill packets

Packaging: As mentioned above, the packaging the litter and dry food comes in is not recyclable. At the advice of the vet, Poppet is given regular preventative flea and worm medicine. This is in a plastic tube and packaged in unrecyclable foil.

After having four teeth removed, Poppet is on a daily diet of edible cat toothpaste. Whilst I have managed to source plastic free tooth tabs with fluoride for my human household, the cat toothpaste is unfortunately unrecyclable. Sad!

2/4 cat paws

 

Do you have a cat or other pet in your life? Any hints and tips on how to lessen their environmental paw-print? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.