Forum Topic

Philippa Bond · 01/08/2022 19:24:00

new.ChiswickW4.com Communtity Forum Topic posting

It's Veganuary

I know that we won't manage it but we will be making more of an effort to eat less meat. We're much more vegetarian orientated than vegan.Roasted root vegetables were always a very important part of Christmas so it won't be an effort to continue with those. Last year I cooked two vegetables I had never cooked before: I roasted butternut squash with red pepper in a little olive oil to serve with lentils and grilled halloumi and I roasted celeriac to serve with mixed grains and quinoa.I've got a celeriac and cavolo nero curry lined up to make this week...What about you? Have you tried cooking anything different?

Philippa Bond ● 1719d46 Comments

Im having steak and chips in 20 mins,bit late but been out Love dipping the chips into the blood,very tsaty

Julian Pavey ● 1719d

You must have found a separate blood sauce to have on the side then as that juice running from your steak is water mostly mixed with myoglobin.

Andrew Craig ● 1719d

I have no idea what myoglobin is but based on what you say without googling i can safely say it tastes nice all the same

Julian Pavey ● 1719d

And what makes you think that I don't eat the occasional meat dish? Most likely it will be when I go out and someone else does the cooking! I happen to like the minute steak with chips they used to do with a green salad at Cafe Rouge - just the right amount. However so often the dream of what' the dish is going to be like and the reality don't match. I saw excess meat when presented with a steak the size of a very large plate in Colombia many years ago. It's odd I remember the size of the steak and the guard on the door of the restaurant. I don't remember eating the steak. It wasn't a minute steak and was enough meat to feed a family. There was a big gap between rich and poor then and children sleeping on the street. I don't imagine it is much different now.

Philippa Bond ● 1719d

More memorable in Colombia were the many different fruits. They grow 10 different types of mangoes. There was fruit pizza on the menu at the local pizza parlour.

Philippa Bond ● 1719d

It’s plastic, but reduced my veg and fruit waste by at least half - strawberries can keep up to 5 days in one of these!https://sistemaplastics.com/products/freshworksAmazon and Sainsbury’s sell em

Russell Pearson ● 1719d

I think resolutions like cutting out meat or alcohol or starting a weight loss programme will only be successful if the timing is right and that all depends on the mindset of the individual which has little or nothing to do with the month or time of year. It’s perfectly possible to give up alcohol a few days before Christmas and stay dry for a long time. I did just this in December 2019 and didn’t touch a drop until October. And it was easy and pleasant because my head was in the right place.

Alastair Banton ● 1719d

Its actually really simple. Im a full on vegetarian by proxy. I only eat vegetarians. Incidentally we are omnivores, and its is our duty to use our countryside efectively, and as i dont like grass, which is all you can grow in some places, i am content to allow sheep to do it for me.

Bob Roberts ● 1719d

There are fascists pretending to be humanitarians, like cannibals on a health trip eating only vegetarians.

Philippa Bond ● 1718d

You can beat an egg, but you can't beat a big, fat juicy fillet steal, preferably with sautéed potatoes, and cauliflower cheese.

Brian Joseph Coyle ● 1718d

Quite right Philippa. Militant feminists, anti-women TERFS. I suspect they claim to be vegan, just for the sake of it.

Simon Temple ● 1718d

How can you tell that a person is vegan within 30 seconds of meeting them?.....They tell you!!

Steve Taylor ● 1718d

Zing! Nice one!

Simon Temple ● 1718d

I believe that being vegetarian is good for the planet and good for the body if done correctly. Our family eat mainly vegetarian meals with fish once a week or so and even meat on special occasions when going out etc. Calves liver and onions is a favourite for me but rest of family think I’m nuts. However, I struggle with this new concept of veganism as businesses jump on the bandwagon to cater for, and make megabucks, from the nuova vegans! I have friends who have been full on vegans for a decade and it is hard work. Making own cheese etc etc All seems pretty nutritious and ‘safe’ to eat. And of course good for the environment. The nuova vegans though, have it easy. Supermarket aisles are full of plant based ‘smoked salmon’ , bacon, beef burgers, chicken curries etc etc. Just about every conceivable meat or cheese type is covered by a plant based substitute for the real thing! I have tried to read and understand all the ingredients and additives that go into making the ‘plant’ look like and taste like meat. I am lost though! It just seems to me that all those additives, chemicals and preservatives just can’t be good for you? Do we actually know the long term effects they may have? It’s all happened so quickly in a competitive and lucrative market so can we trust the producers? Are vegans quite sure that they aren’t pumping their bodies with toxins and are there guarantees that cancers aren’t being formed? Genuine questions if anyone can enlighten me please? In the meantime I am loathe to try these ‘vegan dishes’ so I think I’ll stick to pure, healthy old fashioned vegetarian dishes and the odd fish pie!

Steve Taylor ● 1718d

Why buy ready meals?

Philippa Bond ● 1718d

I am just talking about what is available in all the Vegan Aisles in supermarkets. Somebody must be buying them and it ain’t me!!

Steve Taylor ● 1718d

We did veganuary last year and our favourite recipes were from the Bosh cookbook.

Alina Dansord ● 1718d

Thanks I'll have a look at that book:My favourite quick store cupboard recipe is one my mother used to make:A tin of butter beans, a tin of tomatoes, a chopped onion and couple of fat cloves of garlic with some thyme and bay leaves and ground pepper.Soften the onion and garlic then add the rest. I like it with a few slices of bacon grilled on top or grilled and cut with scissors on top. I thought I might try grilled halloumi on top instead but that only gets me to Vegetarian...I did see the Hairy Bikers the other day making a bacon substitute with smoked tofu chopped and fried with a little soy sauce and maple syrup but that looked like more hassle...

Philippa Bond ● 1718d

What is the best approach? To not eat meat or to aim to consume all the bits? To only eat wild (veg and meat) or focus on chemicals or travel miles?I eat pests. Is that good? I like bits (heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and so forth). Is that worse than sirloin steak?Oh, I love veg and seeds and leaves. Am I wrong?

Alan Clark ● 1718d

Michael Adams ● 1718d

Isn't nose-to-tail eating better than eating turkeys which have been bred so that they are so top heavy they can't stand up and their leg meat is inedible?I'm trying to eat more in season vegetables. I'm sure that must be easier with a veg box scheme but we don't really eat enough. Apparently cauliflowers are currently prolific.

Philippa Bond ● 1718d

Great cauliflower rice recipe. https://www.bosh.tv/recipes/special-fried-cauli-rice

Sean Wales ● 1718d

Last year as part of my low carb diet I tried the cauli rice. It's disgusting!!!

Steve Taylor ● 1717d

I used to be a pescatarian from 1978-1989 and my sister a vegetarian. In those days,in order for any product or foodstuff to be classified as vegan,there had to be an assurance that not only was there no trace of any anumal product but the fertiliser used to grow it could not be of animal origin, no manure or bonemeal etc.I wonder iof this is still the case with the claim 'vegan' written just about everywhere nowadays.Some of the plant based foods that can now be bought seem more like processed junk to me.

Keith Iddon ● 1717d

Unlike the term "organic" there's no legal definition in food of the term "vegan" so companies can use it any way they want - often with a symbol which suggests some official certification.However, if you see the Vegan Society mark, that means the company producing the food is certified and you can be pretty confident it is vegan.There's also vegan skincare - which is a growing segment. It has the same issues e.g. products with beeswax labelled with fake but official looking logos, not because the companies are trying to pass off the products as Vegan, but because they're not very bright and without certification, they make silly mistakes. Personally I find a lot of the new wave vegan products indistinguishable from junk processed food - plant burgers are particularly unhealthy with as much fat if not more (20-25%) than a standard burger, and a lot more than a lean one.

Ed Saper ● 1717d

And not forgetting those vegan bike tyres. Manufactured without use of stearic acid.michael adams

Michael Adams ● 1717d

“ Personally I find a lot of the new wave vegan products indistinguishable from junk processed food - plant burgers are particularly unhealthy with as much fat if not more (20-25%) than a standard burger, and a lot more than a lean one”Yes I agree.

Steve Taylor ● 1717d

Heres the ingredients for Beyond Meat Beyond Burger , sold as 2 in a packet, frozen. As you can see , it's a whole load of not much. And they expecting £19.50 per Kilo for this from your pocket, so 2 burgers are £4.40 The mind boggles. They not alone though . Water, Pea Protein*(16%), Rapeseed Oil, Coconut Oil, Rice Protein, Flavouring, Stabiliser (Methyl Cellulose), Potato Starch, Apple Extract, Colour (Beetroot Red), Maltodextrin, Pomegranate Extract, Salt, Potassium Chloride, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Maize Vinegar, Carrot Powder, Emulsifier (Sunflower Lecithin),

Andrew Craig ● 1717d

And they must be selling it because the vegan aisles are full of this junk food!

Steve Taylor ● 1717d

Ssshhhh

Stewart Jones ● 1717d

Why are you looking at ready meals? Why don't you look at recipes that you make for yourself. I was looking at a burger made with chickpeas and oyster mushrooms earlier.Do you only buy ready meals? Most ready meals are full of extra stuff that is no good for you. I used up a bread sauce mix bought for Christmas by someone who thought it would make life easier for me from a top British supermarket. It was disgusting it was so full of salt and I didn't look to see what other disgusting ingredients were in it. I had to add other things to make it at all edible - like a lot more bread and onion and cloves. Bread sauce is actually incredibly easy to make. I used to love studding the onion with cloves. You just have to plan the making of your Christmas meal well. You don't have to always eat complicated meals.What is wrong with a baked potato filled with chilli sin carne?

Philippa Bond ● 1717d

A Canadian academic once told me (at a BBQ) that he encouraged people to adopt a vegetarian diet because when the world as we know it comes to an end we will all still want to eat something healthy. What sane person, he opined, would want to eat an omnivorous North American who had been chowing on steak and burgers since birth and as a result had absorbed incredible quantities of growth hormones and antibiotics. I think that he was joking but who knows. Can I tentatively recommend to vegetarians and omnivores alike the Mowgli Street Food book by Nisha Katona. You really have try a Yogurt Chat Bomb. Seriously great food.

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 1717d

“ Why are you looking at ready meals? ”Not sure to whom you are addressing this question, or why. The contributors to this thread seem to be talking about observations rather than actions. Whilst I haven’t had a ready meal for about a decade, I can understand that hardworking families sometimes may not have the time to prepare intricate healthy, wholesome meals every day. Most people don’t have the luxury of plenty of time play in the kitchen in between bogging.

Steve Taylor ● 1717d

"bogging" ?

Cllr Sam Hearn ● 1717d

Aah yes!! Blogging and of course bogging. Good one! It could be argued that vegans need to bog more often? I wouldn't know!

Steve Taylor ● 1717d

A chunky veg casserole is nice during winter, it lasts in the fridge orfreezer and you can add things to it each day, like veggie sausageor anything you want.

Janice Evans ● 1717d

It definitely doesn't take long to make a spag bog!and all you have to do is replace the meat with lentils. Any extra sauce can be frozen.Baked potato in a microwave is quick and the chilli will last more than one meal. It is easy to freeze.I haven't tried many new dishes at all. I think like most people I read (or rather look at) more recipes than I cook.Italians make very quick vegetarian pasta meals with fresh produce.There is a large choice of Indian vegetarian meals.Middle Eastern food has a lot of vegetarian food.It is British food that tends to be a lump of meat and three veg - one of which is potatoes. It's odd because in the past lentils used to feature a lot more.

Philippa Bond ● 1717d

Cook is great for ready meals - particularly helpful when you need to feed kids and parents at different times with different meals.

Ed Saper ● 1717d

I understand that Cook do good offers for new parents. However I find it worrying that our children are not learning how to cook simple meals.I think with cauliflower rice it will have to be cooked very quickly because normally I would steam vegetables and for cauli cheese I steam the cauli whole. I hate soggy and soft vegetables.

Philippa Bond ● 1717d

I love cauliflower, particularly seasoned and roasted.I also eat the leaves,steamed or roasted but if roasting put them in for the last 10mins or so as they get burned otherwise.

Keith Iddon ● 1717d

Does the leaves taste of spring greens.

Janice Evans ● 1716d

The leaves taste lovely whatever they taste like and as with broccoli if the stalk is tough you just slice a bit off all the way round. It doesn't usually get as far as the cooker - it so nice and crunchy. Cook's perk!

Philippa Bond ● 1716d

There are good reasons to reduce the amount of meat you eat. It doesn't mean that you have to stop but there are some great vegetarian and vegan dishes out there and if you want something more complicated then there are some great restaurants. I'm always looking for dishes that I don't make at home and disappointed if they are simple dishes which I can often do better at home (eg using ripe tomatoes)! I'm looking forward to being able to go back to eating out for birthdays again! https://theconversation.com/meat-and-dairy-gobble-up-farming-subsidies-worldwide-which-is-bad-for-your-health-and-the-planet-174644?

Philippa Bond ● 1716d

"And not forgetting those vegan bike tyres". I've always found those a bit chewy, despite cooking then in the oven for the recommended time, and being Dunlop's finest.

Brian Joseph Coyle ● 1716d

https://www.ofc.org.uk/blog/dame-ellen-macarthur-dazzles-delegates-final-day-oxford-farming-conferenceIf you sail around the world on a boat...

Philippa Bond ● 1716d