Adaption of the Chocolate Loaf

I hate to be cynical; but it always seems like when you're looking for something you can't find it. But then when you're not, every door is open to you. When I became vegan for a few months, I could hardly find anything that would fill the sweet hole beyond fruit and Alpro Soya yogurt. The choices were very limited and I was hard-pressed to get a good baking recipe - even on sites that specialised in vegan baking.

Recently, I was searching for fitness tips and stumbled across 2 vegan baking recipes on FitSugar. The vegan no-bake brownies that I made (and that are listed under the 'recipe' section) were very nice. They lacked the gooey fudge texture of normal egg crammed, butter filled brownies but nonetheless calm the angry cravings of a sugar-deprived stomach. Essentially, they tasted vegan. 

The bet recipe I tried was sold to me as: "Zucchini bread that tastes like brownies". I had to give it a go. And, it was delightful. Even the raw batter tasted like real brownies. It was so chocolatey and fudge-like that I could instantly tell it would be a winner. When it was baking, it smelled divine and when I took it out I could finally say that I'd made something vegan that tasted 'normal'. It has quite a crumbly texture but it's not at all dry: a lovely treat for a Saturday evening! 

I had initially intended to make these into muffins by the mixture was incredibly sticky and formed a ball which I didn't want to break up. Beside, for the first try, which is always my mistake, I ought to stick to the original recipe. 

However, I did make a slight change. I am not a particular fan of dried cranberries so I substituted half of the required quantity for glacé cherries which are one of my favourite baking ingredients!!

(Vegan) Chocolate and 'Cranberry' Zucchini Loaf 

(Taken from www.fitsugar.com) 

NOTE ON THE RECIPE: This is an American recipe and so measurements are in cups. If you have cup measures then I always find that American recipes are a lot easier because they save you the hassle of measuring ingredients with scales. However, I have written the equivalent measure in grams alongside the initial measure for ease of access. 

Preheat oven to 190 degrees C

1. Grate 225g courgette (zucchini) thinly and place in a bowl. Place to one side
2. In a separate bowl, mix 120g wholemeal flour, 60g cocoa powder (unsweetened), 1 tsp and 1/4 of baking powder, a pinch of salt, 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp mixed spice. Place this to one side
3. In a large bowl, Mash 1 ripe banana and stir in 110g caster sugar, 125ml canola oil and 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. Pour the shredded courgette into the above mixture and stir until combined
5. Stir in all of the dry ingredients
6. Add to the bowl 60g of dried cranberries or glace cherries
7. Line a small loaf tin with baking parchment, pour in the batter and bake for 45 minutes (The cake should be soft to the touch and cooked on top. Insert a skewer into the middle to ensure it is fully cooked)

mmmm...appetizing!!! 

Cake depression and VEGAN no-bake brownies!!

Yes, I was this close to sinking into an eternal abyss of cake depression. It seems a year of hardly baking has rendered my hands useless and I had lost nearly all my talent to produce, not elegant, but EDIBLE cakes.

I've had multiple cake disasters over the past few weeks, passing up food that looks hardly appetising and disappoints the taste buds. I had one more shot today at baking something that I normally wouldn't and, if this didn't work, I was throwing in the apron, oven mits and cupcake cases for good.

So thank goodness it worked.

Trawling the internet for 'miracle' foods, I stumbled upon a recipe for 'Vegan No Bake Brownies' which comes from www.fitsugar.com

These delicious morsels include some of my favourite things, including a particular indulgence of mine: dates!

(I've slightly adapted this recipe, due to a lack of applesauce.)

Vegan No-Bake Brownies (Cuts into 20)

1. Peel a medium sized pear and dice

2. Place in a heat-proof bowl in the microwave with 1 tsp water and cook for 1 minute

3. Remove from the microwave, mash with a fork, set aside and leave to cool

4. Blend 2 cups of oats with 1 cup of unsalted cashews, 8 fresh and de-stoned dates, 1/3 cup cocoa powder and 1/4 tsp salt in a food processor. The mixture should be fine and resemble a flour-y consistency

5. Slice a large, ripe banana and add to the food processor

6. Measure out 1/4 cup of the stewed pear mixture and add to the food processor (you will not need the pear again)

7. Blend in the food processor until the mixture becomes a dough-like consistency (it should be moist and stick together slightly)

8. Add 1 tbsp vegetable oil (and more if required until the mixture sticks together)

9. Oil a square metal dish and put the dough inside, pushing the mixture flat with your knuckles or the back of a spoon

10. When it is leveled, push 5 broken walnut halves into the mixture

11. Chill for at least 1 hour in the fridge

TOP TIP: Store in the fridge until you wish to consume

Change the way you eat, change the way you live!

After the Easter holidays, at the start of May this year, I came back to uni with the resolve to be a vegan - or at least try it.

The decision to change my diet came from a health perspective which is read about but as I became more aware of what veganism was, I began to realise the benefits and feel good about what I was going into my body. However, as we broke up for summer, I was back to my normal ways.

At first, I was reluctant. Every time I put a piece of meat to my lips, I felt guilty. The taste of milk was refreshingly creamy, but it felt wrong. 

It didn't take long, however, to eat without even thinking. 

Recently, though, I've seen a lot of posts about animal cruelty and the benefits of cutting meat from your life. I spoke to one of my friends a couple of months ago about how I'd become vegan. The meat debate is a bit of a toss up. 

When I think of the world, I think that everything is designed for purpose. So chickens lay eggs that aren't poisonous or toxic or don't fertilise soil because the purpose of them is for us to eat. They are provisions from God. 

But, this is where religion comes into it because Christianity believes that the earth was made for humans, whereas, Buddhists believe that everything is equal. I guess what it comes down to is how you view humans. What is our purpose? And how do we function or rank in relation to other animals? 

It's difficult because, if there are nice ways of providing food then why shouldn't we use this bountiful supply and appreciate the things that we have. If we take the example of chickens, what I mean is that, if there is a more humane way of egg production (free-range hens), then why shouldn't we take advantage of the fruits of the hen? 

But I realise when I write this, that the word: 'production' maybe shouldn't exist. Perhaps the problem lies when animals become a product or simply mechanisms and parts to a production line. Everything, animals and humans, should be free. Or maybe, you believe different. 

I suppose that the solution, I often think, might be to go completely back in time to a hunter-gatherer era, where you only catch the food that YOU and your family need, WHEN you needed it and, if you're unable to catch anything, then you must eat the fruits off the land. 

I've read that veganism can end world hunger, but another article reminds me that hunger is a multi-faceted problem which has a number of factors which do not just include removing meat from our diets. (You can read the article here.)

I don't have the answer to whether veganism is the way forward and apparently no one else does either. It is a personal choice and the world probably benefits from all of being different. It needs the blood-thirsty carnivores and the plant eating vegans. 

So whilst I know that something has to change, I won't feel so guilty about willing going back to meat. 

When I go back to uni, I can't see myself becoming a vegan again because I'm such a massive foodie and cooking is what I do. I am, however, going to make changes. 

At ASDA, you can be fooled by low prices and forget about the quality of the products. So that is the main thing I'll be changing. But there are other things that I thought I would share and here are a few. 

Buy local produce

This is something that I don't really take much care about. Especially in Dubai. At the moment, as I've said before, peaches are my new found love. And though the best ones, I believe, come from Jordan, the next choice is American peaches - from, literally, the opposite side of the world. On my part, this is a bad choice. By reducing the demand for produce that is flown from many hours away, contributes to the green house effect. Local produce means a significant reduction in green house gases.

Stay away from beef

This has to do with carbon emissions and health factors. An article published by the Guardian says: 

"The popular red meat requires 28 times more land to produce than chicken, 11 times more water and results in five times more climate-warming emissions."

Based on this, it would seem that chicken is the way to go, which leads me onto my next change factor ...

Free range eggs

I never used to worry about eggs. I always went for the cheap eggs in supermarkets to reduce the cost of my overall shop, not wanting to spend a few extra pence on free range eggs, allowing hens a better life.

Dairy-free products

Until recently, I believed that cows produced milk on tap. I have now learnt, however, that milk is taken from lactating cow mothers who are separated from their calves. This is a step towards eradicating animal cruelty.

Responsibly sourced fish

Prevent over-fishing and allow edible ocean fish the chance to reproduce. Eat: crab, hake, halibut, mussels. AVOID: bream, cod, haddock

Meat-free Mondays

Meat-free Mondays is something I saw Jamie Oliver do. It's actually relatively easy to live vegan or even vegetarian for 1 or 2 days a week. Try tofu stirfry, meatfree 3 bean chilli, quorn sausages. 

I hope that you've enjoyed this post. I wanted to write it partly because I wanted to engrain in my own head how important it is to be a good citizen when it comes to food but also because I thought others would benefit and appreciate information which can help change lives. (--- maybe that statement is a bit bold!)

Vegan Sm-eegan!

Taking me away from my meat, is like trying to put a tutu on a fully grown Bengal tiger: highly dangerous and senseless. Taking me away from a steaming bowl of pasta drowning in thick cream sauce with cheese, is like trying to squeeze yourself through a paper shredder: you wouldn't even go there. And telling me that I can't eat chocolate would be like having a wailing, snotty-nosed toddler on your lap in the midst of a temper tantrum: you can't imagine.

So when I found myself seriously contemplating becoming a vegan I was taken aback by my own resolve. Talk about self-inflicted pain!

It was rather chance that I happened to take out a certain book from the library which got me started.

Like a true geek, I had been dying to get my full library card for the library in town and when the time came I was able to increase my loans from 2 books to 30 at a time! So, naturally,I went on a rampage pulling out everything from 1000s of things to do with eggs to Harry Potter to essays by C.S.Lewis. I looked round every section as though I had all the time in the world to read. I thought of everything I needed, everything I had been meaning to read up on and as I browsed the 'health' section I stumbled on a book of particular interest.

I knew I wasn't an unhealthy eater but I knew how much I ate. I pulled out a book: "Eating Less: Say Goodbye to Overeating". I glanced at it. It made sense. I wasn't about to start a diet but I did need to know when enough food was enough. I had previously looked for solutions online. The only one I remember is one that I constantly use when I get a little craving. Apparently, if you switch your cravings from food to something else, you'll no longer feel the urge to eat but to do whatever you thought about. The example they gave was craving going to the cinema. I use it all the time, but the last time I saw anything at the cinema was in November and I don't even remember the time before that.

I thought this book was a blessing. Whatever knowledgeable doctor had written it had just the right idea for me and I wasn't about to let the opportunity slip through my fingers. I added it to the stack of books I was resting on my hip. Then next to it I saw another: "The 21-Day Weight Loss Kickstart Diet".

To be honest, I have no idea why I picked it up. I can only think that it was for the rainbow coloured font down the spine. Anything with the word 'diet' in I tend to steer clear of. The word, for me, shouts TEMPORARY WEIGHT LOSS ON A DIET OF RICE CAKES AND CELERY STICKS. Alright if you like that sort of thing, apart from the fact that you're more than likely to bounce back to your starting weight when you give up or turn back to your old guilty pleasures. Diets aren't for me.

Nevertheless, I was aware that I was still suffering the adverse effect of too many student nights out.

I began reading and soon found how, according to these studies, potentially dangerous too much meat, fish, eggs, cheese and dairy was for you. The statistics made me look at meat differently. I suddenly wasn't so keen.

I also was reminded of the fact that vegetarianism and veganism could put an end to world hunger.

So after much more reading and meal planning, I decided I should try it.  

Today is the 28th of April. The 28th of May celebrates world hunger day. So, to me, it seems right that between now and then I should attempt to go vegan as a personal challenge. I have a feeling that it'll be a struggle but, without a doubt, I'm going to try my hardest. (I've got it sorted. Quorn and tofu at the ready!)