Bread making experiments

I have started to experiment with my new hobby of bread making. since I have several bags of bread mixes, which I mistakenly thought was bread flour, and a large bag of Spelt flour that isn't bread flour, I decided to mix them together and tone down the salt in the bread mix, and make the spelt flour more bread friendly (less crumbly when used in bread). the pack of bread mix states add 300ml of water, which I did, but I also decided to add 50ml of olive oil, to compensate for the dryness of non bread flour. I used 300g bread mix and 200g spelt flour, leaving in the bread machine on setting one (general) for 3 hours and  30 minutes. the result was a decent bread, much to my surprise.
So tonight I have used the remaining 200g of bread flour mix, 200g or spelt flour and 100 g of string wholemeal flour, thus finishing of the contents of 3 packets of flour in my cupboard! No olive oil left, so I used 50ml of sunflower oil, and the 300ml water, setting the bread machine on setting 1, as usual. Let's see what the resulting loaf tastes like!

Bread making: Mistakes that I've learned from so far!

Being new to bread making, I'm learning as I go along. So I decided to pass along the things I've learned by making mistakes, to save anyone else doing the same :)

Firstly, not all flour is suitable for bread making. I tried using wholemeal flour, and spelt flour, but the bread turned out very dry, despite using the same recipe as I had previously. It must have something to do with the flour. So I have learned that bread flour works much better. secondly, Bread Mixes, are not the same as Bread Flour. A Bread Mix already has all the ingredients in it, and you just add water. Whereas Bread Flour (even with seeds added), has to have the other ingredients such as margarine, salt, sugar, yeast, water, added, to make the bread. The end result from a Bread Mix can be fine, but it doesn't allow you to adjust any of the ingredients, such as less salt and sugar, as I have discovered that most recipes add too much for our taste, so it can be adjusted.
So there we have the two biggest mistakes I've made in bread making so far, I'll post more as I make them.............

Easy, quick, vegan mini cupcakes

It's been a while since  I made cupcakes, and had volunteered to make them for a kiddies Christmas party. As most of the children very toddlers, I decided mini cupcakes would be the best option, as they are sweet little bites, that won't get too messy, and the 'grown-ups' can just pop them in their mouth (if they want to!).
I used a recipe from a leaflet that I had picked up from a Viva Roadshow Fair, modifying the ingredients slightly.
Recipe for the cakes:
180g plain flour
half tsp bicarbonate soda
half tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
60ml sunflower oil
200ml sweetened soya milk
150g unrefined granulated sugar
1tsp vanilla essence
Juice of one whole lemon
Zest finely grated from one whole lemon.

I used a handheld whisk for the mixing.
Preheat the oven on a low heat (gas mark 3-4/ around 180C).
Set out a mini cupcake tray, and place your mini cupcake liners in the tray. The above recipe makes about 48 mini cupcakes, so if you only want a small amount, half the recipe, or make larger cakes, as each cupcake paper only takes about a teaspoon of the mixture (these are mini after all!).
Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt into a large mixing bowl.
In a seperate bowl whisk together the oil, milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and sugar for about a minute, until the liquid mix becomes frothy.
Add the liquid mix to the dry ingredients, bit by bit until it's all in the one bowl, and mixed together to make a loose mix, that will plop into the cupcake liners easily.
Fill each cupcake liner about 3/4 full, allowing space for them to rise. I used a dessert spoon and a teaspoon for this.
Put in the middle shelf of the over, and allow to bake for about 10-15 mins, using a wooden skewer to test if the mixture is baked, by sticking the skewer into the centre of a cupcake, and checking if it comes out clean - if it does, they're baked, if it comes out sticky, they need a bit more time. They will look quite pale, but they are baked if the skewer comes out clean.
Let them cool on a wire rack, while you prepare the topping.

Recipe for the topping:
62g vegan margarine
62g vegetable shortening, such as Trex
500g icing sugar (sifted)
2 tsp vanilla essence
30ml sweetened soya milk

As with the cake ingredients, half the mixture to make a smaller amount.
Sift the sugar into a mixing bowl, add the other ingredients, and use a handheld mixer, to mix the ingredients into a fluffy cake topping. Make sure the cakes are cool. Use an icing syringe to decorate the cakes with the topping.

Here is a photo of the cupcakes, which were enjoyed by the children and adults alike!

Making bread with a bread machine

 Firstly I apologise for the quality of photos. I'm not a very good photographer, my camera is a bit dated, and I don't have much patience when taking photos, let alone think about light, centering or whatever one is supposed to do to create decent photos.
I have a bread making machine, which is a few years old, and rarely used. Maybe it's the new year bringing enthusiasm for better quality foods (therefore life!)? but I decided to start making bread. I have never hand made bread, and I have lost the instructions that came with the machine, which is a Delta Bread Maker  from Aldi (good price). I have a bread making book, which is fabulous to look at as it has wonderful photos of delicious looking bread, but alas, a lot of the ingredients are not in my cupboard. The book is 'The complete book of Bread and Bread Machines'  
by Christine Ingram and Jennie Shapter.
So looking through some of the basic recipes and seeing what I had in stock, I gathered the ingredients to make my bread.
I had a packet of Wholegrain Seeded Bread Flour (lucky!), that was just out of date and needed to be used, so that was handy!

Recipe based on my bread:
500g of wholegrain seeded bread flour.
2tsp salt
2tsp unrefined cane sugar
1.5 tsp dried yeast - I have no idea how to use fresh yeast, and have always used dried yeast.
25g vegan margarine - I used Sainsbury's own brand, again , for convenience - it was in the fridge!
350ml water.
Keep the ingredients separate, as yeast does some weird things once activated.

The following instructions are for my bread machine, I believe different machines can react in different ways, so as most recipes say- check you machine.

First add the water to the machine.
Then the flour, making sure the water is covered. I based my bread on a medium size loaf.
The in separate corners put the sugar, the salt and the margarine. make a small dent in the  centre of the flour, not very deep, as the water is not to come through, and add the yeast.
Set the machine for a medium loaf, a medium crust. My machine takes 3.5 hours. Press the start switch a leave it to magically make bread :)

3.5 hours later, and a lot of whirling noises, the machine will bleep and the bread is done.
Getting the machine out of the pan is a trick and a half! The bread does not come out easily. The tin/pan is HOT! It needed a bit a tapping and banging the tin upside down, before the bread came out. Then the job of removing the blades that kneaded the mixture, which had now set in the bread. The bread machine comes with a handy little tool that hooks the blades and can be gently pulled out, leaving a hole and a tear in the bottom half of the bread, but I suppose that's normal.
I couldn't wait for it to cool down completely, so cut a slice of fresh bread. It was delicious. the break flour was tasty, the seeds could be tasted through the bread, and the consistency was quite dense, which I like, and the bread moist enough to be able to cut slices (it did not crumble- is what I'm trying to say). For our taste, it was too salty, but I understand that the salt restricted the dough from rising too much as it acts on the yeast. We tend to have a low salt diet, through choice, so it may not be too salty for anyone else.
The next day I decided to make another loaf, but this time use half the amount of salt and sugar (i.e. 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sugar). the result was a fluffier bread, which was less salty, but still tasty. Maybe I'll try 1.5 tsp of salt and sugar next to get something in-between. It's certainly nice to have freshly baked, homemade bread, and I definitely want to make bread regularly, and give up buying mass produced pappy bread. I find this bread to be much more satisfying and filling, and much tastier. Here's a photo of the two loaves next to each other which kinda shows the difference in texture/size (sort of!).
I have since found out that I can download an instruction leaflet from Aldi, the link being here.

Vegan Junk Food. Wicked and Delicious!

 Healthy food is fab, but every now and again, it's nice to eat junk food. vegans are no exception to this (well I'm not at least!).
What better on a lazy Saturday, than to have a delicious fat full dinner.
First, saute a mix of chopped onions, (red and white), cubed courgette and diced chestnut mushrooms. Let the smell of fried mushrooms fill your senses, I love it.
Put this tasty mix to the side (keep warm).


Put some spicy wedges in the oven to be cooking, while getting on with the rest of the food.
Then get the Fry's ' Spicey Burgers. Mmmmmm delicious.
You can use the same frying pan to fry these, the juices from the above season the burgers nicely. Turn occasionally, and try not to burn them (my usual type of cooking!)

 Next we have the 'Chicken' pops, another tasty savoury from Fry's.
The don't take long to cook, just light oil, turn regularly, and add the fruit seasoning right at the end. They're delicious. A bit of a treat - as not easy to find in shops!

All done. Find a lovely soft sesame burger bap. make up your burger, add to your plate, the spicy potato wedges, on this occasion I used McCain's lightly spiced wedges. McCain's have a vegan suitable list. Complete it with the mushroom mix, and 'chicken' pops, you have a truly, tasty, satisfying, junk food, meal. Now where's my glass of wine ! Perfect!

simple, easy way to stop those cold sores!

As a former cold sore sufferer, I know how painful, and nasty they can be. Not to mention unsightly.
A few years ago, an alternative therapist, who was also a qualified doctor (medicine), told me that to stop a cold sore breaking out, take a multi-b-vitamin at the very first sign of a tingle. I was sceptical at first, but decided to give it a try. Couldn't do any harm, anyway! So over the last few years I have taken different brands of multi-b-vitamins, and different strengths. It doesn't make a difference, but it does work! The latest ones I've bought are from Sainsbury's, were reasonably cheap, and small enough to swallow easily, and are labelled as vegan. I have not had a cold sore since I have started to take a multi-b-vitamin at the first sign of one. Mind over matter? I don't know. Does it matter? It works for me. When I tell cold sore sufferers about his, I can see the scepticism in their face, so I doubt very much whether anyone actually tries it. Why not give it a go, it could be the end of those miserable cold sores.

Trigger Finger - a natural vegan cure

I have been suffering from trigger finger for a few months. What is trigger finger you may ask? At least that's what I thought when someone mentioned it to me. My middle finger of my left hand locks, and is painful. When I force it to release, with some effort, it shoots out, hence the name 'trigger finger'.
It has been getting slowly more painful. I researched the Internet, and found a heap of remedies / advice, the main medical one being a steroid injection into the affected digit  - ouch! A few places mentioned Evening Primrose Oil and Vitamin B6, and this seemed the least invasive remedy, and readily available. Finding a vegan Evening Primrose Oil wasn't as easy as I thought. Eventually I found some EPO vegecaps on the HealthSpan website. So I ordered some EPO and vegan B6. Healthspan sell lots of vegan suitable supplements, but unfortunately, you have to trawl through the ones you want, looking at the listing for the 'suitable for vegans' listing, more time consuming than I would like, but hey-ho, got what I wanted.
Now for the million dollar question - do they work? well, yes, they do. When I take one of each, a day, I notice that my finger is less painful, and although still locks, not nearly as much. On the days I forget to take to supplements, I certainly notice, after a few days, the pain increases, as a not so gentle reminder, that I haven't taken them. I'm hoping that by taking them regularly the symptoms will disappear, in time.
Just a word - I believe the trigger finger is caused (for me) by increase use of computers, well that's not going to change in the foreseeable future, better stock up on those supplements.

Vegan wine, nice choice at Sainsbury's

Now, I'm all for that sumptious bottle of locally made, organic, vegan wine, bought at a local health food store, or market. Perfect. But occassionally, I don't have that luxury. sometimes, after a long, hard, day at work, I just want to pop to my local shop and get a bottle of wine that I know is suitable for vegans. Convenient, affordable, and palatable.
I'm lucky (?) enough to live near a Sainsbury's local store, so when finishing work, after a late shift, popped in and scoured the wine. I wanted red wine, seems to be my preference lately. I usually opt for category 'C' being middle of the range, in sweetness, as I'm no connoisseur  on wine, so I take no chances! I found these two bottles of red wine, labelled suitable for vegetarians and vegans, each under a fiver, job done! I did not drink them all at one (honestly). I spread them out over a week or so, enjoying the odd glass, in the evening. In terms of taste, they were both acceptable, both tasted a little sharp on first sip, but nicely mellowed as the wine level lowered. The Claret was the cheapest, at about £3.50 (I think), it was on offer. An acceptable red wine, that was easy to drink, fruity, suprisingly rich tasting. The other, the Merlot, was softer on first tasting, and slightly smoother than the Claret. Sweet and fruity, and again easy to drink. Both measured up as affordable, available, and palatable. And being labelled vegan makes buying so much easier, so thanks to Sainsbury's for that.

Vegan cupcakes - new finds for decoration.

When I make cupcakes, I use my favourite cupcake book " Vegan cupcakes Take over the World". Their basic vanilla cupcake, or chocolate cupcake recipe works every time, and is easy to follow. The cupcakes are a little too sweet for me, so I need to try adjusting the sugar to taste, also the topping seems like a very large amount, so I tend to half the ingredients suggested for the topping.
While browsing the baking section of my local Wilkinson and The Range stores, I came across some cake decorating foodstuff that were labelled 'vegan'. I always have to try things labelled vegan, it seems like my duty, that if a company has gone to the effort to make and label vegan products, I can at least try them! So, there they were, amongst non-vegan items: Sprinkles labelled vegan, and colouring labelled vegan. Not all the products were vegan suitable, so my choices were limited, but here are the ones I bought:

Kylie and Georgina's Cake Sprinkles
and PME food colouring.
Both labelled 'vegan'.

The resulting cupcakes. Hmmmm, maybe 'yellow' was not the right colour for these, but they were tasty, and looked adorable.
PME do a whole range of colours, and it's easy to pick out the vegan suitable colours as they are labelled vegan.
Perfect excuse to make cupcakes, and I can't wait for my next 'find' to try out some more decorations!

Another fabulous cider suitable for vegans

I was lucky to find this fresh and fruity Woodland Berry Cider by Belgars at an Asda Store. it's a large 750cl bottle, and reasonably priced at £2.35. A lovely light fruity summer drink, best served chilled. Labelled suitable for vegans, which is always a bonus when shopping, I'm a sucker to try anything labelled vegan, just because the company has gone to the trouble to label it. This cider is definitely worth a try. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and look forward to buying it again.

A white chocolate spread, for Vegans !

At last there is a vegan white chocolate spread. I found it on the Vegan Store website, and just had to try some. This chocolate spread is simply delicious. I love white chocolate, and to have it in a jar to spread is just heaven! I would so love to see this product in local shops, but I guess since it's come all the way from Germany, it'll be a specialist item, at least for now it's available at the Vegan Store. I always like to keep an eye on the Vegan Store, as they have new products in all the time, and sell everything a vegan could want (although you don't have to be vegan to shop there!!!!!) mmmmmmmmmmmm.

More Vegan Suitable Ciders.

My latest mission seems to be to find cider that is suitable for Vegans. Hmmmm, nice mission! The latest finds are these two, scrumptious, yummy ciders. Strawberry cider from Brothers. Wow, this cider is so delicious. It's easy to forget it contains alcohol. it's sweet, it's strawberry tasting. Makes a lovely summer drink, on a hot day - not that we see many of those in the UK. I love this sweet cider. I look forward to finding more sweet, fruit ciders. Also I found this refreshing cider, which is more traditional tasting (that is just apples!), from the wonderful Welsh Cider company Gwynt Y Ddraig. I'm not sure if all of their ciders are vegan, but this one is labelled as suitable for vegans making it sooooo easy to buy! I can't wait to try their Cider and Blackberry.
A good reference for vegan alcohol is Barnivore. Check it out, make a not of your favourite vegan drinks, and head to your nearest stockist, in some cases, supermarkets, making it easy to get those drinks in, and when the next sunny day happens, fire up the barby and enjoy. next mission is to check out the barby treats for vegans!

Peace to all Creatures this Easter Time.

 Whether Religious or not, Easter is a time for reflection. Spring is here, the world is showing us hope for new life, and abundance. How will you use these precious resources?
We are what we eat, so what are you made of?
Animals are slaughtered, in fear and pain. Do you absorb the terror they feel?
Beautiful lambs and chicks are born, innocent and free. Or so they think, they do not know what horrors lie ahead of their brief, pitiful lives.
At the same time, trees bringing forth an abundance of fruit, vegetables are starting to grow. There is nothing in a vegan diet that is lacking for health and nutrition. Nature gives us an abundance of delicious vegetables, grains, pulses, herbs, fruit. Colourful, fresh and tasty. These days, vegan foods can be easily bought, ready made, so even the most time pressed or laziest cook, can have a quick nutritious vegan meal. Food with a clear conscience.

Spring. Little rabbits being born. Domestic rabbits make wonderful pets. But please remember that just like any other animal, they are for life not just for Easter/Christmas/birthdays etc. Not usually a good idea to buy someone a pet for a present. The recipient may not really want it, and the novelty soon wears off, leaving a poor abandoned animal, that has gone from having a warm , loving home, to being neglected and discarded. At this time of year, rabbits are becoming more popular to give as Easter gifts. Research rabbit care first, only give as a gift if the recipient really wants it, and is able and willing to care for it for it for the whole of the rabbits' life. Or better still wait until after Easter, and give a home to one of the poor abandoned rabbits that were given as an Easter gift.

Sir Wilfred Grenfell 1865-1940
Kindness to all god's creatures is an absolute rock-bottom necessity if peace and righteousness are to prevail.
The Adventure of Life

Pythagoras, 6th century B.C.
Alas, what wickedness to swallow flesh into our own flesh, to fatten our greedy bodies by cramming in other bodies, to have one living creature fed by the death of another1 in the midst of such wealth as earth, the best of mothers, providers, nothing forsooth satisfies you, but to behave like the Cyclopes inflicting sorry wounds   with cruel teeth! You cannot appease the hungry cravings of your wicked, gluttonous stomachs except by destroying some other life.
depicted in Ovid: the metamorphoses, translated by Mary M. Innes

Probably the best vegan cheese for pizzas.

Since Heather Mills bought the Redwood Wholefood Company, their products have increased to satisfy a wide range of tastes. mainly savoury, but also some sweet.
The Cheezly range is a delicious range of cheeses, styled in familiar flavours, such as Cheddar, Edam and Mozzarella. Also more adventurous flavours such as Pepperjack, and Cranberry, mmmmm very nice! Some cheeses come in super melting type, so perfect for cheese toasties or pizza.
Redwoods produce other delicious savouries, such as their Cheatin range, which are 'fake meats' sure to satisfy vegans and non-vegans alike. Different shops stock different bits of their products, so it can be pot-luck as to what your local wholefood shop sells, but most well stocked wholefood shops will have something in their chiller cabinet from Redwoods.
While talking heather Mills and Redwoods, it's worth a mention about VBites. Based in Hove near Brighton, this fabulous vegan cafe has just re-opened for the summer, and has a new menu. The cafe is family friendly so a welcome break on a warm Spring day.

Cider with Raspberry on a hot sunny day...........................

Sometimes you just have to thank supermarkets for their vegan products, especially when they are labelled as vegan, making shopping so much easier.
Here's a gem of a find - Sainsbury's Cider with raspberry. Serve chilled. I'm not a big cider drinker, but on a hot day, a glass of Sainsbury's  Cider with raspberry, served chilled, really does hit the spot. Pure refreshment! It tastes quite mild, neither too much apple or raspberry. It reminds me of summer, and I will certainly be buying the odd one or two when the weather is hot.
It's got me thinking about other flavoured ciders, and which ones are vegan, so I'll be on the look out, and checking, and will report back my finds, and my thoughts. Now, if only the UK had more sunny days......................

the Extended Circle - A Dictionary of Humane Thought edited by Jon Wynne-Tyson

I am inspired by the book 'The Extended Circle' A Dictionary Of Humane Thought edited by Jon Wynne-Tyson. It makes me think, it makes me cry. It is a collection of phrases, quotes and short stories about animals and the way they are treated, by humans. It is hard to read in places, and some stories have left a deep impression on me that will haunt me forever. This is the most harrowing tale I have ever read:

Joseph Addison 1672-1719
 A person who was well skilled in dissection opened a bitch, as she lay in most exquisite tortures offered her one of her young puppies, which she immediately fell a-licking; and for the time seemed insensible to her own pain; on the removal she kept her eye fixed on it and began a wailing sort of cry which seemed to proceed rather from the loss of her young one than the sense of her own torment.
Spectator, No 120, 1711

I will from time to time relay quotes and stories from this thought provoking book. Read it and weep.

Vegan 'cheese' from Tesco

Well done Tesco for adding a new line of dairy free, vegan suitable chilled foods. they have yogurts, desserts, milks, cheeses.
Good news for vegan pizza lovers, the cheese melts, and tastes quite good. Makes fab toasted cheese and onion sandwiches!
the more mainstream vegan products become the more accessible to all, and a good way to promote veganism. Suddenly not so freaky that people have to ask 'where do you get that' or' and where is that- I never go there!'. Anyone can get to Tesco's, and try delicious dairy free foods. Now all we want is other supermarkets to follow their example and stock such delights! the vanilla desserts are delicious, and their caramel desserts are wonderful. I also like their natural yoghurt, which is unsweetened, and tastes quite creamy. Hey tescos, how about bringing out a whole range of vegan suitable savoury products, vegan burgers, ready meals etc now there's an idea.

Fabulous soaps from a lovely company in Wales.

I have discovered the most wonderful soaps. Made by a local couple, Derec and Rhian, who call their company 'Sebon Soaps'.

I chose two adorable soaps, one lavender and one patchouli and sweet orange. I really can't decide which I like best, as both are gorgeous. They are vegan suitable, and environmentally friendly, they are all natural and do not contain palm oils (which destroy the habitat of animals, and the rainforest). They lather nicely, and feel smooth and creamy on the skin. They smell divine. The soaps are sold on the website Sebon Soaps, or if you're in Cardiff on a Sunday morning, they can usually be found at the Riverside farmers market,  where you can also pick up delicious fresh fruit and veg, and get a vegan takeaway, from Fran, who also makes the most wonderful vegan welsh cakes. A lovely way to spend a sunny Sunday morning - a leisurely stroll alongside the Millennium Stadium, and check out the Riverside market.

Quinoa Milk - so good for you!

My latest try out is this milk made from quinoa.
A bit on the pricey side (around £3.15 a carton), but well worth it, when you taste the delicious, nutty flavoured, smooth, creamy tasting milk. I easily drank it on it's own, which is good for me, cos sometimes some milks can be a bit hard to swallow unless on cereal.
Our baby liked it too, in fact he guzzled it down and wanted more, that has to be a good recommendation!

I would definitely treat myself to this yummy drink again. it's very good for you and very tasty.

For interesting info about quinoa, click here.
It's high  in protein and essential amino acids.
It's a good source of dietry fibre and phosphorous and is high in magnesium and iron. A complete protein source.

Ever stuck for what to do with left over cabbage?

A cabbage goes a long way. Nice steamed with a cooked dinner, but even feeding a few people, usually leaves some left over. So what do you do with it? Feed it to a friendly rabbit? Make cabbage soup? mmmm, maybe - I'll have to work on a recipe for that (cabbage soup that is!)
How about spicy sauteed cabbage. I admit it doesn't look too inviting, but it tasted delicious. So now thatIi have that recipe, I'll never have waste left over cabbage again! It's quick, it's tasty.
Ingredients: cabbage (any cabbage, any colour, any amount and the cabbage doesn't have to be pre-cooked), olive oil for sauteing, cayenne pepper, now experiment with this, as we tend to like spice food, so try a small shake the first time, as cayenne pepper is hot. Add garlic, again adjust to taste, as we are BIG fans of garlic, and I added 4 large chopped cloves. A shake of natural sea salt (or not if you prefer). That's it simple. All in a large deep sided frying pan, turn up heat, and saute. let it brown slightly, keep turning it. It doesn't take long, as it's nice to have the cabbage textured (but not crunchy!) and not all over cooked. Voila! Spicy cabbage. Serve hot, with vegetables of your choice, a lovely addition to any meal.