Recipe: Chocolate Truffles

Ingredients for vegan chocolate truffles

• 200g of vegan dark chocolate
• 7 tablespoons of vegan vanilla ice cream - I used Swedish Glace Smooth Vanilla flavoured iced non dairy dessert
• 1 tablespoon of crushed roasted hazelnuts
• 30g of grated vegan chocolate

How to make vegan chocolate truffles

1. Break the vegan dark chocolate into small pieces and melt in a large bowl by placing it over a pan of hot water
2. While the chocolate is melting, warm the vegan vanilla ice cream to room temperature
3. Once the chocolate is melted, spoon in the vanilla ice-cream and crushed roasted hazelnuts
4. Mix it until you have a smooth mixture
5. Pour the mixture into a plate lined with greaseproof paper
6. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 45 minutes
7. Then put the plate into the fridge for another 45 minutes
8. Once the mixture is completely solid, remove it from the fridge and cut into small (truffle size) pieces using a knife
9. Roll each piece into a ball, and then coat using the grated chocolate

I made 2 different versions of this dish. I coated one with vegan hot chocolate powder and another with desiccated coconut. Both were nice! :)

Recipe & photo courtesy of Sagar Shah.

Can changing your diet reverse diabetes within 30 days?

The footage shown below is less than 5 minutes long.

Priceless! In less than the time it takes to make a cup of tea, you'll understand how to reverse diabetes in 30 days JUST by changing what you eat!

"Children who grow up getting nutrition from plant foods rather than meats have a tremendous health advantage. They are less likely to develop weight problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer" Dr. Benjamin Spock

Recipe: Date and Nut Slices

This recipe creates a tasty, replenishing, healthy snack.

The recipe makes about 15 pieces but it depends on how big cut them and how thick the 'roll' is.

Ingredients for vegan date and nut slices, also known as, Khajur Paak

• 1 packet of pitted dates (250g)
• 2 tablespoons of water
• 1 bowl of mixed nuts (almonds, pistachios, cashews) - roughly ground/chopped nuts
• Desiccated coconut

How to make vegan date and nut slices, also known as, Khajur Paak

1. Roughly chop dates and place them in a large saucepan
2. Add the water and heat for about 15 minutes
3. The dates will softened and form a paste-like consistency
4. Add the mixed nuts and mix well
5. Roll the mixture into cylindrical rolls - about 4 c.m. in diameter
6. Coat the rolls in desiccated coconut
7. Cover the roll with greaseproof paper and put in the fridge for at least 12 hours
8. When ready to eat, slice the rolls into 1 c.m. thick pieces

Recipe kindly provided by Rehma Chandaria. Photo courtesy of Sagar Shah.

Recipe: Pista Barfi within an hour

This dessert melts in your mouth!

I made them for a family get together and was asked if they were vegan. :) I took that as a compliment, because those who didn't follow a plant-based diet, were suddenly impressed by, and interested in, the recipe.

This recipe creates about 12 small pieces, less if you cut them to a bigger size.

Ingredients for vegan pista barfi

• 100g of creamed coconut
• 150g coarsely ground pistachios
• 50g of golden syrup
• 1/4 of a teaspoon of vanilla essence
• 1/2 of a teaspoon of cardamom powder
• A cup of flaked almonds, whole pistachio nuts or pieces of  dried fruit

How to make vegan pista barfi

1. Melt the creamed coconut by placing it in a bowl on top of a pan of hot water i.e. not in the water itself - I keep it in the plastic packaging
2. Put the ground pistachios, golden syrup, vanilla essence and cardamom powder in a blender and blend 
3. Once the the creamed coconut has softened/melted, add it to the blender and quickly blend all the ingredients together - if you aren't quick, it will begin to solidify again 
4. Pour the mixture into a mould, lined with cling film - I used a plastic take away container
5. Decorate the mixture with flaked almonds, whole pistachio nuts or pieces of  dried fruit
6. Leave it to cool for 10 - 20 minutes
7. Place it in the fridge for 30 minutes
8. Remove it from the fridge and use the cling film to lift the piece out of the container
9. Take the piece off the cling film and cut to size

Recipe initially developed by Anabel Zalvidar
Photo courtesy of Sagar Shah.

Recipe: A smooth, crunchy, cold and warm dessert within 5 minutes

This is what I call fast sweet food.

Ingredients for a crunchy, warm and cold vegan dessert

• Swedish Glace Iced Non - Dairy Dessert - we used Vanilla
• Pecan and Maple Crisp cereal

How to make a vegan crunchy, warm and cold vegan dessert

1. Put some scoops of the Swedish Glace in a bowl
2. Add some Pecan and Maple Crisp cereal on top
3. Enjoy!

This created a smooth and crunchy dessert which was simply moorish.

Conclusion: The effects of soya on health and the environment

This post is the final part of a four part series of posts. You can find the introduction (part one) here, part two here and part three here. I've been asked many questions about soya and I've heard contradictory opinions too, so I asked Sagar Kirit Shah to write an article it. Here's his conclusion.

Conclusion - the effects of soya on health and the environment

In summary, my view is that soya not a health risk, but is certainly not a health panacea and is by no means necessary for good health on a vegan diet.

Buying power

I also believe it is relatively straight forward to avoid some of the adverse environmental effects by purchasing soya products made with non-GM beans from plantations not associated with rainforest destruction.

Lightly processed vs highly processed

I believe there is nothing wrong with enjoying the taste and convenience of soya products as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Just try and remember it is much better to go for lightly processed, whole bean, products (e.g. whole bean soya milk, tofu, tempeh, natto, miso, edamame) than for products which are highly processed (e.g. meat analogues made using texturised soya protein, soya alternatives to single cream and soya ice cream).

Previous articles in this series

Part 1 - Should we consume soya or not?

Part 2 - Does soya consumption have a negative impact on health?

Part 3 - Is soya good for the environment?

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“I've been vegan for about 10 and a half years. It's been all good. I'm obviously much healthier.”
- Woody Harrelson

Recipe: Pancakes within 15 minutes

Here's a way to  make pancakes within 15 minutes!

Ingredients for vegan pancakes

• 1 and 1/2 cups of soy milk
• 1/2 a cup of soft silken tofu
• 1/3 cup of coconut oil in its solid form
• 1 and 1/2 cups of flour - you can use coconut flour, self raising flour or plain flour
• 2 and 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 a teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• 1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg powder
• 2 chopped apples
• 1/2  a cup of chopped Pecan Nuts

How to make vegan pancakes

1. Blend the soy milk, soft silken tofu, coconut oil, flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and the chopped apples
2. When it's all blended, add the chopped Pecan Nuts and fold them into the mix
3. Heat a pan so that it is heated evenly
4. When it's ready, add a little oil
5. Then add large spoons of the mix and cook it for a few minutes
6. When bubbles appear, flip it and cook it until both sides are golden brown
7. Roll and serve with fruit or drizzle with some syrup to make it a tad sweeter

How does soya effect the environment?

This post is part three of a four part series. You can find the introduction (part one) here and part two here. After hearing many different comments about soya so I asked Sagar Kirit Shah to write an article about the pros and conns of soya.

So over to Sagar Kirit Shah.

The concerns about soya production

With soya beans linked to the GM industry and deforestation, it is not surprising that many are concerned about the environmental effects of the soya bean.

What we need to know about soya produce

When thinking about the environmental consequences of soya production, it is important to bear some things in mind.

First, a vast majority of the world’s soya beans are grown to produce high-protein animal feed, and not to feed humans directly.

Since animals foods are inefficient (in terms of use of inputs such as land and water) compared to plant foods, humans substituting plant foods for animal foods (including milk) is beneficial for the environment.

Second, soya is one of the most efficient plant foods when it comes to land and water use. One square metre of land can produce 40gm of soya protein, compared 29gm of rice protein, 24gm of maize protein, 22gm of protein of other legumes and 15gm of wheat protein. This means that if soya were to be replaced with other crops, it is likely that amount of arable land required to support the human population (and its consumption patterns) would actually go up, increasing pressure to cut down rainforests.

Third, living in the UK, we have considerable choice when it comes to the soya products we choose – and we also benefit from legal protections when it comes to genetically modified foods. It is relatively easy to obtain non-GM soya products (soya milk, tofu) made using soya beans from sustainable plantations.

This means we can choose to eat/use soya products which don’t destroy rainforests.

Conclusion - does soya have a negative impact on the environment?

Taken together, I think these three points mean that it is possible for green-leaning individuals to consume soya without feeling guilty about the impact their food choices have on the environment.

Final part - Conclusion: The effects of soya on health and the environment

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"Forests … are in fact the world’s air-conditioning system—the very lungs of the planet—and help to store the largest body of freshwater on the planet … essential to produce food for our planet’s growing population. The rainforests of the world also provide the livelihoods of more than a billion of the poorest people on this Earth… In simple terms, the rainforests, which encircle the world, are our very life-support system—and we are on the verge of switching it off."
- Prince Charles

Recipe: Cashew Cream

Cashew Cream is often used as a substitute for dairy whipped cream. It can be enjoyed with fruit, on cakes, in crepes, with pancakes and more.

Ingredients for vegan cashew cream

• 1 cup of raw cashews
• 3 cups of water
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla essence
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice

How to make vegan cashew cream

1. Soak the cashews in 3 cups of water for 4 hours
2. Drain the excess water
3. Blend the cashews
4. Add 1/2 cup of water, the maple syrup, vanilla essence and lemon juice
5. Blend again
6. That's it :)