Apple and Cinnamon English Breakfast Tea

I've never made my own flavoured tea before, but I this turned out so well! It's perfect for a winter's evening. According to my housemates, this tea smelt like christmas.

(Makes 2 cups)

Ingredients:

• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 apple, chopped into pieces
• 1 tbsp of english breakfast tea leaves (I used english rose tea and it still tasted nice)

You'll also need a tea pot with a strainer.

1. Pour water into a pan, enough to make 2 1/2 cups of tea.
2. When the water is boiling, add in the cinnamon stick and the chopped apple.
3. Simmer for 5 minutes.
4. In a tea pot with a strainer, pour in the tea leaves.
5. Pour the water from the pan into the tea pot. It doesn't matter if the apples and the cinnamon fall in. It adds to the character of the tea.
6. Serve! I hope you enjoy!

10 Vegan Messages in Disney Films

Lots of vegans wonder at what age do humans loose their compassion? Most children love animals and it's heartbreaking to see parents show their children films like 'Chicken Run' and then feed their children chicken nuggets right after.

Studies have shown that children prefer films about animals as they can identify with other children and animals more than they can identify with adult characters. Perhaps because, like animals, they feel small and looked down upon. That is why you'll find numerous childrens films with animated animal characters with various animal rights struggles.

It's been done before, I know, but I wanted to make my own version of the disney films with vegan messages. Whether it's anti-zoos or anti-meat, there's a film that covers it. Below, I've composed a list of my favourite disney films and their messages...

Warning: There WILL be spoilers. If you don't want to hear them. Don't read.

Vermicelli with Tomatoes, Garlic and Parsley

This is a part of my new series of recipes which will be 'Eating Vegan for Under £1' as I know some people struggle with the idea that vegan food can be inexpensive and delicious.

As well as teaching you the recipe, I'll teach you where to find the ingredients (they'll usually be from your local supermarket) and how I calculated the full price of the meal. The pots, pans and kitchen equipment I use will not be included in the price of the recipe, but every ingredient will.

Another thing about this series is every meal will be easy to cook and no complicated, expensive equipment will be required. I hope you enjoy this series!

(Serves 1. Takes 35 minutes)

Ingredients

• 100g Sainsbury's Italian Vermicelli
• 200g Sainsbury's Cherry Tomatoes, halved
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• Dried Parsley, salt and pepper to season
• 2 tbsp of olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 200c or gas mark 6.
2. In an oven-proof dish place the tomatoes face up, drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 30 minutes.
3. Add the garlic to the dish after 20 minutes.
4. In a large pan, add the vermicelli to boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes.
5. Drain the vermicelli.
6. Take the tomatoes and garlic out of the oven.
7. Add the vermicelli to the garlic and tomatoes and combine.
8. Season with parsley.

How I Did The Maths:

• Sainsburys Italian Vermicelli cost £0.65 for 500g, and we will use 1/5 of the pack. So this costs £0.13
• Sainsburys Cherry Tomatoes cost £1.90 for 650g. We will use 200g. So that is £0.58
• 1 Garlic costs £0.30, and the average garlic has 10-11 cloves. So this is £0.03 for a clove.
• We would use less than 1% of the dried parsley, salt and pepper. But to round them up it would be £0.01 each.
• 100ml of olive oil cost £0.32. Tbsp converted into ml is 17ml per tbsp. 2 tbsp is 34ml. = £0.11

All together this recipe costs £0.88

(Thank you to my housemates, Emma and Emily, and my mum for helping me with the maths c:)

Thai Red Curry with Vegetables

I'm obsessed with Thai food. This recipe is perfect for winter nights and those who like their food flavoursome and healthy. It is spicy, fragrant, delicious and vegan! (Obviously)

(Serves 4)

Ingredients 

• 700ml of coconut milk
• 3 tbsp of red curry paste*
• 2 small cauliflower bunches, chopped
• 1 broccoli bunch, chopped
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
• 8-10 baby sweet corn
• 3 - 4 medium sized carrots, skins removed and chopped
• 2 - 3 sprigs of thyme
• Himalayan salt to season. (Sea salt will work fine as well)

*Make sure to check that the brand you are using is vegan as they can often contain fish.

1. In a pan, boil the sweet potatoes for about 20 minutes or until soft.
2. Meanwhile, boil the broccoli and cauliflower florets, carrots and baby sweetcorn for roughly 5 minutes or until soft.
3. Drain the water from the sweet potatoes and the other vegetables and set aside.
4. In a large pan, add in the red curry paste and cook on a medium heat. Add all of the vegetables and sweat for 2 minutes.
5. Pour in the coconut milk and stir.
6. Add in the sprigs of thyme and season with Himalayan salt.
7. Leave for 5 minutes or until the curry starts to boil.
8. Serve with Thai Jasmine Rice. Enjoy!

Lentil Shepard's Pie

Please excuse the Christmas cracker and Christmas tree serviette in the picture. Somebody loves this recipe so much she had it for Christmas dinner. But you don't have to be feeling festive to have this dish. It's a winter warmer that's cheap and easy to make.

(Serves 1 in a single person casserole dish)

Ingredients:

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp of vegan butter
• 2 tbsp of soy/almond/rice milk. I find soy works best but it doesn't really matter
• handful of peas
• 1 small carrot
• 100g of red split lentils
• 2 tbsp of your favourite vegan gravy granules
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 2 tsp of nutritional yeast

1. Preheat the oven to 180c or gas mark 4.
2. Boil the lentils in a pan for roughly 20 minutes. Simmer when they start to boil. Add extra water if you run out.
3. Meanwhile, in a different pan, boil the potatoes for 15 minutes or until soft.
4. In another pan, boil the carrots and peas for 5 minutes on a medium heat, drain the water and set aside.
5. Once the potatoes are cooked, drain the water but keep the potatoes in the pan. Add in the butter and milk and 1 tsp of nutritional yeast. Mash together using a potato masher. For a creamier mash, add more milk.
6. Make your gravy according to the packet instructions. Add in the stock cube and 1 tsp of nutritional yeast for extra flavour.
7. Drain the lentils. Add the vegetables and the lentils to the gravy and stir until well combined.
8. Pour the gravy mixture into a casserole dish. Then top with the mash. You can ruffle the mash with a fork, or press down until the top of the dish is coated.
9. Put in the oven and cook for 20-30 minutes.

Matt & Nat

Matt & Nat are a vegan company who make simplistic vegan handbags, tote bags, satchels, basically any type of bag you can think of. They make them out of recycled plastic bottles and not only do they look amazing, they're completely vegan and good for the environment.

Currently, Matt & Nat are having a sale, 40% off and you can't miss out on these amazing deals!

Beetroot Risotto

This might be my favourite dish in the world. Risotto and beetroot AND vegan?!!! It's just perfect and delicious and I'm so excited to share the recipe with everyone!

(Serves 1)

Ingredients

• 2 large beetroots (or 3 medium sized ones)
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 70g risotto rice
• 2 spring onions
• 2 tbsp of vegan butter
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped
• 1 lemon
• 3 tbsp of red wine vinegar
• pinch of nutritional yeast
• 4 tbsp of vegan cream
• handful of chopped oregano

1. Peel the beetroots and chop into wedges, place into a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Cook for 45 minutes, or until the beetroot is soft.
2. Heat the butter in a large frying pan on a medium to high heat. Add in the onion and the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in the rice until coated with the butter and turn down the heat till it is simmering.
4. Pour in the stock in portions. Wait till the rice has absorbed the water until adding the next batch of stock.
5. Meanwhile make your sour cream. Chop the lemon and squeeze the juice into a bowl, taking out the seeds as you do so. Add in the vegan cream and stir together. You can add more lemon juice or more cream depending on how sour you like it.
6. Once the beetroot is cooked, add them to a food processor and process till they are much smaller chunks. If you do not have a food processor, you can grate the pieces over the risotto pan, but be careful as the beetroot chunks are messy and hot.
7. Stir in the beetroot mixture into the risotto. The juice of the beetroot will dye the rest of your risotto a gorgeous purple/pink colour.
8. Add in the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper.
9. Serve on a plate or in a risotto bowl. Add the sour cream, nutritional yeast and some oregano for garnish.

Tips on Staying Vegan Whilst Travelling

Being a vegan is easy when you're at home, surrounded by all of your favourite food brands and you know exactly where to go and what to order if you eat out. When you're travelling, it's not so easy, especially if you're in a country with a different language. Although it's difficult, it's not impossible to stay vegan when you're travelling. Below I've composed a list of tips and tricks to help you stay vegan when you're abroad.

Butternut Squash and Pesto Risotto

I love risottos, especially anything with pumpkin or butternut squash. This recipe includes homemade vegan pesto and together with the risotto, they make a masterpiece.

(Serves 2)

Ingredients

For the risotto:

• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• 500ml of vegetable stock
• 100g butternut squashed, skinned and cut into 2cm cubes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp vegan butter (I use vitalite)
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• 100g arborio rice
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast

For the pesto:

• large bunch of basil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• handful of cashews
• large bunch of spinach leaves
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 tbsp almond milk
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast

1. Using a food processor, pulse together the cashews to make the pesto. Add the garlic and make a breadcrumb-like mixture.Add the basil, spinach, nutritional yeast, almond milk and extra virgin olive oil. The mixture should be slightly coarse. You can add more almond milk to create your ideal texture, but I recommend keeping the pesto coarse for this recipe. Set the pesto aside.
2. Heat the oven to gas mark 6/200C. On a baking tray, lay out the cubes of butternut squash and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 15 minutes or until tender.
3. In a pan, melt the butter and add in the garlic and spring onion for 3 minutes on a medium heat.
4. When the butter is melted add in the arborio rice and coat with the butter for 1 minute.
5. Pour in a small portion of the stock. Lower the heat and pour in the rest of the stock in portions. Make sure the rice as absorbed the stock before you add the next portion.
6. Once the rice is cooked, add in the butternut squash cubes and nutritional yeast. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve with pesto.

Energy Juice

Let me tell you about the nicest juice ever. I know, I know. I didn't actually make this juice. I pay a cute little vegan place in town to make it for me. Got to support your local businesses. But anyway, if you have a juicer, you have to try this one because it tastes AMAZING and it's super healthy.

Ingredients

• 3 large apples
• 1 lemon, with the skin chopped off
• 1 lime, with the skin chopped off
• 1 thumb of ginger
• 1 tbsp wheatgrass powder

1. Juice the apples, lemon, lime and ginger using a juicer.
2. Pour the juice into a blender.
3. Add in the wheatgrass powder. Blend then serve.

Kitchen Lover's Essentials

I'm not sure why but I'm obsessed with kitchen-related stuff. I have a lovely collection of knives, half of which I'll probably never use because they're for chopping meat or cheese or something. Then there's my small but reliable spices and my lovely collection of vinegars and oils. But there's nothing I love more than my jars and my herbs. They are, what I would consider, any kitchen lover's essentials.

Banana and Cacao Porridge

What I love about this recipe is it's customisable. It can be as healthy or as unhealthy as you want. Plus, it's delicious and the perfect for a cold winter morning when all you want to do is stay in bed.

Ingredients

• 70g porridge oats
• 150ml of almond milk/soy milk
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 tbsp cacao powder

1. In a pan, heat the almond milk on a medium heat
2. Once the milk is boiling, add the porridge oats and simmer on the lowest heat.
3. Break apart the banana and mash into the pan.
4. Add in the cacao powder.
5. Let the mixture simmer for about 5 - 8 minutes or until it is thick and you have the desired consistency.
6. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add any toppings you want.

Topping Ideas

• Dark chocolate pieces, banana and vegan chocolate sauce (as seen above)
• Strawberries, vegan white chocolate pieces and hazelnuts
• Shredded coconut and rasberries
• Banana with a table spoon of peanut butter

Reviews of Vegan Documentaries

There's a lot of vegan documentaries out there. They're important to watch and they're packed with information. I decided to review some of the most memorable documentaries I've seen and I rated them out of five stars. Keep in mind these ratings are just my humble opinion and you shouldn't take them too seriously.

Heirloom Tomato Salad

If I had to restrict myself to one food for the rest of my life, it would be tomatoes. And this recipe proves how delicious they can be.

Ingredients

• 100g of heirloom tomatoes
• 5 - 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 garlic clove
• balsamic vinegar (the fancier the better)
• garlic oil/basil oil/extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

1. Chop up all of the tomatoes. I find it's best to have a range of colours, types and sizes.
2. In a bowl, mix together the tomatoes and add in a teaspoon of salt. This may seem like a lot but it brings out the moisture of the tomatoes and it will all be drained later. I like to use either sea salt or Himalayan pink salt. 
3. Skin and chop up the garlic clove and add to the bowl.
4. Add the basil leaves to the bowl.
5. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
6. Drain the moisture from the tomatoes using a sieve.
7. Return to the bowl and add in desired amount of balsamic vinegar and preferred oil.
8. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.

OCC Makeup Review

As far as cruelty free and vegan makeup goes, there's not a huge range, especially not in the UK. We have Barry M (who make the best nail varnishes) and ELF, but nothing completely luxurious or on par with Mac. But luckily, I have found one makeup company that deserves the highest praise and that is OCC, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics.

Thai Noodle Soup

Warning: This recipe requires a spiralizer. If you don't have one, you can replace the courgette noodles with regular rice noodles, but you'll lose some hipster points.

Ingredients

• 1 courgette
• Pre-chopped and seasoned tofu. (I like the Cauldron brand)
• a handful of button mushrooms
• 4 - 5 pieces of baby corn, chopped
• 4 - 5 mangetout
• 2 tbsp Thai curry paste*
• 1 thumb of fresh ginger, grated
• 2 stems of lemongrass, chopped
• 1 spring onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp of olive oil

*Make sure the Thai curry paste is vegan as they can often contain fish.

1. Spiralize the courgette and set aside the noodles
2. In a pan, add the olive oil, cook on a medium heat
3. Add the lemongrass, spring onion and grated ginger, cook for 2 minutes
4. Stir in the Thai curry paste. Add in the tofu and the mushrooms. Cook for 4 minutes on a low heat, careful not to let anything burn
5. Add in 200ml of boiling water. Add in the mangetout, the baby corn and the courgette noodles. Cook for a further 2 minutes
6. Season with salt and pepper

Kerol D Apparel

Kerol D Apparel is a company that makes beautiful, unique vegan shoes, jewellery and clothing. I fell in love when I saw their amazing shoe designs. They also ship worldwide! That's good news for vegans everywhere.

Giant Couscous with Dill, Raddish and Pomegranate

I first made this dish with fennel, just to try is as I'd never had fennel before. Upon realising that fennel is the food of devils, I edited it slightly to make this beautiful creation, perfect for instagramming and eating on a warm summer's day.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 100g giant couscous
• 7-10 radishes, chopped
• 1-2 sticks of spring onion, chopped
• dill for garnish

1. Add the giant couscous to a pan with 200ml of water. Cook on medium heat till boiling, then simmer for 5 minutes.
2. Once cooked, drain the remaining water from the couscous using a sieve.
3. In a bowl, mix together the couscous, pomegranate, radishes and spring onion.
4. Garnish with dill then serve.

Vaute Couture Coats

As a vegan, I know how difficult it can be to find beautiful, well-made, luxurious coats that are completely vegan and cruelty free. That was until I discovered Vaute Couture coats. They have gorgeous, warm winter coats that are absolutely essential to any vegan fashion lover’s wardrobe.

Cooked Beetroot Noodles with Tomatoes and Balsamic Vinegar

Before I get started with this recipe, you'll need a spiralizer. You can buy them online here. They cost anything between £20-£50. Personally, I think they're amazing and I use mine almost every day. 100% worth the cost. Anyway, let's get started with the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 large raw beetroot, skin removed
• 100g of heirloom tomatoes. The more colourful the better.
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp garlic oil

1. Spiralize the beetroot using the spiralizer. If you're unsure how, here's a video.
2. Dice the tomatoes and put in a mixing bowl with the garlic oil and the skinned, chopped garlic clove. Mix together. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Transfer the tomato mixture into a large frying pan. Cook on medium heat for 1 minute.
4. Add the beetroot noodles to the frying pan. Stir and cook for 5 minutes, stir constantly.
5. Add the balsamic vinegar and season.

You can add a sprinkle of nutritional yeast if you want to give these beautiful noodles an extra 'cheesy' taste.

Vegan Borscht

If, like me, you're obsessed with beetroot, I would like to welcome you to beetroot heaven with this amazing Ukrainian soup that I have veganized. Also, you can see me in the spoon. Enough ramble. Let's move on to the recipe.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 3-4 raw beetroots, chopped with skin removed
• 2-3 carrots, grated
• 2 leeks, chopped
• 1 large potato, diced
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped
• 3tbsp red wine vinegar
• 500ml of vegetable stock
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• dill for garnish
• salt and pepper

For the sour cream:

• 4 tbsp of vegan cream (I use Alpro)
• the juice of 1 lemon

1. Add the olive oil to a large pan, sauté the leeks and celery on a medium for 5 minutes until soft but not brown.
2. Add the potato, beetroot and carrots, then add the stock, season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring to the boil, then simmer for about 40 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
4. Meanwhile in a bowl, mix together the cream and the lemon juice.
5. When the soup is ready, add in the red wine vinegar and season to taste.
6. Pour the mixture into a blender or use a hand blender. Blend until the mixture is lumpy. Be careful not to over blend as borscht is supposed to be like a broth.
7. Pour into bowls and garnish with dill and a dollop of the sour cream.

Vegan Designer Shoes

Since giving up my old vice of cheese and cakes, I soon discovered another vice. Shoes. Or more specifically, designer shoes. Trust me to pick one of the most difficult things to veganize. Although your heart may still be broken after discovering you might never own a pair of vegan Louboutins, let me introduce you to eight new brands that put Louboutins and Jimmy Choo’s to shame.

Vegan Thai Curry

Before this gorgeous delicious masterpiece I had never tried any Thai food before. Now, I'm officially addicted. It's an amazing way to make your greens taste more exciting and less leafy, but it's still super healthy and vegan (obvs). I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 leaves of pak choy
• 5-6 sticks of asparagus
• 2 sticks of celery, chopped
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• handful of spinach
• handful of kale
• red chilli, chopped and deseeded
• 1 lime
• 1tbsp red curry paste*
• 100ml coconut milk
• 1 stem of lemongrass, chopped
• 3-4 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 tbsp coconut oil

*Make sure to check the ingredients for anything non-vegan. Thai curry paste can often contain fish.

1. Heat the coconut oil in a wok or large frying pan on a medium heat. Add the lemongrass, spring onion, celery and chilli. Leave to cook for 3-5 minutes, making sure they do not burn.
2. Add the red curry paste and stir till the ingredients are covered with the paste.
3. Add in the coconut milk and kaffir lime leafs. Cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Add in the asparagus, pak choy, spinach and kale. Stir into the curry.
5. Chop the lime in half, squeeze out the juice into the mixture. Mix and leave for 1 minute.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

And that's it! You can serve this with any kind of rice. I recommend jasmine. I hope you enjoyed this recipe!

Redefining Vegan

I’ve been a vegan for two years now and one thing that has become more increasingly annoying is other people giving me excuses to why they cannot go vegan.

I’ve heard them all. ‘It’s too expensive’, ‘I live with my family and they won’t let me eat vegetables’ and ‘I have blah-de-blah disease and I need to eat 50kg of steak a day to survive’. And of course sometimes these excuses are valid but rarely are they good enough. Often I hear ‘veganism is too expensive’ whilst the party gobbles down foie gras, caviar and a £100 cheese wheel. Or ‘I have an iron deficiency and I need meat’ when purchasing leather shoes and L’oreal shampoo. You can understand my frustration.

This is why I believe ‘vegan’ needs redefining. People are under the impression that if you can’t be a good vegan, what is the point of trying at all? Of course nobody is 100% vegan by society’s definition. Nobody can say they have never stepped on an ant or never hoovered up a dust mite.

The current definition of vegan is ‘a person who does not eat or use animal products’ needs to change to ‘a person who attempts not to harm another life to the best of their ability, whether that life is human or none human.’ Therefore, if you’re stuck on a desert island with nothing to eat but cows (it happens to us all at some point), nobody will take away your vegan card for doing what you have to do to survive.

If you live at home with your parents who don't approve of you going vegan, don't order chicken nuggets when you're out in a restaurant, ask for a veggie burger without the cheese. Don't ask for MAC makeup for your birthday, ask for a brand that doesn't test on animals. One day you'll move out and be able to make your own decisions. Just remember, everything you have control over, try to make the most ethical decisions to the best of your ability and by the new definition, you're a vegan.

If you can't afford luxury raw vegan cupcakes or lush shampoo, nobody is going to take away your vegan card if you have to spend your money on a cheaper brand of deodorant and toothpaste, even if they test on animals. But don't spend your money on bacon or cheese when the vegan version is cheaper (it is cheaper! Try looking in Holland and Barrett, you'll be surprised!) or if they aren't necessary at all. Beans, rice, frozen fruits and vegetables are amongst the cheapest foods and they're all vegan. Once again, if you're trying to abstain from animal products to the best of your ability, you can call yourself a vegan.