February Favourites

I've decided to do a new thing where I list my favourite beauty products, TV shows, books, films, etc on the last day of said month. I hope you enjoy!

Beauty

Right now, I am loving 'Yummy Mummy' shower gel by Lush. It's vegan and cruelty free (of course), it smells like strawberries and cream AND it's purple! Honestly, I'm obsessed with this shower gel right now.

It leaves a faint shimmer to your body after use, but not enough to feel like a glittery freak. It's barely noticeable but the scent is absolutely divine and makes your whole bathroom smell perfumed and fresh. I'd fully recommend this shower gel.

Books

This month I read Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer and I have to admit, the only reason I was interested in this is because the main character is vegan. But, aside from that, it's actually a wonderfully well-written book that is not only fast paced, humorous and heartbreakingly sad but very moving.

TV Shows

Right now, I'm watching Community and I am LOVING it. It's a clever type of funny that is very different from what I usually watch. Also, I can definitely relate to Britta's character because she's an animal rights activist like me.

Vegan Sushi Recipe

One of my favourite things to make is sushi. It's perfect for when you've got a hodge-podge of ingredients and you don't know what to do with them. I'm going to teach you how to make plain sushi with just rice and nori, and then give you ideas on what to add to them.

(Makes 2 sushi rolls)

Ingredients

• 2 sheets of nori
• 100g of sushi rice
• soy sauce, as much or as little as you desire.

1. Cook the sushi rice according to packet instructions. I found the best way is to wash the rice by adding it to a sieve and rinsing it 3 - 4 times, then adding it to a pan with 200g of boiling water, cook on a low heat for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat (make sure there is no remaining water in the pan) and leave to cool in the pan for 20 minutes.
2. place the rice on the lower half of the nori. It must go all the way to edge.
3. If you want to add any extra ingredients, now is the time. Add them to the lower half of the rice.
4. Wet the tip of the plain nori side with a tsp of water.
5. Roll up the sushi, from the rice side first.
6. With a sharp knife, cut the sushi into pieces. If your knife is not sharp enough, the nori will tear so make sure it is a very good knife.
7. Drizzle with soy sauce.

Fillings Ideas

• Papaya is fleshy, slimy and pink so it's the perfect substitute for fish. Add some papaya, mint and carrot slices to your sushi if you're a fan of the fishy sushi.
• Avocado is perfect for lovers of creamy sushi. Add some chives and tomatoes for a delicious treat.
• Many sushi places use egg in vegetarian sushi. Vegans can replace the egg with cooked, scrambled tofu.

DON'T SUPPORT LIME CRIME!

I decided to create this blog to show off incredible vegan products whether they be food brands, makeup, clothing companies, etc. I wasn't planning on writing negative reviews simply because I don't see the point. If I love a product, then it's worth my time. If it's not, then it's not worth writing about. But with Lime Crime, I've decided to make an exception to my rule. If you don't like negativity, maybe it's best not to read this. I have decided that Lime Crime is a company too corrupt to not write about and I can't risk anyone believing that this company is really as cruelty free as they say they are.

Yes, they've done some shady things in the past. All of these things will be listed below under the cut. But more recently, they have put the bank accounts of their supporters in danger and it is NOT OKAY. Basically, if you don't want your credit card details sold by a sociopathic CEO, don't buy any Lime Crime products.

Prior Park + February OOTD = Red Riding Hood

I don't think I've ever seen such miserable weather in Bath, but nethertheless, my mum was visiting, so we went to Prior Park and ate lots of vegan food. Despite the weather, it was a really cute morning/afternoon.

Read more for what I ate and my outfit of the day!

Vegan Dauphinoise Potatoes

Purely because it's French, dauphinoise potatoes makes me feel very cultured and like I should be watching Audrey Hepburn movies, even though it literally is carbs on carbs on carbs with more carbs.

Ingredients:

• 3 large potatoes, pealed
• 75ml of Alpro vegan cream
• handful of chopped chive
• 2 slices of Violife cheddar or mozzarella cheese (or your favourite vegan brand equivalent)
• 2 cloves or garlic, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 180c or gas mark 4
2. Thinly slice the the potatoes and boil in a pan with water for roughly 5 minutes. This is to soften them slightly, not to cook them.
3. In an oven proof dish, cover the bottom with the softened potato slices
4. Add in a layer of chopped garlic and chives
5. Chop up the vegan cheese and add a thin layer of that
6. Repeat the layers with more potatoes, chives, garlic and cheese
7. When you have reached the top, or run out of ingredients, pour the cream over gradually. It will sink to the bottom over time so keep adding more until it reaches the top layer
8. Cook in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.

I usually eat this as a snack (because I'm greedy and it tastes nice) but it should be a side dish. You could serve it with a salad on a hot summer evening, or with a nut roast on a cold night in February.

Why I Like YOOX and Vegan Brands to Look Out For

YOOX is one of those websites nobody knows how to pronounce. I've heard 'yux' but I usually just say the letters really quickly, 'why-oh-oh-ex' but all of that is irrelevant today. I want to tell you about my experience with them and why I continue to buy from them again and again.

Black Forest Vegan Cupcakes

I am not a baker. But some people have mentioned to me that the dessert section of my blog is a little bit dessert-ed. HA! I make puns as often as I bake so you guys better appreciate my efforts.

These are gorgeous little black forest cupcakes that are completely vegan and egg free. I hope you enjoy them!

(Serves 12)

Ingredients:

• 230 ml of almond milk
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 150g of granulated sugar
• 80ml of rapeseed oil
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 130g of plain flour
• 45g of cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp of baking powder
• 3/4 tsp of salt
• 40g of frozen cherries
• 1 tbsp of morello cherries juice
• 12 morello cherries for garnish

For the butter icing:

• 140g of vegan butter
• 200g of icing sugar
• 80g of cocoa powder
• 1 tbsp of morello cherries juice

1. Preheat the oven to 180c / gas mark 4 and fill a muffin tin with muffin cups.
2. In a bowl whisk together the milk and vinegar and leave to one side to curdle.
3. Add the sugar, oil, vanilla extract and morello cherry juice to the milk and vinegar and beat together until they foam.
4. In a separate bowl sieve flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Add in the frozen cherries and mix together.
5. Add the wet ingredients in 2 - 3 batches and stir till they are combined and you have no lumps.
6. Pour the ingredients into the muffin cups and bake for 20-25 minutes. When cooked, stick a toothpick in the centre and if it comes out clean, they are cooked, if not, cook for a further 5 minutes or till the toothpick comes out clean.
7. Transfer to a cooling rack and wait till they are completely cool.
8. In a bowl, mix together the butter icing ingredients and whisk till it is smooth.
9. Lather on the butter icing to the cupcakes and garnish with a morello cherry.