Brownies were a hit!

OK, I'm not one to toot my own horn but I'm making an exception TOOT TOOT! I rocked at making vegan brownies! I even added a little something extra (walnuts) that went down a storm with my non-vegan flat mates. I officially rule! As commented by my good friend Holly, they were delicious! Proof that not all vegan food is bland and tasteless, good times. Although I have to add the brownies were seriously unhealthy, bad times.

The perfect after dinner dessert :)

Vegansexuals

I've recently come across the term 'vegansexual.' You may have already guessd what this entails, thats right, a vegansexual is a person who will only have sex with other vegans.

"If you are what you eat, vegansexuals don't want your meat"

Vegansexuals believe that you are indeed what you eat and that in having sexual relations with a carnivore they are somehow becoming 'less' vegan. They believe that carnivores are made up of dead animals and therefore refuse to be in relationships with them.

The New Zealand Centre for Human and Animal Studies conducted a survey in 2007 and found this to be a common opinion amongst vegans. It has since then become a widely coined term and many vegans have taken to becoming vegansexuals.

Although I think this would be very appealing to some people, I can't imagine having to ask a potential partner 20 questions about their eating habits before deciding whether I was interested in a relationship. That's entirely too much effort.

It's an interesting concept, but I think I'll stick to plain old heterosexuality.

Benefits of being Vegan

I realise that so far, I have made the entire vegan experience sound fairly negative so I thought I'd post some reasons why being a vegan is very beneficial.

To start with there is the moral issue. By being vegan you can rest assured your conscience will be clear. No animals would have been harmed or used in the making of your meals. As well as this, there is the added health benefits. As you will probably have to make your meals from scratch each day, you will have the advantage of knowing exactly what is in your meals each day.

As you would have read from my previous post, soy is packed full of nutrients and can benefit your health as much as meat and dairy.

As well as this, cooking is fun! I love cooking. I may not always be good at it, but I do enjoy is as do many others. So do it! become a vegan and start a life of soy milk, slow roasted vegetables, vegan brownies and veggie goulash! Yum!

I will warn you tho, being a vegan is not easy. Unlike myself, you have to be prepared when going out, read the labels on practically everything you touch and have serious will power. I have failed on all the above points.

Some Soya Bean Facts

The soya (soy in America) bean is the meat and dairy free alternaitve for vegans. It comes in many forms such as soya milk, tofu and the thing that started it all... the bean!
Here's some random facts you amy not have known about the soya bean:

1. Today, the world's top producers of soya are America, Brazil, Argentina, China and India


2. Soy provides a complete protein as it contains all eight amino acids essential for human health


3. Approx. 6% of soya beans are used directly as human food, mostly in Asia.


4. The first recorded use of soy was in 2838 BC in China. They called the soy bean tautau meaning 'greater bean.'


5. The Recommended Daily Allowance of soy is 25g. As eaten as part of a healthy life-style, soy can reduce the risk of heart disease.

So there are just a few facts about soy. Enjoy!

Cheezly and Cheatin'

Yesterday I spent the day in Plymouth and had to find a vegan alternative for dinner as I didn't bring anything with me, again! I thought this would be quite difficult but found myself in Boots looking through the food section and came across some vegetarian and vegan foods.
I chose to have falafel in a flat bread with sweet chili jam and tzatzki which was very nice although I shouldn't have technically had the tzatziki, but it was such a small amount I discounted it as cheating. Also, my so called 'watcher' Mark assured me that tzatziki was allowed. He is a massive failure in being my watcher.

Many of the coffee houses now do fruit tea or soya alternatives which are reasonably priced and very tasty.

So yet again I've raided Holland and Barrett and have coma away with Cheezly (fake cheese) and Cheatin' chicken (fake chicken) along with some meat-free burger mix and vegan sunflower spread.

I chose to have an obscenely large jacket potato with beans sprinkled with Cheezly and Cheatin' chicken. On their own, Cheezly and Cheatin' chicken are quite tasteless but mixed with other things they become a taste sensation! packed full of nutritional goodness they're a good purchase and essential.

I'm making a vegan goulash followed by vegan brownies tonight. Can't wait. this should be lush!

Eating Out

I was under the impression that eating out and being vegan did not mix. The majority of the time this is true, but good old Weatherspoons have come through and offer a lovely sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry with extra poppadoms for us vegans. It was lush!

I'm very impressed. I was able to enjoy a meal out with friends without having to choose the lovely, but boring jacket potato with beans.

So far, week 2 has so been a success. Sweet!

Week 1 over: Back on the Wagon

As my 1st week of being vegan comes to an end I realise how difficult this is going to be. I took a trip to Truro and raided Holland and Barrett for vegan food. There's some interesting stuff in that shop. I purchased corn and vegetable pasta, tofu, mock duck, Alpro soya desserts (vanilla and chocolate) and dairy free chocolate buttons. Yummy!

I'm planning to have a vegetable stir-fry with mock duck tonight. Here's what you will need:

1 tin of Mock Duck
1/2 bag of stir-fry vegetables
2 rings of tinned pineapple in natural juice
1/2 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tsp tomato and garlic puree
red jalapenos (add to taste)
1 handful of long grain rice

1. The rice will normally take about 15 minutes to cook so place the rice on the hob and follow the instructions on the pack
2. Thinly slice the mock duck and lightly fry until golden
3. add the stir-fry, pineapple, tinned tomatoes and tomato and garlic puree - mix together until the vegetables are tender.
4. Mix in the jalapenos at eh end then serve with the rice

Voila!

This is my first full day as a vegan completed!

The Hangover

Thankfully, due to my excessive drinking last night I have not been physically able to eat anything today and therefore have not slipped up woohoo!

As most of my day was spent at work I relied on a lot of Lucozade to get me through till Sunday night. Then I caved and had a Chinese. I blame the hangover.

As today I received my student loan I can now do this properly and buy all of the things I need.

I'm officially back on the vegan wagon!

BBQ: The aftermath

OK, it seems that a BBQ can be vegan friendly if you come prepared. I did not. As always, I had every good intention. I bought wholemeal rolls, salad, crisps and dips and nut cutlet burgers. Yet I forgot to bring the burgers to the BBQ and the temptation was too much for me so I had a burger. With cheese. And a sausage. And sangria (red wine is NOT allowed.) So basically I fell flat on my face. Again. But I did have an ace weekend yay!

Firstly, I'd like to thank Holly for her faith in me and the ace website www.allrecipes.co.uk I have found three recipes I'm trying out this week. Starting with a carrot, chilli and coriander soup, followed by Jean's falafel and finishing with egg-free chocolate cake. Yummy!
As you can see from the comments left on my last post, my 'watcher' Mark (AKA godblessyourblackheart) is going to make the next few weeks a living hell. Thanks. I can't wait.
I will post some pictures of my culinary delights and some honest, heartfelt reviews within the next week.
I do have a problem that has just arisen. I'm attending my friends 24th birthday celebrations on Saturday where there is to be a BBQ. WHAT CAN I EAT AT A BBQ?!
I have also been informed that not all alcohol is vegan friendly. What the hell is that about?! I'll have to do some research, good times!

Thinking about it, this blog should really be a 'what not to do as a vegan'

OK, so here are some tips on staying on the straight and narrow:
1) empty cupboards, fridge, freezer of all non-vegan friendly foods. This includes the hidden dangers such as honey, white flour, Worcester sauce, white bread, milk, butter and my personal favourite chocolate
2) Immediately replace the above items with vegan alternatives usually found in health food shops (Holland and Barrett are awesome!)
3)If you feel you are as weak-willed as me then ask a friend too watch out for you until you get the hang of it
4) Cook from scratch. This way you know exactly whats in your food and also gain a good life skill

As of tomorrow I will also be listening to my own advice and following these tips to the letter!

I blame the parents

OK, so day two has been worse than day one, but again it wasn't my fault!

I may have underestimated how difficult this would be. As I'm staying at my parents until tomorrow it's been even more difficult. So I gave up. Simple as that. I had a lovely Chinese take-away tonight and I didn't regret it! So there.

I blame my mother and sister completely for my failure. They've not been keen on the idea of me becoming vegan from the start. My dad almost disowned me there and then! So plying me with non vegan chocolate and ordering Chinese when I'm there is just there sneaky way of making me eat 'proper' food. I swear my mum thinks this is the beginning of an eating disorder! If I lose any weight over this I'll no doubt receive a lovely lecture on the importance of eating properly.

I'm going home tomorrow and my flatmate Mark is going to be my conscience. He has appointed himself as my watcher and will no doubt make me suffer if I fail.

So I won't.Easier said than done as proven over the past two days. Wish me luck :)

Day 2: I've fallen at the first hurdle!

My first official day as a vegan has been bad, bad, bad!

When I first told my friends and family I was becoming a vegan for 28 days many asked "why?" and others doubted I could do it. I'm sad to report that they may be right.

My two beautiful nephews were staying over last night and they had plenty of Easter eggs from Sunday left over and I cracked and had some. And it was eggcellent (he he!)

I blame them completely for forcing me to eat copious amounts of chocolate and jelly sweets. They continuously badgered me into eating the confectionery as only a five year old and a two year old are capable of...by placing it directly into my mouth. I couldn't say no. That would be rude!

However, I feel I made up for this small slip by having a lovely vegan friendly lunch and a lovely homemade stew for tea, yum yum!

There is one thing I can't do without in the day, like may others I love a good cuppa tea. But obviously, as a vegan, milk is out of the question. So I have taken to drinking sweetened soya milk and I love it! it's not so great with cereal but lush in tea. I've yet to try rice milk, that's next on the list.

I'm still determined to prove the cynics out there that I am more than capable of a small lifestyle change. Only time will tell.

Day 1:And so it begins...

I have been given an assignment that requires me to write a blog for 28 days. This blog can be about anything I want. Many of my fellow students are writing about their passions be that film, video games or horses! I enjoy many things; shoes, fashion, interior design, art, music the list goes on and I could write for 28 days about any one of these things, however, I've decided to give myself a small challenge. I'm going to become a vegan for a month.

I have never been on any type of diet in my life. I'm a happy and healthy size 10 and have a good relationship with food, yet I've always found vegetarianism and veganism rather interesting.

I have chosen veganism as one of the the things I have nothing of is will power. I have zero. zip. Nada! I love meat but more importantly, I love dairy! I have a sweet tooth that will suffer during this challenge.

I'm 23 years old and think this will be a cool thing to do. simple as that. So tomorrow it begins! I have emptied my cupboards and fridge of any food that is has been produced as a result of an animal and I'm ready to rock!

Don't get me wrong, I know this wont be easy. I basically have to change everything about my eating habits, something I've never had to do before and to make it that little bit harder, I share a flat with 3 blokes who will be eating anything they want!

The purpose of this blog is to keep a diary of my vegan 'diet'. I will post recipes (good and bad), tips on home cooking, eating out and in general how I'm finding the life of a vegan.

I think its important to note that I'm only becoming a vegan in the food sense of the word. To be a true vegan, I would have to change my clothes, shoes (by far the hardest sacrifice), shampoo, shower gel, make-up etc. Unfortunately, I'm just not that dedicated. Sorry. I think the food thing is enough for now.

I'm excited. This time tomorrow my first vegan day will be over.It's all good!