Experiments in Living » food

Mystery Ingredient Monday #4

Quirky Vegan — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:08:28 +0000

Greetings fellow travellers,

Sorry today’s MIM is a little late, usually I do all my blogging at the weekend, but I spend all Saturday out with my gentleman friend and Sunday at the London Vegan Festival, so am a bit behind.

Today’s Mystery Ingredient Monday is brought to you by…

Carmine (Cochineal)

Animal, vegetable or mineral? Carmine or Cochineal is extracted from the crushed carcasses of the female Dactylopius coccus, a cactus-feeding insect native to central America. Animal.

Commonly found in: Sweets, cakes, and icing where it is used as a colouring. In the EU, it is also listed as E120.

What is it? Uh, squished bugs

Why do manufacturers use it? Artificial versions of red food colourings such as Allura Red have been linked to hyperactivity in children. And it makes mediocre food look pretty.

Alternatives? There are artificial food colourings, but if you can avoid these at all, you are probably doing yourself a huge favour. We are overstimulated as is. Beetroot is often used as a pink colourant in all sorts of products, ok so it lacks the true red of Cochineal but has the advantage of being natural and plant-based.

More mystery ingredients next week.

~ Quirky Vegan

Mystery Ingredient Monday #3

Quirky Vegan — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:19 +0000

Greetings fellow travellers,

So it’s Monday once more. Well, actually it is still Sunday while I’m writing this thanks to the joy of scheduled posting. Monday is a bank holiday here in the UK, so I’m going to PLAY instead of WORK, hooray!

This week’s Mystery Ingredient Monday is brought to you by:

Lactic Acid

If you’ve ever done a toning class, or leg lifts until you “feel the burn”, you will have encountered one form of lactic acid. It is when the glucose in the body is being used, which is why it is so desirable for slimmers. It is produced in muscles, and in this form comes under the category of animal. In the EU, it is also know as E270.

Commonly found in: all manner of processed foods. It also occurs naturally in fermented foods such as saurkraut and soured milk products.

What is it? It is an acid produced in the fermentation process. Whereas the name would suggest that it is a dairy product, in most commercial processes, bacteria are used to ferment carbohydrates from nondairy sources such as potatoes. In this case, lactic acid is clearly vegetable.

Why do manufacturers use it? As a preservative and for flavour.

Alternatives? Check the ingredients to see if it is animal or vegetable derived, although you may not find them particularly helpful in this case! If you are in doubt as to whether the product is suitable for vegans, contact the manufacturer. In the UK, the Animal Free Shopper is an invaluable resource, or contact your local vegan society for more information.

Back with more mystery ingredients next week,

~ Quirky Vegan

So what DO you eat?

admin — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:03 +0000

A silly song which answers the perpetual question of the uninitiated when they learn you are a vegan.

As found on Earth Muffin.

Happy Friday!

~ Quirky Vegan

Mystery Ingredient Monday #2

Quirky Vegan — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 00:00:02 +0000

Greetings fellow travellers,

Today’s Mystery Ingredient Monday is brought to you by:

Nutritional Yeast Flakes

Animal vegetable or mineral? These fall into the vegetable category and are therefore vegan. Hooray!

What are they used in? You can sprinkle nutritional yeast flakes into soup or on top of veggie bolognaise for a cheesy, nutty taste.

What kind of nutritional value do they provide? A good source of B vitamins and well as phosphorus, magnesium and folic acid. If you are trying to conceive, a high folic acid intake is important as it lowers the chances of neural tube defects.

Cashew nut and red pepper spread.

Soak 100g of cashew nuts overnight. Drain and blend with half a red pepper and 1 tablespoon of nutrititional yeast. Spread on bread and enjoy!

~ Quirky Vegan

Raisin and Seed Flapjack

Quirky Vegan — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 00:00:48 +0000

Greetings fellow travellers,

Last week I had a break from work. I had some holidays to use and since I couldn’t afford to go anywhere I stayed home. Most of the week the weather was nice, but on the day where it rained incessantly, I decided to turn my hand to some vegan baking.

This flapjack is based on a traditional Quirky Mum recipe that I have played about with and added a few goodies to. It contains raisins (chewy and nice and high in iron) and omega 3 and 6 thanks to the addition of the yummy seeds. It’s not exactly slimming due to the syrup and sugar, but I have played about with using as little as possible.

Ingredients:

100g/4oz dairy-free margarine
75g/3oz demerara sugar
3 tbsp golden syrup
50g/2oz omega seed mix (mix of pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds)
75g/3oz raisins
200g/8oz porridge oats

In a large pan, melt together the margarine, sugar and syrup. Remove from heat. Stir in the dry ingredients. Press mix into shallow, greased tray and cook for 15-20 minutes at 180C/350F.

Remove from the oven, leave to cool and mark into squares.

Ideal served with a nice cup of tea or coffee.

~ Quirky Vegan