#Vegankids theme 4th Spetember 2014

I thought we would try something a little bit different for this #veganrecipehour and I’m pleased to say that I think it worked it worked out well.

We forget that its not only adults that eat a #vegan diet, its Children too.  Maybe you have been Vegan from an early age and have brought your Kids up that way so its a natural progression. Maybe you have chosen to change your diet/lifestyle and now your whole family eat a different diet. Or, you need some help and advice on how to go about making vegan food appeal to your Kids as they are use to something different.

I know I personally fancied trying most of he things suggested during #veganrecipehour!

Many thanks to @VeganGeezer for the many suggestions and ideas during #VRH. there are so many what I cant do the justice. I recommend that you take a look at the @veganrecipehour twitter feed to catch up with them all. Here are a few to whet your appetite!

‘Always keep fruit & veg on show for #vegankids snacks’ (photo)

an interesting thought:

‘A good tip is to get talking to teachers here & there, after a while ask what if a vegan diet was a religious requirement?’

Take a look at these photos of an amazing meal from @sankariOm The suggestion of letting Kids build their own middle eastern vegan lunch.

‘Green falafel, hummus, pitas, mutubal, eggplant/yogurt dip, fruity cous cous’

Sounds divine! Thank you for sharing!

How awesome do these Marinated #tempeh #kebabs look and sound? @apriltui says they are a big hit with her Kids.

Who says dinner time has to be serious? These Funny Broccoli plates from @Ephemerienne are great fun!  (translate) A nice Mac ‘n’ cheese recipe usually goes down well!. How about #sandwich inspiration? How exciting does Monster potatoes and chard in a swamp sound!? Just look at those photos! How cool is that!?!

You cant go far wrong with a #Pizza. Thank you to @Potatostrong for sharing this idea  and these Fat free potato chips sound pretty fab too!

This is something I also really enjoy ‘Breaded #tofu in a bun’. If you treat #tofu the right way, press it, drain and season well, its a total revelation. I adore the stuff! thank you @TansysKitchen for sharing.

Have a peek at this photo from @TheMoralMunch. Isnt that a dinner that kids would love? that colours and flavours…yum! Paprika Sweet Potato Wedges + Guacamole + Homemade BBQ Sauce. Wow!

@lilmissmeatfree‘s Niece’s love these #Pea and #courgette #fritters. I’m sure I would too!

Talking of gorgeous photos, this one from @Flavourphotos is fabulous! She says:

‘I like adding lots of ‘goodness’ to things that are treats, e.g. seeds, dried fruit, stewed apple’

This is a great selection of  tasty sounding Kiddie friendly dishes from @SentientChef ‘Creamy #cauliflower sause 5 ways‘ What a brilliant lot of variations for #pasta loving kids!

How about sweet snacks? @SentientChef shared this lovely recipe for #Banana & chocolate chip muffins. Thats yet another thing on my ‘To make’ list!!

Take a look at this beautiful suggestion from @livingfoodlove Honeydew melon and watermelon balls look amazing!

I adore the sound of these ‘Bliss balls’ from @apriltui . Check out this suggestion for #Raw #Lemon drops too. Yum! and a basic #icecream recipe has to be a hit!!

Nom….Nom…nom …nom! I know my tummy is rumbling, I’m off to make a peanutbutter sandwich to celebrate writing up this #blog post 😉 xx

#Tempeh theme 24th April 2014.

Hello again everyone!

We enjoyed another brilliant #veganrecipehour on 24th April 2014. The theme was #Tempeh.

‘What exactly is tempeh?’ I hear you ask! #Tempeh is traditionally made from ‘Fermented’ (yes! You heard it!) fermented #soya beans. It is Indonesian in origin and in my opinion tasted fabulous! There is a 16th Century booked called ‘Serat Centhini’ which refers to the making and eating of Tempeh. (1,2)

The Tempeh itself (lets stick with soya beans) Is made from hulled, cooked soya beans (with added vinegar) that are mixed with Rhizopus molds (the Tempeh starter) and then placed into a pouch (usually a sandwich bag) and then incubated for 24-48 hours at 28-33C degrees until the spores grow and coat the beans with white ‘mould’ (sometimes also grey parts due to impurites in the spores but still safe to eat!).

‘cooked Soya beans and their husks’

You then have brilliantly useful and versatile Tempeh cakes! This will keep in the fridge now for a few days or it can be frozen for future use.

We actually make it at home and have so far experiemted with soya bean. #Chickpea, mixed bean and adzuki bean varieties. My personal favourites are the traditional soya bean and the chickpea tempeh.

Look here for more information . This is pretty close to how we do it also. Take a look at @BRYNFISH and @VegSweetSimple‘s tweets on the 24th for useful tips and photos regarding their experiences of making #tempeh at home.

So, why should we eat it?  Ok, so if you read the nitty gritty of the process, I can totally understand why you might think ‘Urgh! That sounds rank!’ I thought that also! I even thought that as it came out of the bag! But, when I tasted it, I was hooked! It’s very versatile. We have had it in Chinese dishes, Indian, burgers, loaves, stirfrys…all sorts!

One serving of tempeh (100 grams) provides around 200 calories, 18.2 grams of protein (that’s even more protein per gram than tofu!), and 10% of the RDA of both calcium and iron. Tempeh is a naturally cholesterol-free food! (source) Talking of #tofu, here is a handy #tempeh V #tofu comparison.

Convinced enough to try? Here are a few recipe suggestions from the night:

Thank you to the wonderful @Ephememienne for some wonderful suggestions! Here we have ‘#Tempeh #sanwiches‘ without bread. ‘Coronation salad‘  One big success on the night was this recipe ‘Beet salad with tempeh‘ I am pleased to say @BRYNISH made this and tweeted the photo! 100% yummy!

This is a lovely recipe reccomenced by @sweetandsimple  ‘Blackened #Tempeh‘ A spicy coated tempeh recipe with Basil Pico de Gallo and Simple Guacamole in tacos. Lovely!

Thank you so much to @Glosvegangroup for joining us and even more for their brilliant suggestion of ‘Hot-sauce-glazed tempeh’ from Veganomicon fab!

Another lovely idea (and one which I cant wait to try) came from @jagrazi in the shape of ‘Cornmeal crusted Tempeh‘ Which they recommended serving with cashew cream sauce & mashed cauliflower! Sounds wonderful!

Thank you once again to @paulYoud for his suggestion of adding cubed #tempeh to his recipe for ‘Thai curry pie‘

How about having a go at making this lovely sounding ‘Tempeh with Apricots and Capers‘ Yum!

Oh boy, how about a ‘TLT sandwich!? Wow! Or check this out! ‘Balsamic maple glazed Tempeh‘ oh boy! Tempeh Burger anyone? ‘Sweet and sour red cabbage with apples and Tempeh‘ All absolutely gorgeous!!

I also like to marinade it overnight in a sealed box in a mixture of #BBQ sauce and a little #agave. I always like to blanch it first in a pan of water with some #soya sauce and a couple of #garlic cloves. it takes off the raw taste. (but that’s just my preference)

I’m sure you can see now that #tempeh is versatile and I hope you search some or make your own out and give it a go soon!

Thank you again!

XVRHx

References: (1,2) Tip about translations-I use google transplate to read blogs in other languages. This is particularly helpful on my phone.