Haggis, tatties and shortbread are the things which usually spring to mind when you think of traditional Scottish cuisine. Warming, hearty and full of meat and dairy.
However, on a recent trip up to the youthful port city of Glasgow, I discovered that our Northern neighbours were in fact brooding a rather exciting culture of vegan dining; and I simply had to get my teeth around some of it!
Though the whole city is awash with vegan friendly hangouts, and easily adaptable menus, here are my top 5 favourite places to stop by:
Happy Friday lazy green people, and what a lovely Friday it is! The sun is shining here in Cornwall and I’m trying to stay as cool as possible without reaching for the (dairy-free) ice-cream! Instead, I’m keeping my hydration up and exporting myself to somewhere more exotic with my favorite tropical thirst quenching juice of watermelon, pineapple and cucumber!
I first came across this recipe a couple of weeks ago, when I was testing out my new Juico UNO juicer (see my review here) and was looking for something extra juicy. What I loved about this recipe is how much juice to pulp ratio you get, and – as my UNO is almost completely self-cleaning – I didn’t have to bother cleaning it out afterwards! Maximum juice and maximum flavor! Continue reading Tropical Thirst Quenching Juice, plus Exclusive Juico UNO Offer→
Simple, fresh and delicious: the three things that matter to me the most when it comes to lazy vegan dining. And this little recipe ticks all those boxes!
I actually came across this invention when I was trying to make a side dish for a vegan BBQ, and trying to use up a few salad leftovers from the previous day. It took less than 10 minutes to knock up, and was so different than anything I’ve ever eaten before.
I’m a bit of a sucker for Thai flavors and couldn’t resist experimenting with a vegetable which is usually so much more at home with tomato bases in Italian and Middle Eastern cooking. As always, I encourage you to throw together whatever you have left over which needs to be used up, but if you have any of the below ingredients, I say go for it!
For anyone who follows me on Instagram, or has ever seen me on my weekly fruit and veg haul at the market, you’ll know I love juicing. And I mean really love juicing. I don’t just enjoy creating new concoctions based on what’s in season at the time, or the pleasure of downing my 5 a day in one sitting; I also love the zero waste challenge too, as I attempt to use up the juice pulp in the most interesting and nutritious ways.
Beetroot. Some say it’s a little like Marmite, you either love it or you hate it. To some, its too earthy, tangy or just a pain in the bum to clean up. To others, a salad or roasted veg dish just isn’t the same without it! I personally love the stuff roasted with sweet potato and tossed into some cous cous, or with an oriental twist in my Thai Spiced Beetroot and Cashew Soup. Continue reading Five Fabulous Uses for Beetroot→
Walking home from work last night, I felt lethargic. The stuffy summer air made my breathing feel labored, and my limbs refused to cooperate with the motion of walking forward. But most of all, my brain was in hibernation; refusing to give me any indication of what i should do that evening, and what my body craved to make it feel a bit more alive. Continue reading Lazy Vegan Recipe: Tempeh, Seaweed and Peanut Superfood Stirfry→
A while ago Trudi wrote a piece about eating seasonably and all the benefits of it. When I was in England, I tried my best to eat seasonably, as being a lazy girl it was an easy way to be green with fairly minimal effort and you get the food at its best. Everyone’s a winner.
This is something I have tried to continue whilst in Australia. However it’s been slightly more challenging this side of the world for a few different reasons. One of those being that the seasons are reversed here, meaning I have to switch June around in my brain from Summer to Winter, and all the foods I associate with winter which to me is pumpkins, root vegetables, yummy soups and Christmas dinner (Veggie style). Continue reading Being Green Whilst Travelling…. Eating seasonably in Australia→
Today is an exciting day. I woke up to learn that Ben and Jerry’s have given in to millions of signed petitions and will be releasing a dairy free range next year. Vegan Ben and Jerry’s on a Friday night sounds like my idea of a lazy night in!
But my excitement isn’t just because I want to stuff my face with buckets of ice-cream (though that is certainly a contributor to my happiness right now…) I am also happy that the company, who pride themselves on caring about such issues as equal marriage, world peace, fairtrade and climate change, are finally putting their money where their mouth is.
Interestingly, Ben and Jerry’s claim they are passionate about climate change issues and have even joined forces with Avaaz to encourage people to sign a petition or action. In their own words they are “…calling on leaders of the developed nations and the United Nations to tackle climate change at the upcoming summit in Paris. Our goal is for international leaders to work towards 100% Clean Energy by 2050.” A heartfelt plea from a company whose very industry of mass exploitation and rearing of dairy cows is at the very core of our climates woes.
The WWF estimates that there are approximately 270 million dairy cows worldwide, all churning out babies they will never raise, simply to meet our growing dairy demands. Dairy cows and their manure produce greenhouse gas emissions which are greatly contributing to climate change. Poor handling of manure, which occurs in a large number of industrialised dairy farms, and their fertilizers degrade local water resources. Unsustainable dairy farming (in which standards are lowers and more land is needed) along with feed production can lead to the loss of ecologically important areas, such as prairies, wetlands, and forests.
But still, Ben and Jerrys have always maintained their passion for the planet. So their acknowledgement that dairy is not needed to make a successful and profitable business is very exciting indeed. Not just for vegans but literally for the whole planet!
A Lazy Girl Goes Green 