Vegetarian Picnic Saturday 16 October Plescop (56)
If you are vegetarian or vegan, or are just veg-curious, and are in the Plescop area (56) of France this Saturday, why not meet other like minded people and share information and good food.
For more information please contact Ugo veg56@voila.fr
25/09/2010 March against European directive 86/609
On 8th September 2010 the European Parliament in Stasbourg passed directive 86/609, which approves the use of animals in scientific experiements in just 10 minutes.
On 25th September there will be protest marches simulataniously in Paris and Rome. Meet at Place St Germain des Prés, Paris (métro: St Germain des Prés, line 4) at 3pm.
For more information visit the CAV site
Picnic (vegetarian) Vannes, Sunday 18th September
Meet other vegetarians and vegans, get information, exchange recipes and eat lovely food.
Contact Ugo for more information
Vegetarian music video
We were contacted by ohwhyohwhy.org about their new music video. Not our taste in music, but each to their own…
Spicy potato and chickpea cakes
As I said in my previous post, I made a bit too much mashed potato the night before last. I fancied making potato cakes for breakfast so looked on the internet for a recipe (i used this one as a guide of what to do).
As usual I wanted to include some protein and fibre so I used mash potato and added the following: Dijon mustard, left over carrots and peas, mixed herbs, a few jalopenos, about 5 stoned and chopped olives and a tin of chickpeas (265g) which I mashed together.
I then added an egg and some flour (a mixture of chickpea, sarrasin and plain flour -probably about 200g) and mixed it together (those of you who have seen my potato and chickpea gnocchi post are probably experiencing deja vu. Infact I made this first, but had so much mixture, and made so many potato cakes, that I decided to make gnocchi as well).
I then got small balls of mixture out onto a floured surface and squished them down, ensuring flour was on both sides. I then fried them in a small amount of olive oil for about 5 minutes each side (or until they go brown).
Yum.
Gnocchi with a twist
Last night I over-estimated the amount of mash potato one hungry person could eat. Faced with another meal of mash I scoured the internet for recipes and decided to make two dishes: potato cakes and gnocchi.
As usual I used a recipe found on the internet for the general idea of what to do and then did my own thing. For gnocchi I found this basic recipe very useful. I love gnocchi, but I like to make it more nutritious with some protein and fibre inside.
I used mash potato, which I had also added the following: Dijon mustard, left over carrots and peas, mixed herbs, a few jalopenos, about 5 stoned and chopped olives and a tin of chickpeas (265g) which I mashed together.
I then added an egg and about 600g of flour (I used a mixture of chickpea, sarrasin and plain flour).
I then mixed it all together to form a dough which I then kneeded for 5 minutes on a floured surface (adding more flour as necessary).
I then devided the mixture into 6 balls. Taking one at a time I rolled it into a rope around 2cm thick. I then 2cm pieces off the rope and using a fork marked each piece, rolling it to form the gnocchi (see this useful guide for more information)
To cook the gnocchi I placed them in boiling water. After a while the gnocchi rises to the top, and you cook them for a minute longer, before removing.
I made a simple sauce of onion, garlic and tomato, to go with the gnocchi.
Guardian: ‘Cannibal cafe’ in Berlin a vegetarian campaign hoax
The German vegetarian society were behind the hoax restaurant “FLIME”, which was widely reported was asking for volunteers to donate body parts for diners to eat.
“Flime stands for Fleisch Isst Menschen, or Meat Eats People, and has been revealed as the idea of the German Vegetarian Society (Vebu) as a rather obscure way to bring consumers’ attention to the evils of meat-eating.” the Guardian newspaper reported yesterday.
2pm September 11 2010 – Anti Bull Fighting March NIMES
Meet at Nimes train station at 2pm on 11.09.2010. See the anticorrida website for more details
Puy de Dôme pie – a puy lentil and aduki bean shepherd’s pie
Ain’t no mountain pie enough?
We live just over an hour away from the amazing Puy de Dôme. This vegan take on the shepherd’s pie, using puy lentils and aduki beans, is our tribute to this natural monument.
Puy de Dôme Pie
Puy de Dôme
200g aduki beans (soaked over night – or in boiling water for 3 hours) and cooked on a rolling boil for about 45 mins (or 400g of tinned aduki beans)
200g puy lentils (rinced in cold water) cooked for 25minutes (or 400g of brown or green lentils)
1 Large onion (diced)
2 large carrots (diced)
4 medium mushrooms (diced)
4 plump cloves of garlic, chopped)
1 carton of passata
1 tblsp tomato puree
1 cube veg boullion (or tsp of veg bouillon powder)
200mls red wine
2 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp hot paprika
½ tsp smoked paprika
Tsp chopped fresh thyme
Tsp oregano
Lots of black pepper
Fry the onion and mushrooms in olive (or sunflower) oil until the onions are soft. Add the garlic. Add carrots.
Add wine and herbs (if dried)
Bring to boil then turn down heat and cook until carrots start to soften (about 5-10mins).
Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer gently, adding water from the potatoes (see below), if necessary until it resembles a thick stew (bear in mind that more water will be absorbed during the oven cooking process.
Meanwhile…
1 ½ kg potatos – pealed chopped quite small and boiled, with ¼ tsp salt, until soft. Drain and reserve the liquid to add to the mixture above, as required.
Put 50 cl of the liquid back into the potatoes. Add 25mls of whichever milk you prefer (we like oatmilk for this recipe) 1 tsp grainy mustard. 1 heaped tsp hot Dijon mustard (add more or less to your taste). 1 tblsp vegan margarine. Mash until you can mash no more. The mash should be creamy. (If you want you can add cooked finely chopped leaks or onions to the mash)
Set the oven to 180 degrees c
Take 4 -6 cocottes (or if you want one rectangular lasagne dish). Distribute the bean mixture between the cocottes.
Pile the mash on top of the mixture and fashion it into a volcano shape (this is playing with your food – don’t tell your mother!).
Once your artistic masterpieces are complete sprinkle with some paprika (this together with the leaks – if you have added them to the mash – will give the appearance of vegetation growing up the Puy. Kind of.)
Pop in the oven for 30 minutes, until the mashed potato is browned.
Serve with grean beans, peas or salad.
Why not come and visit the Puy de Dôme and sample delicious vegetarian and vegan food at the same time. 3placedesarbres.com is a vegetarian B&B in la Creuse, just over an hour from the Puy de Dôme
Vegan Picnic Sunday 5th September in Paris
If you are in Paris on 5th September why not head down to the Parc des Buttes Chaumont at lunchtime (12.30) for a vegan picnic organised by Mangez Végétarien. All you need to do is bring a drink or some vegan food (it must be vegan – i.e. no meat, fish, milk, eggs or any other animal product should be used to make the dish), and should be enough to share around lots of people).
It’s a chance to meet other vegetarians and vegans, to sample vegan cuisine, and to get more information on vegetarianism and veganism.
Have fun!
Vegetarian and Vegan France 