Competition: Win a copy of the book "Sanctuary: Portraits of Rescued Farm Animals" by Sharon Lee Hart

This book is a collection of black and white photographs of animals that have been been rescued from a certain grim fate, simply for being considered the 'right' species to exploit and murder for profit. Each photo comes with a profile on each animal, telling the story of how they came about to being rescued and their new lives. The stories are written by the sanctuary owners and workers, themselves.

Your Daily Vegan is giving away a copy of this book! If you would like to enter to win, please check out their page for full instructions. It is super easy and yes, I have entered too! Competition ends March 12th.
Good luck!

Book: Handbook for the Aussie Vegan

This is a brand spanking new book for Australian vegans and those working towards becoming vegan. The book is by Silva Mirovics who runs her own business called Nutritional Empire.

The book contains a foreword by Australian philantropist Philip Wollen, articles by several naturopaths, recipes with colour photographs, and a directory of various businesses, services, organizations in Australia that are vegan and run by vegans.

Special mention must be made of the recipes. They are split into the Savoury, the Sweet, and the Other. Some are raw, some are gluten free, and all are vegan, of course. The recipes have been submitted by various people and organizations around Australia, including Sea Shepherd, Edgar's Mission, Bed & Broccoli, Ethikool, Cruelty Free Super, Perth's own Animal Rights Advocates, and many more...

I found a copy of this book at Loving Hut in East Victoria Park. They had a few copies for sale there but I am not sure how many they have left or for how long they will be stocking it. Otherwise, you can always order your copy online here.

I can't wait to try out some of these recipes and explore more about veganism in Australia. I strongly recommend you get a copy of this book!

Catering: Loving Hut, Perth

Not only does the Perth Loving Hut have a cafe and an evening restaurant, they also offer catering services for functions. As it was my birthday recently, I decided to order two platters of savoury finger food and a cake for the little party I was having to celebrate. As myself, my partner and most of my guests were vegans, I thought the food would go down a treat - which it did! The non-vegans/vegetarians were also impressed with the food, which was very pleasing to see.

I opted for the mini kebabs with tomato chutney, the mini quiche, the stuffed mushrooms, and the potato/pumpkin swirl puffs.

Other options you can order are: samosas, spring rolls, mini bruschetta, chewy bites with mayo, and mini spinach ricotta pies.

For the cake, I opted for the strawberry cake, but with blueberries topping it. That is the beauty of Loving Hut - they will custom make you what you want, and that includes the icing and decoration. There are gluten free and raw options, too. Just have a chat with them, and they will work something out for you.

Check out their Facebook page for more details and how to order.

Magazine: Living Vegan (Spring 2012)

I am waaaaay overdue with my review of this issue. It came out months ago! Naughty me. But then, this is still the latest issue out there, so I am not the only one lagging behind. (Ahem. Would like to see another issue soon, Living Vegan!)

Anyway, this issue contains the contentious topic of  "Is palm oil vegan?". Both sides of that are argument are presented.

There is also an interview with Lindsay McDougall, former Frenzal Rhomb lead guitarist and current Triple J DJ, who talks about his veganism.

Following that, there is an feature on the "Animals are not ours" protest that happened in central Melbourne, complete with some pretty damn powerful photos taken on the day.

Another interview is included - this time with Lee Coates from Cruelty Free Super .

Towards the back is an article on cruelty free beauty, plus all the regular segments like the Recipes page, competitions, "Vegan Spy" page, and much more. The content is heavily Australian based, as are the advertisements, which is great.

If you wish to buy one issue or to subscribe for a year, you can do so via here.

Recipe: Spicy Raw Schezuan Noodles

This is a raw vegan dish I found in the book “Raw Star Recipes” by Bryan Au. The original recipe calls for 3 to 4 tablespoons of curry powder. Being a light weight, I put in only 1. I found this was more than enough but if you like your food very spicy, add more.

You will need a turning slicer to make the zucchini noodles. I own the “Chef  Avenue 3 -in-1 Turning Slicer” and this was our first time using it. There was a bit of trial and error but we got there in the end.  Well worth getting this gadget, as  raw zucchini noodles are great! When I first heard about eating zucchini raw, I was very skeptical. But then I tried some and was won over.

Manna Wholefoods, some organics stores and PAWS sell this nifty gadget. Price range is usually around the $30 to $40 mark.

What you will need:

2 zucchinis

1 tbsp curry powder

1 carrot, grated

1 baby bok choy, sliced thinly

½ head broccoli, chopped into small florets

Handful or two of sunflower sprouts

Dash of sesame seeds (black or white)

4 tbsp sesame oil (available in supermarkets)

A few string beans, sliced

Sea salt, to taste

Dash cayenne pepper

½ lime, juiced

Method:

Peel zucchini and use a turning slicer to make the noodles. If your gadget has fitting to make angel hair noodles, use that. Otherwise, use one that will make spaghetti sized noodles.

Place the noodles in a large mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.

Mix gently but thoroughly.

Makes about 4 servings.

Recipe: Polenta with beans and greens

I have probably eaten polenta about 3 times in my life, at the most. And I have never cooked with it. I have no idea why this is. Last night, my partner had a go at cooking up this dish and I was surprised at how delicious and creamy it was. This recipe comes from “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Cooking”  by  Beverly Lynn Bennett and Ray Sammartano. It is heavy on the garlic, which I omitted as I am not a fan and it still tastes great. If you like garlic, go for it!

What you will need:

4 cups of water

1¾ tsp sea salt

1 cup medium-grind or course cornmeal

2 tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

¾ tsp ground black pepper

1 cup onion, cut into half moons (optional)

2 tbsp olive oil (yes, a second batch)

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced (optional)

1 tsp dried basil

1 can cannellini beans

1 bunch or 6 cups of kale and or spinach

½ tsp chili powder

Method:

Bring water to boil in a saucepan, over high heat. Add salt and reduce to medium heat. Slowly add cornmeal, whisking constantly to prevent lumps forming. Continue to whisk for a minute or two more until mixture starts to boil again and starts to thicken. Reduce heat to very low. Cover and simmer, stirring every few minutes. Cook for 30 minutes or until thick and starts to pull away from sides of saucepan.

Add 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes, 1 tbsp olive oil and ¼ tsp black pepper. Stir well to combine. Remove from heat.

For the vegetable topping, heat 2 tbsps olive oil in a large pan, over medium heat. If using, sauté onion for approx. 5 minutes.  Add garlic (if using) and basil and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add beans and sauté for 1 minute. Add kale/spinach, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes, ¾ tsp salt, chili powder and ½ tsp black pepper. Cook for 2 or 3 more minutes so the spinach/kale wilts.  Remove from heat.

Place the cornmeal in a bowl, top with vegetable mixture and serve hot.

Recipe: Frozen fudge

This recipe is from “The Raw Truth” by Jeremy A. Safron.  An easy dessert to make, with only a few raw ingredients required. The fudge is sweet and melts in your mouth.  Eat straight from the freezer  (not fridge!) and keep any uneaten portions in there too.  Some supermarkets stock nut butters in the healthfood section.  As for the raw carob powder, you are more likely to find that at a healthfood or organics store.

What you will need:

1 cup dates, seeded

1 ½ cups water

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups nut butter (I used almond butter)

1 ½ cups raw carob powder

½ cup dried shredded coconut

Method:

Place the dates in a bowl and cover with water. Soak for an hour.

Drain but keep the liquid. Place dates and vanilla in a blender and blend until smooth, whilst slowly adding the water to create a creamy consistency.

Transfer the date mixture to a large bowl, add nut butter and stir to combine.

In another bowl, mix the carob and the coconut. Gradually add the dry carob mixture to the wet date mixture. Stir well.

Press into a baking tin, about 2.5cms thick and freeze for several hours. To serve, cut into small squares.