Holistic Vegan

Deplatform that b*stard! I don't know how we got here, but I really wish we hadn't. I never thought I would be living in an age where free speech and independent thought were considered not only undesireable but ...dangerous too?! I'm referring to the modern phenomenon of deplatforming and silencing people with opinions that we either do not agree with, or do not want to be publicly seen to agree with, and the ramifications of doing so, on a deeper, more subtle level. I am very much a proponent of free speech, and I believe most people would be if they realised what it really meant for everyone. As a vegan, there are obviously plenty of people and opinions that I don't like, don't agree with or think are stupid. But although I may often believe I have the moral high ground, that does not give me the right to shut them up, get them fired, memory-holed or force them to act against their will. I do have the right to question, discuss, debate, critique, ridi

Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably will have heard about a number of high profile YouTubers who have had their channels demonetised or deranked as a result of what is being called the Adpocalypse. This past week, following some very public whining by certain voices, YouTube has taken away the ability for even more channels to earn money through advertising revenue on their platform. The alternative media seems to have been hit rather hard recently too, notably with Dan Dicks losing all monetisation from his channel Press for Truth this week.  It's interesting to note however that this also seemed to coincide with Dan confronting  Eric Schmidt, former Chairman of Google & former Executive Chairman Alphabet, the parent company of YouTube, a few days prior while covering the Bilderberg conference in Switzerland. Many people are up in arms about these decisions, and about what seems to be quite a heavy handed approach Youtube is taking with certain

We live in a day and age when people are increasingly becoming interested in wellness therapies and healing modalities outside of the mainstream. As a professional  Holistic Therapist , I've been lucky enough to try many different alternatives to mainstream treatments provided by doctors and the allopathic health service. I firmly believe that Holistic Therapy should be used alongside allopathic medicine. Much as the pros and cons of any pharmaceuticals should be carefully considered, I feel it would be extremely foolish to throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. The rising number of people training in various alternative methods of healing and wellness is testament to people's need and desire to find better ways to take care of themselves. Whilst many of these treatments are "natural" they aren't necessarily vegan friendly, so that's what I wanted to address today. Many of the hands on on energy healing types of treatments are totally vega

Wheat free bread suitable for vegans is horribly expensive, not to mention hard to get hold of. Tesco make a passable loaf but the price is about 5 times what I would have spent on a wheat loaf, and you gate about one third of the quantity. It's far from good value! I decided to have a go at baking my own wheat free bread, so I invested in some Freee gluten free bread flour and started experimenting with my bread maker. Whilst I used to make all my bread by hand, I tend to use my bread maker these days for convenience and speed, so the bread maker method is the one I will be focusing on in this blog. The Freee flour made by Doves Farm, is made from blend of rice, tapioca and potato flour, with added xanthan gum.  If you're not familiar with xanthan gum, it's an additive that adds the elasticity missing from most gluten free flours and stops your baked goods from crumbling to bits when you touch them. Freee have a standard recipe for a white loaf on the packet w

I have a confession to make. I'm addicted to satay sauce! It's long been one of my favourite flavours and I've been searched high and low for the perfect recipe for some time. Jars of satay sauce never seem to have the deliciously thick and creamy taste you want from this special sauce, or the powerful punch of fragrant spices that should accompany it. A big thank you must go to my friend Lindsay who not only helped me to go vegan, but who also introduced me to this mouth watering satay sauce recipe that I've made my own.  This is a dinner that I have occasionally as a bit of a treat. It's very satisfying on every level - filling, creamy, fragrant and delicious! I also like to eat the rice on it's own as a light meal. You can play around with the vegetable mix you put in your rice, but I recommend always using frozen peas. Their sweet taste adds the perfect flavour, and they are sturdy enough not to get squished, unlike tinned peas.  Serves 2 Ingredi

One of the most frequent questions I get asked about vegan baking is how to replace eggs? It's certainly something of an artform, because you have to think about what properties the egg brings to each individual dish in order to correctly veganise them. One of the easiest and most effective egg-replacers for baking cakes, cookies and anything where the egg primarily serves to bind the mixture together, is Flaxseed. Ground flaxseed, also known as linseed goes thick and sticky when mixed with water, and acts as a very good binding agent. It has a slightly nutty flavour which is fine alongside strong flavours like chocolate, banana, fruit and nuts etc. You may find it's not your preference for almond or vanilla flavoured sponge cakes, and for these I tend to prefer a flavourless commercial egg replacer. But as a go-to, flaxseed is the cheapest and the easiest to have on hand. I normally buy mine from Aldi which is probably the cheapest way to get it, but it is also ava

I really love the spicy, warming flavour of this moist cake. It was a childhood favourite, either on it's own or warmed and covered with hot custard for pudding. The good news is there is no need to miss out of the yummy goodness of this cake if you are vegan and wheat or gluten free! I've devised a recipe packed with flavour and so tasty your whole family will want more. Ingredients 115g light soft brown sugar (or alternatively whatever you have in the cupboard) 75g vegan margarine 75g golden syrup 75g treacle 110ml plant milk 1 flax egg  or vegan egg replacer 225g gram flour 4 tsp ginger powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp nutmeg 1 large pinch of Himalayan pink salt 1.5 tsp baking powder Method Preheat oven to 160C and line a 2lb loaf tin with greaseproof paper. Put the sugar, margarine, golden syrup and treacle in a saucepan and warm over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until everything is well combined and you have a dark brown mixture. Remove t