Whole wheat bread recipe

For a long time I've been looking for a consistently good whole wheat bread recipe, that rises, isn't as hard as a brick, and doesn't fall apart when you put a knife into it. I think I've found it! While browsing the wonder that is Veg Web, I found a recipe there by dbsnova that looked good so I gave it a whirl, and it was fabulous! I made some changes to the original recipe (which can be found here), by using apple sauce in place of the oil to keep the calories down, and left out the molasses also. Here's what you'll need to make 2 1lb loaves:

•  2 3/4 cups hand hot water
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Up to 7 1/2 cups 100% wholewheat flour
• 2 tablespoons dry active yeast

Mix the yeast, water and sugar together and leave for a few minutes, until you get a brown 'froth' on top of the water. Start the mixer, and add the applesauce plus 2 cups of the flour. When combined, add another 4 cups of flour. When that's combined, add flour, one half cup at a time until the mixture starts coming away from the sides of the bowl. It will still be tacky to the touch, but not be sticking to the bowl anymore. Don't use anymore than the allotted 7 1/2 cups.
Cover the bowl and leave for about an hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Give the mixer another whirl to knock some of the air, then turn into a floured surface. Gently shape into a round, then halve dough and shape each into an oblong before placing into oiled loaf tins. Leave to rise again for about an hour, then place into a preheated 350 degree oven for about 30 - 35 minutes.
When you bring the two loaves out of the oven, leave in the tins for about 10 minutes while they cool down, and they should come cleanly out of the tins.
Enjoy!

Wanna go to the very first Vegan Bloggers Conference? Course you do!!!

How exciting is this!!! Next August, for the very first time, will be a conference JUST for the ever growing vegan blogging community! Called Vida Vegan, and to be held in Portland, Oregon it promises to be super fun time.

With loads of speakers (see the current list here), a great looking agenda, and awesomely yummy food, how could you resist?

Go get a ticket now!!!

What's for dinner? Shepherdess Pie with a 'cheesy' leeky crust

Fall for me means lots of lovely comfort food, and there's nothing more comforting than a good old shepherds pie, especially one as easy as this one! This one is adapted from a recipe from the English dame of cooking, Delia Smith, and it took just a few simple tweaks to make it suitable for our vegan table. The original recipe is here.
Seeing as shepherds pie is traditionally made from lamb, this one is renamed as shepherdess pie!

You will need...

• 1 cup dry TVP (or whatever burger crumbles you like)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 medium onions
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 3/4 cup chopped rutabaga (or swede if you live in good old England!)
• 1/2 level teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley (or 1/2 tablespoon dried parsley)
• 10 fl. oz vegetable stock (I used Better than Bouillon brand)
• 1/2 cup Daiya Cheddar style shreds (or whatever vegan cheese you prefer)
• 1 large leek, sliced thinly
• 2lbs potatoes
• 2 tablespoon vegan margarine (I like Smart Balance Light)

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
If using TVP, rehydrate with 1 cup boiling water.
Gently saute onions, carrots and rutabaga for about 10 minutes until the onion turns opaque.
Add the herbs, spices and burger crumbles, then gradually add the stock.
Turn the heat down and cook for about 30 minutes.
While that's cooking, peel and boil the potatoes then mash with the margarine. Don't use milk or any other liquid for this mash as you need it to be pretty firm on top of the filling.
Turn the filling into an ovenproof dish, top with the mash, sprinkle with the leek slices and then the Daiya.
Cook for 25 minutes and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

How humane is your city?

I came across this nifty site today from the Humane Society of the United States, where 25 large cities are compared for how humane they are. You can also see issues specific to your area and how you can help.

Check it out, here.

'Let's Move' launches school lunch menu contest

Let's Move (the anti-obesity campaign started by First Lady Michelle Obama), in partnership with the USDA has launched a competition to create healthy plant based school lunch menus. The participants will be grouped together and the menus judged by students initially, then as they progress through the contest, a panel of judges  and then the public via a website.

To find out more info, go here.

This Dish is Veg launches new social network!

 

The lovely people at This Dish is Veg has launched a social network! It doesn't matter if your focus is veganism, vegetarianism, flexitarian, animal welfare, or green topics, This Dish is Veg Social has a spot just for you!

Come take a peek... here!

Tonights '30 Days' show deer hunter living a cruelty free life for a month

Tonight, Planet Green is airing an episode of '30 Days' that challenges hunter George Snedeker to not only live with a vegan family for a month, but also to participate in several PETA initiatives during his stay. The show, hosted by Morgan Spurlock of 'Supersize Me' fame, takes a person and asks them to live the life of someone else for 30 days, typically taking them far outside of their comfort zone.

To preview the episode and to learn more about 30 Days, please visit Planet Green.

Happy birthday John Lennon!

I've been a huge Beatles fan for as long as I can remember (thanks Dad!), and as I got older a lover of John Lennon's solo career too. It's hard to wrap my head around the fact he would have been 70 years old today - I wonder what he would have done with the last 30 years? I'd like to think he would still be getting in people's faces while creating magical music.

Rock on John!

UK Food Standards Agency calls for cameras to be installed in slaughterhouses

Once again, a distressing undercover video has been released, documenting the cruel and unnecessary violence that animals destined for slaughter as subjected to.
The video, taken from secretly installed cameras at seven slaughter houses in the United Kingdom, has been released by Animal Aid and shows graphic scenes of animals being beaten, kicked and stunned inappropriately.
Sadly, as the cameras were installed 'unlawfully' it is unlikely there will be any prosecution, however Tim Smith, chief executive of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has backed a move to install cameras in all abattoirs across England saying, "We looked at the cost [of installing CCTV], and it didn't seem to us to be disproportionate, compared to the reassurance that the customer of that plant might get. If I was a major retailer in this country and thinking what I was going to give my customers that … the best animal welfare standards were being used, then I would be putting [CCTV installation] in the specification for meat procurement."

You can see the video at the Guardian's website here.

Compassion Over Killing to air two new pro-veg commercials

Starting next Monday (11th October), Compassion over Killing will air 30 second commercials portraying the miseries forced upon animals raised for food.
The ads called 'Exploring your Food' and 'A Side of Truth' are to be shown on Animal Planet, MTV and Comedy Central over the next four weeks.

Look what we had for dinner tonight...

The photos really doesn't do it justice. This looked stunning when I turned it out of the dish, and believe me this was delicious!!!

I've been lucky enough to test some of Zel Allen's (Vegetarians in Paradise) recipes for her upcoming cookbook, and this was the latest trial. It's a Thanksgiving Filo Pie, filled with lovely veggies, rice and barley, and made my kitchen smell divine!

Thanks Zel!

Meet Lady Baa Baa...

...modeling a beautiful kale ensemble at the Pasado Safe Haven.

Much more appealing than the dress we saw a few weeks ago at the MTV Video Music Awards don't you think?

I'm a Vegan MoFo... are you?

I signed up today for Vegan MoFo and I am soooooo excited! In fact I'm so excited that I wrote so like sooooooo, which I never normally do... Vegan MoFo is a month long celebration of vegan food, that started life on the Post Punk Kitchen and has now gone bananas! The idea is to write about anything food related all month long, it could be your fave vegan recipe, memories of something yummy you ate or your must have kitchen tool but the deal is you have to write every day if you can.

Up for the challenge? Sign up on the form here!

FDA warns of buying reduced price pet meds online

Second piece for This Dish is Veg today talks about the dangers of buying reduced price pet medications online, and how you can be sure that the sites you use are safe,

You can read it here...

First post of the week for This Dish is Veg!

Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images

First post this week is regarding Katherine Heigl and the Heigl Foundation who have initiated a series of programs in Los Angeles to help reduce the number of homeless animals who are euthanized each year.

You can read it here!

Happy World Vegetarian Day!!!

October 1st is World Vegetarian Day and to make everyone feel part of the celebration, the North American Vegetarian Society (NAVS) has issued a challenge to try and eat meat-free during this month and you could win $1000!

To find out more, check out the World Vegetarian Day home page.