Tabla de contenidos para July 2021 en PlantBased

Heinz for Baby (heinzbaby.co.uk) is adding a new plant-based range to its existing line-up. The new plant-based products have been designed for parents who are looking to add more plant-based food to their baby’s weaning journey. The range is boosted by protein-rich pulses, and include three products: Saucy Pasta Stars with Beans & Carrot, Potato Bake with Green Beans and Sweet Garden Peas, and Risotto with Chickpeas & Pumpkin. Georgina Fotopolou, Heinz for Baby Senior Brand Manager, said “We are so excited to be launching this new range for little ones, made with their budding taste buds and parents’ needs in mind. At Heinz for Baby we have 90 years of experience when it comes to making baby food, and we know how important it is for parents to make…

Make a summer bucket list It’s officially summer; school’s out, the temperatures are soaring, and the days are long. Why not make a list of the things you want to do this summer? It’s a fun activity to do with the kids, your partner or your friends, as a great way to spend time together. The good thing about a summer list is that you can make it as big or small as you want. Include theme parks and festivals if you think you’ll be able to tick them off, but if money’s tight or you’re staying closer to home, try swimming in the sea, eating chips on the beach, or making your own ice lollies – they are all fairly inexpensive and easy things to do that will ensure…

Did you know? Sitting too long can ‘undo’ benefits of exercise A study has shown that 30 minutes of exercise a day may not benefit everyone, and instead, three minutes of exercise for every hour spent seated could extend life by 30 per cent. source: Glasgow Caledonian University Wild Swimming When the COVID-19 pandemic caused gyms and swimming pools to be shut down over night, we all had to look for alternative ways to exercise. One such way for many people (once we were allowed to leave the house), was wild swimming. If you’ve never heard of wild swimming, it’s possibly just because you’ve never heard it described in such terms. It is, quite simply, swimming outdoors, instead of taking to the local pool to do your laps. It’s also…

Picnic Pasta Salad Serves: 4-5 This is the ultimate crowd-pleasing pasta salad to bring to a picnic, potluck, or BBQ. It’s easy to make, and the flavour of the vinaigrette is spot on! • 340g (12oz) dried short pasta, cooked, drained, rinsed, and cooled• 150g (5.2 oz) chopped red, yellow, and/or orange bell pepper• 130g (4.5 oz) diced cucumber• 180g (6.3 oz) halved or quartered cherry or grape tomatoes• Approx 150g (5.2 oz) favourite veg of choice (see ideas)• 90g (3.1 oz) sliced pitted kalamata olives• 2-3 tbsp diced red onion or shallot (optional; see note)• 2-3 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes (optional)• 1 batch Italian Vinaigrette (recipe below)• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 1 In a large bowl, combine the pasta, bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, other veg,…

Pink Grapefruit Kombucha Makes: 4.5 litres (8 pints) A beautifully light, fruity and refreshing kombucha with a sweet and tangy citrus flavour. For the first fermentation: • 8 organic black tea bags• 1L (1.7 pints) boiling water• 175g (6.1 oz) organic granulated sugar• 2.5L (4.4 pints) cold water• 500ml (17fl oz) starter tea• 1 SCOBY For the second fermentation: • 1L (1.7 pints) freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice• 90g (3.1 oz) organic granulated sugar Equipment you will need: • A brewing vessel (5 litre jar)• Breathable cotton cloth• Elastic band• A thermometer• A funnel• 18 x 250ml bottles with an airtight seal (suitable for carbonated drinks), clean and sterilised 1 Stage 1: First fermentation: In a large jug, add your tea bags and boiling water and let the tea brew…

Baba Ganoush Falafel Chickpea Flour Wraps Serves: 2 Crispy and flavour-packed falafels with fresh salad, rich and smooth homemade baba ganoush and light and fluffy chickpea flour wraps, this meal is a simple, plant-based and gluten-free lunch or dinner that hits the spot every time. • 1 x batch Fava Bean and Sesame Falafel (see recipe)• 40g (1.4 oz) kale, shredded• 1 small carrot, grated• 1 tsp olive oil• 1 tsp lemon juice• A pinch of salt• 8 cherry tomatoes, chopped small• 1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped For the wraps: • 100g (3.5 oz) chickpea/gram flour• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar• 200ml (6.7 fl oz) lukewarm water For the Baba Ganoush: • 1 aubergine• 2 tbsp tahini• 1 tbsp lemon juice• ½ tsp ground…

Originating from a flower called crocus sativus, saffron is one of the most precious spices in the world, holding the title of the costliest spice by weight. The reason for this is that harvesting saffron is labour-intensive, and its yield is low. A common way to use saffron is to soak it in hot water, that helps draw out the flavours and colour from the spice. However, if you are making a dish that uses a lot of water and takes some time to cook, adding it straight to the dish will be fine, as long as you add it early. Saffron is famously used in paella, giving the rice dish its vibrant yellow colour.…

Hebden Bridge, in West Yorkshire, is set to be home to a brand new vegan bed and breakfast. The Vegan Home is the brainchild of Shira Kimmerling, a passionate vegan and mother of two young boys; Shira has been raising money via Crowdfunder to help with the cost of the project. “I know how important it is for vegans to stay in a vegan household and how rare it is to find a tasty and healthy vegan breakfast to set you up for a day of walking,” says Shira. “It’s surprising that vegan and eco-conscious holidays are still very hard to find, even though there is a growing community of vegans across the country.” Shira has been vegetarian since she was 20, and went vegan eight years ago. She is…

State lawmakers in Texas, US, have passed a bill that will ban the use of words such as ‘meat’, ‘chicken’, and ‘beef’ on vegan food labels. House Bill 316 was introduced in November 2020, and passed earlier this year in May. It states that any food products that are labelled as “livestock, poultry product, analogue product or cell-cultured product” will be considered mis-branded if it is an imitation of another food, unless ‘imitation’, ‘meatless’, ‘plant-based’, or other similar words are used. In November, State Representative Brad Buckley, who is also a veterinarian, said: “This is for those who choose to eat meat, but it’s also for those who choose to not eat meat.”…

Wicked Kitchen, the exclusive plant-based range at Tesco (tesco.com), has partnered with Beyond Meat to launch a line of frozen ready meals. It marks the first time that the vegan meat alternative has collaborated with another UK food manufacturer. Derek Sarno, co-founder of Wicked Kitchen and Director of Plant-Based Innovation at the supermarket, took to his Instagram account (@dereksarno) to announce the news initially, later saying in a statement: “Both Wicked Kitchen and Beyond Meat have worked hard to create excitement in the world of plant-based food in the UK and we are thrilled to be working with them on this new range. We hope that the launch of these new meals will encourage more people to give plant-based food a try. Early feedback from people who took part in…

NailKind All You Need is Fun Collection This natural, vegan and cruelty-free nail collection is adding three new shades to its range to create the Fun Collection. Colours included are Ibiza Sunset, Flip Flop, Playdate, Skinny Dip, California Lilac and Popsicle Party. £9.50 each nailkind.com Vite Capsules Choose from Brain Capsules, providing your brain with everything it needs for peak performance; and Body Capsules, enriched with a balance of prebiotic fibre, probiotic live cultures and digestive enzymes for a good-bacteria boost. £25 vitenaturals.com The Natural Deodorant Co Clean Deodorant Balm Packaged in glass jars and with tin plate lids, this is a proudly plastic-free beauty product – a natural and sustainable deodorant balm. Available in Lemon & Geranium, Orange & Bergamot, Palmarosa & Mandarin, Grapefruit & Mint, and a For…

Celebrities have spoken out about their experiences of menopause in recent years. TV presenter Lorraine Kelly described feeling ‘narky’ and suffering hot flushes, while ex-Countdown presenter Carol Vorderman revealed how she battled depression and, at times, didn’t ‘see the point in carrying on’. Menopause is when your ovaries stop producing eggs, periods end and you are no longer able to get pregnant naturally. Symptoms are caused by the drop in sex hormones oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. Oestrogen helps develop and maintain female characteristics and the reproductive system and contributes to cognitive, cardiovascular and bone health and other processes. Progesterone prepares the womb for pregnancy but may also enhance memory while calming and suppressing anxiety. Many regard testosterone as a ‘male’ hormone but women also need it and too little can…

Mude This range of drinks has five varieties, depending on your mood: Work, Sleep, Chill, Protect, and Play. The drinks combine natural ingredients to support your immune system and provide the benefits you need depending on how you are feeling. £25 (pack of 12), thenakedcollective.com Gallybird Gallybird’s range of carefully-balanced premium tonic waters are blended from natural ingredients, and sweetened using Stevia leaf extract. Choose from Indian tonic – a classic blend with the traditional bite of Quinine, or Botanical Blend, with delicate citrus tones. From ?5 (pack of 4), gallybird.com OTO CBD A tasty blend of CBD with functional botanicals – these drinks promote focus, relaxation and balance. Made with all-natural, vegan ingredients, including revitalising botanic extracts with natural adaptogens. £11 (pack of 3), otocbd.com teapigs Kombucha This kombucha…

Co-op (coop.co.uk) has revealed a number of new vegan items being launched into its GRO range this summer. The items include Buffalo Cauliflower Wings – polenta-coated cauliflower florets, served with a Dijon mustard, lemon and chives dip; and Tomato & Basil Cocktail Sausages – made from plant-protein and seasoned with black pepper. Also in the range are Incredible Burger Bites with M’C Sauce, and Salted Caramel Swirl Vegan Ice Cream. The announcement of the new products comes shortly after the news that Co-op is slashing prices on its plant-based range to match meat-based equivalents. 29 fresh, chilled and ambient products have been reduced in price, as Co-op unveiled a 10-point climate change action plan to achieve net zero for its direct and indirect carbon emissions by 2040. Jo Whitfield, Co-op…

Vegan charity Viva! (viva.org.uk) is hitting the streets with a vegan burger van this summer. Starting in Brighton on 17th July, the van will be providing free vegan burgers with all the trimmings to the British public, and engaging in conversations about how easy it is to swap meat for vegan alternatives. The tour is part of Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign, which is running throughout the summer, highlighting the urgent need to go vegan now for the sake of the planet. The van will be decorated with facts about veganism and the impact that animal agriculture has on the world. Follow Viva! on Instagram to keep up to date with the tour: @vivacharity…

Frankie & Benny’s launch new post-lockdown menu Nationwide restaurant chain Frankie & Benny’s (frankieandbennys.com) reopened indoor dining in line with the easing of national restrictions in May, and introduced a new menu to mark the occasion. With a number of new vegan dishes for plant-based diners to get excited about, there’s one particular item that is sure to get everybody talking: Vegan BBQ Wings, in collaboration with Biff’s UK (biffs.co), one of the UK’s favourite vegan fast food restaurants. The new dish is made of Biff’s crispy jackfruit wingz, BBQ sauce, and comes on a sugarcane ‘bone’, with vegan mayo. Also joining the menu is a new pasta option, Vegan Pepperoni Bake, made using vegan pepperoni, Napoletana tomato sauce, chilli, roasted red pepper, red pesto and seasonal leaves. A vegan-friendly dessert…

“After a year of not being able to see the ones we love as easily as we would like, summer afternoons are a perfect chance to get together and enjoy a tasty feast” Does anything feel more like summer than walking down the street and getting a whiff of BBQ coals from someone’s garden? As the temperature rises, you’ll probably find yourself thinking about dusting off the BBQ and inviting some of your favourite people to your garden to enjoy a grilled feast. Once upon a time, you might have been forgiven for thinking that there was no way to be vegan and enjoy a BBQ. Never mind all the meat products, it wasn’t even that easy to make a plant-based potato salad! But that was then, and this is…

Plastic Free July (plasticfreejuly.org) takes place every year to encourage people to think about how much plastic they are using in their day-to-day lives, and to take steps to reduce it. Awareness of the plastic pollution problem is higher than ever, but even with a conscious effort, it can be hard to avoid plastic altogether. If you’re just starting out on a plastic-free journey, your kitchen is a great place to begin. There are a whole host of swaps you can make to cut out the plastic that you use every day, and once you’re on your way, you’ll find it easier to apply similar swaps throughout the whole house. A great way to start cutting down on plastic is to take a look at your weekly shop; most supermarket…

The cherry tree is native to Asia and Europe and many species now grow across the Northern hemisphere, including wild cherries. For culinary purposes, there are two main species – sweet and sour. The sweet ones are best fresh while sour cherries are usually used in cooking as they’re simply too sour to be enjoyed on their own. What’s in a cup? One cup of fresh, whole sweet cherries offers natural fruit sugar as well as over three grams of fibre, two grams of protein, small amounts of B vitamins, beta-carotene (vitamin A), vitamin K, 18 per cent of your vitamin C requirement and small amounts of important minerals such as iron, calcium, copper, magnesium and potassium. Sour cherries are similar, the only differences being less sugar, more beta-carotene, malic…

Cheesy Potato Fritters with Sweetcorn Serves: 4 Grate the potatoes in advance, then get the kids involved with mixing the ingredients together to make the fritters. They’ll love eating what they’ve made! • 3 large russet potatoes, grated (approx. 340g/12oz)• Half a white onion, sliced• 2 flax eggs or vegan egg replacer• 200g (7oz) tinned sweetcorn• 80g (2.8 oz) plain flour• 1 tsp garlic powder• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda• 120g (4.2 oz) vegan cheese, grated• Olive oil• Plain vegan Greek yoghurt• Fresh chives, chopped• Salt and pepper to taste 1 Grate the potatoes into a kitchen towel and squeeze as much moisture out of them as possible. 2 In a bowl, mix the potatoes with the onion, flax eggs/egg replacer, sweetcorn, flour, garlic powder, bicarbonate of soda and cheese.…