phvegan

[phvegan]

Information about ingredients for raw chocolate.

Ingredients

CAROB POWDER

Carob is a legume from the carob tree, an evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean. Once the tree reaches maturity it can annually produce 250pounds, and can continually bear fruit for more than 100yrs.

Carob also has several non-food uses. The small hard seeds inside the pods were once used as weights and provided the term "carat." These uniform seeds were first used by goldsmiths as measuring devices.

In addition to not having the negative effects of chocolate, carob is very nutritious. Carob contains as much Vitamin B1 as asparagus or strawberries; as much niacin as lima beans, lentils, or peas; and more Vitamin A than eggplant, asparagus, and beets. It also contains Vitamin B2, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and the trace minerals iron, manganese, chromium, copper, and nickel. It contains approximately 8 percent protein and is a good source of fiber. Compared to dairy based chocolate, carob is three times richer in calcium, has one third less calories and seventeen times less fat. 28 grams of carob powder has about 100 calories and  10 grams of fiber and 0.18g rams of fat

LUCUMA POWDER

Lucuma is a whole fruit powder, it is a dense fruit from Peru. Lucuma fruit is an excellent source of carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins and minerals. It has lots of beta-carotene, niacin (B3) and iron. This exotic Peruvian fruit is also known as the "Gold of the Incas", and is also one of the lost crops of the Incas.

CACAO NIBS

Cacao nibs are broken pieces of raw whole cacao beans that are the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of Theobroma cacao.

Only in Raw form, Cacao has tons of nutrients packed in like;

antioxidants

minerals; potassium, magnesium and calcium

vitamins; E, C, D, A and B1

mood modifiers; anadamide (occurs naturally in the brain), phenylethlamine (the love chemical) and tryptophan (an essential amino acid)

What is ORAC? USDA developed a scale called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity). It's a high-tech way of measuring the ability of antioxidants to absorb cell damaging, wrinkle causing, tissue destructive free radicals.

Here's an example to illustrate a common confusion: one web site lists both dark cocoa powder and Acai powder (Acai is an exotic fruit from Brazil) at the top of the ORAC Scale. They say natural cocoa powder tops the list with a score of 26,000. The Açai berry rates second highest, making it the powerhouse of the fruit world with a score of 18,500. But what the company conveniently hides is that the cocoa powder and Acai ORAC ratings are for 100 grams! Could you eat 100 grams of straight chocolate powder? Eugh! If you calculate the ORAC units per gram you quickly see that dark cocoa powder is at 260 and Acai is 185.

Not bad, but that's nothing compared to the whopping 955 ORAC Units found in each gram of raw unsprayed cacao powder! The raw version of cacao powder contains 367% more antioxidants than the very best cooked version. We knew the antioxidant rating would be good for this chocolate, but even we were shocked with the results.

taken from http://www.envirohealthtech.com/cacao.htm

Cacao or pure chocolate contains chemicals that increase serotonin levels in the brain and suppress the appetite. Serotonin levels can be raised by the amino acid tryptophan in cacao as well as the action of monoamine oxidase enzyme inhibitors (MAO inhibitors). These decrease our body’s ability to break down serotonin so that more of this neurotransmitter remains in the brain, creating feelings of fullness for longer. Cacao also contains typically about 130 phyto-chemicals. Modern scientist are using some phyto-chemicals to make expensive anti-cancer drugs which you could well get naturally from Cacao.

LEMON JUICE

Lemons are Acidic but have a Alkalising effect on the body, the body works best in a slightly Alkaline environment, this is 7.5 - 8.6. To test your PH you can buy PH strips.

COCONUT PALM SUGAR

Coconut Palm suger (not to be confused with normal palm sugar) has the lowest GI (glycemic index), of nearly all sugars. It is about half the GI of caster sugar of the same weight.

AGAVE SYRUP

Agave syrup is nectar produced from the Blue Agaves that thrive in the volcanic soils of Southern Mexico. Agaves are large, spikey plants that resemble cactus or yuccas in both form and habitat, but they are actually succulents similar to the familiar Aloe Vera. Due to the Blue Agave's high carbohydrate content (which results in a high percentage of fructose in the final nectar), Blue Agave is the preferred species for producing nectar. The taste of agave nectar is comparable, though not identical, to honey. Agave is also the plant they use to make Tequila from, it has also been used for thousands of years as an ingredient in food. Agave has a lower GI level than regular sugar of equal weight.

VANILLA EXTRACT

Vanilla extract, is a solution containing the flavor compound vanillin. Pure vanilla extract is made by macerating and percolating vanilla beans in a solution of ethyl alcohol and water. Natural vanilla flavoring is derived from real vanilla beans with little to no alcohol. The maximum amount of alcohol that is usually present is only 2%-3%.

DATES

Dates are a highly nourishing food.  It provides natural sugar in the form of glucose and fructose. Being easily digested, they are very useful for supplying energy and repairing waste. Dates help if you are hungover, have a weak heart or have constipation.

HOW THEY CHANGE THE TASTE OF THE CHOCOLATE

All of these ingredients I have used to make Krakao chocolates I have sourced from the best organic sources. I feel that everyone of the ingredients is good for you and improves on the flavour as well as decreasing the bitterness of raw cacao nibs, which are too heavy for people to eat on their own. Obviously the sweeteners and sugars improve the sweet and sugar effect and make it taste more like dairy based chocolate.

[phvegan]

Sam dahl's

Ingredients

Split red lentils

2 onions

4 pieces of garlic 

Coriander powder

Cumin powder

Chilli powder

Cumin seeds

Coriander seeds

Ajwain seeds

Tomato paste

Salt

Pepper

Vegetable oil

Potatoes

Chickpeas

Chopped tomatoes

4 Small green chillies

Fresh coriander

Directions

1. Put lentils in a pan and fill so there is about 1cm of water above the lentils brings��to the boil and then simmer for 10-12mins.

2. Finely chop the onions and garlic and chillies fry with a little oil till the onions are wilted and then add the coriander, cumin and ajwain seeds, about 1 tablespoon of each to the pan and fry until the seeds start to release their flavours. (make sure it does not burn)

3. Add the coriander, cumin and chilli powder with the tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and salt and pepper along with about 4 tablespoons of oil, it should now be quite a thick mixture.

4. Peel and slice potatoes and boil for 10mins and then add to the mixture with a drained can of chickpeas.

5. Once the lentils are cooked add them to the fried mixture and stir until well mixed.

6. Add chopped coriander when finished cooking and serve with homemade houmous and pitta bread.

Enjoy!

[phvegan]

I  made this recently from this recipe and it almost worked it just needs a little refinement to get it a bit drier. But it is certainly a way to make vegan cheese that can melt and also be milky.

[phvegan]

Oriental Pie recipe

Oriental Pie - feeds 6

Ingredients:

8 spring onions

250 g portobello mushrooms halved

200 g shiitake mushrooms

1 garlic clove crushed

2.5 cm piece of fresh ginger sliced into matchsticks

1 cinnamon stick

2 star anise

100ml light soy sauce

100ml stock

200g cooked chick peas

vegetable oil for frying

for the topping:

200g mashed potato

200g mashed sweet potato

150g vegan butter

50ml soya cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. fry the spring onions in a little oil until they wilt,add all the mushrooms to the pan and cook for 5 mins,

then add garlic ginger cinnamon and star anise and cook for 5 mins more.

2. add the soy sauce and stock and bring to the boil, then simmer for about 10 mins to reduce to half.

3. preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Pour  the mushroom mixture into a baking dish and add the chick peas.

4. To make the topping, put both mashed potatoes into a saucepan and stir to combine. Beat in the butter and cream

and season well, then warm through over a low heat.

5. spoon the mash on top of the mushroom and chickpea mixture and cook in the oven for 15 mins. Finish

off under the grill to brown the top.

[phvegan]

great site detailing everything you might need to know as a vegan about protein intake

[phvegan]

Nut Roast recipe

Nut roast recipe

Ingredients

2 x leeks 

400gr of mushrooms

3 garlic

1/2 pint of stock

100gr of flour

mixed seeds

mixed nuts

Instructions

1. Finely chop leeks and mushrooms, add to pan with oil over medium heat, add the garlic, season with mixed herbs, salt and pepper.

2, Make up stock and get a bowl and grind nuts down and mix with seeds and flour

3. Mix fried and dry ingredients together and put in over until brown on top, serve with a selection of vegetables.

[phvegan]

my raw vegan journey

I recently after a trip to a raw vegan social meetup.com group I went to in Manchester, I was tempted to go raw vegan, as it was something I had always thought about ever since I first went vegan. I did a three day prune juice colon cleanse and did a lot of research to find out what foods were good to eat and what was affordable for myself on my budget. I used cron-o-meter to check that I would be getting the correct nutrients and that I wouldnt be deficient in anything. I then had a plan of which these recipes I used; raw egg salad raw mashed potatoes raw broccoli soup raw courgette houmous I also made a big mixed salad including; radishes, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, green olives, kidney beans, avocado, sweetcorn, with a range of seeds. Every morning I made a fresh juice of 1 apple, 2 carrots, 1 beetroot 1 piece of ginger.

Initially I was really comfortable with this new diet and felt that my digestion was a lot better and I felt full with more energy and noticed improvements straight away. It was however still summer time and the weather was good so I found myself getting the correct amount of calories. I wasn't completely raw as there is a free meal every week that I go to and the food is cooked and friends often offer meals which are cooked too so I didnt deny those and I like making vegan chocolate cakes so I still made those about once a week.

After about 5 or 6 weeks and with the weather changing and also not having as much money to spend on food because of other expenses in my life, I have realised I need more calories and whilst I still intend to continue doing as many raw meals a week. Below is a example of the plates of food I was making.

[phvegan]

Chocolate vegan cake

Chocolate vegan cake

Ingredients:

- Baking Powder

- Flour

- Sugar

- Soya milk (or another vegan milk)

- extra virgin olive oil

- 100gram 70% vegan chocolate

- vanilla extract

- himlayan pink salt

Instructions:

1. Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl, their should be two parts flour to one part sugar, mix all other dry ingredients into this mix.

2. mix all wet ingredients including melted chocolate but not soya milk in the wet mix

3. mix wet ingredients in large bowl slowly add soya milk until the consistency is runny but smooth like a thick fruit smoothie, it should be tough on your arm muscles.

4. Put the mixture into a cake tin or bread tin, either lined with grease proof paper or vegan margarine. Put it into pre-heated over to cook until a knife comes cleanly out, if the cake starts to brown on the top, cover with foil in the oven. let it cool on a rack, once cool add icing per instructions below.

Icing ingredients:

- icing sugar

- 100gram 70% vegan chocolate

- vegan margarine

Icing Instructions:

1. mix icing sugar and margarine in a bowl the mixture should seem dry.

2. melt the chocolate and slowly whip into the icing.

3. apply generously to your cool cake.

4. place cake with icing in fridge or cool place to harden the icing and then eat and enjoy!

[phvegan]

Sugar makes us feel so good—that is, until it doesn’t. No one enjoys the cravings, guilt, and health problems that come with being addicted to the processed sugar that’s abundant in many desserts, snacks, and candies.

Good article if you want to cut your sugar intake.

[phvegan]

Cauliflower Sheese recipe

Ingredients:

- fresh cauliflower

- soya milk

- flour

- sheese* (see recipe below)

- pepper and salt

Instructions:

Chop the cauilflower into small pieces and steam for about 10mins and let them rest. Mix the sheese and other ingredients in a jar with a soup blender and then add to a low heat pan and continually stir to warm the milk till it is steaming, turn off the heat and stir in the cauliflower.

*Sheese recipe

Ingredients/tools:

- garlic

- cashew/pine nuts

- agar agar (sea vegetable gelatine)

- spices

Instructions

Mix the agar agar flakes with boiling water* for 8 mins*. Grind the nuts into a fine powder and mix in the rest of the other ingredients*  in a blender to a thick sauce/paste and then stir in the warm agar agar sauce. Place the mixture in a plastic tub of the shape you want the finished sheese to be and leave to cool.

When cooled this can be grated if so desired.

*depending how much water you put with the agar agar flakes determines the dry/wet quality of the sheese

*or according to the packet instructions

*the spices determine the flavour so choose what you want the flavour to be like

[phvegan]

Good list of cravings, I dont approve of all the suggestions but it is interesting none the less

[phvegan]

southwestern spicy deep fried sweet potato with guacamole and chopped tomatoes recipe

southwestern spicy deep fried sweet potato with guacamole and chopped tomatoes recipe

This recipe is great for as a snack or appetizer and doesn’t take long to produce and is really tasty.

equipment:

lemon juicer

mixing bowls x 2

oil for frying

kitchen roll

additional flour

ingredients:

sweet potato 200 gr peeled and chopped into small pieces

batter;

yellow mustard 3 tsp

flour 200gr

water 400ml

1 tsp of salt

1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

guacamole;

2 avocados (de-stoned)

3 red chillies finely chopped

1 lemon

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 piece of garlic chopped

1 vine tomato chopped into 16 quarters

instructions

to make the batter, mix all of batter ingredients into a smooth batter.

parboil the potatoes and then get a bowl of flour, dry the potatoes out on some kitchen roll on a plate and then dip the potatoes into the flour and cover, into the batter and cover, and then back into the flour and cover, and fry in a pan of hot oil for about 2mins each side and let it rest on some kitchen roll paper on a plate.

to make the guacamole, put the flesh into a jug with the garlic, salt, pepper, lemon and use a hand blender mix till it is smooth, stir in the fresh chillies* and then spoon into a bowl the mixture and top with fresh chopped vine tomatoes.

*The chillies can be replaced if you don't have access to them with tobasco sauce and chilli powder and cayenne pepper

[phvegan]

According to most statistics only 1% of the population are vegan, let's find out if that is accurate!  Please take this survey so I can start mapping out where we all are across the globe - I'm rea...

Fill this in if you want show your support to see how many vegans there are in the world.

[phvegan]

A collection of essays by Gary Yourofsky and others that addresses nearly every question about veganism, from evolution and creation to the economy and vitamin B12.

I have been rechecking this website recently as Garry has updated the articles.

[phvegan]

Green pasta sauce

This is a simple pasta sauce that can be made from a variety of these ingredients; kale, spinach, rocket, nettles, doc leaves but the best flavour comes from the recipe below;

ingredients:

a avocado, de-stoned and skinned

a packet of rocket

50grams of ground cashew nuts

a piece of garlic

energivita (nonactive yeast flakes)

salt

pepper

extra virgin olive oil 50ml

Instructions:

Put all the ingredients into a jug and use a hand blender to blend all ingredients into a sauce.

Make your favourite whole wheat pasta boil brocoli (optional) and then once drained stir pasta sauce, till warm and enjoy!

[phvegan]

“There is compelling evidence, now published in top scientific journals and some of which is decades old, showing that cows’ milk is associated, possibly even causally, with a wide variety of serious human ailments including various cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and an array of allergy-related diseases. And, this food contains no nutrients that cannot be [...]