Growing up, peanut butter was a sandwich standard (of course) and I only encountered other ‘nut butters’ as an adult. Almond butter could be found in the health food aisle as an expensive alternative to peanut butter, and later we could find cashew butter and macadamia butter. Nut butters are a convenient and delicious way to get a good dose of healthy fats, and protein, …
Peanut Butter Oat Cookies
After I made vegan dog cookies with peanut butter and oats and ended up scraping the bowl clean because they were so good, I thought I should make a version of the cookie for humans, just with a little extra sugar and oil because it’s a treat! These cookies are simple and delicious, with easy-to-find ingredients. If you make this recipe and decide …
Vegan Dog Treats with Peanut Butter & Oats
We’ve got a dog and it’s time to get the vegan dog treats out! There’s something really special about sharing your home with a furry companion, and learning each other’s quirks. At the moment, Kira is still on a meat-based diet, having come from a different home. But as I mentioned in my post about vegan dogs, we’re going to …
Vegan Spaghetti Carbonara
If you love a good Italian pasta, try this vegan carbonara. It’s not my recipe: it’s all Marco’s doing – he almost outcompetes my Italian friends in his love of pasta, and he knows how to cook! Traditionally, a carbonara is made by tossing spaghetti al dente in a mixture of raw eggs, grated pecorino (a hard, salty cheese), black …
Eggs: should we be eating them?
Eggs have been the topic of some heated debate in recent years. Should we be eating them? From a health perspective, there’s quite a lot of controversy in the media, as one study contradicts another, every other year. There are definitely some points in favour in eating eggs. They’re a convenient source of nutrition, they can be used in myriad ways to …
Can dogs be vegan?
It looks like I may soon be sharing my new home with a beautiful big diva of the canine persuasion. Therefore, I figured it would be a good time to read up about dogs and a vegan diet – and share my learnings here. Companion animals globally have a massive environmental footprint. So if it’s possible to reduce their impact …
Chocolate Sourdough Pancakes
Over the last few months I’ve been trying my hand at making my own sourdough – first in Cape Town with great success, and more recently in Berlin with mixed success (I used rye, which totally changes the bread obviously, something I need to get used to). Anyway: the one thing about homemade sourdough is the darn sourdough discard that …
Kiss the Ground: a review
I just watched the documentary Kiss the Ground on Netflix, and figured I’d share some thoughts on it. If you’ve watched it, it would be great to hear if it’s inspired you in any way. If you haven’t watched it, the ideas I’ll share here are worth a quick read anyway (I hope!). The theme of the film is soil …
Vegan German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)
One of the most elusive culinary achievements in my vegan kitchen has been a baked cheesecake. I’d only ever tried a frozen cheesecake, which is super easy to make (using cashews) but very pricey and a different thing entirely. Having spent some time in Germany however, I figured I’d try my hand at veganising a local speciality: Käsekuchen. It has …
Classic Hummus
I’m not one to make hummus exactly the same way twice, ever, but I figured I should write down a good hummus recipe to share! It’s such a ubiquitous vegan classic, easy and cheap enough to make at home that you’ll be kicking yourself for ever spending money (and wasteful packaging) on store-bought stuff. If you make this recipe and …
Diabetes, insulin resistance & diet
Following my first post about Carbs vs Fats, I’m looking into insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. I always thought of diabetes as an irreversible illness where you’d have to take injections every day for the rest of your life. But I’ve learnt a bit more and the great news is, that’s not true. First, some basics: What is insulin? Insulin …
Collagen on a vegan diet
A star of the beauty industry and the subject of recent bone both trends, collagen has become all the rage as a ‘must-have’ part of a supplementing regime to ensure strong nails, shiny hair, youthful skin. But is it necessary to supplement it? You might have realised that it’s not something that folks on a plant-based diet typically supplement, for the simple reason that …
Sunflower Mac
Mac ‘n cheese was a big favourite of mine as a kid, when I lived in Canada: the Kraft kind, from a box. Of course my parents never bought that stuff, I’d get it as a treat once in a while when I visited my best friend next door. And a few months after I moved back to South Africa, …
Milk those plants
Milk. If I had known the lengths to which the dairy industry goes to convince us that we can’t live without it, the rebel in me would definitely have sought out alternatives sooner. Soy milk was the first ‘milk substitute’ I learnt about—and it’s still my favourite option: it’s high in protein, has a low environmental footprint compared to other …
Homemade Sesame Milk
I ran out of soy milk, and I’m a bit tired of homemade oat milk at the moment. I happened to have a big jar of sesame seeds in the cupboard (no idea why). I know that we can make “milk” from pretty much any seeds, nuts and grains… So.I soaked 1/2 cup sesame seeds overnight, drained the water, added …
Berliner Pfannkuchen
When in Berlin, have a Berliner? Or make a vegan one? Yep, I’ll take the bait. I’ve just moved to Berlin for who-knows-how-long, and I thought I’d celebrate the occasion by trying my hand at veganising the city’s traditional pastry. It’s very similar to a doughnut: a light, sweet dough that’s fried until it puffs up, then filled with jam …
The Daily Dozen Challenge
The most helpful guide for a healthy diet that I’ve ever come across, hands-down, is called the Daily Dozen Challenge. It’s created by Dr Michael Greger (founder of NutritionFacts.org), from having researched the special benefits of different plant-food groups. It’s all very well to say that it’s best to eat a whole food plant-based diet, but different foods have very different benefits that are often not shared …
French Toast
I grew up enjoying pain perdu (French for ‘lost bread) as a weekend treat: crusty day-old bread, soaked in a milk-and-egg mixture, fried, and served up with syrup and fruit. You might also know it as eggy bread (the British take), but it’s a classic dish known and enjoyed in different parts of Europe for ages: the earliest-known recipe dates …
Aquafaba: the best vegan egg substitute
I get a lot of blank stares when I mention this ingredient, which is understandable: it’s quite a recent discovery by a French food blogger in 2014. This revelation was transformative for the vegan culinary scene, opening up a world of possibilities: suddenly, the elusive meringue was achievable, along with chocolate mousse, macarons, nougat, ice cream and marshmallows. What is it? It’s …
Soba Noodles with Edamame & Shiitake Mushrooms
This is a new favourite of mine! Perfect for a weeknight dinner (because it’s quick & easy) or a dinner party (because it’s beautiful & tasty). Maybe a little tricky to find the ingredients, depending where you are, but check your local Asian grocer and other specialty shops. It’s worth it! Soba noodles, made from buckwheat, are naturally gluten-free (if …
