Countdown to Christmas #3

Being a vegetarian for many years means I have experimented with many variations on the traditional Christmas dinner.  Butternut squash lasagne, goats cheese and roasted tomato quiche, and the Quorn roast to name but a few. 

Quorn is an excellent alternative to meat but please not that if you are a vegan reader then Quorn products are not suitable for vegans, however, the Linda McCartney food range is simply delicious and many of the products are suitable for vegans. 

Both Linda McCartney and Quorn products are available at major supermarkets and many of these stores hold their own brands of vegetarian/vegan foods which can be just as delicious.

If you are a meat eater why not set yourself a challenge this Christmas and try something new for Christmas dinner?

BBC Good Food’s yummy Vegetarian Roast

Jamie Oliver’s festive Best Ever Cranberry and Pistachio Nut Roast

AllBritishFood.com take on the healthy Vegetarian Roast Loaf

Cookingforvegans.co.uk have some delicious recipes that include Portobello Mushrooms in Puff Pastry with Red Onion and Tomato Sauce and Roasted Squash, Cranberry, Walnut and Puff Pastry Parcels

 Christmas advice on food from the Vegan Society

 The Guardian article on a Merry Veggie Christmas (with recipes)

Anyone else hungry?

Lush Links!

Rabbits!  Happy November! 

(Talking of Rabbits, I have a Rabbit related article coming up later in the week)

I've just had chance to check out the latest Lush Newsletter and I'm so glad I did, as well as gorgeous, cruelty free, hand made products there is a wealth of information which I have been inspired to share with you...

Beautiful Bats (Quite fitting for Halloween) Bats are absolutely fascinating creatures and I will be looking at them a bit more in depth at some point, my boyfriend is studying Biology at University and one of his lecturers is an expert on Bats so I should be able to come up with an interesting article.

Today is World Vegan Day, to celebrate I am going to be vegan for the day.  Well, technically I only realised just before 10am so I will be vegan until 10am tomorrow morning just to make it fair.  I am aiming to become permenantly vegan in the future, once things are more settled and life is a bit less hectic so it's easier to plan meals in advance.  I am vegetarian and carefully consider where my dairy products come from but I do hope to make the switch eventually.   

Why not consider becoming vegan for 24 hours too?  Challenge yourself!

Cafe Recommendation: L'Oranaise, Leeds.

I was in Leeds to visit my lovely boyfriend this weekend and he took me to a brilliant North African cafe called L'Oranaise for breakfast on Saturday morning (It wasn't IN North Africa, it was near Hyde Park in Leeds!) I have to recommend their delicious vegetarian breakfast. I am a great friend of any place that serves a traditional English breakfast veggie style but L'Oranaise did a really good job. The hash browns were the best I've ever tasted.

[Take a look at the rest of the menu]