Thursday, November 29, 2012

Vegan Article in "Sunday" Magazine, Interview With Author


Veganism was mentioned in the "Sunday" pullout magazine section of the Sunday Star Times



You can hear my interview with journalist Venetia Sherson here, while looking through the pages from the magazine :-)  The article and the interview are about the sometimes hassle of Vegans eating out, and how we feel about Other Animals growing up in a non Vegan world
Direct download of the audio file

Great to see Veganism in the mainstream print media :-)  I've added a full text version of the article at the bottom of this page.













"Vegan is becoming the new normal, writes Venetia Sherson. So could chefs please offer us more than lettuce leaves and lentils?

I beckoned the waitress over. “I’m a vegan,” I whispered, hoping the buzz at the table would not suddenly cease. Coming out at a dinner for journalists is not wise. The waitress looked momentarily startled. I wondered if she thought I’d said I was a virgin. Then she said, “Me, too. Let me see what the kitchen can do.”


Here’s what they did: delicate fresh spring rolls filled with oyster mushrooms, edamame beans and pickled radish served with coriander lime and chilli salsa, followed by roasted baby vegetables, smoked eggplant puree, wilted spinach and toasted almonds. Oh, and fresh figs with honey for pudding if I chose. I did.

All off-menu. All at short notice. No fuss; no rolled eyes; no muttered oaths. As I left Shed 5 on Wellington’s waterfront, the waitress gave me a complicit smile and a nod. A conspiracy of carrot crunchers.

Not all experiences are the same. At an international hotel in the same city, the kitchen dished up a stack of wilted veges that appeared to have been recycled from other diners’ plates. At a restaurant near Auckland International Airport, someone had carefully removed the feta from the top of my pasta – but left the cheese beneath. The waiter’s mood was a tad below tetchy when I asked for a replacement. At a roadside West Coast café, I was momentarily excited by the promise of a “gourmet tofu burger” only to be disappointed by a soggy bun stuffed with a blob of tasteless blancmange and a slice of canned beetroot.


At the age of 64, I’m still getting used to this vegan lark. I was brought up as a carnivore. I have always liked meat. I used to lick my plate to show my gratitude for gravy. As a child, I even hunted hares on horseback. I am no poster girl for animal rights.

I went vegan this year for dietary not ethical reasons. What that means is, I no longer eat meat, eggs and dairy - anything with a mother or a face – for the good of my health. Some people think that’s simply nutty; others think it’s dangerous, especially at my age. What about calcium, they say? Won’t your bones crumble? What about Vitamin B12? Surely you can have a slice of camembert?

It’s tough to be a dietary vegan. Ethical vegans have a cause: a love and respect for animals. They can also cite environmental concerns and quote statistics such as: the world’s cattle consume food equal to the needs of 8.7 billion people; and the global warming effect from eating a kilo of beef is about the same as using 10 litres of petrol.

We dietary vegans can plead only that a plant-based diet is better for our health, which – in a country where beef, butter and milk are dietary staples – is tantamount to treason. Even some ethical vegans find us hard to fathom. In a column in Britain’s The Guardian, vegan Sali Owen piously wrote that people who go vegan to lower their cholesterol level or lose weight are doing it for all the wrong reasons. “They know how many calories there are in a raisin, but don’t know or care that bobby calves are killed at birth.” I didn’t know the calorific count of raisins until I looked it up (350 per ounce or 1238 kilojoules per 100g). But I have always known the fate of bobby calves.

To be fair, Sali Owen is not representative of most vegans, who will happily claim any new recruits. And several people took her to task over her holier-than-you attitude. The carnivores also dined out. “I think it’s appalling the way you people exploit those poor beans,” wrote Bristol Boy. “Anyway, don’t vegans fart more than carnivores, and add more to global warming?”

Doctrinal differences aside, what I have discovered is that it is still difficult to get a decent vegan meal outside my own kitchen – or those of sympathetic friends. Excluding Asian eateries and some very good alternative cafes, the choices are limited. At a posh new restaurant on Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter recently, I could have eaten only three dishes – two of them desserts. Some chefs regard veganism as fringe; others as an insult to their trade. “Vegans are an affront to everything I stand for,” said a chef who did not want to be named. “But I’ll happily find a few green leaves and grilled aubergine and charge them $20 for the trouble.”

He may have to revise his view. Veganism is no longer niche. In California, where things often happen first, it is becoming the new norm. While there are only around 5000 vegans (and around 86,000 vegetarians) in New Zealand, numbers are growing. In the UK the figure has spiraled from an estimated 100,000 in 1993 to around 1 million today. In the US, the figure is around 8 million or 2.5 per cent of the population – double that of 2009. Kim Painter, writing in USA Today says the increase has been fuelled by a range of best-selling books and by high profile vegans such as Natalie Portman, Ellen DeGeneres and Gwyneth Paltrow. Michelle Pfeiffer, 54, this year came out as a vegan, saying she wanted to live a healthier life.

The western world also took note when former US President Bill Clinton switched to plants for health reasons. Clinton, who was previously known for his love of junk food, adopted veganism to clean up some arterial blockage after quadruple bypass surgery in 2004. It also helped him lose weight for his vegan daughter, Chelsea’s wedding.

Clinton’s guru, and the man many people credit with the rise in plant-based diets in the western world is Caldwell Esselstyn, a US doctor, who conducted a 20-year nutritional study of seriously ill coronary artery disease patients. On the basis of his research he developed a diet with no meat, eggs, dairy food and oils, which produced remarkable success. “We’ve eaten ourselves into a problem and we can eat ourselves out of it,” he says. His research, documented in his book, Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease, has won some powerful allies including Colin Campbell, author of The China Study, which examines the relationship between the consumption of animal products and illness and disease.

There was another spike in interest in veganism recently when attention was drawn to the plight of Maria Alekhina of the Russian feminist punk rock ban Pussy Riot. Alekhina is a vegan but when she and her fellow band members were jailed this year for “hooliganism” she had no access to her dietary requirements. Vegans worldwide united in their condemnation. In an open letter to President Vladimir Putin, vegan film actor Alicia Silverstone (Clueless, Cher), asked Putin to ensure the singer got her daily dose of veges. There has been no word as to whether he obliged.

Veganism has also taken on in some unusual quarters. Portland, Oregon, which claims to be the most vegan-friendly city in the US, has opened the first vegan strip club. Owner Johnny Diablo says half his dancers are vegetarian or vegan and they serve their clients dairy-free chilli cheese fries and mushroom burgers. The irony of treating women like meat appears to have escaped him.

My own conversion to a plant-based diet has thus far been positive, although I am a reasonably recent convert. I am fitter, trimmer and healthier and – despite the concerns of many people – I eat exceedingly well. I start the day with home-made Bircher muesli made with rolled oats, raisins, grated apple and nutmeg topped with oat milk. Pulses, grains and rice are dietary staples. In summer, I eat salads and loads of quinoa; in winter, tasty vegetable casseroles, curries and soups with crusty bread. Last night’s dinner was a vegetable bean risotto with aubergine, capsicum and lima beans laced with fresh coriander (see recipe below).



However, eating out still presents a problem and attitudes are hard to shift. The New Zealand Vegan Society says it has been battling for some time to get soy milk on Air NZ flights. “You’d think I was asking for gold-leafed wafers,” says marketing co-coordinator Amanda Sorrenson.

Sorrenson, an ethical vegan who works fulltime for SAFE (Save Animals from Exploitation), says while she doesn’t eat out much, she believes more food outlets are now providing options for vegans. She’ll often phone ahead to give the café a heads-up. “I’d prefer to go easy-peasy rather than being a trouble-maker. You don’t want to appear like a weirdo. I try to make being a vegan a positive thing.”


Surprisingly, one of the best dine-out experiences she has had was at a steak house; where they produced - without fuss - a range of beautiful vegetable platters.


Some cafes are ahead of the pack. Auckland’s Heritage Hotel offers a vegan and vegetarian menu including vegan wine. Cibo in Parnell, where I will celebrate a friend’s birthday this month, has a good range of vegan-friendly dishes. Cosset Café in Parnell is an exclusively vegan and vegetarian cafe. Towns with large alternative communities always have good pickings. Raglan Vegan Fest has been running for about five years. For other vegan-friendly cafes check out http://www.happycow.net/australia/new_zealand/)


This week, another good sign. At one of my watering holes in Hamilton, I asked the counter staff whether the bruschetta could be served without feta. She replied, “Sorry, but feta is a part of the dish.” I began my refrain, a bit like a recovering alcoholic. “I’m a vegan, so I wonder what options you have for me.” A passing chef was within range. “We have a wonderful (non-dairy) parsley pesto with heaps of garlic and chilli,” she said. “It’s one of my favourites.”

I gave her a complicit smile and a nod.



-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The vegan movement was started in 1944 by English woodwork teacher Donald Watson out of a desire to improve animal welfare. He died in 2005 aged 95.

Vegans eat all the food meat eaters eat except meat, poultry, fish, cow’s milk, yoghurt, cheese and honey. Ethical vegans also eschew wearing leather, bone, ivory, feathers and mother of pearl.


Vegan diets are healthy, according to followers. The only vitamin from animals that cannot be replicated elsewhere is B12 – important for the nervous system and preventing iron deficiency. Many vegans take Vitamin B supplements

Many health food shops, supermarkets and Asian food outlets stock foods suitable for vegans. Worldwide vegan food is estimated to be growing by 15 per cent a year.

For more information, go to www.vegansociety.co.nz



Pip and Sorrel’s Vegetable and Bean Risotto

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp poppy seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 cup long grain rice

¼ tsp chilli powder

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 cup water

1 aubergine (eggplant) cut into 5mm cubes

½ red capsicum

315g tin lima or butter beans, drained and rinsed

1 ½ cups tomato puree

1 ½ cups vegetable stock

½ cup coconut milk

1 tsp fresh coriander or parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large frying pan, add poppy and mustard seeds and cook

until the begin to pop. Add rice and cook, stirring for 5 minutes

Place chilli powder, turmeric, cumin, ground coriander and a little water

in small bowl and mix to form a paste. Stir spice mixture, aubergine,

red capsicum and beans into rice mixture and cook, stirring 5 minutes

Place remaining water, tomato puree, stock and coconut milk in a bowl

and whisk to combine. Add to rice mixture, bring to simmering and

simmer for 30-40 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and

rice is cooked. Stir in fresh coriander or parsley, and black pepper to

taste. Serve."



Thank you Venetia for writing an article about Veganism, and allowing me to interview you :-)

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Southland Times Newspaper On Eating TESTICLES!


The Southland Times newspaper on eating freaking TESTICLES!!!  You can't write this stuff folks, Go Vegan! :-)

"I had the occasion to present a "Lunch with a Difference" to a group of management for the Alliance Group recently.


The dishes presented included lambs fry, kidneys, tripe, sweetbreads, hearts and lamb's testicles, not too often seen on the butcher's shelf.

Often referred to as the "nasty bits" they are also known as mountain oysters, rocky mountain oysters, man oysters and lamb "fries". The singular of testicles is testis, meaning "witness" in Latin from ancient Roman times when a man would put his hand on his testicle when taking the oath in court.

Testicles as such are not a common culinary item in this country, whether they be lamb, beef, veal or duck.

Most of our millions of lambs are castrated reasonably young, removing the opportunity for people to enjoy the delicacy, unlike in Spain, France and even Canada where they are more easily obtainable. They are also not quite so uncommon in the Asian butcheries of Auckland.

In the United States several "fairs" are held annually where crumbed and fried "fries" are served with the perception they are an aphrodisiac. I am not sure how factual that perception is but they are a power pack, with somewhere around 140 calories, 25 grams of protein, 3g of fat, 1g carbohydrate and 375mg of cholesterol per 100g. They also contain useful amounts of potassium and sodium.

I did read about a couple of roughneck shepherds who were part of a team of a dozen or so tasked with castrating 1600 lambs over a few days. The story goes that these two tough guys decided to perform the castration by using their teeth. In my view they deserved the discomfort they endured for the few days following.

Like most testicles, lambs' can be cooked by simply barbecuing or poaching then crumbing and pan-frying them.

They are also useful sauteed in a little butter with lemon juice and parsley or battered like sweetbreads.

I recall a scene from a Chevy Chase movie where Chevy and his wife were trying to adjust to life in a new part of the country.

They were out enjoying an evening meal at a local cafe.

The cafe had a record of someone eating more than 25 or so lamb "fries" in one session and Chevy being Chevy decided he could easily beat that so started to enjoy them with gusto. He managed to beat the record but things weren't so good when he was told by their wait staffer just what the "fries" really were.

Finding a reliable source for the testicles will be as simple as chatting with your butcher (who should be able to source them through Alliance).


Have your butcher remove the outer membrane for you so all you are receiving is the clean, edible portion which will have a fresh lamb aroma. Allow one testicle per person.

PAN-FRIED MOUNTAIN OYSTERS WITH GREEN PEPPERCORN SAUCE (for 4 people)

4 lambs' testicles, membrane removed

1 free range egg

cup milk

1 cup seasoned flour

2 cups panko crumbs (dried breadcrumbs will suffice)

1 Tbsp oil and butter

2 tsp green peppercorns

1 Tbsp brandy

cup cream

sea salt and black pepper

Method: Cut each testicle into 4 slices.

Beat the egg and milk together.

Pass the slices of testicle through the seasoned flour then the egg mixture and finally through the breadcrumbs.

Heat a tablespoon oil and butter in a heavy-based pan and cook until nicely browned on the first side, turning over and continuing to cook until brown and crisp on the second side. Drain and rest on absorbent paper.

Continue until all 16 slices have been cooked and are resting.

Lightly rinse the pan with a little water to clear away any breadcrumbs and place the pan back on the heat.

Add the peppercorns with the brandy and ignite to flame very quickly then add the cream.

Allow to cook for about a minute until the cream thickens.

Season the sauce with sea salt and fresh black pepper.

Pour the sauce alongside your mountain oysters and enjoy.

- © Fairfax NZ News"

Wearable Arts Preserved Possums Bra, Thriller Jacket


A recent issue of the Southland Express featured the winner of the World of Wearable Arts "Bizarre Bra" category: "Lunar Duo".  Two killed, preserved possums placed, joined together with rubber from a car tyre.  This is meant to be a dark joke about how Possums are run over by cars, but is it creative fashion?

I helped a friend with her WOW Bizarre Bra, all the while keeping my KILLER idea to myself.  You'll see a mockup at the bottom of this blogpost... :-)

Apologies to Australian readers, who love their native Possum friends.  We New Zealanders foolishly "introduced" Possums to our country, to kill for their fur....and they've proceded to chew through every native New Zealand tree they could, as well as possibly spreading disease to our precious "dairy" industry cows.  



Theres a bizarre disconect in New Zealand, where we're told that possums (which WE brought here deliberately, to kill them as an industry!) are some kind of EVIL animal : "notorious invaders", "plague proportions", "stripping native forests and carrying disease"....pictures hissing and trying to scratch your eyes out!

This historical sign on top of Bluff Hill really can't help itself, "unwanted immigrants" who were DELIBERATELY set loose here!!!  Its not like they swam over from Australia, we *WANTED* them, in the past tense, in a lack of common sense.


Imagine if this bra featured two ran over CATS!  There would be outrage, tears and anger!  Talk of introducing "the death penalty"!  Possums are really no different from cats, small furry animals who are great at climbing trees and see in the dark.  If anything, possums are actually less harmful in being somewhat "vegetarian".

In their native land, Australia, the possum is beloved, they are actually protected!  The next country over though, we New Zealanders are told to HATE the "pests"!  We actually love the idea of killing them, and consider this bra made from their preserved corpses "funny"!




"No animals will be harmed" in the artists next project:



Well!  I think I can one-up this "Bizarre Bra", and do it in an animal friendly way too!

As a Vegan, I do not like the idea of wearing someone elses skin, "leather".  While professional use of animal skin is waning, we're still wearing preserved animals as "fashion".

You may happen to know that my favourite musician is Michael Jackson.  For a long time now, I've wanted a high quality non animal skin version of his Thriller jacket :-)  While MJ was a dietary "vegetarian" at the time of Thriller, the biggest album in the world, he obviously wore animal skin.  He was not Vegan, but this creation of mine wil be :-)

Presenting to you a future entry idea for the Wearable Arts "Bizarre Bra" section: a Thriller jacket made from preserved orange peel!



Looks a little like Goku, eh? :-)  Illustration of Michael Jackson in Thriller from "How To Draw Michael Jackson"

Now, a small minority of people (Russell apparently included) will think this is a stupid idea, "you're going to dry out a whole bunch of carefully removed orange skins?  And then sew them over top of a cheap, thin jacket as an outer shell, having dyed some black for the distinctive lines?  Thats STUPID!  And its not even a freaking BRA, you're entering some preserved orange skin JACKET based on a 1980's music video into the BRA section!!!!"

Lucky for the gene pool, these people are few and far between.

Lets face it: a Thriller jacket?  The most haute of all couture!  Why, I'd win by default, for all eternity!  They'd just give me the Wearable Arts "Bizarre Bra" trophy engraved with "Jordan Wyatt, 2013 to infinity and beyond"!  What could possibly beat a Thriller jacket made from oranges?

Look at the undeniable logic:

*
 "Yellow Jackets" are an American term for "wasp".  This would be an "orange" Jacket - literally! :-)  Orange skin sort of resembles the pitted texture of skin.

* Fruit is squeezed out into dried treats, called "fruit leathers".  All New Zealand 90's kids will remember  the "roll up" :-)


Thriller is the greatest music video ever made, and will remain so in perpetuity.  Don't you DARE mention that infernal "Gangnam Style" video in the same sentence as Thriller!

"Ooh, look at me, I'm Psy, a pudgy South Korean in dark sunglasses whose only hit has "G-A-N-G" in the title!  Oh yeah?  Well MJ not only lead his gang of zombies to beat up his date, Chris Brown/Ike Turner style, proved himself quite capable of ending gang violence in "Beat It" and THEN later leading yet another gang of dancers in "Bad" (including Wesley Snipes, a Japanese guy in a Japanese bandanna and a dude with freaking rollerskates!)


* Thriller is the best album of all time, not only in terms of musical genius but in raw sales figures, well over a hundred million copies sold!!!  Its gonna take a hell of a lot better than Justin Bieber or whoever the kids are listening to these days to top that!

* Whole Hen (on my leg, Curious Hen on ground) proves that a marmalade like patchwork of orange can be gorgeous :-)

Jordan's Amazing Filmed in Technicolour jacket!



Usually I'm accused of committing "fashion crimes", well, in this jacket made of dried orange skins, I'd be one heck of a "smooth criminal" :-)



With this jacket, the World of Wearable Arts "Bizarre Bra" award is mine!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Closeup:Fonterra Free Cows Milk Not Popular VIDEO



***UPDATE***
13/12/12
Cows milk will be promoted and given away in New Zealand schools nationwide next year :
"Research conducted by the University of Auckland has shown that children's milk consumption in the Northland community, both at school and at home, has significantly increased since the pilot began.

"We know that getting Kiwis drinking more milk is not an overnight job but we are committed to helping improve the health of our kids," said (Fonterra CEO) Mr Spierings."


UGH!


Similar to that lovable scamp "Iron Brion", a singing dancing minimum wage guy in a suit telling New Zealand school children they MUST eat New Zealand killed Cows and Sheep, our cows milk empire wants a crack at "get 'em while they're young" too!

Some great quotes in the video, from the children themselves not wanting the cows milk ("be more entertaining for the kids, put a bit of food colouring init, maybe a little more flavour?") and the principals themselves not drinking the free product!  "no, because I'm not a milk drinker!" and "it DOES taste like long life milk, because its long life milk."  And presumably long life milk doesnt taste all that great.

"Can I ask you why are you doing it, is it out of the goodness of your hearts, or is it a PR move by Fonterra to get everyone in the country drinking more milk?"

Fonterra PR "no, we want to....ITS HEALTHY FOR KIDS! Look, its WONDERFUL for kids, its nutritious...(PRACTICED PR SPIN!) Secondly, we want to see New Zealand as the dairy capital of the world.  We're the biggest exporter of milk products in the world, and at home, people arnt drinking as much milk as they used to.  And we're starting with kids, because its a long term play".

To get them hooked into adulthood! :-)

"We cant force people to drink milk" "you'd like to!" "I would like to!" "...where we've been running this pilot, already amongst the kids who've been drinking this milk, we've already seen a 20% increase in the amount of milk they're consuming out of school, so it seems to be having a really good impact."




Closeup November 21st 2012 "Fonterra Committed To Milk In Schools Despite Drop"



New Zealanders in their 50's remember when school milk was given out daily - unrefrigerated, it would be warm and by all accounts HORRIBLE, as even Fonterra Managing Director Peter McClure mentions on the above video :-) 
"they've got to put it in the fridges (provided by Fonterra....) cause you and I will both remember how milk was in our day" "UGH, yeah, the SUMMER!" (warm cows milk........gross!)




Photo and article from NZ History

The New Zealand "Dairy" industry has come under fire for the shocking state of New Zealands environment, contributing greatly to pollution in our nation.  Many New Zealanders also feel that cows milk is too expensive, so this example of suddenly giving free cows milk away to young children in schools can be seen as a PR stunt, kissing babies almost :-)






I've written before about this current schoolmilk stunt:
"After an enthusiastic take-up, some schools have seen nearly a 90 per cent decline in the number of kids receiving milk each day, with many blaming the taste of the ultra heat treated (UHT) milk.

"The kids wrote letters to Fonterra thanking them for the milk, but fewer were drinking it because of the taste it left in their mouth," said Dave Bradley, Wellsford School principal."



Fonterra's campaign website "Fonterra Milk For Schools":


"Angela Berrill, Nutritionist & Director of ABC Nutrition Ltd says:

“Milk provides a unique combination of nutrients which are essential for a child’s growth and development. The natural nutrition of milk gives children calcium for building bones and the nutrients they need for sustained energy, concentration and learning in the classroom.” "



The milk itself is "essential"?  If the milk in question is Fonterra *Cows Milk*, Rubbish!  We've challenged Fonterra before on this, and won!  They cannot claim cows milk is "essential" for New Zealanders, and I'd be pretty sure they're not allowed to run quotes claiming its "essential" either.

"The complainant said five claims on Fonterra's website about the nutritional benefits of dairy products were factually untrue - including that dairy is an "essential part of a balanced diet" and "we all need it".

The complainant referred to the Ministry of Health's nutrition guidelines, which said all essential nutrients could be obtained from a well-planned vegan diet involving no dairy products.

"Therefore dairy is not needed at any age, and is not essential or vital to a balanced, nutritious diet as claimed," they wrote.

The complainant also disputed Fonterra's claims that milk is the richest dietary source of calcium, and that no other source of calcium can be absorbed as well as dairy, pointing to green vegetables with more absorbable calcium.

Fonterra responded to the complaint, saying it would change four of its online claims - including to say dairy was "important", rather than "essential"."
We can certainly get the nutrients which growing children need from a plant based diet :-)


An interesting saga! :-)

Saturday, November 17, 2012

"The Vegg" Reviewed - A Vegan Egg! :-) PHOTOS

"The Vegg" is a Vegan egg substitute.  I learnt about The Vegg (and photography) through my friend Diana Fleischman of The Vegan Option.


When Rocky the inventor of The Vegg contacted me about reviewing his product on my blog, how could I refuse?  As someone who looks after Rescued Hen Friends, giving them a real life away from those horrible animal farms, the more Vegan products available the better!  Hens eggs are for the Hens, if we  feel like eating their eggs, why not try "The Vegg" instead? :-)


Listen to my interview with Vegg inventor Rocky Shepheard while viewing the photos below :-)


direct link to audio file download

A couple weeks after I agreed to do the review, a mysterious package arrived!  Why, it doesn't even have my street address, yet it arrived at my work, wow!  The wonders of The Vegg never cease! :-)



My Hen Friends always like to see my mail, and I like to take photos of them, its win/win :-)





The Vegg comes in silver packaging.  Its essentially a yellow powder made from nutritional yeast and all kinds of wonderful ingredients, which you add water and soymilk to and blend to form a liquid.  The recipe included is for "Vegg French Toast".







Home Hen let me pick her up.  Two pats, and she practically went to sleep on my leg :-)  I love her so very much, after all shes been through as a "farm animal", shes grown her feathers back, and is always very gentle.

Here she is with a Vegg card on her back :-)















Curious Hen with The Vegg packaging :-)















To transform The Vegg from powder to "yolks", you take a teaspoon of Vegg, and add a quarter of a cup of water into a blender.  Mixing by hand is not recommended.  The powder smells a little like nutritional yeast and rock salt, the ingredients contain "black salt"

To follow the included French Toast recipe, you add 4 teaspoons of Vegg powder to one and a half cups of soymilk, and one and a half cups of water.  Add cinnamon powder.  Blend well, pour into a bowl, and dip thick bread in the mixture for ten seconds each side.

I used toast bread, the thicker the bread the better though.







I followed the instructions and fried in a pan with vegan margarine, the

Ta-da :-)  Served with Agave Nectar and cinnamon sprinkled over the top







Yellow Hen in my hand, posing with Vegg French Toast :-)  I let all my Hen Friends have a sample, and they seemed to like it very much :-)













The first bit given to Whole Hen set off a race around the garden, as she didnt want to share!











Yellow Hen with Vegg French Toast :-)





She reminds me of her father Mr Rooster, who excitedly shared Falafel with the Hens :-)  Roosters naturally share food with the rest of their family like proper gentlemen, although Hens usually squabble a little and try to be selfish :-)  It was amazing watching him pass food from his beak to theirs, and call them over when he found food.  You can observe his head bobbing gesture, up and down while he talks, his way of calling them to food he's found :-)  The black hen is Ms Hen, Yellow Hens mother.






What a long neck Yellow Hen has! :-)






The makers of The Vegg have a video online about how to quote "spherify" The Vegg yolk into an actual circular ball, wow!  It involves a brine of Calcium Chloride.  Looks magic!


As a guy who made do with toast bread, I unfortunately didnt have any Calcium Chloride in my cupboards.  Theres another method mentioned to make yolks too though, freezing the mixture.  I tried two approaches, the example on the left was frozen wrapped into a vaguely round shape using Gladwrap (plastic wrap), the one on the right was frozen into a cupcake tray :-)  Both were fried, and served with Chilli Beans and vegetables.





Thank you Rocky, and everyone who works to give the world "The Vegg" Vegan egg substitute :-)

Try The Vegg today :-)  Its currently not available in New Zealand, but we can order from Australian stores listed online on Rocky's website.  I've suggested some New Zealand stores who could carry The Vegg, and Rocky has contacted them, so we'll see if New Zealand has a Veggy future :-)

Other reviews of The Vegg

Vegan Crunk

Vegan Urbanite

Other official Vegg recipes to try :-)