Growing, Eating and a bit of a rant.

I can't believe so long has passed since my last post, I have lots of 'drafts' of posts that never got finished and were then irrelevant as things had moved on.   Life has been busy as usual, my head is full of plans but the body is just not keeping up at the moment.  By the evenings I'm worn out, I've got to the age where I'm having 'Nanny Naps'  yes it comes to us all, though there are still many nights when insomnia plagues me.

Thank you for all your good wishes for my son, and thank you to Doris for sharing her experience.  He is on the mend, getting stronger everyday and going back to work this week.   He is coping with it incredibly well and just getting on with life as usual, he has been out and about with friends all weekend which he hasn't been well enough to do for a long time.  As long as he stays well the next  major surgery can be delayed until next year so at least we have time to catch our breaths.  Before my son, I had not personally known anyone with a stoma, in a sad twist of fate my friend has just undergone treatment for cancer and now also has a stoma.  At least I have some knowledge and can support her a little better and my son has offered to talk to her about his experiences.  Life can still throw the unexpected at you!

I now need to concentrate on myself and my health.  As I'm sure like many, while I'm caring for others my own needs seem to go straight out of the window.  I survived on whatever food was easy and quick, not always the healthiest however I have stuck to a plant based diet but eat far too many crisps and chips!!!!  I do not call myself a vegan as there is so much more to it than what you eat.  As I still wear leather shoes and boots and wear my own hand knitted wool items and don't intend getting rid of them I don't meet the strict criteria set by some, but I can live with that.  I will gradually replace them with 'vegan friendly' items as and when.  I have joined vegan Facebook groups and signed up for a Vegan Nutritionist Diploma to learn as much as I can about the vegan diet to ensure I am getting all of the vitamins and minerals I need to stay healthy.  What is getting on my nerves .... here comes the rant....is some vegans views on vegetarians.  I have been a vegetarian for over 25 years and brought my sons up as vegetarian and will not have someone who has been a vegan for all of 5 minutes ( and will probably only keep it up for a short time) looking down at me and saying   vegetarians don't care about animals!! what twaddle.  I won't be made to feel like I'm lesser than them.  Vegetarians can be just as snooty about pescatarians or meat reducers.  Why can we not just give people credit for what they have achieved and cut out the whole elitist snobbery crap.  You do not further your cause by pissing off people who are making an effort.  *steps off the soapbox*

Having said all of the above, I had a thoroughly lovely time at the recent Vegan Festival and stuffed my face with gorgeous food, I ate as soon as I got there luckily, as they ran out of food by early afternoon.  I think they were surprised by the number of people who attended.  There was a particularly interesting talk on feminism and veganism.

I don't actually miss eating cheese and eggs but do find it hard to think of alternatives for lunch sometimes, I love hummus but you can only eat so much.  I decided to make this for my packed lunch.  Along with rice cakes and salad it makes a nice change and tastes lovely and fresh with the herbs picked out of the garden.  The recipe was in the Vegan living magazine and is really easy and quick.

WHITE BEAN DIP

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 x 400g can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1/2 lemon (I used a lime)
1/4 bunch dill,  1/4 bunch mint, 1/4 bunch flat parsley all with stalks removed
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
A few mixed seeds of your choice

Heat the oil in a small pan until hot.  Remove from the heat, stir in the garlic and leave to cool completely.

Place the garlic and any pan juices, beans, lemon juice and 2 tbsp water in a food processor or use a hand held blender.  Blend until smooth.  Stir in half the herbs and season to taste. (I actually put them in the blender as I didn't read the instructions)

Cover and chill until ready to serve.  When ready drizzle over some olive oil, the rest of the herbs and seeds.

Poly ready for the tomatoes.

Squashes, courgettes and lots of piquant peppers

Sue (Beachcomber) asked how the growing is going.  Well after all my hard work making veg beds I have very little to show for it.  Garlic, a few rocket plants and 4 spinach plants and ready grown herbs.   All the rest have been eaten.  I have very fat happy slugs.  As I am growing organically, pellets are not an option and they are turning their noses up at the beer traps preferring the plants so I have had to change my plans.  I am starting plants off indoors and hoping they will be big and strong enough to survive attack by the time I plant them out.  The indoor plants have been very successful, too successful you might say as I have more tomatoes and pepper plants than I have space and have been trying to give some away.  My conservatory and windowsills are full of plant pots and trays, I can't wait until it is warm enough to plant them out.  We are in the process of putting up a rabbit proof fence so at least one predator will be kept out.  It is exciting seeing what is growing in the garden, the orchard has various trees in flower but I haven't got a clue what they are.  Apples so I'm told but I don't know what else.

We haven't had much time to explore the area but ventured down to the woodland adjoining our field which is extremely muddy but very pretty.  I got stuck up to my arse in mud on several occasions and had to crawl commando style out as the bearded one found it impossible to pull me out.  The more we struggled the deeper I sank! At least I have learned the knack for getting out of quicksand.

I hope you are all keeping well and will try not to leave it so long next time,

Chickpea xx

"It's been interesting"

Boxing Day Dawn swim

Going back to work you are greeted by all your colleagues and clients with "how was your Xmas/New Year?"  Of course being British you don't  say "well actually the New Year was pretty crap"  and I'm sure most of them don't really want to know how it was, they are just being polite so I smile and say "it's been interesting" and move on to other subjects.  I will however briefly tell you  lovely readers of the blog that it started well with a good but exhausting Xmas but unfortunately our son became ill between Xmas and the New Year and was admitted to hospital again a few days before New Year and operated on yet again on New Years Day.  He is still staying with us and is still feeling very unwell but trying to stay positive.  There are an awful lot of horrible cold/flu type bugs out there and I'm really worried that he will catch something while he is so vulnerable. It really frustrates me when people insist on coming into work with bugs, they are putting people with compromised immune systems at serious risk.  Please stay home!

We did manage some lovely days over Xmas with all the family staying, long walks and Xmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day swims in an icy pool.  Spending our first Xmas in our new home was very different from previous years in some ways but the traditional shared meals and board games were all very familiar.  The first thing we have bought for our home is a lovely large table that we can fit everyone around.  It was made by a local family firm at a very reasonable price and put much needed money into the local economy.  That was our Xmas present to ourselves.  I had a couple of books to read but couldn't concentrate enough to read them, I found myself having to re-read the same lines over and over so eventually set them aside in favour of falling asleep on the sofa exhausted while catching up on box sets of The Good Wife (isn't Julianna Margulies just so beautiful)

I did manage to finish the shawl I started just before we moved.  I could't concentrate enough to do the lace edging so crocheted instead and I'm pleased with the result.  I find knitting very therapeutic during times of stress.

I haven't totally stuck with Veganuary but I would say 99.9% of what I am eating has been vegan.  Where I have come unstuck is the odd ingredients in some of my GF food, usually egg.  I haven't eaten any cheese, (I tried the soya cheese which was very weird), nor milk which I don't miss at all.  I think the only thing I miss are eggs which are an easy snack option.   I haven't had much time to experiment with new recipes, but managed Jack Monroes beetburgers which were easy and tasty.  Considering work has been hectic and I have been caring for our son, cooking omni meals for the bearded one, vegetarian for son and gf/vegan for myself and don't think I have done too bad.  

The kiwi fruit in the polytunnel have at last ripened.  I really didn't think they would and if I had the time was going to cut it all back.  Thankfully I didn't and have harvested a few pounds, they are very small but taste delicious.  I have peeled and frozen them for when I have time to make jam.  Has anyone a good kiwi jam recipe?

Sorry it's been such a long time between posts, I hope you are all well, I have missed you all and will hopefully find time to get back into bogland soon.

Chickpea xx

Cooking the Books - Honestly Healthy

The cold that has been going around for weeks has caught up with me.  I felt really rough yesterday at work and went to bed at 8 o'clock last night.  I'm feeling a bit better today but not much like cooking, so the meal I had planned to make from this book will have to wait until another day.  So this is not technically cooking the books as there is no cooking involved.   I wanted something really simple and healthy so I chose to make this nut and berry layered breakfast.  I think it would be nice anytime of day, I'm going to have mine for lunch to give me a boost at work.  I made it with Greek yoghurt, but if you are a vegan you can make it with raw vanilla cashew cream.  I also just used blueberries.  I eat a lot of nuts and seeds so had the ingredients in my store cupboard.  You could adapt it to your own tastes.

Here's the recipe:

Serves 2 - 4

100g (3 1/2 oz/1 cup) raw walnuts
100g (3 1/2 oz/scant 2/3 cups) raw almonds
50g (2 oz/scant 1/3 cup) raw pumpkin seeds
50g (2 oz//scant 1/3 cup) raw sunflower seeds
50g ((2oz/1/3 cup) raw flax seeds
1 large punnet of blueberries
1 large punnet of raspberries
1 quantity of raw vanilla cashew cream


Soak all the nuts and seeds for 30 minutes to 1 hour and drain.  Then tip them into a food processor and pulse briefly - just enough to coarsely chop, but still retain their wonderful crunchy texture.

To serve, place a layer of berries in the bottom of a glass, place a layer of nut mix on top, and spoon over a layer of the cashew cream (or yoghurt).  Repeat the layers and decorate with the berries.



Raw Vanilla Cashew Cream

100g (3 1/2 oz/2/3 cup) raw cashews, soaked for 1 hour and drained
60 - 125 ml (2 1/2 - 4fl oz/1/4 1/2 cup) purified or filtered water
1 tsp vanilla extract.


Add 60ml of the water and blend, adding more water as necessary to make a smooth cream, then add the vanilla extract and blend for a few more seconds.

I think it looks lovely in the jars, I would even serve them like this as a dessert for a supper for friends.  It would be a little different everyone opening their jars.

The book is Honestly Healthy - Eat with your body in mind, the alkaline way.  It is written by Natasha Corrett and Vicki Edgson, and is full of 'my sort of food' lots of gluten free, veggie/vegan healthy recipes.

Hopefully I will be back to in the kitchen cooking 'proper' meals again soon.

Chickpea xx

Socca and Socks

Not being able to eat gluten has meant that I have been experimenting with all sorts of different flours.  Today I made socca, also known as farinata.   I have eaten it several times in cafes but never tried making it.  It is a type of flatbread that can be eaten as it is with a drizzle of olive oil and sea salt  for example, or as a type of 'pizza' base.  It is really easy to make with 4 basic ingredients, then you can add whatever you like to the basic mix, garlic, herbs or spices.  It can have an Italian feel to it with basil, thyme etc. or an indian flatbread vibe with cumin, coriander etc.  Go mad, try all the different herbs and spices and see which is your favourite.... or leave it plain.

The  basic recipe I used for the socca is 1 cup of chickpea (gram) flour, 1 cup of warm water, 1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive, sea salt,  I then added  1\2 tsp of cumin to give it a lovely 'warm' kick.  Mix it all together getting rid of any lumps and then leave to sit for a couple of hours or longer.  If you do not have the American cups, use a mug, it is basically 1 large mug of flour to 1 large mug of water.

In the mean time I thinly sliced some onions and bell peppers let them slowly soften in a frying pan with the lid on.  I added some chilli for a kick.

The thin base crumbled a bit getting it out of the tin.

Heat the oven to 200c.  If you have a cast iron pan that would be ideal, I used a couple of sandwich  cake tins to make two thin bases.   Heat the tins in the oven, pour a glug (I sound like Jamie Oliver) of olive oil in the pans making sure they are well coated, and pour in the mixture.  Spread the onion and pepper mix on top and cook in the oven for 10 to 15 mins until set and slightly browned. If you are making thin crispier bases  they can be a bit difficult to get out of the pan and may crumble a little but taste delicious.  You can add any topping you like, they could be different every time!

I then experimented by putting all the mixture into one large cake tin so that it was a deeper thickness. Again I put a bit of cumin in the mix.  Heated the tin under the GRILL this time until it was hot, added the olive oil to coat the tin and poured in the mix.  After about 10 mins under the grill with the tray on the lowest setting so it didn't burn before it was cooked through, it was firm and browning slightly. I used a loose bottomed cake tin this time so it made it easier to get the socca out.  I may invest in a cast iron pan as I intend to make this again and again.  Serve warm.   I ate this with some rocket, sea salt and a dribble of virgin olive oil.  Very easy, very flexible, oven or grill,  lovely jubbly :)

..... and the socks.  I have at last finished my first pair of knitted socks.  It's only taken years!

Thank you for all your comments and tips about insomnia.  There seems to be an awful lot of us out there!

Chickpea xx