Just Humans Being...

We have set ourselves the challenge again to share posts of our food every day during November for World Vegan Month. As we are eating leftovers tonight from last night's stew, we thought we would show you our rather bland looking, but delicious lunch... Rice with miso and sea vegetable soup thrown in! We always have some sachets of miso soup or paste in our picnic basket for a quick snack and they are great for when we are travelling. If we're on the road, we can usually fill our flask with hot water for the day, although there are not many French hotels with kettles in the bedrooms - we usually ask the staff on reception or if we're having breakfast, just fill our flask then. We've not managed to find a French alternative that we are happy with, so we usually make sure we have plenty for our trip...Clearspring is our favourite. Happy World Vegan Day! Love Kay and Sime xx

The ladies next door have been giving birth in the field. Their babies are like any other babies - they sleep, they feed, they follow their mums everywhere, they run around, then fall asleep again.  These little beauties are completely unaware of their fate... But we know... And this is one thing which makes living here difficult. How can people eat other beings without feeling terrible?     It just doesn't make sense. Both the posters are from the  Cornwall Vegans  website. If you are in Cornwall or will be on Saturday 22nd April - do support this event! Perhaps you have been considering veganism - this  Vegan Starter Kit  will help you to get started and if you have any questions, need help or ideas for recipes - just ask, we are always happy to talk to folks who want to change their diet for the better. And in case you haven't seen this on iplayer - Here is  Simon Amstell's Carnage . Please, please think seriousl

Foodie photies! Mostly taken at Meadowcroft, hence the rubbish light... Our usual small portions - hahaha! That brown thing is a stuffed mushroom with tons of veggies. This stuffing was made with some leftover chickpea houmous, walnuts, a few breadcrumbs, chopped onions & garlic. Then we have dry roasted spuds, swede & potato mash, roasted butternut squash, beetroot & parsnip, steamed carrots, cauli & cabbage. This was then swamped in Sime's lentil & miso gravy! The leftover steamed veg then got added to butternut squash, mushroom, butter bean & pea spaghetti - which were cooked with onions, garlic & liquid aminos. Red lentil, walnut and brown rice bake with onions, garlic, mushrooms, courgettes and breadcrumbs. Home made pizza topped with hummus, potato, sweetcorn, mushroom, tomato, courgette and fresh parsley. More pizza... Home made polenta base, topped with passata, red onion, potato, sweetcorn, mushroom, courgette,

Have you seen this inspirational film? If you can't see the film above try this link:  Fat, Sick And Nearly Dead . We often go through phases of juicing & love them - the greener, the better!  This film is proof again that our food choices really do make a difference to our health. Now the weather is picking up - it's a good time to reboot, so we'll be dusting off the juicer & giving ourselves a spring clean. Watch this space for some our favourite juice recipes. Kay & Sime xx

We hope you have enjoyed our month of vegan posts in support of World Vegan Month & if you feel inspired to improve your health & want to avoid the unnecessary murder of our animal friends - then here is some ongoing free help from Viva's  30 Day Vegan Plan . We keep forgetting to take photos of our meals, but since our Wednesday veg box delivery we have had: Wed - spinach pasta with red pepper & courgette in fresh tomato sauce, with steamed broccoli on the side. Thur - chilli (from leftover pasta sauce) & brown basmati rice, with added mushrooms, kidney beans & sweetcorn. Fri - red lentil hippy slop with mushrooms, mashed spuds, steamed cabbage & carrots. Sat - leftovers made into cottage pie with dry roasted brussel sprouts... Tonight's dinner - red cabbage & shallot stew (cooked in the slow cooker), served with baked sweet potatoes, dry roasted courgettes & scrambled tofu with mushrooms, garlic & fresh turmeric. We

My childhood best buddy died last week, she had battled with breast cancer for 8 years. We had been friends since we were 4 years old, though we had practically lost touch - she found me via social media a few years ago. We were pretty inseparable in our teens, more like sisters & very much a part of each other's families. We attended the same college after finishing school & even lived together in North London for a while... We shared a house with the guy she would eventually spend her life with & I think I knew it before they did. I returned home to care for my siblings when my mum was taken ill & within weeks of returning, I was offered a well paid post with the local authority. A few months later, when Sime & I got together - I realised my return up north was meant to be! My friend & I continued to meet up occasionally, but our growing families meant it was difficult, we had various commitments & so time went on, moving further & further aw

If you live in or near Bristol go along to this tomorrow...  Taste a whole range of vegan foods from international dishes you can whiz up at home to ready-to-go convenience foods Receive one-to-one nutritional advice Pick up free recipes and helpful factsheets Sit in on cookery demos and informative talks Browse and buy lots of vegan goodies – from chocolate to cruelty-free cosmetics, bags to books, convenience foods to clothing, wallets to wallcharts and cuddly toys to T-shirts and more! Find out how you can get active Take a break with a cuppa and veggie snack  So if you've ever given the idea of going veggie - or even better vegan - a go but need a helping hand, come along, and pick up your free copy of our It’s Time to go Veggie magazine (all vegan!), packed with tips, recipes, celebrity views, nutritional info and detailing the many reasons why "it's time to go vegan". Sounds like it's going to be a great day!!! Kay &am

We've been debating what John McDougall is saying in this video about salt & sugar... I agree that if helps a person to stay on track, then salt & sugar are ok in moderation, but Sime thinks he should be talking about the alternatives, because iodised table salt & white sugar are really not good at all. We use sea salt sparingly & did buy a bag of  Breton Marais natural sea salt last time we were in Brittany, which is great in bread. We occasionally use organic dark sugars or maple syrup in baking, but mainly stick to medjool dates these days. We have found since cutting out oil that our taste buds have improved, so we don't need to use much in the way of seasoning & definitely feel better for it! Kay xx    

Wednesdays are always exciting as it's the day our veg box & extras arrive... We have a large box, which is supposed to be enough for 4 people per week - it used to feed up to 6, but a recent regrade brought in a new bumper box for more pennies... It costs £17.25 & this week's contains: potatoes, carrots, onions, leeks, broccoli, red cabbage, brussel sprouts, tomatoes, sweet potatoes & a salad bag.  Although it's mainly just the two of us eating - we do eat lots of vegetables, so each week we buy extras... Our regular weekly order is: 2 bags of bananas, 1 bag of apples, 2 tubs of mushrooms, 2 lemons, 3 garlic bulbs & a pack of tofu.  This week we added a bag of courgettes, 3 peppers, a tub of blueberries & a cabbage...  The total bill came to £42.18   We buy from Riverford , not the most ethical of veg box companies, but the best we have found delivering in our area. They also will take all the packaging for recycling. The re

Food for thought! Kay & Sime xx

50g Dates - chopped 50g Carob Powder (flour not the gritty stuff) 100ml Plant Milk Heat in a saucepan for about 10 minutes on low. If it needs to be a quick dessert, just whizz up & you'll have a lovely sauce (which I have been known to just eat from the pan) or put into the fridge & it becomes more like a mousse or fudge icing. Tonight, I added: 1 heaped teaspoon of pure almond butter, zest of a small orange, splash of bourbon whiskey (you can use 1/2 teaspoon vanilla essence if preferred), a few oats & a sprinkle of cinnamon.  Dessicated coconut, peanut butter, chopped nuts, chia seeds are all good too. Whizz with a hand blender & dollop onto a tray.  Leave for at least an hour & you'll have gooey, but healthy truffles! Makes about 12. Enjoy! Kay xx

Tonight's dinner... Butternut squash stuffed with yellow split peas, hazel nuts & mushrooms, served with roast potatoes, baked cauliflower & steamed kale. Delicious & filling! Kay & Sime xx

We threw the leftovers from the previous night's dinner - spaghetti, sweetcorn sauce & watercress houmous into an oven dish. Topped it with breadcrumbs & served it up with baked potatoes & some steamed M&S non-organic broccoli (left by guests in the holiday home we look after). We had worked on the house for over 6 hours, stopping only for fruit & nuts, but by the time we got home - we were craving some stodgy food. We never eat potatoes with pasta, but last night we were so hungry... It all looks a bit bland, but it tasted great & we felt loads better once we'd re-fuelled!  Kay & Sime xx 

Healthy Approaches to Weight Control, Reversing Diabetes, and the Best of Health with Dr Neal Barnard. Please watch & learn how easy it is to turn your life around... Hope you are having a good weekend! Kay & Sime xx

With sweetcorn sauce, topped with watercress, butterbean & walnut houmous. We used Suma's tinned organic sweetcorn, tons of onions & garlic, along with fresh tomatoes, mushrooms, peppers, courgettes & a couple of heaped teaspoons of smoked paprika for the sauce. The houmous also has fresh parsley, garlic, lemon juice & black pepper. Yum! Kay & Sime xx

When we think about having a meal out, we often forget about  The Lost Gardens Of Heligan , which is just on our doorstep. For the last year, the chefs have been much more adventurous & on occasions have whipped up great food especially for us.  Today we were tired & hungry, we'd popped into the farm shop next door to Heligan & thought we'd just see if there was anything on...  Imagine our delight when we discovered they were doing a vegan gardener's lunch - simple meals using their garden produce... It was cheaper than usual & when they mentioned that the soup was also vegan, we got very excited - we just had to have it!  Delicious pumpkin, coconut & ginger Soup... Nut roast, mashed sweet potato, roasted beetroot, greens & gravy... A wonderfully tasty meal! And to top it all - we bagged the table with the exotic view! Kay & Sime xx

Sunday night we made a lentil & vegetable stew, which we forgot to photograph... Nevermind here's 3 nights of leftovers! Monday night, we added the last of the kale (buried on the right), butter beans & rice... Tuesday night, we made more rice, turned the stew into a curry & baked sweet potato wedges & cauliflower... Tonight, we warmed up the remainder, baked some potatoes & fried up (in water & soy sauce) some leeks, tofu, mushrooms & fresh turmeric... We keep our cooking simple when working lots & never waste a morsel! Hugo & Jess will be pleased to hear that there will be something fresh for tomorrow night's dinner! Kay & Sime xx

What are you going to be eating this Christmas? Kay & Sime xx

We have shared many a pot of porridge with family, friends & guests... We eat it every day throughout the year & look forward to our bowlful each morning! Sime is the champion porridge maker & he spends time simmering the pot to perfection... Oats, chia seeds, rose hips, hemp powder, sesame seeds, ground pumpkin & flax seeds, sliced banana & apple (sometimes puréed apple), nutmeg, ginger, blueberries & water - occasionally we have molasses in it & at the table we add cinnamon, as well as sometimes a little sugar free jam or maple syrup (we have the real Canadian stuff - thanks to our Canadian friends)!   Early start today, as lots to do...  Bebe's returning from respite & we've not really achieved everything we wanted to do & the house is in chaos - surprise, surprise!!! Nevermind - we'll get on top of everything one day! Bye for now, Kay & Sime xx

Yesterday, we had a Bebe free day out with Hugo - Which was lovely & as the weather was miserable - we decided to visit Plymouth, which has to include a visit to Samphire, a veggie/vegan brasserie... They are quite different to Wildebeest in Falmouth, which is deliciously wholesome & although they do feature healthy alternatives on their menu, they also cook up great vegan grub! Our side salad with vegan coleslaw... Kay's pizza with scrambled tofu, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes & caramelised onions. Sime's all day breakfast with lentil burger & tempeh slices. Hugo's seitan burger, chips, onion rings & salad. Hugo's kidney bean chocolate brownie with vegan ice cream... We both opted for the vanilla cheese(less)cake with ginger & shredded halva topping. Then on to the Hoe - Smeaton's Tower now... And then - before WW2. Tinside Lido , built in 1935. Above the pool now... And back in 195