The humble Tomato

Tomatoes contain the carotene lycopene, one of the most powerful natural antioxidants.Eating tomatoes is believed to benefit the heart, among other organs and  has been associated with decreased risk of breast cancer, head and neck cancers and might be strongly protective against neurodegenerative diseases. Tomatoes and tomato sauces and puree are said to help lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH) and may have anticancer properties.100g of raw tomatoes contains 95g of water, 13mg of vitamin C and only 0.2g of fat. So in my opinion the humble tomato is not so humble!
So this year we decided to grow a different type of tomato to the ones we normally grow. The Bloody Butcher Tomato....a strange name and a strange looking plant, and although I personally found the skin of the tomato a little 'tougher' in texture than the normals ones we grow, the sweetness and taste of these juicy tomatoes is outstanding.

We've eaten them raw,roasted,blended,sauted and of course made them into soup! Here is my family's favourite tomato soup recipe,I hope you enjoy it as much as we do :-)
Ingredients
900g/2lb tomatoes, halved (or a little more if you like your soup extra tomatoe tasting)
2tbsp dairy free butter
1tbsp olive oil (or oil of your choice)
1large sliced onion (i use white but a red onion is also fine to use)
2 heaped tbsp tomato puree
850ml/11/2 pints of vegetable stock
2tbsp of sherry (or fortified wine, vegan of course)
1/2tsp unreifined sugar
salt and pepper

Preheat grill on high and put tomatoes, cut-sides up,on a baking tray and grill for 5mins until just starting to char.Melt the butter with the oil over a medium heat in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook for 5mins,stirring frequently.Stir in tomato puree and cook for another 2mins. Add tomatoes,stock,sherry,sugar,salt and pepper to taste and stir.Bring to boil, and reduce heat to low and simmer,covered for 20mins.Blend and pour through a sieve back into saucepan. Serve hot with crusty bread and decorate with a swirl of dairyfree cream and sprinkles of parsley if you wish. :-)

Starting out

Whether you have already decided to go vegan or are just thinking about it or have been vegan for a long time, its always good to have somewhere or someone we can contact for information or just general help. I know when I first decided to go vegan I was in a bit of a 'flap' not knowing what I could eat, never mind what to wear, make-up to chose or even household cleaning stuff to use! I didnt know of anyone that was vegan at the time until a friend of mine mentioned that she knew of someone that was vegan. So off I went to see this lady, she kindly had a chat with me and gave me an old copy of a magazine by Viva! (vegetarians international voice for animals) I returned home and eagerly read it. I then phoned a number that was on the magazine and spoke to a very lovely and helpful lady who sent me lots and lots of info through the post which helped me a great deal. So if you are in need of some help or advice about going/being or staying vegan and dont know where to turn, here are just some that I found helpful.

• http://www.viva.org.uk/   info@viva.org.uk 
  By Post:
  Viva!
  8 York Court
  Wilder Street
  Bristol
  BS2 8QH
  
  By Phone/Fax
  T: 0117 944 1000 F: 0117 924 4646
  Please note – phones are staffed 9am to 6pm Mon-Fri.
• http://www.animalaid.org.uk/  info@animalaid.org.uk 
  

  By post: The Old Chapel
  Bradford Street
  Tonbridge
  Kent TN9 1AW  Phone +44(0)1732 364545  Fax +44(0)1732 366533

• http://www.vegansociety.com  info@vegansociety.com  By post: Donald Watson House, 21 Hylton Street,
  Hockley, Birmingham. B18 6HJ
  United Kingdom    By phone: (09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri GMT)
  UK Tel: 0121 523 1730
  UK Fax: 0121 523 1749
  UK Local Rate Tel: 0845 4588244
  International Tel: +44 121 523 1730
  International Fax: +44 121 523 1749

• http://www.vegetarian.org.uk/  8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 970 5190

here are some sites on the internet I found useful.....  www.veganstore.co.uk  www.veganvillage.co.uk  www.veganforum.com  www.veganfamily.co.uk   http://www.cookingforvegans.co.uk/  

There are more shops that cater for vegans: http://www.superdrug.com/ type in vegan on the search button for a list of their vegan products or pop into superdrug store to check out their range of vegan stuff. Marks and Spencers offer a whole range of toiletries, household stuff and cosmectics plus more and Sainsburys label all their products that are vegan http://www.sainsburys.co.uk/ and of course your local health stores have lots of vegan stuff. I personally love http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/ 

there are also lots of books about veganism and vegan recipe books that you can purchase from ebay, amazon,viva! ect and your local library has enough to keep you going :-).....and of course there's alway me! follow my blog....
http://cupofteaandanatter.blogspot.com/ 

     

cup of tea and a slice of cake

There is nothing nicer than a cup of tea and a slice (or two) of cake, but if like me your trying to watch your calorie intake then try this low-fat spice cake, it tastes so delicious that you dont even have a hint thats its low-fat. So here's my recipe....
Ingredients

250g self-raising flour, 150g natural molasses unrefined cane sugar, 4 tablespoons golden syrup, 250ml soya milk or dairyfree milk of your choice, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 2 teaspoons of mixed spice, pinch of salt. Method Preheat oven to 180c / gas 4 and grease a 1lb loaf tin. Sieve flour into bowl, add dark brown soft sugar, golden syrup, cinnamon, mixed spice and salt. Add milk and mix to combine. Pour into a greased loaf tin. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 mins.