Happy Vegan Month!
The start day of the annual World Vegan Month, November 1, coincides with Halloween/All Saints but the treats are healthier!
“The soft truffle centre made with coconut flour, infused with instant coffee and coated in luxurious dark chocolate and the Blueberry Slices that are like marrying up a cookie, a scone and a cake show that eating Vegan (& veggie) is also super fun and tasty (and not just about eating leaves and carrotsticks)” explains The Muscle Bakery website.
A range of vegan goodies. With the range of vegan cakes, meals and many other goodies like choc bars that are available from the Muscle Bakery, “your one stop shop for all things healthified”. It seems there’s nothing that Elke Hurtado the owner cannot make, from as one visitor put it, “an array of delicious desserts, cakes, cookies, choc bars, doughnuts to yummy savoury food, incl the “fluffiest pancakes”.
The website explains also that the Muscle malt bar is “Our greatest creation… Tastes exactly like Maltesers but made with good-for-you ingredients! Brown rice, cashews, hydrolysed whey, agave and luxurious dark chocolate …the only problem? They are highly addictive! (NO SERIOUSLY… THEY REALLY ARE!)”
Everyday Easy Veggie Recipes In addition to everything tasty at the Muscle Bakery one well-known vegan in Gibraltar who knows what’s needed to know about why vegan is Good is Ivan Hernandez of VeggieGib. He explains, “Going vegetarian made me explore a lot of different foods and ingredients and made me look at food from a different perspective. What is more I quickly learned that veggie food is far from bland or boring. I like to make food that is quick, easy and tasty and I like to adapt traditional recipes to vegetarian alternatives whenever I can. Now I like to share what I eat and my recipes and hopefully make people want to eat more veggie food.”
To share his enthusiasm and knowledge Ivan has made available an e-cookbook, free to download, sharing his 15 Everyday Easy Veggie Recipes. With the Spiced ChickPea Salad with Tahini Dressing recipe looking like one just right for all salad enthusiasts. As well as putting up on VeggieGib the recipes for truly-delicious looking range of dishes available at The Muscle Bakery also are many of his favourite tempting sweet dishes, cakes and bars. Ivan says “We hope these recipes inspire you and remember: even if you swap ONE meal a day to a Vegan meal… you ARE making a difference.
Netflix viewers may well have seen the documentary The Game Changers (now on YouTube). It explains very clearly indeed the benefits to each of us as individuals and to the planet the difference that a switch to a vegan lifestyle can make. The Vegan Society explains that World Vegan Month “is celebrated around the world as a time to recognise …and to highlight how accessible and beneficial a vegan lifestyle is and to show cost-effective ways of vegan living, including recipe videos with tips on using vegan staples in a number of ways”.
Exclude all forms of exploitation of and cruelty to animals
“Veganism is a philosophy and way of living which seeks to exclude—as far as is possible and practicable—all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose; and by extension, promotes the development and use of animal-free alternatives for the benefit of animals, humans and the environment. In dietary terms it denotes the practice of dispensing with all products derived wholly or partly from animals.”
“There are many ways to embrace vegan living. Yet one thing all vegans have in common is a plant-based diet avoiding all animal foods such as meat (including fish, shellfish and insects), dairy, eggs and honey – as well as avoiding animal-derived materials, products tested on animals and places that use animals for entertainment”.
A vegan diet is richly diverse
“A vegan diet is richly diverse and comprises all kinds of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, seeds, beans and pulses – all of which can be prepared in endless combinations that will ensure you’re never bored. From curry to cake, pasties to pizzas, all your favourite things can be suitable for a vegan diet if they’re made with plant-based ingredients.”
“Vegans avoid exploiting animals for any purpose, with compassion being a key reason many choose a vegan lifestyle. From accessories and clothing to makeup and bathroom items, animal products and products tested on animals are found in more places than you might expect.
Affordable and easily-sourced alternatives
Fortunately nowadays there are affordable and easily-sourced alternatives to just about everything. With over 46,000 products and services registered with our Vegan Trademark alone, living a vegan lifestyle has never been easier”
Feature article by Jon Lewes 2020
