Table of contents for March 2022 in PlantBased

Thanks for picking up another issue of PlantBased; while I’m putting the magazine together each month with the PB team, I love to imagine it arriving on your doorsteps or making its way into your supermarket trolley. It’s a labour of love, and I hope that comes across as you flick through it, deciding which recipes you’re going to make from this issue! March is a month I’m very fond of, for obvious reasons – after the dark days of winter, I welcome the thought of leaving the office in daylight! The evenings are starting to draw out and the weather is starting to get a little warmer, although frankly, I think I romanticise these very early days of spring – it’s still not going to be warm enough to…

Glasgow Vegan Festival 12th March – Hampden Park – From £5 With over 100 stalls offering everything from pies, cakes, sandwiches, salads, along with skincare products, jewellery, crafts and more. VIP tickets available that include a goody bag. veganeventsuk.co.uk Maldon Vegan Market 19th March – Promenade Park - Free A vegan market taking over Promenade Park by the Marine Lake and next to the riverside; bringing together musicians with vegan street food, craft brewers, environmental charities and more. veganmarkets.co.uk Vegan Curry Cooking Class 29th March – The Priory Witham Academy, Lincoln – £25 Follow along with the chefs from Curry Jacks and make your own authentic curry, just as spicy as you like it. Take home what you make as well as a side dish made by the chef. eventbrite.co.uk…

How to sleep better How much sleep should I be getting? The NHS suggests that adults require between 6 and 9 hours of sleep each night, of which both quantity and quality is important. During sleep several important functions occur that are essential for health. During sleep, the brain is detoxified of waste and toxins, and the body resets the immune system, brain function and energy production. Subsequently, poor sleep does not only contribute to poor energy and fatigue, but also to cognition, immunity, recovery and the ability to cope with stress. What healthy sleep habits can I adopt? Lifestyle changes can be a huge opportunity to rebuild good sleep habits. These can be split into 3 areas. 1. Sleep hygiene – take steps to prepare your bedroom for sleep,…

Makes: 200ml (6.7 fl oz) A sizzling hot sauce to spice up any meal. This is my version of a recipe that originates from the West Indies, but you can try making it with a variety of different chillies and spices according to your taste. Using habanero chilli peppers, for example, will give you an extremely hot version, but even the more common long, tapered peppers produce a wonderfully flavoured spicy sauce. • 10-30 chilli peppers, depending on type and size• 1 green capsicum pepper, chopped• 1 onion• 2 garlic cloves• 1 tsp brown sugar• 1 tsp salt• 150ml (5 fl oz) cider vinegar or white wine vinegar 1 Roughly chop the chilli peppers (removing the seeds will produce a better flavour to heat ratio). Beware of the stinging juices,…

Black Lentil Dhal with Beetroot Raita Serves: 4 Perfect comfort food, this hearty dhal is similar to the classic Punjabi dal makhani, but uses green lentils instead of the more usual red kidney beans. The benefits of using dried green lentils alongside the urad dhal (black lentils) is that neither need pre-soaking or cooking, so you can assemble the ingredients and turn on the slow cooker first thing and you’ll be welcomed home with the wonderful aroma of dhal. • 1 tbsp coconut oil• 1 large onion, finely chopped• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped• 4-cm/1½-in piece root ginger, grated• 2 tsp cumin seeds• 1 medium-sized green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped• 3 cardamom pods, split• 1 small cinnamon stick• 1 tsp turmeric• 200g (7oz) whole black lentils (urad dahl), rinsed•…

Magnum Vegan Classic Mini Magnum has introduced miniature versions of its full size vegan favourites: Classic Minis and Classic Almond Minis. Both are available as part of a multi pack featuring three of each option. They combine smooth vegan ice cream with Magnum’s signature cracking chocolate, with crunchy California almonds added to the shell of the Almond Minis for some extra texture. £4.29, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and ocado.com Question of the Month We asked our followers on Instagram: DO YOU GROW YOUR OWN VEGETABLES? If you’re lucky enough to have space in your garden or access to an allotment, growing your own food is a great pastime! Head to page 20 to learn more about grow-your-own and permaculture from the experts.…

The Italian word for slipper, ciabatta is a broad, flat bread that originates from Verona in the north-east of Italy. Ciabatta as we know it was created in 1982 by baker Arnaldo Cavallari, who was looking for a bread that would rival the French baguette in popularity. (There are those who say that a type of ciabatta has been in existence for longer, but its founder disputes this.) Made simply from wheat flour, water, salt, yeast and olive oil, ciabatta is now available widely across the world, and outside of Italy, is commonly used as the bread for a panini – a toasted sandwich with various fillings. 1 Crave Pickled Onion Monster Feet These new snacks are sure to remind you of childhood crisps! Packed with flavour, Crave also offers…

Following its legal victory over Oatly, British oat producer Glebe Farm (glebefarmfoods.co.uk) has introduced two new oat drinks to its range. The Cambridgeshire-based company hit the news last year after a court case victory over oat drink giants Oatly, who had claimed brand infringement. All claims were rejected by the judge, allowing Glebe Farm to expand its PureOaty offering. PureOaty Barista offers a coffee-shop experience for at-home coffee drinkers, while the Creamy & Enriched drink is fortified with calcium and vitamins D, B2 and B12, and is being offered as a option for breakfast, smoothies and baking. Both drinks are gluten-free and full of fibre and minerals. Glebe Farm is home to Britain’s first production plant for making oat drink from scratch; it’s powered sustainably using solar panels and recycled…

Following news of the company’s international launch, Crackd The No-Egg Egg (crackd.com) also unveiled a brand new recipe for its bottled egg replacement that will allow people to create a vegan scrambled ‘egg’ in just two minutes. The original version of Crackd was made with baking in mind, but following its initial launch the company noticed that people were requesting a product that scrambled better. As a result, plans were put in place to develop a product that delivers, but maintains the baking results. Crackd says that the new recipe offers better texture and a richer taste, and scrambles in 2 minutes, compared to the 5-7 minutes of the original. It’s available on shelves in Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Selfridges and Whole Foods, and online from The Vegan Kind, The…

U: ME Spice Shots Available in two vegan-friendly flavours (Lebanese Style and Japanese Style), these oil blends from U: ME have been designed to make meal times quick, easy and spicy! They can be added into meals such as stir-fries and stews. £2.30, Sainsbury’s SAVI Snacks Savoury Snack Bar Available in three delicious flavours – Pizza, BBQ and Sweet Chilli – this snack bar is ready to disrupt the snacking market! It’s high in protein, high in fibre, low in sugar, and gluten-, palm oil- and additive-free. £1.95, savisnacks.com Ritter Sport Without Moo Made with only four all-natural ingredients (sugar, cocoa butter, Nicaraguan cocoa and almond paste), this new bar from Ritter Sport is the brand’s first ever vegan chocolate bar. £1.99, ritter-sport.co.uk Oppo Brothers Double Salted Caramel Swirl Ice…

Raspberry and White Chocolate Muffins Makes: 12 We all need a handy, quick and easy muffin recipe. This recipe has a sweet vanilla muffin base and includes raspberries and white chocolate, a delicious flavour combination. Add these delights to your special afternoon tea. • 250g (8.8 oz) all-purpose flour (use gluten-free flour if needed and add ¼ tsp xanthan gum)• 2½ tsp baking powder• 200g (7oz) golden superfine caster sugar• 130ml (4.3 fl oz) sunflower oil or other neutral oil• 180ml (6 fl oz) unsweetened plant-based milk• 2 tsp vanilla extract• 150g (5.2 oz) fresh or frozen raspberries• 200g (7oz) vegan white chocolate chips or chopped chocolate 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C convection)/400°F/Gas 6 and line a muffin tin with 12 muffin papers. 2 In a large bowl,…

In Praise of Walking by Shane O’Mara Neuroscientist Shane O’Mara reveals the evolutionary reasons why humans love to walk, inviting readers to marvel at its benefits. Published by Vintage. Wanderers: A History of Women Walking by Kerri Andrews Keen hill-walker Kerri Andrews traces the footsteps of ten women from the past three hundred years who have found walking essential to their sense of themselves. Published by Reaktion Books. In Praise of Paths by Torbjørn Ekelund Norwegian author Torbjørn Ekelund started to walk everywhere after a diagnosis of epilepsy affected his ability to drive, and found himself falling in love with it. Published by Greystone Books. Did you know? Fit and active people more likely to be moderate or heavy drinkers In a comparison between light and heavier drinkers, researchers from…

In my video, Music as Medicine, I explored a study about how listening to Mozart can reduce allergic reactions. This reminded me of a similar study on humour, which I discuss in Laughter as Medicine. In the study, researchers took a group of people with dust mite allergies and directed half of them to watch a Charlie Chaplin video and the other half to watch the Weather Channel. The researchers then injected all subjects with dust mite poop. In the subjects who watched the humorous video, their allergic response was significantly reduced and this reduction lasted for a matter of hours. This suggests that “the induction of laughter may play some role in alleviating allergic diseases.” Is there a chance that it might suppress our immune system too much? Apparently…

A two night stay for two people at a choice of hotel courtesy of This Mother’s Day Red Letter Days are giving away a unique premium getaway. Be in with a chance to win your mum a two-night stay in the city or enjoy a relaxed break. There are a range of fantastic experiences to choose from, including luxurious London hotels, relaxing spa breaks, charming country castle retreats and more. This voucher is packed with enchanting getaways to be enjoyed in a selection of convenient locations throughout the UK. Treat your mum to a well-earned break with an unforgettable experience. Simply browse online and choose from hundreds of charming getaways with our online booking system, featuring live availability. Visit redletterdays.co.uk to view the experience. For your chance to win, enter…

From the added heat of West African chillies to leafy greens and pulses from the east, this collection of African-inspired recipes showcases a range of ingredients, flavours and combinations to invigorate any plant-based offering with an African twist. Recipes include: • Golden Rice with Raisins• Carrot and Apricot Soup• Courgette, Kale and Leek Bitetuteku• Banfora: Burkina Welshcakes• Rum Caramel Oranges• Puff-Puff with Kombucha £9.99, from graffeg.com or local bookshops March picks Some snacks to help to banish your hunger pangs…

Krispy Kreme (krispykreme.co.uk) has increased its vegan offering, adding another three doughnuts to its range. The news follows the launch of its first vegan doughnut last year, the Original Glazed Vegan ring doughnut. The new options are Fudge Brownie Bliss, Caramel Choc Delight and Apple Crumble, all certified by The Vegan Society. Louise Direito, Krispy Kreme UK and Ireland’s Head of Innovation, said: “We are really excited to bring this range to customers… and are confident it delivers on the irresistible taste we are known and loved for whilst being accessible to a broader network of customers.” Ericka Durgahee, Marketing Manager at The Vegan Society, added: “The Vegan Trademark team are thrilled to see Krispy Kreme expanding their vegan options and making them available across the country. They’ve gone the…

Cream cheese favourite Philadelphia (philadelphia.co.uk) has introduced a new vegan option to its range. Philadelphia Plant Based was introduced during Veganuary, exclusively on sale in Tesco stores, priced at £2.50. The company says that the new product has been two years in the making, with rigorous testing of the recipe to ensure it delivers the same levels of taste and quality as the other products in the range. Louise Stigant, UK managing director of parent company Mondelēz International, said: “We’ve worked hard to make sure new Philadelphia Plant Based really delivers the same great taste and creaminess that people love and expect from Philadelphia and we’re delighted that there’s now a Philadelphia product for everyone, not a bagel or slice of toasted sourdough ever needs to go without again!”…

Desenio Breakfast in Bed Poster Celebrate the joy of breakfast in bed with this poster, perfect for the bedroom or the kitchen. It will inspire a weekend lay in – you just have to convince someone to make breakfast! £12.95, desenio.com Not Just a Shop Tea Dust Centrepiece Vase Made from recycled tea waste, this vase in a peppermint colour is a wonderful talking point for your home. Tea waste is dried out and mixed with a biodegradable binding agent, and then hand-poured into origami moulds. £75, notjustashop.arts.ac.uk Sophie Conran Compost Scoop A compost scoop that enables you to shovel just the right amount into your pots without any mess. It features a waxed handle, brass ferrule and stainless steel head. £19.95, annabeljames.co.uk EKO Home Puro Caddy 12L This food…

Hearty Buckwheat Waffles with Strawberries Makes: 4 waffles, serves 2 This breakfast ticks all the boxes in terms of comfort, indulgence and appeasing that insatiable sweet tooth that we all have. • 60ml (2 fl oz) melted coconut oil, plus 1 tbsp for the waffle iron• 375ml (13 fl oz) almond milk, shop-bought or home-made• 200g (7oz) buckwheat flour• 3 tbsp cacao powder• ½ tsp baking powder• ½ vanilla pod (bean), scraped, or ½ tsp ground vanilla pod• Pinch of salt To serve: • 230g (8 oz) coconut yoghurt, shop-bought or home-made• 1 tsp grated lemon zest• 1 tbsp maple syrup, plus extra for drizzling• ½ vanilla pod (bean), scraped, or ½ tsp ground vanilla pod• Handful of fresh fruit• Micro herbs and edible flowers (optional) 1 Start by heating…

How long have you been vegan, and what made you make the change? I have been vegetarian/vegan for about 13 years. I first went vegetarian because of my love for animals, I then went vegan when I realised the environmental impact eating vegan can have! What are your favourite snacks to eat while you’re on set? I love anything by Vegan Rob’s. Their snacks are so delicious. No Cow’s protein bars, peanut butter flavour, are also a favourite of mine. And of course Evolved’s chocolate oatmeal cookie dough and Hu’s chocolate vanilla crunch and mint bars. Where is your favourite vegan restaurant? Too many to choose! But if I have to, I guess I would pick Vegan Plate in Chicago. It’s this little hole in the wall place, but they…