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Vegan Christmas food recipes | Vegansk jul mat recpept | Part 1

Christmas is just around the corner, and like previous years… it doesn’t feel like christmas at all. Most likely because i have so much school work so i don’t have time to think about what day or date it is or even think about that the days to Christmas are flying by! Luckily i have gotten 60% of the christmas presents, but still unsure what i should buy for the remaining gifts…… Buying presents isn’t my strong side, not only do i find it extremely commercial and a little too materialistic, i would rather buy something that the person really wants or needs and not just small gifts that will never be used or end up sitting in the persons storage for the next 10 years, hahaha.

I may not be in the Christmas spirit, but i have atleast begun thinking about what food i might be making for Christmas dinner. Because I am Swedish, all these ideas are veganized versions of the typical christmas dinner in Sweden. So if you live in other countries these recipes might seem weird or unusual as you might eat other typical dishes for christmas!

No one in my family eats meat, they do eat eggs and fish though, but i am guessing we will buy store bought vegan meat balls to replace the typical christmas meat balls – unless i decide to make my own from beans and lentils.

Christmas food ideas i plan to make (some of them anyway):

Roasted potatoes alternative hasselback potatoes. (Or you could do boiled, but i don’t like boiled potatoes so i will roast mine!)

Roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potato – maybe mix in some pecans or make a nice sauce for this!

Beetroot salad (recipe here)

Coleslaw (recipe here)

Savoury “shrimp” cheesecake i.e skagentårta . It’s a typical swedish savoury cheesecake which you use lots of mayonaise and prawns, but i will be using tofu instead. (RECIPE)

Kale, tofu, onion pie (made one last year!) RECIPE

Tofu “ribs” or using Oumph! Recipe

Potato gratin (Recipe in my next post)

Some type of home made bread!

Oven roasted vegetables is always a good idea and perfect for leftovers the next day!

Desserts:

Either a ginger bread & lingon cheese cake or a saffron cheesecake. (RECIPE)

20161224_114542 — I will try to find and post the recipe for this saffron cheesecake as well 🙂

20161127_133159 — Or maybe this chocolate and gingerbread cake?

But also saffron buns (recipe), maybe some fudge or ginger bread cookies, maybe i will make my own chocolates or truffles!

Some chocolate covered orange or maybe i will bake the orange in the oven and the drizzle over some nuts and chocolate 🙂

Rice pudding (Recipe HERE or a coconut rice pudding recipe)

This week (or weekend) i will try to make some more Christmas inspired recipes – both sweet and savoury, so that will be up this weekend or next week for more inspiration!

In Sweden a typical christmas food is herring in different sauces. So vegans make a version using aubergine instead which is supposed to be very similar! recipe HERE and HERE

Seitan ham – Recipe here

A soft gingerbread cake, or some ginger bread muffins.

Daim chocolate or rocky road.

These are just some of the ideas i could think of now 🙂 But hopefully they will help inspire you if you are unsure what to make for christmas dinner!

Let me know in the comment section what you plan to eat and/or make for christmas 🙂

December 10, 2018December 10, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyle2 Comments

Taste test: The vegan burger that bleeds (Juicy vegan burger)

When i was working i saw that the store i work at had begun selling the “juicy vegan burgers” by Garant.

They are supposed to resemble the beyond meat burger which “bleeds” and is supposedly very similar to meat.

For 65kr (€6,50) you get 4 burgers ala 125g, i.e €1,60 per burger, and kind of expensive. Part of me was thinking… for the same price i could buy 3 blocks of tofu or 2 packages of other fake meat, or i could buy 8 vegan burgers for the same price from another brand. The economical part of my brain was saying, “can i really justify buying this?”. But i love testing new foods, there is something so exciting about it, so after work i treated myself to the burgers and some burger buns!

I haven’t eaten red meat in years so i am not the best person to compare if this burger is meatlike or not. But also i personally like the taste of the fake meats that already exist, i like the taste and texture of them. Not to mention that i love tofu so don’t feel like i need to eat fake meats.

So, after preparing and eating the burgers what do i think?

Well, when you cook them they do “bleed” unlike other fake meats. This is the beetroot juice… personally i did find it a little strange, and i don’t need my food to fake bleed, hahah.

I fried the burgers for several minutes on both sides until cooked all the way through.

Taste and texture?

It was the weirdest texture…. sort of mushy in a very weird way. There was no resistence or chew, and it hard a sort of gummy texture. Very weird and hard to describe. I also read a comment from another person who said that it was similar to medium rare burgers in consistency. As i have never had medium rare burgers i can’t compare… but i feel like that is how it might taste. It also kind of reminded me of failed (undercooked) seitan, which has a sort of gummy texture to it.

Taste wise? It was rather bland and next time i might add some seasoning or sauce when preparing it. Also i might try preparing the last burger in another way to see if maybe it tastes better then.

Nutrition?

Well each burger contains 15g protein which is quite alot, and the burgers are soya free which is great for those who can’t eat soya. They do however contain gluten, so are not gluten free. And c.a 200kcal for each burger which is similar to burgers in the same size. But i guess the pros to this burger is that it doesn’t have saturated fats, trans fats or cholesterol like red meat burgers do.

My final thoughts?

Personally i don’t think i will buy these burgers again as they weren’t to my liking. Instead if i want burgers i’ll use another brand or just make my own burgers! I do still want to try the beyond meat burger that can be bought from certain restaurants in Sweden… maybe it will taste better.

Everyone is different, so just because i don’t like it doesn’t mean that you won’t!

I just don’t feel the need to have my food taste or look like meat products. I don’t miss eating meat and feel no need for my vegan food to be similar to meat. However i do like the consistency and taste of certain fake meat alternatives, and they can be a good go-to when too tired to make my own food or when eating out/with friends!

September 16, 2018September 16, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyle3 Comments

5 new vegan products | Chips, ice cream, beyond burger | Eating processed food?

Now a days it feels like i can’t keep up with all the new vegan products being released on the market! Just in Sweden it feels like there are constantly new products to try, and i keep seeing updates/pictures of new vegan items being released in the U.S, U.K, Germany etc

It feels great knowing that more and more people want to eat vegan food and that companies are catering to that, and realising the demand for vegan food is high. Of course, i know that i am lucky to live in Sweden (and also in one of the bigger cities) where there is alot of vegan items on sale. In the smaller cities/towns in Sweden the range of products for vegans isn’t as high. And i know that in other countries they might not have the same access or variety of vegan products to choose from.

Recently, i have seen some comments – not directed at me – that all these new vegan foods are processed and unhealthy and that vegans shouldn’t eat them. Vegans should just eat healthy. Comments like that make me a little irritated, because the truth is… veganism doesn’t have anything to do with health. I.e you can eat oreos and fries and be vegan.

But if you are more focused on health, then you eat a wholefood plant based diet, and then maybe you restrict or limit intake of certain foods. But as long as you are eating foods that don’t have any animal products, then it’s fine as a vegan.

From a nutrition point of view i may have my opinion on people only eating junk food/processed food. But generally, i am positive to all the new vegan foods and alternatives. Because most people have some form of balance in their food. And if meat eaters/omnivores can see the vegan alternatives and realise that they might want to try the vegan option then that is great, and it can make it easier for people to transition to a plantbased diet/vegan lifestyle.

And the truth is… people will be eating pizza, ice cream, chocolate, cake anyway so why not make vegan options available so that people have the alternative to choose that anyway.

And processed food in moderation doesn’t have to be bad…. of course i wouldn’t recommend anyone to base their whole diet off of store bought, processed food. But it can definitely be part of a healthy diet. And in the end, as long as it’s vegan according to me! (Also, i think most people are aware that they shouldn’t just eat ice cream and pizza).

This is of course just my opinion, but it is important to know the difference between a vegan lifestyle (vegan for the animals) and eating plantbased for health.

Here are 5 new vegan products available (or soon to be!) in Sweden!

Vegan Magnum! I think it will be released in two flavours…. a little late for new ice cream releases according to me. But if i find it i will definitely try it – even if i have been more of a cornetto type of girl!
2 new sandwich toppings & burgers from Quorn. Usually Quorn isn’t vegan as it has egg whites, but these sandwich toppings have the vegan label so they’re safe! (Just make sure to check Quorn items incase they have egg white).
Vegan cornetto. I think these have been available for a while but i haven’t found them anywhere… so for me, they’re new!
Beyond burger which is said to be very similar to actual beef burger – and uses beetroot juice to “Bleed”, is available in Sweden now. And more places will hopefully be serving it, as now it is just in one restaurant branch in Stockholm. Some people may be put off this burger as it is said to be too realistic, but i want to try it if i get the chance. I haven’t eat red meat in about 7-8 years so i really can’t remember the taste or texture, and i love vegan fake meat so i don’t know how i will feel about the burger if it too realistic.

And there are 3 (i think) new vegan chips are being sold. But i only found one of them which i decided to try. Lentil chips with the taste of ranch and sourcream. My opinion is that they were slightly dry and flavourless, but reminded me of the bacon chips you can get at the cinema…. except these had less flavour. I like the other lentil chips available, so i was a little disappointed with these if i am honest.

I am excited to see more and more products/foods available in stores over time! Seeing the vegan trend grow, and hopefully more and more people will try going fully vegan – or atleast seeing how easy it is to cut down on animal products!

August 30, 2018August 30, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyle13 Comments

Vegan ice cream delivery| 3vänner glass|Review

On Tuesday i got a delivery from the company, 3vänner, which is a ~~Swedish~~ Finnish (updated) Ice cream company.

They make both dairy and non dairy ice cream, and of course i am a huge fan of their non dairy ice cream based on coconut cream. I first tried their ice cream several months ago and i loved it! It quickly became my no.1 favourite vegan ice cream… or atleast in tied first place with peanut butter and cookies vegan ben and jerrys. Then i got to try 2 of their other vegan ice cream flavours when i was at the vegan fair in spring (read more HERE). And i realised that i loved all of the flavours, unlike vegan ben and jerrys where i only like 1 of the 3 available.

3vänner contacted me and asked if they could deliver some ice cream for me to try, and of course i said yes…. because well 1) i love their ice cream, 2) it’s a swedish brand which i love supporting, 3) i was feeling low after my hospital visit and needed a pick me up and 3) i wasn’t expecting so much ice cream hahaha. They delivered SO MUCH ice cream… and i can say, i have already eaten a bunch of it!!

They haven’t asked me to post or do a review, but i thought i would do a review of their ice cream anyway as i have done other ice cream reviews in the past!

The four vegan flavours they have are: Peppermint and chocolate. Chocolate, nuts and fudge sauce. Coconut and pineapple. Licquirice and coconut.

I have to start off by saying that i LOVE the coconut based ice cream, it is so much more creamier than ice cream based off of cashews or oats… it has a different texture and doesn’t become “icy.”

Second, i love the flavour combos. Because i must admit… i am a little tired of vegan ice cream only coming in the flours chocolate, vanilla or strawberry.

And third, i love that the chocolate and nuts and the licqourice and and coconut flavour have little aded extras which always make for an extra tasty ice cream experience!

If i am honest, i can’t choose a favourite…. but i would say the peppermint and chocolate would be in 4th place (or maybe 2nd place and all the others are in tied first place)… just because i amn’t a huge fan of peppermint.

Review time:

Chocolate, nuts and fudge sauce: This flavour is super creamy and if you like chocolate ice cream you will love this flavour. Not to mention the fudge sauce which is actually on top/in the middle and not at the very bottom like other ice creams. Also has peanuts for crunch, which i love! This flavour gets 5/5. And note… it is FAR TOO EASY to eat the whole ice cream in one go.

Licqourice and coconut: I am a huge fan of licqourice. Sometimes i can buy bags of licqourice and eat in one go, so not strange that i love this flavour. It has a liquourice sauce added as well which adds a little extra, it has a perfect balance of sweet and salty. Because it has such a balance of sweet and salty it satisfies both cravings – and once again, the coconut base makes it so creamy and delicious.

Coconut and pineapple: This was the one flavour i hadn’t tried before. It is SO FRESH. The pineapple is almost like sorbet, and the coconut is creamy so it makes for the perfect taste. It reminds me of the candy which has the sort of white-foamy base, and the sweet jelly (if that makes sense.) Basically an amazing combo and i could gladly eat this ice cream for breakfast and call it a smoothie, hahahah. Infact, just writing this review makes me want to go to the freezer and eat a pot of this ice cream.

Peppermint and chocolate: This ice cream has christmas feelings because of the peppermint. The two flavours work well together and it is incredibly creamy… but i just can’t get past the peppermint which i am not a huge fan of. The positive is that it does have small chocolate pieces in it, so adds a little crunch!

All of these are best eaten after the ice cream has had time to defrost c.a 5-10 minutes, or you just put it in the microwave c.a 20-30seconds if you are impatient like me XD

For now these ice creams are just available in Finland and Sweden, but maybe they will be available in other nordic countries in the future and who knows maybe they will expand to other European countries as well. But you can see which stores sell the ice cream HERE

I highly recommend these ice creams, and this is not a biased opinion, this is an honest review and opinion. They are pretty much the same price of vegan ben and jerrys i.e not the cheapest ice cream, but that just makes them extra tasty!!

August 17, 2018August 17, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyle6 Comments

Vegan seaweed burger tacos & pulled VegMe tacos

My second recipe in collaboration with VegMe is a seaweed burger taco with a caviar-tartar sauce as well as pulled VegMe tacos with pickled onion! And of course sweet potato fries on the side to dip into the left over sauce.

Burger patties aren’t just for burger buns. Why not add burgers to your baguette or chop one up and add to your pasta or like in this case… crumble up a seaweed burger and add to your tacos! Get creative and know that just because it is called a burger patty, doesn’t mean it has to be eaten with burger buns!

Here comes a simple & quick vegan recipe, which you all know by now are my favourite!

I want quick and delicious food that isn’t complicated or time consuming to make, and this fits all of those criteria… not to mention, is a great meal to prepare when inviting friends, family or partner over for a meal!

Recipe:

Ingredients: (Approximately 45-50 minutes** due to the cooking time of the fries)

Mini tortilla bread c.a 5-6 pieces
1-2 VegMe seaweed burgers
½ package pulled VegMe (alternatively, just have the seaweed burger!)
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Sweet potatoes (alternatively, frozen sweet potato fried)

Pickled onion:
2-3 red onions
300-400ml water
3tbs sugar
2tbs vinegar
0.5tsp salt

For the sauce:
c.a 80g VegMe mayonnaise
c.a 60g vegan quark (alternatively a thick yogurt * vegan)
½ teaspoon of lime juice
C.a 1 tbs sweet relish
c-a 1-2tbs vegan caviar (picture)
Dill
Salt and pepper

How to:

Heat the oven to 220 ° C and place baking paper on a baking pan.
Start with the sweet potato fries – either pour frozen sweet potato fries on the baking sheet and bake according to the package.

Or make homemade by peeling the sweet potatoes and then cutting into thin fry-like form. Then place in a bowl of cold water, covering the whole sweet potato and leave for about 30 minutes. Afterwards pour away the water and sprinkle some corn starch, salt, oil and spices over the fries. Mix well before placing the sweet potatoes on the baking pan – make sure there is space between all the pieces.

Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes and turn the fries over after half the time (they are ready when they are golden brown. **Tips to increase the heat to 250 ° C for the last 5 minutes so they get extra crispy).

Begin preparing the pickled onion (you can prepare the day before for optimal taste):
Start by peeling and chop the onion and place in a glass jar or bowl. Then start by boiling the water. When the water starts boiling add sugar, vinegar and salt and mix until it is all combined.
Pour the mixture over the onion and cover with foil or close the jar. Leave for a minimum of 30 minutes, but preferably longer.

The sauce: Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients together and tasting. Add more or less of certain ingredients according to preference. Place in the fridge until it is time to eat.

Begin by frying the seaweed burgers in a little oil for about 3-4 minutes on each side. In a separate frying pan (or after frying the burgers) start frying the pulled VegMe for a few minutes.

Last heat the tortilla bread in the oven for 1-2 minutes (it is fine to skip this and eat them cold!).
Chop lettuce, tomatoes, onion and avocado for your tortillas. (Adding mango to the pulled VegMe tacos is also a great combo!)

When all the food is prepared, it’s time to fill your tortillas! Tip, dip the sweet potato in the sauce that is over!

Eat warm and enjoy!!!

And if you have left over tortilla bread, why not make your own nacho chips, recipe HERE.

*Paid collaboration with VegMe*

July 3, 2018July 2, 2018

Its a healthy lifestyle3 Comments