"I made chef Alex Guarnaschelli's favourite 'accidentally vegan' dish. The recipe is now my go-to for an easy dinner"

From bundle.app

It's tempting to order take-out or make a frozen pizza for dinner, but making a restaurant-quality dish at home isn't as much of a hassle as you might think.

Just ask chef and Food Network star Alex Guarnaschelli.

When I interviewed her in February 2021, she told me cauliflower "steak" is one of her go-to dishes to make when she wants an easy dinner. It's also a signature dish at her New York City restaurant Butter.

"I call it my accidentally vegan entrée, and it's basically cauliflower that's blanched, soaked in coconut milk, and then roasted," she said. "It's just, like, 'What did I just eat?' It's got that kind of vibe."

Although I don't follow a plant-based diet, I try to have meatless meals throughout my week. I also love vegetables, though I must admit cauliflower is one of my least favourites.

Still, I'm always game to try something new. So, I pulled up one of Guarnaschelli's recipes for cauliflower "steak" and got cooking.

The ingredients felt affordable and easy to find

The recipe has three components: marinated cauliflower steaks, a simple vinaigrette, and a gremolata topping (an herby Italian condiment typically made with parsley, garlic, and lemon juice).

It looked a little intimidating at first glance, but when I read through the recipe, I realized this dish would actually be pretty simple.

A lot of the ingredients, like salt, red-wine vinegar, garlic, olive oil, and red-pepper flakes, are common pantry staples.

However, I did have to pick up a few things I don't usually have on hand, like unsweetened coconut milk, flat-leaf parsley, and coriander seeds.

Prep took me a few hours, but none of the steps were difficult

I started by cutting a cauliflower head into three thick slices, or "steaks." The recipe said to cut the head into two pieces, but mine was massive.

From there, I boiled two slices in a pot of heavily salted water for about seven minutes.

I was thankful to have three slabs of cauliflower because one fell apart while boiling. I still strained it and let it drain on a sheet pan while the third steak boiled.

While the cauliflower rested and released the extra water, I prepared a small baking dish with coconut milk, crushed coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and salt.

I'd never worked with coriander seeds before, but crushing them with a mortar and pestle was easy.

Next, I placed the cauliflower pieces in this dish and put it in the fridge to marinate for two hours.

Just before the two hours were up, I put together my vinaigrette and gremolata so that the food would be ready to plate after the cauliflower was roasted.

The vinaigrette was as easy as whisking mustard, olive oil, red-wine vinegar, and lemon juice together.

Then, I chopped up about half a bunch of parsley and combined it with minced garlic and lemon zest.

After marinating, I popped the cauliflower in the oven for about 15 minutes, then broiled it on high for about five. I kept a close eye on it while broiling to make sure it didn't burn.

When everything was out of the oven, I put one hefty steak on a plate, generously poured on the vinaigrette, and topped it all with a couple of spoonfuls of gremolata.

This dish was an explosion of flavour in the best way

Simply put, this dish was incredible.

I'd brought out a knife for the full steak effect, but I didn't need it. The cauliflower was tender enough to cut with a fork.

Every bite was amazing, even the tougher stalk. As I chewed, there were so many exciting things happening to my taste buds. It was sweet, spicy, salty, and tangy.

I'll definitely be making this beautiful dish again. Despite the lengthy prep — including two hours to let the cauliflower marinate — I was able to make this on a weeknight with ease.

It also seems easy to upgrade or adjust. For example, Guarnaschelli told me, it's easy to add more protein to this dish by topping the "steak" with any kind of beans or crushed nuts.

I think finely crushed walnuts would be a nice addition for both flavour and texture, and I'm excited to try crumbling them on top next time.

The vinaigrette and gremolata are also amazing on their own, and I'll be using them on my standard salads and roasted veggies on nights I don't have time to marinate the cauliflower.

Really, every part of this dish is pretty versatile. I can see myself using the coconut-milk marinade for tofu as well, or drizzling the dressing and gremolata on veggies, pasta, or pizza.

I've never been to Guarnaschelli's Butter, but I can't wait for the day I can make a trip to NYC to have this prepared by the pros. For now, I'll have this on heavy rotation at home because I'm already obsessed.

https://www.bundle.app/en/finance/i-made-chef-alex-guarnaschellis-favorite-accidentally-vegan-dish-the-recipe-is-now-my-goto-for-an-easy-dinner-7533da41-4aab-49a5-b120-277bb02a8a17

Vegan And Cruelty-Free Beauty Swaps for Popular Makeup Buys

From peta.org.uk

Whether you’re going full glam for an event or need low-key warpaint for work, the most important feature of any beauty buy is whether animals were harmed in its creation. So, you’ll need to choose vegan and cruelty-free make-up from the store.

Crushed-up beetles, fish scales, boiled skin… You might be surprised at the disgusting ingredients that are taken from animals and used in cosmetics – not to mention the horrific ways in which some cosmetics are tested on animals.

Here, we’ve done the legwork to bring you vegan, cruelty-free swaps of popular products.

Vegan Mascara

Swap Maybelline Great Lash Waterproof Mascara, which comes from a non-cruelty-free company, for…

For Revolution Big Lash Waterproof Volume Mascara

Revolution

Bat your lashes while going to bat for animals, with this slick, vegan, volumising mascara.  One tube lasts for ages, and delivers lashes so cake-, smudge-, and clump-free, you’ll think it comes with a magic wand.

For the Lips

Swap Bobbi Brown Extra Pump Lip Serum in Bare Raspberry , which as well as not being cruelty-free contains carmine (also called cochineal, cochineal extract, crimson lake, or carmine lake), a red dye made from crushed-up beetles…

For the E.L.F Pout Clout Lip Plumping Pen

E.L.F

Double-duty divas will love how this pen adds a glossy pop of colour alongside a tingly plump. Free from crushed-up insects (yuck), you get a fuller lip, a splash of colour, and a shine, all without animal-derived ingredients.  

Cruelty-Free Foundation

Swap Maybelline Dream Radiant Liquid Hydrating Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid and Collagen – the latter of which is derived from the boiled skin and connective tissue of mammals or fish…

For Revolution Skin Silk Serum Foundation

Revolution

You don’t need to slather your face in collagen that’s made from someone’s skin! This vegan foundation glides on and moisturises all day long thanks to its vegan hyaluronic serum. Plus, it comes in a huge range of shades to suit any skin type.

Vegan Highlighter

Swap The CC Beauty Cream Highlight and Contour Stick, which, despite being promoted as vegan, actually contains lanolin, an oily fat taken from the fleece of sheep …

For Barry M Chisel Cheeks Cream Sticks

Barry M

The most epic duo since Galinda and Elphaba, this pair of creamy contour creams glides on to give you the gorgeous cheekbones you longed to be born with and the dewy glow that turns heads.

The Best Blush

Swap Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush, which isn’t cruelty-free and, like many red or pink-tinted products, contains carmine, which comes from crushed up female Dactylopius coccus insects…

For NYX Cosmetics Fat Cheeks Juicy Blush

NYX

The transformative power of a pinch of colour in your cheeks cannot be underestimated, and this creamy vegan blush from NYX will make you look like you’re just a little bit flushed from flirting. Goes on creamy, stays put for hours.

Cruelty-Free Nails

Swap OPI Nail Lacquers in legacy shades like Tutti Fruitti, which contains Guanine, a now seldom-used ingredient made from fish scales…

For Manucurist Active Glow Blueberry polish

Manicurist

A nourishing nail polish, this shiny, long-wearing, fast-drying polish is gorgeous. The vegan formula includes blueberry extracts to hydrate and deeply nourish for healthier nails.

What Are Vegan Cosmetics?

Vegan cosmetics are made without any animal-derived ingredients. Instead of crushing sensitive insects, skinning the scales from clever fish, or stripping oil from the wool of curious sheep, vegan cosmetics use plant-derived or synthetic ingredients to achieve shine, creaminess, moisture and glow.

It’s best to look for certified vegan cosmetics, but it’s also helpful to know what to look for. Aside from the above ingredients, avoid squalene (shark liver oil), casein (milk protein), and stearic acid, which is usually derived from pigs’ stomachs.

Why Choose Cruelty-Free

Choosing cruelty-free cosmetics is the simplest way to help mice, rabbits, and other sensitive animals who are used and killed in cosmetics tests. Every animal is someone, and with savvy swaps, we can change their lives for the better!

https://www.peta.org.uk/lifestyle/vegan-cruelty-free-beauty-swaps/

Meera Sodha’s vegan black rice salad with tomatoes, tamarind and green beans – recipe

From theguardian.com 

Change up your seasonal salads with an easy-to-prep dish that centres on slow-cooked rice and a lively Asian dressing

Here's a recipe straight out of the low-effort, high-reward school of cooking, in which you chop the vegetables and nuts, boil the rice and beans, throw over a dressing … and it’s done! It was written in the middle of a heatwave, when cooking felt impossible, but I couldn’t look at another watermelon and feta salad. The trade-off is that this dish relies heavily on a couple of key ingredients: sambal oelek (which gives the salad its sparkle) and black rice, which, unlike other types of rice in a salad, never tastes worthy.

Black rice salad with tomatoes, tamarind and green beans

Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Laura Lawrence. Photo assistant: Sophie Bronze

Black rice is sometimes sold as “venus black rice” or “black pearl rice”, and cooking times vary from 20-40 minutes, depending on whether the rice has been par-cooked (you’ll know only by checking the cooking time listed on the packet). Sambal oelek can be bought from Asian supermarkets or online, while tamarind paste can vary, though branded ones available from supermarkets tend to be good – if yours is from an Asian supermarket, however, I’d suggest adding it half a tablespoon at a time only at the end, until the mix tastes right to you.

Prep 15 min
Cook Up to 1 hr (depending on the rice)
Serves 4

5 tbsp neutral oil (eg, groundnut, sunflower or rapeseed)
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
4½ tbsp light soy sauce
1½ tbsp tamarind paste
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
½ tbsp sambal oelek – I like Lucullus
200g fine green beans, topped
350g black venus rice (AKA black pearl rice)
350g cherry tomatoes, halved
100g frozen shelled edamame beans, defrosted
60g roasted unsalted cashews, roughly chopped
40g fresh coriander, chopped

Bring a large pan of water to a boil, then cock a lid over the top. Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a large bowl, mix the oil, garlic, soy, tamarind paste, sugar and sambal oelek.

Once the water is boiling, drop in the beans and cook for six to eight minutes, until tender. Scoop out with a slotted spoon or tongs, shake off the excess water, then tip into the dressing bowl.

Gently pour the rice into the still boiling water, then cook according to the packet instructions, until tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and drain again well.

Tip the rice into the bean bowl, add the tomatoes, edamame, cashews and coriander, toss to combine, then serve.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2026/aug/15/black-rice-salad-recipe-tomatoes-tamarind-green-beans-meera-sodha

Oatly broadens emissions gap between oat milk and dairy to impressive 67%

From veganfoodandliving.com

A new life-cycle assessment has revealed environmental improvements in barista oat milk that even took Oatly by surprise, with exciting progress in land use and water efficiency, too

Oatly’s ambient barista oat drink now boasts a 67 per cent lower climate impact than chilled British cow’s milk, widening the footprint gap from 58 per cent recorded in 2021.

The increase was confirmed by an independent life-cycle analysis (LCA) conducted by Mérieux NutriSciences | Blonk. Compared with its first review, published in 2022, its 2026 analysis showed that operational adjustments have yielded substantial environmental gains for Oatly.

In a statement shared on LinkedIn, Caroline Reid, Senior Sustainability Director at Oatly, called the increase “quite a jump,” emphasising that the numbers achieved were unexpected, even knowing the decisive actions the brand had taken.

“I was surprised,” she said, before explaining more of the story behind the figures.

Photo © MaddieRedPhotography/Adobe Stock

How Oatly slashed oat milk emissions

The Swedish plant milk pioneer achieved its significant emissions improvements through its use of oats.

In late 2025, Oatly transitioned eight of its top-selling UK barista products to 100 per cent British oats. This supply chain switch was intended to reduce raw material distribution distances and cut the product’s footprint by between 7 and 13 per cent across key markets including the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.

But the environmental advantages of Oatly’s strategy extend beyond greenhouse gases, also seeing reduced energy and water consumption across its production facilities.

Figures published in the LCA showed that in the UK, Oatly’s ambient barista drink widened the gap in land use from 19 per cent to 48 per cent compared to dairy. Meanwhile, the same product’s water use soared from a 16 per cent gap to being a massive 65 per cent more efficient than cow’s milk.

Oatly’s chilled oat milk products saw similar success, with comparable leaps in figures in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Why the dairy emissions gap continues to grow

Oatly can’t necessarily take full credit for the widening emissions gap, though its increased efficiency is a major factor. Updates to agricultural modelling standards (specifically the International Dairy Federation’s biophysical allocation framework) now attribute a larger share of environmental impact directly to milk production over meat.

Additionally, modern greenhouse gas calculations place greater weight on methane, a short-lived gas with high warming potential.

However, Oatly’s continued efforts to pioneer planet-friendly products can’t be denied. Continuing her LinkedIn post, Reid highlighted the importance of plant-based products to make environmental improvements for both consumers and organisations.

For consumers, she stated that it’s as simple as “swapping cow’s milk to Oatly in your morning latte,” while for the food industry, she expressed hope that businesses would increasingly “raise their voices asking for policies and food environments that support planetary health diets.”

She signed off with a final plea: “Can we please see more delicious plant-rich foods drop the ‘alternative’ cape to become the new norms and heroes of everyday eating?”

https://www.veganfoodandliving.com/news/oatly-broadens-emissions-gap-oat-milk-dairy/ 

Vegan Diet Lowers Food Calorie Density by 30%, Explaining Weight Loss Without Portion Cuts

From vegconomist.com

Image: Alex Haney on Unsplash

A low-fat vegan diet reduces the number of calories packed into each gram of food by roughly 30%, giving researchers a mechanistic explanation for why plant-based eating tends to produce weight loss without deliberate calorie counting. The finding comes from a secondary analysis published in JAMA Network Open, conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM).

“Plant foods are rich in water and fibre, so you can fill your plate, feel full, and still take in fewer calories”

The analysis revisited a 16-week randomized trial that assigned 244 adults with overweight to either an ad libitum low-fat vegan diet built around fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, or a control group asked to make no dietary changes. Neither group received calorie limits. Researchers calculated dietary energy density for each participant as total daily calories divided by total daily food weight in grams.

Same volume of food, fewer calories

Total food weight did not shift significantly in either group, meaning participants on the vegan diet continued eating the same volume of food. Energy intake fell in both groups but dropped further in the vegan group, by about 357 kcal per day relative to controls. Energy density held steady among controls but declined about 30% in the vegan group. Larger reductions in energy density tracked with greater weight loss, a relationship that persisted after accounting for changes in calorie intake.

Photo by Sander Dalhuisen on Unsplash

Vegetables and legumes drive the drop

The shift came from what participants ate rather than how much. Removing calorie-dense animal foods and increasing intake of high-volume, low-energy-density plant foods, particularly vegetables and legumes, lowered the calorie load per gram while keeping portions generous.

Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, director of clinical research at PCRM and lead author, stated, “This helps answer a question people often have about plant-based eating: How can you lose weight without counting calories or going hungry? The answer is energy density. Plant foods are rich in water and fibre, so you can fill your plate, feel full, and still take in fewer calories.”

The 30% reduction is difficult to replicate through portion control alone, according to the researchers. “This isn’t about willpower or smaller portions. It’s about choosing foods that naturally deliver fewer calories in every bite, noted Kahleova.

Image: Odiseo Castrejon on Unsplash

A growing PCRM research base on plant-based weight loss

The study adds to a body of PCRM research on plant-based diets and body weight. The organization recently reported that a low-fat vegan diet outperformed a Mediterranean diet for weight loss even when it included refined grains and potatoes, and separately found that replacing animal protein with plant sources produced weight loss in postmenopausal women without changing total protein intake.

The authors note limitations, including reliance on self-reported food diaries and a participant pool of research volunteers who may not reflect the general population.

Kahleova said, “From a clinical standpoint, targeting energy density offers a realistic strategy for weight loss. Instead of telling people to eat less, we can help them eat differently, and the results follow.”

https://vegconomist.com/studies-numbers/vegan-diet-lowers-food-calorie-density-30-explaining-weight-loss-without-portion-cuts/