Wicked Kitchen Just Bought A Second Vegan Seafood Company

From plantbasednews.org

The merger comes as demand for plant-based fish increases 

Plant-based food brand Wicked Kitchen has acquired vegan seafood manufacturer Current Foods. It comes shortly after fellow alt-seafood producer Good Catch joined the company in September 2022. 

Current Foods is known for its sushi-grade salmon and tuna alternatives made from unusual ingredients including bamboo, potato, and algae. Presently, it supplies US and European food service industries, but is not sold directly to the public.

By acquiring all of the Current Foods stock, Wicked Kitchen will gain access to the plant-based sushi market itself.

Speaking about the newest merger, Wicked Kitchen said: “Now, our two purpose-driven brands can better support a single mission: to create amazing foods that work towards improving the environment and the lives of humans, animals, and sea life by inspiring the world to eat more plants.”

Wicked Kitchen is broadening its reach in the plant-based sector - Media Credit: Plant Based News / Current Foods

A ‘perfect match’

Discussing the merger of the two companies, Wicked Foods’ CEO Pete Speranza said: “Current Foods is a perfect match for Wicked as a global-impact brand with the same mission and complementary products. With this deal and the Good Catch acquisition, we’re uniquely positioned as consumers continually learn about the environmental impact realities on sea life.”

Increased consumer awareness could be one reason why the plant-based seafood market is taking off. Accordingly, the sector is predicted to reach $1.3 billion by 2031, if a 42.3 percent annual growth pattern continues. Consumers are increasingly becoming aware of the environmental cost of “seafood,” as well as the ethical implications of fishing.

Wicked Kitchen’s global growth

Starting life in 2018 as an in-house brand for UK supermarket chain Tesco, Wicked Kitchen has grown hugely.

Today, the brand has a presence in Asia, the US (including at sports events), and across Europe, with a product range that is hundreds-strong. Moreover, it is also diverse. It ranges from frozen meals to wraps, plant-based meat slices, and more.

https://plantbasednews.org/news/economics/wicked-kitchen-second-vegan-seafood-company/

Book review: Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan

From thecaterer.com

Richard Makin's book takes vegan cooking to new extremes as he takes on the challenge to make anything plant-based

A fried egg cooked to perfection is simplicity itself – a blistered bottom, a glossy egg white and a bright yellow yolk with a tantalising wobble – but it isn't necessarily top of concerns when considering a plant-based diet. However, for Richard Makin, it symbolises his goal as a vegan food blogger to create plant-based recipes with "zero sacrifices" – so much so that his vegan fried egg is the cover of his first book Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan.

To make this faux egg he blends soft silken tofu, rice flour, vegetable oil and kala namak (black salt, which gives a sulphurous, eggy flavour), to make the white, and fries it in vegan butter. The yolk's colour comes from carrot juice, which he processes with vinegar and more kala namak before pouring in rapeseed oil to create a yellow vegan mayo, which is dotted in the centre of his ‘fried egg'.

In the ‘Meats' section he describes how to use paper tofu to replicate bacon, or how the Chinese method of making seitan can create products similar to chicken, chorizo or deli meat. He also provides recipes for mock Parmesan, mozzarella, Cheddar and ricotta.

Recipe inspiration includes using pink oyster mushrooms which, when cooked, turn a deep orange similar to lobster. When paired with chives, vegan mayo and nori to boost the seafood flavour, you have lobster rolls. Birria tacos made from jackfruit are begging to be dipped in a sauce packed with Mexican flavours, and the clever addition of deodorised coconut oil creates a layer of fat on the surface of the sauce, replicating the meat fat which the traditional recipe calls for dunking the tortilla into before frying.

His chapter on ‘Sweet Stuff' also doesn't disappoint with the most requested dessert from his Instagram page – the Mexican classic tres leches cake – as well as a vanilla custard slice and his version of "dessert royalty" the ‘Veganetta'.

The more your flick through this book, the more detailed techniques jump off the page, but the joy of Maikin's recipes is how he breaks them down into simple steps to recreate dishes everyone can enjoy.

Anything You Can Cook, I Can Cook Vegan by Richard Makin (Bloomsbury, £25)

https://www.thecaterer.com/products/recipes/book-review-anything-you-can-cook-vegan-richard-makin 

Vegan ‘Potato Ice Cream’ Could Soon Hit The Market

From plantbasednews.org

The dairy-free ice cream market has risen substantially in recent years 

Vegans could soon have yet another dairy-free ice cream to choose from, as a Swedish company is working on a potato-based product. 

Veg of Lund, the parent company of DUG Drinks, has announced a patent approval for an ice cream made with potatoes, rapeseed oil, and a vegetable protein emulsion. 

This patent currently just covers Sweden, but the makers have said that they’re hoping for international protection soon. 

“We are pleased that a patent is approved in Sweden,” said Professor Eva Tornberg, founder of Veg of Lund, in a statement. “The fact it is based on such an everyday crop as potatoes shows the uniqueness and strength of the patent.”

Ice cream made from potatoes could soon be on supermarket shelves - Media Credit: Adobe Stock

Potatoes as a vegan alternative

Tornberg has heralded the potential of potatoes as a sustainable vegan alternative to dairy. DUG released potato milk onto the market in 2021. While it hasn’t yet achieved the commercial success of competitors like oat and soy, it’s still available at supermarkets in a number of countries, including the UK. 

In 2022, the company launched a potato-based smoothie, which also has a Swedish patent. The new ice cream launch comes as the company aims to break into other markets across the world. 

“Just as we did for 2022, we’ve started 2023 with a bang,” said Fredrik Carling, CEO of DUG. “Earlier this month we announced the launch of DUG in 496 stores of the leading premium Swiss supermarket chain Migros. And we anticipate this will be one of a number of international launches this year, so watch this space…”

He added that the company is working on “new product development projects in the meat alternative segment and the ice-cream segment, both of which will be based on our patented potato-powered emulsion.”

The rise of dairy-free ice cream 

The vegan ice cream market has been forecast to grow to $805.3 million by 2027, up from $520.9 million in 2019.

Many people are ditching dairy because of a growing understanding of the ethical and environmental costs of milk production. There are more than 270 million dairy cows around the world. In order to produce milk, they must have a baby, and they’re forcibly impregnated repeatedly each year. In order for humans to take their milk, their calves are dragged away from them hours after birth. When they are considered “spent,” they are sent to the slaughterhouse. 

The dairy industry is responsible for around four percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. It also drives deforestation and biodiversity loss. Land is cleared to allow for grazing, or to grow feed for the growing number raised on factory farms.  

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/vegan-potato-ice-cream/

High cholesterol: As study recommends vegetarian, vegan diet, here are the list of foods that can help you lower cholesterol​

From timesofindia.indiatimes.com

01/6​New study finds plant based diets have positive impact in lowering cholesterol​

A new study published in the European Heart Journal, a peer-reviewed medical journal of cardiology has found that vegetarian and vegan diet can lower cholesterol level, which is a major risk factor for the heart which subsequently kills close to 18 million people every year.

For the study, the researchers analysed data from 30 randomized trials with a total of 2,372 participants, published between 1982 and 2022. The studies conducted in USA, Sweden, Finland, South Korea, Australia, Brazil, Czech Republic, Italy, Iran, and New Zealand.

02/6​"Plant-based diets have the potential to lessen the atherosclerotic burden"​

The researchers concluded that vegetarian and vegan diets were associated with reduced concentrations of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B—effects that were consistent across various study and participant characteristics.

"Plant-based diets have the potential to lessen the atherosclerotic burden from atherogenic lipoproteins and thereby reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease," the study concluded.

For the study the researchers estimated the effect of vegetarian and vegan diets on TC, LDL-C, TG, and apoB blood levels (apoB contain lipoprotein particles that are the risk factors for cardiovascular health).

03/6LDL dropped by 10% in those who had plant based diets

LDL or low density lipoprotein, which is called the bad cholesterol, was monitored in the participants.

The researchers found that LDL levels dropped to 10% in those who followed a plant based diet in comparison to those who had a diet comprising both plant and meat products.

They also found that the overall cholesterol dropped by 7%.

04/6​In plant based diet, apolipoprotein B levels dropped by 14%​

Elevated levels of apolipoprotein B is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The normal range of apolipoprotein B level is 100 mg/dL. ApoB is the main apolipoprotein in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglyceride-rich lipoproteins.

The researchers found a significant impact of plant based diet on apolipoprotein B levels. It found that being vegan or vegetarian dropped the apolipoprotein B levels by 14%.

05/6​Statin treatment is superior to plant-based diets​

Along with the study findings, the researchers have touched upon the most important treatment method and the risk factors of atherosclerosis.

"Statin treatment is superior to plant-based diets in reducing lipid and lipoprotein levels," they say.

"Prevention of disease risk factors such as overweight, hypertension, and dyslipidaemia is key to slowing down the atherosclerotic process, wherefore consumption of plant-based diets could postpone or even diminish the need for statins, thus sparring individuals from side effects related to the treatment," they have added.

06/6​Foods that can help lower cholesterol​

A Harvard report explains the different nature of foods and the ways they help lower cholesterol. It says fibres bind cholesterol in the digestive system and remove them out of the body before they get into circulation. Polyunsaturated fats directly lower LDL. Plant sterols and stanols block the body from absorbing cholesterol.

Foods like oats, barley, whole grains, beans, eggplants, okra, nuts, vegetable oils, seasonal fruits, soy, and fatty fish can help lower cholesterol. 

Foods fortified with stanol and sterols and fibre supplements can also be helpful.

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/health-fitness/health-news/high-cholesterol-as-study-recommends-vegetarian-vegan-diet-here-are-the-list-of-foods-that-can-help-you-lower-cholesterol/photostory/100546975.cms 

Chantelle Nicholson’s vegan recipe for grilled spring onions with roast garlic and chickpea mash

From theguardian.com

A superb spring starter or light lunch 

Grilled onions are ever so underrated – in summer, I love them piled on to the barbecue, but their nutty sweetness is a great addition to just about any meal at any time of year. I’m also a huge fan of roast garlic, which is a great thing to have to hand at all times: just peel, roast and cover with good oil, and it will keep for almost as long as you can resist using it all up. And then we come to dill, whose zesty acidity is the best possible friend to today’s dish, the first of my recipes while I, excitedly, stand in for the uber-talented Meera Sodha for the next four weeks.

Grilled spring onions with roast garlic and chickpea mash and dill vinaigrette

Prep 10 min
Cook 35 min
Serves 4

1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained (240g net weight; save the liquid for making mayonnaise or meringues)
1 garlic bulb, separated into cloves and peeled
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white miso paste
Salt
3 bunches spring onions, trimmed
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds

For the dill vinaigrette
1 small bunch dill (about 20g)
100ml rapeseed oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Put 50g of the chickpeas in a sieve and set them aside to dry out a little.

Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Put the garlic on an oven tray, splash over tablespoon of rapeseed oil, toss to coat, then roast for 10-12 minutes, until golden (ideally, make a batch in advance when your oven is already on for another use). Transfer the roast garlic to a blender, add the olive oil and miso paste, and blitz until almost smooth.

Tip the remaining 190g chickpeas into the blender, add 125ml water and blitz again, until almost smooth. Scrape the garlic and chickpea mixture into a medium saucepan and cover.

Put all the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a blender with a couple of spoonfuls of cold water to loosen, then blitz until almost smooth and season with salt to taste.

As mentioned above, spring onions work brilliantly on a barbecue, but they’ll be fine cooked indoors on a griddle pan or large frying pan, too, or even roasted at 230C (210C fan)/450F/gas 8. Either way, coat them in the remaining two tablespoons of rapeseed oil, season with salt and cook, turning as necessary, for eight to 10 minutes, until softened and slightly charred. Dry the reserved chickpeas in the sieve as best you can – a gentle rub in a clean tea towel should do the trick – then arrange them in a single layer on a flat tray. Sift the cornflour all over the top and season generously with salt. Put the vegetable oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. When it’s almost smoking, tip in the chickpeas from the tray, scatter over the cumin and sesame seeds, and cook, shaking the pan continuously over the heat, for four or five minutes, until the chickpeas are crisp and golden brown all over.

To serve, gently warm the chickpea mash – depending on how long it’s been sitting around for, you may need to add a touch of water to loosen it a little – then pile on to a large serving plate. Top with the grilled onions, drizzle over the dill vinaigrette and finish with the crisp chickpeas scattered all over.

Nutty sweetness: Chantelle Nicholson’s grilled spring onions with roast garlic and chickpea mash and dill vinaigrette. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food Styling Assistant: Kristine Jakobsson. Photo Assistant: Sophie Bronze.

Chantelle Nicholson is chef/patron of Apricity, London W1

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/may/27/vegan-roast-garlic-chickpea-mash-grilled-spring-onions-dill-vinaigrette-recipe-chantelle-nicholson