This heart-shaped vegan pesto pizza is the perfect Valentine's recipe

From hellomagazine.com

It's almost too good to eat...

Looking for the ultimate Valentine’s Day recipe for a romantic dine-in meal? We’ve found just the thing – this epic heart-shaped vegan pesto pizza! A firm favourite with former TOWIE star Lucy Mecklenburgh, who features it on her wellness app Results Wellness Lifestyle (previously Results With Lucy), this recipe is perfect for February 14th.

How to make a romantic Valentine’s day pizza

Serves 2, Preparation time 1 hour

Ingredients

Dough:

• 180g white bread flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 1/2 tsp fast-acting yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 120ml lukewarm water

Toppings:

• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 10g vegan pesto
• 80g artichoke antipasti
• 30g vegan mozzarella
• Fresh basil

Instructions

Step 1

Mix the yeast, sugar, oil and warm water in a jug, and leave for a couple of minutes.



Step 2

Add the flour and salt to a bowl, make a well in the middle then pour in the yeast mixture. Using a fork, gradually bring in the flour from the sides until a kneadable dough forms.

Step 3

Transfer to a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes, adding extra flour if needed.

Step 4

Transfer into a large, greased bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 30 minutes until the dough has doubled in size.

Step 5

Remove the dough from the bowl. Place onto a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes to knock some of the air out of the dough. While you do this, preheat the oven to 240°c.

Step 6

Add the tomato puree, crushed garlic clove, Italian seasoning and maple syrup to a small bowl, mix together, then add 5-6 tbsp of hot water to loosen.

Step 7


Lightly flour a work surface and rolling pin. Roll out the dough to a 10” square. Using a pizza cutter, carve out a heart shape into your dough. Carefully place the heart onto a pizza tray, then spoon on your prepared tomato sauce leaving a 2-3cm border.

Step 8

Using a teaspoon, dot small amounts of pesto around your base, then scatter over some vegan mozzarella and finally, add some artichokes.



Step 9

Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the dough just starts to brown. Take out and enjoy a romantic Valentine’s meal!

https://www.hellomagazine.com/cuisine/20210201105848/valentines-day-recipe-heart-shaped-pizza/

So Delicious Debuts Vegan Cream Cheese

From vegoutmag.com

So Delicious Dairy Free adds vegan cheese alternatives to the extensive plant-based family of products. The new additions include soy-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO shreds, slices, and spreads, oh my! These fun new cheesy products add to a long-time list of So Delicious favourites including frozen desserts, plant-based yogurts, non-dairy milks, and coffee creamers.

Reformulated plant-based shreds will be available in cheddar, Mexican, and mozzarella styles—perfect for nacho dinners, pizza parties, and baked lasagne alike. So Delicious cheese slices can be found in American and cheddar varieties. Artisan grilled cheeses, here we come! Lastly, the cream cheese style spreads include Creamy Original and Chive & Onion. Level up that breakfast bagel game or DIY some cucumber sandwiches for fancy afternoon tea.

The shreds and slices are now available and the spreads will be available at select grocers nationwide beginning in March. For more cheesy VegOut goodness, check out our recent vegan cheese roundup.

https://vegoutmag.com/news/so-delicious-debuts-vegan-cream-cheese/

Vegan Freso, the first vegan supermarket in the Netherlands

From retaildetail.eu

The first 100% vegan supermarket opened in Amsterdam last Friday. Founder James Fresco speaks of "a logical step".

"More than a trend”

The supermarket, located in the Jan Evertsenstraat in Amsterdam-West, was named Vegan Fresco. The range consists exclusively of vegan and plant-based products. On top of the more established vegan products such as oat milk, vegans can also find products here that they usually (had to) order online because there were no other sales outlets: cheese or shampoo, for example. But that is about to change.

Vegetarianism and veganism are trends that have been gaining momentum in recent years. According to the Dutch Vegetarian Union, some 1.5% of Dutch people ate vegan food every day last year, a share that is significantly higher than previous estimates. The growing number of vegan restaurants also shows that the target group is growing.

Photo: 16 Mammals

Founder James Fresco considers a vegan supermarket a logical step in that sense. Through crowdfunding, he collected the necessary funds to open the new store. And it doesn't stop there: he wants to open three more stores later this year.

The choice of Amsterdam is no coincidence: according to Fresco, it is one of the most progressive cities in the field of veganism. "This is going to explode. It's not a trend anymore, this is what the world is going to look like", he says in newspaper Het Parool.

https://www.retaildetail.eu/en/news/food/vegan-freso-first-vegan-supermarket-netherlands

Veganism is not just for January, and it's not just about food

From harpersbazaar.com

PETA UK director Elisa Allen explains how veganism is not just about what we eat

Vegan eating is in fashion. Whereas previous generations were brought up on – and perhaps addicted to – meat and dairy, today’s health and eco-conscious consumers are challenging the status quo and ditching animal parts in favour of vegan meals. It’s no surprise, then, that a record-breaking half a million people took part in 'Veganuary' during the first month of the year.

In addition to trying new foods and flavours, as they embark on their vegan journey, many participants soon find it’s not only about what’s on your plate. It’s a lifestyle which embraces PETA’s motto: animals are not ours to experiment on, eat, wear, or use for entertainment. This is why we’re seeing massive change across a spectrum of industries. This is no longer just about what we eat – it’s about how we live our lives.

For proof, let’s step out of the kitchen and over to the dressing table. Online searches for ‘vegan beauty’ have doubled in the UK every year since 2012, and cosmetics companies are answering the call. The industry that was once fixated on making lipstick from crushed red cochineal insects, mascara from beeswax, and perfume from ambergris (whale secretions) launched more new vegan products in the UK last year than consumer products in all other categories combined. Where The Body Shop once stood alone in refusing to sell products that were tested on animals, today, more than 5,000 beauty brands have joined the PETA US Beauty Without Bunnies programme to become cruelty-free certified.

In addition, companies such as Morphe, NARS Cosmetics, Cult Beauty, and L’Oréal have stopped selling brushes made from the hair of abused, tormented badgers. And consumers are realising that wearing mink eyelashes is akin to wearing fur on your face – and brands like Sephora, Velour, and others are banning them from their ranges.

In less enlightened times, when no one realised that it was déclassé and insensitive to wear the skin of tormented animals, fur wasn’t taboo like it is today. When the first ‘I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur’ campaign launched in 1990, fur farming was legal in the UK, and Stella McCartney, with her bold, compassionate ‘no fur, no leather, no feathers’ stance, was told by her then seniors that she “definitely wouldn’t have a business”. McCartney is now one of the most famous, acclaimed names in fashion.

Compassion for animals and the planet is as much about what you put on your body as what you put in it – and the fashion industry is taking note. Almost all top designers and brands have dropped animal fur, and many, including Victoria Beckham and Mulberry, have turned their backs on exotic-animal skins such as alligator, ostrich, and snake. French faux fur innovator ECOPEL has created a vegan fur called KOBA; Stella McCartney was the first designer to use it.

High-tech material innovation companies are creating sustainable vegan leather from eco-friendly materials such pineapple leaves, cork, apples, wine grapes, mushrooms, and recycled plastic bottles. Today, you can step into Hugo Boss shoes made from pineapple leather Piñatex or carry a bag made from wine grapes from H&M’s Conscious Exclusive collection. Jimmy Choo and Burberry alum Alfredo Pīferi started his own label of luxurious Italian-made vegan shoes, winning a PETA Fashion Award in 2020. Eco-conscious French brand Veja also snagged an award for its shoes made from corn leather. Other winners include Telfar, for its vegan leather bags that attracted cult status among the style-conscious, and Nanushka, for its vegan leather puffer coat beloved by trendsetters everywhere, proving that vegan fashion is here to stay.

Car interiors are going vegan, too – Bentley offers interiors in Vegea, a leather made of leftover grapes from the wine industry. Other car brands championing vegan interiors include Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar Land Rover, and Polestar.

Decorating your home with compassion has never been easier, either. From faux-fur comforters and down-free bedding to scented candles made without beeswax, décor companies are providing stylish options for beautiful vegan abodes.

Veganuary might be over, but the journey towards a more compassionate future is just beginning – one in which animals are no longer abused for our wardrobes, homes, cars, beauty routines, or meals.

Elisa Allen is the director of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) UK.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/fashion/a35380171/veganism-is-not-just-about-food/

Delicious vegan seasonal delights

From odt.co.nz

These quick and easy vegan dishes make the most of stonefruit and delicious field mushrooms, writes Angela Casley.

Barbecued mushrooms and flatbread

PHOTO: BABICHE MARTENS

Cook the flatbreads just before serving for the best results. The dough can be made well ahead of time (refrigerate and remove 30 minutes before cooking). This dish is versatile — try adding your favourite seasonal fillings to change it up.

Serves 4

Marinade

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 Tbsp tomato sauce

2 tsp soy sauce

pinch chilli flakes

6 field mushrooms, cut into 2cm slices

¼ cup water

Flatbread

1 tsp dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

1 cup hot water

1½ cups plain flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

To serve

2 cups baby cos leaves

1 cup corn

1 avocado, chopped

½ lemon, squeezed

Method

1. For the marinade, place the garlic, paprika, tomato sauce, soy and chilli flakes in a bowl and combine. Remove half into a cup and add quarter of a cup of water to make the sauce.

2. Add the sliced mushrooms to the remaining marinade, tossing gently to cover.

3. To make the flatbread, mix the yeast and sugar, then sprinkle over the hot water. Leave for 10 minutes until frothy. Place the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the oil to the frothy yeast and pour into the flour, mixing well. Knead on a lightly floured bench for 5 minutes. Place in a clean bowl, cover and put in a warm area for 50 minutes to rise.

4. Cook the mushrooms on a barbecue hotplate for 3-4 minutes on each side. Set aside.

5. To cook the flatbread, divide the dough into 8 balls and roll to 5mm thick. Plate one or two on to a clean hot barbecue plate and cook for 3 or 4 minutes until bubbled, then flip and cook for a further 3 minutes. Stack while you cook the remainder.

6. To serve, place the lettuce in a bowl. Combine the corn, avocado and lemon. Place a bit of each on a flatbread with mushrooms. Wrap and enjoy.

Grilled apricots with custard

PHOTO: BABICHE MARTENS

Add a pinch of turmeric and no more, or your custard will become bright yellow. I used oat milk, but almond or soy are also great. The less-watery milks make for a creamier texture. A sneaky extra dash of maple is allowed if you have a sweet tooth.

Serves 4

Custard

2 Tbsp cornflour

¼ cup water

pinch turmeric

400ml non-dairy milk

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

8 medium-sized apricots, halved

1 Tbsp coconut oil

½ cup chopped almonds

Method

1. To make the custard, combine the cornflour and water with a pinch of turmeric. Heat the milk in a medium-sized pot until just boiling. Stir through the cornflour mixture until the custard is smooth and has thickened. Add the maple and vanilla to taste.

2. Preheat a grill pan to a medium heat. Brush the apricots with warmed coconut oil and cook for 5 minutes, then turn and cook for a further 2.

3. Serve the apricots warm with custard and chopped nuts.

https://www.odt.co.nz/lifestyle/food-wine/delicious-vegan-seasonal-delights

Dear Richard: 'Help! My girlfriend has turned into a fanatical vegan'

From telegraph.co.uk

Dear Richard

My girlfriend has giving up eating meat for January, and has embraced her new diet with a martyr’s zeal. She now refuses to cook meat, and insists we have no fish, meat, eggs or dairy in the fridge.

I’m working my way through the few frozen steaks and chilli con carnes in the freezer. But she is insisting that I eat these alone, then scrub the kitchen surfaces down – and sleep in the single bed afterwards. Once those run out, it’ll be beetroot and tofu all the way.

I’m not sure I can live like this. How can we find a middle ground? Is it crazy to admit that sometimes I’ve been left so bereft I have to order a Deliveroo and lurk outside in the garden, eating on my own?

– Roy, Huntingdonshire

Dear Roy

Well, you’re in an impossible position, aren’t you? I know lots of vegetarians and vegans, including in my own family, and none of them would dream of imposing their views on anyone else. Your girlfriend is behaving completely unreasonably. She can choose to eat or not eat what she likes: you have exactly the same rights. Well, short of cannibalism.

Why do you have to sleep in a separate bed if you have meat for dinner, or drink a glass of milk, or enjoy a boiled egg? If she feels that strongly about it, why doesn’t she sleep in the single bed? Why are you the banished one? And why the forensic cleaning of the kitchen after your dinner, but not hers?

It’s bonkers, Roy, and, I’m sorry to say, that it is domestic dictatorship, pure and simple. Dictators must never be appeased: they only throw their weight around even more. That’s what is happening here.

All I can say is that I wouldn’t tolerate such nonsense for a second and if that meant the relationship foundering on the soggy sands of tofu, so be it. If my girlfriend were treating me like a pariah, I’d be actively considering an imminent exodus.

Your girlfriend has every right to walk the dietary path of her choosing. So do you. I fear things have got past compromise, and that you stand at a crossroads. I know which way I’d turn.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/relationships/dear-richardhelp-girlfriend-has-turned-fanatical-vegan/

Starbucks Store Featuring 100% Plant-Based Food Menu Used To Trial Vegan Offerings

From plantbasednews.org

One Starbucks store in the US is being used as a 'test area' to create new vegan menu items, the CEO confirmed

A Starbucks store with a completely plant-based food menu is being used to trial the latest vegan offerings.

One store in Seattle now has a 100% plant-based menu, CEO Kevin Johnson confirmed on a conference call. The store is used as a ‘test site’.

It comes as the coffee giant claimed the plant-based lifestyle is the ‘most dominant’ shift in consumer behaviour.

Vegan ‘test area’

Johnson said: “We have one Starbucks store here in the Seattle area that we’ve gone to 100% plant-based food menu.

“We use that as sort of a test area when we innovate, create things here in our support centre, the Tryer Centre.

“We test that in a store.

“So, if I think about both beverage and food: the number one trend that I would highlight there is just the consumer shift and consumer preferences around plant-based.”

‘Quality’ food

Rosalind Gates, Starbucks’ COO praised the expanding plant-based menu. She added: “The work ahead of us by no means minimizes food.

“Actually, we see it as a golden opportunity for us to further expand our presence and create quality food attach items to go along with great coffee.”

Starbucks vegan options

Starbucks recently launched a breakfast patty in partnership with Beyond Meat in the UK.

It features on a new menu, which includes items such as the No Chick’n & BBQ Bean Hot Wrap and Beyond Breakfast Sausage.

Launching more plant-based products follows a sustainability drive, meaning the company is favouring more ‘environmentally-friendly’ offerings. 

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/starbucks-store-with-vegan-menu-used-to-trial-new-items/