Birthday Dinner Nov 2011

Many thanks to everyone who turned up for Clare Veg Groups 1 year birthday. Also well done to Primavera for preparing such a fabulous meal and putting in so much effort in keeping us veg*n folk happy. See pics below.

Birthday - Nov 3rd @ 7pm, Primavera Restaurant

To celebrate Clare Veg Groups' 1 year birthday we are meeting in Primavera Restaurant for a bite to eat this Thurs 3rd Nov @ 7pm.

http://www.primaverarestaurant.ie/ Address is 7 High St (Parnell St), Ennis.

They have agreed to prepare a vegetarian/vegan menu for us - See below.

Everybody is welcome so bring along friends and family, just please confirm if you can make it by return email or by text to 0863302038 so we can give numbers to the restaurant.

3 Course Meal € 15.95

Minestrone Soup
Vegetable soup
Supli – rice balls
Mozzarella Bread (Vegan Mozzarella)
Mixed Salad
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Penne al Verdura – vegetables with penne pasta in tomato sauce
Gnocchi in tomato sauce
Veggie pizza
Margarita pizza
Veggie fajitas  
Falafel with couscous and salad
Stir fried vegetables with rice
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Fruit salad
Apple pie    
Sorbets
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Hope to see you all on Thurs and again please remember to drop us a line to confirm reservation.

Clare Veg Groupwww.clareveggroup.blogspot.com
clareveggroup@gmail.com
Julie 0863302038 / Audrey 0876378382

Vegan Scrambled Eggs on Toast

Ingredients
1/3 block of firm tofu dried with kitchen paper and mashed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
4 tablespoons of rice or soya milk
1/4 teasp of turmeric
1 teasp of soy sauce
Salt and pepper - season to taste

Method

• Heat olive oil on medium to high heat in a small saucepan
• Once oil is hot add the mashed tofu and saute for about 2 mins
• Add the soy sauce and mix
• Add the rice/soya milk
• Mix in the turmeric
• Season with salt and pepper
• Serve on two slices of wholemeal toast with organic tomatoe ketchup
• Enjoy!

Vegan Dishes from last meetup

Indian Dahl with Green Beans & Seeds

Spicy Chickpeas & fried Indian bread

Mushroom vol-au-vonts with cous cous

Root vegetable curry

Penne arrabiata with crumbed herb topping

Quinoa vegetable salad

Vegan Apple Cake...see recipe below

Ingredients:8oz Self raising flour
1tbsp baking powder
1tbsp bicarb. of soda
1tbsp cinnamon

6oz Vegtable Marg.
6oz castor sugar
3 - 4 tbsp of rice milk (or soya)
1tpsp Vanilla essence

7 medium sized eating apples.

Method.

In a food processor combine Marg and sugar until creamy.
Add Vanilla essence and rice milk and mix again.
Peel and chop apples add to mixture and combine.
Add flour, baking powder, bicarb and cinnamon and mix well.
Mixture should should not be too thick. Add more milk if necessary.
Bake for 20 mins at 180 C.
Then for another 40 mins at 150 C.

Trio of desserts: Apple cake, chocolate fudge, silken tofu mousse

Food Feast

For anyone interested in coming along to our next feast, our next meet up will be Thurs October 6th @ 7pm in Clare Training Resource Centre. Everybody welcome including children. If you are considering becoming vegetarian or vegan THIS is the place to start!
Also, just a note of thanks to all of you who create such beautiful food to share every month. The dishes are such high quality vegan food and really wonderful.

Spread the word, share the love and, enjoy the taste :)

More pot luck dishes...

Above:Elaine's sweetheart dahl, Joanne's yummy potato bake and Ronnie's stuffed peppers

Below: Lucia's crafty veg tempura with spicy dip 

    Below: Julie's and David's nettle burgers and pasta-inspired avocado dish with 'Parmesham*' to garnish.

                                                         

                                               
                                                 

The Gang!

*Parmesham is made from brewer's yeast and almond flakes and is convincingly cheesy!

May Pot Luck

First Pot Luck Night A Success

Our last meet up was a gastronomic tour de force, so kudos Clare Veg Members for rolling up the sleeves in your respective kitchens. I’m still dreaming about the vegan walnut bread, which I took home and toasted for breakfast. Almond butter on top was a fine idea.

In terms of turnout, the result was great too, with ten people rocking up with vegalicious vegan dishes.

Here’s a list of the fruit of our culinary skills:

Tofu Korma with boiled rice - Julie

Vegan Courgette Flan – Julie and David

Corn-chip-topped vegan lasagne and walnut bread – Ronni

Vegan scones with uber-pretty mini jam pots, plus vegan butter and vegan flapjacks - Joanne

Masterfully crafted vegetarian and vegan sushi – Lucia

Stuffed tomatoes with coriander and yummy ginger drink - Conor

Mango and blueberry… tart? A nonetheless tasty effort – Audrey

For our next meeting, we’re thinking of going with a theme, perhaps seasonal dishes only, or all green – considering Paddy fever has us all gripped?

Emails with suggestions are welcome, even more so before the newsletter goes out at the end of this week. 

Oprah goes Vegan

Recently one of the world's most influencial and powerful celebrities and chat show host legend Oprah Winfrey and 378 of her employees pledged to go vegan for 7 days. The 7 day vegan challenge was supported by vegan and author of Veganist, Kathy Freston. Kathy helped staff throughout the week including Veronica, the co-producer, who was struggling with the challenge. Veronica was a heavy fast food eater and said she was feeling 'angry' with her change in diet. Kathy chatted with her and explained that what she was going through was withdrawl symptoms of a long addiction to fast food. Veronica perservered and after the 7 days, felt so good she wanted to continue for 21 days!
Three days into the challenge the video editor, Rich, said he was feeling better than he had in ten years and by the end of the week had lost 11lbs. Staff and their familes were given cooking lessons by Kathy also.
Aswell as raising awareness with regard to food, the staff will continue to have Meatless Mondays in the cafe. According to the Oprah site, a record amount of toilet paper was used in the week ;) Info about the challenge, Kathy Freston, interviews and cooking lessons can all be viewed on http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Oprah-and-378-Staffers-Take-a-Vegan-Challenge
Sign Co. Clare's campaign for Meat Free Mondays on  http://www.gopetition.com/petition/42290.html

REVIEW: Cafe Fergus, Newmarket-on-Fergus

I recently lunched out in New Market. We went to the Cafe Fergus. They are very accommodating there and the cooking is so so yummy. The menu is of course geared towards lunch time but they have hot meals too! I had the baked potato with Mediterranean roasted veg with optional cheese and sour cream accompanied by a delicious garden salad. I am not sure about the Vegan side but I am sure they would accommodate.
On another day we had the veg salad (take-away) which had everything from sun-dried tomatoes, crutons, lettuce, carrot, cucumber, red onion and more. It was drizzled with a subtle vinegarette dressing. All served with (still hot from the oven) wholemeal brown bread. For only €4. Cheap and cheerful. Have and will revisit.

Clare Veg News Report: Salmonella, Raw Meat and Young Children

A health warning has gone out to parents to keep their children out of shopping trolleys containing raw meat - even if the meat is double bagged. Infant exposure to raw meat can, according to the surveillance group working under the auspices of the HSE, increase the risk of non-typhoidal salmonella, especially in children under three months. 


Salmonella infections affect the intestines, causing vomiting, fever and other symptoms. Salmonella is a foodborne illness caused by the salmonella bacteria carried by some animals. The type of salmonella most commonly associated with infections in humans is called nontyphoidal salmonella. It is carried by chickens, cows and reptiles such as turtles, lizards, and iguanas. The HSE has cautioned parents that reptiles such as those listed are not suitable in homes where there are young children.


The health surveillance group has also said that breasfeeding, because mother’s milk is the safest food for young infants, is a good way to protect against infection.


Although salmonella is generally on the decrease in Ireland - between 2007 and 2009 the number of cases fell from 456 to 333 - instances remain alarmingly high in children aged 0-4 years. Infantile salmonellosis is a serious disease as bloodstream infection is more likely to develop.


Salmonella is also a leading cause of intussception, a medical condition in which part of the intestine folds back into another section of the intestine, often resulting in an obstruction.


Please pass this article to parents with young children, especially those who regularly buy raw meat from supermarkets. 

The Thai Palace, Ennis: A Covert Veg Paradise

The Thai Palace brims with potential to become the most talked about restaurant for vegetarians in the county. It has what meat-snubbers look for in a dining experience: a menu loaded with cosmopolitan vegetables, spices, herbs and rarities like tofu. It’s a bonus that the place feels good too - thanks to a meditative Buddha watching from the wall. Quaint Asian ceramics and blooming orchids fill the restaurant with the sort of frills that making dining out the novelty it is.

But, there’s a but. And it’s not minor. The menu is far too modest. Not in a charming ‘I-don’t-like-to-boast’ kind of way, but in a ‘you’re-going-to-leave-here-without-knowing-we-have-wonderful-vegetarian-dishes-because-I’m-not-going-to-tell-you’ sort of way. The menu leaves no clue that the restaurant is a vegetarian’s oasis; a place where starters like vegetable tempuras and spring rolls rub shoulders with stuffed cucumber rolls on silver platters. Mains like butternut squash and tofu in red curry, broccoli and asparagus in soy sauce, and three mushroom stir-fries aren’t going to sell themselves. That’s the job of a menu. Why then, is it not doing it? The only reason the Clare Veg Group enjoyed such dishes was because we phoned and emailed in advance. We informed management we would need vegan-friendly dishes. It’d be just swell if we didn’t have to, every time.

My recommendation for this charming restaurant would be for it to demonstrate how wonderful its vegetarian menu is by listing non-meat dishes on its menu. It’s a small change, but one that would attract vegetarian customers in herds. 

Staff are excellent and more than accommodating. It’s a first class eatery, with all the tastes, flavours and textures the South East Asian country it takes its name from is famed for. 

Meat-Free Monday: The Petition

Meat-Free Mondays: Are you up for it?

Did you know that by not eating meat for just one day a week, you really can help to slash levels of dangerous greenhouse gas emissions in the air you breathe?

A “meat-free” day of the week is not a new idea. Countries across Europe have already suggested the idea to their respective governments, some of which have embraced the idea. Belgium’s Ghent Town Council introduced a “Meat-Free Thursday” in 2009, which is still going strong.

By opting to take part in a similar campaign here in Ireland, you too can make a contribution to the environment. Dangerous greenhouse emissions are a direct result of mass cattle farming and, as we all know, Ireland is a major beef farming nation.

Our country must now accept a slice of responsibility for the global increase in greenhouse gas emissions. It can, and should, demonstrate to the world a commitment to make its carbon footprint smaller.

The benefits of ‘Meat-free Monday’ are immense: you lower your intake of meat and reduce your carbon footprint. You also improve your health and make sure fewer animals in Clare are slaughtered for food. Consider this: if demand for meat lessens – even just a small bit - more land, typically used for cattle grazing, can be used instead to cultivate trees, organic vegetables and grains. This is good news, especially for Clare. Why?

• The Centre for Environmental Living and Training (CELT) is based in Clare. CELT is dedicated to environmental awareness and is right now driving forward their Agroforestry campaign. Agroforestry involves the integration of trees into farming systems to create more diverse, profitable, healthy and sustainable land-use systems. It also reduces the need for fertilizers by providing habitats for natural predators. These natural predators eat ‘pests’, negating the need for harsh chemical fertilizers.

We can help CELT’s Agroforestry policy by spearheading a campaign to eat less meat and therefore reduce the amount of space needed on farms for cattle grazing.

If you want to commit yourself to Clare Veg Group’s meat-free Monday campaign, please sign our petition here:

http://www.gopetition.com/petition/42290/sign.html

All movements start out small and grow bigger and bigger the more people get involved. We want Clare can be the first county in Ireland to launch “Meat-Free Monday.” We can lead by example and get the whole country on board. It’s down to you.

Apples, Men on Bikes and Naughty Seeds...

Irish Seed Savers is made up of a few special ingredients, chief of which is commitment to perpetuate the seeds of Irish plant life. Since 1991 the organisation has been flourishing side by side with its Native Apple Collection, Grain Collection and its Seed Bank, which contains more than 600 rare and endangered vegetable varieties. Seed Savers, you might say, is Ireland’s answer to Captain Planet.   

Chrys Gardner is project manager at the organisation’s Scariff-based headquarters. She spoke to the Clare Veg Group at its last meeting about the work and ethos of the not-for-profit organisation. Passion seems to be the nectar on which Seed Savers thrives, if photographs of blooming flower gardens, smiling faces and hard-at-work communities are to go by. The grounds are a veritable plant sanctuary, a co-operative community bound together by a genuine interest in sustaining the earth.

There are over 140 varieties of apple in Ireland, she told our amazed group. The survival of these varieties, she said, is due in large part to the Trojan work of an Irish Doctor who cycled around Ireland in the forties picking branches from apple trees. Dr Keith Lamb embarked on a lone mission to sustain the variety of Ireland’s native apple trees and to gather information for his research, which he kept for posterity.

His research was presented to Seed Savers, as well as Dr Michael Hennerty’s, former head of the Department of Horticulture at University College Dublin. Thanks to the work of pioneering individuals such as these, Seed Savers is now home to a very unique orchard: one where 33 self-rooting varieties flourish without the need for grafting for propagation. Seed Savers's Native Irish Apple collection is also home to over 140 native Irish varieties.

It’s not all apple pie and custard however, she warned, explaining the darker side of seed cultivation. The EU has enforced directives banning the sale of seeds, and placing others on a sort of ‘naughty seed’ list, banning even their planting. The motivation behind this draconian measure, she explained - not to anyone’s surprise - is to allow multinational food corporations control of the food supply. She explained that many multinationals are now encouraging the growth of hybrid seeds at the risk of wiping out the originals.

Seed Savers is one force that is determined to not allow this to happen in Ireland. They run many wonderful courses to support a vegetarian lifestyle, such as growing organic vegetables and medicinal herbs, and vegetarian cooking classes. They are a charitable organisation of huge integrity and we feel excited about our future relationship with them as well as others like them.

For more information about Seed Savers, visit http://www.irishseedsavers.ie/

Vegetarian Cooking Class

Combining cooking skills with Ayurvedic nutrition this course will leave you with a comprehensive understanding of food, seasonal diets & eating according to your body type. Click on link below for more info;

http://satmya.com/satmya/workshops/ayurvedic-cooking-classes/

Animals in Wine.

For those of you who haven't decided to stop drinking as part of your New Years Resolution, maybe the info on http://www.veggiewines.co.uk/ will be enough to encourage you to choose your tipples more carefully...

Vegetarian Restaurant Paris

Vegetarian Restaurant - Paris.
Going by the reviews Le Poutager du Marais had on http://www.happycow.net/ and also www.tripadvisor.com I simply had to see for myself. This place is a little gem. Its charming and rustic and oh so french! Wall hanging plants at the entrance gives an instant organic feel. Although we had no reservation, the staff were very accommodating and spoke good English. He squeezed us in (and I literally mean 'squeezed' as the tables are very close together but it adds to the cosiness). We had pureed chickpeas with salad and beautiful french bread for starters. For mains we vegetable gratin with fried potatoes, and quinoa/tofu burger with goats cheese with salad and pureed brocoli. Only for we were in a busy restaurant I would have licked the plate. It was colourful and tasty and there was plenty of it. Service was top class also. Although we didn't have room for dessert there was a big selection with the vegan chocolate cake coming highly recommended. For more info see the website of Le Poutager du Marais www.lepotagerdumarais.com

International Vegan Festival

13th International Vegan Festival 4th - 12th June, 2011
Elimar Hotel - Rincón de la Victoria, Málaga (Spain)
for more info see http://www.ivu.org/veganfest/2011/