Pot Luck FAQ

Hi all,

Just a reminder about the super Vegetarian and Vegan Lunch thats happening this week - Saturday 27th @ 2pm in Satmya Natural Medicine Centre, 3 Royal Parade, Killaloe in aid of The Hope Foundation.

Please see some FAQ's which may be of help:

What is a Pot Luck?

All people attending are asked to prepare a vegetarian or vegan dish to share with others. Some examples are starters eg dips, nibbles etc. A main dish eg curry, salad, burgers, tarts ANYTHING!. Desserts eg anything sweet and yummy that is vegan or vegetarian. It can be as wild or as simple as you like.

But I can't cook?

Thats OK. You are still MORE than welcome. If you can't cook, won't cook or don't have time to cook. Come along anyway with your donation. If you really don't want to come empty handed then bring something to drink eg nice juice or a healthy cordial.

My dish needs to be served hot - how will I heat it?

If you have a hot dish that needs to be heated, this can be done on the hob in the kitchen in Satmya.

What else will I bring?

Along with your dish, €5 donation for The Hope Foundation bring a LUNCHBOX.

Why do I need a lunchbox?

Because (and this is important) you will want to take home samples of everyone elses home baked goodness. There is always leftovers at the end of these events and no one wants to bring home the same food they arrived with, so bring a lunchbox (or two!) and swap and share.

This is all about inspiring and being inspired by healthy nutritious vegetarian and vegan food.

If you have anymore questions, please don't hesitate to contact clareveggroup@gmail.com

Pot Luck 27th April 2013

Happy Spring!

Its been a while since the Clare Veggies have had a day out so we've got a special event planned. Here are the details:

What?

Pot Luck Lunch - bring a vegetarian or vegan dish to share. Nothing fancy, just some home cooked goodness. If you don't have time to cook or bake, come along anyway for the good food and amazing company ;)

Why?

Fundraiser for Tracy Stuart. The lovely Tracy is going to India to work with The Hope Foundation Human Rights Law Network on various women's projects such as trafficking of women (and girls). As this is a fundraiser for we will kindly ask all people attending the Pot Luck Lunch to donate €5. If you can't make it on the day but would like to donate anyway you can do so here http://www.mycharity.ie/event/tracy_stuarts_hope_foundation/

Where?

Satmya Natural Medicine Centre, 3 Royal Parade, Killaloe. This is a little gem of a venue with a gorgeous botique health store. If you haven't already been here, please pop along. More details at www.satmya.ie

What time?

We will be tucking in from 2pm. If you are going to be late, I'll try save you some cake ;)

So there are all the details - put the date in the diary. I really hope you will be able to make it as it'll be a really lovely day for such a good cause.

If you need any more info, please contact clareveggroup@gmail.com

Oct 19th - 21st Weekend Meetup

Members of the Irish Vegetarian Society along with Galway vegans are travelling to Clare to meet up with Clare Veg Group from Fri 19th Oct to Sun 21st Oct.
They are staying in the Rowan Tree Hostel on both nights. If you are travelling, please make your own arrangements with the hostel.
See below itinery. Everybody welcome to some or all of the activities.

Fri 19th
9pm Dinner in The Mogul Emperor Indian restaurant - Ennis http://www.menupages.ie/Clare/west_clare/ennis/mogul_emperor_ennis/menu
Followed by drinks in a local pub

Sat 20th:
Morning walk around Ennis
12 noon - meet in Dromoland Estate car park for a walk around the grounds. Please bring a picnic lunch
6pm Dinner in Primavera Restaurant, Ennis http://www.primaverarestaurant.ie/Documents/menus_a4%20%282%29.pdf
They have an early bird menu. Three courses for €14.90. http://www.primaverarestaurant.ie/Pages/default.aspx

Sun 21st
Morning - walk around town/view Ennis sculptures. Members plan to take 11.45am train back to Dublin

Note from VSI:

Please note attendance is entirely at your own risk. The VSI cannot be held responsible for any injury caused to individuals or loss or damage to property.

For further information please contact clareveggroup@gmail.com

Hope to see you all there!

Deli Dolls

Clare Veg Group members set up a market stall in Newmarket-on-Fergus Agricultural show. The girls, called ‘Deli Dolls’ sold gourmet homemade vegan burgers on the BBQ with beautiful tangy salsa. Also on sale were cucumber pickle, red onion jam and red pepper and jalepeno relish. Beautiful day and beautiful vegetarian food!

Clare Veg Group April Meet Up

A huge thanks to the wonderful staff at Primavera Restaurant in Ennis for hosting our April Clare Veg Group night. We were absolutely spoiled for the whole evening with an amazing selection of vegan starters, mains, sides and desserts. The staff at this restaurant are always so accommodating and eating here is HIGHLY recommended for everyone especially vegetarians/vegans.  

March Meet Up

Here are some pics of our March meet up feasts which we had in The Dining Room, Ennis where the chef prepared a vegan menu especially of the following:

Starters

Homemade Vegan Soup of the Day

Tempura Vegetables with a Sweet Chilli dipping Sauce

Warm Spinach Salad with Pinenuts & Port Marinated Figs

Main Courses

Aubergine Cannelloni with Ratatouie & Cous Cous

Roasted Butternut Squash with Pilau Rice

Tofu, Cashew nuts & Broccolli Stir-fry

Desserts

To Be decided

 Roasted Butternut Squash with Pilau Rice

Aubergine Cannelloni with Ratatouie & Cous Cous

Tofu, Cashew nuts & Broccolli Stir-fry



January 2012

January's Clare Veg Group meet up will be in Primevera Restaurant, High St  Ennis, Co. Clare tomorrow night (Thurs 5th Jan) at 7pm. Everyone welcome along for a coffee/drink or bite to eat. They have a separate lovely vegetarian menu for those eating.As its the New Year we will plan some events for the coming year, set some goals, make New Years Resolutions and all the other stuff that goes with this time of year. :)

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
/////////////////////////////////
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
///////////////
Fruit salad
Apple pie    
Sorbets
--
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.