Easy Vegan Cooking Ideas
Hello my friends
I love blogging, but in the last few days I have been focused on other things. The most exciting thing is that I have been invited to cater for an health and nutrition event in June and I will share details once all the details are confirmed. I am grateful and so looking forward to it.I will be making lunches and will be able to offer some of my vegan treats as well.I am working on creating a healthy alkalizing menu and some delicious vegan treats. Will keep you posted.
Also we have been working towards introducing more vegan meals to the boys and my other half has been loving my vegan food and its all going well so far.
Today I want to share with you a few easy and very tasty recipes, which are very nutritious.
Will start with a very easy salad in which you ca use some leftover rice , or simply make it without rice. Here is what you need :
- spinach
- fresh lemon juice
- celery
- tomatoes
- white onion
- basil
- olive oil
- pitch of Himalayan salt
- few black olives
- 1/2 cup of cooked rice
Chop all the spinach and sprinkle with the lemon juice.The chop the rest of the vegetables.Put them all together.Add the rice.Make the dressing by mixing the basil with the olive oil and the salt and pour over it. Mix and serve with a few black olives on the top. This salad is very tasty and satisfying and full of goodness.
The other salad I want to share with you has one of my new discovered friends in my vegan kitchen and that is Artichoke.Artichokes are one of the healthiest foods-rich source of dietary fiber,sources for vitamin K,also good source of antioxidants,It is also rich in B-complex group of vitamins such as niacin, vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine), thiamin, and pantothenic acid that are essential for optimum cellular metabolic functions.Artichoke is rich source of minerals like copper, calcium, potassium, iron, manganese and phosphorus
I will be having more of these beauties. Since I can’t get any fresh ones I am loving the Italian style antipasto-rich and so so tasty.
Here is what you need.
Bright and tasty!
- tomatoes
- red pepper
- spring onion
- rocket salad
- lettuce
- artichoke antipasto
- wild oregano
- pinch of Himalyan salt
Chop all the vegetables and season with salt. Then cut the artichoke and place on top. Use some of the oil from the jar to season the vegetables and serve with wild oregano on top. This salad is a sweet symphony. So tasty and again full of goodness.
You have noticed, that the two salad contain tomatoes. I love those red fruits beyond measure. So there is o surprise, that I have one more salad, that includes them . In this salad I used up some left over boiled potatoes. Here is what you need:
- tomatoes
- boiled potatoes
- white onion
- few black olives
- water cress
- olive oil
- oregano
- pinch of Himalayan salt
In this combination everything is about that watercress, full of green nutrients. Chop all the vegetables. Sprinkle with the salt ad olive oil. Then add the water cress and serve the salad. This dish is a meal on its own and it makes a perfect lunch. Enjoy.
All these recipes are just one of may combinations, that you can make.Since I am vegan I can not imagine a day without some kind of a salad. Eating raw vegetables is my source of energy and vitality. Use your imagination and chop some yourself.
Thank you for being here and all your love and support.
Stay healthy and feel good,
Lots of Love
Ivelina
Blueberry Sunday
When you go vegan you become obsessed with food sometimes and you get days when all you want to do is be in the kitchen , cook and take photos.Or at least its like that for me. I simply love it and feel inspired every time I create a tasty easy vegan recipe , that everybody in the family loves.Today the theme in my kitchen is Blueberries .
Blueberries have a great reputation among other berries and here is why. Blueberries have the highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit: very rich in anti oxidants like Anthocyanin, vitamin C, B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper (a very effective immune builder and anti-bacterial), selenium, zinc, iron (promotes immunity by raising haemoglobin and oxygen concentration in blood) etc. boost up your immune system and prevent infections.
I love adding blueberries to our morning smoothie but this morning hemp milk was on the menu. I got up with an intention to make some hemp and blueberry milk as I have left a cup of hemp seeds to soak last night in the fridge.
Soaked overnight hemp seeds
Hemp milk is one of the most nutrient dense plant based milk as it has many health benefits for your body.Hemp contains all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids, all of them easily digestible,that our bodies cannot produce.Hemp seeds protein percentage also strengthen the immune system and helps your body to get rid of off toxins.Hemp seed is the Nature’s highest botanical source of essential fatty acid,with more essential fatty acid than flax or any other nut or seed oil.
Hemp and blueberry milk with dates
So to get the most of these amazing seeds I make my own hemp milk. Its very simple.
Mix 1 cup of soaked overnight seeds with 4 cups of water, add a pinch of Himalayan salt and blend in the Vitamix for about 3 minutes.Then add a 2 cups of frozen blueberries and 5 dates and blend for another minute. If you like it sweeter add more dates or may be you prefer a different kind of sweetener on non. It tastes good even with no dates. as the hemp and the blueberries are vary tasty any way.
Since I was in a mood for cooking and in the flow of cooking I thought why not make us a treat. So I decided to make blueberry muffins. I don’t have a muffin baking tray . I have been reading all sorts of information about the toxins in the non-stick and silicon cooking equipment. I lost confidence in buying any of them any more.
So I am using ceramic trays as they have the lowest toxins . Here is what you need for the buns .
- 2 cups of flour (plain whole meal )
- 1 cup of raw sugar
- 1 cup of hemp milk
- 1/2 cup of melted coconut butter
- 4 spoon fulls of milled flax seeds mixed with 8-10 spoon fulls of water =”vegan eggs”
- 2 tea spoons baking soda
- 1 spoonful of Vanilla extract
You will also need one large bowl and one medium size one. In the large bowl put the dry ingredients-flour, sugar and baking soda.Mix well.
“vegan eggs” and blueberries
In the other bowl after you have made the “vegan eggs ” add the melted coconut butter, the milk and the blueberries. Mix well . Then pour the contents of the smaller bowl into the big one and mix well. The texture is very sticky so to make the buns have a bowl of water beside you. Preheat the oven 180 for a fan oven . Using wet hands make the buns on a floured baking tray if you are not using any baking paper.
Vegan Blueberry Buns-An yummy treat for everyone
Bake for aprox. 12 minutes until the wooden stick that you place in them comes out dry.
Let them cool and serve .
Those buns are highly enjoyable and also perfect for my boys’s lunch boxes tomorrow.
Thank you very much for being here and all your love and support.
Stay healthy and enjoy life,
lots of love
Ivelina
Vegan diet and weight loss
Hello my friends,
recently I have been asked quite a few times how much weight I’ve lost and how did I do it. As a matter of fact I am one of these women , that has no scales in her house (I believe, that they lie and its more important how you feel).I have never counted calories in my life and if you ask me do I know how many calories are in a slice of bread I would have to “google it ” and then give you the answer.
click on the photo for a closer look
I am nearly my perfect weight because of going vegan. But I never went vegan to lose weight. Weight loss is just the result of eating foods, that my body is meant to eat -fruits, vegetables, nuts , seeds, grains legumes. The simplicity of the vegan diet is the fact that your body gets vitamins , minerals and vital nutrients , that are easy to digest, absorb and benefit from.
In a nutshell you can lose wight by going vegan, keeping in mind to focus of fruits , vegetables , whole grains and legumes.Here is a vegan food pyramid.
If you are just starting take a good look of the variety you have to eat.
Although I wouldn’t promote veganism as a weight loss solution in this post I would like to share with you how a vegan diet can help you lose weight.
Veganism is more than a diet -its a philosophy , that eliminates all forms of using animals or anything that comes from them as a product. Veganism is a loud statement that we are part of Mother Nature family and have to live in cooperation with all living creatures.
Veganism has educated me that the culture , that exploits the reproductive system of the female animals is responsible for the culture of selling and abusing women in many levels all over the world. From the extreme of selling a young girl the moment she is born to the picture of women’s lips selling a lipstick. Its all an expression of the same form of using a living creature as a product.
I went vegan because I watched a video of a grieving dairy cow and the helplessness of her calf. As a mother this kind of pain brought indescribable feeling of sorrow and compassion. I want this to stop. I know I can not change the world, but I can change myself and share the vegan message.
Apart from losing weight I have also rediscovered my love for food. But now everything that I make fills me with such an amazing feeling, that no body was harmed and that everything I eat brings the powers of the plants to my body.
dr Neal Barnard MD
An enormous research is being done on how a plant based diet can benefit your health and I would like to mention just one of the pioneers in this field Dr.Neal Barnard president of The Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine . Barnard is an adjunct associate professor of medicine at the George Washington University School of Medicine and the author of numerous scientific articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, as well as a frequent lecturer at the American Diabetes Association’s scientific sessions. His diabetes research was funded by the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. government’s research branch.Dr.Neal Barnard took a major part of removing the marketing message about dairy milk . His studies and research are outstanding. I highly recommend you to visit his website.
Based on my experience so far , I would like to share with you my top 5 Vegan weight loss tips:
1.Get rid of dairy milk in any form -milk, butter, cheese, ice cream and so on. All this products are very high in saturated fat and indigestible protein-casein.
This sticky ingredient makes your body acidic and prone to weight gain in most cases. All this “foods” are products and contain a list of additives because they have been made in a factory.Dairy milk by far is one of the worst “foods”, that are being sold.There a plenty of plant based milk alternatives and they are widely available.
2.Eat lots of green vegetables-green vegetables are nearly the perfect food. They are full with protein , minerals, and vitamins. For best nutritional value eat them raw, but there are some that are also good consumed lightly cooked .Those are the vegetables from the cruciferous family, which includes broccoli,Brussels sprouts,cabbage,cauliflower,Chinese cabbage,collard greens,kale,mustard greens,radish,turnip,watercress. Eating them will nourish your cells . The greatest benefit for me has been the fact , that eating them is very filling and satisfying. when cooked and seasoned in a different way they provide a variety of flavours and textures. Also most of them eaten raw have a detoxifying effect , and that increases weight loss.
3.Eat lots of sweet fruits-by far this is the best tip to eliminate sugar cravings for me. I have recently rediscovered , that fruit is everything , that has seeds, so in that way all the tomatoes and cucumbers, that used to think are vegetables became fruits. Since then I always have fruits for breakfast. Fruit is the perfect breakfast for me and if you add some dried fruit for extra energy and protein you will feel fuller and energetic for longer.
4.Drink lots of water- All the amazing fiber rich foods need water to help them do their job inside your body.Drinking water will keep your fluids moving and drinking lots will give you energy as well.Its worth investing in a water filter . Another way of taking fluids if making your own juices and enjoying the benefits of the vegetables or the fruits in an easy to digest form. Making your own juice will also help your body to detoxify and this is another easy way to lose weight.
avocado and wallnut salad
5.Don’t be afraid of FATS -avocado, nuts , plant oils -all of these provide nutrients to your body.For example nuts are high in vegan protein. Raw nuts provide important enzymes your body needs.Toasted nuts tend to taste a little more interesting and make the protein more available for your body. So I recommend eating some raw nuts and some toasted nuts to get the best of both worlds. My only tip is don’t go crazy on them -a handful a day is all you need.Also avocado is now one of my best friends as I am truly in love with this amazing fruit.Avocado is one of the healthiest foods on the planet.
Bonus TIP -Whatever you do have fun and enjoy the journey. Always focus on what you can do and what you can eat instead of thinking all the things you can’t have. Start by adding more of the fruits and the vegetables , that you normally like and nearly all recipes can be vegan-ized.
Thank you very much for being here and all your love and support.
Stay healthy and enjoy life.
lots of love
Ivelina
Ask a vegan -Treesa Quoia-long-time vegan, life-long animal lover, and a peace maker
Hello my friends ,
I am so happy to introduce to a long time vegan , animal lover and peace maker Treesa Quoia.I came across her amazing and valuable information as a member of one of my favourate groups on Facebook -The World Peace Diet.The information shared by Treesa and all the other members is outstanding and very informative for everyone , regardless if they are a vegan or not.
Treesa enthusiasm and love to all beings shined through once I read some of the blog posts in her brand new blog.
I am very grateful and delighted to share her answers with you. As a long term vegan Treesa is giving some priceless resources about food and nutrition , from which everyone can benefit.
Here are her answers.
1.How long have you been vegan for? Treesa Quoia: “Eighteen years.”
2.What made you go vegan?Treesa Quoia: ” I became a vegetarian when I was six years old. That is when I first made
the connection that what I was eating was an animal. By the time I was sixteen I was heavily involved
in animal welfare causes and activism. The more I learned the more my diet and lifestyle evolved, and
soon thereafter became a vegan.
3.Do you take any supplements? Treesa Quoia: Yes, I take Vit D (daily) , DHA /EPA(daily) and put on a B12 patch (weekly)
But I also eat consciously to ensure I am giving my body what it needs day in and day out (this was not always the case and it got me into trouble not because there was a problem eating a vegan diet rather there was a problem with MY diet). So now, for example, I eat fermented food daily for probiotics and B vitamins, two Brazil nuts a day for selenium, etc…
Eat fermented foods.
Most people (vegan or not) overlook and or just simply don’t know what their body needs, nutritionally,
per day, for optimal health. I highly encourage everyone learn the basics. Here are a few resources I
have found helpful:
Vibrant Living w/Dr. Ritamarie Loscalzo (lots of good/free content on her blog and in her newsletters)
http://www.drritamarie.com/
Vegan Health http://www.veganhealth.org
The Vegan Mastery Program (not a free resource, but good) http://www.veghealth.com/vegan2.php
4.What are your favorite vegan dishes? Treesa Quoia: Wow, that’s a hard one, the list is endless. I will say the one
thing I have to have daily, or I notice the difference, is green juice. I usually have green juice and some
variation of chia porridge (chia seeds soaked in nut milk, garnished with fresh fruit) for breakfast.
Green power juice!
5.What is your advice to new vegans? Treesa Quoia: Surround yourself (even if it is virtually) with kindred spirits.
There is nothing better than having other vegans to talk to and turn to.
6. What books would you recommend to new vegans? Treesa Quoia: “ The World Peace Diet
http://www. worldpeacediet.org/
by Will Tuttle, is great. Also, The Vegan Sourcebook http://www.vegsource.com/jo/vsource.htm
by Joanne Stepaniak, is a helpful resource for new vegans.”
7.If you had a magic wand what would be the one thing, that you would change in the world? Treesa Quoia: “I would
put an end to violence (all forms). My greatest wish is for every living being to know only love, feel
only love and be surrounded by only love.
Treesa outside
I trully enjoyed having Treesa sharing her tips and advice with us. If you have any questions, please add them as a coment below.
You can connect with Treesa at:
Gentle Perspective (brand new blog) http://www.gentleperspective.com
Follow Treesa at Pinterest http://pinterest.com/tquo/
You ca also friend Treesa on Facebook www.facebook.com/treesa.quoia
Thank you so much for being here.
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How Are You Handling Change?
Hello my friends ,
I had a wonderful day and as the days are getting brighter and brighter we went for a drive. I love it when we just hop in the car and head somewhere.So today was one of those days and we had a great time at Murlogh beach near Newcastle. So now its a perfect time to share with you one of my favourate articles written by my mentor and friend Matthew Armstrong.
Matthew and his beautiful family
“How Are You Handling Change?”
There was something I learned many years ago, while I as studying meditation in a Thai monastery, and it was impermanence. I had never consciously thought about the word before or its meaning. “Everything is impermanent in this world” said the old monk who had been meditating for over 18 hours per day for over half a century. “Do not be attached to anything”.
His profound words awakened me to the understanding that we do not own anything in this life, not even our body! Everything is on loan, and everything is impermanent. Meaning that nothing lasts forever. Look at everything you have in your life, and realise that at one time you did not have it. Also become aware that everything you now have is also temporary and to become attached to it will only create suffering.
There was a monk sitting gazing at some flowers enjoying their exquisite beauty and scent. An arrogant monk was passing and looked down on the monk who was sitting in silence with a broad smile on his face. The arrogant monk shook his head “You are foolish to give so much attention to these flowers. In a week they will have all withered and died. This is the impermanence the head monk is teaching us. You should listen next time!”
A young monk who had heard the one way conversation, waited for the arrogant monk to leave and then approached the monk who was enjoying the flowers. “Is this true? Should I not enjoy the beauty of nature?” Inquired the young monk.
“Of course not” said the monk, “that monk has lost something precious to him in the past, and now he is afraid to enjoy anything in case he becomes attached. We should enjoy everything that truly serves us in this life and at the same time, not be attached to anything. It is that attachment to the impermanence which causes the suffering, and once you let go of that, then you are free to enjoy life.”
The greatest certainty we have in this life is that everything will change, and we have a choice. We can either fear and resist the change, or we can completely embrace it and trust that it is all for our higher good. Everything is for our higher good! Assimilate that belief into your body now and you have mastered your life.
Just as sure as there are seasons in our weather. Our life also has seasons and sometimes it will be summer and we will party, and then winter comes and for whatever reason (I believe it is a lack of awareness) people freak out.
Yes, things have changed for a great many people and what we must do is change our experience of winter. We seem to have gotten it right with the seasons of the year. When winter comes we dress up warm, have cosy nights in front of a log fire, build snowmen and have snowball fights.
What about when there is an economic winter? Well no different really. We can still dress up warm, have cosy nights in front of a log fire, build snowmen and have snowball fights.
The best things in life are free. How cliche and yet how true. Take a few minutes now to write down a list of things that you enjoy doing that are completely free. Make a big list and realize how much abundance you have in your life. Do it now!
As I look around, I can see some people I know who’s businesses are booming. So much so that they have no time for anything else and their health is suffering as a result. There are other people I know who have become bankrupt or lost their jobs and now they have more quality time with their family or some are working hard on their gardens. Growing the food that they eat, and getting much satisfaction out of that. At the same time, enjoying the health benefits of gardening and eating fresh organic vegetables.
There are also a few who have achieved real harmony and abundance in all areas of life. They have a mission in life and are making steady progress towards it. They are healthy and vital, their relationships are harmonious. Emotionally they are happy and joyful. And their security in life is their spiritual connection to the divine.
The knowing that no matter what happens in this life well in the words old Bob Marley “Don’t worry about a thing, because every little thing is gonna be all right.”
If you find yourself in a less than favorable situation, simply realize that this too shall pass. And even while it is here, we can ask a few empowering questions such as “What else could this mean? Or How does this situation serve me? Or What can I learn from this? Answers will come. Intelligent perseverance will overcome any obstacle in life. And remember, it’s who you become on the journey that counts!
Matthew Armstrong is a Transformational Specialist and best-selling author. His mission is to assist clients in creating the results in their life that they are committed to achieving. Matthew has worked with people all over the world and helped them to achieve fantastic results. Click here to visit his latest blog dedicated to both empower and inspire you to live your best life possible.
Edible seeds for everyone
Going vegan has made me rediscover all edible seeds. The newest addition to my cupboards is the chia seeds-a vegan superfood , which were a complete mystery to me until not so long ago. I have always been a fan of seeds any way , but mostly I would have them roasted and wouldn’t pay that much attention to them. Edible seeds are actually so full of goodness- fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals-its all there.
Here is a list with some of my favourite edible seeds and their health benefits .
Pumpkin Seeds
1.Pumpkin seeds -These green little monsters are full of protein, iron, and zinc, and they’re one of the best sources of magnesium, a mineral that helps with blood pressure, build bone strength, and even reduce stress.Toast your pumpkin seeds or eat them raw.You can also add them to breads and salads . They also make a yummy snack during the day.
Remember doing this as a child 
2.Sunflower seeds-These tiny black seeds are very high in Vitamin E-the body’s primary fat-soluble antioxidant.Vitamin E as a powerful antioxidant that protects cells from free radicals. Sunflower seeds are also a great source for the antidepressant phenylalanine, an amino acid the body turns into the brain chemical norepinephrine, which keeps you alert and focused. Sunflower seeds are particularly rich in magnesium , which is needed for good bone health. Enjoy sunflower seeds raw or lightly toasted for a richer flavour. You can also add them to breads and salads for a nutty mild taste.
Full of energy!
3.Chia seeds -These very small seeds have no flavour, but they make it up on nutritional value.Chia seeds also provide fiber, iron, calcium, niacin, magnesium, zinc and phosphorus.Chia seeds are an incredible fiber resource with nearly half (11 grams) of the amount you need every day in a single ounce. They also contain 18 percent of your daily calcium requirement—more than triple that of dairy milk—which helps your bones, and they have some of the highest levels of plant-based omega-3 fatty acids of any seed.Chia seeds contain about 20% protein, a higher percentage than found in many other grains such as wheat and rice. Chia seeds contain strontium which helps to assimilate protein and produce high energy.I normally add chia seeds in my morning smoothie and also make raw date and nut bites as a tasty snack.
Love them!
4.Sesame Seeds -very small to eat as a snack , but they make one of the most amazing dips in the world-tahini. They also make one of the sweetest treats on Earth-Halva. Sesame seeds are a very good source of copper and a good source of magnesium and calcium.Sesame seeds contain zinc which is vital for a bone mineral density.Sesame seeds are sources for some phyto-nutrients such as omega-6 fatty acids, flavonoid phenolic anti-oxidants, vitamins and dietary fiber with potent anti-inflammatory benefits as well as health promoting properties.
Nutrition power house
5.Hemp seeds-another edible seed added to my cupboard as a result of going vegan. This seed is amazing .It contains all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids, all of them easily digestible,that our bodies cannot produce.Hemp seeds protein percentage also strengthen the immune system and helps your body to get rid of off toxins.Hemp seed is the Nature’s highest botanical source of essential fatty acid, with more essential fatty acid than flax or any other nut or seed oil.It contains the perfect 3:1 ratio of Omega-6 Linoleic Acid and Omega-3 Linolenic Acid – for cardiovascular health and general strengthening of the immune system.Hemp seeds are a rich source of phytonutrients, the disease-protective element of plants with benefits protecting your immunity, bloodstream, tissues, cells, skin, organs and mitochondria.Over all if you gonna add seed to your diet choose hemp seed. It makes amazing forest fruit smoothie.
In the meantime thank you very much again for being here.
Stay Healthy and Feel Fresh,
with lots of love
Ivelina
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Vegan Easter Egg-free Buns-”Sunlight treats”
Hello, my friends,
its a bright evening here and I am sitting in our office with no lights on for now . That’s the good part of changing the clocks last night. I can see this warm pink glow in sky and there is a lot from it to come in the next few months. Hope spring is here , even if its still a bit cold.
Do you see that pale pink light just after the sunset? This shade of pink I love. And that is where I got the idea to make the pink icing on my Easter Egg-free buns.
Sunset pink, that I love
I woke up this morning with lots of fresh energy. Today also the daylight saving time change took place. In my opinion this tradition is not as useful as was originally planed , but anyway.
No matter how hard I try and force myself I could never follow a food recipe step by step. I would always add something, remove something and so on. Once I read a recipe once I go into this cooking mode state where I am totally in a mood for cooking and everything I make turns out delicious.
“Sunlight buns”
So this is what happened today. I wanted to make something colourful so I made those buns. The recipe I read was about making easy vegan cookies , but I felt like making something softer today, so I came up with this recipe.
Here is how to make “Sunlight Buns” . You need :
1 cup of strong flour
1 cup of plain flour
1 cup of almond milk
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 cup of raw sugar
1/2 cup of melted coconut butter ( I use the cheaper version as it has a very mild flavour)
6 spoonfuls of milled flax seeds
12 spoonfuls of water (to mix with the flax seeds)
2 spoonfuls of “Camp” (chicory essence)
2 spoon fulls of cinnamon
1 tea spoon of nutmeg
1 tea spoon of cloves
1 tea spoon of ginger
For the icing
Vegan Spread (I use “Pure”)
sugar
orange essence (for the yellow icing )
5 strawberries with a squeeze of lemon juice and a spoonful of a beetroot juice for the colour
You will also need a large mixing bowl, a small mixing bowl, a spatula and 2 baking trays.
milled flaxseeds with water and chicory essence
First mix the milled flax seeds with the water and let it absorb all the liquid. If it goes too dense add a spoonful or two of water to accomplish the gooey texture.
Preheat the oven to 200C for a fan oven and approx 220 for an ordinary one.
all the dry ingredients
Next mix all the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl-that’s the flour, sugar, baking soda, all the spices and mix well. In the bowl with the flax seeds add the chicory essence and mix.In the same bowl add the melted coconut butter and mix. In the large bowl where you have all the dry ingredients add the milk and the other bowl and mix . The mixture is very sticky so I kept some of the coconut oil to put on my hands in order to make the shapes with.
Then sprinkle some flour on your baking tray and place the buns. They take approx. 8 minutes to bake. They are ready when you put a wooden stick through them and it comes out dry.
To make the icing you need an ordinary food processor. Its so simple just mix 100 gr. of vegan spread with the sugar and the orange essence to make the first one. Blend for about 30-40 seconds. Then to make the pink one repeat the process after you clean the blender.
Once the buns are cold they are ready to be decorated. Use your imagination and enjoy them!
“Sunlight buns”
Thank you very much for being here and all your love and support. In a few hours it will be a new month and a new week and and a new day.
May your intuition guide you,May your heart be filled with love and compassion and May your body stay healthy.
with lots of love
Ivelina
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Vegan Easter -Celebrating together
Hello, my friends
as we are approaching Easter I couldn’t help myself by share my thoughts about Easter. Its my first vegan Easter and I feel so different than any other year. Like any celebration the celebration of Easter is all about getting together with your favourite people and having a good time. In the past I have been overwhelmed with doing traditions and shopping for things I don’t really need for the sake of keeping the traditions.
Bulgarian Easter cake (Kozunak)
I grew up in Bulgaria and Easter was all about the eggs , the roast lamb , the Easter cake and so on. When I look back on those days now my favourite part was getting together with my family and relatives and having a good time. All the other things, that we used to do really didn’t contribute that much to that warm homely feeling .
So this year I said to my boys , that I won’t be buying and colouring any eggs. They didn’t reacted that bad, but then I asked them “What it is about colouring eggs, that you like so much”. Then Ari said ” Its because we are doing it together and I get to help you“. So there it is -the most important words in any family TOGETHER.
Mother’s Love
When it comes to Easter celebration its the same. The whole concept of Easter is such a mixture anyway. As a historian I can not help myself but collect all the information and realize , that this particular holiday , like all of them is a collaboration of Ancient traditions and modern purposes.
Every culture celebrates the beginning of spring when all the flowers wake up and all the animals mate. Its the time of the year when the days are getting longer and brighter . As all life on Earth relies on the Sun it is truly a time to celebrate.
The rebirth has many expressions. I am humble to all of the personalities , that have been honoured by the people. To me we are celebrating Easter TOGETHER regardless of what traditions you do , what food you eat and what words you say to greet each other.
I am wishing you a Happy Easter! May your days be filled with Love , Abundance and Brightness!
Thank you so much for being here.
with lots of love,
Ivelina
Friends of Mother Nature-Dómhnaill Ó’Rioghbhardáin-”Having tea with trees”
Today is another special day for this Blog as I am adding another category here. The section is called “Friends of Mother Nature “ .This is where I will be inviting you on a virtual cup of tea to have a conversation about Mother Nature , Natural treatments and all things Natural !
You are invited to have a virtual cup of tea.Plase contact me if you are interested
The inspiration behind the “Fiends of Mother Nature “ are those few lines written by David Orr, which I totaly believe and share
“The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.”
We are all friends of Mother Nature -some more than others, but I believe everybody is doing their best. The main thing to remember is that we are only passing by here. We are here to give. If you don’t give you are not alive. Find what is that thing in you , that makes you feel inspired and come alive and go with it. Live it, be it and give it. And that ,my friends, is success-to be who you are and give what you’ve got.You are not alone and we are in this together. This amazing journey called LIFE.
My first guest to “Friends of Mother Nature ” is Dómhnaill Ó’Rioghbhardáin, who lives in Limerick Ireland with his wife.He is a part of a team which effort is to restore the entire Sahara Desert to a thriving, fertile place where people can live in abundance once again. The project was introduced to the 2011 All-Ireland Permaculture Gathering in Wicklow by Sarah Franklyn in August.
Domhaill is working with Andy who has started a project in a remote valley in North-Central Morocco to build a school for local children with a permaculture center as part of the PRI’s ‘Permaculture Centers Worldwide’ vision. Initially the plan is to drill a borehole to avoid using the local scarce water, and to save local people having to walk up to 10 km (each way) to get clean water.
As the desert retreats it will be replaced by thriving communities living in abundance, while maintaining their traditional ways of living.
Now an Ash tree produces about 10,000 seeds on a single year. Think of the multiplier there ? the planet could be recovered in trees easily, just plant them.”
Ask a Vegan -Cintia Garland-”COMPASSION is what the world needs the MOST”
Hello my friends , today I would like to introduce you to another vegan -Cintia Garland. Cintia lives in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland with her husband .Cintia is doing a work placement in a pharmacy part-time while doing her BTEC in Pharmaceutical. Cintia says about herself , that she is a “human being constantly in progress as far as life is concerned. Vegetarian due to my love and respect to animals….I am concerned about animal rights and children living in developing countries”.
“at an open farm that closed down in Downpatrick…I loved this wee lamb”
Here is Cintia’s interview. I hope you will find it inspiring and valuable.
1.How long have you been vegan for? Cintia:”I was a vegetarian for 2 years and I have been vegan since last January. In the past I was “on and off vegetarian”, but 2 years ago I decided to cut down the meat intake slowly and became vegetarian.”
2.What made you go vegan?Cintia :”The reality of dairy industry as well as battery chicken farms is cruel for the animals. If eggs came from a home backyard chicken pen, the animals would not suffer, but the reality in the market is not that at all unfortunately.”
3.Do you take any supplements?Cintia :I only take Vitamin D once a day.
Indian lentils with garlic
4.What are your favourate vegan dishes?Cintia :”My favourite vegan dish is Indian lentils with garlic, as well as veggie pakoras. My favourite dessert is dark chocolate biscuit pavet made with soya custard.”
5.What is your advice to new vegans? Cintia :”I am a new vegan myself. I would advise people who want to become vegan to be vegetarian for a while before going into veganism. I think it is important for the body to get used to it. It is a slow process as our mind and body work at different paces. Becoming vegetarian or vegan from one day to another is quite difficult and a lot of times people tend to restart eating meat again if the change happens too fast.
6. What books would you recommend to new vegans? Cintia :”I browse a lot of online forums, pages and communities about veganism.I have not read any specific books about veganism yet. Although a nice book about animal rights would be beneficial for those who want to understand more about the truth behind animal farming. My suggestion would be” The Pig Who Sang to the Moon ” by Jeffrey Masson.”
“adult pig possesses with the intelligence of a 3-year old child” Animals Australia
7.If you had a magic wand what would be the one thing, that you would change in the world?Cintia :”I would put an end to all sort of animal farming as animals live a holocaust. I would like to transform those farms in orchards, vegetable crops and animal rescue animal sanctuaries . Animals would benefit, as well as the environment and our health.”
I enjoyed writing this post .
Facebook is so good in connecting you with like minded people. I met Cintia as she was already a memebr of a group of Vegetarians and Vegans in Northern Ireland. If you live in the area and would like to get recipes , tips and advice I would love you to join us.
Cintia also runs the Belfast PUG CLUB page. So if you are a pug-lover, please visit her page.
You can add Cintia as a friend on Facebook.
Thank you so much for being here and your love and support.
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Sending Blessings and Love
