Potato and Spinach Curry

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• 2 tsp ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 packet of fresh spinach, chopped
• 4 large potatoes, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cup of brown rice

Method:

1. Put rice on to boil.
2. Put potatoes on to cook.
3. Fry up onion and garlic in pan.
4. Drain potatoes, add onion and garlic mix, add some water, add herbs and spices, allow to simmer.
5. Add spinach for the last few minutes.
6. Mix in rice and eat.

Jam Filled Donut Muffins

I've yet to find any normal store that makes vegan donuts, so I searched around for recipes and found this one on vegweb.  I fiddled with it a little and you can find the results below:

Ingredients:
Muffins

• 2/3 cup nondairy milk
• 1.5 cups self raising flour
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup Nuttelex (vegan butter)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup raw sugar

Topping

• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

Filling

• about 6 tbsp of your choice of jam - I use strawberry.

Method:

1. Mix all muffin ingredients together.  You may want to add a little more milk to make it a bit easier to spoon into patties.  You may also want to add more nutmeg if that's how you roll.
2. Spoon into the muffin tray; about 1/4 - 1/3 full.  Make a small hollow in the batter.
3. Spoon some jam into the hollow.
4. Cover with more muffin mix.
5. Bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes.
6. Mix together topping ingredients and sprinkle on top.

Green Earth Group Bake Sale

Last Saturday I got up at 3:30am to help Green Earth Group with their bake sale at the West End Markets (6am - 2pm Saturdays).  Green Earth Group is a small local organisation that aims to help the environment by showing people how to have less impact through personal choices, such as going vegan, using reusable bags and cups and making green consumer choices.

This bake sale is part of the Worldwide Vegan Bake Sale.  I made and donated some strawberry cupcakes and some blueberry cupcakes.  There were a variety of things, like cheesecakes, banana bread, cookies and cream cupcakes, chocolate spiders and more.  I'm still deciding on what to make for this coming weekend.

Come along and join us at the next one.  If you sign up to the mailing list, you have a chance of winning some prizes (including a pig plushie by me!).  There are shirts, fregie sacks and information packs too!  We're nice and friendly and won't bite, I promise!

Green Lentil Curry

Ingredients

• 1 cup rice
• 1 cup green lentils
• 1 tsp each garam masala, turmeric, cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1 tin coconut milk
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper

Optional: add chopped spinach, vegetable stock and/or onion.

If you're prepared, soak your lentil overnight so that you don't have to cook them for as long.

Method:

1. Put lentils, 1 cup of water, spices, coconut milk and garlic in one pot.  You may need to add more water as it cooks.  Cook for about 35-45 minutes, until lentils are tender.
2. Cook rice as per packet instructions.
3. Mix together and nom!

Mac N Cheese

I have never had mac and cheese, due to being lactose intolerant, so I never thought about making a vegan version.  Until now.

It was a bit yellower than this, but my camera is not great :(

Ingredients:

• 250grams pasta
• 2.5 cups nondairy milk
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1.5 tsp soy sauce
• 1/4 cauliflower
• 2 cloves garlic
• salt and pepper
• various herbs and spices at your discretion: we added paprika, thyme, ginger and chili powder

Method:

1. Cook pasta in one pot.
2. Combine milk and butter in another pot, turn down to simmer, add soy sauce, garlic and flour.  Try your best to destroy any lumps.  You may want to add more flour to make it thicker.
3. Add cauliflower to the pasta pot for the last five minutes to let it get tender.
4. Drain pasta and cauliflower.
5. Mix in sauce, add herbs and spices.

Garden Pie

Ingredients:

• 5 medium potatoes
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 1 broccoli floret, chopped
• 1 cup TVP
• some frozen peas and corn
• paprika, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano
• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 cups water 

 Method:

1. Slice potatoes and cook.
2. Mix TVP, water, herbs, spices, carrots, broccoli, onion, peas and corn in a pot and cook until onion is see-through and vegies are at desired softness.  You may need to add more water, but not too much or your base will be too watery in the dish.
3. When potatoes are done, drain and add vegan butter and a dash of nondairy milk to make mashed potato.
4. Turn oven to 180C.  Put TVP mix in dish, spoon potato over the top.
5. Cook until top is golden.

Optional: Add nutritional yeast to potato mix.

Safe Sex - The Vegan Way!

Here I try to list all  most sexual health products and where you can buy vegan ones from in Australia (as much as possible).  Remember that safe sex is the best sex for yourself and your partner/s.  Also remember to ask for consent!

If you want these products to be more easily available, why not contact Woolworths or contact Coles to see if they can stock these products, or if they already do.  Let me know in the comments if you want me to write you up an example letter.

Condoms by robertelyov

Penis Condoms

Condoms are useful in preventing pregnancies and stopping the transmission of STIs and STDs (even if you cannot get pregnant, not getting diseases and infections is pretty rad).  Unfortunately, most condoms on the market contain casein, which is a milk protein.  Where does milk come from?  Poor, suffering cows.

Luckily, there is Glyde!  So if you're the kind of person who wants to use condoms during sexual intercourse, while being animal-friendly, now you can!  You can buy them from The Cruelty Free Shop here or The Green Edge Online here or check out Glyde's website for a list of some of the places that they are stocked at.

BIG Drip by Images by John 'K'

Personal Lubricant

Lubricant is usually produced to help with intercourse, however it is nice to have some on hand in case things aren't going as expected.  Or for stretching your piercings.  Unfortunately, one of the main ingredients in many lubes is glycerin, which can either be from plants or animal fats.

Sylk personal lubricant is completely vegan friendly.  They say that they are available at big Coles and Woolworths stores but they are also available online here.  Glyde has provided again, with some lubricant available here through The Vegan Store. Astroglide is another brand that is vegan friendly and can be purchased online through their website. Yes Organic Lubricant is yet another vegan friendly lube available online here.

With lubricants, ensure that you can use them with condoms, we don't want people getting pregnant by mistake!

Yaz by Stacy Lynn Baum

Oral and Internal Contraceptives

Oral contraceptives are hard to find in vegan form, however the vegan police are hardly liable to come after you for this one; it is better than having an unwanted child.

All vegans must, at times, make compromises because we live in an imperfect world. We need to make the best choices we can based on the world we have inherited, not the society we envision and are trying to create. Making concessions for birth control is not necessarily indicative of hypocrisy. It simply means that you are being realistic, practical, and responsible. - Jo Stepaniak

If you do use non-vegan pills, I suggest you contact the manufacturer and ask them to consider using vegan alternatives.  If enough people ask, maybe we can change them.

There are other forms of contraceptives, including an injection that may be vegan friendly, however I have not been able to find a reliable source of information on that one - yet.  There are also hormonal and copper IUDs that are apparently vegan friendly, though I haven't had a chance to email and check.  I have also discovered the NuvaRing, which may be vegan friendly, but again I haven't as yet had a chance to email.  I will update when I do.  Or, if you have information, please share!

If you are only using these kinds of contraceptives, remember that you can still get STDs and STIs!

Vaginal Condoms

The Femidom is available from The Vegan Store here and is the only vaginal condom I could find that was vegan.

Dams

Dams are used as a barrier when giving oral sex to another person, helping to prevent the spread of STDs and STIs.  Sheer Glyde is a vegan dam that is available here, from The Vegan Store or here from The Sensual Vegan.

Bondage Bear by Ulleskelf

Accessories and Bondage

Vegan Erotica has a range of straps, collars, hitting toys, restraints and more.  If it's outside of your price range or not what you're looking for, there are a range of PVC and faux leather products available on eBay; I personally got a collar from eBay.

If I have missed something, used gendered language, or anything else, let me know and I will update this post!