Tag: plant-based

vegan

Delicious vegan tzatziki…

stanley & bear

tzatziki#2 (1 of 1)Just as music can float us down memory lane, so can certain foods.

For me, I can be transported back to a Greek island by simply savouring tzatziki on a slice of warm, crusty bread.

However as a vegan, that perfect tzatziki, without the tangy flavours of yoghurt was difficult to find.

So I started scouring through foodie & vegan sites and stumbled upon a wonderful site called, Lazy Cat Kitchen where I found Ania’s perfect plant-based tzatziki recipe.

I was eager to try it, but discovered I didn’t have any cashews on hand. Seeing as I was impatient and didn’t feel like driving to the supermarket, then having to wait for the cashews to soak, I decided to substitute the cashews with tofu.

Ania from Lazy Cat Kitchen says using tofu can tend to leave an aftertaste. I didn’t find that so much, but I think it comes down to individual choice: some taste buds may go ahhh yuck, others may rejoice.

I plan to follow Ania’s exact recipe sometime soon and look forward to discovering the comparison.

Enjoy 🙂

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 pkt medium firm tofu
  • 1 Lebanese cucumber
  • 2 small garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried mint, adjust to taste
  • a few pinches of salt, adjust to taste
  • ¼ tsp white (or black) pepper, adjust to taste

METHOD

  1. Grate the cucumber coarsely.
  2. Squeeze the water out of the cucumber using a fine sieve and a spoon to press the grated cucumber down.
  3. Place tofu, lemon juice and olive oil in your blender and blend until smooth.
  4. Season with raw garlic, salt, pepper, dry mint or fresh dill and some apple cider vinegar for extra acidity.
  5. Transfer into a bowl or container and mix in grated cucumber. Place in the fridge for about 3-4 hours to allow the flavours to deepen.
  6. Serve with crusty bread and an icy cold beer…
bread food fresh hands
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

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dogs

Changes…

stanley & bear

For a number of years my blog was called Quite Simply, but I came to the realisation that just as I had grown and changed over the years, my blog needed to also.

I knew the new name needed to reflect the true loves of my life, and it also needed to be flexible and not limit ways in which I could document and share those loves: animals, photography & plant-based eating.stanleybear (1 of 1)-21

So just who are Stanley & Bear? They’re dachshunds, and incredibly special ones at that.

Stanley is the 2nd of my four dachshunds that have come into my life, following the passing of my beautiful Kiri. He is loyal, loveable and the silent leader of our sausage pack.  Oscar aka Bear, arrived into our home not long after Stanley, and like Stanley he is a wire-haired dachshund with a gentle nature and loving soul.

Simon & Eddie complete our foursome, yet unlike S & B, they are of the smooth-haired variety and came to us as fosters with sad backgrounds. We chose not to re-home them with strangers and instead adopted them to complete our Sausage family.

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When it came to re-naming my blog, using Stanley & Bear seemed to fit as the name enables me to encapsulate what I love most in life. Animals, photography and plant-based eating.

You may ask how photography and plant-based eating falls under the Stanley & Bear umbrella. Firstly, S & B are simply incredible ‘models’ from a photographic perspective and they are always willing to help if I’m setting up a photo shoot. That’s Bear on the left doing a spot of quality assurance checks on a batch of freshly made vegan mayonnaise: recipe in a post soon.

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Secondly, they are sentient beings whose right to live a life free from harm is of the utmost importance. Just as it is of the utmost importance for me to eat a healthy, wholesome plant-based diet.

And lastly, it would’ve been a mouthful to have included all the boy’s names in the title, so hence, Stanley & Bear was born.

I hope to take my blog to a new place: sharing images, plant-based recipes and the antics of my beloved Sausage boys.

Enjoy…

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Simon, Oscar (aka Bear), Stanley & Eddie