How to cook black beans

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You can support the making of these videos and get early access and downloadable PDF copies of the recipes by becoming an FGV patron – click here.

Here’s the recipe!

Makes approximately two cups/serves four

Ingredients:

  • 500g of dried black beans
  • 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
  • 1⁄2 of a large white onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp dried epazote or 4 tbsp fresh chopped epazote
  • Dried chipotle chiles*
  • Salt to taste

*These are optional, depending on how spicy you want your beans. We added two to infuse a rich, smoky flavour into the beans. The chiles will break down during the cooking process.

Instructions:

  • ­Rinse beans well under cold running water
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  • Soak overnight or for at least 6 hours
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  • Rinse beans again and place in a large saucepan with enough water to cover them by about 2” ­
  • Bring to the boil and add all remaining ingredients EXCEPT the salt**
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  • Reduce the beans to a medium heat and boil for approximately 1.5 hours. Try a couple of beans at this point to see if they are sufficiently cooked. They should be soft right through
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  • When beans are cooked, add approximately 1 tablespoon of salt

**Do not add salt until the end of the cooking process otherwise it will prevent the beans from absorbing enough water to cook properly.

Black beans are ubiquitous in Mexican cuisine. Served either on their own, with rice, refried, inside tacos, as a garnish on tacos etc, they can be used in an infinite number of dishes.

Recipe and photo remain property of Sean O’Callaghan and Julio Alcantara and may not be reproduced without permission. © 2016 fatgayvegan.com

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London comfort food spot closes

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I have been out of the UK for six months and during that time many new vegan opportunities have arisen. I have a list of things I need to try that opened while I was in Mexico.

Near the top of that list was Top Dog, the US-style hot dog diner in Soho with an amazing separate vegan menu.

Josh first wrote about it here.

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So, I rocked up today only to find the fast food joint closed! Peering through the windows, it looks as though it was shut down in a hurry as there were still boxes of food and kitchen equipment inside.

Josh reached out to the company today and got the following response:


Sad times. I didn’t get to try it!

Did you make it to Top Dog during its short lifetime? What did you think?

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Food at London Vegan Beer Fest

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The 4th annual London Vegan Beer Fest is racing closer and closer.

For many people, the main attraction is of course the wide range of beers available (list coming soon!) while others take the opportunity to catch up with old friends or even make new ones.

In 2016, I predict a brand new typer of punter at the event. The foodie.

Check out the INCREDIBLE menu that will be served on the day, tell me what you are most looking forward to at the event and buy your cheap online tickets here.

rainbow potato

First up is the extremely irresistible Rainbow Potato stand.

Everything is not only 100% vegan on the mini-deli showcase, it is also 100% gluten-free. You will be able to build your perfect meal by choosing from the options below:

Choose 1 of the following: Baked sweet potato – Pink fir potato – Maris Piper potato

Add 1 of the following: Guacamole – Traditional hummus with extra virgin olive oil – Ranch dressing by Follow Your Heart – Sriracha Vegenaise by Follow Your Heart – Extra virgin olive oil with salt & pepper

Choose a further 4 toppings: Spiced sweetcorn salad (with mango, chilli, coriander & pomegranate) – Spiralised courgettini (with mint, lime, cashew crush & red quinoa) – Beetroot (with basil, balsamic & black quinoa) – Spicy smashed cauliflower (with chickpea, chive & coconut cream) – Zingy ginger carrot salad (with rose petal harissa & pistachio nuts) – Roasted peppers (with garlic, fresh oregano & extra virgin olive oil) – Mozzarella shreds by Follow Your Heart – Cheddar shreds by Follow Your Heart

karma wrap

Next we have Karma Wrap. This stand will be serving warm rolled flour tortilla crammed with delicious ingredients.

Choices?

The Naughty Falafeller – homemade falafel, pickled cucumbers & carrots, hummus, marinated white cabbage, fresh mint, parsley and chilli.

Holy Moley Guacamole – braised black beans, Cheddar shreds by Follow Your Heart, jalapeño, plum vine tomatoes, iceberg lettuce, lime, tortilla chips, spicy guacamole, organic sprouts and red quinoa.

Brunch O’Clock – hot sausage, scrambled VeganEgg by Follow Your Heart, hash brown potato, chestnut mushrooms and brown sauce.

Marrakesh Sesh – roasted aubergines & peppers, garlic, cous cous, hummus, coriander spinach, pickled beets and Mozzarella shreds by Follow Your Heart.

burger bar

You can’t not have a Burger Bar at a beer festival, right?!

Check out the varieties on offer:

Mock duck burger – Royal kombu seaweed pesto, organic sprouts and Chinese cabbage

Smoked tofu burger – Cashew cream, ginger garlic, chilli, fresh coriander and rocket

Falafel burger – Hummus, fresh mint, baby gem lettuce, pickled carrot, sliced plum tomato

Beetroot and quinoa burger – Pickled cucumber, ranch dressing, baby mixed leaves and Cheddar shreds by Follow Your Heart

guilty pleasures

Imagine an FGV event without sweet treats? Yeah, right!

The Guilty Pleasures stand will be home to a stunning chocolate, sweet potato and date brownie as well as an amazing array of cupcakes and sorbets.

fruit stall

Last but not least, we have the Fruit Stall. This is where you will pick up Fruit Kebabs, Chilli roasted pineapple with Duppy Share Rum plus Strawberries with coconut cream.

Wow.

If you were at London Vegan Beer Fest last year, I’m sure you’ll agree this year’s food line up is a vast improvement on our set up in 2015. We now have multiple food stands, professional chefs who are used to cooking huge quantities of fresh food and a pub kitchen that is quickly becoming one of the most vegan-friendly in London.

In addition to all these wonderful vegan food stands outside, the entire pub is turning vegan for the day meaning attendees can order food inside or outside The Old Ship W6 safe in the knowledge that it is all plant-based.

Fine food, cold beer, wine, cider, live music, outdoor setting, beer info talks, river views, pet-friendly, family-friendly, gluten free options for food and drink…. I could go on and on.

Online tickets are just £5 plus 50p booking fee. Click here to book.

Tickets on the day will be £8.

You can RSVP and invite friends over on the Facebook event page.

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Temple of Seitan

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There is a new vegan food business in London that has me more than simply excited. I’m absolutely flipping my wig over this stuff!

Can you see that deep-fried, crunchy glory? Look at it!

Temple of Seitan is a street food endeavour that will turn even the most determined frown upside down.

There isn’t much more to say other than they make fried seitan. In fact, they make the best fried seitan I think I have ever encountered on the planet. I had a basket of the good stuff on Friday at the Just V Show and was so thoroughly blown away that I went back for another on Saturday.

You need to follow Temple of Seitan on Instagram to keep track of all the rad events they will be at in coming months.

I love Temple of Seitan and if you want to be happy, you will make them a part of your life. If you have no interest in being happy, forget I said anything and go back to looking at the slate-grey Victorian sky outside your double glazed window.

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Free VeganEgg!

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As you probably know, London Vegan Beer Fest is just one week away.

The 4th annual version of the event is taking over The Old Ship W6 in Hammersmith on Saturday July 16, 2016. There will be multiple food stands, cold beer, wine, cider, live music, beer info talks and a gorgeous uninterrupted view of the Thames.

This is one event you don’t want to miss.

The event is sponsored by the world-leaders in compassionate food, Follow Your Heart. Not only is the company supplying many of their ingredients to add that extra kick to meals and snacks served on the day, it is also donating 600 boxes of their groundbreaking VeganEgg product for our guests to take away at no extra cost.

veganegg-packaging

Yes, you read that correctly. 600 retails packets of VeganEgg.

Each packet retails for £6.99 but one can be yours for no extra money if you are one of the first 600 guests to visit the Follow Your Heart tent at London Vegan Beer Fest and leave them your email address. (One packet per person)

Advance purchase tickets for London Vegan Beer Fest are just £5 plus small booking fee and you can grab them online now.

Tickets will be £8 on the day depending on availability.

London Vegan Beer Fest is child and dog friendly. You can RSVP and invite friends on the Facebook event.

Read more about VeganEgg and the entire Follow Your Heart range online.

Glasgow food outlet turns vegan

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After only a few weeks trading as a vegetarian eatery, the owner of Kind Crusts in Glasgow has decided to turn her business into a 100% vegan sandwich shop.

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I reached out to owner Kathryn Veroni to ask for insight into her fabulous decision to go completely plant-based and here is her response:

As a vegan, complete food lover and notorious feeder, with years of experience in hospitality, I knew there was a clear gap in the market when it came to “fast food” suitable for vegans, vegetarians and people looking for healthier options. So, Kind Crusts was created. We only opened on Friday 1st July and have been very well received from the local residents of Dennistoun and vegans of Glasgow.

Initially when deciding on our menu, I had wanted to encourage non-vegans to try our products. The way I looked at it was; for every person NOT visiting the likes of [various highstreet takeaways], and choosing us instead, it was a win for the progression to vegan diets. To do this, I had chosen a dairy cheese and created a 95% vegan menu, with one dairy option for non-vegans. Within a few days of trading however, I quickly recognised that is wasn’t the correct decision for us. Although we would love to change the eating habits of the population, especially children, we want to do it in the way we always intended; through the provision of good, honest wholefoods. We shall use our knowledge of food and creative passion to form exciting sandwich fillings, salads and bakes, which alone, will be the reason people choose us.

Thanks, Kathryn!

I am thrilled with your decision to remove all animal products from your menu, but I’m sure the vegans of Glasgow are even happier. The menu is the stuff of vegans dreams, with decadent breakfast wraps and stuffed sandwiches making me a little bit jealous I don’t live in the Scottish city.

You can and should like Kind Crusts on Facebook. Or maybe Twitter and/or Instagram.

You might also want to take the time to check out the Kind Crusts menu on their website and take notice of how the shop gives discount to diners using their own coffee/tea cups!

VBF-TWCover

Vegan mylkbar in Melbourne!

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Holy Matcha, Batman!

Matcha Mylkbar – 72A ACLAND STREET (CORNER CARLISLE ST), ST KILDA

This pun-tastic little plant based restaurant opened about two months ago and I’ve been way too excited about trying it. After showing a couple of my non-vegan workmates the menu, they were sold (mostly on the vegan eggs… but still!) and I had two cohorts roped in to help me try this super-intriguing menu.

Quite frankly, none of us were disappointed by the experience!

Click here to see the menu.

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The extensive range of lattes alone in this establishment is truly breathtaking to a local Melbournite. We do love our coffee! And, by gum (yes, I really did just say that) the Apple Pie Latte tastes like apple pie, the Cacao Latte tastes like hot chocolate from your childhood and the Mushroom Latte is sweeter than you’d imagine.

Located on the busy corner of Acland Street, it’s no surprise that the lunch rush fills the restaurant space from wall to wall, but with a menu this out of the world it’s absolutely worth trying to get a table for it.

With comments from my lunch guests like “It’s so Heston-esque!” and “MmmmmmmmmmmMmmmm”, this is one place I’ll be headed back to very soon!

Follow Matcha Mylkbar on Instagram.

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Vegan event in Maidstone

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Vegan events, festivals and fairs are EVERYWHERE in the UK. It seems you can’t get away from them (which is obviously a fabulous state of affairs).

Next on your list if you are keen to visit every single vegan event in the UK is the upcoming Maidstone Vegan Festival taking place this month (July 2016).

See the super colourful poster below.

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Looks like a wonderful day out. You can RSVP to the Facebook event.

Support vegan events in your town and city! Make an effort this summer to visit an event in a neighbouring area.

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Vegan café jobs in Glasgow

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Wanna work in one of the best and most-loved vegan restaurants in the UK?

Check out this ad for chef jobs at Mono in Glasgow.

EXPERIENCED VEGAN CHEFS REQUIRED 

MONO CAFE BAR
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND

Full time & Part time positions
Full Time on variable shifts including evenings and weekends.
Part time evenings and weekends.

Job Purpose: prepare food by following Head Chef’s menu, instructions and procedures.
The right candidate should also be familiar with pizza, soups, vegan specials and desserts while the main focus will be on service, presentation of menu, prep and also maintaining the standard of cleaning, health and safety within the kitchen.

– A strong passion for vegan food culture with a will to learn
– A positive, flexible, hard working, reliable, enthusiastic attitude
– A great personality to bring to our team
– The ability to work calmly in a busy, fast-paced environment
– At least 2 years of kitchen and/or bakery experience
– Food & Safety Certificate

Please email your CV and cover letter to vsohenderson@gmail.com or hand in to MONO addressed to VSO-Head Chef

How fab is that?! This is perfect for people looking to be involved with food but don’t want to handle animal products.

Extra note: Mono is the location of the first ever Glasgow Vegan Beer Fest. Get a job there and you might be working at my event!

VBF-TWCover

All vegan chocolate afternoon tea

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Oh my!

New-to-London vegan café Buttercream Dreams is hosting an amazing afternoon tea event that you do not want to miss if you are in the capital on July 30, 2016.

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The All Vegan Chocolate Lovers’ Afternoon Tea is priced at £15. There will be four sittings across the afternoon and attendees will be treated to a range of treats plus drink choices all with a distinct chocolate angle.

Telling by how many people have expressed interest via the Facebook event page, I think it’s safe to say this afternoon tea will be booked solid.

You need to email Sales@buttercream-dreams.com or visit the store on Camden Road to book a spot.

Hurry!

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