Quick & Easy Summer Recipes

MACROVegan  ChitChat with Marlene

As we head towards the season of summer I wanted to share some article links for you to read whilst enjoying some quick and easy recipes. These are just a few of the dishes I created for my latest book Go Vegan now available world-wide. Being a vegan and an environmentalist go hand in hand as far as I am concerned. How the two are related is a no brainer to me.  A plant-based vegan diet and lifestyle is one of the most effective ways to help save our planet.

Each and every one of us are responsible for the way we live. When we see our world in crisis with daily headlines such as these:
Temperatures Exceed 50C During Heatwave In India: Over 20 Dead
OR  
'Bad News for All Species': New Study Shows Nearly 600 Plants Wiped Out Over the Past 250 Years 
OR
The Gulf could see one of the largest dead zones in history this year
OR
Animal agriculture is responsible for 51% of greenhouse gas emissions and is the leading cause of deforestation, biodiversity loss, and water pollution we must all act.  We are the only ones who can change ourselves. When we have succeeded we then assist others, we refer to this as switching on lighthouses.

Go Vegan to save the planet is the No.1 thing we can all do to stop climate change. The meat and dairy industry are one of the main contributors to global warming. However, another lighthouse was switched on this week - I was delighted to see that Iceland elected 41-year-old environmentalist Katrin Jakobsdottir, the 41-year-old chairwoman of the Left-Green Movement as Prime Minister.  

Be a catalyst for change!

Summer is a time to make new friends and bring old ones back together. Make this summer a magical season by sharing these articles and recipes with family and friends, we can all bring about change with non-violent peaceful education.  It only takes one grain of sand to turn the tide, I remind myself of that daily. It is not a sacrifice to be a healthy vegan, it is a great joy. Ask your family and friends, What food can possibly taste better than your health?
Enjoying delicious healthy plant-based vegan food, causing no suffering to our animals, and helping heal our environment for future generations is about making informed choices. We are all in this together, all of us. 

Quick & Easy Summer Recipes from Go Vegan

Yakisoba Bowl
Yakisoba brings an eclectic mix of oriental dining to the heart of your table. Yakisoba, literally ‘fried buckwheat’, is a Japanese noodle stir-fry dish. Although soba means buckwheat, yakisoba noodles are actually made from wheat flour. Whether in the form of udon, soba, yakisoba, somen, the universally popular ramen or other forms, Japan’s love affair with noodles is rich and varied.

For the sauce

2 tbsp shoyu

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp filtered water

2 tsp ginger juice

1 tbsp mirin

Make sauce by combining the ingredients in a small bowl, and set aside.

Yakisoba

1 pack soba noodles

1 cup sliced onion (thin half-moons)

Few pinches sea salt

½ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

½ cup carrots, sliced into thin matchsticks

1 cup sugar snap peas

1 cup celery, thinly sliced on the diagonal

1 cup mung bean sprouts

Fresh coriander

In a large pot, cook the soba noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain and wash well with cold water. Set aside. In a large wok, heat a splash or two of water and sauté the onions with a few pinches of sea salt for 4–5 minutes, until translucent. 
 
Add the mushrooms, carrots and celery and keep sautéing for 3–4 more minutes. Add the sugar snap peas and continue sautéing, mixing all the vegetables well in the wok. Add the soba noodles on top of the vegetables, cover and steam for a few minutes on a medium-low flame. If the bottom of the wok is dry, add a little water before covering. Open the cover, pour in the sauce, and toss the bean sprouts over the vegetables. Still over a low flame, mix the noodles and vegetables together using tongs. Mix gently so that the noodles don’t break, but the sauce penetrates all the ingredients. Adjust the flavour if necessary by adding a splash or two of shoyu. Garnish with fresh coriander. Makes 4–6 servings.

Sweet Cherry Ice Cream with Chocolate Sauce 

There are two general varieties of cherries: sweet and sour. Cherry and chocolate are not a new or revolutionary flavour combination, but when beautiful organic sweet cherries are used alongside a little chocolate sauce, the ice cream turns into something deliciously decadent. 

2 cups banana, sliced 

2 cups frozen sweet cherries 

2 tbsp plant-based milk 

¼ tsp vanilla extract 

Fresh mint sprig for garnish 

Peel and slice the banana and freeze in a freezer bag overnight. Remove from the bag and allow the banana to sit on the counter top for a few minutes before processing. Place all the ingredients into a food processor or high-speed blender. Pulse and push the fruit back down to the blade. Process until thick and creamy. Makes 4–6 servings.

Note – If using a blender, start slowly then increase the speed, using the tamper to push down the frozen fruit. You may have to add an extra few tablespoons of plant-based milk or water to the blender. Increase the speed to high, continue to use the tamper, pushing the ingredients down to the blade. Blend until you reach a thick and creamy texture. You can add other berries and frozen fruits for wonderful colour and a different taste. Serve immediately with some fresh fruit and/or with the chocolate sauce. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.
 
Quick chocolate sauce
¼ cup rice syrup
3 tbsp cocoa powder 
½ tsp vanilla extract or powder
 
In a small bowl, mix all the ingredients together. Pour into a squeezy bottle and use as a decorative treat for ice cream or other desserts. Keep refrigerated. 

Thank you for sharing and caring and for being a fellow activist who desires to see the much needed shift to a plant-based vegan diet as much as Bill and I do. 
 
In good health