I appreciate I'm putting myself in the firing line for this one... But when it comes to Vegan protests, are we really doing ourselves any favours?

We always seem to be cropping up on peoples Facebook timelines. You can bet that if it isn't a vegan persons timeline that we're in, we're being portrayed negatively. There was one protest in particular that sticks in my mind. That's the protest outside of the Antler Restaurant.

Beetroot and Sweet Potato Cakes

I was out at a restaurant once, and I had a dish similar to this as a starter. The beetroot cakes were delicious, although I think theirs were made with regular potato. I really wanted to have a go at making my own Sweet Potato Savoury Cakes!

I decided to make them using sweet potato instead of regular potato in the hope to make them a little healthier, given that I was already going to be deep frying them. If you haven’t got a deep fryer, I recommend getting one, it opens a whole load of doors when it comes to making tasty treats! (Like doughnuts, and chips, and these... obviously).

Recipe

Servings: 10

Total Time: 50M

Ingredients:

• 4 Large sweet potatoes
• 200g Cooked beetroots
• 1 Sprig fresh coriander
• 1 Large red onion
• Plain flour
• Almond milk
• Breadcrumbs
• 1 Tablespoon vegan margerine

Method:

• STEP 1: Peel your sweet potatoes and chop into chunky pieces and place in a pan of water and bring to the boil. Boil until nice and soft.
  
  
• STEP 2: In the meantime, dice your beetroot into small pieces (about 1x1cm) along with your onion and coriander.
  
  
• STEP 3: Once your sweet potato is nice and soft, drain in a colander and then place in a bowl with your beetroot, onion, coriander and your vegan margarine and mash together using a masher.
  
  
• STEP 4: Once your mix is cool enough to handle, you want to split it into 10 equal balls, and then shape them with your hands to form cakes.
  
  
• STEP 5: In three separate containers, you want plain flour, almond milk and breadcrumbs. I haven’t included amounts, because that all depends on the containers you use, but you want about 3cm of depth.
  
  
• STEP 6: To breadcrumb your cakes, you want to first place one into the flour, and evenly coat it, then place it into the almond milk, and evenly coat it. Finally, move it into the breadcrumbs and (you guessed it) evenly coat it! Then place onto a papered baking tray. Repeat this for all of the cakes.
  
  
• STEP 7: Place in the freezer for 1 hour, or simply store in the freezer until ready to use and cook from frozen.
  
  
• STEP 8: When you’re ready to cook, heat up some oil in your fryer. To test if your oil is hot enough yet, drop a small piece of bread in and see if it bubbles.
  
  
• STEP 9: Cook your beetroot and sweet potato cakes two at a time until they are golden brown. If you’re cooking from fully frozen, you’ll then want to place in the oven on 150c for a few minutes just to make sure they’re piping hot in the middle.

How did you get on?

We had good intentions of this being a relatively healthy dinner. In the end, we had it with chips, salad and red onion chutney and it was worth every mouthful.

The big question though, is it better as sweet potato or just plain potato? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Written by Jack Ricketts
-Him-Bivore
Marketing has always been my career focus. I am striving to promote a plant-based lifestyle to the masses through positive campaigns and sharing the benefits of veganism. The animals, and the planet, need us more than ever to make a change. 
You can find me on Instagram

Sun Dried Tomato and Thyme Share Bread

This share bread is something special. As soon as I took it out of the oven, I knew I had to do the recipe for it. The smell was just overwhelmingly delicious. We all know how perfect baking your own bread is for really making a house smell like a home, but the addition of the sun dried tomatoes and the thyme really blew me away.

Even as I’m sat writing this, I have a piece of it to the side of me to nibble on!

Bread is a great staple food and has been since it was first created in Egypt in 300 BC, and It’s believed that bread was first created as the result of some floating yeast landing in a bowl of thick gruel.

Luckily for my recipe, you don’t need any thick gruel. Instead, this flavoursome share bread is soft, light and delicious.

The flavours are completely interchangeable, I opted for the fairly simple flavour choice of sun-dried tomato and thyme, but you could easily adapt this recipe for a walnut or a garlic bread by simply adding those to the mix that you spread over before you roll the dough.

I used a fancy ‘tear and share’ bread baking dish, but you don’t need it to do this recipe. Simply lay your bread out on a papered baking tray positioned close together and you’ll get a similar result.

Let me know how you got on in the comments below, and as always make sure you tag us in all your foodie makes on instagram and follow us on Facebook to keep up to date with the latest recipes and news!

Recipe

Yield: 1 large share bread (feeds 4-6)

Total Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups / 250g Plain Flour (+ extra)

• 1/4 cup / 60ml Olive Oil

• 1/2 cup / 30g Sun Dried Tomatoes

• 1/2 tsp Salt and Pepper

• 4 tsp Fresh Thyme

• 1 tsp Sugar

• 2 & 1/2 tsp Instant Dry Yeast

• 1 tsp Salt

• 1 ¼ / 300ml cups Lukewarm Water

Method:

1. Place your water in a bowl, and sprinkle your yeast and 1/2 teaspoon salt on top. Leave for five minutes, then stir and leave for a further five minutes.
   
   

2. In a mixing bowl, with your dough hook attachment, combine your yeast mix, sugar, 2 tsp of chopped thyme and 2 cups of your plain flour. This mix will be very sticky and loose, don’t worry!
   
   

3. On a large, clean surface, sprinkle a good amount of flour, and then tip your dough mix on top, and begin to work the extra flour in. You’ll need to keep adding more flour to stop it sticking to the work surface. You want to keep doing this until it forms a ball of dough, that is slightly sticky. Then knead for another 3-4 minutes. Place your dough into an oiled bowl, and then turn over, so the whole dough is coated with oil. Cling film and leave your dough in a warm place for 20 minutes.
   
   

4. While you’re waiting for your dough, chop your sun-dried tomatoes and remaining thyme. Then add to 1 tbsp of oil and season with salt and pepper. (If you’re using different ingredients, just use the same method with them).
   
   

5. On a large baking tray, add a tbsp of oil and spread it on the tray to form a thin layer. Add your dough (after the 20 minutes) and using oiled fingers, push the dough until it forms a large square.
   
   

6. Spread your filling mix on top evenly (this is what you just chopped up). Then starting from the longer side, roll your dough up to form a big long roll!
   
   

7. Cut your dough into 7 evenly sized pieces, and either place them into your ‘tear and share’ baking dish or place them on a papered baking tray in a pattern of one in the centre and the remaining 6 positioned around, just touching, like a flower.. Cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise for about 45 minutes in a warm room until they’ve doubled in size. At this point, preheat your oven to 200c.
   
   

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and crisp to the touch. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, then remove from the dish and enjoy warm.

What did you think of this recipe? Did you do anything differently? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Don’t forget that you can share all your foodie makes with us using the hashtag #HBivore.

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Written by Amy Northwood
Her-Bivore
My passion for food and conservation has led me to where I am now! My aim is to show people that veganism can be diverse, tasty and adapted to fit every lifestyle and budget!
You can find me on Instagram

Global Warming - Can We / Should We Fix it with Science?

For such a widespread topic of panic (except in America where over a half of the population seems to think it isn't happening) it's amazing how so many experts in the field are either trying to avoid addressing the primary cause or are simply trying to put a lid on the problem as opposed to fixing it.

Top 10 Health Benefits of Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are tiny black seeds which are sourced from the plant Salvia Hispanica. Chia seeds were widely used by the Mayans (the word ‘chia’ actually means ‘Strength’ in ancient Mayan), so it’s no wonder they’ve got so many health benefits. I’ve compiled a list of the top 10 health benefits of chia seeds, so you can see exactly why they are such a fabulous superfood, so sprinkle them on your smoothie bowls and bake them into your muffins!