LET'S MAKE THE STEW!

So, as passionate as I may be in my own kitchen, I have to confess that I don't actively follow too many food bloggers, not to talk about food trends. In general, I don't usually follow trends too much, so when ever something happens to cross my path randomly (even if it was a super old trend already and I'm barely finding out about it) I take it as a sign from the universe.

"Niina, check this out." (That is the voice of the universe)

So the other day I was searching something compeltely different in the wonderful world of internet, when I stumbled upon this recipe of The Stew. Apparently it is a recipe that became huge last year, originally by New York Times chef Alison Roman.

Then what is The Stew and why is it so special? I saw some pictures in Instagram with the tag #thestew and I don't know, just felt like I really need to try it out. Also a quick check in the ingredients list made me pretty convinced it would be a dish I could only love: garlic, ginger, turmeric, coconut milk... Say no more!

The main ingredient of The Stew is chickpea. The flavor base is made with onion, garlic and ginger, and of course, plenty of olive oil. Spices are pretty simple: salt, pepper, turmeric and chili. The "secret" of the stew is that it combines the crispy (or more like crunchy) chickpeas with the soft and mushy ones, so you get kinda two in one with this dish. The stew needs to be cooked slowly, until the chickpeas are starting to break and this way give more structure and flavor to the stew.

I kinda love the idea of this dish, because I think it's one of those dishes that are "accidentally vegan." So basically someone came up with a recipe, delicious and complete, without realizing that it actually doesn't need any animal products at all! (I like the idea of plant-based food being called just food, and not always vegan food.)

Today I made this dish the first time ever, and yes, fell desperately in love right away. Definitely gonna keep on making it in the future. The only difference I made from the original recipe is that I didn't have "the green part" that is supposed to be added in the end, so I added some basil instead, just a bit on top. And it actually worked pretty nicely! Since "the green" was missing, I cooked some rice and ate the stew with the rice, which I can also recommend, even if you added all the green parts.

Anyway, I hope you are ready. Here comes the recipe!

THE STEW by Alison Roman (4-5 servings)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ginger, chopped
salt
black pepper
1,5 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp dried chili flakes
2 cans chickpeas
2 cans full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch Swiss chard/spinach/kale
1 cup mint leaves (or basil leaves)

for serving: yogurt and toasted pita bread (optional)

1. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Heat the olive oil in a pan or large pot and add the chopped ingredients into the pan.
2. Add salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
3. Add turmeric, chili flakes and the chickpeas. Add some salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chickpeas start getting crispy. Take about one cup of chickpeas aside for garnish.
4. With a wooden spoon, crush some of the chickpeas a little more and then add the coconut milk and the vegetable stock. Cook for 30-35 minutes, until the stew starts to thicken.
5. Finally add the greens into the stew, and depending on what you're using, cook for 3-7 minutes more (spinach and Swiss chard cook fast, kale a little slower)
6. Divide the stew into bowls, and top with the reserved chickpeas, mint/basil leaves and vegan yogurt (or extra coconut milk). Enjoy with cooked rice or toasted pita bread.

Did you try to make The Stew? Leave a comment below :)

HOW I BECAME VEGAN

I have been wanting to write this post for a long time. At the same time, I knew it would not be an easy task, similarly as being vegan is not always easy. But it is so important to me personally, that I could not imagine any better way to spend my time than writing about this topic.

If you're reading this post, whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or meat-eater, I don't really mind. I want to point out that this is my personal story and based on my own experiences. The purpose of this text is not to judge anyone, make anyone feel more or less worthy, but simply tell my own story.

My first step towards veganism was when I was about 20 years old, more than 10 years ago already. Me and my boyfriend at the time decided to quit consuming meat, mostly because of the environmental reasons: we were aware that the meat industry was very harmful for the environment and wanted to do our part. Instead of just preaching about it, we wanted to take action.

Luckily, many of our friends were into similar beliefs and sooner or later decided to support the same lifestyle, either by becoming vegetarians or at least being veggie-friendly. (Which meant, eating vegetarian food and going to vegetarian restaurants, instead of always searching for meat options, was not a problem for them.) It was a common belief (at least in my social circles) that vegetarian diet was better for so many reasons, so even if you didn't go full vegetarian/vegan, it was a good thing to do, to support it one way or another.

"she was weirdly satisfied seeing us going back to eating meat, even if it was just that one night"

Of course, not all of it was easy. Our families were wondering why we didn't want to eat meat anymore; what was suddenly wrong with this food we had so gladly accepted for so many years of our lives? What was wrong with traditional home made food? Was this just some new trend we wanted to follow, and maybe later we would go back to "normal"? Why didn't we like meat anymore?

The problem was not liking, not at all. After one week of successfully being vegetarian, it happened that it was Saturday night and we went out to party with friends, came home at 4am, and the only option there was to eat was a pizza. Pizza with meat. And we were starving. So we ate the damn pizza, and it tasted soooo good! The only reason why we felt bad about eating it, was because my boyfriend's sister was laughing at us: she found it funny how we were so weak and could not keep up the vegetarian diet when we were drunk and starving. I had a feeling that she was weirdly satisfied seeing us going back to eating meat, even if it was just that one night, that one pizza.

Next week we continued the vegetarian diet normally.

Ever since becoming vegetarian I started to notice that the challenge was not only changing my diet and lifestyle, but the real challenge seemed to be something completely unexpected and surprising: dealing with other people. I was surprised to notice how something that I deeply believed to be a better way to live, seemed to be such a big issue for so many people around me: I had to explain my choices over and over again, I had to justify my lifestyle to people who I barely knew, and many times, I was made to feel guilty about it.

All of it always felt really contradictory to me. (A decade later, it still does.)

As much as there was resistance, there were also many things that made it all easier. In Finland at the time, there were already many people who had decided to follow similar lifestyle: mostly people who I already admired; hippies, punkers, alternative people and misfits of the society - the kind of people I had always felt more related to. It was not something completely weird to become vegetarian, it was an option that was partially supported by school cafeterias and several restaurants, which obviously made it so much easier.

"that's when my mom started to always have vegetarian meatballs in her freezer for our visits"

With time, also my family started to realize this was not just about a trend that would pass. This was something much more, something that I believed in. Also my brother had turned vegetarian, and that's when my mom started to always have vegetarian meatballs in her freezer for our visits. (Thanks mom!)

My next big step, a step deeper towards the vegan lifestyle, started to happen around 2016, when I had decided to go to India to study yoga. I had been into yoga for some years and decided I wanted to become a teacher myself. In this period of my life, I became much more spiritual, meaning that I started to see many things in life with different eyes. One of these things was our relationship with nature and animals. Without going too deep into the topic right now, I started to respect all the creations of the nature with similar love as I used to have only for my own species, and it became more and more important to me that every living being should be treated equally.

I understood that not everybody has to be "animal lover" in the meaning that I was used to hear it: mostly from people with pets and caring for domestic animals. It was not about loving animals, it was about respect.

It was only a matter of time when I would re-consider my own dietal choices: Was vegetarianism enough? I was still eating eggs and dairy and sometimes I would even eat fish. I was still participating in the type of cruelty that I didn't want to support, which basically forced me to face the fact that the only diet that was in line with my personal beliefs was veganism. It was the only way I could truly live the way I believed to be right.

So I became vegan in the spring of 2018.

"Veganism seemed to be about so much more than what I decided to choose on my plate"

Becoming vegan for me meant that I would have to stop consuming eggs, milk products and also pay attention to other areas of my consuming habits that I had not really considered too much before. I had not thought about leather in my shoes and jackets, the animal testing in my makeup products or about the ethics of going to zoo, as innocent as it had always sounded like before. Veganism seemed to be about so much more than what I decided to choose on my plate.

Until that moment, I had always thought that I can give up meat, but I could never stop consuming dairy. I loved cheese way too much! But there was also a moment when I realized this was all so much bigger than my love for cheese. This was about saving innocent lives, including my own. (More and more research has shown that dairy is actually unhealthy for grown-up humans and has been scientifically connected with breast cancer and other health issues.) I noticed how it became so much easier to imagine my life without cheese (and other dairy products) just by thinking that I was doing something much bigger, something so much more important.

In the process of becoming full vegan (I decided to do it little by little, instead of cutting everything in one night), one really important factor for me was finding motivation by becoming aware of all the reasons I was doing it. I had never been too much of the person who watches all the videos and documentaries of animal cruelty, I didn't want to see them, I was saving myself from suffering. Later on, I understood it was a ridiculous thought: What was my suffering compared to that of those animals? My personal crisis for having to give up cheese had never sounded so ridiculous in my head, and I was wishing I had known everything I now knew since long time ago.

Now, in 2020 I have lived in Mexico for 3 years. When it comes to veganism, Mexico in 2020 is a completely different story than Europe in 2020. Sadly, based on my experience, I can say that the awareness here in Mexico is not even the same as it was in Finland ten years ago when I first became vegetarian. This is why my personal journey as vegan has been definitely very different than it would probably have been, had I become vegan in Finland, for example.

But I believe everything happens for a reason and everything has a purpose. This too, must be for something. So the moment that I started to experiment more with vegan food and also share my cooking in my social media channels, I realized that no matter how unaware people might have been, many people were also showing big interest towards my diet and my cooking. I was glad to notice that a picture of my vegetable soup would get more and more people ask me recipes, and also with time, people became more and more interested about veganism in general.

Last year I decided that I want to start writing my own vegan blog. I wanted to share all my recipes with people who had been interested about them, and I wanted to make it easier for people to approach the plant-based life. After all, I had noticed it myself how, especially here in Mexico, it was still very hard, for so many reasons.

It took some time for me to figure out how to best build my blog and how I wanted it to be. At the same time, I was in the middle of a storm in my personal life and tried my best to keep the focus in what mattered most. Luckily, I had many people around me that made it possible, close friends and family, but also people that I barely knew, which warmed my heart more than you can think of. I felt that the whole universe was supporting me, and I knew it, it was up to me if I wanted to make this dream come true.

 "the whole universe was supporting me"

I'm proud and glad to say I have made this blog to become part of my life now, a bigger and more important part than it might seem in the first glance. It combines my passion for vegan lifestyle, cooking, writing and photography, and I could not be happier to see how people have been receiving it. The dream is barely starting, but it is starting strong.

Right now I am in a new stage of my life. At this stage, I find myself barely getting my personal, professional and social life becoming in balance, I am starting to find my place and purpose in this world and in this life. I'm curious to see what the future will bring, but at the moment I am happy to be doing something that I truly believe in. I am happy and I am grateful.


-Niina

As usually, questions and comments are welcome. :)

QUICK AND EASY CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP

Because of its orange colour, I used to call this soup autumn soup. But since we are still quite far from that season, for now, let's call it simply creamy vegetable soup.

The soup can be served as a starter dish, or as a light main course. The best creaminess can be reached with full fat coconut milk (usually sold in a can), but if you don't happen to have coconut milk, the soup works also without it. In this case, you can add a little bit of coconut oil and almond milk instead.

Here comes the recipe.

CREAMY VEGETABLE SOUP (2-3 servings)

3-4 medium sized potatoes
3 carrots
2 tomatoes
1/2 onion
1 red bell pepper
3-4 cloves garlic
4-5cm piece ginger
1 tbsp vegetable broth
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup full fat coconut milk

1. Chop all the vegetables into 3-4cm sized cubes. (Ginger into small slices and garlic cloves whole)
2. Boil water in a soup pot (about 1,5 litres) add the vegetable broth and potatoes, carrot, onion, garlic and ginger. Let boil under lid for 10 minutes.
3. Add the rest of the vegetables. Let boil under lid for 10-15 mins more.
4. Turn off the heat and let cool for a moment. Put the vegetables and the boiling water into a blender and blend until smooth. (Be careful if the vegetables are still hot!)
5. Pour the blend back into the soup pot through sifter, making sure the soup is all smooth and silky.
6. Add the spices and the coconut milk and keep cooking the soup in medium heat for some 10 minutes.
7. Top with self made bread croutons or pumpkin seeds and a hint of olive oil.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE FROM AVOCADO

You heard it. This chocolate mousse is dairy free, gluten free, fat free and sugar free*. And the best part? Delicious AF.

Too good to be true? That's at least what I thought, before I tried it out. My big surprise was that it is actually super delicious, once you get all the flavours into a sweet balance. It is definitely a healthier option for a regular chocolate mousse, but does not taste "healthy". God bless avocado!

Here comes the recipe.

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE (2-3 servings)

2 avocados
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
50g dark chocolate
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp sea salt
2-3 tbsp agave syrup

1. Melt the chocolate in a microwave oven, giving is short rounds of 15 seconds and stirring it between each round, until it's completely melted. Let cool before using.
2. Measure all the other ingredients in a blender or a food processor. Add the chocolate and blend until smooth. With a spoon, make sure all the ingrediets are completely mixed before serving into bowls/glasses.
3. Enjoy right away (for more pudding-like consistency) or refridgerate 1-2 hours for a thicker result. Decorate with chocolate flakes, berries, or vegan whipped cream.

Did you try out this recipe? Leave a comment below or post picture in your social media and tag us #RebelFoodClub & #VeganIsNotDead! :)

*depending on the chocolate you use, may contain a little bit of sugar

HOW TO MAKE SEITAN - STEP BY STEP

Seitan! If seitan is a new thing for you, I'm going to give you 5 seconds to laugh about the fact that it sounds like the name of the devil, when you say it out loud. 5...4...3... (that's it, let it out) 2...1. Aaand we're done.

So, what exactly is seitan? It is a meat substitute made out of wheat gluten (gluten de trigo), the main protein of wheat. Seitan is completely vegan, but obviously not gluten free, since, it is pretty much made of it. (So in case you have the gluten intolerance, I would advice not to become too friendly with seitan.)

But in case you tolerate gluten just well, which is the case with most people (despite the growing popularity of gluten free diets) seitan can be a great option to replace meat for you.

What makes seitan a really good meat substitute, is that it tastes quite neutral and its texture and consistency is quite similar as meat's. Also, you can make seitan in various different shapes, and also flavours, depending on how you prepare it. Only the sky is limit with different variations.

But for now, first things first. How to prepare seitan in your home kitchen? There is this sort of myth living around seitan claiming that it is hard to make. Which, I think, is completely not true. There are several phases in making seitan and yes, it takes some time and effrot, but it is definitely not hard nor complicated.

By following the simple instructions carefully, I would say anybody can make it. This is why I have tried to make these instructions as clear as possible, and with pictures of every step. I hope you will find it useful!

Here comes the recipe.

SEITAN (3-4 servings)

1 cup wheat gluten
1/2 cup gram flour (harina de garbanzo)
1 tsp smoked paprika powder
3/4 cup water
2 tsp soy sauce

1,5l water
1 tbsp vegetable broth
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce

1. Mix the wheat gluten, gram flour and paprika powder in a bowl.
2. In another bowl, mix water and soy sauce.
3. Add the water-soy sauce-mix into the flour mix and stir with a fork.

4. When all the ingredients are mixed, take the dough out from the bowl on a baking table.
5. Using your hands, knead the dough until it starts creating elastic texture (some 2-4 mins should be enough)
6. Make an oblong shape of the dough (see the picture) and using a sharp knife, cut the dough into1-1,5cm pieces. You can now shape the pieces a little bit more if you want to make them flatter or bigger. Keep in mind that the pieces will get swollen in the boiling water. (Important: Keep the pieces separately on your chopping board, or they will get stuck to each other!)

7. Heat the boiling water and add the rest of the ingredients into the pot.
8. Place the seitan dough pieces into the boiling water one by one, and cook under lid for some 30 mins.
9. Pour out the boling water. Now your seitan is ready to be marinated and cooked.

When your seitan is ready, you can prepare the marinade you want to use, for example this smoky seitan marinade. If you want to make steaks of your seitan, you can leave them as they are, or if you want to use them in a stew or make fajitas or tacos, you can slice them into fine 1cm pieces and then use the marinade.

Marinate your seitan at least a couple of hours, if possible, leave it marinating overnight in the fridge. The longer you leave the seitan in the marinade, the better the flavour will be!

To cook the seitan, you can heat oil in a pan and add some onion slices, and then the seitan with all the marinade. If you want to make steaks, you can also try to cook your seitan in a grill. (Try to surprise your meat-eater friends in the next carne asada and see if they can spot the difference! ;D)

One highly recommended seitan recipe you can find here: Seitan fajitas & guacamole.


If you try out this seitan recipe, please let me know how it turned out for you! And if you have any further questions, please ask them in the comment section below.

CHERRY TOMATO PASTA SAUCE

So after making the fajitas the other day for dinner, I was left with some extra cherry tomatoes. And since I had not made any pasta for a while, today we had this cherry tomato pasta sauce for lunch. Approved!

The secret of this quite simple pasta sauce is not only the cherry tomatoes (that, yes, make the difference), but also the sun dried tomatoes, that give plenty of extra flavour. I also happened to have some red onion in the fridge, so instead of normal white onion, I used the red one.

All the other ingredients I had already as well. (Vegan chorizo in the freezer) The good part about this kind of food is that sometimes you might have all the ingredients already in your kitchen without really planning it. And that is why this pasta sauce makes it an excellent quarantine food too!

I used canned mushrooms just this once, that I also happened to have lying around, but if I could choose, I would advice to use the fresh mushrooms. In an emergency situation, canned mushrooms work just fine.

Here comes the recipe!

CHERRY TOMATO PASTA SAUCE (3-4 servings)

2 cups cherry tomatoes
1/2-1 red onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 cup sun dried tomatoes
8-10 fresh mushrooms
150g vegan chorizo
350g tomato sauce
olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 tsp fine herbs
1 tsp salt

+spaghetti (or other type of pasta)


1. Slice 1 cup of the cherry tomatoes in half with a knife (leave the other half for later). Chop the red onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes and mushrooms into small cubes.
2. Heat oil in a pan and add all the chopped ingredients. Add the balsamic vinegar. Cook with medium heat for some 10-15 minutes under lid.
3. Add the vegan chorizo, all the spices and the tomato sauce. Cook for 10-15 minutes more in medium heat under lid.
4. Prepare the pasta with salt water, and once it's ready, pour out the water and add some olive oil.
5. Serve the pasta on plates, add the sauce and some fresh cherry tomatoes on top.

Did you try this recipe? Leave a comment and tell me how it turned out for you :)

SEITAN FAJITAS & GUACAMOLE

It is time for a new recipe. Rebel Food Club proudly presents: seitan fajitas and guacamole!

Seitan what? I guess seitan might be a new thing for many people, so I decided to make another post completely dedicated to seitan later this week. For now, let it be mentioned that seitan is a meat substitute made from wheat gluten, and is not actually too hard to make by yourself. (Recipe coming soon!)

Another option is to buy seitan ready made. In Mexico, you can find ready made seitan in vegan stores and some well-equipped grocery stores, such as City Market, but according to my experience, seitan is still relatively unknown here in Mexico. (Also, it tends to be many times more expensive ready made, so making it yourself is usually worth it.)

Then why use seitan instead of other options, like soy? Seitan is very unique meat substitute that, because of its consistency and neutral flavor, can come very close to meat. In fact, if this dish was offered to 10 people, who didn't know what it was, probably 8 or 9 of them would actually think it's meat.

I have included a special marinade in this post, that can be used to marinate any meat substitute (tofu, mushrooms, soy) for a meatier flavor. So, in case you want to try these fajitas out and don't have any seitan available, you can use some of these other options with the smoky marinade.

Here's what you need.

SMOKY SEITAN MARINADE (for 400g of self made seitan)

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup tomato paste

1 tbsp liquid smoke

1 tbsp paprika powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 tbsp agave syrup

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl.

2. Stir with a spoon until smooth.
3. Mix the marinade into sliced seitan and refridgerate for couple of hours, or for the best result, overnight.

SEITAN FAJITAS (3-4 servings)

400g seitan (see the recipe)

3 bell peppers (red, yellow and green)

1 onion

150g cherry tomatoes

wheat tortillas

self made guacamole (recipe below)

olive oil

1. Chop the onions and the bell peppers into fine, 5-6cm slices.

2. Heat oil in a pan and add the onions. Cook 2 minutes in medium heat.

3. Add marinated seitan into the pan and cook 5-10 minutes in high heat.

4. Finally add the chopped bell peppers and cook some 2-4 minutes more.
5. Turn off the heat and add the cherry tomatoes.

GUACAMOLE

3-4 avocados

2 tomatoes

1/2 red onion

1/2-1 chile serrano

1/2 cup fresh coriander

4-5 limes

1 tsp salt

1/4 black pepper

1/2 garlic powder

1. Mash together the avocados, lime juice and salt.

2. Chop the onion, chile, coriander and tomatoes and add them into the mix.

3. Stir in the black pepper and garlic powder. Refridgerate 1 hour before serving.

When all of your ingredients are ready, heat the wheat tortillas on a pan or in a microwave oven. Wrap the tortillas in a towel to keep them warm. Serve the fajitas straight from a steamy hot pan and the guacamole from a fresh bowl. If you want, you can add some vegan sour cream or spicy salsa into your tortilla wraps.

Enjoy! :)

GOLDEN MILK TO BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM

If golden milk is still unfamiliar concept for you, now might be a perfect moment to get to know it.

This hot drink has become fairly popular among food bloggers during the past few years, but its origins are in the Indian culture, in the Ayurveda tradition. Golden milk, also known as "turmeric milk," is made with plant-based milk, turmeric, ginger and other spices.

One of the numerous health benefits of turmeric is that it boosts the immune system, but it also helps to reduce inflammation and works as an antioxidant. The main active ingredient of turmeric, curcumin, however, gets quite poorly absorbed into the bloodstream by itself. To enhance the absorption of curcumin, it helps if you add black pepper and some fat into the food (or drink) that has turmeric. This is why this golden milk recipe has tiny bit of black pepper and coconut oil in it.

Are you ready? Here comes the recipe.

GOLDEN MILK (2-3 servings)

5dl (2cups) plant-based milk (almond milk, coconut milk, oat milk or soy milk, for example)
1/2 tsp ground turmeric 
1cm piece fresh ginger 
1/2 tsp cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick)
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tbsp coconut oil
2-3 tbsp agave syrup

1. Measure all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth (if you use cinnamon stick instead of the ground cinnamon, leave it for later.)
2. Put the blend into a small pot (add the cinnamon stick now) and heat until the milk is about to start boiling. Keep whisking the mixture frequently.
3. Turn off the heat and check the flavour. Add sweetener or other spices if needed.

As for the final result, it depends a lot whether you use fresh or ground ginger, cinnamon stick or powder, the type of milk you use, the sweetener, etc. My recommendation is to always use fresh ginger. This is why I also use the blender to get more flavour of the ginger (looove ginger!). If you want, you can also make the golden milk without blending it, simply by heating all the ingredients in a pot and then sifting the milk before serving it.

In fact, if you're a golden milk first-timer, I would advice you to try out a recipe and then master it according to your own personal taste. If you're already familiar with golden milk, you can try different variations by changing the type of milk (try to blend almond milk with full fat coconut milk for the best creaminess), try different sweeteners, or try my personal tip and add a hint of cardamom into the mix!

(Also as an extra tip: if you take a picture of your golden milk, try not to splatter your milk all over the table and the chopping board, like I did in this photoshoot! :D The chopping board will be forever yellow, but well, kickass photos don't you think?!)

What is your favorite way to make golden milk? Share your tips in the comment section :)

CABBAGE STEW WITH CHORIZO

Welcome to Niina's fusion kitchen! Today's recipe is something really special. It combines very traditional Finnish ingredient, cabbage, with spicy Mexican chorizo (d'uh, obviously vegan!)

Oh, and I just made this recipe up today. And it tastes awesome!

The traditional Finnish version of this dish is called kaalimuhennos (kaali=cabbage, muhennos=stew.) This original version usually has cabbage, carrot, rice and minced meat or other type of meat. So, otherwise my version is pretty much the same, but instead of meat, I decided to use chorizo, and the result turned out to be delicious!

I cooked the stew in a frying pan with lid, but it can also be cooked in an oven, if you happen to have one (in Mexico, not too many people have ovens in their kitchens or the oven is used only for storing pans and pots! Somebody wants to explain me why?)

Anyway. Here comes the recipe.

CABBAGE STEW WITH CHORIZO (4-5 servings)

1/2 medium sized cabbage
1 onion
2-3 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp garlic powder)
4 carrots
3 dl rice
250g vegan chorizo
1 tbsp vegetable broth
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
2-3 tbsp agave syrup
2 tsp salt
olive oil

1. Heat water in a pot for the rice, add the vegetable broth and leave the rice cooking under lid in medium temperature.
2. Chop the cabbage, carrots, onion and garlic.
3. Heat olive oil in a pan and add all the vegetables. Cook under lid in medium heat for some 15 minutes, until the cabbage starts to soften. (If needed, you can add 1-2 dl of water into the pan to prevent burning vegetables)
4. Meanwhile, prepare the vegan chorizo in another frying pan with some olive oil. Add salt if needed.
5. When the rice and the chorizo are cooked, add them into the stew. Add all the spices and cook under lid for 15 minutes more.

Usually when I make this type of food, that requires a little more time and effort, I like to make a big amount and eat it the next day too, and maybe the next one. If you want to do this, you can double all the ingredients (just make sure the capacity of your pot allows it!)

If you try out this recipe, plese leave a comment below and tell me how it turned out for you! <3

3 VEGAN DOCUMENTARIES YOU CAN WATCH RIGHT NOW

First things first: What is a vegan documentary? In my own definition, vegan documentraries are the type of movies that are likely to turn people vegans (or at least to make them consider it.) Usually these movies tell about meat and dairy industry, about the food industry in general, animal rights, enviromental issues and health issues.

There are vegan documentaries as many as reasons to go vegan, but some of them I consider to be must-see. Next three movies are some of my personal favorites, that have modified my way of thinking during these years, and I can highly recommend to everyone.

All of them can be watched for free, in either Netflix or online.


1. COWSPIRACY (2014)

Cowspiracy: The sustainability secret was one of the first vegan documentaries I saw. It's typically one of the first vegan movies anybody sees, because it's quite an easy introduction to the topic, and also because it's easily available.

The movie makes one really clear and loud argument: the environment cannot be saved if we don't reduce the consumption of meat. Another central point, perhaps even more important one, is more political, and has to do with the secrecy of the effects of the livestock industry for our environment. In other words: the truth about meat industry is kept secret from the majority of people, because money rules the world.

As a personal conclusion I took from this documentary, I'd say the best thing that a single person can do for the environment, is to turn into plant-based diet. As simply as that.

Cowspiracy can be watched in Netflix. Trailer of the movie here.


2. WHAT THE HEALTH (2017)

What the health challenges our way of thinking when it comes to health and the whole food and health industry. The movie became controversial little after its appearance, since it's making strong accusations against many big corporations and brands, such as Tyson, Nestle, KFC, American Cancer Society and American Diabetes Association. 

One of the major points that this documentary makes is how the consumption of meat and dairy is (scientifically proven to be) connected to many diseases such as cancer and diabetes, but at the same time many health organizations seem to completely overlook this fact.

What the health can be watched in Netflix. Trailer of the movie here. 


3. EARTHLINGS (2005)

Earthlings is one of the oldest vegan documentaries out there. Many people had recommended this movie to me, but always with the note "it's pretty heavy, beware." After watching it, I totally understood why. The movie contains plenty of graphic material from slaughterhouses, laboratories and even zoos and circuses: the ugly truths behind the closed doors, the kind of material people don't want to see and the corporations don't want you to see.

As heavy as the movie was (after 15 minutes of watching, I kept crying throughout the whole film) I strongly recommend eveybody to watch it. In my opinion, it is both our right and obligation to know where our food comes from, how our clothes are made, and what kind of systems we are supporting without realizing.

Earthlings can be watched online. Trailer of the movie here.

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In summary, these three movies are dealing with the three major reasons there are to go vegan: environmental (Cowspiracy), health-based (What the health) and ethical reasons (Earthlings). Each of these three aspects separately are already strong enough to at least make people re-consider if the way we live, consume and deal with the world and its habitants is really the best possible way.

Ignorance is bliss, but knowledge is power.

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Have you watched any of these three documentaries? What kind of thoughts do you have? 
Write a comment below. I'd love to hear more point of views!