WARM QUINOA SALAD BOWL

I'm not sure why I call this a salad - it's warm and doesn't have any salad in it! I think maybe it's due the mixture of different elements, along with the french dressing and the fact that you can eat it cold too.

I'm a big fan of year-round versatile meals (see my lasagne) and this one fits that bill perfectly. The flavours are light and Spring-like while the quinoa makes it's substantial enough to see you through cold Winter nights too. I personally love making huge batches of this so I can eat it with various meals throughout the week. As you can eat it cold, it's also a great one to pack up for work or a picnic down by the river.

Ingredients (Serves 4-6):

- 1 small cup quinoa for each person
- 2 blocks of firm tofu (I use Dragonfly)
- 1 can chickpeas
- 3 small apples
- 1 head of broccoli
- 1 tbsp agave syrup

Try to use all organic ingredients wherever possible.

To serve:

- I used the vegan friendly lemon and mustard seed dressing by Righteous. Alternatively any kind of french dressing would work or try tamari soy sauce for a different take on the dish.

Instructions:

1.) Wash and drain the quinoa then cook in an extra large pan, following the 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water rule.

2.) While the quinoa cooks, chop up the tofu into chunks. Fry the tofu for about 6 mins till golden brown.

3.) Slice the apples and fry with some oil in a separate pan. Add the agave syrup to create a light caramelisation.

4.) Chop the broccoli into small florets and boil in a separate pan.

6.) Once everything is done, drain the brocolli and stir all the ingredients together in the quinoa pan.

7.) Drain the can of chickpeas then add in with the rest of the ingredients.

8.) Warm everything through and serve once the chickpeas are soft.

PAI SKINCARE REVIEW

My skin is notoriously dry and sensitive, especially in the cold weather. Even so, tired from work I would guiltily swipe a face wipe over my face before bed and only cleanse when I had extra time on my days off. This month after learning that toxins are absorbed through our skin and then go directly into our bloodstream, I decided to extend my clean living diet to my skincare regime too. 

Organic skincare brand Pai was recommended to me by a friend and it's exactly what I had been looking for. All their products contain naturally derived ingredients and are specifically formulated for sensitive, allergy prone skin. Their ingredients list is clean with no nasty hidden chemicals, while the packaging is modern, luxurious and fresh. The fact that these products are so luxurious to use - from the heavenly smell to the thick creamy formula - means I now enjoy taking a bit of extra time out of my day to look after my skin. 

Camellia and Rose Cleanser:

I've never used a 'wet' cleanser before and always thought they would be a hassle but the Pai Camellia and Rose cleanser is a dual acting product. As well as being a facial cleanser, it can also be used as an eye makeup remover, making it quick and easy to remove all of your makeup at once. It even comes with a little organic exfoliating muslin cloth to wash it off with - 3 products in 1! My face feels so fresh and soft after cleansing this way and I don't think I could ever go back!

Fragonia and Sea Buckthorn Instant Hand Therapy Cream:

It's almost like you can feel the moisture being sucked into your skin the instant you put this on your hands (hence the name!). I love that this formula is non-greasy as that's the main reason I usually try to avoid hand cream. I also really admire that Pai uses intelligent ingredients in their products, for example - 'Fragonia, has anti-inflammatory properties, while Sea Buckthorn, Rosehip and Grape Seed extracts promote cell regeneration and skin restructure' - perfect for mature or dry hands like mine. 

Avocado and Jojoba Hydrating Day Cream:

I feel positively glowing after using this moisturiser. I like that it dries quickly and is light enough to use under my makeup. It makes my face feel baby soft but doesn't add the greasiness I've experienced with moisturisers in the past. 

While these products are a bit on the pricey side (definitely more than my £3 face wipes) you gain so much from them. I believe this is a luxury to invest in, they really are a treat to use and have improved my skins radiance and softness. I also found I only needed to pump a small amount of product, meaning they should last a long time. They're also definitely more environmentally friendly than throwing away a face wipe each day. 

SKINCARE: BOOTS BOTANICS

With the air getting colder and my skin becoming increasingly dryer, I've been on the lookout for some natural, or as close to natural skincare products as I can get. Online is probably your best bet when trying to scour something truly pure and vegan, alas I was down to my last make-up wipe and needed a replacement quick so I headed down to my local Boots.

Doubtful I would find anything I was happy with on the high street I had a look anyway and was pleasantly surprised to see the Boots Botanics range has had a makeover and offering skincare that's between 80 and 100% organic.

Hand Cream // Cleanser // Day Cream

The products were all great to use, I put them on before I went to bed last night. The initial application of the moisturiser made my skin feel slightly tightened but I awoke to find my skin soft and clear this morning. I believe they must have changed the formula, that or the organic one is the only one that agrees with my skin, as I tried the normal botanics moisturiser last year and broke out in a nasty rash! 

The cleanser removed my makeup really well, quickly and easily - which is exactly what I was looking for, being a self confessed lazy makeup wipe abuser. I'm glad I made the change to cleanser as my current brand of make up wipes were actually beginning to sting my eyes. I won't name names but they're a VERY well known brand that claims to be natural (in a round about way) with 'no chemicals, no alcohol, perfume or colour', so I was surprised to find the ingredients listed as Methyparaban and Propylparaben, you can read more about these controversial ingredients here. 

As I was weighing up which products to get in the store (I frequently spend hours in stores doing this!) I googled Boots products and their statement to someone who enquired was:

"Thanks for your enquiry regarding our Botanics range.

I am pleased to confirm that all of this range will be suitable for vegetarians, as it does not contain any animal ingredients.

None of the Boots branded products are tested on animals."

Which led me to believe they were ok for vegans too, however I did notice when I got home that the Botanics day moisturiser does contain beeswax which is considered by some to not be a vegan ingredient. Being a transitioning vegetarian, I am still on the fence about this one, I definately don't eat honey anymore as I'm aware of the damage this causes to the bees (read: here) however the beeswax extraction seems like a non-harmful process. While it is still an animal by-product, the bees don't need the wax and the collection of it doesn't harm them in the process (that I'm aware of). Please correct me if I'm wrong as I am still forming opinions about this...

What natural skincare products do you use?

TERRIFIC TURMERIC TOFU

I have been adding turmeric to my favourite tofu scramble for a while now, mainly as it gives it that yellow 'egg' look and also because I love the warm taste and fragrance it gives to an otherwise (let's face it) pretty bland dish, but it wasn't until this week that I discovered the long list of fantastic health benefits it has too, such as:

1.) Combating depression

2.) Anti-inflammatory properties

3.) Preventative cancer blocking

4.) Radiation reduction (from daily usage of mobile/cell/cordless phones etc.)

5.) Boots the immune system 

And too many more to mention here! You can read more about the fantastic benefits of turmeric here.

Above: Linda McCartney vegetarian sausages (vegan friendly), tofu, spinach, onions and tomatoes.

I love this dish as you can eat it for breakfast, lunch or dinner! It's so easy to make and you can get lots of veggies in one go if you chuck 'em all in to the mix. Be sure to use organic tofu though as 89 percent of soy beans grown are genetically modified. 

Here's how I make my scramble:

1.) Take a block of tofu and drain any liquid, if you prefer the scramble to be dry then pat with a kitchen towel. (It doesn't have to be firmed first as your going to scramble it). 

2.) Heat some oil in a frying pan then add the tofu and begin to break it up in the pan.

2.) Fry the onions separately till lightly brown, then add the tomatoes and fry for a couple of minutes.

3.) Boil some spinach, do this towards the end as this only takes around 4 mins.

4.) When the tofu is cooked after around 6-8 mins, add the fried onions and tomatoes. Stir in (approximately) a teaspoon of turmeric then add some salt and black pepper.

5.) Serve with veggie sausages or vegan 'meat' substitute. Also equally nice on toast or a bagel. 

I also recommend adding generous amounts of turmeric to rice and curry dishes. Another easy way to make sure you get a large dose of turmeric into your daily diet is by taking capsules. I have been taking Viridian capsules as in my opinion these are the best brand (and vegan too), you can get them from Revital stores or online here.

Do you have any great turmeric recipes to share?

(TRULY) NATURAL BEAUTY

My first post is about a topic close to my heart and the main reason I wanted to start a blog in the first place. As a vegan I've always been interested in only putting products into and onto my body that are of the purest variety. Now I want to help anyone who is transitioning to a natural lifestyle so they don't have to sift through the overwhelming sea of products like I did! Beauty products are the biggest minefield when trying to find one that is truly natural, this is because at first glance there seems to be a lot of products out there all claiming to be natural but upon closer inspection and after giving it some thorough research I've found that not all of these claims are what they seem. Despite the clever marketing the products themselves can still have a few nasty ingredients in them such as unsafe chemicals, metals and parabens, which I wouldn't want to put anywhere near my skin let alone on my face.

My quest to find natural make up began when I switched to using flouride-free toothpaste, mouthwash and most recently aluminium-free deodorant. They are a little more expensive than normal but I'd rather pay a bit more for something that's deemed safe. After that I began to wonder what else am I using on a daily basis with no regards to it's contents.

Mouthwash // Toothpaste // Crystal Deo // Bionsen Deo

I began to think about products I use on a daily basis and have the most exposure to. Then it hit me as I drank water from my bottle leaving copious amounts of red lipstick around the rim... lipstick! A product I apply and re-apply every day. I set about my research and found that most of the lipsticks from brands we all know and love actually contain Aluminium and Lead (see FDA cosmetics study here: fda.gov). I was shocked, this is a product I am bound to ingest several times a day when eating and drinking, how could these ingredients be allowed? This was not going to be an easy task with brands like Burt's Bees on the list. I'm also addicted to the high pigmentation in lipsticks from well known brands such as YSL and MAC, what could possibly be good enough to replace these?

I rushed into the body shop in a blind panic wanting to replace my current lippys with an easy to wear hue, without having to worry about the ingredients, after all cruelty-free equals natural as well right? How so very wrong! More fool me for rushing in without thought to buy their coveted lip and cheek stain. Upon unravelling my new purchase, I noticed the ingredients were cleverly contained in the part of the wrapper you throw away, closer inspection revealed the stain actually contained Methylparaben (from the paraben family, more information here). 

Thankfully after that disappointment Makeupalley.com has been a god send for me while trying to find truly natural make-up brands as it has a lot of alternative, under the radar brands listed. It's really helpful as most of the brands I liked the look of can only be purchased online, this isn't ideal with make-up as you can't return it once opened. Based on the Makeupalley reviews I've decided to order some products from Lily Lolo an online natural mineral make-up company based in the UK. The site was easy to shop as you can buy a mineral starter kit according to your skin tone using the shade guide. As you can see the packaging is modern, pretty and the kit is reasonably priced too (compared to some of the well known mineral brands). The fact that it lists whether each product is vegan or not is a real selling point for me too as it takes away the hassle of having to find out. 

As for the lipstick I haven't yet found my perfect shade as all the mineral ones seem to be quite pale and the colours I did like were made with Carmine (crushed beetles, yeeuck!). So for now I've plumped for a lip gloss in Damson Dusk which I'm hoping will do the trick for now. I'm really excited to receive them and will post a review of the products once I have them later this week, so stay tuned!

Ta ta for now!