Re-imagining the World One Mouthful at a Time . . . . .

National Vegetarian Week 2012

23 May 2012

The classic, cheesy baked beans on a jacket spud never looses its flavour to me.

The classic, cheesy baked beans on a jacket spud never looses its flavour to me.

 

Can I have fries with that? It’s National Vegetarian Week

This week has been like Christmas for veggies! marinated tofu, mushrooms, hummus, crunchy beetroot, butternut squash, pumpkin & spinach curry? ALL sounds like yum stuff to me. Monday 21st May 2012 marked the start of National Vegetarian Week (@vegsoc), the UK’s annual awareness-raising campaign promoting inspirational vegetarian food and the benefits of a meat-free lifestyle.

According to the Vegetarian Society, the word vegetarian has nothing to do with vegetables. It apparently comes from the Latin word vegetus which means lively, fresh and vigorous. There’s a lot of stigma of vegetarian dishes being bland or boring, but I’d disagree. Vegetables are so accessible these days, great value for money and filling too! My mum is fond of growing her own vegetables and I must say she’s really proud of her gardening talents too – bless! She has fresh spring onions, beds of Chinese bak choi and kai-lan (also known as Chinese broccoli) currently growing – I’ve asked mum and the people from Allot In A Box to provide some gardening tips for me, so heads up, expect some gardening experimenting from me this summer too…can’t wait!

National Vegetarian Week is also about challenging yourself to try new things – so how about going out to find the most interesting looking vegetable at the market and try experimenting in the kitchen? – I’ll be giving it a go at the weekend and will let you know how I get on.

Enjoying a bowlful of homemade spicy butternut squash soup from Harland Cafe.

Enjoying a bowlful of homemade spicy butternut squash soup from Harland Cafe.

 

Plus, you can find out what’s happening in your local area here: www.events.nationalvegetarianweek.org – thanks @VeggieAdvisor for the link :)

Vegetarian recipes/ideas to fill a healthy appetite!
There’s plenty of colourful meat-free recipes and meal ideas found on the Great British Chefs website; and please meet The Ethical Chef (specialists in local, ethical, vegetarian and vegan cooking) who on a daily basis, I find myself on a vegetarian ride with their passionate knowledge on all things vegetarian and colourful tweetings. Here Deri Reed (aka The Ethical Chef) shows us how to make homemade hummus with a twist: Wild Garlic, Nettle and Leek Hummus – I love hummus!

Here, Sheffield’s Beanies also provides us a delicious recipe for a quick and tasty Courgette and Halloumi Salad or perhaps their Courgette Soup with Bruscetta for today’s lunch might be a more substantial alternative? Love Food Hate Waste has their Top 10 Favourite Veggie Recipes – great meal suggestions to incorporate more vegetables into today’s lunch and dinner.

There are some amazing things happening in and around Sheffield. I’m told Fusion Organic Cafe, The Wick at Both Ends with their Wick & Mix Menu and The Forum all have new meat-free additions to their food menus – “smoked halloumi salad?” sounds delicious! Plus, PJ Taste has also launched the vegetarian version of their Sheffield Egg with their fresh boxed salads.

Giraffe in Meadowhall shopping centre are offering 2-for-1 on all vegetarian main courses from 21-25 May to coincide with National Vegetarian Week and the launch of their new menu. To indulge in the green Giraffe grub print off the voucher from their website: www.giraffe.net where if you order two vegetarian mains – the least expensive dish will be free!

So there you have it, there’s so many tasty eateries and people pushing their veggie options for us to try! Give vegetarianism a go this week – tweet me and let me know what you’ve tried, the more interesting the better – I’m always looking out for meal suggestions.

For more information about National Vegetarian Week visit: www.nationalvegetarianweek.org

Happy forking! :) – Cindy/Missie Cindz

{Photos by Cindy Cheung}
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Missie Cindz

posted under: Food and Drink, Sheffield