Meatless Monday :- Bean burgers and soya cheese.

Ok..The first post for Meatless Monday (or MM!).
The following may seem complicated but is really simple, just plan ahead the first time and you'll breeze through it :)

For the bean burgers you will need...

1 can of green lentils (@400g) in water.
1 can of red kidney beans (@400g) in water.
@2 tbs of plain flour (I used Doves farm gluten free plain flour)
1 1/2 tbs vegetable stock granules (I used Marigold Swiss bullion vegan stock)
1/3rd tbs marmite or vegemite
1 small handful of oatmeal.(or add extra flour if excluding gluten from your diet)

In a large bowl, whizz all the ingredients with a handheld blender, till smooth but not runny.
With floured hands shape the mix into burgers (makes @11/12 small burgers), and place on greased baking sheet.


Leave in the fridge to shill for @ 1 hr or more.

To cook, spray with a little olive oil and cook in a moderate oven (@ 180-200 o)until crisp. Alternatively you can shallow fry for a moister burger.

Served in this recipe with a baked sweet potato and vegan cream cheese. Also goes very well in a bun with all the trimmings!

For the cream cheese you will need:-

@1 lt of PLAIN soya yogurt.

Use an old clean tea towel and peg inside a large jug. Pour the yogurt into the towel and leave to drain for a couple of hours.


After a while it should look like this.





This "cream cheese" can then be used with salt and herbs for a savory spread or dip, or sweetened with agarve nectar and vanilla essence to substitute for cream or even a cheese cake filling (veeeery nice:)

You should have enough to put half back in the fridge for another day, or to use as a topping for dessert :)

Let me know how you get on!

Moving up a gear towards the homeschool dream....

Things are moving along fast regarding our homeschool plans for Ollie!

I've been admitted into a local homeschoolers forum and have already made contact with TWO families within a 10 miles radius with at least one of their kids being the same age as Ollie! How lucky is that!!??


Well once you start looking you realise that homeschoolers are everywhere, even in little rural areas like mine, and the amount of people with pre-school kids who are considering it is also significant.

Ollie will be staying in school until the end of year 7 when he will be 12, so August 2012....really not that far away.
Already I have plans coming out of my ears!
Incorporating maths into tasks rather than running through reams of worksheets.
We will celebrate his first homeschool year by getting him to design his own garden, in it he can put whatever he wants BUT he will have to use a compass to find the ideal spot, learn to work within a budget for ordering seeds and sundries, use maths to make his fence, maybe even sell his surplus produce.

Much more fun than textbooks!

He'll also do woodwork projects, more advanced horse riding lessons, expand his love and understanding of English and its literature by being able to use audio books for some more advanced books, as well as keeping up his reading of course.
We have history all around us in the surrounding countryside, Neolithic stones, Roman battle fields.

In fact by the time homeschool rolls up I think we will have a job to not be so enthusiastic as to try and do everything at once!

Oh and heres a little humor, made me chuckle....remember, never take ANYTING too seriously ;)

Poll results (vegetarian)

I do/would do it for the animals 5 (62%)

I do/would do it for my health 5 (62%)

I do/would do it for the environment 5 (62%)

I am not veg and never will be 0 (0%)

I am not veg but try to eat veg sometimes 1 (12%)

I am not veg but want to be 0 (0%)


Results are in. Multiple answers allowed this time so a pretty across the board answer.

62% of voters said they do/would do (going veggie) for their health, the environment and the animals.

This is a pretty clear answer. Most people understand that there are many ways and reasons when it comes to choosing meat and /or dairy free, but which ever you choose the result is the same.
I maybe should have only allowed ONE answer and got a clearer picture of peoples priorities when it came to their reasons, but who am I to judge. I'm just glad you do it..or are at least thinking of it ;)

12% voted for not being veg but incorporating veggie meals into their life. This is fantastic. Just think, if every meat eating family had a meat free day once a week it would make a HUGE difference to all the right reasons.


Lloyd at 14 weeks. Had we not found and rescued her she would have been on someones plate by then.


Lloyd now at 9 months, very happy to be scratching at the daisies rather than pushing them up ;)


What do I think?

I think in this modern world there is no excuse for not at least having a meat break once in a while. I think there are so many fantastic meatless meals and snacks out there that once you try some you will eat them not only willingly but in preference to your boring meat.
You soon come to realise that most of the meat "taste" is only in the sauce/topping/accompaniment.

We went past a burger van today and my belly rumbled....was it the smell of meat?? Nope..it was the smell of fried onions ;)

Mini poll.....please answer!!!


Who is interested in some meatless recipes?? Some tried and tested family favourites to try yourself?
If you are please comment yes or no and say whether you would like a regular meat free day a week recipe posted here on the blog or maybe just once in a while.

I'm willing to help you over the hump ;)

Art for kids and the joy of conversation.

Took Ollie to Country frames gallery today.
As most of the art in their exhibition at the moment is horse based he was in his element, two of his favourite things in the world in one!

We spent a good 1/2 looking at the paintings, flicking through the folders, comparing our favourites and de-mystifying the more abstract pieces.

This trip has strengthened his resolve to be an artist, one that he has insisted on since he was 7, and one I fully support.
Me and Kim worked with horses for years and the sad fact is that as a career it goes nowhere. Even the best of the best can still only earn a little over part time shop work. I was always afraid that his love of horses would lead him down that path, but maybe because we HAVE horses and they are already a huge part of his life, he won't feel the need to choose them as a career.

Art has so many more paths to follow.
At the moment he wants to be and artist and art teacher like his teacher Marion Wills, who's work he admired today.
But there are also career paths in advertising, technical design, architecture, the list is endless.

Cycling with Ollie has been a huge eye opener for us both.
Unlike in the car, we actually chat, rarely argue (HUGE for us!!)and get to discuss important issues in a casual manner, rather than a sit-down talk.

Today I broached the subject of him homeschooling when his year goes onto secondary education. As its a alien concept for him I wanted to start talking about it now, this way he should be fully aware of what it all means when the time comes.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our little trip.




This is the steep hill to the gallery..not only impossible to get up but also you have to walk DOWN it! Me and Kim cycled down it last time and our breaks were almost smoking!!




Leslie Castle, one of the many small PINK castles around Aberdeenshire!




I'm pretty sure this fella shouldn't;t be in the stubble..the rest where in another field..had to get Ollie to jump up and down and shout for him to lazily turn his head and smile for the camera ;)