Talkin' Turkey- Benjamin Zephaniah

Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas

Cos' turkeys just wanna hav fun

Turkeys are cool, turkeys are wicked

An every turkey has a Mum.

Be nice to yu turkeys dis christmas,

Don't eat it, keep it alive,

It could be yu mate, an not on your plate

Say, Yo! Turkey I'm on your side.

I got lots of friends who are turkeys

An all of dem fear christmas time,

Dey wanna enjoy it, dey say humans destroyed it

An humans are out of dere mind,

Yeah, I got lots of friends who are turkeys

Dey all hav a right to a life,

Not to be caged up an genetically made up

By any farmer an his wife.

Turkeys just wanna play reggae

Turkeys just wanna hip-hop

Can yu imagine a nice young turkey saying,

'I cannot wait for de chop',

Turkeys like getting presents,

dey wanna watch christmas TV,

Turkeys hav brains an turkeys feel pain

In many ways like yu an me.

I once knew a turkey called...Turkey

He said "Benji explain to me please,

Who put de turkey in christmas

An what happens to christmas trees?",

I said "I am not too sure turkey

But its nothing to do wid Christ Mass

Humans get greedy an waste more dan need be

An business men mek loadsa cash'.

Invite dem indoors fe sum greens

Let dem eat cake an let dem partake

In a plate of organic grown beans,

Be nice to yu turkey dis christmas

An spare dem de cut of de knife,

Join Turkeys United an dey'll be delighted

An yu will mek new friends 'FOR LIFE'.

Shepherd's Pie, with Swede & Onion Gravy

Vegan version of an old favourite made with lentils and served with swede and onion gravy.



Ingredients:

Potatoes ( Desiree or similar );Puy lentils; Onions
Leek; Garlic; Carrots; Parsnips; Mixed herbs;Vegetable stock; Marmite; Bay leaf.

Boil lentils in water until water is absorbed. Fry onions, garlic, leek, chopped carrots, chopped parsnips and mixed herbs in olive oil until soft. Add a tbs of flour and mix. Add lentils, vegetable stock, bay leaf and a tsp Marmite. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 20 minutes. While lentils etc are cooking boil potatoes until tender. Drain the potatoes when cooked and add soya milk and margarine and mash. Place the lentil mixture into an ovenproof dish and cover with mashed potatoes. Bake in a pre heated oven until golden brown and serve with onion gravy and mashed swede.

Roast Vegetables & Lemon Flavoured Couscous

Roast vegetables are not only delicious but very versatile. Any combination will do: roast vegetables and pasta; roast vegetables and rice on their own or on a sandwich. The options are limitless. I had them the other day with lemon flavoured couscous. I have used the following ingredients however, any selection will do: cherry tomatoes; shallots; garlic; carrots; baby potatoes; carrots; courgettes; parsnips; olive oil; red & green chillies.

Put the olive oil into a large roasting dish/tin and put in a pre-heated oven. Clean the vegetables and chop into large chunks all except the shallots; garlic and cherry tomatoes which should be left whole. When the oil is at a decent temperature place all the vegetables and finally chopped chillies into roasting dish/tin and place in oven until cooked. Serve with lemon flavoured couscous.

Sweet Potato & Coriander Soup With Olives & Pitta Bread

A nice winter warmer. Fry some onions and garlic in olive oil until soft and golden. Add dried coriander to taste then add vegetable stock and sweet potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and then simmer for 20 mins or until sweet potatoes are cooked through.

Liquidise with a hand blender and add dried coriander leaves, and two finely chopped red or green chillies and add to soup.

Serve with mixed olives and warm pitta bread.

White Poppies Are For Peace Without Violence

White Poppies For Peace made their first appearance 73 Years ago on Armistice day 1933, members of the Women's Co-operative Guild - many of them mothers, sisters, widows and sweethearts of men killed in the First World War - anxiously noted the growing domestic and international tensions. They saw that the war to end all wars, in which their men had fought and died, could be followed by an even worse war.

The white popy was born out of their concern. While the red poppy raises funds for the British Legion, the white poppy's aim was to spark debate and rally resistance to war.

Its supporters urged those in power to take action and prevent a drift to war before it was to late. Conflicts, they insisted, should be resolved without violence and with justice. The need to do this is even more urgent.

Over 300 wars later, and after the slaughter of over 200,000,000 people, the white poppy is still a painful reminder of the worlds failure to prevent war. It is a symbol of grief for everyone harmed by war - but, more importantly, it is a symbol of our determination to work together to abolish war for good.

NOW IS THE TIME TO START BUILDING A CULTURE OF PEACE

Scotch Broth

One consolation as the temperature drops here on the west coast of Scotland is the excuse to make huge pots of heart warming soup. I think making soup is one of my favourite things to do. It's dead therapeutic. Here is a vegan version of an old favourite:

Ingredients:

2 leeks

1 large onion

2 large carrots

Equivalent amount of chopped swede

1lb potatoes

1 generous handful of mixed cereal (broth mix)

2 cloves garlic

2 tsp mixed herbs

2 tbs freshly chopped parsley

1 bay leaf

1 tbs Marigold Vegan Bouillon Powder (maroon tin)

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Chop onions, leeks and garlic and fry in olive oil and mixed herbs until soft and golden. Add chopped carrots, potatoes and swede, sweat gently for a couple of minutes then add about 2 pints of water. (more water can be added during the cooking process if the soup is to thick). Bring to the boil and add broth mix, chopped parsley, bay leaf, bouillon powder, salt and pepper to taste. Simmer slowly for an hour. Serve with crusty bread and fresh salad.

Eileen o Cheo

Had the pleasure of visiting the Isle of Skye at the tail end of August. Stayed in a croft house that catered for vegans and was well looked after. Breakfasts were excellent and really set us up for the day. Menus, and other details such as tariff and location can be found at http://www.vegetarianskye.co.uk/Joomla/

Visited Neist Point light house. If you ever go across the sea to Skye it is well worth a visit, on a good day you may be lucky enough to catch sight of dolphins, seals and killer whales. Vegans are reasonably well catered for on Skye particularly the Cafe Arriba in Portree. Some vegan choices and most of the veggie dishes can be adapted. A world of a difference from the first time I visited Skye with Lou and the kids as a veggie many years ago. The weather was horrendous and the tent was blown away in a gale. We were all soaked to the skin, hungry and feeling sorry for ourselves and decided to go the Anchor Inn in Uig for a bar meal. Nothing veggie on the menu in those days. However, as the menu had jumbo sausage, chips and beans I thought I was in luck as this could be made veggie by omitting the sausages. When the waiter came to take the order Lou and the kids-who were not veggie at the time ordered various meals of a carnivorous kind. I ordered chips and beans and couldn't believe my ears when I was told I couldn't have chips and beans as it was not on the menu. After a heated discussion I eventually told the waiter he could charge me for the sausages as long as he left them off the plate. He wasn’t for bending and my chips & beans duly arrived complete with jumbo sausages which ended up in the ash tray. Glad to say that things have improved greatly since then and vegans/vegetarians need have no qualms about visiting the Misty Isle. Its an amazing place at any time of the year.

Potato & Spinach Curry

Just finished having left over potato and spinach curry for lunch and thought it might be good to share the moment with you. Its dead easy to make and tastes delicious.

Ingredients:

New Potatoes; spinach; 2 large onions; 2 cloves garlic; 1 tin chopped tomatoes; 1tbs ground coriander; 1tsp ground cumin; 1tsp turmeric; 1/4tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp chilli powder ; chopped coriander leaves.

Grate onions and cook in oil with crushed garlic for about 5 minutes. Add curry spices and cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes, potatoes, chopped spinach and coriander leaves. Season with salt and cook slowly until potatoes are cooked through. Serve with basmati rice.

Enjoy.

I was introduced to vegetarianism when I lived at Faslane Peace Camp in 1982. Although I wasnt veggie myself many of the people who came to live at the camp were and as we ate communally it was easier and cheaper to cook vegetarian food for everyone. As my committment to living a non-violent lifestyle developed I realised that I didnt need to eat meat to survive and that the only justification for killing animals was to please my palate. So I stopped.

Tried several times over the years to be vegan. My heart and consience told me I should be vegan. I just found it so hard. I didnt have a sweet tooth, and giving up dairy products was not a big issue with me. It was all the stuff that wasnt so obvious that was the problem. Every thing on the supermarket shelves seemed to have some milk/eggs in it somewhere and it seemed to take me twice as long to get round as I checked every label minutely. Even then things used to slip through the net and left me feeling depressed and I thought that I would never be able to be a real vegan.

However, two things over the past year have made me recommit myself to veganism. An article in the Vegan Magazine and my committment to following the Buddhist path. The magazine article was headlined So You Think You Are A Vegan and gave several definitions as to what veganism meant to different people. It also went on to say that it was almost impossible to totally avoid animal products and that we shouldnt beat ourselves up or consider ourselves no longer vegan if we fell by the wayside either deliberately or by accident. For in the final reckoning, the root of veganism lies not in avoiding animal products: that is simply a result of veganism. The essence of veganism is the attempt to reduce the exploitation of, and cruelty to animals. That is what is important. A person is still a vegan if, on occasion, circumstances force them to consume an animal product. I know many vegans will not agree with some of the above but for a new vegan like me it gave me a lot of encouragement to move forward.

Over a year ago I attended a series of courses on Buddhism and meditation at the Glasgow Buddhist Centre. I am now a Mitra which means I am a friend of the FWBO and agree to live in accordance with the five ethical precepts one of which is not killing or causing harm to other living beings. This is the fundamental ethical principle for Buddhism, and all the other precepts are elaborations of this. The precept implies acting non-violently wherever possible, and many Buddhists are vegetarian or vegan for this reason. This particular precept sits easy with me and was the second factor in my trying again to be vegan.

Soya Balls, Marmite Gravy, Mash & Peas

Got hungry trying to get to grips with this blogging lark, so made a start on the mash before I managed to get a decent photo. Easy peasy to make and good comfort food.