EGAN VIEWS A monthly South African Vegan newsletter for you and your family. Issue 4 6 January 2020 The '' Issue

VEGANUARY 2020

Adapted from the SA Veganuary website: za.veganuary.com

Veganuary is a non-profit organisation that encourages people worldwide to for January and beyond. During the 2019 campaign, more than a quarter of a million people took our pledge to try a vegan diet, while more than 500 brands, restaurants and supermarkets promoted the campaign, and launched more than 200 new vegan products and menus in the UK market alone.

Now, for the first time, Veganuary will be launched officially in South Africa.

Throughout the year, Veganuary encourages and supports people and businesses alike to move to a -based diet as a way of protecting the environment, preventing animal suffering and improving the health of millions of people.

"Our vision is simple; we want a vegan world. A world without animal farms and . A world where food production does not decimate forests, pollute rivers and oceans, exacerbate climate change, and drive wild animal populations to extinction."

Since 2014, Veganuary has inspired and supported more than half a million people in 178 countries to go vegan for January - and beyond. We have worked with businesses to drive up vegan food provision in shops and restaurants, and have made more visible and accessible through our work with national and international media. Veganism in South Africa:

Interest in veganism at an all-time high in South Africa - South Africa ranks among the world’s 25 Join nations where veganism is most popular. South Africa group on Facebook! The Western Cape is the province where veganism is by far the most popular in South Africa, hugely outranking the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. At the city level it is Stellenbosh, followed by Randburg and Cape Town where the percentage of vegan-related The group's goal is to promote the searches was the highest. ethical, environmental and health advantages of vegan living through The two main reasons people make the switch are online activity and resources, health concerns - the number one factor - and then events, product endorsements, products and literature. the environmental impact.

South Africans are waking up to the truths regarding animal exploitation, health and our threatened environment.

There is a strong and growing movement towards veganism as a solution to these issues. The South African Vegan Society aims to not only create awareness regarding the vegan lifestyle, but to ensure that it is accessible, enjoyable and sustainable for all South Africans. Formed in 2007 by a small group of passionate activists, The SA Vegan Society was for many years the primary vegan outreach organisation in the country.

Over time more outreach groups and listing services have joined the cause and contributed to a much wider knowledge and acceptance of veganism by the general public than ever before.

Today the SA Vegan Society is a volunteer organisation focusing on online awareness, public outreach, development and distribution of resources, product and service endorsement as well as providing support and guidance for those who choose the vegan lifestyle. We intend to continue being a part of a broad community of selfless and hardworking activists involved with welfare, liberation and social justice movements through the promotion of veganism as an ethical baseline.

https://vegansociety.org.za/ Meet the

VEG AN CHEF!

https://theveganchef.co.za

Name: Sue Gajathar Occupation: Founder of The Vegan Chef Where do you live: Johannesburg Favourite food: Everything Vegan :)

Fun fact about yourself: I have a degree in Taxation THEN - Where the Vegan Chef began. and have worked as an expatriate tax specialist for 15 years at the big four audit firms. I was faced with the difficult decision between The Vegan Chef and my corporate career. I decided to follow my heart and pursue my passion for cooking and wanting to make a difference in the world by starting The Vegan Chef. NOW - The Vegan Chef Benoni. How long have you been vegan? I was born vegetarian, chose to go vegan 4 years ago. My family have been manufacturing vegan/vegetarian foods for the last 35 years, and I am blessed to be able to continue the legacy with The Vegan Chef.

The Vegan Chef Comfort Foods.

The Vegan Chef Famous Sticky Ribs.

The Vegan Chef Plant Based and Delicious. Meet the

VEG AN CHEF!

What are the reasons you are vegan? My husband (an omnivore) decided to try Veganuary a few years ago and I joined him to show my support. I quickly realized that a change from a vegetarian to vegan lifestyle wasn't such a big adjustment. I personally experienced a significant increase in my energy levels and really started to embrace a vegan lifestyle.

What are your thoughts on the Veganuary movement? What a fantastic initiative! I highly recommend signing up for Veganuary, it's the best decision you can make for your health, the planet and its animals. Sign up is free and you will receive support,meal plans and recipes.

How did The Vegan Chef start? Our family was adapting really well to a vegan lifestyle and the array of meals we could have. My husband however really missed the comfort foods that he grew up eating. We decided on 31 December 2018, that we would open the very first 100% vegan food cart in Johannesburg that would focus on vegan comfort foods. Our first food cart was located behind Burger King in Sandton and was opened for business in January 2019. After the first 4 months the demand for our cruelty free comfort food was astronomical and we were forced to close the cart and move to a bigger kitchen in Midrand. We then opened the very first Vegan dark kitchen and this is where the magic began.

What sort of foods do you offer? Whether you are craving a with seasoned chickn, a Beyond Burger, a plate of vish and chips with slaw or a toasted cheese, tomato and vacon sarmie, we have got you covered. Our sharing platters include our signature artisanal sticky ribs, vish pieces and southern fried chickn. We also have an amazing range of decadent desserts. Our food is made with love and we ultimately are aiming to inspire a change in the world and make the move towards a plant based diet easy for our customers.

152 President Brand Street, Benoni, Gauteng The Vegan Chef Benoni Meet the

VEG AN CHEF!

Do you manufacture your own base products? The Vegan Che f has become the first global, vertically integrated vegan business with both plant based food manufacturing capabilities and retail comfort food outlets. The majority of our comfort food is produced from scratch using only the freshest ingredients at one of our vegan food factories located in Johannesburg. This is when we realized, we had an extremely important role to play by providing cruelty free comfort foods that is accessible to everyone, good for the environment and good for the health of our customers.

Where can we find The Vegan Chef? Our comfort foods can be experienced at one of our TVC comfort food outlets, at a TVC dark kitchen, at a TVC franchise express outlet, at various markets or via a food app (Mr D, Uber Eats, ideliverd or Orderin) in the comfort of your own home.

Comfort Food Outlets - Restaurants - TVC Benoni - Green Thumb Nursery; TVC Craighall; TVC Durban - Opening soon. Dark Kitchen - TVC Midrand, Co. Space. TVC Express Stores - Buns Out, Linden; Dimple Café; Woodmead; Impasto Pizza, Linden; La Padrino, Illovo; Plant Powered Patisserie, Rivonia; Dr.Phil-Afel,Cape Town. Markets - Vegan Hippie Connection market, Greenside; Field Market, Sandton; KZN Vegan Market; Vegan Food Fair SA, Pretoria.

What can we expect from The Vegan Chef in the future? We will be opening a pop up store for Veganuary in Craighall (Johannesburg). The Vegan Chef Durban is also due to be opened later this year. We have an exciting kiddies menu that will be rolled out and some new desserts for customers with a sweet tooth. We also will be introducing wood oven pizzas to our menu.

Some top tips for people wanting to go vegan but haven’t yet. Sign up for Veganuary or start small with Meat Free Monday.

What are your pantry essential ingredients – the ones that you have on hand always? Beans, lentils and dried spices that can be reinvigorated in a splash of hot oil.

What is your favorite recipe? The Leaf Eaters on Instagram used The Vegan Chef vacon to make delicious vacon hasselback potatoes. I tried the recipe over the holidays and my family loved it. Recipe on next page :)

Make sure you are following The Vegan Chef on social media to stay up to date! @theveganchef01 Meet the

VEG AN CHEF!

Loaded Hass elback Recipe compliments of The Leaf Eaters

Ingredients: 1 packet (100g) of The Vegan Chef vacon 2 cups rinsed and dried baby spinach 1 cup of sundried tomatoes 4 large potatoes Olive oil Cashew cream sauce 1/2 a cup of raw cashews Salt & Pepper to taste 2 tablespoons crushed garlic 1 teaspoon Liquid smoke 2 tablespoons Olive oil 1 cup of water

Method: Wash your potatoes and cut thin slices from the side, halfway to the bottom. Coat the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. Position the potatoes on a lined baking tray and bake in the oven on 190 degrees Celsius for 45 minutes to 1 hour. While the potatoes are baking, bring salted water to boil in a pot and add the cashews in the pot for 30 minutes. On a separate oven plate, fry the spinach and sundried tomato in a pan for a quick 10 minutes and set aside. Drain the cooked cashews and put all cashew cream ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth, add more water to your preferred consistency. Remove the golden and crispy potatoes from the oven, let cool slightly. Add the vacon in a non-stick pan and flash fry on medium high heat for a quick 2 minutes. Top the potatoes with the spinach, sundried tomato and vacon. The slices in the potato are great for filling up the potato. Pour the cashew cream over the potato and serve immediately. WIN WITH

THE VEG AN CHEF!

Subscribe to Vegan Views and stand a chance to win a delicious platter from The Vegan Chef.

Winner will be announced on Friday, 10 Jan 2020, on Instagram! Make sure you are following @pretty_things_delicious_eats Winner will be contacted via email. *(JHB residents only) RECIPES THIS MONTH WE ARE CELEBRATING - VEGANUARY!

BLUEBERRY SORBET

Ingredients: 2 1/2 cup fresh blueberries Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup water 3 tbsp Woolworths vegan honee

Method: Mix ingredients together.

Add to an ice-cream machine and churn until icy - if you do not have an ice-cream maker, after mixing well, put it in the freezer to set. Freeze overnight until solid.

If you do not have blueberries, strawberries would work well too. Use white sugar instead of brown sugar. RECIPES THIS MONTH WE ARE CELEBRATING - VEGANUARY!

LENTIL BOLOGNESE

Ingredients: 1 cup lentils 2 cups Ina Paarman stock 1/2 diced onion 2 diced tomatoes 1 tsp Robertsons garlic salt 1 tin braai relish - tomato and onion mix 1 tsp sugar 1 tbsp Robertsons Italian herbs 1/4 cup peach chutney

Method: Add the lentils and vegetable stock to a small pan. Bring this to the boil and allow to simmer until cooked - around 25-30 minutes. Once cooked, drain the lentils and set to one side. Add some vegetable oil and the diced onion to a frying pan. Fry this until the onions are glossy. Add in the diced tomatoes and the garlic salt. Fry this for around 5 minutes. Add in the cooked lentils and mix well. Add in the braai relish, sugar, Italian herbs and stir. Bring this to the boil and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. Stir often. The B Stir through the chutney. Serve over freshly cooked pasta.

FUN FACT:

Spaghetti bolognese is my absolute FAVOURITE meal... and this one really hits the spot. My vegan on hand essentials:

Dairy Replacements: Vegan - Flora Vegan Dairy Free Cheese - Violife Cheese and Woolworths dairy free cheese Plant Milks - Almond Breeze almond milk Yogurts - Woolworths soya yoghurt

Protein: Peas - Garden peas (frozen or canned) Beans - kidney beans and black beans - dried and/or canned Chickpeas Seeds - Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame and chia Nuts - Almonds, cashews, walnuts, brazil nuts and peanuts Nut - Peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter and macadamia nut butter Lentils - red, brown and green - dried and/or canned Fry’s Products - All vegan frozen product range, including burgers, , chicken-style strips and nuggets. Linda McCartney - vegetarian sausages and cocktail sausages Urban Vegan - vegan boerewors

Grains & Dry Ingredients: Rice - brown & wild, white and basmati Oats - rolled oats Pastas - a range of wholewheat, regular, chickpea, lentil and gluten free Chickpea Flour Flour - cake flour, bread flour, rye flour and wholewheat flour Bread - Woolworths multigrain rye bread, and Sasko Low GI Dumpy Cranberry brown bread

Cooking: Nutritional yeast Vegetable stock - Ina Paarman vegetable stock Tomato paste/tinned tomato Oils - Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Canola oil and Sunflower oil

Baking: Egg Replacer - a great egg replacer for baking is Orgran No-Egg. Coconut oil Pastry - Today brand puff and short crust pastries are vegan, as is Pick 'n Pay and Checkers’ home brands, as well as Woolworths’ puff pastry. Sugar - white, brown, muscavado, treacle and coconut sugar

Condiments & Sauces: Egg-Free Mayonnaise - B-Well Mayonnaise Tomato Sauce - All Gold Sweet Chili Sauce - Wellington’s Sweet & Sour sauce Chutney

Fresh and VEGAN PRODUCTS I HAVE BEEN LOVING LATELY!

Vegan Food Item Vegan Treat

The BEST I absolutely vegan LOVE hot I cross buns - have ever and the ones tried - from Urban Vegan Woolworths Boerewors are vegan! Such a treat https://www.facebook.com/urbanvegansa/ when toasted!

Vegan Drink Fortunately most hard liquor is vegan ;) - and that includes gin! I have been having a few Vegan Beauty Product good gnt's over the festive season! Check your favourite drink here: www.barnivore.com In an attempt to keep my skin clear, tea Sustainable Summer Products tree oil has become essential in my skincare routine! And The Body Shop As summer is in stocks amazing tea tree products! full force, these biodegradable products from Vegan Bath Product Simple Truth (Checkers) are I have spent December using amazing for the bath salts I made in the picnics. previous issue of Vegan Views - so relaxing and smell Vegan Sustainable Product incredible too! https://therefillery.co.za/ I visited a zero waste store the other day - The Refillery. Vegan Option at a Restaurant I am obsessed. I am loving the package free shopping! The best vegan breakfast is at Lexi's Healthy Eatery in JHB! I tried the Beyond Meat sausages for the first time - delish! SPECIAL OFFER FROM SKYE NUTRITION

Upcoming issues:

The Chocolate Issue - 3 February 2020 All things chocolate plus some exciting interviews planned!

The Sustainable Issue - 2 March 2020 All things sustainable plus a guide on sustainable living in South Africa.