https://jon.kelbie.scot/category/vegan/ Recent content in Vegan on Jon Kelbie | My Site | jon.kelbie.scot Hugo -- gohugo.io en Wed, 01 Nov 2023 23:52:12 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2023/11/6542661c/ Mother-in-law features in a Japan Times article and mentions me. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2023/10/29/food-drink/inaka-sushi-kochi/ (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2023/11/6542661c/) an online article with associated picture of inakazushi, a kochi dish. Wed, 01 Nov 2023 23:52:12 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2023/11/6542661c/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2022/01/61d0a9e9/ Tonight’s #vegan sushi dinner was pretty excellent! My wife did most of the prep and I constructed most of the sushi as well as make the miso veggies. (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2022/01/61d0a9e9/) A blue plate on a black table on top of which are 8 Gunkan (boat-shaped) sushi the filling is tomato, avocado and spring onion. A blue plate on a black table. on the plate are 8 nigiri sushi, with a bright red, marinated red pepper topping. A white plate on a black table holding many maki sushi, the fillings are carrot, yellow pepper, asparagus and ginger soy mince. A small white plate with a number of small maki sushi for our daughter. filling is carrot and avocado. A white bowl holds some greens in miso sauce: kalettes, brocolli and runner beans. karaage! deep fried, marinated and battered soy meat.. these are awesome. a top down shot of a number of dishes described in previous photos. A white plate with a collection of the foods described in earlier photos. a nice collection of colourful veggies. Sat, 01 Jan 2022 19:22:17 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2022/01/61d0a9e9/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/12/61cb057d/ We bought our 3 y.o. daughter a recipe book and we just cooked tomato sauce and tortilla bread pizzas together.. I am so looking forward to doing this more often, particularly when we’re in Japan and my work-life balance improves. (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/12/61cb057d/) a tortilla based pizza with tomato sauce and thin slices of avocado. it sits on a grey plate atop a black wooden table. Tue, 28 Dec 2021 12:39:25 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/12/61cb057d/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/11/6186f2de/ A few more recipe books to add to the collection. (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/11/6186f2de/) The spines of three books visible with the torso and legs (both clothes in dark blue shades) in the background. The books are "Beer & Veg" by Mark Dredge, "Zaika: Vegan recipes from India" by Romy Gill and "One Pot, Pan, Planet" by Anna Jones. Sat, 06 Nov 2021 21:25:50 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/11/6186f2de/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/10/617454dc/ First recipe from the Scottish Vegan Cookbook that I bought last week was Stovies which is one of my all time favourite dishes despite its simplicity. The dish was decent but for me needed to be a little bit more savoury (probably regional variation based preference) and so next time I make it, I’ll probably substitute the nutmeg for mace and “enhance” the dish with marmite or whichever yeast extract I have available at the time. Texturally though it was pretty good, after I gave it a half-mash that is.. will revisit. (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/10/617454dc/) semi-mashed potatoes and thinly sliced onions of a slightly golden or more accurately beige hue, with some barely visible, slightly overcooked red lentils, seasoned with some chopped rosemary and cracked black pepper. The dish is in a black pan. Sat, 23 Oct 2021 19:30:52 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/10/617454dc/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/10/616ad19d/ One of three new vegan recipes books purchases today and the one I’m most excited about.. “The Scottish Vegan Cookbook” by Jackie Jones.. very much looking forward to trying many of the recipes. (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/10/616ad19d/) The front cover of The Scottish Vegan Cookbook by Jacki Jones, top half of cover is black with the book title in white and grey text. the lower half of the cover is a very colourful array of prepared fruit, veg and leafy greens, dark red cherries and purple blueberries to light green broadband and lettuce leaves. Sat, 16 Oct 2021 14:20:29 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/10/616ad19d/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/09/613be03c/ I made my favourite tofu dish this evening (Vegan Richa’s Black Pepper Tofu) and I think it might be the first time that I ate it with non-oxidated, home-brewed beer on draught.. it was a pretty special experience. Added sugar snap peas into the tofu dish for the first time and they turned out to be little jewels of sweetness in a fairly relentlessly spicy dish.. big props the the kale too, very pleasant cameo! (https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/09/613be03c/) Fri, 10 Sep 2021 23:46:20 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/09/613be03c/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/08/61182d7b/ Today’s #vegan lasagne was probably my best yet and I ate way too much of it. (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/08/61182d7b/) A slightly mis-focussed side on shot of a lasagne, showing three layers of pasta, green lentils in a tomato and aubergine sauce, a layer of spinach, a layer of baby courgette from our garden, a cashew bechamel-esaque sauce and some slice tomato on top. Sat, 14 Aug 2021 21:54:19 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/08/61182d7b/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/03/604dd00d/ It occurred to me today that I hadn’t had a baked 🥔 for a very long time and set out to fix that.. Baked potato and homemade baked beans, a ginger glazed Scottish flat mushroom and some grilled asparagus.. It was pretty tasty! (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/03/604dd00d/) A large baked potato with crispy skin, loaded with homemade baked beans. Behind sits a glazed Scottish flat mushroom and some grilled asparagus spears. Sun, 14 Mar 2021 08:57:49 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/03/604dd00d/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/02/60286066/ Photos of today’s cooking efforts A Scotch broth like soup, maybe the best I’ve made so far (imho) Chilli, salsa, guacamole (with whole coriander leafs because someone - me - forgot to chop them) and nachos with way too little chilli or cheese (alternative). All #vegan and all delicious! Eating this whilst thinking about my friend in Hidaka-mura who would almost certainly make a version that would put these to shame! (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/02/60286066/) close up shot of a brownish soup with various root vegetables, barley, spinach and some fresh parsley Vegan chilli "non" carne, kidney and black beans, vegetables, vegan mince in a brown, spicy sauce with some coriander A yellow, green salsa with specks of red chillies, pretty moist looking. guacamole, a green avocado dish with red chillies, cherry tomatoes, peppers and fresh coriander baked nachos, topped with the vegan chilli, some jalapenos and a miserly portion of grated vegan cheese close up of the nachos, salsa and guacamole from previous photos on a small side plate. Sat, 13 Feb 2021 23:27:34 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2021/02/60286066/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/02/6027f97e/ Spent a few hours cooking for pleasure today, it’s a bit of a rarity as I try to compress as much brewing into the year as I can but happy with results so far! Made a Scotch broth inspired soup to go with the rye bread that Sakino is baking and a batch of chili non carne for nachos later.. will make guacamole and salsa once Islay is asleep.. first time cooking with chillies since Islay started eating the same food as us and am very excited about eating it! All #vegan of course. Will post some photos later when the remainder of the dish is made and nachos constructed! (https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/02/6027f97e/) Sat, 13 Feb 2021 16:08:30 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/02/6027f97e/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/01/600c70a0/ Just cooked a roasted butternut squash, brussel sprouts and mushroom dish based on the recipe at the bottom but I used chestnut mushrooms, had only (slightly insufficient) fresh flat leaf parsley and cooked freekeh (for the first time) rather than hard red wheat. It was very tasty! I love freekeh it turns out, have eaten bulgur wheat many times in then past and freekeh is very similar just a better texture. One issue was the cooking time.. Converted the fahrenheit oven temperature to celcius and thought this must be too high.. But went with it.. After 30 minutes (15 early) I took the tray out and the sprouts were overcooked and had lost their bite. Didn’t take pictures but Sakino wants me to make it again for lunch tomorrow so will try to remember to take a few snaps. https://industryeats.com/brussels-sprouts-butternut-squash-mushroom-veggie-bowl-recipe/ (https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/01/600c70a0/) Sat, 23 Jan 2021 18:53:20 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/note/2021/01/600c70a0/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/article/2020-plans-reviewed/ In January last year, I wrote a blog post about my provisional plans for 2020 , this seems as good a time as any to review the plans and assess how well I managed to move towards achieving them. It probably goes without saying that the global disruptions of this past year have rippled into each of our lives and resultantly some of the plans have been impacted due to situations outwith my control. Also, during the first five months of the year, my wife was working on her MA dissertation, which meant that most of my spare time was dedicated to looking after my daughter, which was great but not conducive to productivity in other realms. So “excuses” given, let’s review the plans in order of their placement within the previous post: Japanese Local Government’s Initiative (kyouryokutai programme - 協力隊) Our plans to apply for this scheme early 2022 have not at this moment changed and feeling around the family is that we have a very good chance of success with our application, however there is one dependency that is going to require a little more social stability and less prominence and threat of covid-19 to achieve. If I’m to apply for this scheme I need a driving license! Japanese Language Proficiency Tests I did initially start studying for JLPT N3 at the beginning of last year but this was railroaded by the pandemic and continuous lockdowns slashing my available free time considerably. I’ve re-evaluated the necessity of sitting these tests and as I don’t really intend to work for someone else in a permanent role, I don’t actually think that the proficiency tests are really that necessary. I will have to work on improving my Japanese both spoken and written (typed) and may revisit in the future but for now under current circumstances this is being shelved. Brew Regularly My plan for last year was to try and brew a beer each month, so 12 in total, 1 of which had already been brewed (and poured down the drain), I managed a further 6 brews - taking my total at this point to 8 brews over two years. Obviously, this is a little less than I had hoped, but given the circumstances and the tangible improvement in both my brewing knowledge and the quality of the beers, I’m reasonably happy with progress made. I managed to brew 2 American IPAs, 2 New England IPAs and 4 Imperial Stouts, with the latter darker brews I played around a little with adjuncts, coffee and cacao nibs in this case, which was very rewarding. Study the Science of Brewing In this realm, more than any other, great strides were taken! My application to join the MSc Brewing & Distilling (distance learning) programme at Heriot Watt University was successful and I’ve completed my first course, which was Beverage Microbiology and Biochemistry. I’m still awaiting the final marks for this course but my first couple of assignments were well received and very well marked(!) so I have high hopes. Studying microbiology and biochemistry with no background in science was certainly a steep learning curve, and as I have no aspirations to becoming a scientist, sometimes the content of the course felt a little unnecessary to my particular aims, however other parts were fascinating and really helped boost my understanding of the brewing processes. I still have a lot to learn in this area, and have certain sub-topics that I really want to drill into when time allows, these are: cleaning-in-place, microbial spoilage & strategies to mitigate and eliminate contamination. Cook-A-Lot I probably cooked just as often in 2020 as in previous years, however, most of the time the main aim was sustenance rather than making time to cook delicious dishes. It did happen, but with constraints on time being what they were the frequency of cooking “sessions” was lower than I’d have liked. I did make some pretty memorable stews with barley over the last few months.. I might have become somewhat of a barley addict.. Get the house in order Lockdowns, a neighbour who ignored lockdowns from day 1 and had a constant, daily supply of labourers and other craftsmen visiting his house and a general urgency to protect my daughter from this coronavirus strain meant that absolutely no progress was made here. All in all, considering that circumstances we all had to face, I’m reasonably content with progress towards our plans during 2020. I would have liked to brew more often, I would have liked to have sat and passed JLPT N3 and it would have been great if some work on our house could have been completed. However, I am firmly on my way to becoming a brewer and whilst more focus will be required over this next year to further progress, I’m happy with the steps taken to achieve this goal during the past year. Onwards! (https://jon.kelbie.scot/article/2020-plans-reviewed/) Sat, 02 Jan 2021 10:58:03 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/article/2020-plans-reviewed/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/12/5fe9e2cb/ Yesterday’s cooking efforts, #vegan lasagne, just as tasty today! (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/12/5fe9e2cb/) A whole, home-made vegan lasagne, just out of the oven. A slice of vegan lasagne, showing the layers of pasta and fillings (baked peppers, courgettes, spinach, bechamel and ragu) Mon, 28 Dec 2020 13:51:07 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/12/5fe9e2cb/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/12/5fe63dac/ To the Shaft theme tune: Who is a guy who dislikes xmas but loves cooking for any occasion? this guy! you’re damn right Who is a guy who makes pigs in blankets, without pigs but better than just blankets? This guy’s wife! not a guy (Tune bit which inconveniently splits the lines) Who is a guy who most likely doesn’t remember the theme tune to Shaft! This guy? you’re almost certainly right! …. “Giant sausage roll” - chestnut mushroom and nut roast with cranberry, cinnamon and nutmeg flavours in pastry “Sprouts n stuff” - sticky, crunchy woodland mushrooms and shallots “Crunchy spuds” - thyme, rosemary & garlic roasted tatties “Sausage and bacongine” - vegan sausage wrapped in smokey marinated aubergine slices! All from the the Bish Bash BOSH! Cookbook (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/12/5fe63dac/) Cooked pastry containing a nut & mushroom filling, brown, shiny and crispy looking Same pastry dish from before but sliced open revealing the nut and mushroom filling Brussel sprouts with stick mushrooms, shallots and covered with a sprinkling of toasted almond flakes A bit plate, one half covered in very crunchy roasted potatoes, the other with vegan sausage and aubergine bacon on cocktail sticks Fri, 25 Dec 2020 19:29:48 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/12/5fe63dac/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/09/5f5e2162/ Well, I could go to the shop to by burger buns.. or.. I could just make them I guess.. (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/09/5f5e2162/) Sun, 13 Sep 2020 14:40:50 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/09/5f5e2162/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/09/5f5dd489/ Had a cooking masterclass with sous chef Islay yesterday, we made guacamole and three bean chilli pie! Very attentive throughout, hopefully this will become a regular occurrence! (https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/09/5f5dd489/) Sun, 13 Sep 2020 09:12:57 +0000 https://jon.kelbie.scot/photo/2020/09/5f5dd489/ https://jon.kelbie.scot/article/2020-provisional-plans/ On our return from our most recent trip to visit my wife’s family in Japan I posted on my pleroma account about my ambitious plans for 2020 in order to hopefully facilitate a move to rural Japan as early as Spring 2022. This article is an attempt to flesh the out a little and to have somewhere that I can more easily refer to for updates, amendments etc. So in no particular order: Japanese Government’s Rural Initiative (not correct name but will update and write about in greater detail in the future) This is a scheme aimed at encouraging more families to move from the big Japanese cities to rural locations, with a focus on encouraging retraining, community involvement and company creation. Each town government has its own requirements and the can change on an annual basis. Successful applicants have up to three years to make a life in the town and contribute to the local economy, during which time the government will subsidise rent, home refurbishments and pay a regular, sufficient wage. After three years then you are on your own so to speak but by then hopefully you have established an income of your own. A brief look into the scheme would suggest that so long as I have a driver’s license by the time of application and am capable of participating in an interview, then I should qualify. I already have a litany of ideas the biggest of which is to have my own craft beer brewery however, it is a mid-to-long term plan and hopefully some of my more immediately implementable ideas will impress the government officials when the time comes. Japanese Language Proficiency Tests Initial plan is to sit and pass JLPT N3 - which I should already be able to do, but the intention is to study for it properly in order to establish a study pattern for the more challenging N2 exam which I hope to sit in 2021. If I’m to get back to a level where I can participate in a Japanese interview for the above scheme then the JLPT exams will help to focus me and fill the large gaps in vocabulary that have appeared since I graduated with an undergraduate degree in Japanese in 2011 - not that I was particularly good with the language back then, I was more interested in Japanese feudal history.. regardless, N3 this year, N2 next. Brew regularly Starting next week, I’ll be trying to brew a different beer each month and attempting to study the science of brewing so that by the time we move to Japan I have a solid knowledge-base from which to reach out for potential brewery internships as brewing beer at home is kind of illegal in Japan (unless under 1% ABV). I am still a beginner and my second brew was somewhat of a failure. I hope to improve my understanding of the basics, tighten my quality control process and become very familiar with the different grains, malts, hops and yeasts over the next few years. I’ll initially probably be focusing largely on IPAs but before we move to Japan I want to experiment with dark and sour beers. I’ll endevour to record everything in my blog and as my Japanese improves, add translations where relevant or interesting to build towards a profile which can be understood by potential future employers. Study the science of brewing Hand in hand with the brewing plans, I hope to find some online courses or books from which I can learn more about molecular biology etc. I want to be in a potion where I understand protein chains, yeast storage and quality, water quality etc. This knowledge will be very important when the time comes to establish a brewery but also before then it will enhance my ability to design beers based on more than a hunch about tasty flavour combinations. I recently re-visited the Heriot Watt University MSc Brewing & Distilling course page and discovered that it may be possible for me to study towards a Postgraduate Certificate online which if an application was successful would enable me to study exactly the content that I will need to for a career in brewing. I have contacted HW admissions and if I get a positive response to my multiple questions then I think I’ll apply for this course which would begin in September this year. Fingers crossed! Depending on work-load and progress with this, I may also reach out to some Scottish craft brewers to see if there are any prospects for short-term internship or shadowing to set in place for next year. Cook-A-Lot I already do a fair amount of cooking at home and when time allows like to spend 4-6 hours in the kitchen making delicious #vegan food. However, as my future in Japan will revolve around both drink and food and in all cases vegan varieties of them all, I need to up my game and focus on mastering some fundamentals from which potential menus in potential cafes or food trucks might be devised. I’ve previously worked in the kitchens of hotels and pubs in a variety of roles and several of the roles involved cooking for the public so I’m not completely unfamiliar with the requirements, but if I’m to be a lone vegan cook in our wee village in rural Japan, then I’ll need to really understand dashi options, umami and cooking with the local ingredients I’ll have at hand. Fun!! Get the house in order Literally! We’ve had an unfinished garage conversion for several years now! The building contractor who was hired to do the work upped sticks and ran away when the council returned a list of issues. Since then it has fluctuated in importance and several attempts to enlist the help of other contractors to finish the job have failed. We need to get this fixed once and for all or selling the house in a few years time is going to be somewhat of a challenge. Sundries Undoubtedly there will be more plans made, developed and or abandoned as the year progresses, but I hope to write about as much of it as possible, particularly where it relates to potentially interesting information uncovered as we learn more about the process and challenges of moving (back) to Japan. Next year: driving license, JLPT N2, studying for Japanese beer proficiency tests (yes, really), strengthening of pretty much everything above. (https://jon.kelbie.scot/article/2020-provisional-plans/) Mon, 20 Jan 2020 23:56:53 +0100 https://jon.kelbie.scot/article/2020-provisional-plans/