Tag Archives: GoodnessDirect

November = Vegan month

Want a healthier diet? Thinking of going vegan? Follow this meal plan and try it for just 7 days.

Day 7

Breakfast

French toast
Serves 2.

In a large bowl, mix together 250ml soya or rice milk (for a richer flavour, use half soya cream and half soya milk), 2 tbsp plain flour, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes, 1tsp sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan. Dip slices of bread (halved) into the mixture and fry until golden (up to 5 minutes) and then flip over and fry some more. Keep them warm in the oven until all are cooked and then serve with maple syrup.

Lunch

Roast Sunday lunch

The traditional Sunday roast can be easily veganised. Roast potatoes, parsnips, celeriac, beetroot and carrots in olive oil. As the ‘centrepiece’ choose from Redwood’s ‘Celebration Roast’, ‘faux roast turkey‘, or Granose nut roast. Or you can make a ‘centrepiece’ yourself. There are many, many recipes but try the one below – Chestnuts in red wine en croute. Steam or boil peas, green beans, cauliflower and broccoli. Cook stuffing balls (as per instruction on packet or make your own). Serve with gravy, mustard and cranberry sauce.

Chestnuts in red wine en croute (Serves 4)

Fry 2 onions (chopped) in 2 tbsp of dairy-free margarine until soft. Add 2 cloves garlic (chopped) and 50g button mushrooms (sliced) and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in 90ml red wine and let it boil for a minute or two until most of the liquid has gone. Remove from the heat and stir in 75g breadcrumbs and 1 can of chestnut puree. Season to taste.

Use ready-made pastry (or make your own) and roll it out into two strips, one measuring roughly 15 x 30cm and the other 22 x 30cm. Put the smaller strip onto a baking sheet and brush with cold water. Spoon the chestnut mixture onto the pastry, leaving 1cm clear round the edge. Put the larger piece of pastry over the top and press it around the edges. Brush the top with a little soya milk and bake for 7-8 minutes at 230/450/GM 8, then reduce the heat and bake for another 25 minutes at 200/400/GM 6.

Dinner

Vegetables in satay sauce
A simple, delicious Thai style meal.

Fry or boil any veggies you like and then smother them in a delicious satay sauce and serve with rice. To make one simple satay sauce, put 2/3 cup of peanut butter, 1 cup water, 4 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp lime juice, 2 cloves garlic (peeled and chopped), 4 tbsp fresh ginger (peeled and grated) and 1/2 tsp chili powder in a blender. Whizz until smooth and then heat in a saucepan.

http://www.govegan.org.uk/Recipes.html

November = Vegan month

Want a healthier diet? Thinking of going vegan? Follow this meal plan and try it for just 7 days.

Day 6

Breakfast

Traditional English breakfast

There is no need to miss out on the traditional fry-up when you become vegan. Fry or grill veggie sausages, veggie bacon and tomatoes. Fry onions, mushrooms and bread, and heat up beans. In a separate pan, make tofu scramble (see separate recipe here). Serve with a mug of tea!

Lunch

Avocado Salad

Combine pieces of fresh but firm avocado, red apple, watercress and a handful of salted peanuts. Cover in a dressing of your choice. Serve with crusty bread.

Dinner

Smoked tofu and spinach cannelloni
Serves 2.

Preheat the oven to 200/400/GM 6.

Fry 1 red onion (peeled and chopped) until soft. Add 1 clove garlic (peeled and crushed), 225g spinach (with tough stalks removed) 1/2 tsp thyme and some black pepper. Fry until spinach is wilted.

Mash 1 pack of smoked tofu with a fork and stir it into the spinach. Stuff 10 tubes of cannelloni pasta with the mixture and place the tubes in an ovenproof dish. Pour a tin of chopped tomatoes over the top and sprinkle with more thyme and black pepper. Add some grated melting vegan cheese (optional) and bake for 35 minutes.

http://www.govegan.org.uk/Recipes.html

November = Vegan month

Want a healthier diet? Thinking of going vegan? Follow this meal plan and try it for just 7 days.

Day 5

Breakfast

Bagel with cream cheese & bacon
Halve and toast the bagel, smother in dairy-free cream cheese and top with veggie bacon. Add fresh parsley and black pepper to taste.

Lunch

Noodle salad
This Asian-style salad is filling and tasty.

Cook noodles of your choice. While they are cooking, mix together in a bowl 30ml balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 tbsp maple syrup, 1/2 tsp soy sauce, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Mix with the cooked noodles and eat hot or allow to cool.

Dinner

Bangers & mash

Choose from one of the many vegan sausages. Use dairy-free margarine for the mashed potato and serve with either baked beans or green vegetables and gravy.

http://www.govegan.org.uk/Recipes.html

November = Vegan month

Want a healthier diet? Thinking of going vegan? Follow this meal plan and try it for just 7 days.

Day 4

Breakfast

Fruit and yoghurt

Quick, delicious and brimming with goodness, Add your favourite flavour of dairy-free yoghurt to your favourite fruits.

Lunch

Mixed mezze

Salad leaves, olives, houmous, grilled aubergines, falafel, and ‘antipasti’ such as sun-blushed tomatoes, artichoke hearts and balsamic onions, served with warm ciabatta bread for mopping up the juices.

Dinner

Chilli & Rice
Make a chilli as you would with meat but instead use soya mince.

Serve with rice or quinoa and a green salad. Or with nachos, egg-free mayonnaise and grated dairy-free cheese. Some health food stores stock dairy-free sour cream to top the chilli with.

http://www.govegan.org.uk/Recipes.html

November = Vegan month

Want a healthier diet? Thinking of going vegan? Follow this meal plan and try it for just 7 days.

Day 3

Breakfast

Throw fruit and/or soya milk into a blender. There are loads of recipes out there but try one of these:

Banana & oat smoothie:
1 large banana
7fl oz cold soya milk
1 tbsp rolled porridge oats
2 ice cubes

Apples & berries:

2 red apples
2 green apples
3 tbsp mixed frozen berries
1 small tub of strawberry soya yoghurt
2 ice cubes

Lunch

Quiche and salad
Just because there are no vegan eggs doesn’t mean you have to give up egg-based recipes. Try this cholesterol-free quiche. Make it when you want it and eat it warm, or make in advance and enjoy it cold. Serves 6.

Pastry: use ready-made pastry or make your own by rubbing 130g margarine into 225g plain wholemeal flour. Add enough water to make a dough that is soft but not sticky. Roll out on a floured surface and place in a pastry dish. Cook for 10 minutes at 190/375/GM 5.

Filling: Fry 1 onion (chopped) for a few minutes and add 1 courgette (sliced), 1 red pepper (sliced) and 2-3 cloves garlic (crushed). Fry for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Break up the smoked tofu in a blender and grate up to 1 pack of soya cheese into it. Blend together, gradually adding in unsweetened soya milk to form a paste. Mix the vegetables in and place on top of the pastry. Bake for 40 minutes and, if you plan to eat it straight away, let it stand for a few minutes to set.

Dinner

Thai green curry Fry an onion (peeled and sliced) until soft, add your choice of vegetables such as mange tout, sweet potato, courgette, green beans and baby corn. Add a can of coconut milk and some Thai curry paste. Cook until the vegetables are soft and serve with rice or rice noodles.

http://www.govegan.org.uk/Recipes.html

November = Vegan month

Want a healthier diet? Thinking of going vegan? Follow this meal plan and try it for just 7 days.

Day 2

Breakfast

Pancakes with maple syrup
Vegan pancakes are cholesterol-free and delicious. There are lots of recipes but try this one: Serves 4.

Mix 500g flour (white or whole wheat), 4 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp baking soda and 1 tsp salt and then stir in 1.5 pints of fruit juice (orange or apple are best). Lightly oil a frying pan over a medium high heat. Spoon the batter into the pan and make several small pancakes at a time. When the tops are bubbly, turn them over and cook until golden. Serve with maple syrup.

Lunch

Hearty pumpkin soup
This is just one of the thousands of vegan soup recipes available. Serves 4.

Fry 1 onion (peeled and chopped) in a little olive oil, with one de-seeded red chilli (chopped) for 2-3 minutes. Add 1lb pumpkin or squash (peeled and chopped) and 350g potato or sweet potato (peeled and chopped). Reduce the heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add 1.5 litres of stock, bring to the boil and allow to simmer covered, for 10 minutes. Add 125g red lentils and bring back to the boil. Simmer covered for another 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool and blend. Reheat and serve with crusty bread.

Dinner

Stir fry & coconut rice
Serves 4.

Stir fry vegetables such as red, yellow and green peppers, courgette, onion, carrot and celery in a wok or large pan. Add cubes of marinated tofu and a sachet or jar of stir fry sauce. Serve with basmati rice or coconut rice (see below for recipe).

To make coconut rice, place 350g of basmati rice into a saucepan with the juice of 3 limes and 200ml of coconut milk. Add enough water to cover the rice and bring to the boil. Simmer for 5 minutes. Place the lid on tightly and leave for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and serve.

http://www.govegan.org.uk/Recipes.html

November = Vegan month

Want a healthier diet? Thinking of going vegan? Follow this meal plan and try it for just 7 days.

Day 1

Breakfast

Tofu scramble
This can be eaten like scrambled eggs. Serves 2.

Fry half an onion (chopped) in a little oil for 3 or 4 minutes and then add 1 clove garlic (minced) and half a green pepper (diced). Continue to fry until the onion is soft. Crumble 250g firm tofu into the pan (use your hands or mash with a fork). Add 1 tsp turmeric and mix. Add 50 ml stock (hot) and cook until the water is absorbed. Season to taste.

Lunch

Wraps

These large circular breads can be filled with houmous and olives, vegan cream cheese and salad leaves, or your choice of sundried tomatoes, alfalfa, cucumber, tomato, small florets of raw broccoli or anything else you choose.

Dinner

Cashew and mushroom pie
Serve with green vegetables such as purple sprouting broccoli or green beans. Serves 4.

Preheat the oven to 180/350/GM 4.

Fry 1 leek (cleaned and sliced), and 1 clove garlic (peeled and crushed) in olive oil for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large saucepan. Use the frying pan to fry 1 kg of mushrooms (wiped and diced) in batches, for 5-7 minutes each batch. Transfer them to the large pan and add 1 tsp chopped thyme. Stir in 300ml of soya cream and 100g cashew nuts. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring. Remove from heat and season. Place in a pie dish and cover with ready-rolled puff pastry. Brush the top with a little soya milk and bake for 20-25 minutes.

http://www.govegan.org.uk/Recipes.html

Why Organic Meat?

With so many opinions in the media at the moment sometimes it is difficult to make sense of what the benefits of going organic actually are. Are they myths or truthful?

I have always been a particular fan of organic meat, I like to know that what I am eating is healthy and not pumped full of things I’m not aware of but can harm me. But I know organic animals cannot be given growth promoting hormones, regular doses of antibiotics or genetically modified (GM) feed and that reassures me.

Do you want to make a difference to your environment?

It feels as if we are only just getting to grips with how our actions can effect our environment. We are now aware of our carbon footprint,  the exploited workers in different countries, and how the things we put into the ground can have a knock on effect on other environmental things. We are learning to care for our world and in doing so learning to care for ourselves.

Choosing organic makes a difference to your environment, it cares for the cattle on the organic farms. Organic cattle is cared for by top rate husbandry and care, strictly cruelty free and the animals must all be free range for their whole life, no growth promoting hormones or antibiotics systematically put into their feed. The result – no pesticides or chemicals polluting the ground, nearby rivers and streams. All this has recently been verified by the Government advisors who found that plant, insect and bird life is up 50% on organic farms in the UK.

Customer comments and feedback

Thanks for all the compliments we get about our products and our service, we are overwhelmed!

I always get a good service. You save me a heck of a lot of driving. My nearest supermarket is 25 miles away, so you are a godsend. J Holden

GoodnessDirect, I am soooo pleased I have found a company that can supply loads of different vegan stuff for my very strict daughter. Her sister and I are trying very hard to be vegan and the food we can buy with your company has made it very easy. LOVE IT!!  J Marshall.

My order got here safe and well ………..   ah the joys of GoodnessDirect. Fresh food and reliable.

I was going to drop you an email anyway to say a big thank you as always  for such great service.  It's good every time but I'm always staggered by how good. 

The organic veg box was really amazing I'm spoilt for choice. I had  fresh roasted aubergine with melted vegan cheese and cracked black pepper for dinner.  I love being vegan, its one of the best choices I ever made but as i was unpacking my stuff today i pondered on how much harder it would be to be a vegan if you folks weren't there with your super speedy goodies. 

as always a big hand a huge thank you for the really great service you provide. If I can ever track down an industry award for best  provider of   mail order vegan food id be really happy to nominate you . 

thanks again.  Elle

From the outset, I  felt that I was dealing with real people, who think the way I do
about food and our place in the wider scheme of things. This was borne out by the level of
service and the personal response to my getting in touch later. M Barbour

Really pleased to find a company who have got it right, start to finish!  Well done! S Stamford.

I love your website and newsletters, and think that you stock a fabulous range. It was a godsend to me when I broke my ankle and could not get out. The wheatgrass kits are amazing. They just keep on going way beyond first cutting, and I will never be without them now. M Gudmundsson

A *more* than perfect shopping experience – as always! Thanks!!!  S Bright

Excellent as always. Brilliant customer service., super quick delivery plus superb products equals an unbeatable company to deal with :) N Quinn

Our first experience of shopping with you was a joy – the site was easy to use and delivery was super-fast . We will definitely be shopping with you again. Best wishes Jenny and Kevin.

I think this is a great site.  It has just the products I want and at the quality I want.  Seervice is second to none.  Well done and keep up the excellent work.  Oh and thank you very much  -  Viccy Hall

Excellent – the only online delivery service I have found that gives me stuff I would choose
for myself rather than tired fruit. J Simpson

Great web site. Recommended by my nutritionist. L Lazaro-Keen.

Order was received in excellent condition , and arrived within forty eight hours, which is excellent for orders to the channel islands.
I can always rely on excellent service from Goodness Direct. Many thanks. F Ferguson

The service you provide is absolutely fantastic – to offer selection of delivery day is particularly brilliant. J Braithwaite

I didn’t have fresh product, but my merchandise arrived in very good condition and well packaged.  Your site was very user friendly.  I found exactly what I wanted at a very good price.  I will visit site again soon for further offers.  L Clark

You’re one of only a handful of places I can get barley flour! K Humphries

I was extremely pleased with the speed with which my order was processed and arrived. The website was really friendly and easy to use – not at all frustrating! Thank you. J Barber
You seem to need to know the brand names to find some things on your site. Better cross referencing might be helpful? Great service though, and fabulous choice! thanks! L Husband

Dark chocolate covered raisins in smaller quantities, please!
You guys are still the best!  A Vine

First order, as we can no longer fine items in local health shops. Excellent service, will definitely shop again. B Roberts

I used to buy Blue Dragon silken tofu in my local Asda, but it was discontinued about a year ago. I tried to find another supplier at the time but couldn’t. On this occasion, I found a few websites that supplied it but I felt yours was the best. I have been extremely impressed with the whole ordering experience – you seem to have everything covered and I will definitely continue to buy this product from you. The only negative I can find is that you don’t have an excellent option on your feedback form! S Common

Found your service excellent and really helpful for someone needing to change their eating pattern seriously. S Gardiner

Very impressed with the speedy delivery. Also, the order was well packed and the food first class. 10 out of 10 on all counts. R Webster.

Items that fall into more than one category sometimes take time to find, eg potato starch flour. Also, the gluten-free section included lots of items possibly with gluten traces, so I had to check the details of every one. It would be helpful if categorisation was clearer and more watertight. J Hickman

Excellent service. Many organisations heavily underestimate the importance of postage and packing free. It so obviously defines whether you place a small order or not. Our family have always been of the opinion that say 5% added to the cost of all goods but never charging p and p would invite many more small /medium orders. D Harris

My order arrived the day after it was placed – a really excellent and efficient service. The goods were very well packed. Thank you, Thelma

My wife is a coeliac. Your service was superb. Could not be better. We’ll be back!. Thanks. M Rainey

A most satisfactory order outcome, my continued custom is guaranteed, many thanks. S Scott.

I didn’t buy these things for me, but for my mum, who’s a vegan. so as these sites are not my natural habitat it’s really helpful to find a site like yours, which is clear, easy to use and hassle-free. Thanks very much. A Schenkl

Your service was better than some of the bigger well-known websites – thank you very much for goods delivered on time and in good condition! R Martin.

One of the easiest eco-shopping sites I’ve used – very good. A Outram
Dear Sir/Madam,
This is just a note to say thank you so much, my order arrived safely today. The speed and efficiency of the service you provide is exemplary. Considering the seasonal goods I ordered, and how close to the required date we are now, every effort has been made to get my order to me before Easter. The is my first dealing with you and because of this occasion I will be a returning customer from now on. You should be very proud of yourselves. You have an excellent company and brilliant staff.
Yours Faithfully C Aldridge

I’m really happy with the service and products, would definitely recommend to others and will be using you again. Thanx. Y Fayyaz

Dear Goodness Direct,

Just received my delivery-its’ the first time I have ordered vegetables from you. I wanted to say Thank You- it felt as if everything in the boxes had been packed with tender loving care-the veg smell delicious-and I had some truly yummy bread (wheat free had to be put on hold it looked so tempting) as a thank you from you. I have previously had a veggie box from Riverford-but I will be changing that to a regular order with you. I follow a macrobiotic eating plan but there is nowhere that stocks macro stuff near to me so a joy to be able to get just about everything I need from the same place. If you had stocked Mooli my day would have been even more perfect.

With brightest blessings to all of you. K Scott

When you offer the best service the only way is down. Please don’t go down. E Edgson

I love you Goodness Direct!!

I’m often overseas working and have 2 small kids, but I know whenever I get home I can trust you to deliver my health stuff ASAP. Just received my parcel..perfect.

Brilliant!
J Watson-Yarngo

Another great shopping experience!!!!Just wish I’d ordered more!!!!
K Roberts

You have best selection of health foods that i have found.
C Neave

Excellent site & excellent service. Many thanks
M Drasdo

Many thanks for the excellent service we received,the items were very well packed and delivered on time.I shall not only use your company again but recommend to friends.
Again many thanks. J Durham

Still the best on-line shopping site. Keep up the good work. S Dunlop

Overall this is a awesome site with awesome service – perhaps one thing i think might benefit the site is if the products had more visual sub-categories – If possible more vegan products : ) I say this on behalf of all my vegan friends as well as it is frustrating when trying to live a compassionate life is made difficult as a result of “lack of products” – Many Thanks again for making life a little easier : ) R Rayner

Overall very impressed and pleased with great service and products from an ethically aware co-operative, keep up the good work folks, as you’re a beacon of hope to health conscious consumers! A Smith

Organic foods from GoodnessDirect

We stock thousands of certified organic products and the range is growing fast! By choosing organic, you can be assured that the food on your plate has not contributed to poisoning wildlife or damaging the environment with chemical residues. Organic food has been shown to be more nutritious than conventionally grown food, and it tastes better too.

Why Organic?

Organic foods from GoodnessDirect

For a total approach to healthy, natural and nutritious eating, organically grown foods are definitely the answer.

Organic foods are free from harmful contaminants and are grown without recourse to artificial fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Organic farming is concerned with building up a thriving, living soil in which a dynamic balance between harmful and beneficial organisms emerges. This lends itself to strong and nutritious crops as well as avoiding the steady destruction of our farmlands which results from intensive agricultural farming methods.

Organic Farming
The main points which distinguish organic farming are:

  1. No artificial fertilizers are used.
  2. No synthetic sprays are used.
  3. Livestock is kept in as natural conditions as possible (e.g. “free range” hens) with no additives such as growth hormones in feed.
  4. Treatment of crops is by natural means – compost, animal manure, clovers and deep-rooting herbs are used.
  5. Crop rotation is practiced to discourage disease and to avoid the starving of farmlands which occurs when the same crop is grown every year.

Why not Chemical Fertilizers?
If we dose our crops with artificial fertilizers, we are systematically reducing the life in the soil. Farming is extractive and soil organic matters are falling.

Many of the chemical fertilizers applied to crops ultimately find their way into watercourses where they encourage abundant weed growth; choking other aquatic organisms. Much of our drinking water supplies are now so contaminated by nitrate pollution that the EC and World Health Organisations standards say it is unfit to drink.

Why not Insecticides and Fungicides?
In 1950 there were only 15 insecticides and fungicides in common use in agriculture. By 1975 this had mushroomed to 800 chemical formulations. In 1986 there were 1000 commercial applications cleared for use in the UK under the Pesticides Safety Precaution Scheme.

You would assume that at least insect damage would be decreasing. In fact, this is not so; the problem is increasing each year! In brief, this is due to the fact that in killing a particular pest insect with pesticide, the insects which are their predators also begin to die off. The resistant individuals of the original breed who have survived the insecticides will now proliferate unchecked, so increasing the overall insect population.

What is the effect on our Foods?
Food produced with the aid of chemicals can contain up to 20% more water than organically produced foods due to the fact that fertilizers promote a lusher growth with a higher moisture content. This explains the tastelessness of much of our non-organic food.

The higher water content also means that moulds will grow more readily on foods produced by intensive farming methods. Also, organic produce is less likely to shrivel when stored and will therefore retain its quality more effectively.

Schupan discovered that nutritionally valuable substances were generally higher in organic products; protein by about 18%, Vitamin C by 28%, total sugars 19%, methionine 23%, potassium 18%, calcium 10% and phosphate 13%.

So Organics Win?
Yes! Organic Farming enables a maintenance of the natural environment and soil composition. Insect population and wildlife retain their natural balance and life-cycles, whilst food products will be free from artificial and chemical contaminants. Organic foods are generally higher in nutritional value, tastier and more enjoyable.