We have already established that a meat-free diet is better for the planet, better even than ditching your gas guzzler for a Toyota Prius hybrid. Now the Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation give us the V-Plan diet that is better for us, and for animals too. This is no fad diet, destined to fail. It is about making lifestyle changes that are based on solid scientific facts, and includes foods that will minimise the risk of chronic diseases and help you lose weight. All this while being kind to animals and reducing your carbon emissions.

The V-Plan diet provides a full week’s worth of meals and recipes (including deserts). Being that I’m always very interested in the puddings, chocolate ones especially, I include the V-Plan Chocolate Mousse recipe here to tempt you to read more.

via Hippyshopper

Chocolate Mousse II
Serves 6-10. 25 minutes, plus chilling time.
Per serving: Calories (kcal) 238, Fat (g) 12.3

The Big Mama of all mousses! Try this on any of your friends who believe that being vegan is about ‘giving up’ and being a martyr… and watch the smiles of pleasure on their chocolate-smeared chops! This recipe halved will give 4 small but very rich portions.

455g/1lb silken tofu (red or blue packet) – available in good supermarkets or health stores.
285g/10oz dairy-free chocolate chips or dairy-free dark chocolate such as Green & Blacks/Divine
3 tbsp maple, date or agave syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Pinch salt

1. Blend tofu in a food processor or blender until just smooth.
2. Soften chocolate with syrup in a double boiler (or bowl over pan of hot water), set over a low heat.
3. Stir gently with a rubber or plastic spatula until the mix has melted and combined.
4. Pour chocolate mixture with vanilla extract and salt into processor with the tofu.
5. Mix until creamy, scraping down sides once or twice to ensure everything well mixed in.
6. Refrigerate in individual serving dishes of your choice for an hour or so.

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Young’s Seafood have been in the fishing business for over 200 years, and have made a commitment to a sustainable fishing practise that they’ve called “Fish for Life”. They follow their own ‘Ten Principles for Responsible Fish Procurement’, and are closely aligned to the objectives of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for wild caught fish. Young’s currently supplies 80% of the MSC products in the UK market. Earlier this year, Young’s commissioned an audit by respected independent consultancy, Bodycote Lawlabs to validate the Fish for Life approach and they have confirmed that Young’s is applying a robust methodology in assessing the sustainability of their fish supplies. via Fishupdate.com

“Fish for Life has become a fundamental cornerstone of our business, so we felt it was crucial to subject its processes to proper independent scrutiny. We are delighted that this audit has underlined the validity of our approach and feel confident that we have developed an industry-leading template for the assessment of responsible fisheries practice.�

“When you consider that fish is one of the last main sources of human food that is still wild caught, you understand why it is so crucial that we properly manage our global fisheries to guarantee the availability of seafood for future generations”.

Mike Parker, Deputy Chief Executive, Young’s Seafood

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