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Meat or no meat?
Reduction in meat consumption is a topic that 20 years ago was not commonly discussed. Climate change was something scientists talked about in terms that seemed like gibberish and a long way in the future. Vegans were considered eccentric hippies who were taking things too seriously. Vegetarians were often asked ‘is it because the animals are too cute, or you don’t like the taste?’ How times have changed! Reduction in meat consumption is a topic that 20 years ago was not commonly discussed. Climate change was something scientists talked about in terms that seemed like gibberish and a long way in the future. Vegans were considered eccentric hippies who were taking things too seriously. Vegetarians were often asked ‘is it because the animals are too cute, or you don’t like the taste?’ How times have changed! Nowadays the terms vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian are becoming so common that they’re positively trendy, in a good way. For those that are a little slower on the band wagon (as we have discovered they are in some parts of Europe) let us outline the differences for you, sourced from the very reputable Urban Dictionary. Vegan People who refrain from eating any animal products. This includes avoiding milk, eggs and cheese. Vegetarian Someone who doesn’t eat meat. Some people claim to be ‘modified vegetarians’ and will eat fish as it’s a more sustainable source of meat. Flexitarian A silly word to categorise people whose eating habits don't already fit into a category but desperately want to belong to a label. I consider myself a flexitarian, even if it is a silly word, it’s my way of making an effort to help with sustainability. I love a good steak, but my consumption has dropped from 3-4 times a week to once a fortnight. The links between meat consumption and climate change are undeniable and it’s an area where we can all feel like we are affecting change. The consequences and very real impact of climate change has become relevant to everybody. It’s no longer a matter of when will climate change happen but what can we be doing right now to slow it down. It can seem like a big overwhelming issue, but every little bit helps, even if it seems like a miniuscule difference. If every person makes a miniuscule difference that suddenly becomes a monumental difference. A recent report published in the British medical journal The Lancet has worked through solutions that would both slow climate change and feed the growing global population. With an estimated 10 billion people worldwide by 2050, the problem of how everyone is going to be fed needs to be considered. The recommendation is a majority plant-based diet with a small, occasional intake of meat, dairy and sugar. This conclusion was found after considering greenhouse gases, water and crop use, nitrogen or phosphorous from fertilisers and the biodiversity impact if regions are converted into farmland to feed the growing population. If the recommended changes are followed, then greenhouse gases could be reduced and there would be enough land available to feed all 10 billion of us! So go on, jump on at least the flexitarian band wagon to try and do your bit. You could substitute a meat meal for a delicious Tofu Green Curry or Vegan Halloumi Roast Vege Salad. Next time you go to make a cheese board, use your Mad Millie Vegan Cheese kit to whip up some Vegan Ricotta. All the little substitutions really will make a difference!
Whey and Nut Pulp Recipes
With New Years resolutions fresh in the mind, a suggestion for this year is to try and reduce as much waste as possible. This can be approached in many ways but for us at Mad Millie using nut pulp and whey are two easy wins. Both are by-products of using our kits in the kitchen but don’t even think about pouring them down the sink or binning them! With a little bit of planning ahead these can be repurposed in some delicious recipes, so nothing goes to waste. With New Years resolutions fresh in the mind, a suggestion for this year is to try and reduce as much waste as possible. This can be approached in many ways but for us at Mad Millie using nut pulp and whey are two easy wins. Both are by-products of using our kits in the kitchen but don’t even think about pouring them down the sink or binning them! With a little bit of planning ahead these can be repurposed in some delicious recipes, so nothing goes to waste. Whey is the watery liquid that is left over after the curds have coagulated to make cheese. The whey contains most of the lactose out of the milk and about 20% of the protein. The whey protein is a rich source of essential amino acids which are the building blocks for muscles and other human tissues. They’re easily digested and absorbed by the body which is why they are often used in sports nutrition, infant/ageing nutrition and weight loss. Depending on the type of cheese you are making, there are two different types of whey produced and each can be used in different ways. Acid whey (below pH 5.1) is the by-product of making cheese using citric acid such as ricotta and mozzarella. Sweet whey has no acid added during the cheese making process. Whey can be stored in the refrigerator for a couple of months or frozen for even longer shelf life. Ways to use your Whey - Soak grains in acid whey before making beans, bread or bircher muesli. - Make pizza dough with acid whey for a tang. - Add sweet or acid whey to smoothies instead of milk, water or juice to provide more vitamins, minerals and proteins. - Use sweet whey as a starter culture for fermenting vegetables in our Mad Millie Fermenting Crock. - Use as a cooking liquid for potatoes, rice or pasta with sweet or acid whey. - Water your plants with sweet whey. - Use acid whey to replace lemon juice in a salad dressing. - Make whey cheese (whey Ricotta recipe below) Nut pulp is similarly useful in the kitchen and is something that is far too precious to just throw out, nuts can be expensive! Once you have made your delicious fresh nut milk, collect the nut pulp out of the Mad Millie Draining Bag and use the below to help get you started with inspiration. Nut pulp can be stored frozen to maintain the shelf life and different types of nut pulp can easily be mixed together. Ways to use your Nut Pulp - Nut Flour - if you have a dehydrator then nut flour can be made easily. Alternatively spread it on a lined baking tray, set your oven at the lowest heat and dry until it is all crumbly and delicious. - Nut Pulp Crackers can be easily whipped up by adding 3 Tbsp olive oil, ¼ tsp sea salt and 2 tsp dried herbs to 1 cup of nut pulp. Roll the mixture out and bake in the oven at 180°C (356°F) until they’re crispy. - Baking and nut pulp go hand in hand, do some googling and you will find a huge range of nut pulp recipes out there. With the nut pulp being high in fibre the baking becomes that much less guilty! Click here to sign up to our "Time to Reflect" e-book, for a Raw Chocolate Brownie recipe, using left over nut pulp. - Throw a couple of cups of nut pulp into your favourite homemade muesli to get all the goodness in the morning. - Raw Nut Pulp Hummus, a delicious and easy recipe by Homespun Capers can be found here. While the nutritional benefits of nut pulp aren’t as great as whey, the pulp still contains fibre which is great for helping with digestion. Additionally, in a world where we desperately need to be more aware of what is happening to food waste and what we can do to reduce it, this can be your action to help contribute! Mad Millie Whey Ricotta Makes approx. 600 g (21 oz) Whey ricotta is a soft, fresh curd cheese which is used very frequently in Italian cooking. Ricotta literally means recooked. The high temperatures used to make this cheese, separate the remaining proteins in the whey to make ricotta cheese. The yield is however quite low, and milk is therefore added to help increase it. Whey used for ricotta needs to be fresh whey and best less than 1 hour old. Ingredients 5 L (1.3 US Gal) of fresh sweet whey 2 cups (500 mL/16.9 fl oz) full fat, homogenised milk 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp salt 2 Tbsp white vinegar Method - Thoroughly sterilise equipment with steriliser (see bottle instructions for use). If not included, use baby bottle steriliser or boiling water. - Heat whey to 60°C (140°F). Stir frequently. - Add full fat, homogenised milk. - Add 1/2 tsp – 1 tsp of salt if you like a salty ricotta. - Continue to heat the milky whey to 90°C (194°F). Continue to stir. - At 90°C (194°F) stir while slowly adding the vinegar. At the first sign of small specks appearing in the whey, stop adding vinegar. - Leave to stand on a low heat for 5 - 10 minutes to let the ricotta firm up. Then, gently scoop off the layer of curd that has risen to the surface (this is ricotta) into a ricotta mould (the ricotta mould may need to be lined with cheese cloth). - Eat straight away or store in the fridge and use within 1 week.
Cheese Guide for Lactose Intolerance
The extent to which someone is lactose intolerant varies from person to person, but being sensitive to cheese doesn't mean you should avoid cheese completely. Cheese Guide for Lactose Intolerance The extent to which someone is lactose intolerant varies from person to person, but being sensitive to cheese doesn't mean you should avoid cheese completely. Lactose is a sugar found in milk. This sugar is consumed by certain lactic acid bacteria cultures causing milk pH to decrease due to the production of lactic acid. The majority of lactose is found in the whey, and low levels can remain after manufacture. Soft cheeses contain more lactose as the majority of the whey is kept. Look out for cheese with fewer grams of sugar. If you wish to explore your lactose intolerance I would suggest starting with aged and hard cheeses. Aged and hard cheese can be digested by most people with lactose intolerance. In the production of hard cheeses, much of the whey is released thereby giving the cheese far less lactose compared to a fresh cheese. In addition, during cheese ripening, remaining lactose gets metabolised to lactate which then gets utilised by other microorganisms making way to a series of other chemical reactions in the cheese. Below is a list of cheeses you should avoid if you are lactose intolerant and ones that you could try. Avoid: Cottage Cheese Cream Cheese Feta Mozzarella Ricotta Try: Camembert Cheddar Havarti Blue Vein Gorgonzola All the above cheeses can be made at home by using our Mad Millie Cheese Kits, click here to view our range. Using lactose-free milk with our kits Based on our trials, lactose-free milk worked well with feta, cream cheese, ricotta, camembert, blue cheese, hard cheeses, but not so good with halloumi and mozzarella. Halloumi turned out to be floury in texture and had a grainy appearance, while mozzarella was granular and dense and it didn’t stretch as well as expected.