VEGAN KOREAN BEEF RECIPE

Today's post is featuring perhaps one of my favourite vegan recipes I have tried since turning vegan and it's too good not to share as my first recipe I post. I can't take credit for this recipe myself, I actually saw it on @erinireland instagram story but the original creator was Lord Byron's Kitchen and it looked so simple so I just gave it a go one evening and really enjoyed it so could not resist sharing it! It only takes around 20 minutes to cook and is so worth it. I believe it actually is a vegetarian recipe however it happens to be accidentally vegan too which is perfect, and I found that generally I had most of the ingredients already, only having to stock up on one or two items.

Ingredients (to serve 4):

• 1 pack of vegan mince (I used the Tesco own brand frozen version)
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 large red onion
• 3 cloves of minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons grated ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
• Basmati rice to serve 4 (I also have made this with long grain rice and it still works well, but I'd recommend basmati over this)
• Handful of chopped spring onions

Recipe: (Lord Byron's Kitchen website - link)

1. In a pan on a medium heat, fry off the onions in olive oil; add the garlic and vegan mince and continue to fry for another 5 minutes.
2. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, dried chili flakes, black pepper, and brown sugar. Stir well into the vegan mince mixture.
3. Continue to fry until all of the liquid is absorbed and there is a slight sticky consistency - around 5 minutes.
4. Serve with cooked basmati rice and top with sliced green onions and sesame seeds (the recipe suggests stirring these in whilst frying however I prefer them on top).

So, a fairly simple recipe that tastes amazing and is definitely worth a try. This is one of the top recipes I would recommend serving to people who aren't vegan, as the difference between this and a meat dish is barely noticeable because of the flavours - and it also has the approval of non-vegans which is always a good sign.

MY JOURNEY TO VEGANISM SO FAR

Earlier this year, I decided to make a transition in my life and being a journey towards a vegan lifestyle. Although I can't claim to be fully vegan yet in terms of general lifestyle (more on this later), my diet has fully transitioned and I have been eating vegan/plant-based since the end of February this year. I had been putting off posting this for a while now as I had no idea how people would react to it, however with so many big talks on climate change and the environment over the past couple of days I could not delay it any longer - as a plant-based diet may offer some solutions to these pressing problems.

After facing various struggles over the past year or two I began to become less motivated about blogging, however I thought this transition towards veganism would be a perfect way to restart and become passionate about this again. Even more so because I am still on the path towards full veganism - being a uni student I just can't afford to throw away all my makeup and toiletries and buy new ones (I also think wasting current products creates another problem), so my process so far is when things run out I am replacing them with cruelty free products over time, and in the future my full collection will eventually be fully cruelty free. This way, I can use my blog to trial and test cruelty free makeup and prove that it is possible and affordable to make slight changes like these - as there are so many things on offer now.

My aim for this new blogging journey isn't to be overly preachy, nor critical of people who make certain changes and not others - in my opinion any change has the opportunity to make a difference and so this shouldn't be scrutinised (something that I have witnessed a lot within the vegan community). In this current period where change needs to happen in order to save the planet, this is a time for encouraging (not forcing) people to look into veganism/being plant-based, rather than attacking those who make small changes rather than the full change. So with this being said, the future of my blog will share recipes, as well as beauty and fashion products as I did before with a focus on the cruelty free/vegan market.

CASIO GOLD MINI DIGITAL WATCH

For years, I was never a watch person. I think as a child I had a couple of watches with characters on, like Hello Kitty and such, and then as a teen I had one watch and once the batteries ran out, I never went back to it. However, for the past 6 months or so, I've been wearing this Casio Mini Digital every single day.

The reason I like this is because it doesn't look like the classic watch. I have very very small wrists and a lot of watches therefore tend to look bulky and just don't suit me, which also lends to why I chose to buy the 'mini' version rather than the standard size Casio. But this is different. It has a sort of 'old school' vibe to it, and it is also ridiculously simple. The best part is that I got it for about £20, and it still looks almost brand new except the general wear and tear.

It also works really well for me due to the fact it is 'water resistant'. Of course, I'm not going to go swimming with my watch on, but as I work in a café I'm used to a lot of splashing and things and this just means I can still wear it to check the time and not be fretting constantly that it's going to get damaged.

For someone with a personal style similar to mine, I think this watch is such a good purchase, and it isn't exactly breaking the bank either. It's easy to wear, style and is the perfect size too. Perhaps, I'll even get the silver...

2016 INTO 2017

It is safe to say, I've neglected this for quite some time. I posted copious amounts of update posts always promising to get back on track and I never did. There were two reasons for that; I've been extremely busy, and I just wasn't feeling it. 2016 was the busiest year to date, but guaranteed 2017 will be busier - although balance is something I need to work on and so hopefully posts will be far less sparse. In terms of not feeling it, I started to just feel like blogging was all too much the same, and felt forced, and in terms of myself I've changed a lot compared to the beginning of 2016 let alone to when I began this blog in about 2013.

This year is a big one, I've applied to uni and will be off somewhere in England to study History this September/October, and I've got so much planned to enjoy, with the best people I could ever ask for. Hopefully, this motivation keeps as high as it is now, because in all honesty, I really need it.

As I plan to be at least, I'll be back soon.

CHOPPED

Apologies, for two things. Firstly, the awful phone quality pic up there, and secondly the lack of posts. The start of last month was pretty awful for me, I got dumped, and a few days later ended up with someone in the back of my newly bought little Kia Piccanto (first car, my heart breaks). But towards the end of the month, things were looking up - I passed my driving test, got the grades I wanted in my AS Levels and then, got my hair chopped and I honestly feel the best I have for months. Sometimes you need changes like these to realise how much better off you can be.

So, because I haven't shown off my new hair enough, there's a nice collage up there for you. This is a major change since for ages I was adamant I was growing my hair super long, but I think this blunt chop suits me and my personal style so much better.