Animals Are Our Future

Time for a rant…

I am sick and tired of hearing the way people talk about animals, after seeing the footage from Indonesia someone has actually told me that they don’t care how it gets there, as long as it ends up on his plate! I have asked and asked and still haven’t had an answer to this question… Why is an animals’ life less important than ours? Are our appetites more important than the happiness and welfare of a living being?

What gives man the right to treat an animal, or another human being, with such malice and hate?

We have all heard the stories that have surfaced so far this year, the Singapore law student who stomped an Ibis to death because it approach him while he was eating, the derelicts that dragged that poor pony down the road behind their car, the reckless man who purposely jet-skied over a black swan, the man who you-tubed a video of his ‘mate’ an eclectus parrot, attached to the wind screen wipers of his car whilst driving on a highway, not to mention the thousands of stories that aren’t brought to the attention of the public or go completely unnoticed, but are any of these people in serving time?

Many of them get away with nothing more than a fine or a suspended sentence and no criminal record. I am finding it hard to understand how the legal system can fail us in such a big way, they need to pay attention to the cries of the citizens and be more in touch with their fellow man because we will NOT stand for these outrages acts of violence! Australia needs to explore new alternatives in the way of animal cruelty charges and not continue to let these criminals escape punishment from this horrific crime. For people like this to change their habits and their attitude toward animals a more serious punishment needs to be introduced in Australia.

An animal, like a human being, can feel physical and emotional pain, just because their minds aren’t as evolved as ours emotionally doesn’t mean they should be subjected to this torment. They are still living, breathing, loving beings and should be protected from abuse. It is unfair to assume that an animals’ feelings are less important than our own. We as humans need to speak up because animals are unable to speak for themselves, they aren’t vindictive, spiteful or filled with hate they act how you teach them to act, much like your own children, they are loving and giving and don’t deserve this abuse.

And to all those pet owners out there, most of you mean no harm… little do you know that your ignorance is harming your pet and the lives of many other animals. PLEASE, I cannot stress this enough, do the appropriate research before deciding to adopt an animal. Buy a breed of dog that suits the needs of your home, don’t expect a border collie or similar to live in a small yard and then hand it to the RSPCA after you decide it has behavioural problems, separate your guinea pigs if you do not wish for them to breed, don’t buy a fighter fish with the impression that they can live in a damn cup! Keep your cats inside of a night time to protect them and our wildlife, provide an adequate diet for your pet and above all else DESEX YOUR ANIMALS! I don’t care if it’s ‘expensive’ to feed your animals a diet of premium food or if it costs money to desex and animal and keep its flea treatment and vaccinations up to date, if you can’t afford an animal don’t buy one. They are not second class citizens, they deserve the best care we can provide for them. If I’ve offended you, suck it up, at the end of the day I’m more interested in the animals’ welfare than the effect it has on your pocket. Humans have ruined this land and raped it of all its gifts, it’s time to start giving back.

Vegetarian Recipe - Tofu Summer Rolls

Ingredients

Makes 8 rolls
150g dried rice vermicelli
200g block of marinated tofu, sliced into 1cm batons (I like the Soyco brand available at Woolworths)
½ small iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 carrot, finely grated
½ bunch Vietnamese mint, leaves picked
8 x rice paper rounds

Optional: peanut dipping sauce

Instructions
1. Soak the rice vermicelli in boiling water (from a kettle is fine) in a large bowl for ten minutes until softened. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
2. Set up a workstation with the tofu, lettuce, carrot and mint in separate bowls or piles on a bench. Fill a bowl larger than the rice paper rounds with warm water and dip one of them into it for ten seconds or so to just soften.
3. Place a softened rice paper round on a clean damp tea towel and top with the lettuce, then vermicelli, carrot, mint and tofu. Fold both ends in and roll up tightly. Place on a plate and cover with another clean damp tea towel while you repeat with the remaining rice paper rounds and ingredients. Serve as is or with peanut dipping sauce, if you like.

Variation: Try substituting poached and shredded chicken or cooked prawns instead of tofu.

Vegetarian Recipe - Trifle

Ingredients

Sponge:
4 free range eggs, at room temperature
2/3 cup (140g) caster sugar
2-3 Tbsp (30g) gluten free dairy free custard powder
1 ½ Tbsp soy flour
¾ tsp gluten free baking powder
½ cup sweet sherry (optional)

Fruit Filling
420g canned apricot halves, drained, roughly chopped, liquid reserved
420g canned peaches, sliced, drained, roughly chopped, liquid reserved

Custard
2 ½ cups Vitasoy Soy Milky Vanilla
¼ cup (50g) caster sugar
½ cup gluten free dairy free custard powder
2 tsp vanilla essence

Topping
1 packet strawberry jelly crystals

Instructions

To Make the Sponge:
Preheat oven to 160^oC.  Grease two round sandwich pans 19cm diameter. In a large bowl, beat eggs with electric beaters for 8 minutes or until thick and foamy. Beat in sugar until all dissolved.
Into a separate medium bowl, sift together dairy free custard powder, soy flour and baking powder. Fold into egg mixture with a metal spoon, ensure well combined. Pour into two prepared sandwich pans, bake 15-20 minutes or until it springs back to touch. Allow to cool for 3 minutes in pan then invert onto wire rack to cool completely.

To Construct the Trifle:
Cut each sponge in half to make 4 thin disks. Then into large pieces and press firmly into the base and sides of a 2.5L glass bowl. Slightly overlap the pieces of sponge.  Drizzle sherry all over the sponge and allow to soak in. Fill the centre of the prepared base with chopped tinned fruit to approximately 2/3 full. Pour in enough reserved juice to soak the sponge.

Next, make the custard. In a small bowl, combine ½ cup of Vitasoy Soy Milky Vanilla and dairy free custard powder to form a smooth paste. Set aside. In a small saucepan, heat remaining Vitasoy Vanilla Soy Milky and sugar over medium-high heat until almost boiling. Reduce heat to low. Stir paste into heated Vitasoy Soy Milky Vanilla mixture, stirring until well combined and custard very thick. Remove from heat and pour over fruit in prepared sponge base shell. Place in refrigerator for one hour to allow to cool whilst preparing the jelly.

In a heat-proof container, prepare jelly according to packet directions, however using only 3/4 the recommended quantity of water.  Set aside and allow to cool to room temperature, then place in refrigerator to become firmly set. When jelly is set, scoop out of the container and fully cover the custard with a rough topping of jelly. Place in refrigerator until serving.

Serves 8-10

Vegetarian Recipe - Asparagus & Feta Omelette

Ingredients

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 5 minutes

Serves: 1
3 asparagus spears
2 medium eggs
2 tbsp Vitasoy Calci-Plus
½ tsp oil
20g reduced fat fetta cheese

Instructions

Step 1
Steam or microwave the asparagus spears until tender.
Step 2
Whisk the eggs with Vitasoy Calci-Plus and season with pepper.
Heat ½ tsp of oil in a non-stick frying pan; pour egg/soy milk mixture into the pan.

Step 3
Once the egg is almost set, lay the asparagus down one side and crumble
fetta cheese over the top. Step 4 Fold over one half of the omelette to cover the filling and thereafter heat all the way through.

Step 4
Serve with a salad of spinach leaves and fresh tomatoes.

Great choice for:
Weight Management
Active Males can serve with toast
Active Females can serve with toast

 This recipe is:
Vegetarian • Gluten free (Substitute Vitasoy Calci-Plus for Vitasoy Soy Milky Lite)

Nutritional information
Energy 1021kJ Protein 20.4g Total Fat 16.5g Saturated Fat 5.4g Carbohydrate 3.4g Sugar 2.7g Sodium 371mg Calcium 176mg

Vegetarian Recipe - Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Ingredients

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 20 minutes
Serves: 4
500g penne pasta
1 tbsp dairy-free margarine
1 brown onion, chopped
200g mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp vegan stock powder, salt reduced
1 ½ cups Vitasoy High-Fibre
100g baby spinach leaves

Instructions

Step 1
Cook the pasta according to packet directions. Heat a large frying pan, melt margarine,
add onion, mushrooms and cook until onion transparent.

Step 2
Sprinkle flour into the pan and stir, cook for 2 minutes while continuing to stir, then
crumble stock cube and add Vitasoy High-Fibre to the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat
and simmer until the mixture thickens.

Step 3
Stir in baby spinach leaves and continue to cook until the spinach is wilted.
Serve immediately on the cooked pasta.

Nutritional information
Energy 2281kJ Protein 20.0g Total Fat 7.0g Saturated Fat 1.3g Carbohydrate 95.0g Sugar 3.3g Sodium 263mg Calcium 155mg

Great choice for:
Active Males
Active Females

This recipe is:
Low fat (2.1g per 100g) • Lactose free • Dairy and Lactose free • Vegetarian • Vegan