Tuesday 30 June 2020

Recipe: Quick Potato Bake

By Chris R.


For a recent birthday I was gifted an incredible food processor which has halved the time taken to prepare many of the animal meals each evening – as an extra bonus, it also makes a fantastic potato bake!

We whipped this one up late one night and enjoyed with veggie schnitzel and vegetables – perfect winter fare!

Ready for the oven...
 
Ingredients:
- 1kg of potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon of crushed garlic
- 1 cup of soy milk
- 1 cup of vegetable stock
- 1 cup of nutritional yeast, plus extra to sprinkle on top
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 2 tablespoons of Nuttelex
- Salt and pepper to season
- Vegetable oil spray

Method:
- Spray a 30x20cm oven safe dish or tray with vegetable oil, then layer sliced potatoes to fill the tray.

- In a saucepan, mix the Nuttelex and flour over a low heat, stirring continuously. 

- When evenly blended, add garlic and ¼ cup of soy milk. Stir until combined, then add all other ingredients.

- Once heated through, pour over potatoes, sprinkle on extra nutritional yeast and cook for approximately 45 minutes at 180C, or until golden.

Enjoy!




Thursday 4 June 2020

Volunteering with Kenneth

By Kenneth


I’ve had the privilege of volunteering with PVAS since 2017. Weekends always mean one thing - getting to hang out with wool, feather and fur friends. 

While cuddles are copious, sanctuary work isn’t glamorous. With over 180 (and counting) animals, one can only imagine the amount of cleaning, washing, and caregiving that needs to be done. Chris & Mark, founders of the sanctuary, take on this enormous task while both holding full time jobs. Watching them do it everyday for the animals, joined by other wonderful humans who volunteer each week, gives me hope. 

So I’ve mentioned the work isn’t glamorous. Sometimes it involves getting head butted by rascal rams, flying a few feet, and landing in the very poo you’re trying to clean. Why do it then? It’s watching the ducks splash happily in the paddle pool that’s just been scrubbed and filled with fresh water. It’s seeing the sheep get zoomies from being excited about a clean house and fresh bed of straw. It’s when the possums stuff their face with flowers from the new branches in their aviaries and you don’t need to speak a common language to know their joy. The animals at PVAS are living their best lives, something many of their species can only dream off. 

It’s a long shot, but volunteering’s also about trying to make amends. I’ve spent too many years of my life participating in the exploitation of animals. Being at PVAS recharges me and gives me a purpose.