Photo: mrsdohpaz / Flickr

Vegetarians are able to enjoy healthy sushi as much as meat eaters with these fish-free sushi rolls. Vegetarian sushi rolls allow you to get creative with colour in the kitchen, while omitting fish, a characteristic of sushi rolls. They can be made from a combination of grated baby marrow with wasabi and sesame seeds, grated carrot and alfalfa sprouts, cream cheese and mixed peppers, cucumber with avocado pear and mayonnaise, tofu and rocket, omelette and water cress or whatever other filling you wish to experiment with. This recipe will serve six. (Read more…)

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This butternut bake recipe does not require any pastry skills as the crust is made with breadcrumbs making it great for cooks who want to get a simple – if indirect – introduction into what goes into making pastries The breadcrumbs are blended with chopped tomato, sesame seeds, grated cheddar cheese and olive oil. The crust doesn’t require any rolling as it is simply sprinkled over the filling and baked until golden brown. Ingredients for the filling include butternut, onion, garlic, feta cheese, hyme, olive oil, mixed spice and seasoning. Replace the butternut with spinach for a spinach and feta cheese dish. Serve with couscous. (Read more…)

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This potato and lentil shepherd’s pie dish can be enjoyed by meat eaters as well as vegetarians, and the lentils can be substituted with kidney beans, if your prefer. Being a hearty dish, it is well suited to cold weather. Serve it with caramelised onions and whatever vegetables are in season for a well-rounded meal. (Read more…)

Photo: Lachlan / Flickr

This eggplant lasagne recipe is great for vegetarians and can be prepared ahead of time. Ingredients include lasagne sheets, onion, tomatoes, eggplant (or brinjal), mozzarella cheese, olive oil, marjoram and olive oil. The white sauce requires butter, flour, milk and nutmeg. Any cooked seasonal vegetables can be used instead of eggplant for the filling. Oven roasted butternut or pumpkin slices or well drained cooked spinach make for a delicious alternative dish. Allow for one cup of filling for each layer. (Read more…)

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Imagine having limitless amounts of energy so that you can do all the things you want to do. Some people, like Judith Wills believe that ‘once you finally tap into life as you truly want to live it, you will find that energy really is infinite.’  She says that you don’t have to feel that you have just ‘so much’ energy that will allow you to do just ‘this many’ things and no more. Whatever positively stimulates, motivates or pleases you can energise you, too. (Read more…)

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Veneers are extremely thin sheets of wood that can be used to cover or decorate a wooden base. Just as wood is unique and not always uniform, so is veneer. These paper thin veneers are often described according to their source. They can be called crown, burr, burl, butt, ray, birds-eye, curly or striped, for instance. Inlays, on the other hand, serve to decorate table tops and wooden doors. Although they were historically created by highly-skilled carpenters, they can be bought ready made today. (Read more…)

Photo: Smashwords

Amanda Hocking is a writer of paranormal fiction. She published a novel as an ebook in an attempt to raise some urgently needed extra cash. Her previously unpublished book has since sold over 1.5m books. Not only has it made the author a fortune but it has changed the publishing game as we know it. Ed Pilkington points out in his article for The Guardian that Hocking ‘has emerged from obscurity to bestselling status entirely under her own self-published steam.’ (Read more…)

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Stress levels rise and fall during an average day. Stress is an inevitability when one is faced with uncertain events, uncommon situations or social interactions. When you’re doing something familiar, or involved with something you enjoy, your stress levels will typically fall again. Signs of situational stress include trembling, a racing heart, sweating, a dry mouth, dizziness, feeling faint, feeling paralysed and unable to function or feelings of needing to run away or act aggressively. These are signs of fear, anger or anxiety. (Read more…)

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Perfumes and incense have been used over time to do anything from heal the sick to avert ‘the evil eye.’ Although we may no longer use fragrances to invoke the gods, aromatic substances still have a powerful effect on the human psyche. Most aromatic materials come from the flowers, leaves, bark and resin of plants — although musk is obtained from the glands of various mammals. Here are a few fragrance-dispensing techniques that have been used by various cultures over the millennia. (Read more…)

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Do you suffer from painful muscle knots in your back? These so called Trigger Points are nodules inside the muscle that one can feel under the skin. They’re often sore to the touch and can cause pain and headaches. Paula Moore has been working as a chiropractor for 20 years. She shares a nifty tennis ball trick on her site that helps to ‘melt’ these tense areas — so you don’t have to spend a fortune on massage therapy. (Read more…)