Garlic Teriyaki Tempeh and Broccoli
So let’s get off the political bandwagon (it’s a fruitless exercise) and try using this blog for vegan recipes I find that work. I get fed up with scrolling through pictures and adverts just to read a recipe so I’ll try and avoid that here. I halved everything, added some courgette to the pan and steamed the broccoli first. Original recipe from this site: https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/teriyaki-tempeh-and-broccoli/
Ingredients
- ⅛ cup olive or avocado oil used as needed
- 8 oz package of tempeh cut into ¼ inch strips
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast flakes
- ½ pound of fresh broccoli chopped into bite-size florets
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- cooked rice quinoa or cauliflower rice for serving
- chopped scallions and sesame seeds for garnish
Teriyaki Sauce:
- 1 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil
- ¼ cup low sodium tamari sauce
- ½ Tablespoon maple syrup
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon fresh ginger grated or minced
- 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar
Instructions
- Make sauce: Whisk together all ingredients for the teriyaki sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
- Sauté: In a large skillet over medium-low heat brown the tempeh strips in a small amount of oil, adding more oil, a little at a time, as necessary to keep the pan from drying out.
- Add sauce: Once tempeh is golden brown in colour, add teriyaki sauce and nutritional yeast and mix to coat tempeh.
- Add broccoli: Toss pre cooked broccoli florets into the pan. Stir and simmer mixture for a few minutes
- Serve: Remove from heat. Serve immediately over quinoa, rice or cauliflower rice with scallions and sesame seeds as a garnish.
WP Frustration
I remember now why this blog languishes, it’s very frustrating to use. Mind you not much has changed politically since 2016
In Support of Junior Doctors
Today saw another strike by Junior Doctors, a strike I whole-heartedly support. These folk are passionate about the work they do and about saving lives. (Note that even on strike they are teaching people CPR – so more lives will be saved.) Why are they striking? Because the government intend to impose a contract on them, a contract that will see them working more hours than they already do. Jeremy Hunt, Health Secretary has said, amongst his other lies, that there is no cover on weekends, he used very dodgy figures to back his argument. He’s lying, no one is turned away from A&E at the weekends, Junior Doctors are there for everyone.
The BMA have done all they can to meet Hunt half way, even offering to trial said contract in a few areas, Hunt refused, one wonders why…
The Trouble With Facebook
Is Facebook a sociable place? No. Where’s the old cut and thrust of the old time forums and mailing lists? If you try to initiate a conversation, you get a smile (the old fashioned equivalent of a thumbs up) and if you are lucky a reply. And there it seems to end. Meanwhile people share endlessly, often without checking sources or dates. Are we all being manipulated? Probably.
What did I forget to share?
The Crankles – official vandalism
Walk alongside of the River Lark from Rushbrooke Lane side of town towards the Abbey gardens you’ll find it full of wildlife – usually! Not at the moment though. Why? because West Suffolk Council, no doubt seeing ££ signs in their eyes are “harvesting” willow trees from The Crankles in order to sell the wood to be made into cricket bats. Full story here.
The Crankles (I love that name) is a piece of land between the River’s Linnet and Lark, site of the long extinct abbey’s fish ponds. It can be seen alongside of the Vineyards on this 1776 map It’s the maze-like shape
What I see though is wholesale devastation of a wildlife habitat.
The trees there must have taken decades to grow. Gone now – all gone.
Clever to use the word harvesting, giving the impression that they will be back next season. They won’t, what was a beautifully wooded area on the edge of the town centre now looks like a scarred and torn battle field. Wanton destruction in my opinion
Excuse me whilst I go chop of one of my arms in case it gets diseased
Don’t Sell Off Our NHS
I think most people are by now aware that the Tory government is starving the NHS of cash whilst at the same time selling it off in bits and pieces to their mates
Today I saw an NHS Commissioning stand in town, it asked me to have my say – so I did.
Don’t Sell off Our NHS
He was kind enough to hold it whilst I took a snap
Enough said?
More Contracts Awarded to Atos
Atos it seems have been given responsibility for new childcare scheme, (as reported by the Independent) despite coming under fire for its role in testing people currently receiving disability benefits as well as the announcement that they want to end their contract to carry out work and capability assessments, this announcement was made after country-wide protests
Meanwhile the Daily Mirror reports that Atos have been accused by MPs of lying in its tender document to win £184million work and capability assessments.
Oh and in case you didn’t know, Atos have also been given the contract to work on NHS care data project. (Don’t forget you can opt out of this)
So can anyone tell me how and why?
Autistic children suffering because of cutbacks
It’s difficult keeping any child occupied in the school holidays, doubly so if that child is autistic. School routines have gone to be replaced with whatever activities the child’s parents can arrange. Up until now my daughter has paid for her son to attend activities 2 or 3 days a week during the holiday’s, this despite the fact that the budget for his activities has been cut by over half this year. These activities serve two purposes, they give the child some much needed routine and they also offer the child’s parents some much needed respite. Not any more though, the cost has just shot up from £20 a session to £75. On a yearly budget of £500 for activities it’s pretty obvious to see that at these prices not many days worth of activities will take place.
That’s it, that’s all, no holiday activities for my grandson and no respite for his mum.
Apply for anything (regardless of experience or qualifications)
- Figures for April show 1,458 jobless in my home town*
- Currently Universal job match list just 230 jobs posted within 5 miles of the town I live in*
Why is this relevant? I was summoned by letter to attend an interview today at my local job centre. There I found that following trials elsewhere in the country I wouldn’t have to wait to see an advisor when I attend fortnightly to sign on, instead I would just queue and sign in at “the counter”.
However, I will have to apply for 4 jobs a week. I pointed out to the adviser I spoke to today that in the last 4 weeks I have found just 3 suitable jobs to apply for, how and where was I going to find 4 a week?
Just apply for anything I was told, apply for packing (funnily enough the example on my job search form is for packing). Now I am a very experienced administrator, it’s not that packing is beneath me, were there such a job to suit my circumstances then I would apply. Fact is there isn’t. Also,why should I lower my expectations of where I should be employed?
The advisor printed out the new job agreement whilst I was still discussing the possibility of being able to find 4 jobs a week to apply for. I did say to the woman that if the same job is advertised on 20 different websites that doesn’t mean that there are 20 different jobs. That point lead to a momentary silence during which she got up and went to the printer to get the agreement. I reiterated that it may be impossible to find 4 jobs a week to apply for. “I’m sure they won’t mind if it’s 3 one week” she said. personally I’m sure they will – it’s a sanction waiting to happen
When she came back with the agreement I asked her were there any jobs actually advertised in the job centre. No, I was told, they are all on the internet, you can use the jobpoint here (one jobpoint for nearly 1500 people).
The agreement was thrust at me to sign, now I know I have no choice but to sign but I insisted on reading through it first. I did note that I was in a “green” group, goodness only knows what the “red group” have been forced to sign.
I am not going to lower my standards so I’m raising them, therefore this blog post will end with an apology to all potential employers, I am afraid I am going to be applying for jobs that I have no experience in or qualifications for. I’m sorry if I (and the other 1,457 unemployed are wasting your time and your resources – please blame the DWP and not the unemployed applicant.
* figures from http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2010/nov/17/unemployment-and-employment-statistics-economics
*vacancies posted within 30 days of today – 20th May 2013
Universal Job Match??
So I’m now signed on to the Government’s Universal Job Match website is it helping me find a job? Not really. Many of the jobs listed are months old, plus they seem to be posted by websites that curate vacancies from other websites (I wonder how many personal details they are curating at the same time?)
My local job centre have agreed that I can look for part time work (personal reasons), they know also that I am reliant on my two feet and public transport to get to any job as I don’t drive. However, I have to agree to look for work within 90 minutes travelling distance, that’s each way, not a round trip. So it’s compulsory that I have to agree to spend up to 3 hours a day travelling. How far do they think I can get in 3 hours? Why, anything from 30 to 84 miles away from where I live. Below is a screencap of what I saw when I logged in today.
Recommended Jobs as suggested by Universal Job Match
Using public transport it would take me anything from two to four hours just to get to these towns, and that doesn’t include making my way to any potential place of employment.
Just something to bear in mind next time you hear that there are xxx amount of jobs available for job seekers…..
Gemini Ramblings 
