Vegenuary is here and perhaps, you re looking for the best recipes to celebrate Veganuary, Continue Reading.
Since new year is all about new beginnings and with this plant-based diet on the first month of the year is good for your diet.
When did Veganuary start?
in recent years, Veganism has been on the rise with about 600,000 vegans in the United-states. But what is a Vegenuary.
Veganuary is a non-profit organisation which began in 2014 to encourage people to switch to a plant-based diet. L
Veganuary’s popularity has soared exponentially. In their founding year 2014 which over 3,000 participants took part. The sign-ups hit record highs in 2021, with over 582,000 people signing up as of now.
7 delicious vegan recipes for 2022
To get you inspired for your 31-day Veganuary challenge, we’ve picked some of our fave plant-based recipes to get you started:
Breakfast
Banana Pancakes
Serves 4
Mix 250g buckwheat flour, 1 tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Separately mash 1 banana and mix in 200ml coconut yoghurt and 150ml coconut milk. You can use more milk if you want a thinner consistency.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures to form a smooth batter.
Heat a neutral oil in a non-stick frying pan to a medium heat. Ladle in a heaped spoonful of batter and fry on each side for around 2 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Repeat until the batter is finished.
Serve with vegan toppings of your choice!
Tofu scramble
Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan on medium heat, then crumble a block of firm tofu (approx. 300g) straight into the pan. You can use a fork, potato masher, or even your hands to crumble the tofu. Aim to reach the consistency of scrambled eggs.
Cook the tofu, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes so that the water evaporates.
Season with 2 tbsp nutritional yeast, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/4 tsp turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another five minutes, continuing to stir frequently.
Add 1-2 tbsp of dairy-free milk to the eggs to reach a creamy consistency. Serve.
Lunch
Lentil Soup
Gently fry 1 diced onion in some olive oil in a large pan. Fry until soft and lightly browned. Add to this 4 carrots, finely chopped or grated, 150g dry red lentils, 1 tsp ground cumin, and 1 litre of low-sodium vegetable stock. You can also add dairy-free milk here if you want the soup extra creamy.
Reduce the heat to low, cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes. At this point the lentils should be softened and cooked.
Blend with a hand blender or in a food processor and serve.
Vegan ‘egg mayo’ sandwich
Make the tofu scramble as instructed in the recipe above. Once cooled, add vegan mayo to the tofu and season to your palette. We recommend adding dijon mustard and chives to the ‘egg mayo’ filling.
Serve sandwiched between two slices of bread, with the option of adding cress.
Dinner
Sweet Potato and Coconut Curry
Finely dice 1 onion and add to a large sauce pan with 1 tbsp of neutral oil. Fry until softened, for around 10 minutes.
Grate 3-4 cloves of garlic then grate a thumb of ginger straight into the pan. Add 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp ground coriander and 1/2 tsp turmeric. You can also add an extra teaspoon of garam masala if you want more spicing. Cook the spices for another minute.
Add 2 sliced and deseeded red peppers to the pan and fry for 4-5 minutes while you prep your sweet potatoes.
Peel and dice 3-4 medium sweet potatoes. Add them to the pan to fry for another 5 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure colour reaches all of the sweet potatoes.
Add 1x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes and 1x 400ml coconut milk to the pan. Stir to combine, then cover with a lid and leave to simmer on a medium heat for 20-30 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are cooked. Season with salt and pepper and then serve. This curry can be served with rice or couscous, with an optional garnish of coriander leaves.
Veggie stir fry
Finely slice any vegetables of your choice – broccoli, peppers, onions, mangetout, mushrooms. Finely slice 2 cloves of garlic and a thumb of ginger.
Separately prepare your noodles of choice according to their packet instructions.
Heat 1 tbsp neutral oil in a frying pan or wok. Add in the vegetables, garlic and ginger and fry. Add 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce, 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, 1/2 tbsp sriracha. Use more or less depending on spice preference. Season with 1/2 tsp white pepper.
Add the noodles to the pan and toss. Serve immediately.
Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
For an incredibly fast, delicious and vegan dinner idea, try the Italian classic, Spaghetti Aglio e Olio.
Boil salted water in a large pan. Add around 450g spaghetti to the boiling water and cook until nearly al dente.
Heat 120ml of olive oil in a large frying pan on a medium heat. Finely slice 6-8 cloves of garlic while the oil gently heats. Add to the pan along with 1/2 chilli flakes. Fry gently for 3-5 minutes until they become a light gold colour – be careful not to burn the garlic!
Once the spaghetti is nearly al dente, add it to the garlic pan. Save the pasta water, as you will add 150ml of the starchy water to emulsify the sauce. Toss the pasta until it is evenly coated in the garlic sauce. Add more pasta water if required.
Season to taste and serve with a general handful of finely chopped parsley.
You can read more about Veganuary’s mission and download their free vegan cookbook via their website.