Ideas for Veganuary (or whenever really!) Guest Blog by Lydia

Hi, I’m Lydia aka Sustainabilitybitch and I’ve been vegan (or there about!) for around two years. Seeing as it’s Veganuary, we thought I could share some benefits of veganuary and go into some of my favourite recipes and tips!

 

BENEFITS OF VEGANUARY:

Did you know that by eating vegan meals every day for a WEEK, you can save…

💧31,229 litres of water

🌾136kg of grain

🌲21 square metres of forest

💨68kg of CO2

🐷8 animals

 

So times that by four / five if you’re vegan for a month!!

 

MY FAVE RECIPES:

Protein flapjacks:

Ingredients:

 

  • 170g oats 
  • 5tbsp maple syrup 
  • 30g dark chocolate / chocolate chips 
  • 30g coconut oil 
  • 1 banana
  • 40g vegan protein powder 
  • 70g peanut butter 
  • 70g nuts / seeds (sometimes I leave this due to budgeting!)

 

  1. Mix everything in a bowl and put into an oven safe dish 
  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C 
  3. Bake for 25 mins and then leave to cool before chopping into flapjack sized pieces!

 

Alternatively, you could make some “baked oats” and add some protein powder and do the same thing (this will make them more cake-like!)

 

Creamy mushroom pasta:

This is a super simple recipe that’s great for a quick dinner or lunch! (For this recipe I usually eyeball it with the amount I want to eat and the consistency I like - also fun fact, I’m eating this as I write this!)

Ingredients:

  • A handful of mushrooms 
  • Tofu
  • Vegan cream 
  • Salad leaves
  • Pasta 
  • Herbs and seasonings (my fave is rosemary for this dish!)
  • Gravy granules (makes all the difference!)

 

  1. Fry the tofu and mushrooms in a pan until they’re cooked to your desired crispiness
  2. Turn down the heat and add in some cream and wait until it’s thickened before adding more 
  3. Add some pasta water and the salad leaves 
  4. Season with your desired herbs and make sure to add gravy granules for saltiness!
  5. Wait for the sauce to thicken before serving up!

 

I also like to add some roasted chickpeas for some extra protein!

 

Vegan mac n cheese:

A classic! If you’re missing your mac n cheese this veganuary, this one’s for you!

Ingredients:

  • Cashew nuts 
  • Nutritional yeast 
  • Vegan ham/bacon (quorn or THIS are my faves!)
  • Macaroni pasta
  • Seasonings of your choice (plus plenty of salt and pepper!)
  • Oat milk 
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Olive oil
  • Broccoli 

 

    1. Blend cashews, nutritional yeast, salt, pepper, herbs, olive oil, oat milk, garlic cloves, and a dash of water until you have a thick ‘cheese’ sauce (taste and add more nutritional yeast for a more cheesy flavour or add more cashews to thicken/more oat milk to thin it)
    2. Chop your vegan ham into small pieces to replicate bacon and fry until crispy 
    3. Boil your pasta and broccoli then mix all together and serve

 

This is a super easy recipe perfect for a bit of comfort

 

 

VEGAN TIPS!

I thought I’d share some tips for being healthy whist vegan and ensuring you get everything you need whilst staying happy!!

 

  • I try to add protein to every meal, ESPECIALLY breakfast as that kick starts your day - I find that beans, nuts, lentils, tofu, and chickpeas are where I tend to get most of my protein but lots of veggies have protein too so make sure to eat your greens!
  • Branch out with your meals! I’ve found that when I cook from scratch and get my protein through veggies, nuts and beans, I feel much better and eat generally healthier (saying that, fake meats are so delish and can have lots of nutrients!)
  • Pack your own lunch when going out for the day - sometimes vegan options are limited and if you’re wanting to make sure you’re getting all the right foods in, making your own lunch is the way to go (not to mention the fact that it saves money)
  • Spend money on some comfort treats every once in a while! This sounds counterintuitive seeing as I just mentioned saving money but something that keeps me vegan is buying some good vegan cheese or chocolate every once in a while, so I’m not tempted to have dairy 
  • MEAL PREP! This is something I’m currently working on but when I have been good at meal prepping, I’ve found it much easier to not just eat beans on toast for every meal 

 

I hope this blog post has been helpful in motivating you this veganuary and in some food ideas if you’re in a rut! 

Lots of love, 

Lydia, Sustainabilitybitch 

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