Vegan January
So looking to try something new, detox for the new year or just change up your meals once in a while then this guide will help all eaters. Whether it’s a change for a month, easing your way into eating more vegetarian/ vegan meals or taking the first step into eating less animal products.
Swaps
To begin with let’s look at some swaps, alternative options is some of your favourite classic dishes or ideas to try that you may not have heard of before.
Ideas:
Meat substitutes – branded alternatives
Beef Lasagne - how about ‘beefy’ mushrooms
Greek Chicken Gyros – Barbecued Spiced Aubergine Gyros
Lamb Tagine – Chickpea Tagine
Meat Biryani – Veg Biryani with dry fruits
Creamy curry sauces – stir in cashew paste
Soy based alternatives – tofu, soya chunks and soya mince
Cheese based alternatives – paneer, halloumi, mozzarella, feta
Lentils, beans and pulses
Milk – soy, almond, rice, coconut
Alternative branded vegan dairy products
Butternut squash - using this for your meals can make it feel more substantial
Meal Ideas for Anytime of the Day
Here is a selection of meal ideas, with all dishes having alternatives to meat based dishes. Also try and create new dishes, making them just as exciting and flavoursome as any other dish you regularly enjoy to eat.
Breakfast:
Substitutes for a full English – vegan sausages, hash browns, mushrooms, beans and multi-seed toast.
Curried scrambled tofu on toast
Vegan pancakes
Savoury muffins
Overnight oats with fruits
Lunch:
Bhaji wrap
Jacket potato with veg ratatouille
Rice and veg chili
Pasta with anything!
Greens' stir fry noodles
Salad
Dinner:
Creamy vegetable soup
Puoy lentils shepherd’s pie with sweet potato mash
‘meaty’ bean burger and zucchini chips
Masala Tofu ‘fish’ and chips
Vegan pie, mash, peas and vegan gravy
Snack:
Oaty balls of power
Fruit salad with mint and sumac dressing
Spicy popcorn and poppadum crisps with a tangy tomato dip
Fruit cakes
Lemon drizzles slices
Marble biscuits
Roasted red pepper dip and baked 'chicken nuggets'
Dessert:
'Anything goes' fruit and nutty crumble
Dark chocolate and cherry brownies
Vanilla cheesecake with mango and coconut topping
Raspberry mousse
Steamed sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vegan vanilla ice cream
Whilst these are just ideas and tips, they can be adapted to your own taste, alternatively you can replace some of the ingredients to make it a meal or dish you can enjoy.
Budgeting
When buying food in general, make a list of what you actually need and make a meal plan and buy according to that. Buying store cupboard ingredients in bulk saves money, like buying tinned products, dried pasta, rice, nut, spices and dried herbs, even potatoes and onions are good in big bags. Take into consideration that the vegan plant based alternative products are quite expensive however buying one product weekly or over the month should not clear your pockets. Also most products are frozen and have a longer shelf life so fork out once and enjoy many meals from it. Buy a few fresh ingredients that are not packaged so you can give it your own shelf like buy picking no so ripe fruit and veg, use items according to their ripe time as I call it. Do not throw out wrinkled or old veggies they can be used up for stocks, soups, sauces or even our leftover recipes.
When making one meal, pre-thinking the next meal its a good way of getting more for your money as well as transforming your leftovers in to great new dishes for lunch, or even an evening meal for another day. Try batch cooking sauces and stocks to save time and money and use our freezer and chillers wisely. A weekly budget from £10 to £20 can stretch a long way for a family, having an rough idea and plan for the week can help you spend appropriately, whilst also be healthy. Smart choices that help yourself as well as your household and give you more time to do the things you most enjoy in life.
All Vegan Recipes are found on the site:
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