Simple Recipes for Veganuary

Now that we're nearly halfway through January and more than 370,000 people have signed up to Veganuary this year I thought I'd share some of my favourite Vegan recipes.

Veganism has been something I've drifted in and out of since 2018 and now in 2020 I'm committing to it fully. For me, veganism completely opened my eyes to a whole new variety of foods, it taught me how to cook and has fuelled my interest in cooking and exploring alternative recipes. It's a way of eating that I thoroughly enjoy and that's why I thought I'd come on here to share a few recipes I've been using over the years. I've picked out some of the easiest and most affordable recipes (talking as a student here) for you to try out if you're participating in Veganuary, and stuck for some ideas, or simply just wanting to introduce more vegan food into your life. These recipes I developed during my first transition to Veganism in 2018 and they are recipes that I still cook regularly today. I really value cooking from scratch, it's something I've been lucky enough to experience all through childhood, and I really hope that anyone who gives cooking from scratch a try can fall in love with it as much as I have.

Lentil Bolognese:

One of my favourite meals growing up was Spaghetti Bolognese, I'm sure it's a household classic for many and it's one that seems irreplaceable but I honestly can say that I've been having this lentil alternative for two years now and not once have I missed the beef that would usually go in it. This recipe is also very versatile and can be easily turned into a shepherds pie or chilli 'sin' carne which I'll talk about at the end!

This recipe serves 4 so can easily be spread across four meals if you have a busy lifestyle or alternatively portions can easily be frozen for a busier time in your schedule.

Ingredients:

- 1 x onion (chopped)

- 1 x tbsp olive oil

- 1 x garlic clove (chopped)

- 2 x carrots (finely chopped)

- 4 x mushrooms (finely chopped)

- 1 x 400g tin of green lentils (drained and washed)

- 1 cup x walnuts (finely chopped or blended) (OPTIONAL)

- 250ml of boiling water

- 1 x veg stock cube

- 1 tsp x nutritional yeast (OPTIONAL)

- 1 x 400g tin of tomatoes

- 1 tsp of oregano

- 1 tsp of thyme

- Salt and Pepper

Method:

1. In a big saucepan, fry the onion in the olive oil for 5 minutes until softened.

2. Add in the garlic, carrots and mushrooms. Stir and fry until softened.

3. Add the drained lentils and walnuts (if using) to the saucepan and stir.

4. Pour the boiling water into a small jug and stir in the stock cube. Add the tsp of nutritional yeast (if using) and stir.

5. Add the stock mix, tin of tomatoes and herbs into the saucepan and bring to the boil.

6. Once boiling, lower to a simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper and cook and cover for roughly 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

For the Spaghetti Bolognese recipe simply cook your pasta as you would normally along with the bolognese and serve.

What I love about this recipe is that it's so versatile, you can easily transform this recipe into a Shepherds Pie by adding: 1 x cup of peas (when you add the walnuts), boil and mash potatoes or parsnips in a separate saucepan and when you've made the bolognese simply transfer it to a baking dish, cover it with the mash and bake in the oven on 180 degrees for 30 minutes.

Alternatively you can make it into a Chilli 'Sin' Carne by adding: 1 x 400g tin of kidney beans (drained and washed), 1 x tin of baked beans and 1 tbsp of hot chilli powder and serve it with rice.

Images: Spaghetti Bolognese, Shepherds Pie, Chilli 'Sin' Carne

Sweet Potato Curry/Dhal

This is the first curry I learnt to cook and a dish I lived off during my original transition to a plant-based diet. It's my Mum's favourite and again a very versatile dish as you can add or subtract ingredients as you please. You can create a Dhal by simply adding lentils which will change the consistency of the dish or alternatively swap the sweet potato for squash for a different flavour. What I love about vegan cooking is you regularly find yourself in a position where you are able to swap out ingredients in order to change it up a bit. I find this is a great way to experiment with different vegetables and to find out what flavours you enjoy.

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 1 clove of garlic

- 1 onion

- 1/2 a red chilli (or dried chilli flakes if you prefer)

- 1 tsp of cumin seeds

- 1 tsp of hot chilli powder

- 1 tsp of turmeric

- 2 tbsp of tomato purée

- 250ml of veg stock

- 250g of sweet potato (cut into cubes)

- 100g of broccoli (food waste tip: you can cut the stalks into cubes and boil them too!)

- handful of sultanas

- salt and pepper

- (OPTIONAL) For Dhal: 1 x 400g tin of green lentils (drained and washed)

Method:

1. Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a big saucepan until softened.

2. Add and mix in the chilli, cumin seeds, chilli powder and turmeric and fry for a couple of minutes.

3. Add the tomato purée and veg stock to the pan and bring to the boil.

4. Add the sweet potato, broccoli and sultanas, cover and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook until the sweet potato is cooked through, giving it the occasional stir.*

5. When the sweet potato is cooked, season to taste and serve.

*If you're making the Dhal then add the lentils at the same time as the sweet potato.

When serving this dish I usually use dish like plates rather than flat ones due to the amount of liquid. It's also a really nice curry to serve with a naan bread on the side to mop up the excess juices at the end. You can easily find vegan naan breads, just be careful that the ingredients don't include milk, milk powder, egg or butter etc. The naan breads we use are 'Santosh Naans' and they don't include any ingredients that are derived from animal products, making them suitable for vegans!

Image: sweet potato lentil dhal with spinach

Chickpea and Aubergine Curry

This is another curry recipe that is super simple and only uses 5 ingredients. Once you know how to make the basic curry sauce for this dish, you can easily swap the vegetables for alternatives such as squash and pepper etc, it's really all down to what you want to put in it and what food is available to you.

Ingredients:

- 1 tbsp madras paste

- 1 aubergine (chopped into cubes)

- 1 x 400g tin of coconut milk (make sure to shake the tin before opening)

- 250ml of water

- 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas (washes and drained)

Method:

1. In a large saucepan gently heat the madras paste for a minute or so.

2. Add in the aubergine and toss it around with the paste so that it is evenly coated.

3. Pour in the coconut milk and water and stir.

4. Add in the chickpeas, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.

Similarly to the last dish, I like to serve this curry with a Naan bread on the side but it works equally well with rice (or both!), it's really down to what you fancy!

Image: chickpea and aubergine curry

It's easy to make quick and delicious vegan food with simple, cheap ingredients, and I hope I've shown that from the recipes in this blog post. In a few weeks time I'll be back with another post on vegan recipes, this time including some staple vegan ingredients, for those who are thinking of going vegan long-term. These recipes will be more experimental, for those who are looking to increase their repertoire of meals, or simply wanting to experiment more with their cooking.

I hope you've enjoyed today's post, please feel free to share this around if you think it will help anyone doing Veganuary this year! Thank you for reading and good luck to anyone who is switching to a more plant-based diet, I hope you learn to love it as much as I do and let me know if you try any of the recipes!

All my love,

Emily x