I have jumped on the Vegan bandwagon and I’m giving Veganuary a go, I’m also eliminating Gluten, which is something I’ve been meaning to do for health reasons for longer than I’d like to admit.
So far it’s been pretty easy, particularly after all the over indulgence at Christmas it’s been a relief to let go of the chocolate and snacking… I’ve been batch cooking and freezing meals as I’m still having to cook for the family and funnily enough no one else wanted to join me for 5 weeks of Gluten Free Vegan eating!
Breakfasts have been overnight oats, with frozen fruits, oat milk, Chai seeds and nuts which is easy and filling. For lunch/dinner I’ve tried a few new recipes. I made this sweet potato and cauliflower lentil bowl, it was a little bland and a little time consuming so something I probably won’t make again. I also made Niki Webster’s AKA Rebel Recipes, Creamy Mushroom & Chickpea Korma (although I subbed the chickpeas for butterbeans, as that’s what I had in the cupboard!) It was delicious, I served it with rice. It’s from Niki’s new book which I was kindly gifted.
And if you are going to do Veganuary it’s a perfect excuse to try out Alison Roman’s infamous Chickpea stew. I made her Internet breaking Salted Chocolate Chunk Shortbread Cookies last year, they were AMAZING (recipe here) and I’d been meaning to try her stew so yesterday I made it, photographed and then ate it. It was really good. I made a few modifications, I only used one can of coconut milk, and increased the veg stock to 600ml, substituted yoghurt for coconut yoghurt and served with GF pitta breads. I also switched the mint garnish for coriander as I had a pot left over from a previous shoot.
It’s delicious, hearty and warming, I added extra ginger. It’s perfect for January and makes for a great Vegan dish, I have three more portions to look forward too! You can find the full recipe here.
Is anyone else trying Veganuary? Any recipes you’d recommend and how are you finding it? I’d love to know! xx
