Our best recipes for Veganuary!
As the New Year begins, many people around the world will be starting on their resolutions for 2024.
Some may take on fitness goals, as avid gym-goers across the country brace for new waves of enthusiastic members...
Others will do Dry January and go one month alcohol-free. This decision usually comes shortly after New Year's Eve, vowing NEVER to drink sambuca again…
But this article is all about VEGANUARY – taking on a plant-based lifestyle for the first month of the year! Although, just like Dry January, you can do this any time of the year, too.
Why should I bother with Veganuary?!
There's loads of factors that might mean giving a plant-based lifestyle a go, but here's three big reasons that come up a lot...
❖ ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS!
Did you know that moving to a plant-based diet is the single biggest way to reduce your impact on the environment?!
You can check out the comprehensive analysis in this Guardian article. In short, more than 80% of farmland is used for livestock but it produces just 18% of food calories and 37% of protein!
❖ HEALTH BENEFITS!
Studies show that switching to a vegan diet can help to prevent and treat diseases like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
You can check out some studies that discuss this in more detail, like this one on the British Medical Journal.
❖ SAVE SOME MONEY!
One MASSIVE misconception about a plant-based diet is that it’s too expensive to sustain, especially during a cost-of-living crisis...
But we’re here to show you some cheap and easy recipes that will help out with Veganuary and keep the price of your food shops down!
OUR TOP VEGANUARY RECIPES...
Okay, so the moment we've all been waiting for – here's our top veganuary recipes that are cheap and super easy to make!
❖ TERIYAKI TOFU!
5 ingredients. 3 steps. 1 delicious midweek dinner!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 400g firm tofu, cut into bite-sized cubes
- 1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 bunch of spring onions, separated into white and green parts and thinly sliced
- 8-10 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- Cooked rice or noodles, to serve
METHOD:
- Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the tofu for about 8 mins until crisp and golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the broccoli florets and white parts of the spring onions and cook for around 4 mins until tender, but not completely cooked through. Stir in the teriyaki sauce and season well.
- Add the cooked tofu back to the pan with the broccoli and stir well to coat. Cook for an additional 1-2 mins for the flavours to meld together. Sprinkle over the reserved green parts of the spring onions, remove from the heat and serve with cooked rice or noodles.
❖ VEGAN BANANA BREAD!
This one is a real winner, as once you get the flour and baking powder, you’ll have enough to make banana bread for months!
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large black bananas
- 75ml vegetable oil or sunflower oil, plus extra for the tin
- 100g brown sugar
- 225g plain flour (or use self-raising flour and reduce the baking powder to 2 heaped tsp)
- 3 heaped tsp baking powder
- 3 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice
METHOD:
- Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Mash 3 large black peeled bananas with a fork, then mix well with 75g vegetable or sunflower oil and 100g brown sugar.
- Add 225g plain flour, 3 heaped tsp baking powder and 3 tsp cinnamon or mixed spice, and combine well.
- Bake in an oiled, lined 2lb loaf tin for 20 minutes. Check and cover with foil if the cake is browning.
- Bake for another 20 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean.
- Allow to cool a little before slicing. It's delicious freshly baked but develops a lovely gooey quality the day after.
❖ SIMPLE LEMON PASTA!
One that even the Italians would be proud of, and when we say simple, we're not kidding…
It only takes about 15 minutes to make, with only a handful of ingredients, and makes for a great dinner or an easy lunch!
INGREDIENTS:
- Lemons
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Red pepper flakes
- Pasta
- Parsley
- Salt + pepper
METHOD:
- Start with cooking the pasta according to package directions. When draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- Saute the garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the cooked pasta to the garlic sauce, along with a little pasta water, mix and warm through.
- Remove from heat, dd the lemon juice, parsley, lemon zest, and season with salt and pepper to taste. And that’s it – simple and delicious!
Reckon you can give Veganuary a go?!
Let us know how you get on in the comments below, and feel free to drop any recipes you've found too!
More Articles...
