Anyone else doing veganuary?

[Ozzyskye]

I'm a guilty meat eater but for the past few years have done vegetarianuary. This year I want to try veganuary, at least at home (we go to pil for dinner once a week and don't want to add pressure!). Is anyone else giving it a go? Want to share any ideas? I could also do with losing a stone but though calorie counting and veganuary might be a bit much. I'm also doing dry January so that'll help hopefully!

My usual go to food is hearty food like stews, toad in the hole, cottage pie etc...

I can make a mean Passata for pasta, and I'm thinking chunky vegetable soups, tofu stir frys etc but would welcome any ideas! Also will look into some smoothies and juices with coconut milk or overnight oats for breakfast (when I actually eat it) I drink a lot of coffee but already prefer with oat milk.

I'm not planning on continuing past January, I enjoy meat and dairy too much but am willing to commit for a month at least and maybe discover some tasty dishes to integrate into my repertoire!

The point is to try something that you might have been curious about and to challenge yourself. Doing it for a month is just a period of time that fits the challenge nicely. Lots of people do veganuary and carry on.

Thanks, I assumed it was with the aim of becoming vegan but wasn’t sure why people bother if they don’t intend to carry on before they’ve even started.

Do you keep the oats in the fridge overnight?

@Yoyoyo1 yes, I keep the oats in the fridge overnight, by morning they're lovely and soft as they've absorbed the milk overnight

Sainaburys plant pioneers range do shortbread, its in with the normal biscuit aisle and it is as good as any dairy shortbread! Only about a quid too so no hefty vegan tax

@VeganNugsNotDrugs ooh good to know, thanks will look out for those!

VeganNugsNotDrugs

Can I ask about the receipe you posted earlier please. The dried soya pieces, are these like the ones you buy in Holland and Barrett or could I use a frozen chicken style piece like the tesco plant chef ones

I'm not committing to vegananuary but I'm committing to eating more vegetables in general as I don't generally eat a lot. I do like vegetables in soup though so I'll be having potatoes and leek soup, winter root vegetable soup and lentil and tomato soup for my lunch most days. DH got a soup maker for Xmas. Vegetable soup is cheap too.

Yep, dried soya chunks from Holland and Barratt for that recipe. If you want something quicker (although I find about 4 hours on high is enough if short on time to be honest) and convenient, a lot of the colmans/schwartz packet mixes are vegan friendly and can work well with some of the other meat replacement products.

VeganNugsNotDrugs

Thank you, it wasn't so much a speed thing, more of a, can I be arsed to go into town for the dried pieces, also I've seen them but never used them.
Love the sound of the receipe, going to give it a go.
Do you presoak the pieces as the packet instruction or do they go in dry and rehydrate in the cooking liquid.

@HighlandCowRose I've used the chunks /pieces loads of times,you have to presoak them first otherwise they'll be way too tough and chewy.

I think some people do veganuary to see how feasible it will be for them. Worst case scenario, it hopefully helps them see where they can incorporate it into their lives going forwards.

I just saw a woman use red lentils and salt and water and blend them to create a batter like texture then put it in a frying pan and fry fir 2 or 3 minutes - to create tortillas! So I think I'll give that a bash at some point :)

No it doesn’t have milk 😊 I’ve been vegan 15 years, just on this thread to help people out really. It was made by my MIL I can ask the recipe? I know she used the blue flora plant butter. Or if you’re looking for a supermarket vegan option then Duncan’s of Deeside do a vegan one sold in Tesco
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/250808745

A lot of the free from ones are vegan as well but they tend to be gluten free too which I’m not such a fan of.

www.ambitiouskitchen.com/butternut-squash-curry/

This is lovely (I added a few more chilli flakes and extra coriander)

If anyone else has any tried and tested veggie recipes I'd love to hear them.

I made this Hodmedod shakshuka yesterday - it was delicious- you could use any other bean in it, not just fava beans, butter beans would work well.

Leave out the eggs for a vegan version

hodmedods.co.uk/blogs/recipes/fava-bean-shakshuka

You can pre soak but for that recipe I just chuck them in dry, there's a lot of liquid in there and over the course of slow cooking they rehydrate and the liquid reduces down to a thick, rich gravy.

How’s everyone getting on today? 😊 DH made us some lovely vegan French toast for lunch.

Hi all
I've been veggie now for 4 years properly , I've decided to go full vegan , used to worry about it due to thinking I will miss chocolate and cake etc but I've seen there are quite a few vegan alternatives aren't there and I don't drink milk and have little cheese.
I found the cathedral city vegan cheese not too bad so far but I haven't tried many as people always say how vile they are.
I need to look into how to make a sort of basic biscuit and a sponge cake without using eggs then I think I'll
Be able to do it a lot easier.
I gave up
Meat purely as I like the animals and felt a hypocrite , I wouldn't ever preach to anyone else but I do get preached at a lot!
Thank you for posting this OP and all the recipe tips etc on here from everyone else it's really handy :)

Id like to try going vegan but ive absolutely no clue where to start. Is there a good vegan website anyone could recommend please.

VeganNugsNotDrugs

Thanks, looking forward to making it

NoMoreFalafelsForYou

Thank you, I'd seen it usually wants soaking, just wasn't sure with this particular receipe 🙂

For vegan recipes try bosh. For food swaps this thread has some good ones. You don't really need much more than that :)

Making swaps gradually is a good way to start making the change. What kinds of things do you like to eat? There's a vegan alternative for pretty much anything these days.

Thanks for replying

I love vegetables and dont eat much meat anyway, guess if i transition to vegetarian it might be easier to go vegan ?

Im doing it for health reasons but mainly because of the animal welfare aspect

@Coconutter24 I was wondering the same. It can't be for health reasons otherwise there would be no need to take supplements.

It's only B12 that needs to be supplemented. A vegan or vegetarian diet is generally healthier than a meat eating diet.