Anyone else doing Veganuary? And year round vegans….family recipe ideas? Help and tips?

[TheRealMaryMillington]

I am going to do Veganuary this year.

Have been meat-eating since 2007, but never quite at one with it, and eat vegetarian food 90% of the time. Spells of veganism in my 20s, but never since having kids. I'm keen to challenge myself to do this again, for health, animal welfare and environmental reasons, even just a month at a time, no life-long pledges as yet.

So, looking for preferably quick/easy/affordable family recipe suggestions. I've got the curry and chilli end of things covered….these are mainstays!

And love to know if anyone else is Veganuarying?

I am not doing Veganuary, but these tofu burgers are really good and relatively easy to make.

I'm in

But I have chickens and it would be a shame to waste their eggs- I'll have to cheat it a bit but it's definitely a good idea.

I'd be looking forward to bean burgers, lentil stuffed squash, root veg gratin, squash tagine, lentil and nut loaf, potato, green bean and olive salads and pasta with tomatoes and rocket for lunches.

pp I think eggs will be the hardest thing for me to give up, if only temporarily. Dairy generally gives me the heebie-jeebies.

I'm sure if you keep your own hens there won't be any animal welfare issues!

I like the idea of spending a month eating vegetarian food.

nic me too. I couldn't go full vegan but definitely up for a vegetarian January.

mary can I ask what your curry / chilli recipes are please?

I will post some in a bit, faith

Mostly Dals, I could live on it.

DH just bought me the Persiana cookbook, and yottam Ottolenghi Plenty More…lots of inspiration there…wavering a bit as I also need to lose weight and don't want to get too grain dependent…..but think I will take it a day at a time and see how I go.

I suspect Meal Planning will be key.

I'm going back to being vegan in the new year (getting the guilt about eating animals again), once we get back to it on Cider's thread Mary I'll try and post my meal plans for ideas, I haven't written my shopping list yet though so can't think!

Anyone done their meal plan yet? I've got a loose plan for next week

Beet root burgers with chutney
Chilli lime and coconut noodles
Country veg soup and homemade rolls
Squash and apricot tagine with Cous cous
Leek and mushroom pasta
White bean and red onion salad
Five bean chilli and rice/ jacket potatoes

That's a mix of lunches and teas, for about four days I think. I hadn't realised how much I rely on dairy in my usual vegetarian options. This is a challenge, and so far I've found that vegan recipe sites focus heavily on either meat substitutes - quorn etc, or unusual expensive powders,flours and gels. I am hoping to to this without using these things and without having to go to a health food shop.

Post Punk Kitchen has lots of awesome vegan recipes. The veganomicon is a fab book by the same author. She also wrote Appetite of Reduction which is a vegan diet recipe book. Really flavoursome recipes and family friendly.

pregnantpause - just in case you get tempted, be aware that Quorn isn't vegan! :)

I really like the Vegan Richa blog, lots of tasty ideas. And Fat Free vegan kitchen. Maple Spice is another nice blog too.

Ooh those blogs are great! I've added mushroom Wellington, veg tart and pizza to my list- so far .

Thankfully quorn isn't to my taste

How has everyone's first day gone so far?

I didn't put enough thought in really and have ended up with a veg pie, that isn't very nice as I made it up without considering that the lack of my usual butter and cream will affect the result significantly.

I'm back to work tomorrow so getting my packed lunch prepared tonight, I'm making ottolenghis winter slaw, saffron roasted cauliflower, and herb stuffed tomatoes as a sort of mezze lunch.

What's everyone else eating?

pregnant pause that sounds like a delicious week!

I need to check out those blogs - thanks for the tips folks

Have had a fab and totally painlessly vegan day : )
Got up late, had avocado on rye toast for brunch, went for a run, had another bit as it was so yummy. Early supper out at tapas place - lots of options (patatas bravas, olives, roast broccoli with romesco sauce, cauliflower tempura with smoked hummus, endive with fennel and orange salad). It was scrumptious.

Am away for a few days with friends - will be tough to be vegan throughout, but have invested in some vegan mozzarella so we can do a big pizza one night, and maybe do curry another.

I'm a bit late to this, but am going to try as much as I can to do veganuary, although it will probably be more vegetarian most of January... I'm away at a friends until Monday, so I'll start it then. I also do Slimming World, so may be more challenging for me.

Can anyone suggest a good cows milk alternative that is nice in tea and coffee please? I've tried almond milk and like it on it's own but not in tea or coffee.

hi midori, nice to have more folks to join us

i am aiming for vegan january but if i slip up - and i ma well this weekend i am going to add a few days on the end, but I suppose the plan is to do it for life…not committing to doing that just yet!

can't help on the alternative milk in tea thing - I only drink black coffee and herbal tea, but have you tried oat milk?

Thanks. I haven't tried oat milk, I'll give it a go.

Adding a few days at the end is a good idea. I like the idea of just committing for a month at first. I'm not sure I could do it long term, because I want to for ethical reasons, but I have to admit to really liking eating meat. I think it will at least help me eat much less meat in the future though, which I think is a start.

oat milk is the one, but not oatly (curdles and separates) Try oat dream or alpro oat. Rude health one is ok but was better before they went gluten free.

I can drink oat milk in both tea and coffee and on cereal, whereas soya only in tea, and rice is only ok on cereal.

Even my dp will use oat milk, whereas he will not use any other plantbased milk at all.

midori im the same. I love the taste of meat, but i just can't seem to just eat it without KNOWING what it is and feeling pretty conflicted.
i kind of considered myself flexitarian ;) the last year but ate meat a fair bit over xmas and dont feel good about it

If you find that milk is curdling in hot drinks it can help to warm the milk a bit before you add it.

That being said, I've never found a milk that makes tea taste quite the same, I've found it gets a bitter taste that I don't like, so I tend to just either take it black now or not bother! Coffee tastes the same to me as long as it doesn't curdle.

its only oatly that does it. Don't know why it seems to be the only oat milk that the healthfoodshops stock, as i hate having to go to a supermarket to buy alpro

I really want to do this, I eat generally pescatarian (vegan aside from fish) but too much meat crept in over Christmas alongside dairy, both of which I feel horrible about. Fish I find very difficult to give up, I eat it maybe twice a week max so not exactly often but baby steps.

Anyway, I'd like to do a full month vegan, will be easier once my mum and dad leave next week so will stick to pescatarian til then.

Milk wise I love almond milk in coffee bought in cafes but at home I drink it black. Think I've tried every alternative milk under the sun with tea and nothing is as good as cows milk so I just don't drink tea anymore.

Which of the books you have all recommended have the least reliance on meat substitute and soy products? I just don't see the point in replacing meat with processed food and avoid soy due to health and environmental reasons, and it's link to the meat industry. The Oh She Glows cookbook is fab btw, as is her blog - but I love a cookbook!

The Edensoy organic is pretty good in coffee and tea, I find. A non-vegan house guest who stayed over the holidays really liked it too and said she preferred it in coffee to cow's milk. It's quite thick and creamy and the taste is quite neutral. www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=24&products_id=100220

Hmmm. Wavering a bit today after the epic fail that was minimalist baker creamy garlic pasta last night. Dinner had to be abandoned as I'd basically served pasta in a creamy garlic and marzipan sauce the reviews for it are excellent though so I think it may be my almond milk. It is unsweetened but not the specific brand she gives.

I'll keep at it though- I've loads more recipes I want to try, but I'm really starting to reflect on how challenging this diet can be- not just putting up with marzipan pasta but most offy go to snacks are out too- hats off to full time vegansthe world makes it very difficult to lessen you're negative impact upon it.

I'm attempting Veganuary again this year. I'm veggie, but cheese is my big downfall, so I'm trying to experiment with different cheese substitutes. I've tried a few vegan cheeses, but not found any that wow me! I'll be blogging some of my veganuary recipes if anyone is interested.
I drink black tea anyway, but have found nut milks to be the best to use in cooking.