Veganuary 2018

[lurchermummy]

Myself and DD aged 16 are going to try a vegan diet for January. DD is already vegetarian and I was vegetarian for many years although recently not. I really want to try a lighter healthier plant based way of eating, feel blurgh after all the rich food of Christmas, and am really keen to see if it helps my psoriasis. If we like it we may well continue but I signed up for Veganuary to give us a focus. DD2 is a fussy eater and not a big fan of vegetables so that may be tricky, DH is happy to eat vegetarian but vegan may be a step too far for him. Would really welcome any tips for adaptable family meals eg. sausage and mash, I can do vegan sausages for us and meat for them. I'm actually really looking forward to it now!

The Fry's country roast with vegan gravy is bloody lovely. I didn't miss meat on my sunday roast at all.

Following as we are trying to eat fewer animal products and have more vegan meals generally.

I've read most of the thread but didn't see if anyone answered pps post about trying to do vegan if nut products (peanut specifically but advised to avoid but products because of possible factory contamination) are not allowed in the house!? Is it feasible; a lot of these high protein snacks and breakfasts and milk substitutes are nut based....I mean I know of course it is possible but I'm gutted about the limitations that come with the dc s allergy....

@SophieofShepherdsBush I think it would be tough without nuts but you could try and focus on other great vegan protein sources like lentils, beans, pulses, chickpeas, all of the different types of tofu, tempeh and so on instead of nuts? Are coconuts ok? They're handy for adding creaminess if you're trying to avoid other nuts, and you can also have coconut yoghurt.

Check out Oh She Glows and Minimalist Baker @SophieofShepherdsBush they both clearly label nut free vegan recipes, can def be done as many nuts in recipes can be replaced by seeds

Thanks delivered and magpie
It's definitely worth trying at any rate!

@DeliveredByKiki oh yes great idea, I'm currently sprinkling every meal with toasted pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

Hi all - I've slipped this weekend with some leftover Christmas cheese consumption, but I've done a good cook-off today so feeling really prepared for the week. I got Fresh India for Christmas - it's vegetarian rather than vegan, but many of the recipes are 'naturally' vegan and most others are easily adaptable, e.g. replace yogurt with alpro.

So I've made a huge potato curry, some roasted cauliflower in cashew butter with spices mixed in, and a big roasting tray of veggies and garlic which I'll have for work lunches with quinoa.

Also my Ocado order comes on Tuesday and they're doing 5 fry's frozen vegan items for £10, so I've stocked up on quinoa burgers and soy stir fry strips, none of which I've had before. I've also ordered some tofu. I've mostly been cooking with lentils and nuts so far.

I don't miss meat at all but I do love cheese and I'm wholly unconvinced by vegan alternatives. Also eating out isn't easy - had a veggie breakfast in a local cafe this morning but wolfed down the first egg and buttered toast!

HOBBES8 - I'll happily keep on being vegan but for cheese and occasional eggs. Guess that's not bad to learn as long as the cheese is a treat rather than everyday ( from a health perspevtive).

Hi all - mind if I join? I've been dithering about the idea of veganism for a while now for environmental reasons so this is probably a good time to start as any. I'm currently pescatarian. My main thing I'll miss will be greek yoghurt.

The thing I'm concerned about is that I may have a very bland diet as we try to buy local which is fairly limiting, particularly in the winter.

I'm not convinced about not eating eggs either - they're rather a staple of mine!

Flipperty I think you do what you can/are prepared to do. Veganuary is great just because it forces you to think outside the box and realize that maybe there are more things you’re prepared to do than you’d realized - I’m pescatarian too normally (although without eggs and dairy) but it’s a good reset and during it I update my education on the most sustainable fish I can eat (oxymoronic I know) and reminds me the wealth of dishes I can make without fish

I’m lucky though to live in a part of the world where fresh fruit and veg are always varied and local

don'task4salt - that's fab website. Really great!

Today I had a Starbucks caramel macchiato made with almond milk
For dinner I made an old Nigella favourite (it's a dip but I sometimes might it a bit more lumpy textured and have it with pasta or cous cous):

Fry a chopped red onion
Add some garlic purée
Add half a tsp each of cumin powder, cinnamon and coriander
Stir in a bit of tomato purée
A tin of red kidney beans, the whole lot including the gloopy water (I usually use kidney beans in chilli sauce, though)
Juice and zest of a lime
Cook for a few minutes
Then blitz up

I had it with toasted pitta strips and salad

Thanks for the link don'tasksalt some interesting recipes on there.

Today I had a Waitrose salad for lunch, not sure exactly what was in it (tofu, rice and some veg), but it was nice.

I made a big roasted vegetable risotto yesterday so had some of that for dinner with spinach.

Today's plan was:

Breakfast: muesli with almond milk
Lunch: butternut risotto with nuts and seeds
Dinner: falafel pittas with salad
Snacks: raspberry Nakd bar and peanut butter on crackers

Feeling like I've had far too many nuts today and am craving a different snack!

I'm on 5:2 so today was crackers, zero noodles, stir fried veg and Tesco 'chicken' pieces. Very exciting.

Yesterday was veggie burger with hummus, red onion, vegan mayo and chunky potato wedges for lunch. I didn't do breakfast apart from coffee. I snacked on far too many peanuts.

Flippetydip, I too eat lots of eggs. I have been vegetarian for over 30 years but keep thinking about becoming vegan. I don't really like cheese but do use it in cooked meals such as lasagne, pizza. I don't like milk at all and neither does my stomach! I use almond or soya milk mainly.

I am doing veganuary and have already started to miss eggs. I don't think I am going to be able to give them up totally but maybe just have them less.

There just is no egg substitute. Normally I would have boiled egg and soldiers at least once a week for breakfast and poached or scrambled egg on toast at least once for lunch. I also like egg sandwiches or egg salad for lunch. I would often have omelette or Shakshouka for my evening meal. One of my all time favourite meals is egg and lentil curry too.

I can't stand tofu, the texture makes me feel sick which is a shame as otherwise at least I could have that scrambled

I used to live on eggs, it was a challenge to find something else that keeps at room temperature and only takes minutes to prepare (used to fill a pan with veg, pour beaten eggs over the top then finish under the grill or bake entire thing in the oven) - my partial solution is making dozens and dozens of black bean burritos every so often (getting as much veg into the chili and the rice as possible) and freezing them.

I do like the chick pea flour frittate linked to much earlier in thread but they can be Effort 😳

I had a ready-made edamame burger from M&S today. Only bought because they were on offer- I wouldn't usually pay the full amount! it was quite lemongrassy, so I had it with coconut rice. Really substantial dinner, I'm stuffed now.

I’m struggling with missing tea with proper milk. Work’s been tough and black coffee isn’t the same.

I’m reallg enjoying most of the main meals though. Today, houmous on toast for breakfast, bean chilli for lunch and quorn (the vegan one) curry for dinner.

I am not really missing anything - gave up caffeine this month also to preempt the 'coffee and tea not tasting quite right' thing and am finding that harder than anything else. I am still lacking an enthusiasm for cooking though (not because of the vegan thing, I've been like this a few months). So breakfast was a Nakd bar and some fruit. Lunch was half a Covent Garden soup with salady veg on the side and dinner is about to be 2 Linda McCartney sausage rolls. On their own.

Can I join? I've been trying to eat vegan for the last week and hope to do it for most of January. I've been eating lots of falafel, hummus, home made guacamole, bean stew and tried cooking tofu yesterday but it looks and feels very unappetising - I didn't drain it for long enough, I think. Anyone had more success than I have?

I already don't use milk in hot drinks (black coffee or redbush tea) and thought that going vegan might help me lose a few pounds after the Christmas excesses!

Tonight I made a huge veg stir fry with noodles (non-egg). Me, DS and DD2 had prawns with ours because we're not doing Veganuary. But for DP and DD1 I did salt and pepper tofu which seemed to work well (I tried a square and actually liked it ). If you're interested in tofu Sweetest, maybe give it a go? Lots of recipes online but basically I just:

• wrapped the tofu in a clean tea towel and pressed it between two chopping boards to dry it out
• chopped it into small squares
• put it in a bowl with quite a bit of salt and pepper, teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice and a tablespoon of flour, and mixed it around a bit with my hands
• fried it in a bit of sunflower oil until crunchy on the outside
• scattered it over the stir fry and served with soy sauce

Welcome @SweetestThing!

Today's breakfast was a triumph: overnight oats with almond milk, chopped mixed nuts, honey (I'm still eating honey) and raw cacao powder. Absolutely delicious and I'm having again tomorrow.

Lunch was leftover dhal made with coconut milk and dinner was a pepper and potato hash with loads of salad and avocado from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's new vegan book.