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!

Thanks Lonicera I will grab a bag from Sainsburys. I might have a try at the baked 'feta' recipe that someone posted upthread. I would really like a homemade pizza at some point and wonder if it would work as a topping crumbled over. I did make a lentil lasagne with leftover beluga lentil ragu which was good. I just made a white sauce as usual using vitalite, flour, oat milk and nooch. I grated some violife over the top and the bloody stuff would NOT melt in the oven or under the grill.

DD is currently eating pizza without cheese. She has olives, capers and sun dried tomatoes on top of the tomato sauce to provide the umami savoury taste instead of cheese. It works very well. She says she prefers it to pizza with cheese on.

Oatly Barista is in stock here Lonicera. There is a delivery charge but might be worth it if you were wanting a few items?
shop.thevegankind.com/collections/milks/products/oatly-foamable-milk.

I might give a cheese less pizza a go and just be more inventive with toppings. Although I came by the link to vegan kind by looking for Tyne Chease that you mentioned!

I find carbs the best fuel, they’re definitely my main food group but don’t know if I adapted to them through distance running or if that’s just how they work? Trying very hard not to make it about weight but have dropped at least 2kgs since January 1st which is surprising because subjectively eating much more stuff, much more frequently. Have turned into a trickle feeder like a horse or a rabbit or something where before I was more of an omnivorous scavenger- fill up every so often then happily run on empty.

I don't tend to eat junk food anyway, so a vegan diet isn't any less calorific for me.

I'm still eating plenty of calories peanut butter on toast and dark chocolate are faves and lots of crisps are vegan...however apart from bread none of my binge foods are vegan and I'm not missing them so that's great. You can't binge on dark chocolate and yesterday I bought a pot of sorbet, had a small scoop and forgot all about it! I would have put away at least half of it if it was ice cream, maybe all. So being vegan is making me much more mindful and healthier as I'm not reaching for easy fillers like pasta and pesto or cheese toasties.

I am also not bothered about vegan substitutes. I don't miss yoghurt, cheese or ice cream enough to buy expensive alternatives and I only drink a couple of cups of tea a day so soya milk is fine. Seitan steaks and hoi sin duck style pieces sound vile to me but I'm a life long vegetarian so wouldn't ever eat a steak or duck!

I made my first vegan lasagne tonight. It looked funny without cheese grated on top but it tasted really nice. I will be making it again. Someone mentioned vegan bacon. V-bites rashers are really nice either hot in a sandwich or cold in a sandwich with lettuce and tomato and veganaise

Oatly barista was in stock in Waitrose today. Almost bought the whole shelf but thought that would be selfish and bought 2 out of the 6 in stock.. I don't think they can keep up with demand

whirly lol

Oatly Barista is in stock everywhere around where I live, but then I live in more of a 'fried chicken' area!

I tried it to see what the hype was, but won't be buying it again soon given it is nearly 3x the cost of soya milm, and that does me fine. It has a nice creamy taste though, just not so much better than soya to justify the taste (and I dont drink milk in tea!)

I made vegan lasagne too and it was the best one I've made yet - even DD (fussy little bugger) wolfed it down

I used this lentil bolognese
minimalistbaker.com/zucchini-pasta-with-lentil-bolognese/

And this for the "white sauce"
ohsheglows.com/2014/01/20/cauli-power-fettuccine-alfredo-vegan/

if you guys aren't already members of the facebook group Vegan UK, join it

LoniceraJaponica have you tried Alpro Cashew for hot drinks?
If the problem is that mylks split, try warming them a little before adding to the tea/coffee

Yes I have hyperactive. It is horrible in tea. It didn't separate, but leaves a nasty powdery aftertaste. I have some almond milk to try next.

My protein intake is shockingly low - what are you all using for protein? I thought I'd lose weight but think my carb intake has shot up and scuppered that

Beans, lentils, tofu

For our evening meal I did orange and miso glazed tofu with stir fried veg and rice.

I have a lot of hummus, lentils, seeds, nuts, tempeh, tofu to up protein

Tonight I blistered some shishito peppers, steamed some broccoli then sauteed them both in soy sauce with tempeh and had some avocado on the side. Salt, pepper, chilli flakes and it was bloody lovely

Are tempeh and seitan the same thing? I have tried seitan a couple of times and am unimpressed.

Lonicera tempeh is made from cooked soy beans which are fermented into 'cakes'. It's very firm so is easier to slice thinly than extra firm tofu. It has to be cooked. Seitan is made from wheat gluten.

Thank you. I don't think I have eaten tempeh. Where can I buy it?

I've eaten it but not cooked with it myself yet. It's very similar to tofu in that it takes up flavours but because it is firmer and drier than tofu it crisps up when fried. I had a tempeh Reuben which was delicious! thespotlessleopard.co.uk/menu/
I've found it in a local deli/wholefood shop.

Tempeh is so easy to cook

It looks like I will have to order it online as there is nowhere near where I live that stocks it. Can anyone recommend a good online seller for tempeh?

Well, that's twice I've tried tofu -this time Cauldron marinated stuff - and it's rank. I'm going to give up on it.

Home-made guacamole tonight with fajita-style peppers, mushrooms and onion and a couple of falafel. I like to think of it as a fusion between Mexican and Lebanese :-)

Succumbed to the lure of a biscuit last night and I will be eating all kinds of stuff on Saturday when we host a Burns' Supper. I'll have veggie haggis, rather than real stuff, but I'll partake of the rest of the meal, which will be full of butter, cream and (in the soup) chicken.

Can't say I feel much different from having stuck pretty much to a plant-based diet, but I think I've shifted a few pounds, so that's good.

DD made this silken tofu chocolate mousse today. It was a revelation, and very good indeed. And so simple and quick to make.