Your guide to going vegan and sticking to it
Veganuary is the latest New Year鈥檚 resolution craze. In January 2017, 52,000 people in the UK committed to eating a vegan diet for a month. If you鈥檙e reading this, you're probably considering joining the ranks of Lewis Hamilton, Chris Smalling and Ariana Grande, already following a vegan diet. This is the recipe starter kit for you.
Breakfast
We often hear that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For many people this might mean tucking into milk, eggs, yoghurt, bacon or sausages. But making breakfast vegan is easy, no matter what kind of food your prefer.
Good stuff on toast
Eggs and butter aren鈥檛 the only things that taste great on toast and stop you snacking until lunch. Baked beans are vegan and a great source of protein and fibre, keeping you fuller for longer. For something sweeter, vegan French toast is a dream and so easy to make. Serve with fresh fruits for a little sweetness, if needed.
Pancakes
There are two foolproof ways to make pancakes that no-one need know are vegan:
- Bananas bind flour together in a similar way to egg. This cheap and cheerful ingredient can either make a thick or a cr锚pe-style pancake.
- Aquafaba, magic water from a chickpea tin, is a fantastic egg replacement that foams and woofs up in volume just like eggs do when whisked. This means it's perfect for making fluffy American-style pancakes.
Cereals and porridge
Simply swap the dairy for a milk alternative such as soy, almond, rice or coconut. Vegan milks are often sweetened, so choose the unsweetened variety and add fresh fruits if needed. Here are some ideas:
Comfort food
Best of British
You can get all the comforting yumminess of classic British food with these vegan recipes. Stews can be packed with seasonal veg and you can soak up the juices with bread. For other national treasures, replacing meat is easy. Lentils make a healthy, filling replacement for mince in a shepherd鈥檚 pie and faux-meat products, such as vegan sausages, are easy to get hold of and taste good 鈥 try them in a vegan toad in the hole!
Sunday lunch
A traditional Sunday lunch is something to behold, but going vegan doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the delicious fun. You can still eat Yorkshires, , gravy and .
La bella Italia
Cheese and cured meats can still be yours without animal products. Mushrooms and lentils fill in for mince, while a white sauce is still delicious made without dairy milk and butter. Replacing cheese is a little trickier, but not impossible! Cashew cheese is a tasty soft cheese replacement and a sprinkling of ground almonds creates the "Parmesan" effect on food.
Casa Mexicana
Mexican food is a trend most of us can get behind, but many traditional dishes are pretty meat and dairy heavy, especially when soured cream is involved. The good news is that vegan cream and yoghurts are convincing replacements. Lime, fresh herbs and spices really kick a dish up a notch, so you won't even notice the meat is missing in this chilli-non-carne.
Cakes and baking
Vegan cakes can be fabulous. There is no reason for anyone to notice that a cake is vegan. Birthdays, parties or just weekend baking, there is a vegan cake for every occasion.
The 6 most popular vegan cakes
6 most popular vegan sweet treats
If cakes aren't really your thing but you love a sweet something, these vegan treats are for you. Friends and family won't believe they're vegan and neither will you.