17 Jan Virtually Vegan
Happy New Year! We often like to set ourselves new challenges for the new year to better ourselves and a lot of the these goals are linked to our diet. Cutting back on things can be a less positive way to look at making this change so instead you may want to consider switching things for more healthier options. What better way to start off the new year with a health kick than to have a go at Veganuary and introduce more veg into your diet?
Not just for January!
Veganuary is the challenge to go vegan for the month of January. The aim is that through discovering how great vegan food can be that people then take this beyond the initial month, incorporating more plant based choices into their lifestyle.
There are many reasons why choosing vegan options is encouraged;
· Possibly the most obvious reason for adopting a vegan lifestyle is animal welfare. You may ask why being vegetarian isn’t enough however there can be harmful practices in milk production which is why some may take that extra step to cut out dairy and other animal derived ingredients from their diet.
· We covered in recent blogs the steps we have taken to minimise our negative impact on the environment and this consciousness is another reason people opt to go vegan. Producing plant foods compared to animal foods consumes a lot less water which helps reduce the strain on this valuable resource. Plant production also produces less greenhouse gases than animal agriculture. So going vegan or opting for vegan here and there can have a positive impact on the environment.
· Your mental health is linked to having good gut health and to maintain this when having meals it is recommended that 75% of your plate is plant based. Everyone is different but a vegan diet can also have physical health benefits so it’s worth looking into how going vegan or introducing more vegan food into your diet may work for you.
You may notice that in January many chains add a vegan option to their menu which are fun to try but are not necessarily the most healthy options. If something is packed with sugar it’s counter to the idea of opting for vegan to help your health!
This Veganuary, instead of going for ready made vegan options why not learn to make delicious vegan food with one of our virtual cooking lessons? If you’re inspired to go vegan or opt for vegan more often based on the reasons we’ve given above then learning how to make the dishes can be a great start.
At our lessons you can learn to make whatever you like but to help get you started we’ve provided some of our ideas below.
Get in touch today if you’re interested in learning to make any of the below dishes or you have some ideas yourself.
Sample Virtual Cooking Class Ideas
Stuffed Vegetarian Wellington, Potato Puree and Red Wine Sauce
Turkish Style Chicken Halloumi and Pepper Kebab with Red Cabbage Salad and BBQ Flatbreads
Cumin Spiced Aubergine with Braised Beans, Salsa Verde and Toasted Almonds
Veg Samosa and Hara Bhara Kebab (Green Veg Potato Cakes) with Mint Yoghurt
Chive Gnocchi with a Rich Tomato Sauce, Mozzarella, Basil and Spinach
Spinach, Cream Cheese and Nutmeg Tortellini, Rosemary and Garlic Burnt Butter – (pasta machine required)
Pan Fried Herb Polenta Cake, Smoked Paprika Butterbeans, Tender Steam Broccoli and Salsa Verde
Vegetable Massaman, Lime Leaf Rice
Vegetable Gyoza, Japanese Dipping Sauce
Thai Green Veg Curry, Steamed Lime Leaf Rice
Indian Style Lesson takes up 2hrs – Dishoom Smoked Tofu Ruby and Lime Leaf Rice
Spinach and Squash Cannelloni – (not making pasta)
Traditional Vegetable Pad Thai
Korean Fried Tofu Burger, Asian Slaw
Aubergine Katsu with Curry Sauce and Coconut Rice
Aubergine Parmigiana, Herb Polenta
Learn to make a perfect Risotto (Butternut Squash or Red Pepper or you choose)
Mushroom Bourguignon with Potato Puree
Desserts
Kheer (Indian style dessert – cardamom, Cinnamon orange and rose water rice pudding)
Spiced Sticky Toffee Pudding, Salt Caramel Ice Cream (not making Ice Cream)
Individual Coffee Chocolate Mud Cake, Chocolate Syrup and Vanilla Ice Cream
Orange and Cardamom Polenta Cake
Cinnamon and Rum Apple Tarte Tatin, Salt Caramel Ice Cream
Chocolate and Hazelnut Cheesecake in a glass
Individual Tiramisu
Pineapple Upside Down Cake, Coconut Rum Caramel
Chocolate and Orange fondant, Vanilla Ice Cream
