What is Veganuary?

You may have heard of Veganuary- it's the idea of trying to go vegan for the whole month of January. I only heard about it recently but there is a whole movement aimed at getting people to sign up to the challenge. 

There are many reasons to try it such as if you love animals, wanting to improve your health or even as a challenge as it's not easy to change your whole diet. Even though January has already started it's not too late to sign up and give it a go. 

You may find that after the month you want to stick to being vegan. There are many benefits associated with the vegan lifestyle and you will only really appreciate them when you give the challenge a go. 

Going vegan can have a huge impact on your health, research has shown it can lower cholesterol and reduce your risk of getting diabetes and heart disease. And if these reasons alone aren't enough to make you want to try going vegan you can always try it because it is better for the environment and saves animals. 

Why not give it a go this January or try your own challenge from one week to a month. Most people think they could never go vegan but you don't know until you try. 

Find out more information, recipes and reasons to go Vegan at http://www.veganuary.com/

Eat the Rainbow

You may have heard the saying eat the rainbow but what does it mean? 

It is a favourite quote of health gurus and fitness coaches. It basically means eat more colourful food such as fruits and vegetables because each colour contains valuable nutrients and vitamins that are essential for good health. 

By choosing food based on colour you gain all the different benefits listed above. Each one has great properties such as red foods helping heart health and white foods reducing the risk of cancer. However you shouldn't stick to just one colour of food. To gain the best overall benefits it is important to eat a variety of foods- remember to 'eat the rainbow' and you will get all the nutrients your body needs to improve your immune system, fight infections and diseases and act as the best form of anti-ageing. Food is the best medicine and eating healthily can help you avoid needing actual medicines. 

An easy way to add more colourful food to your diet is to prepare all your ingredients first when cooking. Add all your different ingredients to your plate first so you can see how colourful it is, if your plate doesn't look like a rainbow add some more vegetables. 

If your plate has a variety of colours you know that you are gaining many different nutrients, even if you are unsure what they are you will know that it is healthy and full of essential vitamins. If your plate looks too beige or all the same colour it's a sign you are not eating the right foods. Think about junk food or a take away, it is very rarely bright in colour because it lacks nutrients. Add more variety to each meal and you will feel the difference. 

Quick lunch idea- scrambled tofu and sausages

Who says scrambled tofu is only for breakfast, for a quick meal idea you could have Linda McCartney sausages (vegan) with scrambled tofu and salad. 

The scrambled tofu was made by frying red onion, adding garlic, paprika, mixed herbs and cumin to flavour. Adding the tofu broken into pieces. Chopped spinach and grated carrot were added for flavour. Yeast flakes added when cooked. 

This is a quick meal idea full of protein and vitamins. The sausages take 15-20 minutes giving you enough time to make the scramble. 

Maple Syrup Sponge Cake

I love making up recipes and trying new flavours. When I ran out of vanilla essence I decided to use maple syrup in my cake recipe instead and the result was amazing! Don't be afraid to try new flavours and experiment, you never know what you can create. Vegan baking doesn't have to be difficult, use an egg replacer or non dairy milk to bind the cake and you can easily adapt any recipe or create your own.

Here is my recipe for the Maple Syrup cake, I cooked it in a loaf tin and served with Alpro single cream although it would be nice with Alpro custard or some vegan ice cream. 

Maple Syrup Sponge Cake:

* 4oz vegan butter (e.g Vitalite) 

* 3oz Billington's light muscovado sugar 

* 1tbsp Maple syrup (Pure grade) 

* 100ml unsweetened soy milk 

* 6oz self raising flour 


Pre heat the oven to Gas Mark 5 

Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl 

Add the maple syrup and mix 

Add the soy milk and mix 

Add the flour mixing until smooth and fully blended

Line a loaf tin with baking paper and add the mixture 

Bake in the oven on the middle shelf for 40 minutes 

Serve with soya cream, custard or vegan ice cream 

 Cooking cakes in a loaf tin is my favourite style as it allows you to cut slices and means you don't need loads of ingredients to create a dessert for everyone. 

 The cake rises really well- amazing since no eggs were used! Clearly they are not necessary. 

 Cut into slices and serve. This is a perfect cake for afternoon tea or great as a dessert. 

I served with Alpro single cream. Although it is great alone, with soya custard or vegan ice cream, the possibilities are endless. 

I hope you enjoy this recipe. Vegan baking can be simple and effortless and not as hard as it may seem at first. Once you get used to what ingredients to use there is no end of possibilities. 

Vegan baking- products to use

If you enjoy baking you might be wondering what brands are good to use. In my opinion you should keep ingredients as simple as possible and by this I mean don't use products that are full of chemicals and ingredients you can't pronounce. Stick with natural, pure ingredients and add flavour by choosing good quality products. 

Billington's is a great brand of sugar to use. It is labelled vegan and the unrefined sugar locks in the natural Molasses of the sugar cane which creates a rich flavour. Brown sugar is great to use in cakes and biscuits as it adds a naturally rich taste. 

Clarks maple syrup have a pure maple syrup option which is vegan and gluten free. Make sure you buy the pure grade as others contain ingredients which may not be suitable for vegans. Of course this is more expensive but it is worth investing in as it is better quality and as it has such a strong, rich, natural flavour it will last longer than others and is great for flavouring cakes, for adding to pancakes and even as a substitute for sugar in coffee. 

I am currently using these products to make a Maple syrup sponge cake so check the blog soon for the recipe. 

Simple Nut Roast Recipe

A Nut roast is a tasty option for Sunday lunch, a special meal or just to try. It is great along side roasted vegetables and gravy. It is also a great option for Christmas and New Years dinner. Here is a simple vegan version of a nut roast recipe that will win over your vegan guests. 


* 2 red onions

* 500g mixed nuts- your own choice eg, peanuts, cashews, walnuts, chopped nuts 

* 4 carrots- grated 

* 2 tsp each mixed herbs/ basic/ thyme/ rosemary (optional- have whatever herbs you prefer including fresh herbs) 

* 1 tbsp tomato purée
* 2 tbsp nutritional yeast (Engevita savoury) 

* 1 egg replacer (Orgran no egg) 

Pre heat the oven to gas mark 5

Cook the onion with fry light until soft- add garlic and pepper

Grind the nuts in a blender or food processor until fine 

Mix onion, grated carrots and nuts in a bowl

Add herbs, tomato purée and nutritional yeast 

Mix with egg replacer to bind

Put mixture in a loaf tin lined with baking paper to allow for easier removal 

Optionally add a layer of vegan cheese in the middle for flavour

Cover the top with foil and cook in the oven for 45 minutes then remove foil and cook for further 10-15 minutes extra to brown on top

Leave in tin for 15 minutes before removing

Cut into slices and serve, any left overs are nice cold the next day. 

* Picture is of the nut roast before cooking

A toast to the New Year

Cheers to 2016- this is a time to raise a glass to the year to come, will it bring good fortune, new friends, new adventures? Hopefully all of these and more!! But when you are raising a glass of something sparkling you want it to be vegan right? 

Vegan alcohol is increasing in popularity and being labelled more to cater for a wider range of people. One place where the vegan alcohol is great quality is at Sainsburys. 

The taste the difference range is great for vegan options. The Cava is delicious and a great option for parties and special occasions. 

There is a large choice of wines for everyone's taste. Red and white vegan options are available. 

You are safe in the knowledge that the drinks are labelled with a 'V' and say vegan as some alcohol may only be vegetarian as they can contain milk and eggs. Having a vegan label is perfect for quickly identifying which drinks are suitable. 

Vegan ciders are also available. The sparkling cider is worth trying, it is again from the taste the difference range and really is a top quality drink for a bargain price. 

So raise a glass of vegan alcohol and cheers to the fact that vegan alcohol is easily available at the supermarket.