5 easy vegan recipes that I love

 

This year was the first year I tried Veganuary. Not only did it mean we reduced our meat intake for a month, we also found so many new recipes and meal inspiration that we still try weeks later. It was interesting to say the least to try out the dairy free cheese, with varying success. The meat substitutes were much better and I found a new love for oat milk and vegan chocolate However bringing more vegetables to our dishes was the best bit. 

If you're looking to try a month of being vegan, I really recommend The Vegan Kind supermarket and trusty BBC Good Food as well as these Olive Magazine favourites or pick yourself up some bargain vegan recipe books from The Works. Here are a few of my favourite vegan recipes, which all bring out a rainbow of vegetables and pulses, with no meat alternatives in sight. 

vegan tacos with homemade mushroom & bean mince.

A delicious homemade veggie mince recipe that is both vegetarian and vegan! In this case, I've added some subtle spice to create a chilli style mince, perfect for tasty tacos. But the results are so versatile! The recipe is also perfect for dairy free diners who also may avoid soya or eggs in the supermarket bought varieties.

Using my trusty new Veggie Bullet, I was so pleased that shredding up healthy mushrooms and borlotti beans was such an easy way to create a mince-like base for so many meals. With around 20 calories in 200g of mushrooms too, the cheap ingredient means you can create a really low fat, low price meat substitute which is packed with nutrients too. Will you be giving it a try for #MeatfreeMonday?

bohns best burgers, nottingham.

Found in the heart of Hockley, Bohns Best Burgers is an independent joint serving up a rhapsody of creations between brioche buns. The clue is in the name though, could these really be the best burgers in Nottingham? It's true, I'm always on the look out for the best burgers in the East Midlands (shout out to Leicester's Crafty and Hide in Derby) but could these be the hit that Hockley needs? I think so.

violife: what is vegan cheese and what recipes can I make?

Have you ever tried vegan cheese? As someone who would consider themselves flexitarian, and an advocate of Veganuary, I've tried my fair share of both classic cheeses and dairy free options. It can be a really mixed bag, or mixed cheeseboard as it were, with some vegan cheeses melting better than others, some great in sauces and some you'd be happy to enjoy in a sandwich or as part of a plant based platter. Violife pride themselves on being 100% vegan and preservative free, with many products also free from soya and gluten.

Their dairy free delights don't just stop at cheese either, they range from chocolate spread to Camembert and sandwich slices to butters - perfect for planning vegan recipes! I've personally tried the Epic Mature in cheese sauces for veggie lasagne and enjoyed the smoky slices in a sarnie, but I was most interested in taking Le Rond for a test run...