Happy World Vegan Day! With so many of the Ethical Influencers community enjoying vegan food, we wanted to share some of their favourite recipes and debunk the myth that veggies are boring!
There’s a lot going on in the world of vegan food: high-street cafés and supermarkets are providing more and more food suitable for vegans, vegan bloggers have become a staple in the blogosphere, and Great British Bake Off even had a vegan week this year.
We hope all these changes encourage more people to try different meals, and see how many vegan dishes are healthier, more sustainable options than those containing meat, dairy, or eggs. Your diet choice is your own, but we bet there’s room for a vegan meal or two!
Smoked Cashew Cheese
BASTIAN OF NEST AND GLOW
One of my favourite vegan recipes is this smoked cashew cheese. It’s sweet, creamy and very more-ish.
While conventional cheese isn’t that great for you, this vegan cheese is full of heart-healthy fats, vitamins and protein. The cheesy dairy-free taste comes from nutritional yeast and the smokiness is provided by smoked paprika.
It’s quick and easy to make cashew cheese, taking less than 10 minutes to make. So if cheese is the thing stopping you from going vegan, try this recipe and see what you think!
Quinoa Salad
BESMA OF CURIOUSLY CONSCIOUS
One of my favourite lunches to make is this quinoa salad, making the best of my fridge essentials with a sharp twist. I use the standard salad ingredients – cucumber, tomatoes, lemon – and add them to coriander, quinoa, tahini and olive oil for a really delicious zing of flavour.
There are a few variations of this floating around, and I don’t think there’s any need to stick too closely to a salad recipe – if you prefer a different herb, use that instead! Follow the baseline of my recipe and customise it how you wish.
Lime & Coconut Curry
WENDY OF MORAL FIBRES
Whilst I’ve been a vegetarian for 12 years, I’m currently trying to incorporate a more vegan diet into my life. I don’t know if I will ever be 100% vegan, but I am working on reducing my consumption of dairy where I can.
One of my favourite midweek meals to cook is this tasty lime and coconut vegan curry, which I make with vegan chicken pieces. As well as being downright delicious, the dish only takes about 20 minutes to make and uses just one pot. My kind of meal!
Spinach & Vegan Feta Pie
CAITLIN OF THE VEGAN WORD
Many years ago, a Greek friend of mine persuaded me to make vegan spanakopita, a traditional Greek spinach pie layered with creamy cheese in crispy filo pastry.
Spanakopita really is the #1 vegetarian Greek food. In fact, it’s probably one of the first dishes you picture when you think of Greek cooking.
I wasn’t sure how well it could be made vegan but after I tried making my own vegan feta and it turned out to be delicious!
Carrot Dahl
HERMIONE OF HERMIONE’S PANTRY
I am loving spiced food at the moment, especially anything that uses ginger spice. This carrot dahl is a really quick and easy dinner to make, but it’s still hearty for the winter months. I like to serve it with brown rice, vegan yoghurt, roast cauliflower and Indian pickles like brinjal, lime pickle, or mango chutney.
The quantities for this dish easily be increased depending on how many you are making it for – just up the number of carrots or use more lentils. It can also be made as a side dish, but personally I love it as a main dish.
Mac and Cheese
ALENA OF SOUL MAMMA
While this isn’t a Soul Mamma recipe, I enjoy making this vegan mac and cheese recipe created by Lindsay of Vegan Yumminess. I hope to recreate it one day for my own blog, which has its own food section with recipes to suit vegans, vegetarians, and more.
No, it isn’t made with cheese… even though it kind of looks like it. Instead, it’s a creamy, flavourful alternative to the dairy stuff that will leave you richly satisfied in your decision to leave the cows alone!
Chai Rice Pudding
LYNSEY OF MONSOON OF RANDOM
As the weather gets colder, it’s time to start making hot chocolates, turmeric lattes and comforting puddings. Rice pudding is a classic favourite in my household, coming from fond childhood memories of eating this dessert as a child. It makes for a simple yet warming dish.
I use chai tea to create an interesting twist on a traditional dessert. The tea I use has cinnamon, ginger, liquorice and cardamom, which are combined with apple, pineapple and pear pieces. I made a rich cold brew with dairy-free milk too.
Chocolate Brownies
LUISA OF ONLINE PERSONAL STYLIST
If you ask me, there is no better way to celebrate #WorldVeganDay as well as the first day of November than with an indulgent chocolate brownie recipe. Best of all, I have made this brownie recipe is completely vegan and it’s delicious!
This brownie recipe is actually based upon the classic Katherine Hepburn brownie recipe – perfect for a stylist to use – and I also found that it is one of the easiest to modify into a vegan recipe!
