Keeping Veganuary going: three tasty recipes
If you’re thinking of starting Veganuary and want some inspiration, why not try these three colourful plant-based recipes?
Read on to find out more, including some of the health benefits of each recipe.
1. Veggie pasta recipe
This vegan pasta recipe is a great mid-week meal. It’s packed with colour and nutritional value and is easy to make.
It’s also a good option for cutting down on the amount of saturated fats you eat. Saturated fats can increase the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood, which increases the risk of heart disease.
As well as vegetables, chickpeas, are included in this dish as a healthy source of plant-based protein. They also help to keep your muscles healthy.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 1 onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 aubergine
- 200g (7oz) chestnut mushrooms
- 1 courgette
- 2 large carrots
- 2 cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 can chickpeas (or 100g /3.5oz lentils)
- Wholegrain pasta
Method
- Heat a medium saucepan to medium heat. Then fry the diced onion and garlic with some olive oil until soft.
- Roughly chop the aubergine, mushrooms, courgette, and carrots, and add to the saucepan. Heat them for around 5 minutes, until they become soft.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and chickpeas. Then leave to simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken and come together.
- Cook pasta according to cooking instructions, then serve with sauce. Add vegan cheese as an optional extra.
2. Coconut vegan curry recipe (serves 4)
This colourful recipe has plenty of vegetables. It’s a great source of vitamins, minerals, and fibre too, which can help to maintain a healthy digestive system.
Fibre is an important ingredient which is good for your digestive health, and can help to prevent constipation. It may also help to reduce the risk of bowel cancer, which has been linked to diets rich in red and/or processed meats.
The lentils in this recipe are a cheap and low-fat source of fibre and protein too, and count towards your recommended five daily portions of fruit and vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 red onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 red chilli
- 1 sweet red pepper
- 1 yellow pepper
- 1 butternut squash
- Handful of spinach
- 200g (7oz) mushrooms
- 100g (3.5oz) lentils (or 1 can chickpeas)
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp curry powder
- Rice of your choice
Method
- Heat pan over a medium heat with olive oil. Add diced onions, garlic, and chilli, and fry until soft. Then add in curry powder and fry for a further 2 minutes.
- Add chopped vegetables to the pan and fry them until they start to soften.
- Add in the coconut milk, chopped tomatoes and dry lentils with a dash of hot water. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes, adding more water if necessary, until the sauce becomes thick.
- Add spinach as you’re cooking the rice according to pack instructions.
- Serve with rice of your choice.
3. Vegan chia pudding recipe (serves 2)
This recipe can be used as a breakfast or dessert and includes ingredients with lots of nutritional value.
Despite their small size, chia seeds are a rich source of antioxidants, which can help to keep you healthy. They’re also an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids that may lower our risk of heart disease?
Nuts and seeds are high in unsaturated fats and good for keeping a healthy level of good cholesterol. Having good cholesterol can help you to maintain a healthy heart.
The berries taste great in this recipe and contain a variety of vitamins and important nutrients, such as potassium, magnesium, and calcium.
And the coconut milk works really well as a diary-free alternative. It contains calcium and vitamin D to help keep your bones and teeth healthy.
Ingredients
- 50g (2oz) chia seeds
- 200ml (7oz) coconut milk (or alternative milk of choice)
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- Half a tsp vanilla extract
- Mixed berries and nuts to serve on top
Method
- Mix all the ingredients, except the berries and nuts, in a large bowl. Then cover the bowl with cling film and leave it in the fridge for at least four hours or overnight.
- Serve the pudding in bowls of choice, sprinkling mixed berries and nuts on top.
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Sources Sources
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- Qian et al. Association Between Plant-Based Dietary Patterns and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. AMA Intern Med. 2019;179(10):1335-1344. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2195
- Kim et al. Plant‐Based Diets Are Associated with a Lower Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Disease Mortality, and All‐Cause Mortality in a General Population of Middle‐Aged Adults. Journal of the American Heart Association. doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.119.012865
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- Oliviert Martinez-Cruz, Octavia Paredes-Lopez. Phytochemical profile and nutraceutical potential of chia seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) by ultra high performance liquid chromatography. Journal of Chromatography A. Volume 1346, 13 June 2014, Pages 43-48. doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2014.04.007
- Healthy eating for vegetarians and vegans. British Nutrition Foundation. Nutrition.org.uk, accessed December 2023
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