Well, the new year has started so Veganuary is here again! Veganuary is, of course, the renaming of January to encourage people to adopt a plant based diet for a month. With this in mind, we thought we would help introduce you to a vegan way of eating by pulling together some of the easiest vegan baking recipes. These are ideal for anyone wanting to give vegan eating a try or would be ideal for removing any panic factor should you be entertaining a vegan friend!
A good place to start would be to take a look at this post below. You will find a brief guide to vegan baking, explaining how and what to substitute for the more usual baking ingredients such as butter and eggs. It helps make it all sound very do-able for anyone who has never tried a vegan approach to their baking.
We all love a decadent dessert after dinner or a sweet breakfast treat on the weekends. But if you’re vegan — or thinking of going vegan — you might be hunting for ways to recreate your favorite baked goods without any animal ingredients. That means no eggs, butter, milk, meat, or any other animal byproduct. (What?! Brownies with no butter??). That’s what makes the idea of vegan baking intimidating. How am I going to make a cake without eggs or butter? But believe it or not, vegan baking is a lot easier than you may think. With a little innovation and creativity, you’ll be surprised at how simple and delicious vegan goodies can really be. Via healthline.com
Of course, vegan cookery is not just about baking cakes and desserts. In fact, this is most likely to be the most challenging area for most people unused to plant based eating. There are some excellent recipes to be found on BBC Good Food including this warming Mushroom and Ale Pie. Proper comfort food and ideal for keeping out the cold in the winter evenings:
A delightful wintry vegan pie with rich mushrooms and sweet shallots that will make your cold nights a lot warmer. Vegan comfort food at its best. Via bbc.com
For a great book on vegan cooking and eating, we really like Bosh by Henry Firth and Ian Theasby. This book has over 140 plant based eating recipes including delicious desserts and easy breakfasts. There’s even a helpful “where do you get your protein” section. Virtually all recipes have photographs and 91% of Amazon reviewers rated it 4 or 5 stars.For me, one of the most amazing vegan recipe ideas, is how to make meringues without using egg white! I have no idea who first thought of the idea of using water out of a can of chickpeas to make a vegan friendly meringue but I can only assume they were either a great chemist or a little bit of a mad experimenter! If this is something you’d like to try, then Ania’s from Lazy Cat Kitchens are super easy to make and look absolutely gorgeous. And of course, I really love the idea of getting 2 dishes from one can of chickpeas as being both environmentally and economically attractive.
Most importantly, don’t be intimidated. These little guys are really easy to make. Three key things to remember are: 1) unlike with egg-whites, it is impossible to overwhip aquafaba 2) before you start adding sugar make sure the whipped aquafaba does not slide out of the bowl when turned upside down 3) add sugar very gradually! Via lazycatkitchen.com
Anyone not used to cooking on vegan principles should find the following video really useful. In it, the two presenters go through a list of essential items you would need in your vegan store cupboard. They cover the main essentials such as coconut milk, spices and noodles plus much more.
Viewers of the video have suggested additional items they deem essential. Oats are a great favourite for many and garlic is a definite too!
I hope you have found this round up of ideas a good introduction to veganuary and cooking and baking for a plant based diet. If you have any great hints and tips for following a vegan diet, do please let us know in the comments below and we can then share them with our Crafty Bug readers.
We like this easy to use, fuss-free, all in one rice cooker which will cook your rice perfectly every time. As you use the microwave, there is no mess or danger of forgetting your pan on the stove. It can also be used to cook other grains such as buckwheat or pearl barley or used for pasta. Includes a rice paddle which ingeniously doubles up as a lock for the lid during cooking.
