Veganuary – Our Favourite Vegan Recipes

With it being the start of a new year in lockdown, many of us have been turning to cooking as a way of feeling productive whilst we’re all at home. Choosing to eat vegan is growing in popularity and many use January to follow a plant based diet.

Veganuary was started back in 2014 by Jane Land and Matthew Glover and aims to educate the benefits of a vegan diet by encouraging people to only eat vegan during the month of January.

We know that for many with a bladder or bowel condition, eating vegan may seem daunting but with some careful planning and advice from a qualified dietician you can adapt this lifestyle to fit with you.

We thought that we would share some of our favourite recipes that we’ve been cooking this veganuary…

(Disclaimer: these are just recipes followed by Bladder and Bowel Community team members and aren’t necessarily suitable for those with active bladder or bowel disease. Always seek medical advice before embarking on a new diet or lifestyle regime.)

Squash, lentil, mushroom and thyme casserole (From Fearne Cotton’s Happy Vegan)

This is a good recipe to banish the cold on a winter’s day. Full of hearty vegetables and lentils topped with vegan cheese. It’s a good alternative to the Sunday roast  and can feed a large family easily and quite cheaply.

Spinach, chickpea and tomato curry served with homemade garlic and coriander naan breads

This would make a healthier and cost effective alternative to your weekend takeaway. Chickpeas are great for bulking up a curry, are high in protein and fibre and are considered a superfood. The garlic and coriander naan were made using a traditional naan bread recipe and then cooked in a pizza oven to give it more of an authentic flavour, plus it was super fun too!

If you can’t go without your favourite italian meal then this vegan bolognese sauce could be a great alternative for you. Red lentils are a great filling substitute to beef mince, are low in calories but still high in iron and an excellent source of protein. It’s packed full of extra veg too such as carrots and celery but you could add almost any other veg to really pack this sauce out.

I hope that’s given you some recipe ideas to finish off this veganuary. Our team have certainly had fun trying these out and haven’t missed the meat at all when trying out these recipes.