Veganuary Looks This Good
One month of no meat, dairy, eggs or honey...are you giving it a go this year? Here at Creative Countryside we’ve put together the basics to help you understand why so many people are opting into Veganuary this year, plus a beautiful winter recipe for inspiration.
Why vegan?
There are lots of reasons to go vegan: some people make the change for health reasons, others are against animal suffering or concerned about the future of the planet. Whatever your motives, the journey to veganism is getting easier with every person who opts in. Supermarkets are stocking more alternatives, restaurants are jumping on board and misunderstandings are being dispelled.
At its heart veganism is the opposition to all unnecessary violence. Vegans chose not to eat or use any product that comes from animal origin in order to live their life without causing harm to other creatures. While vegetarians don’t eat meat, vegans take this a step further and reject dairy, eggs, honey, leather too.
Scientific studies are telling us that production and consumption of meat is unsustainable, the impact on the planet is just too high. Veganism acknowledges that production of plant based foods has a lower environmental impact; we can feed more people nutritionally richer food with lower carbon emissions, less water and no deforestation. The idea is that enough individuals adopting veganism will eventually slow the demand and eventually the production of animal products.
Whether you’ve got veganuary well under way or you just want to know more, we’ve shared one reader’s recipe to show you just how good a vegan dinner can be.
Sticky Tofu & Pickled Veg
Sweet and fresh, ideal for a mid-week pick up or a cosy night in.
Ingredients
1/2 pack of tofu, drained and pressed for 20 minutes, cut into cubes approximately 3cm wide
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp tomato sauce
2 tbsp Hoisin sauce
1 tbsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp golden caster sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp vegetable oil
Ingredients for the Pickled Vegetables
1 tbsp caster sugar
2 tbsp boiling water
1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
½ tsbp fresh mint, chopped
2 carrots, cut into thin ribbons
1/3 cucumber, cut into thin ribbons
1 shallot, sliced thinly
Black and white steamed rice to serve
Method
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas Mark 6.
To prepare the pickled vegetables, dissolve the sugar in the hot water, allow to cool slightly then add the vinegar. Pour over the vegetables and sesame seeds. Cover and refrigerate.
Mix the garlic, tomato sauce, hoisin and soy sauces, sugar, rice vinegar and vegetable oil in a bowl. Add the Cauldron Tofu cubes and coat well. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes until sticky and glazed. Coat with a little more glaze during cooking if required.
Serve the sweet baked tofu with the crunchy pickled vegetables and steamed rice.
Want to know more?
Becoming vegan doesn’t mean throwing all your leather shoes away. Most people keep the products they already have and replace them with a vegan alternative as they wear out. Consider it a transition.
Animal Aid have a great website if you want to know more about choosing veganism and their Agony Aunt has your questions covered:
For more recipes visit Veganuary official website:
https://veganuary.com/recipes/
Pinterest and Instagram are brilliant resources for recipes or advice on how other vegans are finding alternatives to animal products. Remember, to check out Deliciously Ella's Chilli and Ginger Pho on the journal.