Missing a bit of cheese in your new vegan life? I hear you!! It was one of the hardest things to give up, and probably still is.
Luckily I found Anja on youtube! She’s German, just as me, but now lives and prepares plant-based plates of happiness in Australia. I’m not sure that counts for something on my quest to quench my cheese appetite, but her does a very good job!
There’s more benefits to this dish though than my cheesy happiness!
Seasonal eating
Let’s not steal the show for the main ingredients: Sweet potato and Kale! Both are in season now in the UK, which makes this dish even more healthy and benefits the environment. Seaonal food even tastes better as it ripens naturally and is picked at the right time. Generally, seasonal and local vegetables (and fruit) retain more nutrients than their non-seasonal counterparts because they travel less milage before landing on your kitchen counter. Less travel and less refrigeration means less fuel and energy usage, hence less CO2 emissions and other pollutants into our atmosphere. As a consequence, our planet is happy too!
This is absolutely one of my favourite Autumn and Winter dishes! I cannot even count how many times I’ve prepared it since its’ discovery. It always hits the spot. Perfectly balanced flavours of ginger spice and coconut creaminess – bliss after a cold day out!
Thanks to Jamie Oliver for this one! I slightly tweaked his recipe though as it is a huge portion size. I halved the amount. You may want to pre-prepare this for Guy Fawkes night. It’ll be developing wonderful flavors if you prepare it some time ahead.
Ingredients
1/2 butternut squash or pumpkin (appr. 450 gr)
4 cm piece of ginger
4 shallots or 1 small to medium sized red onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
1 fresh red chili
1 bunch of fresh coriander – separate stems from leaves and don’t throw the stems away!
coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
20 curry leaves, preferably fresh but if you cannot get them, use dried ones
1 tsp turmeric powder
200 gr (1/2 tin) chopped tomatoes
400 gr (1 tin) coconut cream/coconut milk
400gr (1 tin) chickpeas
Preparation
Remove the hard squash/pumpkin skin and chop into bitesize pieces
Finely chop or grate the ginger, chop the shallots/red onion, chop the garlic, and the coriander stems. Seed and chop the red chili.
Heat some coconut oil in a large pot at medium to high heat. Add the ginger, garlic, red chili and shallots/red onion, and reduce to medium heat. Cook until golden, stirring occasionally.
Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and coriander stalks and fry until the curry leaves go crispy.
Add the turmeric, tomatoes and coconut milk, and bring to the boil.
Then, add the squash/pumpkin pieces and chickpeas and reduce to low heat. Cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes. Check occasionally. (add a splash of water if it looks a bit dry)
When the time’s up, take the lid off and cook for a further 15 minutes or so until the sauce is lovely and thick.
Scatter with coriander leaves and serve with rice or naan bread.
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Did you know that the first of November is ‘World Vegan Day’? And as if that wasn’t enough, did you know that the entire month of November is officially ‘World Vegan Month’?? Many of you will be equally excited as I am, already planning their plant-based meals for the days and weeks to come. Many more though will now be rolling their eyes… I know. And that’s OK.
Facts, not fiction
I’m not trying to convince anybody what to eat or what not to eat. What I’d like to do, is present some facts. It’s up to you then to decide what to do with these. You have to admit though, some of the facts presented in the video are quite convincing to try at least for a day, the 1st of November 2018. If you manage to cut out all animal products for an entire day, that’s already a huge achievement! Imagine just 1 person in 100 doing this. Extrapolating that globally – that’s HUGE!
World Vegan Day is not a new thing. It’s not ‘the new kid on the block’ as many of you may assume because the vegan movement has been growing exponentially over the past 5 years. World Vegan Day in fact has been around since 1994, and it is not a coincident that it falls on the same day as the ‘Day of the Dead’. El ‘Día de los Muertos’, is an ancient multi-day holiday, which starts on the 1st of November and is celebrated throughout Mexico.
Let’s embrace the vegan challenge together
I embraced the vegan lifestyle in 2015. Although that doesn’t make me a complete ‘newbie’, I am excited to learn more as I go. Moreover, I am trying to bridge the divide between vegans and non-vegans. The world is getting too small of a place to put labels onto people who’s motives we don’t understand. We’re all breathing the same air and share the same planet, so let’s learn from each other rather than ‘roll our eyes’ or worse, attack each other for our choices. It’s not a diet; it’s an identity. You don’t do vegan, you are vegan (or not).
Let’s start with a sweet incentive – traditional Pan de Muerto
My connection with México runs deep! Living in this beautiful and mystical country for almost 2 years, on and off, I learnt to love their Día de los Muertos traditions! I am deeply grateful that I experienced this festivity in the small villages, pueblitos, in the State of Veracruz, to which my university friends kindly invited me. Amazing and unforgettable – this was a true experience of Mexican hospitality!! And, I was introduced to Pan de Muerto, a special sweet treat, which is offered to the spirits of the beloved relatives who passed away. In some cases the sweet bread is eaten at the side of their graves, and it is believed that the spirits absorb its’ flavour and essence.
Pan de Muerto, Despeinadas (Mixquic)
Try for yourself! It’s a real delight, and makes your vegan day, or maybe the first day of your vegan month (?) a lot easier 🙂 I’ll be sharing my favourite plant-based recipes daily this month. This said, I hope you’re motivated to cook along and take on the ‘vegan challenge’ until the 30th Nov!
I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. Please share below!
