VEGANUARY CHALLENGE

Written By Izabel Florence

CHALLENGE A FRIEND!

Our Veganuary challenge will last only a week.

All donations are going straight to an animal sanctuary in the Uk 🐄. A week’s shopping list with daily recipes, cooking videos and lots of support from our health coach.

There’s still time to join!

RECIPES

The beauty of cooking vegan food is the possibility of experimentation. So whenever following a recipe, feel free to use your creativity and intuition to adapt dishes to your own taste. Consider the textures you’d like to achieve (the more variety the better), the different layers of flavour you can build, and the balance between the following: sweet, sour, bitter, salty and umami (savory). Keep tasting while you cook, and most importantly; have fun!

I am available 24/7 for support. So feel free to message me at any point of the process with your questions or if you’d like the shopping list for the full week!

Go to the end of the page for the information on how to donate, and for the full shopping list!

AND DON’T FORGET TO SHARE THIS LIGHT WITH YOUR FRIENDS! THE MORE PLANT BASED FOODS WE ALL INTRODUCE INTO OUR DIETS, THE MORE LIVES WE SAVE, THE MORE WE CAN THRIVE, AND THE HEALTHIER OUR PLANET BECOMES.

BRAZILIAN MONDAY

Serves 2 | Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients: 

  • 1 tin black beans

  • 1 tablespoon miso paste 

  • 1 small sweet potato

  • 1/2 smoked tofu block

  • 1/2 white onion

  • 1/2 cup of brown rice

  • 1/2 cup cassava flour 

  • vegan butter or olive oil 

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • 1 banana

  • Bay leaves (optional)

How to:

  1. Rinse rice and drain. Place desired amount of rice in a saucepan and add water (make sure you make 3X the amount you’d like, to use the leftovers for your TACO TUESDAY and CURRY FRIDAY). The correct amount of water is reached when you touch the rice with the tip of your index finger, and the water level rises to your first knuckle. Add 2 bay leaves (optional). Let it boil then lower heat. Cook for around 35 minutes (or until fluffy and all the water has been absorbed). Season to taste

  2. Finely chop the onions and garlic. Cut the sweet potato (keep the skin for the incredible nutrients) and the tofu into same sized cubes.

  3. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan. Add the onions to the pan (mid heat), cook until translucent.

  4. Add 1 tablespoon of miso paste to the pan. Add a stock cube to 1/2 a cup of boiling water. stir it until fully incorporated and add to the pan.

  5. Add the garlic to the pan and pump up the heat.

  6. Add the sweet potato and let it cook till tender. 

  7. Meanwhile open a can of black beans, drain and rinse them under cold water. 

  8. Add smoked tofu and black beans to the pan.

  9. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to another pan, cook the banana until caramelised in both sides. Leave it on the side.

  10. On that same pan, add onion and garlic with vegan butter. cook until translucent.

  11. Add cassava flour, salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and let it toast a couple of minutes in the pan. Stir frequently to toast evenly. 

  12. plate it all.

  13. ENJOY!

TACO TUESDAY

Serves 2 | Cooking time: 20mins

Ingredients: 

  • 1/3 cup of brown rice

  • Tomatoes

  • Lime juice

  • Olive oil

  • Onion powder (optional)

  • Frozen or canned sweetcorn 

  • Yellow pepper (optional)

  • Parsley (curly or flat)

  • Tahini

  • Lettuce

  • 1/2 smoked tofu block

  • Tortillas

  • Avocado (optional)

How to:

  1. Re-heat the leftover rice from yesterday.

  2. Wash, cut and de-seed the pepper. Place it in a baking tray, cut side down. Roast in on 180 degrees C till the skin is burnt and the pepper is caramelised.

  3. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a non stick pan, and cook the tofu on each side till golden and crispy.

  4. Cut tomatoes and a handful of parsley, add the juice of half a lime, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 tablespoons of onion powder.

  5. Heat up your tortilla in the pan.

  6. Slice up the avocado.

  7. Take the pepper out of the oven and once cool remove the skin. Cut it lengthwise.

  8. Put it all together in the taco shell.

  9. Mix 3 tablespoons of tahini with the juice of half a lime and 2 tablespoons of onion powder, and use it as a sauce.

WEDNESDAY SOUP

Serves 2 | Cooking time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

  • 1 leek

  • 4 small potatoes

  • 1 stock cube

  • Vegan butter or olive oil

  • Spring onion to garnish (Optional)

  • Sesame seeds (Optional)

How to:

  1. Chop the leek and wash it thoroughly. Wash the potatoes and cut them into small cubes (for quicker cooking).

  2. Add the butter to a pan and melt over medium heat.

  3. Add the leek to the pan and stir to coat with the butter. Reduce to low heat and cook until soft (around 10 mins). Stir occasionally and observe to ensure the leeks do not burn.

  4. Add the potatoes and stock to the pan and bring to a gentle boil, cover and simmer for around 15 mins or until the potatoes are soft.

  5. Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth.

  6. Taste and season.

  7. Add some tahini on top if you’d like, and garnish with spring onion and sesame seeds.

THAI THURSDAY

Serves 2 | Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

  • Cucumber

  • Parsley

  • Spring onion

  • Sesame seeds

  • Peanut butter

  • Noodles

  • Carrots

  • Chilli

  • Roasted Peanuts

How to:

  1. Sprinkle mixed nuts with salt and add to the oven on 180 degrees till lightly roasted and fragrant (you’ll be using them several times during the week, and they’re a wonderful snack as well).

  2. Bring a pot of water to the boil

  3. Add noodles, and lower the heat. 

  4. cut carrots, spring onions, parsley and cucumber lengthwise.

  5. make the peanut sauce with chilli, peanut butter, lime juice 

  6. Drain the noodles and combine it all together, top it with finely chopped parsley and roasted peanuts (or any other roasted nut).

FUN CURRY FRIDAY

Serves 2 | Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • Curry spice, or any other spices you have lying around.

  • Carrots

  • Cabbage

  • Potatoes

  • Miso paste

  • Any other leftover veg

  • Stock cube

  • Brown rice

  • Roasted nuts

How to:

  1. Chop 1/2 an onion finely, and sautee until translucent. Add 2 teaspoons of curry spice (or whatever spice you have at home) and 1 tablespoon of miso paste.

  2. Mix the stock cube with one cup of boiling water, and add to the pan.

  3. add the leftover veg, potatoes, carrots, lentils and tofu. Bring it to a boil then leave it to simmer.

  4. Serve it with the leftover rice, roasted nuts and garnished with parsley.

SATURDAY PASTA

Serves 2 | Cooking time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 

  • 200g Mushrooms

  • Dried mushrooms (optional)

  • Tahini

  • Tamari or soya sauce

  • Pasta

  • Olive oil

  • Onion

  • Walnuts (optional)

  • Capers (optional)

  • Truffle (optional)

How to:

  1. Place the pasta in a pot with boiling salted water. Cook for 10-12 minutes, drain well and save some of the pasta water.

  2. Add some chopped onion into a pan with olive oil. cook till translucent.

  3. Cut the mushrooms and add to the pan. let it cook with the lid on.

  4. Take the lid off and let the water evaporate. Add 2 tablespoons of Tamari.

  5. Blend 1/2 cup of dried mushrooms into a powder

  6. Add the mushroom powder and 2 tablespoons of tahini to the pan.

  7. Add the pasta and some pasta water to the pan.

  8. Plate it with the roasted walnuts, truffle and capers!

SUNDAY ROAST

Serves 2 | Cooking time: 20 minutes

Ingredients: 

  • Potatoes

  • Olive oil

  • Mushrooms 

  • 1/2 a tofu block

  • Roasted nuts

  • Kale (optional) or lettuce

  • Tahini (optional)

  • Onion

Gravy (optional): 

  • Veg stock

  • Onion powder

  • Nutritional yeast (optional)

  • Soy sauce or tamari

  • Dijon mustard

  • Flour

How to:

  1. Wash the potatoes and place them in a pot with water on high heat. leave it to boil, then simmer till soft.

  2. Add all the leftover roasted nuts to a blender or food processor with 1/2 a block of plain tofu.

  3. Put them in the oven to roast.

  4. Cut the onion, sautee till translucent, and add the sliced mushrooms 

  5. Add some liquid and close the lid, letting the mushrooms steam. Once fully cooked through, take the lid off and let all water evaporate. Add the nut and tofu mix to the pan and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly.

  6. Pack the nut roast tightly into a silicon mould and place it in the oven at 180 degrees C. Let it roast for 30 minutes or until crispy.

  7. For the gravy add all ingredients to a medium sized pot and bring to a boil. Whisk over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes, until the gravy thickens.

  8. For the kale, wash it thoroughly, add to a pan with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 2 tablespoons of tahini.

  9. Season it all to taste.

  10. Plate it,

  11. Enjoy!

PS: SUNDAY ROAST VIDEO COMING SOON!

HOW TO DONATE:

Hopefield Animal Sanctuary sits on 53 acres of beautiful countryside in the heart of Brentwood, Essex. The sanctuary currently cares for over 500 sick, unwanted and mistreated animals. Our mission is to help animals in need and provide education and awareness for humane behavior towards all animals around the world. Our animals live out their lives at Hopefield in peace, surrounded by love and receiving the best care.

FREE INFO ON FOOD PREPPING AND NUTRITION

Sign up to our newsletter and get a free pdf about Vegan Food Prepping made easy, as well as the nutritional value of a fully plant based diet explained.

FULL WEEK’S SHOPPING LIST:

Keep your breakfast the same, and feel free to experiment with the 3rd meal of the day. You can choose to have the recipe I offer as your lunch or dinner. There will be leftovers!

Side dishes:

- Side salad (feel free to experiment and also use things you have lying around in the house, such as seeds, pulses, veg and even fruit)

- Creamy kale

- Peanut tofu

- Cabbage rolls

Shopping list if you’d like to make all the dishes:

Take into consideration you’ll have a lot of food leftover, which will nourish you wonderfully the week after!

Veg / fruit / legumes:

  • 5 potatoes

  • 1 leek

  • 4 tomatoes

  • 5 limes

  • Frozen or canned sweetcorn

  • Parsley (curly or flat)

  • Kale

  • 1 small sweet potato

  • 1 smoked tofu block (if you can’t find smoked buy another normal block)

  • 1 normal tofu block (firm)

  • 2 white onions

  • 1 head of garlic

  • 1 banana

  • 1 tin black beans

  • Lettuce

  • 400g of Mushrooms

  • 1 cucumber

  • Spring onion

  • 5 carrots

Cupboard:

  • Miso paste

  • 3 cups of brown rice

  • vegan butter or olive oil

  • Tortillas

  • Tahini (sesame seed paste)

  • Tamari or Soya sauce

  • Pasta (wholemeal is better for you)

  • Mixed nuts

  • Peanut butter (check the ingredients to make sure there’s no sugar added)

  • Noodles

  • Chilli powder

  • Curry powder

  • Veg stock

Optional:

  • Onion powder

  • Avocado

  • Dried mushrooms

  • Capers

  • Truffle

  • Sesame seeds

  • Bay leaves

  • 1 white cabbage

  • 1/2 cup cassava flour

  • Nutritional yeast (optional)

  • Dijon mustard

  • Flour

Izabel Florence
Next

Low Waste Hacks