Veganuary meals and recipes to whet your appetite for meat-free dishes by Mrs Crunch

VEGANUARY is big news, with more than a million of us expected to skip meat this month. A year ago, 1.3million people chose to forego animal products during January and a third of us say we are eating more vegetarian and vegan meals, according to the Ubamarket app.

If you are looking to give up meat for the month, or longer, or fancy getting some meat-free days in your diet, these vegan meals and recipes will hit the spot.

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Go green to save world and cash

TURNING to vegetables rather than meat one day a week can save you cash on your food bill.

Meat Free Monday was the idea of Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney to raise awareness of the environmental impact of eating meat.

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Ten years on, their message has also helped shoppers save money by swapping meat for less pricey veg instead.

Whether you cook from scratch or pick up a ready-made meat-free meal, here are some ideas to whet your appetite.

• More banger for your buck: Save £1 on six Linda McCartney vegetarian sausages, now £1 at Sainsbury’s.
• Hot stuff: Slice 50p off Sainsbury’s Love Your Veg red Thai vegetable curry & rice, 350g, now £2.
• Quorn of the crop: Get three selected Quorn products for £6 at Tesco, including Quorn meat-free peppered steaks, £3.
• Butter meal up: Tuck into Morrisons V Taste meals, down from £3 to £2, including butternut squash and chickpea curry.
• Golly cauli: Morrisons’ four cauliflower cheese grills are £1.75.
• Patty on the back: Linda McCartney mozzarella quarter pounder burgers are less than half-price at Morrisons, down from £2.20 to £1 for a pack of two.

Deals on fruit & veg

Perfect for pepping up your veggie meals, grab these offers while they are still fresh.

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• Get two for £2 on selected beans at Morrisons including dwarf beans, 220g, £1.20, and mange-tout, 155g, £1.20.
• Buy two for £3 on selected fruit at Morrisons including seedless grapes, £2, and Ripe And Ready Conference Pears, £2 for four.
• Aldi’s Super Six deals on fruit and vegetables this week includes spring onions and loose peppers at 35p each.
• Grab a whole fruit bowl of 60p fruit and veg deals at Sainsbury’s including six mini apples, down from 80p, a medium pineapple, down from £1, and Ripe And Ready Medium Avocado, down from 95p.
• Add two for £3 on selected vegetables at Waitrose including a Baby Vegetable Medley, £2.
• Buy two and get the second, cheaper item, half price on essential Waitrose frozen veg, including essential whole green beans, 750g, £1.10.

Cook up these tasty recipes, from

Vegan deals

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• Jack-in meat: Put some Morrisons shredded jackfruit in sweet and smoky BBQ sauce, £1.75, in a vegan roll.
• Name that tuna: For tuna without fish, Loma Linda tuno pouches are now 80p, reduced from £1.30, at Morrisons.
• Pasta party: You can still love lasagne with Sainsbury’s Love Your Veg Vegan butternut squash & lentil lasagne, down to £2.45 from £2.75.
• Spice it up: Save 75p on Waitrose vegan Thai curry and chilli, now £3.00 down from £3.75.
• Vegan to-go: Eat Aldi’s Limited Edition Eat & Go Korean BBQ-style chick’n sandwich on the go, with chicken style pieces smothered in a Korean-style BBQ sauce, £1.69.
• Find it in the freezer: Fill your freezer with easy-to-eat Vegan options including Aldi’s frozen Plant Menu range including red pepper & mango curry, £1.99.
• Fish and chips: Chips are still on the vegan menu, and Tesco’s Plant Chef battered fish-free fllets, currently down from £3 to £2, are a great fish stand-in.
• Pizza action: Save 50p on Tesco Plant Chef margherita pizza, down from £2.50 to £2.
• Meat-free burger: Asda’s Plant Based range includes a quarter-pounder style burger, made with mushroom for £1.97.
• Curry favourite: Asda’s cauliflower tikka masala is a great vegan take at £2.50.

Red lentil, caulifower & coconut curry

Serves six

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YOU NEED

• 3 cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3 tbsp balti paste
• 1.2 litres vegetable stock, made from 2 stock cubes
• 200g red split lentils
• 4 tbsp desiccated coconut
• 1 small cauliflower, broken into florets
• 250g basmati rice, steamed
• 1 handful fresh coriander
• 1 green chilli, thinly sliced

METHOD: Season and saute the ginger, garlic and onion in the oil for six to seven minutes, until soft. Add the balti paste and cook for another minute. Add the stock, lentils and 3 tbsp of the coconut. Bring to a boil then simmer for five minutes.

Add the cauliflower and cook for ten minutes, until tender. Serve over the rice, sprinkled with coriander, chilli and remaining coconut, with mango chutney and naan on the side.

Bean burgers

Serves four

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YOU NEED: 

• 2 tbsp sunflower oil
• 1 onion
• 1 carrot
• 350g canned borlotti beans
• 300g canned blackeye beans
• 70g fresh wholemeal breadcrumbs
• 3 tbsp tomato sauce
• 4 burger buns
• 1 large bunch little gem lettuce
• 60g Red Leicester, grated

METHOD: Heat half the oil in a pan, add the onion and cook over a low heat for five minutes, until softened.

In a food processor, blitz the cooked onion with the grated carrot, beans, breadcrumbs and ketchup until mixed evenly.

Shape the mix into four burgers. Add the remaining oil to the pan and fry the burgers for five minutes on each side, until golden-brown and piping-hot.

Serve in a bun with lettuce and grated cheese.

Cassoulet

Serves four

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YOU NEED:

• Olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 sticks celery, diced
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• 1 leek, trimmed and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 100g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 400ml vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig thyme
• 1 tin cannellini beans, drained
• 1 tin butterbeans
• 2 large handfuls basil, roughly chopped

METHOD: Drizzle a little olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the diced onion, celery, carrot and leek and sauté for five minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for a minute. Then add the tomato purée and balsamic vinegar and cook for a further minute.

Add the chopped tinned tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, vegetable stock, bay leaf and thyme. Season well and stir to combine. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the bay leaf and sprig of thyme. Add the cannellini and butter beans, stir to combine and simmer for a further five minutes.

Season to taste. Add chopped basil and stir.

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Vegan linguine with olives & tomatoes

Serves two

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YOU NEED:

• 150g linguine, or spaghetti
• 10 cherry tomatoes
• 1 can tinned tomatoes
• 50g black olives, pitted
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 handful fresh basil

METHOD: In a large pan, cover the pasta with a tin of tomatoes. Refill the tin halfway with water and add to the pan. Bring it to the boil and simmer. Keep stirring while the pasta softens.

Chop the tomatoes, halve the olives and add to the pan with sugar and olive oil. Stir well, cover with the lid and cook on a medium heat for ten minutes. Chop the basil. Stir in the basil and black pepper to serve.

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