Recently I was challenged to go vegan for a month as part of a health experiment…. As a committed ‘meatarian’ I was worried about how to get enough protein, complexity and flavour in my food.
So to start, I did a bit of research to find out the best high protein vegan foods and aimed to eat a wide variety of unrefined grains, legumes, seeds, nuts, and vegetables everyday…
Key ingredients were:
• quinoa
• pumpkin seeds
• beans (kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, peas, black-eyes, lima beans)
• tofu, tempeh
• nuts (peanuts, almonds, walnuts, pistachios, cashews)
• seeds (hemp, flax, sunflower)
• vegetables (brocolli, spinach)
and surprisingly other things:
• bagels, spaghetti, wholewheat bread, and bulgar wheat (which also contain amounts of protein).
I also came up with some recipe ideas to kick-start my challenge and then kept a diary for 30 days.
| Mon 20 July | Meatless Meatballs with Pasta and Red Sauce |
| Tues 21 | Pumpkin, Orange and Ginger Soup |
| Wed 22 | Baked potatoes with Baked Beans |
| Thurs 23 | Breaded Tofu with Pesto-Roast Cauliflower Pasta |
| Fri 24 | Roasted Portobello Mushrooms in home-made BBQ Sauce with Grated Beetroot and Salad in Burger Buns |
| Sat 25 | Garden Salad with Toasted Seeds and Nuts |
| Sun 26 | Roast Chicken (oops!) with Roast Vegebles and Yorkshire Pudding |
| Mon 27 | Bubble and Squeak |
| Tues 28 | Pasta and Mediterranean Tomato Sauce |
| Wed 29 | Braised Florence Fennel with Tamari Lentils and Mashed Potato |
| Thurs 30 | Vegetable Risotto with half Rice-half Lentils |
| Fri 31 | Marinated and pan-fried Tofu served with Couscous and Orange Salad with steamed Bok Choy and soy and tahini dressing |
| Sat 1 Aug | Baked Potatoes and home-made Coleslaw |
| Sun 2 | Garlic pittas with Hummus and Salad |
| Mon 3 | Mexican Beans with steamed Rice |
| Tues 4 | Marinated and pan-fried Tofu served with Stir-fry and Noodles |
| Wed 5 | Pasta with roast Brussel Sprouts, toasted Walnuts and Olives |
| Thurs 6 | Green Pea Risotto |
| Fri 7 | Kumera and Garlic Soup, blanched Veggies with honey-roasted Carrots |
| Sat 8 | Lentil Soup, Buckwheat Salad and Meditteranean Vegetables |
| Sun 9 | Potato, Carrot and Celery Casserole with Dumplings |
| Mon 10 | Tamarind and Chickpea Curry with Rice |
| Tues 11 | Lentil and Tomato Pasta |
| Wed 12 | Roast Veggies with Green Salad |
| Thurs 13 | Tofu Stirfry with toasted Peanuts |
| Fri 14 | Pasta and Tomato Sauce |
| Sat 15 | Cauliflower Curry with Rice and Chutneys |
| Sun 16 | Pasta with Pesto, with chunky Tomato and Red Pepper Sauce and fresh Rye Bread |
| Mon 17 | Breaded Tofu with Pesto-Roast Cauliflower Pasta |
| Tues 18 | Stir-fried Veggies and Mushroom Pasta |
Please send me your ideas too… I would love to get them :o)
I also took some photos and have 2 or 3 really great recipes that I will share here… in a day or so :o) Happy eating… Deborah