It’s Veganuary!

Babycup blogger and international wellness writer, Ruby Deevoy, shares one of her favourite vegan recipes for you to try at home.

Sticking with the theme of new year resolutions worth keeping for 2019, today I’m looking at Veganuary: a charity and initiative launched in 2014, inspiring people all over the world to try going vegan in January and beyond.

Regardless of your own personal preference or ethics when it comes to food, the idea of giving Veganism a go for a month is one which appeals to many for a wide variety of reasons. First up, there’s the benefit to our environment (going vegan makes more positive impact on our planet than giving up your car, halving your personal greenhouse gas emissions). Secondly, there’s the compassionate angle (billions of animals are reared and used in the mass production of meat all over the world). There’s the health benefits (when done ‘right’, going Vegan can lower your blood pressure and drastically reduce the risk of diabetes and heart disease). And last but not least, there’s the discovery of new and delicious meals that you never knew existed.

If you fancy giving Veganuary a go, or even just like the idea of swapping out a few of your meat-based meals for plant-based ones at any time of year, here’s a wonderful recipe the whole family will love to get you going!

Follow @weareveganuary on Twitter or visit the Veganuary website https://veganuary.com/ for even more inspiration.

Coriander & Pistachio Pesto on Sweet Potato Slices

This simple recipe offers an explosion of flavours that you will not be able to get enough of. It’s easy to make and can be enjoyed on its own as a light lunch, or serve with rice and this spectacular black bean and avocado salad for a hearty, healthy meal.

Serves 6

Ingredients

6 sweet potatoes (sliced about 1.5 inches thick)

2 bunches of coriander

250g desiccated coconut

115g shelled pistachios

4 cloves garlic

1 lemon (juiced)

4 tsp Olive oil

Salt & pepper

Method

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees C

Spread your sweet potato slices on a baking tray and drizzle or brush with 1 tbsp olive oil to coat

Sprinkle a generous amount of salt and pepper to season

Roast until tender and starting to brown

While your sweet potatoes are roasting, you can whizz up your pesto!

Roughly chop the coriander bunches and pop into a blender with the garlic, coconut, pistachios, lemon juice and 2 tbsp olive oil

Blitz until smooth!

If you need a little more liquid add another tbsp of olive oil or taste to see if it could do with any extra lemon juice. If a thinner pesto is desired, you can add a tbsp water too.

To Serve

Once your potatoes are done, get them out of the over and spread with a lovely big dollop of pesto. Eat and enjoy!

Allergen advice

If pistachios aren’t an option for you or your little one, don’t worry, these can be left out and this recipe remains delicious. Alternatively, you can use a different nut or seed of your choosing.

Some Vegan myths, busted!

If a niggling voice in the back of your mind is telling you that giving Veganuary a go is not doable, its likely to be down to one of the most common myths about Veganism. So let’s set the record straight on a few points by referencing the Veganuary website…

One person going vegan won’t make a difference, will it?

‘In a lifetime, each of us will eat more than 7,000 animals so by choosing to stop today, a lot of lives are spared.’

‘We can see tangible changes in the farming industry specifically because people are going vegan. In the UK in 2016, sales of fresh meat were down by £328 million, fresh milk down by £54 million and cheese down by £73 million just in one year!’

Where do you get your protein?

‘The most common misconception out there is that you have to consume meat in order to get enough protein. You don’t! There may be a lot of protein in meat, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist anywhere else. In fact, vegans simply do what cows, pigs, sheep and chickens do; we go directly to the source. Green vegetables (the superstars are kale, broccoli, seaweed, and peas), beans and pulses (lentils, lima, edamame, pinto, black), grains (brown rice, pasta, quinoa, bulgur) and nuts (brazils, peanuts, cashews, almonds, pistachios and walnuts) are all excellent sources of protein.’

Isn’t a vegan diet dangerous for children?

Any diet needs to be carefully planned to ensure correct nutrition, and this is obviously all the more important for children. The good news is that the British Dietetic Association who are the experts in the field say that a vegan diet can be suitable for people of any age while the US-based organisation Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine supports this view: ‘Does evidence show that vegan diets adequately meet the nutritional needs of children?’ it asks. ‘The answer is clearly yes.’