We are not 100% vegan but we have come a long way in our vegan journey, and are now eating mostly plant-based food. We are big foodies and Veganuary is a great time to start thinking about switching to a more planet-healthy diet.
Like a lot of French (and lots of people), I enjoyed the easy and satisfying stuff that you can have as a quick meal or snacks like cheese, pâtés or cured meats.
I know there are lots of alternatives these days but I am not tempted by their taste, or even their nutritional values, plus most come in plastic packaging.
What has been really helpful to keep these products at bay and avoid plastic waste has been to prepare some quick vegan spreads or snacks at the weekend to use thorough the week.
Maud from Sunny Jar
Here are our favourite spreads
🥑Guacamole
You may have heard Avocado has been crowned as a superfood in the past and this is because it is a nutritionally dense food, where just half of the fruit can count towards your 5-a-day! They are full of goodness and can be mashed into full and luxuriously creamy guacamole spreads. Here's an easy guacamole recipe, you can add and take away in accordance with your taste. Ingredients we like to add are smashed avocado, onions, coriander, salt and lime juice to make our Guacamole.
Tapenades (pictured)
For delicious low effort spread from the sunny south of France, just blitz olives, garlic, olive oil and seeds together in a food processor. You can also add herbs like parsley or anchovies and capers if you prefer. Olives come rich in antioxidants and contain anti-inflammatory compounds.
🌰Nut cheese
We simply blitz pre-soaked cashews, water, olive oil, salt and nutritional yeast
Take a look at our Instagram post for our favourite Nut cheese, it's light and smooth and deliciously creamy!
🧄Scrambled tofu spread (super addictive!)
Scrambled tofu spreads are a quick and easy way to replace your morning scrambled eggs. Scramble your raw tofu (use firm or silky tofu depending on your preferred consistency) and mix with raw garlic and ginger, soy sauce, a bit of sesame oil and seeds.
Alternatively, try this amazing tofu ricotta.
Hummus and other beans dips
Chickpea packed hummus, come full of protein and fibre offering a fantastic Pâté alternative.
Other beans like white cannellini bean spreads also contain protein and can be blitzed into scrummy spreads.
Baba ganoush or roasted veg spread.
Baba ganoush is an aubergine spread, it not only makes a great and impressive appetizer but also is full of aubergine goodness- high in antioxidants and fibre.
For a little extra sweetness, Chocolate spread
Here is our tried and tested scrummy chocolate nut spread. Chocolate is actually pretty good for the immune system and digestion. Try adding some rich and luxurious 70% dark cocoa solid chocolate (without milk) to your nut spread for extra exuberance.
What are your fav tips for aspiring vegans?