You're curious about veganism or you're ready to take the leap.
But you have questions and want to find out what a vegan lifestyle really entails. How hard is it? What can you eat on a vegan diet? How can veganism change the world? What benefits can you expect?
This guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started.
2018 was a happy and fulfilling year at The Vegan Nigerian HQ - filled with new experiences, travel, exploration and a truckload of good food (of course!)
As we cross over into a new year, I can't help but smile as I think back on some of the highlights:
being consistent with YouTube. This time last year, I made an unofficial commitment to post at least one video every week, and it happened! Click here to watch my top 10 vegan recipes of the year.
featuring real-life Vegan Nigerian stories such as this one.
catering a wedding for the first time. This was an experience and then some, chronicled in this blog post.
exploring the vegan food scene in Madrid, Malta, Thailand and Paris. I've well and truly been bitten by the travel bug and every holiday is an opportunity to discover great vegan food.
hosting a collaborative food/networking event centred around my favourite ingredient: plantain!
I can't help but feel that 2019 is set to be extraordinary. I hope to shine a brighter spotlight on health and wellness - foods and lifestyle practices that make us feel our very best and lead lives that are joy-filled and fulfilling. I hope you stay tuned and continue to follow along.
Sending lots of love and good wishes for the New Year!
Hey beautiful readers! Christmas is SO close and I'm finding it difficult to contain my excitement. Over the weekend I decided I'd test out a festive recipe ahead of the big day - a delicious vegan side dish that is sure to wow my family. Well...hopefully! I certainly think it's the bees knees; the perfect combination of sweet, slightly bitter, crunchy and delicate. Some people absolutely detest Brussels sprouts, but I'll venture to say that it's probably because they haven't had it cooked the right way. Give this recipe a try and you won't be disappointed.
For the dressing:
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp finely chopped parsley
Start by removing the stems of the Brussels sprouts. Peel the outer layer and giving them a rinse. Place in a pot of boiling water for about 4-5 minutes. You want them to still be firm - nothing worse than mushy sprouts! Drain and allow to cool slightly before slicing thinly.
Finely chop the garlic and toss with the sprouts, along with the tablespoon of sunflower oil. Arrange on one side of a baking tray.
Thinly slice the pear and lay the slices on the other side of the baking tray.
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.
Assemble the salad by placing all the ingredients in a large salad bowl - be as generous with the leafy salad greens as you want.
Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together and drizzle over the top.
As you know (if you've been following closely), I was at London VegFest back in October. Canada-based company Daiya had a stall there this year and were making it rain with free boxes of their vegan mac and cheese.
I first encountered Daiya at Natural Products Expo West in California back in 2015 (read my California post here). They hadn't broken into the UK market at that point, but when I tasted samples of their products back then.. boy, did I wish that they would. Up until that point, it was the best vegan cheese I had tasted. It's not surprising to see that they've grown and gone international.
I didn't grow up with mac and cheese so I can't say that I'm an expert on what makes it good or bad. Still, I was excited to try it out. I stored it away in my kitchen cupboard for a day when I couldn't be bothered to cook or for when I had a craving for something comforting and 'cheesy'. That day came over the past weekend.
Daiya Deluxe Cheezy Mac comes in a bunch of different flavours, including Alfredo Style, White Cheddar Style, Four Cheeze Style with Herbs (coming soon), and the one that I will be reviewing today - Cheddar Style.
You'll see from my YouTube video below that the cooking process is ridiculously simple, so points for convenience.
The pasta is made from brown rice, so my gluten-free friends can rejoice. It cooked in exactly 8 minutes and still had a nice bite to it.
The 'cheese', which comes in a squeezy pouch, is a shockingly bright yellow. If this was achieved through artificial colours, I'd instantly have been put off. But the yellow colour is actually annatto - an orange-red condiment derived from the seeds of the achiote tree (thank you Wikipedia!) In terms of taste, it is rich, gooey and rightfully extremely cheesy.
I sprinkled some crushed chilli flakes over mine, because you can never have too much heat.
For a quick, lazy, comforting, one-off meal, Daiya's mac and cheese is a great shout and I would have it again.
The contest is now closed and the winner is Cynthia E.
There will always be great opportunities to win cool stuff, so be sure to follow me on social media (links in the sidebar) and subscribe to my blog to stay up to date.
Vegan chocolate buttercream frosting may seem like a daunting thing to make from scratch, but it really is as easy as ABC. In this week's post and video, I've broken it all the way down for you so you can feel confident about making your own chocolate buttercream for cakes, cupcakes and other bakes.
It was my sister's birthday last week and chocolate buttercream was one of the elements of the two-layer cake I ended up making. This year's cake was a far cry from the Exploding Popcorn Cake I made her previously, but special in its own way.
So let's get into it!
Ingredients
- 6 cups icing sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 3/4 cups room temperature vegan margarine (I use a brand called 'Pure')
- 1/2 cup vegan milk (coconut/oat/almond.. etc.), plus extra just in case
Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer or by hand.
If you're combining by hand, be sure to sift the flour and cocoa powder first. You'll need to be patient with the mixture as it takes a while for it to look anything like buttercream. Mix vigorously for a few minutes and soon enough, you'll be left with a glossy, smooth frosting. If it is too thick, add a little splash of vegan milk. You can adjust the consistency by adding more cocoa powder or more vegan milk, as required.
I recommend making the frosting on the same day that you need it. If you absolutely have to make it in advance, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to two days. Before using it, you may need to loosen the mixture with a bit more vegan milk so that it spreads easily.
Hello! Are you having a wonderful week so far? Hope so! If not, perhaps this giveaway will bring some cheer.
The season of giving continues and I am very excited to be partnering up with The Real African Food Co. to give one lucky winner the chance to win 8 boxes of their Love Moin Moin mix. The perfect addition to your Christmas spread this year, and then some!
If you're new to Nigerian/West African cuisine, Moin Moin is a delicious steamed bean cake made using brown beans or black-eyed beans. I have a whole post on how to make it the traditional way from scratch, which you can check out here.
To be in with a chance to win all 8 boxes, simply watch the video below and follow the instructions:
The giveaway is open internationally and all applicants must be 18+.
The winner will be contacted on 08/12/18. Good luck!
