Absolutely delighted to be back on the incredible Kate Justice's show for BBC Hereford & Worcester tonight, and she is asking about VEGANUARY live so please do check in around 7.20pm and see what questions she poses for me.
One of the things she has asked, is for me to talk about a vegan recipe that I have discovered that I would like to share, so please find below a very quick vegan curry that is SO EASY to make and will make you love these vegetables if you didn't already!
If you didn't already know, when I went vegan I actually didn't even like vegetables, so I thought I would have a life of living on cold salads, but I couldn't have been further wrong
Going vegan has made me appreciate vegetables and their sublime flavour even more. I thought vegetables had to be boiled to within an inch of their life (as I had grown up with), rather than cooked for a very short space of time so they still have bite and flavour... I had so much learning, or re-learning to do.
Kale and Cauliflower were my nemesis vegetables, I would rather have swum the channel than eat them before I went vegan, so I wanted to learn to overcome prejudices I had before so I decided to draw a clean slate and try and cook them the way I liked them, and voila, they are now among my favourites!
They are perfect as they are very low in calories but so rich in nutrients.
I use Kale as the base for all my curries and chilli's, just chop it up in a food processor quite well, or if doing by hand, chop it up finely (keep the stalks and chop them up finely, or throw them away, and keep the leaves).
IMPORTANT NOTE...
Take supplements if you are doing Veganuary, or going vegan, to help you absorb the nutrients in plants. I take Vitamin B12 as I love bounding with energy, D and Calcium.
There is a LOT of calcium in Kale but it's harder to absorb so vitamin D helps you absorb it much better so you receive all the nutrients you are ingesting.
ENGEVITA... Also, I add envegita nutritional yeast flakes to everything I cook. It's B12 again but it also adds a malty flavour but also helps thicken sauces I find. You don't need much, just give the tub a big shake in to your food. (You can find this is in all major supermarkets).
MY RULES FOR CURRIES...
Decide what your base is, for this it's cauliflower and kale, and onion
Then add whatever else you want to it
For sauces, to make a gorgeous masala sauce, just use coconut milk and tomato puree
Spices - use whatever makes you happy. I use curry powder, garam masala, cumin, a BIT of salt (don't overdo it) and whatever else takes my fancy (mustard seeds, turmeric, etc)
But basically, you don't need to overthink it
Throw it all in together and cook for about 20-30 mins. The brown rice will take 25 minutes so use this time to make the rest of the curry (allow 15 mins extra for chopping up the cauliflower before roasting in the oven).
ALL THE INGREDIENTS YOU NEED ARE BELOW...
I have guesstimated the amounts needed but please feel free to be liberal and 'do it your way.'
1 tin coconut milk - as it's so good for you rather than cream (I use the creamy full fat one but replacing with light won't make much difference)
1 Tube Tomato puree
1 large onion (sautéed first before adding the kale and spices and sauce)
1 large bag Kale (trimmed and chopped as above)
1 large cauliflower (roast this in the oven for the 30 minutes on 190 that you are cooking everything else for) - PREP TIME FOR THIS IS 15 MINS EXTRA TO CHOP UP
SPICES (add whatever else you wish, this is what I use but I change it up every time)...
Curry powder (as much as you like!), Cayenne pepper (not too heavy handed with this), little bit of salt (optional), turmeric, garam masala, Engetiva B12 flakes.
DON'T OVERCOOK THE VEGGIES!
Keep them on a low, once they have all come together, keep them on a very low heat until the cauliflower has finished roasting and the rice is ready. You want a bite to your veggies rather than mush.
With the above ingredients, you will never buy a shop sauce again. It tastes incredible and is super easy to make.
APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE...
To anyone who makes curries properly... this curry and these sort of recipes really work for me. They are quick and simple and anyone can do them fast when they get home, but they are by no means done in the correct Indian cooking way, so apologies x
My dinners only ever take me 30 minutes and I cook every night fresh from scratch.
I am a throw it in sort of person, so whatever is in your fridge, repeat the same base for the curry (tomato and coconut milk and spices) and you are good to go!
It's surprising what delights you can conjure up and this is how you will learn to LOVE vegetables by just 'giving it a go.'
If you want any more tips on vegan cooking or recipes just google and there are SO MANY amazing recipes and chef's to be found on the internet and Instagram is my favourite place for food inspiration.
SO, if you are trying Veganuary, please don't just make it for a month. I promise you that if you go vegan you will have more energy than ever before and your health will improve no end. If you need any assistance, always get hold of me at lorri@veganhappyclothing.co.uk
Much love,
Lorri xx
