Go vegan for better health
VEGANUARY, the annual global challenge in which people are encouraged to go vegan in January is in full swing but there’s still time to sign up and reap the rewards of a plant-based diet.
While going vegan might be a fun way to start the year, for others like Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton it's a way of life, and his plant-based restaurant chain called Neat has branches in London, Milan and New York.
Wikus Engelbrecht the Communications Manager at ProVeg South Africa said that last year 25 million people around the world participated in the 31-day Veganuary challenge which was endorsed by celebrity vegan ambassadors like Billie Eilish, Joaquin Phoenix, Evanna Lynch and Paul McCartney.
A subsequent survey showed that even after the 2024 challenge had ended, two-thirds of the participants continued to eat a fully vegan diet, with 59% reporting increased energy, 57% improved mood and 48% losing weight.
“The results showed that 81 percent of respondents have maintained a dramatic reduction in their animal product consumption. At 65 percent, nearly two-thirds of participants who have continued to eat a fully vegan diet by the six month milestone and have experienced improvements to their health reporting; increased energy for 59 percent, improved mood for 57 percent, better skin for 54 percent and 48 percent of participants indicated a desired change in body weight.”
Engelbrecht said ProVeg South Africa was the official national partner of the Veganuary campaign and anyone who signed up on its website is emailed a shopping list and menu ideas to ensure that no one has to wonder what exactly they should eat.
Over the past few years the organisation has ranked popular local fast-food franchises for their plant-based friendliness making it even easier for participants to stick to their Veganuary resolutions.
In 2024 Simply Asia, Kauai, Panarottis, Nando's and Spur were ranked in the top five of food franchises which cater to plant based diets. Burger King, Barcelos, McDonald's, Steers and then Mugg & Bean completed the top ten list.
Below are some meal ideas for those wanting to participate in the remaining few days of Veganuary.
Breakfast
Blueberry almond porridge (10 mins)
What you need:
50ml almond milk or soy milk for protein-rich version
50g oats
50g blueberries
30g almonds (a handful)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp agave syrup to taste
How to make it:
Bring almond milk to a boil and add oats.
Let it cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
Optionally, roast the almonds in a dry frying pan while the porridge cooks.
Add blueberries, vanilla, and cinnamon to the porridge and sweeten with agave to taste. Sprinkle the roasted almonds on top.
Vegan pancakes (10 mins)
What you need:
1 cup plant milk
1 cup flour
1 banana large
1 pinch cinnamon
oil for the frying pan
toppings as desired, such as fruit, nuts, chocolate sauce, maple syrup, etc.
How to make it:
Mix all ingredients – except the oil – together until a wet dough is formed.
For each pancake, add a ladle of the mixture to the oiled pan and fry on both sides on a medium heat.
Serve the finished pancakes with fruit, nuts, or chocolate sauce as desired.
Tip: You can customize the basic recipe by adding cocoa powder or ground nuts to the pancake batter.
Mains
Falafel burger and sweet potato fries
For the sweet potato fries
200 sweet potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
For the falafel burgers
400g chickpeas when from a can: drained and rinsed
100g frozen peas
15g fresh parsley
1 lemon only use the juice
4 tbsp tahini
salt to taste
For serving
1 red onion sliced
1 tomato sliced
2 hamburger buns gluten-free if required
4 tbsp sauce of choice
Calories: 1005 kcal
How to make it:
Prepare the sweet potato fries
Allow the garden peas to thaw.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scrub the sweet potatoes clean and cut them into fries without peeling. Spread them on the baking sheet and drizzle with ½ tablespoon of olive oil. Bake the sweet potato fries for 30 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
Making the falafel burgers
Rinse and dry the chickpeas. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas with 5 grams of parsley, lemon juice and tahini. Process until smooth. Mix in the thawed garden peas and salt to taste.
Shape the chickpea mixture into two burger patties.
Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the falafel burgers until golden brown on both sides.
Assembling the burgers
Slice the red onion into rings and the tomato into slices.
Slice the hamburger buns in half and assemble each with a falafel burger patty, tomato slices, onion rings and remaining parsley.
Serve the burgers with sweet potato fries and your choice of sauce.
Dessert
Vegan Milk Tart (15-30 mins)
Crust ingredients
100g all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
0.25 tsp nutmeg
1 pinch salt
3 tsp rice malt syrup
4 tbsp coconut oil melted
Filling ingredients
590 ml soy milk
3-4 tbsp rice malt syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 tsp cornstarch
cinnamon
How to make the crust
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees.
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Add the rice malt syrup and melted coconut oil, and start to mix together. Once the ingredients have combined, use your hands to crumble the mixture together between your fingers.
Once fully combined, add to a pie dish greased with coconut oil. Press the mixture firmly and evenly around the pie dish, pressing the mixture up the sides to create an even crust around the whole dish.
Poke a few holes into the crust with a thin skewer, and pop the dish into the oven. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees. Once golden brown, remove and set aside to cool.
How to make the filling
In a medium pot, bring 350ml of soy milk to the boil. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla extract and rice malt syrup. Stir thoroughly.
In a separate small bowl, whisk the cornflour together with 240ml of soy milk until smooth and without any lumps.
Add this mixture to the pot, and set on a low heat. Stir until it thickens. This may take around 3-5 minutes, but make sure to do this on a low heat as corn flour can be quite sensitive.
Once thickened, remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
Gently pour the mixture onto the crust evenly, and dust with cinnamon.
Let cool then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.