Plant based pantry staples you’ll use long after Veganuary
How’s your Veganuary going? It’s a lot of people’s first taste of veganism – whether you’re jumping right in or just dipping a toe in the water, making a few changes and seeing if they work for you. As the month goes on you might be thinking about making some of those changes permanent. It’s easy enough to have the occasional meat free treat, but veganism is also about the ordinary, everyday things. Here’s some of our favourite vegan items for daily use – for Veganuary and beyond.
Milk alternatives
Let’s start with the various types of milk alternatives on offer. We know how important your daily cups of tea and coffee are, messing with them might seem like a dangerous game. The good news is there’s plenty of variety available.
Oat milk is a popular choice, maybe because it’s pretty similar to cow’s milk. The Bridge and Rude Health offer authentically creamy and delicious takes on the concept. Oatly’s barista edition is specially formulated to make the perfect cup of coffee, while Minor Figures’ foamable variety is well-suited to micro foam and latte art.
There’re plenty other types to try. You might want to start with Plenish’s sustainably-sourced cashew milk or Ecomil’s low-sugar almond drink. Nut allergy sufferers will be safer with The Bridge’s rice drink or Rude Health’s tiger nut drink (since tiger nuts are technically roots and not “true” nuts). If you hit upon one that’s perfect for you, it’s an easy way to make a big change.
Meat substitutes
The next time you’re cooking with meat, think about swapping in a plant based alternative instead. It’s a relatively easy gateway to veganism; no need to plan a whole new meal, just switch one ingredient and you’re ready to go. Clearspring soya mince makes a cracking Bolognese, as does Essential Trading TVP mince, made from textured vegetable protein. You might find they’re a little healthier than beef mince too, if that sweetens the deal.
Looking for other substitutions to make? Try spreading some Bonsan beetroot & horseradish pate or Granovita mushroom pate on your toast next time you fancy a savoury snack. Tuna sandwich afficionados might enjoy Marigold’s ocean-friendly tunah alternative made with soy. Loma’s “tuno” even comes with vegan mayo included.
Store cupboard
While we’re on the subject, is mayonnaise one of those things you just can’t do without? We’ve got you covered – Organic Kitchen, Hunter & Gather and Geo Organics all offer egg-free versions. And Inspired produce a whole range of vegan-friendly condiments, from mayo to tartare sauce, horseradish sauce and hollandaise sauce. No need to give up those little luxuries.
Pesto is a perennial favourite but often contains parmesan or pecorino cheese. No need to worry about that with Organico’s green pesto or Zest’s red pesto, both fully vegan-friendly. There’s variety here too: Mr Organic offer grilled pepper, tomato & olive and chilli & garlic versions.
Egg substitutes
But what about eggs? This might be one of the bigger challenges for people moving from vegetarianism into veganism. Orgran easy egg makes a great ethical omelette or scrambled egg meal. For the vegan bakers among you, there’s powdered Free & Easy egg replacer, or Suma organic aquafaba, derived from chickpea broth.
This is just a taster of what we offer – check out the full Ethical Superstore vegan food range here.
