Hannah's Veggie Lifestyle

My final product reviews article for Veganuary is here, and I tried out some really tasty new products that I hope you'll give a try! Enjoy x Pukka Pie Vegan Chicken and Mushroom Pie (£1 for one pie) I've been getting a bit bored of not having many veggie/ vegan options when having fish  and chips, so when I saw this for sale in Sainsbury's I knew I had to pick one up ready to go in the freezer. The pastry was just as good as a meaty Pukka Pie, and the sauce inside was really tasty. Considering how many great chicken style pieces you can get nowadays, I was a little disappointed in the ones in here. They were quite soft and chewy rather than meaty- quite similar to the mushroom pieces. This meant I couldn't really differentiate between the chicken and mushroom. However, it was still very tasty, and even better once doused in gravy. ASDA Plant Based Wraps (£2.50 each) We've started going food shopping in the evenings so it's quiet, and this means there's ofte...

Another week means lots more vegan products to try, and I found some really tasty new foods to add to my vegan journey this week. Enjoy! ASDA Roasted Veg and Houmous Pizza (£1.75) Don't grate directly onto the baking sheet if you don't want difficult washing up later Perhaps I should have read the description more carefully, but I was very surprised when I went to cook this and found it didn't have any cheese on it. Pizza without cheese is pizza not worth having at all in my mind, so I topped it with some Violife mature cheddar before baking. This worked well and I enjoyed eating this. The houmous didn't really add much, but nonetheless it made for a very tasty, easy to prepare dinner. ALDI Double Chocolate Cookies (£0.99 for 8) Already took a bite sorry xo When the only vegan biscuits on the market are often Oreos and bourbons, snacks can get a bit boring. So when I found these in ALDI, I knew I had to try them. They reminded me of Maryland cookies, as they're more...

With more and more supermarkets jumping on the bandwagon and releasing new products during Veganuary, I thought I'd review some of the new things I try whilst I take up the challenge. I'll be trying to cook more from scratch throughout the month too, so keep an eye out for some posts about my favourite recipes too! Gregg's Vegan Sausage Rolls (Iceland: Bake at Home, £2.50 for 4) I've had the Gregg's Vegan sausage roll countless times, but more often than not, it's cold by the time I buy it so it's often a bit disappointing. So, when I noticed these, I bought them purely so that I could finally try one hot! They take 30 minutes to bake from frozen, but it was worth the wait! They were just as good as I was expecting and work out a bit cheaper than going to Gregg's, so it's a win win.  ALDI Pain au Chocolat (£1.49 for 8) These were placed at the end of a random aisle and I almost didn't notice they were vegan, so it's a good job I was checking ...

For the second year running, I'm taking part in Veganuary , where you pledge to live vegan for the whole month of January. After last year, I resorted back to a fully veggie diet, but this year I'm going to try and stick to a vegan diet beyond January. I'm using this month to try out lots of new recipes, and revisit some of my favourites, so I thought I'd share some of the best with you guys! First up is a delicious, comforting curry that you won't miss having meat in. The textures of the chickpeas adds a feeling of meatiness and are a good source of protein too. I adapted this recipe from Eat Like a Girl's post , which alone is a very delicious curry. However, I added in a couple more spices to give it an extra depth of flavour. Also, I like to swap out the butternut squash for sweet potato sometimes, to change it up a bit. Make sure to chop up the spinach well, otherwise it can form quite large clumps once it's wilted. If you're not a big fan of spinac...

I finally got to visit The Ivy in Cardiff, and it was so worth the wait! My friend and I booked in to go as a treat before I went home for Christmas, and it's a good job we did when we could! The Thursday we went was the day before pubs and restaurants had to shut again in Wales, so luckily we got in just in time. The restaurant was decorated for Christmas, with Christmas trees made completely of baubles and beautiful wreaths. It's a beautiful restaurant at the best of times, so with the added magic of Christmas it looked even more spectacular! I love any excuse to dress up and feel fancy and this was the perfect place to do this. The atmosphere was lovely, and the staff were so polite and accommodating. We were sat next to eachother on a small table rather that opposite to ensure we were two metres away from everyone else, which did feel a bit strange, but we got used to it. It meant we both got a good view of the rest of the restaurant, so we could really appreciate the décor...

Working as one of the food editors for Quench (Cardiff University's lifestyle magazine) has been a blast so far, and it got even better when we were given the opportunity to have a free meal out at Wahaca. Due to lockdown, it was the first time I got to properly meet the other two food editors, Sasha Nugara and Indigo Jones, which made the experience even better! We've written a review together about the meal out, so I thought I'd share it here too! Enjoy x Last week our section editors were offered the chance to review Wahaca Cardiff, a Mexican chain which can be found across the UK. The restaurant prides itself on sustainability, and its new menu explains how it’s the most sustainable yet. After having been to the restaurant our editors decided to write a collaborative review to discuss the highs and lows of the visit, whilst showcasing the wonderful food they were able to indulge on. Indigo Jones ( @indigoesforfood ) When I opened our mailbox and noticed an email from W...

Sometimes I get sad that my brother, Adam, doesn't live at home anymore. But then I remember that if he lives somewhere different, it gives me a whole new range of independent restaurants and cafes to explore, and then it doesn't seem so bad after all. He's currently living in Cambridge which is only a 45 minute drive away, so we get to visit fairly often. And every time, he shows us a new place to eat he's discovered. Strawberries and cream (left), dark chocolate and sea salt (right), passion fruit and basil (front) The last two visits, we've stopped for an afternoon treat at Jack's Gelato , which is a small gelato and sorbetti business with two shops in Cambridge. The menu changes everyday, and the flavours on offer are no short of incredible. There are classic flavours with a twist such as malted vanilla and chocolate truffle cake, and more out there flavours too like pine nut, candied orange and olive oil, and toasted white chocolate.  Passion fruit and basi...

Completely vegan chocolate cake - who would know? We are all aware that reducing our meat and dairy intake is a great way to reduce our individual impact on the environment, as well as holding large companies accountable for the damage they do too, of course. So, I've decided to share some of my favourite meat/ dairy replacements for when you want a taste of the original, with a much smaller environmental impact! I'd love to say I'm a vegan, but if I can't find a good enough alternative for some dairy items, I do still eat the original (although in much smaller quantities than I used to). As veganism continues to grow, so does the incredible alternatives available, which means it's getting easier and easier to swap out meat and dairy products in our diets. It's still important to incorporate lots of unprocessed foods like fruit and veggies into your diet, so I do try and only eat these when I truly want an alternative. But, if it's helping us eat less dairy ...

If I could, I would happily spend all day every day eating pizza and chocolate cake. But  as heavenly as that sounds, I'm well aware that if this actually was my reality, my body would not thank me very much in the long run.  So, if there's any ways I can eat my favourite foods as much as I like without feeling like I've eaten far too much every time, I am so there for it. Sometimes there's nothing quite eating the original, and of course, sometimes I will. Also, there are a lot of claims out there for 'healthier' versions of food that are either: a) actually not that much healthier, or b) so different that there's simply no point- you might as well just enjoy the original (and maybe go on a walk afterwards). But this isn't always the case. When I'm craving any of these five foods but I fancy a lighter version, these are my go to swaps that are still satisfying for both my cravings and hunger. 1. Tortilla pizza I've seen this been made hundreds o...

As lockdown measures start to ease and we begin to return to some form of 'normal' life, it felt right to bring the Lockdown Baking Series to a close. But I wanted to end it on a (sugar) high, and what better way to do that than with cinnamon rolls? For years I've been using the excuse that recipes that use enriched dough (a classic bread dough with ingredients such as butter added) can't be made vegan and be just as good, because they wouldn't have the same richness that dairy and eggs bring. However, when I discovered these cinnamon rolls, I was proven wrong.    I first discovered this recipe when I had a craving for cinnamon rolls during Veganuary, and I haven't looked back since. They're just as soft and light, and even with plant-based margarine, they still taste surprisingly buttery. Now I know that a lot of people think the only suitably topping for cinnamon rolls is cream cheese frosting, which of course makes them more difficult to make vegan. Howev...

Coconut yoghurt, granola, sliced strawberries  and banana sprinkled with chia seeds... what better way to start the day? For those of you that know me well, I hate getting up with a passion. When I have to get up early I'll sit blinking at you for twenty minutes until my brain and body catch up with each-other, and don't even think about asking me to do something for you. But, I also hate doing nothing, so wanting to sleep and be busy is not exactly the easiest conflict to solve (and yes, I have tried going to bed earlier. It doesn't work- I just end up sleeping even longer). If I do wake up late I usually skip breakfast and have an early lunch, but this always ends with me eating rubbish in the evenings. I love the fact that there are so many options for breakfast, but what I don't love is the idea of eating them when I've just woken up. I'm much more of a 'eat breakfast food at dinner time' kind of girl, but that leaves me stuck for what to actually e...

I know I promised granola this week (I'll put it up soon!) but I made these earlier on in the week when my mum was cleaning out the oven, so I had  to find something no-bake to make. I'm trying to bake (slightly) healthier things at the moment, which is definitely a mixed result so far. These are mainly rice krispies, and they are refined sugar and dairy free, which is good enough for me. Instead of using shop bought ran peanut butter (which often has lots of added ingredients like palm oil and sugar) I blended up my own peanuts. This worked well because I could make it more chunky, so the bars had an extra crunch. This meant the peanut butter was 100% nuts too, which is definitely the best type.  The recipe I based these on didn't have any desiccated coconut in, but I wanted something to decorate the top with and it complemented the coconut oil well too. If you're not a fan, then you can leave it out. You can also add in some other variations if you like, such as dried...

I know that just because something is vegan doesn't make it healthy, but the lack of icing means I can (almost) convince myself that these are, which is a good enough reason for  them to become a regular bake in our house. This is the first vegan banana muffin recipe I've found that are just as good as banana muffins with eggs and butter- they're fluffy, moist and very moreish. If you want to make them healthier, then swap the chocolate chips for chopped nuts, or leave them out completely. I found this recipe on a Vegan Baking page on Facebook, but adjusted it slightly. I swapped some of the peanut butter for coconut oil for added moistness, and took out the vanilla extract because I found it didn't add much. You can add in a tsp of good quality vanilla extract and take out the cinnamon if you prefer- or use both.   Makes 12 muffins, but the recipe is easy to scale up or down as needed.  Ingredients- 1 1/2 cups self raising flour 1 tsp baking powder pinch salt 1 tsp...

My friend has a YouTube channel ( CaitlingGodfrey ) and she said in a recent video that she and the rest of her family are trying to bake as much as they can so they've got lots of treats during lockdown, which tickled me because in my family, we're trying to  stop  baking as much. Moving back home has meant I've got access to all my baking equipment again -plus my beloved Kitchenaid-, and having extra time too means it's all I want to do! I thought I'd start a series sharing my favourite recipes I've found during lockdown, and first up we've got a recipe for homemade doughnuts. This was my first time making doughnuts, and I can definitely recommend giving it a go. They're very naughty so I'll only be making them as a treat, and they're best on the day you make them so make sure you've got lots of people to share them with. If you're on your own at the moment or have the will-power to only eat one a day, then 1. please can you give me som...

This isn't exactly going to come as a surprise, but all of the cookbooks are vegetarian. But if you're a meat eater, don't stop reading! You don't have to commit to a 100% vegetarian or vegan lifestyle to enjoy these recipes (although I can promise you, you won't regret it if you do). 1. MOB Veggie- Ben Lebus The more I learn about MOB, the more I love them. It started off with one guy wanting to help young people cook delicious dishes cheaply, and it's grown so much since then. This book has helped me to experiment with new flavours at university without blowing all my weekly food budget on expensive ingredients. I love the fact that every recipe has a song associated with it too- it shows how much thought has gone into every single dish.  Favourite recipe- Veggie Nasi Goreng This is in the brunch section of the book, but I always make it for dinner and it's become a firm family favourite. Make sure you undercook the rice slightly when you boil it so it doe...

Now the weather has warmed up, it's the perfect time to get gardening. Here's a simple idea for germinating seeds using materials you might already have in the home! Slowly but surely, I've been convincing my family to swap to plant milk. However, this means we're also throwing out a lot more cartons. Due to the mixed materials, cartons have to be recycled at a specific centre, which currently we only have one of- in Yorkshire. This plant is capable of recycling up to 40% of the cartons produced here in the UK, but an article by The Times found that only 10% are actually recycled. Considering many people swap to plant milk for environmental reasons, it's ridiculous that most of the time the cartons end up in landfill, slowly breaking down and releasing greenhouse gasses. You can make plant milk at home, and it's a great option if you've got a zero-waste shop nearby because then you can make it entirely waste free. I have tried making my own oat milk ...