Hannah's Veggie Lifestyle

Over the years, I've made meat, vegetarian, and vegan versions of sloppy joes and I have to say I've enjoyed them all. The vegan version uses green lentils instead of mince, and I love the fact that they still give a meaty texture, but without using real mince or a processed plant-based mince. Using tinned green lentils takes out all the fuss of having to soak and boil the lentils, so if you have the option, I'd use these! The arrival of delicious vegan mayonnaises and cheeses on the market means that it's easy to top the mince with some tasty toppings, but you can also use dairy versions if you prefer.  I like to make the coleslaw from scratch because it's not difficult to make, but I don't normally bother making the rolls from scratch. If you do want to, I'd recommend putting a tray of boiling water in the bottom of the oven to keep the crusts soft. If I fancy a different filling, I like to swap out the sloppy joe mix with pulled barbeque jackfruit too (pi...

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...

A couple of weeks ago, I got to try out the new Hubbox restaurant in Cardiff Bay with the other food editors for Quench, Indigo and Sasha. We had unlimited access to the menus, and were given goodie bags when we arrived so we were certainly treated well!  From the moment we walked in the door, the staff were very friendly and helped us get settled straight away. The vibe was very energetic, and the music quite loud, but it did make for a very fun evening. To get started, I went for an espresso martini. The drink was extremely smooth and velvety, and started the night off on a great foot!  Often, I avoid going to burger restaurants because the focus can be so much on the beef and chicken options that the veggie and vegan burgers can get overlooked. There's often only one meat-free option available which takes away the excitement of getting to choose something you're really craving. However, Hubbox really delivered with five vegetarian and vegan options! There were two vegetable...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

Can our planet cope with increasing demands? Even though it might feel like it's been a few years now since everyone went crazy for coconut oil, with many claiming it's practically a food from the gods and (something about being healthy) (even though it's actually got more saturated fat in than butter), the demand for all things coconut is still growing. New products are constantly featuring coconuts are constantly appearing on supermarket shelves, whether in drinks, desserts or even loo roll- don't worry, I'm as confused as you are on that one. There's a lot of conflicting information about whether coconuts products (particularly coconut oil) are healthy or not, but we won't get into that side too much. Just remember that swapping to coconut oil or coconut sugar doesn't magically mean you're not using oil or sugar, and just because it's trendy doesn't magically make it healthy. Admittedly, I love all things coconut. I'll always happi...

Is its versatility speeding up deforestation? I gave up counting years ago how many times I'm asked 'what about the environmental impact of soya?' when people find out I'm a vegetarian. I understand why they ask- it's a hugely argued topic that just seems to cause more and more concern as we're encouraged to eat less and less meat. But if it's true that 90% of soya is used for animal production, then why are veggies and vegans always the first to get the blame? It's true- soybean production is on the rise. Since the 1950s, it has increased 15 times over. Even if you don't think you're eating it, you probably are. It's in the obvious like soy sauce, tofu and some veggie burgers. But it's also in a lot of everyday foods that we consume without even realising. Around 27% of vegetable oil is made from soya, and it's also commonly found in many household staple like bread, ice cream and cereal. According to WWF , soya production is t...

Is our love for olive oil harming Britain's favourite birds? The market for new foods to make oils out of continues to grow and is showing no signs of slowing down. Coconut oil had it's moment in the spotlight and now new options are popping up on supermarket shelves, such as pumpkin seed oil and rice bran oil (don't worry, I've never  heard of it either). But one oil that has established itself as a staple in our diets is the humble olive oil. From 1990/91 to 2015/16, consumption of olive oil increased by 763%, according to the Olive Oil Times . However, and you've guessed it- there's a pretty upsetting consequence for using this heart-healthy fat. Olives are often harvested nocturnally because cooler temperatures help to preserve the olives natural flavour. Sounds pretty harmless, right? But birds from central and northern Europe, including well-loved British birds such as robins, settle down to rest in olive bushes during migration in the winter. So when t...

Is the water consumption worth it? Daria Shevtsova ~ Pexels Yes, you might have spent the last 15 minutes perfecting that avo-on-toast picture to let your Instagram followers know  you're #cleaneating. But if I were to tell you that the avocado industry is causing families living nearby to lose their clean water supply, does it still count as clean eating? A world without avocados everywhere might sound odd now, but when they were first brought to the UK in the 1960's they were not a big hit. Marks and Spencer introduced them as 'Avocado pears' in shops in 1968, but the name caused a lot of confusion. One customer sent in a complaint after stewing the 'pear' and serving it with custard. It wasn't until the 2010's that the fruit (I know, no wonder people got confused) really took off. Now it seems to be in everything- from chocolate mousse to sushi, french fries to soup... you name it, it probably (definitely) exists. There's even a Nati...

Is your morning coffee costing the lives of billions of bees? There's no denying it- plant-based milk is everywhere. In 2018, there was uproar in the US as a shortage of the popular oat milk brand 'Oatly' broke out, due to sales growing faster than even the company expected.  Demand for cow's milk is falling as people begin to choose alternative milks such as coconut, soya and even pea. However, this isn't without causing some controversy, of course. One plant milk in particular has come under fire recently, due to claims that its production is causing the deaths of billions of honey bees. Now, I'm not saying that we should just give up and switch back to drinking cow's milk. The 2018 University of Oxford study shows that dairy milk produces almost three times more greenhouse gasses than any milk alternative available.   So whichever plant milk you choose, it's still so much better for the environment than dairy. But if you're an almond milk lo...