I did Veganuary this year, and even though I haven’t fully stuck with it since, we have made several important changes to our eating habits at home that are 100% down to me completing the challenge.
I still eat the very occasional burger or bit of bacon when I’m at a restaurant, but we no longer eat meat at home. We’ve both fully converted to oat milk, and we also only buy vegan yoghurts, cream-for-sauces, butter etc.
We do still eat cheese, and the occasional egg or bit of fish, but it’s a LOT less than we used to have, and when we do have them, we try to shop the most local, organic, and sustainable options.
The biggest change has been to my mindset though. Before Veganuary, I’d got into a bit of a rut with my cooking, but having to use new ingredients and really think about what is going into our meals has made me much more experimental!
I’ve tried tons of new and exciting vegetarian recipes in the last couple of months, from loads of different books and websites, and one of my favourite resources that I always go back to is Hello Fresh.
They’re a recipe box service, but even if you don’t want to order an ingredient box, it’s worth checking out the website for their vegetarian recipe section.
They have a knack for taking simple-sounding meals and making them really exciting with just a couple of twists. I swear by their tip of brushing halloumi with mango chutney before frying it, and their creamy gnocchi pesto recipe has long been a favourite in our house!
So I’ve teamed up with them to share one of our current favourite recipes from their website: this delicious Aromatic Sweet Potato Biryani.
Gary loves a curry, but he hates chickpeas and beans, which makes it tricky to create a healthy vegetarian curry that we’ll both eat. So this vegetable curry is the perfect compromise!
A mix of tender basmati rice, soft sweet potato, crunchy green beans, fresh tomatoes and tangy feta, cooked in a spicy aromatic sauce, and topped with flaked almonds and fresh herbs.
Perfect for the whole family!
Biryani, an Indian mixed rice dish, can be composed of a variety of spices, herbs, and vegetables. Our HelloFresh twist on the traditional biryani uses creamy feta and sweet potato, with green beans, tomatoes and fresh mint for flavour. This healthy meal also packs in 3.5 of your 5 a day, a winner all round!
- 175 gr Basmati rice
- 350 ml Water for rice
- 1 Onion
- 1 clove Garlic
- 2 Vine tomatoes
- 1 pack Green beans
- 1 tbsp Poudre de Columbo (Caribbean curry powder)
- 1 small Sweet potato
- 115 ml Water for sauce
- 1/2 bunch Fresh mint
- 1/2 bunch Fresh coriander
- 25 gr Flaked almonds
- 1/2 Lime
- 1/2 block Feta cheese
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Boil the water (amount specified in the ingredient list) in a pot with a pinch of salt. Once boiling, pour in the rice, turn the heat to its lowest setting and put a lid on. Leave your rice on low heat for 10 mins, then rest off the heat for 10 mins. Tip: Do not lift the lid until the whole 20 mins are up or the rice won’t cook.
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Peel and cut the onion in half through the root then slice into thin half moon shapes. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press if you have one). Chop the tomato into 2cm cubes. Cut the very tops and bottoms off the green beans, and chop into three pieces.
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Heat a splash of olive oil in a large frying pan on medium-low heat. Add your onions with a pinch of salt and cook gently for 8 mins. In the last 2 mins add the poudre de colombo and your garlic.
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Meanwhile, boil another pot of water with a pinch of salt. Peel and chop the sweet potato into roughly 1cm cubes. Boil your sweet potato for 10 mins and then drain.
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Add your sweet potato, tomato and green beans to your onion mixture. Add the water (amount specified in the ingredient list), place a lid on the pan and cook on low heat for 6 mins. Tip: If you don’t have a lid, you can always place a baking tray on top of the pan. Meanwhile, roughly chop the coriander and mint.
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Pour your rice and three-quarters of the almonds into the pan and mix everything together. Squeeze over a dash of lime juice. Take off the heat, crumble in the feta and stir through your herbs.
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Top with your remaining almonds and tuck in!
NOTE: If you can’t find Poudre de Columbo in your local shop (I couldn’t!) then look for Caribbean curry powder instead.
*** This post is sponsored by Hello Fresh. ***
MY VEGETARIAN RECIPES:
Curried Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
Roasted Butternut Squash, Courgette and Goat’s Cheese Pasta
