What’s great about a new year is that you can start fresh in January and keep going once you make a change. Like what you eat for example. That’s why January is fondly known in vegan circles as Veganuary. If you decide to go vegan for a month, you’re then primed to continue for the rest of the year and, hopefully, the rest of your life.
I think this is why this month’s edition of The Vegan View is a bumper one. Judging from the round-up below, it seems mainstream media is warming to more vegan news.
Yes, vegan food can be high-end. Just ask the Gourmet Traveller.
Shannon Martinez has been known in Melbourne’s vegan scene for years. Though, when she appeared as a guest chef on the Australia version of Masterchef, her profile soared and vegan food received mainstream interest. Shannon is the brainchild behind the all-vegan dining room Smith & Daughters and the offshoot all-vegan deli Smith & Deli. Shannon decided to close both and transformed her concepts under one roof – a high-end mega-vegan cafeteria.
Gourmet Traveller also knows a good flavour when it tastes one. In their round-up of avocado recipes that don’t require toast, there’s a vegan recipe for avocado ice-cream with coconut cacao crunch. Though, just remember, vegan eating doesn’t have to be expensive. You can still enjoy superior flavours at minimal cost.
Speaking of cheap and tasty vegan flavours…
The Daily Good featured a warming and satisfying vegan red lentil curry which is creamy and flavoursome. Yes, it is possible to have a creamy texture without non-vegan dairy. You can make this tasty and popular recipe in less than hour. Just make sure you serve it with vegan roti and you don’t skimp on the coriander (if you like it, of course).
If you need something to bring the heat down, skip the non-vegan lassi and check out this accidently vegan recipe from SBS Food for a frosted chai latte instead. What’s even better about this recipe is that the word ‘vegan’ doesn’t even appear in the write-up!
…then finish the meal off with a vegan mango cake with creamy icing!
Don’t worry, frankie has you covered for dessert with this vegan cake recipe. Mango is another popular ingredient in Indian cuisine, so this cake will complement the flavours from your tasty red lentil curry meal.
It’s ‘barbie’ season here in Australia and no shrimps are in this round-up.
The good old fashioned Aussie barbecue or ‘barbie’ is sadly synonymous with excessive amounts of meat. WellBeing has the insight to know that times and attitudes are changing and barbecue enthusiasts now need to cater for vegan needs.
Here are 7 vegan barbecue alternatives to give you some green inspiration. Just make sure your barbecue has been cleaned thoroughly and foil or baking paper is used to separate cooking from non-vegan options.
Even traditional travel companies are catching on about the rise in veganism
When I was 21, I packed my bags and headed to the U.S and Canada for almost three months and I took back-to-back Contiki tours. At the time, it was like a rite of passage for 20-somethings to head overseas on a Contiki trip. Back then, I wasn’t vegan and the tours I took were not vegan-friendly. Fast-forward to 2022, Contiki now realises that they need to cater to the vegan market and now host all-vegan trips to eastern Europe, as reported by Matador.
When you do travel vegan, make sure your tour provider also avoids animal attractions including those attractions that use and exploit animals for profit. One such practice is elephant riding. World Nomads has put together an article as to why elephant riding should be removed from your list of travel experiences.
Rough Guides voted Australia as 8th in its readers’ poll of the world’s most beautiful countries
I really do live in a beautiful country (yes, I may be a little biased) and Rough Guides has ranked us at Number 8. If you ever want to travel here, when it’s safe to do so, make sure Australia’s most vegan-friendly cities are on your itinerary – Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.
While we’re on the topic of travel companies and travel stories…
Kazbah is a new vegetarian spot which has opened here in Melbourne, and Broadsheet tells its heartfelt story. This is a love story of Tony and his wife; he left his job in the travel industry to open a new spot to honour his wife who passed away from brain cancer. He met his wife while being a travel guide in the Middle East and they married at the Red Sea.
His wife Kaz was a lifelong vegetarian and a lover of Egypt. So, Kazbah opened in her honour; an Egyptian-inspired spot serving vegetarian cuisine with a generous selection of vegan options. You just have to read this heartfelt story of food, travel and a love for plants.
