In a bid to prove that veganism isn’t as difficult or expensive as most people think, this blog will list some of my favourite everyday recipes that don’t cost an arm and a leg! It can be difficult to think of different lunch and dinner options everyday but hopefully this will be a guide to those interested in trying the diet, even for a single meal. These recipes are perfect for comfort food lovers and suit the spendings of students on a budget!

1. Vanilla Vegan Cake

This cake is a simplistic take on a vanilla sponge cake, using vegan buttercream instead of whipped cream as a centre. It requires only a few ingredients and is well worth a try! My advice would be to use the highest quality ingredients to get the best flavours from this cake. Betty Crocker icing is vegan which saves time and effort in making buttercream.

Ingredients:

2 cups self raising flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup oil

1 1/2 cups non dairy milk

2 tsp vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients and bake in the centre of the oven for 20/25 minutes, it’s really as simple as that! This makes two cakes. The recipe can also be split in half and made into cupcakes!



2. Vegan stir fry

This is a simple recipe that requires only a few vegetables and tofu if it is to your taste! For this dish I fry some tofu in a little bit of oil until it browns and then add some sliced peppers, onions, broccoli, sugarsnaps and spinach for some added iron. Fry these until they soften and then add sauce of your choice, my particular favourite is chow mein. Basmati rice and rice noodles both go really well as a carbohydrate for the meal.



3. Plain old porridge

This one is a typical breakfast but really does give great energy for a long day. For my porridge I add some grated dark chocolate, chopped apple and banana and some museli or granola to make it a little bit more interesting and tasty! It also looks great for instagram and will make people think you went to so much more effort than you did! I make my porridge on soya milk but you can substitute that with any other nut milk or water! To make chocolate porridge, just add a spoon of dairy free chocolate spread for a creamy, chocolaty breakfast.

4. Veggie bolognese

This is a vegan take on spaghetti bolognese using either just vegetables or a mince substitute. I have discovered a vegan mince in Aldi costing only €3 which (unlike quorn mince) is egg free! This mince cooks in only four minutes from frozen, adds a great texture and works well as a substitute for meat. Fry vegetables and mince together in a little bit of oil until softened, add tomato sauce and let it simmer for 5/10 minutes. Cook spaghetti for 10 minutes and serve. I use violife cheese to top my bolognese. If you are not a fake meat fan, simply fry up some onions, peppers, peas, carrots and whatever other veg you have to make a beautiful bolognese.





Hope you have gained some inspiration from these simple recipes and try them out! Let me know if you’d like to see more. Thanks for reading and don’t be afraid to like and share x