My Vegan Essentials ft. Indigo Herbs

If you didn't know I've had an almost entirely vegan diet for the past three years with between 70% to 95% of my diet being vegan (meat, fish, dairy, gelatine and egg free). Unlike my switch to a vegetarian diet at the very young age of 11 which I chose to stick to overnight, my switch to a vegan diet has been gradual which I think is a good way to do it. I've started posting more about my diet on instagram and I'm planning so many vegan recipes so stay tuned for those but todays post is a list of a few of my vegan essentials:

Rice, Beans & Pulses

Let's start with the basics and one thing that I always see about 'cons' of the vegan lifestyle is that it's more expensive which isn't the case at all. In my opinion any lifestyle (whether you eat meat, you're a vegetarian or if you're vegan), is as expensive as you make it - you can buy the most expensive cuts of meat or delicacies; alternatively you can buy the most inexpensive items.

"Data published by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) shows healthier foods bought in super markets tend to have a smaller price tag than their unhealthier counterparts" - The Independent 2017

Rice, beans and pulses are some of the cheapest foods, although organic foods do tend to be a little pricier (you obviously don't have to buy organic if you don't want to) but I think that Indigo Herbs has an amazing range of organic wholefoods at really reasonable prices! They have a wide range of rice and lentil varieties. I use rice quite a lot for vegan fried rice *drools*, sushi bowls or stir frys. Additionally, beans such as butterbeans are ideal for adding an interesting texture and protein to your salads or blended with plant milk into a creamy dressing or dip (you do need a high powered blender for this though, I use my Nutribullet).

Nutritional Yeast, Herbs & Spices

Next up are essentials for anyone, herbs and spices. I use dried herbs and spices every single day and some of my favourites have to include basil (with pasta or salad), tarragon (with pasta, dips, dressing or sauce), garlic pepper (on pretty much everything), chives (for vegan ranch) and nutmeg (great with creamy pasta or eggs/egg replacer).

One cooking ingredient that I hadn't heard of until becoming vegan is nutritional yeast. Nutritional yeast is deactivated yeast, that's all, it's nothing unusual but it has such a nice savoury, nutty and slightly cheese flavour. To me it isn't very cheesy (although some people think it is) but I think it's more like salted crisps...I love it blended into cheese sauce or sprinkled onto salad or pasta.

Cashew Nuts & Protein

Speaking of cheese sauce, the most delicious vegan cheese sauce is made with soaked cashew nuts. I've already posted a recipe for vegan mac 'n' cheese using a cashew based sauce so you can check it out for the recipe - I also have an updated low fat version recipe. Nuts are high in fat so I only tend to use them on occasion but soaked cashew nuts blended with plant milk and herbs makes the most incredibly smooth, super creamy and yummy sauce - you don't need single cream when you can use cashew nuts!

Last but not least is another item I don't use too often but it's something I sometimes use in my smoothies - protein powders. I think they'd be great if you are more into your fitness or if you don't want to include other protein sources in your diet. I've tried a couple of pea protein powders and they have been my favourites so far.

Are you vegan or vegetarian? Are any of these foods part of your diet? Have you bought anything from Indigo Herbs?

*This is a sponsored post
*Images from Indigo Herbs