*Easy Vegan Meal Ideas + Tips ft. Hello Fresh

As some of you might know, from the beginning of 2019, I switched my diet to become fully vegan and it was been incredible; mainly because my eczema is 95% gone completely from my face and hands and it has been almost non-existent for the entire year so far which I never thought would happen!

Whenever I cook vegan meals for others, they usually assume that it's difficult, the ingredients will be very specialised and expensive or that the meals take an age to cook but none of those are true! In my experience of cooking vegetarian meals for over half of my life and vegan meals on and off for around five years, it is not difficult, very expensive or time consuming. Although if you want imported or very specific products then it could be but that's true for a non-vegan diet as well.

Within today's post, I'm going to be sharing three of my go-to meals for lazy days, all of which are quick, easy and relatively cheap to make. None of the recipes are very time consuming or difficult so if you aren't confident in the kitchen or if you are experimenting with vegan food then hopefully these three will be great beginner options to try. There are also some vegan and lazy cooking tips below too!

Butternut Squash or Sweet Potato Curry

The first option is the most time consuming but it isn't difficult! I have a full recipe on my blog for a similar chickpea and sweet potato curry with garlic cauliflower rice if you want to recreate the recipe photographed above but alternatively you could check out the creamy butternut squash curry on the Hello Fresh website which is very easy to follow with step by step photographs.

A curry of any kind but especially a mild butternut squash or sweet potato curry is a great all around, crowd pleasing option as who doesn't like a delicious, comforting curry. It is an easy recipe to batch cook if you don't have much time, it is quick to meal prep and it is low calorie but nutritious so it's an ideal option for those watching their weight and calories as I am.

Lazy Tip: pre-chopped butternut squash or sweet potato will save so much time. Also if you want a lower calorie option, you can add more veggies and less rice or you can use low fat coconut milk.

Mac 'n' Cheese 

Everyone loves macaroni cheese and while the dairy version can taste utterly delicious, it always made me feel incredibly guilty; however the plethora of vegan options are just as mouthwatering but they are sometimes lower in calories and the flavour options are endless. I have two main options for cooking vegan macaroni cheese, the first is a healthy lower calorie option and the second is a very quick...not so healthy option.

The healthy macaroni cheese involves roasting butternut squash (potatoes and carrots as well, if you want) then blending it in my Nutribullet with non-dairy milk, garlic and herbs to make a velvety, creamy but healthy macaroni cheese-like sauce.

The second, super quick option is to use the Alpro soya cream which is a single cream alternative (that I've gone through countless tubs of) and gently heat it in a saucepan with garlic and a couple of slices of original Violife cheese until it becomes thicker and gooey - the texture of this sauce is spot on for the more gooey American style mac 'n' cheese.

Lazy Tip: a Nutribullet is an amazing, super quick tool to make incredibly creamy, velvety smooth sauces and dips from a variety of nuts and vegetables instead of buying (potentially expensive) pre-made sauces. I bought mine four or five years ago and it is still going strong so I think it is well worth buying.

Lemon Pasta 

Last but not least is my favourite option for a quick, fresh summer meal that I can make in around ten minutes. My recipe follows the same quick cheese sauce above using Violife cheese but I also add in tarragon and lemon rind (not the juice, NOT THE JUICE). I use around half a lemon rind, finely grated to add in a subtle lemon flavour as the juice is just too strong. If you want a bit more of a nutritious option then you can follow the Hello Fresh 'power of the gods' recipe which I am going to have to veganize and recreate soon.

Lazy Tip: Frozen pre-chopped veggies are are easy addition to any pasta dish as you can add them into the water as the pasta as it is cooking. Also for quick extra flavour, garlic salt, onion salt and garlic pepper as well as dried herbs are essential.

Hello Fresh

I hope these meal ideas inspired you to create vegan alternatives but if you are struggling with time to cook or for meal ideas then check out the Hello Fresh recipe boxes which are delivered straight to your door with all of the ingredients you'll need to create the recipe you've chosen, including the curry and pasta options I've already mentioned. They have such a wide range of meal ideas and boxes to choose from for a range of dietary needs, cooking abilities and family size, so you're bound to find a recipe box to suit you.

Get 10% off your first box with this link! 

What do you think of these vegan meal ideas? Have you tried Hello Fresh? 

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