Happy Friday, guys! Hope your New Year’s resolutions are going strong! I am so chuffed about how many people are signing up for Veganuary this year and how many eateries and restaurants are on board! It’s amazing! If you don’t live in the UK, you probably don’t know what I am talking about… Let me explain…
Veganuary is an annual campaign asking people to cut out all animal products (go vegan essentially) for the month of January. A massive part of its success is the fact that it is so well timed – people tend to want to get healthy again after the excesses of Xmas and New Year and a wholefood vegan diet is known for its effectiveness when it comes to weight loss. As the world is waking up to the reality of animal agriculture, Veganuary is going from strength to strength every year and many people who take the pledge stay vegan. Leaving animal products off your plate is simply the best choice for the animals, your health and the environment and I reckon that once you realise how not that difficult being vegan is these days, you tend to stick to it for life. Today’s recipe for Asian meatballs is dedicated to the new vegans as they may still be missing their favourite foods. It’s a simple recipe that doesn’t feature any novelty ingredients and comes together really easily. If Asian flavours are not your bag, you can flavour these with whatever else you would typically put in meatballs – smoked paprika, oregano, thyme, lemon zest and chilli for an Italian-inspired version, for example. The only important consideration is not to add any extra moisture as texture is key with this recipe. This is why I used salt rather than soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari), which would certainly fit the flavour profile well. You can either pan-fry these (my preferred option) in a small amount of oil, on a non-stick pan or bake them. The former renders the meat balls crispy on the outside and firm and juicy on the inside. You can have them in a baguette (Bánh mì style) or on a bed of rice with lots of delicious greens and some pickles. Whatever takes your fancy really, and don’t let anyone tell you that vegan food is boring. It is anything but!
2 cups brown rice, cooked a wedge of cabbage, shredded finely ½ cucumber, sliced thinly 2 carrots, shaved into ribbons baby bok choi, pan-fried 2 spring onions, sliced finely favourite pickles fresh coriander leaves, to garnish hot sauce, I like sambal oelek soy sauce or tamari (GF)
