Vegan Guacamole

I am yet to meet a person who doesn't like gauc! Like seriously who cannot love this stuff. And homemade is even better, so fresh and tasty and oh so simple to make. 

Ingredients 

2 large ripe avocados 

half a red onion (diced)

1 clove of garlic 

4 cherry tomatos 

1 lime (juiced) 

pinch of salt and pepper

dash of olive oil 

half red chilli (deseeded and chopped)

Method

This is really the easiest thing you could ever make and though it may be simple, it will still impress your friends! Simply take all of the ingredients above and put them in a food processor, blend them up and there you go. Guacamole is made. Be careful not to over blend though, it should still have some bite to it. 

Bagels

I have developed such a love for bagels. Bagels for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 

There is a bagel for every occasion. Whether it is cheese and tomato, avocado or mushrooms, it is a winner. Simple and easy to make yet so filling and delicious. 

Vegan Banana Granola

Another yummy staple for breakfast in my house. I love anything I can make in advance and grab when I need it!

Ingredients

3 cups of oats
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of flax seeds
3 tablespoons of sugar (any sugar is fine, I used brown)
handful of pecans
handful of coconut flakes
1/4 of oil (any oil is fine)
2 tablespoons of maple syrup or agave (I had both in so used 1 tbsp of each)
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
2 medium bananas (mashed)
50g of chopped dark chocolate

Method

Pre heat the oven to 150c (fan)

In a bowl mix oats, cinnamon, salt, flax, sugar, pecans and coconut flake

In a medium saucepan, melt and mix oil, maple syrup/agave and vanilla extract. Once combined, remove from heat and mix in bananas. 

Add banana mixture to oats etc. Combined well

Line a baking tray and spread oat mixture out

Cook for approximately 20 to 30 minutes depending on how crunchy you like your granola. Give the mixture a mix up every 10 minutes or so to break it up

Once the granola is cooked and cooled, mix in dark chocolate 

Store in an airtight container. The granola will keep for approximately a month and makes approximately 12 servings 

Vegan Burritos In Norwich

If you are ever in the city and get a lunch time craving for Mexican Food look no further than Chihuahua Burritos which can be found serving in The Ally (on bridewell ally) from 11am to 3pm daily. They also offer a delivery service - great for the late night munchies! 

Their vegan burrito is to die for! One of the best I have had and at a great price to at £4.50. You can eat in and take in the cool art work and vibes or you can take away and enjoy on the comfort of your own sofa in your sweats.

Stuffed Peppers

An easy to make hearty meal

Ingredients 

1 red bell pepper

vegetable couscous (I used a pre packet mix as it is so simple) 

Method 

1. Pre Heat the oven to 180c (fan)
2. De-stork and seed the pepper and place on a baking tray, cook in the oven for approximately 5 minutes 
3. Whilst the pepper is cooking make the couscous. If you are lazy like me this this will involve adding hot water to a mixture and leaving it for 3 minutes 
4. At this point cook any other vegetables that you wish to add to the couscous such as mushrooms, onions, carrots etc. Add your cooked veg to the now ready couscous mixture 
5. Take the pepper out of the oven and add into the middle of the pepper the vegetable couscous
6. Cook in the oven for approximately 10 to 15 minutes

I served mine with a simple side salad but you could have chips, salad, more vegetables. Whatever you fancy really. 

Easy to Grab Vegan Snacks

One of the things I struggle with being a vegan is the lack of easy snacks you can grab from the shops when you have the munchies! Gone are the days of just picking up some crisps and a chocolate bar. 

Finding snacks these days take a lot more research and planning. 

Here are a few of my go to snacks that you can grab from most UK supermarkets. 

Narns Snackers (balsamic vingar flavoured) - I love these little cracker type crisp. They are so easy to eat on the go and taste great. They also come in a caramelised onion flavour. RRP £0.40. 

Side Note - the cheese flavoured Narns Snackers are not vegan. 

Choices, Rondellos (white chocolate buttons) - great little sugar boost and they don't taste half bad for vegan chocolate. RRP £0.65

Sainsbury's Free Form Chocolate Buttons - again a great little snack for when the chocolate cravings set in. RRP £0.50

Lotus, Biscoff caramelised biscuits - I have never been as happy as when I found out these were vegan. I am such a biscuit person and it had been killing me not being able to grab a pack from the shops and devour the whole thing. That was until these came along.  They also come in a handy pack with individually wrapped biscuits which makes them super easy to pop in your bag and take out with just in case you get hangry! RRP £1.25

Vegan Deodorant

Being a vegan isn't just about what you eat. Animal products are in everything we use and a lot of the chemicals in products are tested on animals. 

Finding good vegan products is a real struggle. It is not simple a case of popping to boots when you need a new deodorant because most main stream brands test on animals. 

Lush is an obvious choice to check out when looking for vegan beauty products but it is also an expensive choice. Their deodorant range offers bars and powder coming in at between £4.50 and £7.00. 

After doing a lot of research I found this gem in M&S.

It is their Peach Roll On which costs £1.50 and is often on buy one get one free. It is part of their natures ingredients range and comes another scents. 

I was so hesitant at first about vegan deodorant, as deodorant is such an important thing. I didn't wanna go around smelling bad! But this works a charm. It keeps you dry all day and smells lovely. Only downside for me is that it is roll on and I have always been more of a can kinda girl but never mind, that was easy to get over. 

If you are on the look out for an affordable great deodorant then look no further. For £1.50 it is definitely worth a try.