Happy New Year!

I can't believe how fast last year flew by and today I am also celebrating my 1st veganniversary! Yay! It has been far easier than I first imagined. I had been vegetarian for 26 years and hadn't eaten eggs or milk for a long time as the thought of them was enough to stop me eating them. The only time I did consume eggs or milk were if they were a hidden ingredient in food like chocolate or cake! However I really thought that I would miss cheese! I was a cheese monster, breakfast, lunch and dinner, I would eat it any time of the day! After the first couple of weeks past, I slowly started to realise that there was life after cheese and my cheese replacement became houmous. I love the stuff! It is far better for you too, especially if you make it yourself. 

I have tried various vegan 'cheeses' over the last year and although I use them sometimes to top pizza I can honestly say that I haven't found one that I can say that I love. The best I have found for my personal taste is the smoked cheese from Tesco, which I use to top a pizza or some nachos. I only use it cooked, in its 'raw' state I'm not a fan.

When visiting the Wolverhampton Vegan Fair, I was introduced to another cheese, Vegourmet Jeezini Cheese Slices, which were the closest to what I remember dairy cheese to taste like. I have used them in sandwiches and they even melt fairly well too. After sourcing them on the internet, and buying 3 packets, yes 3! I feel that I have eaten far too much of them over the Christmas period.

After looking at the ingredients list of the vegan cheeses I had in my fridge I have decided that, in my opinion, it is probably better that I only eat them in moderation and therefore revert back to my first cheese replacement, houmous! I bet I could make a 'cheesey' houmous by adding nutritional yeast. Over the past year I have also made various cheese sauces with different vegetables and white miso, nutritional yeast, nuts and beans and I shall be experimenting more with this healthier option.

Something remarkable has happened to me since I went vegan and removing dairy from my diet. I haven't had a headache! Not one, even after I have drank a few glasses of wine. Now before you go shouting from the roof tops, I'm not saying its a hangover cure as I still have all the other symptoms, so moderation is the key here! I used to suffer with headaches quite a lot, tension headaches, sinus headaches and the occasional migraine, but for a whole year, not one headache. Isn't that remarkable?

To celebrate my 1st veganniversary here are my top 5 recipes which have received the most visitors.

1) Coldsore Busting Smoothie 2

2) Stuffed Mushrooms

3) Broad Bean Pate

4) Spicy Pumpkin Soup

5) Brussels Sprout & Chestnut Bake

And here are my top 5 recipes from the last year, ones you really must try! They're in no particular order, I love all of them!

Mushroom Stroganoff

Gardeners Pie

Basil Tofu & Garden Pea Cannelloni

Bean and Noodle Salad

Beans with Mushroom Cream

Happy New Year to you all, I hope that 2014 brings you and your loved ones, health, happiness and good cheer!

Jasmine x