When learning any new way of cooking or eating, the last thing anyone wants is for that transition to be hard, or expensive. When adapting to a vegan lifestyle, at first it may feel as though you are paying out a huge amount for all kinds of new and strange foods, but don't be too alarmed. When you cook vegan from scratch, the majority of ingredients are nothing out of the ordinary; we just use more beans, herbs and spices. Most of the items listed here have been right there in your local supermarket the whole time. The occasion may have just never arisen to buy them before! Once you have them in your kitchen, you are well set up to make all kinds of vegan dishes easily and often cheaply, as a little goes a long way. There were only two rules that Jackie Norman and her husband imposed on their new life as vegans -- recipes had to be simple without fancy ingredients, and taste delicious. They embarked on a culinary journey that they found was full of joy and variety and were surprised how easy it was to cook vegan food despite the fact they had limited equipment and only a two-burner hob to make meals. This was the best thing that could have happened as they learned to cook real food, using real ingredients, right from the start. As well as experimenting with Asian flavors they also found any worries they were going to 'miss out', or not be able to enjoy all their old favorites, were unfounded as they found ways to reinvent or replicate a dish. Here they share their favorite recipes and tips for how to enjoy easy, delicious vegan food. Each recipe details whether or not it is Gluten Free, Grain Free, Oil Free or Allium Free.
About the Author: Jackie Norman is a professional journalist who writes for a wide range of magazines and has written a blog for 15 years. Originally she gained a loyal following through her blogs as Penny Wise on the Australian website Simple Savings (under her previous married name Jackie Gower). She has a travel facebook page Riches have Wheels, and a vegan recipe page, Camper Van Kitchen. She wrote The $21 Challenge with Fiona Lippey (under her previous married name Jackie Gower) which sold in Australia, NZ and the US. Husband and a professional photographer, Gareth Scurr compiled an e-book of recipes called the Campervan Kitchen cookbook that has been downloaded over 37,000 times by readers from around the world.