Vegan November; Off to a Good Start

As I mentioned in my last post, I have decided to try out being vegan for the month. Since returning to Scotland and cooking all my meals for only myself, I was pretty much eating vegan anyway, with the occassional can of tuna, tub of 0% greek yogurt or bar (or two) of dark chocolate. I thought, as a lot of my readers and followers on Intstagram are vegan, why not go the full way and see how it goes through November!

I must admit, although I found the idea of eating vegan easy, I wasn't too sure about the other side of it; cutting out ALL animal products whether it be make-up, clothes or even cleaning products.This is why I thought it would be a great idea to try out TheVeganKind box!

TheVeganKind is a new monthly subscription service just for vegans. Unlike the other boxes I have tried, TheVeganKind sends 5-8 vegan products from food and drink to beauty products to eco friendly household products! These are a complete surprise (as everyone loves surprises) and different every month; it's a great way to find new vegan brands!

So... lets take a look what was in this month's box! 

THE VEGG VEGAN EGG YOLK

The Vegg is a vegan plant-based egg yolk replacement which is gluten-free, soy-free, fat free and a surprisingly great alternative! I recently re-made my Cauliflower Crust Pizza using this rather than a real egg or flax egg and it worked just as well! Simply follow my recipe but use 1/2 tsp vegg blended with 2tbsp water (preferably in a mixer or food processor) in place of the real egg...delicious! 

CLEARSPRING ORGANIC MISO

Clearspring Organic Miso is a product I have been familiar with for quite some time! It is one of the few miso soups that I can buy in nearby supermarkets and it just so happens to be vegan friendly too. It is one of my favourite products in my store cupboard as it is surprisingly an extremely versatile ingredient! As I have mentioned many-a-time, miso soup is my feel good food; it always seems to pick up my mood! 

As well as the classic miso soup, I also make ramen, stir-fries and pea soup with this product! 

For the Ramen...

This Ramen is clean, vegan, low fat and so quick and easy to make!

Simply fill up a bowl with 3tbsp organic corn, 1 medium grated/ julienned carrot, 1 medium grated/ julienned zucchini, 1/2 onion finely sliced, 20g cooked organic buckwheat noodles, 100g cubed silken tofu and 330ml miso soup made up as directed (I also added in some chopped spring onions). Eat with a ramen spoon and chopsticks; slurping is advised ;)  

For the Pea Soup...

This is another recipe that is so easy but delicious as well as being clean, vegan and low fat! 

Chop up 1 medium onion (or 2 shallots/ 2 spring onions / 2 leeks). Heat up 1/2 tsp olive oil in a saucepan and sweat the onion on a medium heat for 3 minutes before adding 150g (1 cup) frozen peas. Stir to coat in the oil before adding 330 ml miso soup (made up with 1/2 - 1 pack of Clearspring Miso Bouillon paste), 1tbsp dried mint, a small handful of fresh mint and seasoning. Bring to boil then simmer for 10-15 minutes. Wait a minute or two before placing in a blender and blitz until smooth. Delicious served with Ryvita.

SALT OF THE EARTH TRAVEL DEODORANT 

Crystal Spring Salt of the Earth Deodorant...well, what can I say! This product is amazing! It is so handy and I take it with me everywhere now! Who'd have thought natural mineral salts would be so effective?! Simply apply straight after the shower to wet skin or wet the salt stick before applying. As well as being vegan friendly (and not tested on animals), this product is unisex, provides long lasting protection and doesn't leave marks on clothes! If it was a food, it would be a superfood ;) 

GOODY STUFF CHEERY CHERRY SWEETS

Goody Stuff is a range of sweets made from plant derived gum, meaning they contain boo gelatin... vegan friendly sweets! Although I am a total health freak, sometimes I just need sweets to pick up my mood (usually through long days of uni or boring bus journeys). These sweets taste exactly the same as usual chewy sweets but they are free of all animal products as well as artificial colours and flavours. The flavour I received was the Cheery Cherry; they were yummy! Sweet but sour at the same time with a chewy but soft texture...delicious!  

LIVING NATURALLY SOAPNUT SAMPLE BAG  +  QI TEAS

I am yet to try these two products but will be updating this post as soon as I do so keep checking back ;)

To get next months box, you need to sign up before the 1st and the boxes will be sent out within 10 days, although I think mine arrived in 2 as TheVeganKind is a Scottish company ;) I think it is really great value at £12.95 a month (including p+p) as the value of the products in the box is definitely higher than that.

Are you a vegan or have you ever thought of becoming one? Do you think this kind of service would be useful to you?