The Start of Veganuary & Smokey Cajun Quinoa Recipe

By the time January rolls around after all the festive over-indulgence, it's fair to say most of us are ready to embrace a bit of positive change in our lifestyles in an attempt to shift our Christmas pot-bellies. After spending the majority of the festive period stuffing my face with chocolate and cheese, I was definitely feeling the need to kick-start the new year with some changes to my diet. This January, I've decided to challenge myself to adopt a plant-based diet as part of Veganuary.

For those who haven't heard of it before, Veganuary is a campaign throughout January that encourages people to give veganism a try to benefit their health, the environment and reduce animal suffering. I've always been curious about plant-based diets so this year, I decided to bite the bullet and give Veganuary a go to give myself a personal challenge and to see if it has a positive impact on my overall health and wellbeing. Today is my third day of Veganuary (I started a day late) and so far I'm really enjoying the challenge. I thought I'd feel quite restricted by the things I can't eat but so far, I haven't felt limited in the slightest and I haven't missed cheese nearly as much as I thought I would.

One of the things I've been loving is this smokey cajun quinoa for a nutritious but tasty vegan lunch. Quinoa is a real winner for anyone on a plant-based diet because it is a complete protein, meaning it contains all the essential amino acids the body needs to function but cannot make itself and, instead, must come from food. I made a big batch of this Smokey Cajun Quinoa on the first day of Veganuary to provide me with some ready-to-go lunches for the rest of the week. It can be eaten hot or cold and also makes a great accompaniment to my Sun-dried Tomato and Roasted Vegetable Tart alongside a leafy green salad.

Smokey Cajun Quinoa with Peppers, Courgette, Sundried Tomatoes and Capers

Serves 4

Ingredients:

200g (approx. 1 cup) quinoa

500ml (approx. 2 cups) cold water

½ tsp vegan Swiss bouillon powder

1 tsp coconut oil

3 medium peppers

1 courgette

1 clove garlic (crushed)

50g sundried tomatoes (roughly chopped)

2 tbsp capers

100g sweetcorn (cooked)

2 tsp cajun spice

2 tsp smoked paprika

½ tsp chilli flakes (optional)

3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

25g pine nuts (plus more for serving)

Salt and pepper

Method:

1. Chop the peppers and courgette into bite-size chunks, ensuring the pieces are roughly the same size.

2. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly and add it to a medium-sized saucepan along with 500ml of cold water and ½ tsp of bouillon powder. Cook according to packet instructions. Keep checking on it to ensure there is enough liquid in the pan to stop the quinoa sticking, adding extra water if necessary.

3. Heat 1 tsp of coconut oil over a medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the crushed garlic, peppers and courgette and fry for 5 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn’t burn.

4. Next, add the chopped sundried tomatoes and capers to the sauté pan and stir fry for a further 2 minutes. 

5. Then, add 1 tsp of smoked paprika and cajun spice to the sauté pan, along with 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar, stirring well to ensure the vegetables are evenly coated.  

  

6. Drain the cooked quinoa and add it to the sauté pan along with the sweetcorn, the remaining spices (1 tsp cajun spice, 1 tsp smoked paprika and ½ tsp chilli flakes (if using)) and 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar. Stir well to ensure the spices are evenly distributed throughout the quinoa. 
 

7. Remove from the heat and stir in the pine nuts, then season to taste. Serve with a few extra pine nuts scattered on top.  

I hope this recipe is helpful - let me know how you get on if you decide to give it a try and if anyone's interested in following my progress throughout Veganuary, feel free to check out my Veganuary Instagram page: @kathrynsveganuary