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10 Vegan Recipes for Celebrating World Vegan Month at Work

11 min read
Last Updated on 12 December, 2022

If you want to test cosmetics, why do it on some poor animal who hasn't done anything? They should use prisoners who have been convicted of murder or rape instead. So, rather than seeing if perfume irritates a bunny rabbit's eyes, they should throw it in Charles Manson's eyes and ask him if it hurts.
― Ellen DeGeneres

Veganism is a way of living that does not contribute to animal cruelty and exploitation in terms of food, clothing, or other purposes. It promotes the use of alternative products derived from plants or other materials. Coexistence is the ultimate goal of veganism. In other words, live and let live.

In light of this, 1st November is officially observed as World Vegan Day, marking the beginning of World Vegan Month. This month is dedicated to promoting a vegan lifestyle and its advantages for humans and animals.

The history of veganism and the term "vegan" dates back to November 1944 with the creation of The Vegan Society. However, it wasn't until 50 years later that World Vegan Day was established, followed by World Vegan Month.

The vegan community believes that a cruelty-free world is a desirable place to live in. And the omnivorous nature of humans can slowly be abolished. As much as we are harming the planet earth, we can at least do our bit to stop animal cruelty.

Therefore, this Vegan Month, you can host a vegan potluck lunch and promote a healthy and vegan lifestyle among your colleagues ahead of the holiday season.

What is a Vegan Diet?

A man of my spiritual intensity does not eat corpses.
― George Bernard Shaw

Vegans are those who adhere to a diet or things that exclude all products derived from animals. A vegan diet is, in many ways, healthier for our bodies. Particularly for those with conditions like heart disease, colon cancer, etc.

A vegan diet diet consists primarily of plant-based foods, such as fruits, grains, legumes, and vegetables.

what-is-a-vegan-diet
Image Courtesy: Roman Odintsov / Pexels

In the early days, the vegan movement was a little different, and people turning vegan had limited food options.

However, the situation has now improved. You are no longer required to feel like you are missing out on wonderful food and taste. Every meat, dairy, and egg product has a vegan equivalent. And you also have a broad range of options to choose from.

Celebrating World Vegan Month at Work with Vegan Recipes

Vegan food, as we all know, has no ingredient that comes from animals. Thus, as mentioned, you can do a collective potluck to celebrate world vegan month at work and have a great time.

Around 5% of the US is vegetarian, that is, 16 million people and about half of those are vegan- meaning about 7.5 million Americans abstain from all animal products.

This vegan month, you should be mindful of what goes on your plate. Also, you can discover mouthwatering and intriguing vegan dishes for your tastebuds.

Gather all your coworkers and decide to hold a vegan potluck.

Here are some delectable vegan recipes that will convince you not to harm those poor farmed animals-

1. Creamy Potato Salad

A vegan lifestyle reduces the intake of saturated fat, cholesterol, and animal hormones, diminishing the chances of developing various health risks like cancer, heart disease, etc. And it increases fruit and vegetable intake.

You may wonder how a “creamy” salad might be vegan at this point. Let me clarify it for you. This salad should be made with cashew mayo which is plant-based.

Any dish with potatoes in it has to be soul food (personal opinion). And creamy potato salad is no less. It is the ideal side dish for a potluck during the vegan month. Also, it is super easy to prepare.

Potatoes, celery, pickles, parsley, bell pepper, mustard, onions, and mayo are all that is required for this dish.

Creamy-Potato-Salad
Image Courtesy: Unsplash

  • Cube the potatoes and boil them.

  • Chop the other ingredients and put them in a bowl.

  • Get the cashew mayo ready.

  • Combine the bowl ingredients and the cooked potatoes.

  • Add mustard, vinegar, and salt.

  • Pour the mayo and mix well.

  • Please place it in the fridge for an hour.

Your creamy potato salad is ready for serving.

2. Pumpkin Curry

In my view, pumpkins are one of the most under-appreciated vegetables. I mean, have you seen that gorgeous orange gourd? Not only for Halloween, but pumpkins can also add much value to the vegan kitchen.

Pumpkin-curry
Image Courtesy: She Eats / Pexels

This dish is a Thai-inspired coconut curry. Pumpkin, coconut milk, onions, Thai red curry paste, Thai bird's eye chili, and some bell pepper are the key components of this curry.

  • Roast the pumpkin halves after putting in some oil and salt.

  • Mash the pumpkin pieces to fill one-fourth of a cup after removing the peel.

  • Keep the remainder in reserve.

  • Put some red curry paste in a pot of oil and add coconut milk.

  • Add mashed pumpkin and water to the coconut mixture.

  • Add bell peppers, bamboo shoots, onions, and chilies to the pot.

  • Add the reserved pumpkin pieces to the mixture.

And it is done. All you must do now is add some Thai basil leaves, lime juice, and soy sauce.

3. Beets in Orange Sauce

Beets are well-known for having a high nutritional value. So why not create a recipe that is both healthy and animal friendly? One of the simplest vegan recipes to prepare for your potluck event is this.

The main ingredients are beets, oranges, orange juice, and orange zest. Cornstarch and pepper are also included.

beets-in-orange-sauce-1
Image Courtesy: Nataliya Vaitkevich / Pexels

  • Boil the beets until tender. Then peel and slice them.

  • Put some sugar, cornstarch, and a dash of pepper in a separate bowl.

  • Pour some orange juice into the bowl and boil until thickened.

  • Combine some orange slices and zest.

  • Pour the mixture over the beets.

Your beet dish is ready. This dish will change your mind even if you are not a beet person.

Vegans derive calcium from food items like broccoli, collards, kale, Chinese cabbage, etc.

4. Peanut Butter Cookies

peanut-butter-cookies
Image Courtesy: Megumi Nachev / Unsplash

Cookies are a common favorite of every household. And vegans can always rely on peanut butter as the best alternative for butter. Additionally, cookies will be in great demand with the forthcoming holiday season.

Therefore, you may always bake some cookies if you don't feel like making a meal for the main course. And nobody says no to a cookie. These peanut butter cookies are soft despite lacking butter and eggs.

Almond milk, flour, vanilla essence, and creamy peanut butter are the primary elements.

  • Take two bowls. Put peanut butter, sugar, and vanilla in one bowl.

  • Add some almond milk.

  • Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in the other bowl.

  • Combine the components of the two bowls well.

  • Pour the mixture into the baking sheets to be put in the oven.

  • Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Let the cookies cool down and become a little firm.

Your peanut butter cookies are ready to be devoured.

5. Green Wraps

Greens are something we often like to ignore on a plate. But leafy greens are not only healthy but fresh too. We therefore present Moroccan-style Green Wraps to add color and nutrition to your dish. They have few calories and are filling.

Not to mention, preparation is really quick. It also makes a solid justification for including more vegetables in your diet. Surprise your coworkers with this amazing wrap delicacy at the vegan month's potluck.

Green-wraps
Image Courtesy: Brenna Huff / Unsplash

To make this, you need greens (chard, lettuce, kale, etc.), grains (rice, millet, quinoa), chickpeas, sliced veggies like carrots, radish, cabbage, soy yogurt, and roasted eggplant.

  • Heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius. And line a baking sheet.

  • Add some spices to the eggplant, place them on the baking paper, and roast them.

  • Cook the grains to your preference.

  • Cut the leaf stems, then briefly submerge them in boiling water.

  • Transfer the leaves to cold water and dry them.

  • Fill in the leaves with the cooked grains, veggies, and chickpeas.

  • Add some orange mustard sauce between the leaves.

  • Fold the sides in of the leaves like a burrito

Fill your plate with this meal of fresh greens and share your recipe with your peers.

A vegan diet does not have much Vitamin D in it. So, make sure you expose yourself to enough natural sunlight or take a vitamin D supplement.

6. Spaghetti Bolognese

Spaghetti-Bolognese
Image Courtesy: Karolina Kołodziejczak / Unsplash

Italy's cuisine is well-known throughout the world, just like its history. Pizza and pasta are our go-to food at all times. Spaghetti bolognese is a well-known Italian dish that consists of pasta topped with a tomato sauce made with vegetables, red wine, and beef or pork. However, vegan spaghetti bolognese differs slightly from its non-vegetarian counterpart.

Vegan bolognese sauce is a concoction of lentils, mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, and other ingredients in place of beef.

  • Heat the oil in a pan and add the carrots and onions, along with salt and pepper. Cook until softened.

  • Stir in the mushrooms.

  • Crush some walnuts and add some rosemary to the mixture.

  • Put some garlic and vinegar and mix it well.

  • Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and lentils. Keep stirring.

  • Simmer the sauce until it thickens.

  • Boil the pasta in salted water.

  • Once dried, add the sauce to the pasta.

You can present it with fresh basil and red pepper flakes. So, cook this vegan Italian dish and prove that meat is not mandatory in every spaghetti preparation.

7. Green Bean Casserole

A casserole dish is mainly made with three components- meat, finely chopped vegetables, and a starchy binder (potato, flour, pasta). Considering that we are discussing veganism, meat is not an option. We can utilize different protein sources in these circumstances, such as tofu, beans, etc.

green-bean-casserole
Image Courtesy: Brooke Lark / Unsplash

This is why we bring the green bean casserole for animal lovers. This dish requires onions, garlic, mushrooms, almond milk, and green beans.

  • Toss onions in olive oil with salt and pepper on a medium seam.

  • Add some flour to coat the onions and stir until they are crunchy.

  • Put the green beans in another pan and fry until bright green.

  • Place shallots in a pan and cook with some olive oil.

  • Add mushrooms after adding salt and pepper to season.

  • Stir until they turn golden.

  • Mix with garlic and continue stirring.

  • Add the mixture with the green beans.

  • Add some flour after heating some olive oil.

  • Stir in almond milk until thickened.

  • The green bean combination and gravy should be combined.

  • Place the whole mixture in a casserole dish.

Top the casserole with fried onions. Happy eating!

Vegan living helps with climate change as it prevents various land and marine species from going extinct.

8. Quinoa Soup

Vegan or not, soups are already very healthy for health. They serve as great appetizers and make you crave for more. Now, some popular soup choices include creamy chicken soup or mushroom soup. But what we have today is quinoa soup.

Sounds interesting, right?

vegan-quinoa-soup
Image Courtesy: Votsis Panagiotis / Pexels

The major ingredients go like this: tomatoes, quinoa, vegetable broth, onions, garlic, black beans, and fresh corn.

  • Cook onions and garlic with pepper until tender in a pan.

  • Add vegetable broth and quinoa with seasonings.

  • Boil until quinoa is tender.

  • Add tomatoes, black beans, corn, and cilantro.

  • Heat it for some time.

See? It barely takes 15 minutes for the dish to be ready.

9. Blackout Brownies

How can we overlook the best course of the meal among the appetizers and main courses?

vegan-brownies
Image Courtesy: Rohtopia.com / Unsplash

The part which ends the feast on a sweet note. Dessert. Thus, this vegan month, bake some sweetness for your colleagues. This sweetness can come in the form of brownies. You will fall even more in love with chocolate after trying this recipe.

These fudgy brownies with chocolate and hazelnut filling go great with a cup of coffee.

Black beans, dates, dark chocolate, espresso powder, hazelnuts, almond butter, almond milk, molasses, and flour would be the ideal ingredients.

  • Soak the dates in hot water for some time.

  • Combine the molasses, almond butter, almond milk, and vanilla essence with the drained dates.

  • Mix to get a creamy paste.

  • Add black beans to the mixture.

  • Add the cocoa powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and almond flour and blend well.

  • Now, put your chopped dark chocolate and hazelnuts into the batter.

  • Pour the mixture onto the baking pan once you have thoroughly combined all the ingredients.

  • It should be baked for 20 minutes in the oven.

It is tough to picture cakes or brownies without milk or eggs. But this recipe disproved our beliefs. Ask your coworkers who attended the potluck to sample these brownies and provide their honest opinions.

10. Falafel

Falafel
Image Courtesy: Anton / Unsplash

Many of you are unclear about this traditional middle-eastern dish. Falafels are fried balls of ground chickpeas with a seasoning of spices like coriander and cumin and herbs like parsley and cilantro. Originated in Egypt, they are a popular street food in the countries of the Middle East and Europe.

Introduce your coworkers to this new savory dish at this potluck.

This one has an uncomplicated recipe. Besides herbs and spices, you require these basic items like uncooked dry chickpeas, onions, garlic, lemon, and baking powder.

  • Soak the chickpeas in water for one night.

  • Once soaked, combine the chickpeas with the lemon zest, onions, and garlic.

  • Mix the herbs and spices.

  • Add olive oil, baking powder, and salt to the mixture.

  • Ground the ingredients properly and keep them in the fridge for an hour.

  • Fry it on medium heat for 5 minutes.

As easy as it looks, right? It is.

Use dry chickpeas instead of canned ones.

Wrapping it Up

Veganism is not about giving anything up or losing anything; it is about gaining the peace within yourself that comes from embracing nonviolence and refusing to participate in the exploitation of the vulnerable.
― Gary. L. Francione

Veganism seeks to demonstrate that excellent meals can be prepared without using any dairy or meat products. Because there is a substitute for every animal product.

A potluck session is an ideal setting for educating your peers about veganism and vegan cuisine. In addition, these meals are more delicious, healthier, and animal friendly. So, this World Vegan Month, bring your A-game to the workplace by cooking the best vegan recipes.

Veganism goes beyond food options. From deodorants to cosmetics, either everything contains animal products or is subjected to animal testing. So, choosing veganism means renouncing such products as well.

Hence, make use of this month to spread the word about veganism.

Suggested Read: Tips to Celebrate a Healthy Thanksgiving Day 2022

This article is written by Dipshi Bhattacharjee. Besides working as a Content Writer at Vantage Circle, she is an animal lover with a huge fascination for Cinema, Television & Foreign languages. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com

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