Welcome to a recap of the highlights of Week three of my 30-Day African Vegan Challenge
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I have just completed week three of the 30-day African vegan challenge, and I feel like I am in the homestretch now, as I literally have about a week to go. I started the challenge off with a roaring enthusiasm in week one, which slowly moderated as the days in week two went by. I am still very enthusiastic about vegan living. But, I guess, with this challenge, I have discovered a new-found appreciation of some of the challenges of vegan-living, especially for those who are new or transitioning to the vegan lifestyle. Still, I have had fun with some amazingly delicious African vegan recipes which I can’t wait to share below:
My African Vegan Food Diary
Breakfast..
Acha (Fonio) Breakfast Bowl – I vegan-ized this by substituting dairy milk with coconut milk. Dare I say, I so prefer the coconut milk version.
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Papaya & Fonio Smoothie Bowl – This mellow tasting smoothie bowl soon became my favourite way of starting the day. The fonio in the recipe meant I also sneaked in some protein first thing in the morning!
Couscous and Coconut Squares – This one was a bit crumbly but tastes oh-so good!
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Salads & Dinners..
Sukuma Wiki – I made sukuma wiki and served it with African cornmeal mush (ugali) one way, and with plantain mash another way.
Aubergine Salad – Eggplants were on the menu too, to make the most of aubergines before they go out of season, with this delectable salad.
How am I doing so far?
I did manage to stay on the bandwagon in the first two weeks, and I wish I could say it has all been smooth sailing but that would be too easy… i think! A few things I am really struggling with so far include vegetable milk in my morning coffee, and finding a suitable (for my palate) alternative non-diary cheese and yogurt.
I realised early on that choosing a non-diary milk for my coffee was going to be a long and arduous process. So first, I decided to educate myself on the various non-dairy milk alternatives for coffee, before experimenting and the verdict is..
Rice milk… was just too watery.
Almond milk.. was both watery and weird-tasting in a nutty kind of way.
Coconut milk… as much as I love coconut milk for my curries, I want a cup of coffee, not a cup of coconut-flavoured coffee. Period.
Soy milk…was slightly nutty but not in an offensive way. I could see myself getting used to Soy milk for coffee
So far, I guess someday, I could see myself getting used to soy milk. Vegan cheese has also taken more than a little getting used to, so far. And much as I love coconut yogurt, the caloric contents are such that it is a treat that I reserve only for special moments.
On that note, week 3 as an African vegan is complete!
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P.S. Catch up on why I took the 30 day African vegan challenge here. Check out how I got on with week one and week two of the challenge here. Read about my final thoughts on the African vegan challenge.
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Afro-fusion Food Lover.
Sustainable Food Advocate.
Completely nuts about Avocado.
