Cook with Kirly-Sue

Welcome to ‘Cook with Kirly-Sue’. I hope you will become a regular participant with me in discussing food and drink.

Let me start by telling you a little about this column. ‘Cook with Kirly-Sue’ is a celebration of the foods I like to eat. Simple enough, right? But this is only a start, because I hope you’ll share your favourites with me and all the other

Keep The Faith readers! I will always share tasty, easy-to-make recipes and cooking tips with you.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via my social media handles, @KirlySuesKitchen.

Kirly-Sue (aka Susanne Kirlew) is an award-winning published author, vegan social media influencer and TV presenter. Kirly-Sue was named as one of the Top 100 in the Lift Effects Star Awards. She has over 40,000+ followers across her social media.

Kirly-Sue stars in a vegan cooking show, entitled Kirly-Sue’s Global Kitchen, which is currently available on the Hope Channel UK. Produced by Kirly-Sue, the show highlights how easy it can be to cook tasty vegan meals using fresh ingredients. The three-part series, filmed in the UK and on location in Montego Bay, Jamaica, brings together vegan cooking, travel and a panel of taste-testers for a show that is both informative and entertaining.

FOOD MYTHS

So today I want to speak to you about myths surrounding vegan food - a common myth being that vegan living is expensive. This isn’t true but, before I explore why it isn’t true, let’s first talk about why the rumour is so pervasive.

Substitutes

Meat substitutes - as well as dairy substitutes - can be pricy when you compare them side by side with the animal products they are replacing. Ounce for ounce, a veggie burger can cost more than a hamburger. The truth is, however, that you’re going to eat much less of the substitutes than you would of the animal products.

Organic

Organic produce often does cost more than non-organic produce. However, you don’t have to eat organic to be vegan. You also don’t have to buy everything organic. You can choose to just buy non-organic food.

Here’s the Truth…

Vegetables and grains are much less expensive than meat and animal products. Don’t believe it? Try comparing the shopping lists. Go to the supermarket and buy your regular week’s worth of groceries based on a traditional diet. Don’t forget the eggs, milk and meat. Then create a vegan menu for the following week and go shopping. You’ll spend 50-75% less, because vegetables are cheaper than meat.

Can you spend more on a vegan diet? Absolutely. If you replace your meat with meat substitute items, and you eat only organic produce, then you can spend as much or even more – but you don’t have to. A vegan diet doesn’t have to break the bank.

BUTTERBEAN & LENTIL CURRY

1 onion, chopped 1 inch piece of ginger, minced 2 cloves of garlic 1 medium tomato 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning 1 tsp curry powder 1/2 a vegetable stock cube 1 tin butter beans 1/2 cup red lentils coconut cream to taste

• Cook onion, ginger, garlic and tomato in a little water, and cook until soft • Add vegetable stock cube • Cook until stock cube has dissolved • Add butter beans, lentils, all-purpose seasoning, curry powder and coconut cream, and add a little water (about 4-5 ounces) • Cook on a low heat for 20-30 mins until the lentils are soft • Remove from heat and serve