At the start of this year, it’s thought that millions of people around the world took part in Veganuary. If you’re one of the many people who’ve continued a plant-based diet into February, you may have used the Plant Based News recipe library for inspiration.
This month, simple and protein-packed recipes were big hitters, as well as warm and comforting dishes for cold evenings.
Below is our monthly round-up of our most-viewed recipes, which you can use for inspiration for March and beyond.
1. Pesto butter beans
Our most popular recipe in February featured butter beans as its main event, which are high in protein, versatile, and packed full of fiber. Butter beans – also known as lima beans – have been having a bit of a moment recently, with recipes featuring them often attracting millions of views on TikTok. This Plant Baes recipe is a simple vegan lunch idea that takes just 15 minutes to make. It features leek, toasted pine nuts, and spinach, and we bet you’ll come back to the recipe over and over again.
Find the pesto butter beans recipe here
2. Sunflower seed cheese
Buying vegan cheese in supermarkets is now commonplace for many people in the world, but did you know you can also make it yourself at home? Nuts are a key ingredient in most homemade vegan cheeses, but this one – perhaps unusually – uses sunflower seeds. The recipe, which comes from Rachel Steenland of The Garden Party, uses coconut oil, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, and miso paste alongside the seeds, and the result is a creamy and spreadable dairy-free cheese.
Find the sunflower seed cheese recipe here
3. Lentil salad
Spring is *almost* on the horizon, meaning many of us are expanding our roster of tasty cold meals for our lunches and dinners. This iron-packed lentil salad features tomatoes, sweet peppers, and cucumber alongside canned lentils, all topped with an easy homemade dressing. The great thing about this recipe is you can customise it with whatever salad items you have in the fridge, as well as herbs of your choice.
Find the lentil salad recipe here
4. Creamy garlic potato gratin
This Natlicious Food recipe is just perfect for a rainy Sunday. It’s a great example of a dish that would have been tricky to make vegan a decade ago. Thanks to the huge rise of vegan dairy products over the last few years, however, this creamy potato gratin tastes just like the non-vegan original. As well as vegan butter and plant milk, it uses a dairy-free cream cheese as a key ingredient. You should be able to find this at supermarkets and health food shops.
Find the creamy garlic potato gratin recipe here
5. Bean, orzo, and pesto salad
Another bean salad that’s just perfect for meal prep, this vegan batch cook recipe will ensure you have a tasty and high protein lunch for days. As well as butter beans, this Plant Baes recipe uses tomatoes, capers, orzo, asparagus, and broccoli. It also includes dairy-free feta. You can buy this from the shop, or you can even make it yourself at home with this incredible vegan feta recipe.
Find the bean, orzo, and pesto salad recipe here