Chickpea (a beautiful vegan lifestyle guide)
Chickpea is a beautiful US lifestyle guide, so order digital versions or paired subscriptions and discount bundles, to save on postage. Each issue is ad-free, so it survives thanks to subscriptions.
The pages are packed with quality articles, recipes and photography. And focuses on wholefood recipes, run by three passionate editors and a rotating crew of freelancers, even images are from indie artists, believing that ‘reading should be a source of rest’.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets. Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and citrus/tomato/rhubarb scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures. It’s okay to put them in food waste bins (made into biogas).
For tinned foods, remove and pop lids inside, or pop ring-pulls back over holes (pinch top closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.
If you grow your own food, make gardens safe for pets, and include any indoor plants in the plan. In addition, avoid lining up houseplants with garden views, to stop birds flying into windows.
Example themes are low-waste living, ingredient spotlights (oats), how to sharpen a knife, protein from (not boring) beans, sourdough bread renaissance and movie night sleepover recipes. Example articles are:
- Unplugged breakfasts
- Low-spend months to end consumerism
- Screen-free Sundays
- Vegan pot roast recipe
- Cinnamon roll pancakes
Downloadable Printable Vegan Foodie Posters
As well the beautiful magazine, you can also download and print off low-cost posters, to stick on the fridge (or place in your recipe journal below) to make vegan cooking even easier!
From egg replacements charts to measurement helpers, there are even posters to tell you how to cook different grains, and to know when to use food up, to avoid food waste.
Other plant-based recipe magazines
Vegan Food & Living magazine is the UK main publication. It’s good but you should subscribe online, as it’s very expensive if you buy it off the rack in stores. And even cheaper if you buy digital (the print version is sent to your home in paper wrap, no plastic).
VegNews has been around for a couple of decades, and it’s worth the digital or paper subscription, as it gives a hopeful look at what’s happening on the other side of the pond, where plant-based eating is light years ahead.
You’ll find recipes, but also interesting interviews an info on new brands that may also be sold here. It’s a really good read, and well worth the price for some upbeat inspiration (around £25 for four issues a year).
