When you think of Greek food, you probably don’t associate many vegan dishes with it. Tonia Buxton and the chefs behind The Real Greek are aiming to change that perception though, with their extensive Veganuary menu.
While Greek cuisine and lamb souvlaki are almost synonymous in 2020, Tonia explained to us her family’s food wasn’t always this decadent. Her parents and grandparents generation were quite poor, and as a result meat was a delicacy, eaten once a month or on special occasions. Instead, the food they cooked was full of healthy vegetables, beans and grains, simmered in delicious rich sauces and seasoned to perfection.
When Tonia started to create the Veganuary menu for The Real Greek, she was surprised to realise a lot of the traditional dishes she was raised on were already vegan. Combining a selection of these tasty plates with a couple of vegan versions of cult classics, she came up with a menu that definitely has something for everyone.
Greek dips like Santorini fava, houmous, melitzanosalata and Tonia’s special beetroot houmous already boast vegan recipes, landing them places on the Vegaunary menu. Other Greek staples like grilled aubergine, dolmades, gigandes with spinach, vegetable briam falafel and bulgur wheat pourgouri all make welcome appearances as well.
One of our favourite dishes was definitely the soutzoukakia vegan meatballs. Usually we’re not one to pick a meat substitute over a hearty vegetable vegan dish, but with these meatless meatballs, we honestly couldn’t help ourselves. Super tender and juicy and served in a rich tomato sauce, they were incredibly delicious and we’d head back to eat them any time of year.
For all of January 2020, you can choose four dishes from the Veganuary Menu at The Real Greek for £9.95. When going plant-based (even just for a meal) is this tasty, easy and affordable, there’s really no excuse to not do your body, the planet and your tastebuds a favour.
