It’s Plant Power Day on 7 March 2018 and here’s everything you need to know about it.

The first Plant Power Day is designed to help us think ‘plant’ and put plants at the centre of our menus for the day. Not only can a plant-based diet be good for our health, it’s brilliant for the planet too.

According to Alpro, each person who puts plants first on Plant Power Day will*: save 1,500 litres of water and reduce their carbon footprint by 2Kg.

Saving 1,500 litres of water is equivalent to:
Two weeks’ worth of showers
Two years and eight months’ worth of drinking water
27 washing machine cycles
150 toilet flushes
Reducing carbon footprint by 2Kg, is equivalent to:
7.5 miles of driving in a car
Two days’ worth of light from a lamp
The energy required to make 1,064 cups of tea

Take part in Plant Power Day

All you need to do to take part, is make plants the hero of your mealtimes on 7 March. Alpro has even suggested you hold a ‘plaquet’ – yep, that’s a plant-based banquet. Invite friends and family round and wow them with delicious veggie dishes. If you can’t manage a whole planquet, just try to get more plants into your day; why not start the day with the Sunny Rice Pudding recipe below, or the Avocado Open Sandwich, and finish the day with the spicy Sweet Potato Curry.

Avocado Open Sandwich

Avocado Open Sandwich
Preparation Time: 15 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients:
For the almondaise sauce:
100g raw, blanched, peeled almonds
250ml Alpro Almond Original
1 tbsp dijon mustard
Zest & juice of 1 lemon
2tsp dried turmeric
2tbsp olive oil
Pinch of salt & pepper

4 slices of rustic, dark bread
1 avocado, sliced
1 handful of watercress leaves
6 – 8 radishes, thinly sliced
A pinch of chopped chives

Method:

In a high speed blender puree everything, except the olive oil. While your blender is running, drizzle in the olive oil. Blend until smooth, adding more Almond Original or olive oil if necessary. Season to taste.

Assemble the open sandwiches with a dollop of the almondaise sauce, avocado, watercress, radishes and a sprinkle of chives to serve.

Sunny Rice Pudding

Sunny Rice Pudding

Preparation Time: 10 mins
Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1L Alpro Rice Original
180g white rice
30g pecans, chopped
30g pistachio nuts, chopped
4 tbsp agave syrup
3 – 4 threads of saffron
Zest of half a lemon

Method:

Soak the saffron threads in four tablespoons of the Alpro Rice Original and set aside. Bring the remaining Alpro Rice Original to the boil, add the rice, and bring back to the boil.

Add the agave syrup, lemon zest and soaked threads of saffron. Let the mixture simmer until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.

When the rice is cooked through add the chopped nuts, leave some aside for decoration.

Garnish with the remaining nuts, and a drizzle of agave syrup if desired.

Sweet Potato Curry

Sweet Potato Curry
Preparation Time: 1 hour 15 mins
Serves: 2

Ingredients:

1 medium size sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm pieces
2tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
2 medium size onions, finely diced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1cm piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1tsp paprika
2tsps ground turmeric
1 tsp medium curry powder
¼ tsp hot chilli powder
1tsp ground coriander
1tsp garam masala
4 green cardamom pods, crushed
227g can chopped tomatoes
1tbsp tomato purée
½ green pepper, deseeded and diced
1 green chilli, finely diced
250ml vegetable stock
2 vine tomatoes, quartered
Pinch of salt
400g can chick peas, drained and rinsed

For the garam masala raita:
150g Alpro Simply Plain alternative to yogurt
1tsp garam masala
½tbsp dried mint

Serve with cooked rice.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 190°C and line a baking tray with baking parchment. Toss the sweet potato with 1 tbsp oil and spread out on the tray. Bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly caramelised and tender.

Meanwhile, add the remaining oil to a medium saucepan and warm over a low-medium heat. Fry the onions, garlic and ginger for 8-10 minutes, or until very soft. Stir in the paprika, turmeric, curry powder, chilli powder, coriander, garam masala and crushed cardamom pods to form a thick paste. Cook for 1-2 minutes, adding a little extra oil if needed.

Add the canned tomatoes and tomato purée and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the green pepper, green chilli, vegetable stock, fresh tomatoes and salt. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and cook gently for 35-45 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Add the chickpeas and sweet potato to the curry and warm through.

To make the garam masala raita, mix all the ingredients together and season. Serve with the curry and rice.

Want more great nutrition ideas, try our Ultimate guide to nutrition and keep thinking about plants every week and find out How #meatfreemonday could save our planet.