Even the most ardent meat-eaters are, at some point, going to come across a vegan meal.

Maybe you’re out for dinner and it’s dropped off at the table next to yours, or maybe a friend is trying to convert you, and prepares a dinner in the hopes of winning you over.

Vegans can be persistent, but so too can meat-eaters, who rattle off all of the usual excuses.

“Eating vegan is too expensive” often gets dropped, as does “I don’t even know where to start”. I’ll add “the food won’t be tasty” into the mix, and that’s probably the big three ticked off.

The health benefits of eating vegan are, of course, extensive, and then there are the ethics, but where the hell does one start?

Well, how about this for a suggestion. Last month the 2OV office tried our hands at nailing the Daily Dish recipes (the images show our results were pretty spot on).

This time around, we decided to hop on the vegan bandwagon, and chose the Vegan Box option (one of the Dinner Box options).

Daily Dish, in case you didn’t know, takes the hassle out of cooking, and shopping, by delivering fresh ingredients for the week’s meals each Monday, which you can then cook at home in around 30 minutes or less.

Right off the bat, that’s the “food won’t be tasty” option off the table, as well as the “I don’t even know where to start” argument. Each meal comes with a recipe card, which spells out each step of the meal in simple terms, and has all the spices and ingredients needed to ensure it’s delicious.

If you’re worried about the expense, Daily Dish is offering 2OV readers a cool R250 off their first dinner box order. You can go week-by-week with orders, too, so there’s no long-term commitment.

I consider that the “too expensive” excuse down the loo, which means we may proceed.

The office guinea pigs were tasked with taking pictures of their creations, so let’s see how everyone fared:

Chickpea Koftas 

Warm tortillas with a filling of cinnamon infused chickpea koftas, lemon tahini, fresh rocket & tomatoes.

Damon reckons he nailed it…

Not bad, but I’m going to go ahead and say that my dinner looks more delectable:

Bottom line – it went down a treat.

Courgette Cashew Salad

Courgette ribbons in a creamy cashew sauce, with tenderstem broccoli, pan-fried tofu & toasted cashews.

Damon threw in some extra avo for gees:

I’m more by the book:

I’ll admit that we were all a little wary of tofu, but when done right, it really hits the spot.

Plus, we all spent the week being righteous and lecturing friends and family, which is an added perk.

Chelsea also joined in on the fun – she’s more artistic:

Exotic Mushroom Barley

Mushrooms cooked with onion, thyme & cumin, mixed through barley & topped with fresh dill.

If you’re used to eating those horrid, soggy Denny mushrooms, you’re missing out. Here’s my effort:

And Damon’s:

Maghrebi Lentils

Roasted butternut with a hint of cumin, served on a bed of harissa coated lentils, topped with seeds.

We’ll start with Chelsea’s effort – again, tastefully presented:

Not to toot my own horn, but I crushed this one:

Boom, just like that you have four vegan recipes done and dusted, which you can keep for later use.

Other than using milk in my coffee, which I consume to avoid harming co-workers in the morning, it was pretty much a week of vegan eating, and it was a hell of a lot easier than I expected.

Nobody is trying to win you over and convert you to a vegan (well, we’re not), but if you are interested in trying this is a pretty easy first step to take.

Order your Vegan Box, get R250 off your order, and have everything for the week’s meals delivered to your door. Then, if you feel like switching it up the week after, you can change to one of the other options available (Classic Box, Banting Box, Pork-Free Box and Goodie Box).

There’s also a Family Box, which offers healthy, kid-free meals, for all the parents out there who are tired of cooking the same thing.

Take away all the hassle and make cooking great again.