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Planning Vegan Meals
Now that you are familiar with the ingredients that do and don't make up part of a healthy plant based diet and you know about all the health benefits of being vegan, you need to start planning your weekly dishes. In order to do so effectively, you may need a recipe for (or maybe six or seven!) a hearty meal that will leave you and your family feeling stuffed. Preparation is key to sticking to your vegan food diet.
If you have done away with your old meat and dairy packed cookbooks, then don't worry as I have found ten absolutely delicious plant based vegan dinner recipes for you to try out in the kitchen. What's more, the recipes I've chosen can all be prepared in around half an hour, making them super quick and simple alternatives to your usual satisfying favourites.
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And with all of that spare time you will have after prepping the family dinner and waiting for it to be cooked, you can treat yourself to a refreshing glass of vegan wine to whet your appetite!
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10 Quick And Simple Vegan Recipes
1. Vegan pizza
Ingredients
Pizza
• 1/2 of a garlic-herb pizza crust
• 1/2 cup each red, green, and orange bell pepper, loosely chopped
• 1/3 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 cup button mushrooms, chopped
• 1/2 tsp each dried or fresh basil, oregano, and garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
Sauce
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce OR 6-ounce can tomato paste (organic when possible)
• 1/2 tsp each dried or fresh basil, oregano, garlic powder, granulated sugar
• Sea salt to taste (~1/4 tsp)
Toppings
• 1/2 cup vegan parmesan cheese
• Red pepper flake + dried oregano
Method
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and position a rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Bring large skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp olive oil, onion and peppers. Season with salt, herbs and stir. Cook until soft and slightly charred – 10-15 minutes, adding the mushrooms in the last few minutes. Set aside.
3. Prepare sauce by adding tomato sauce to a mixing bowl and adding seasonings and salt to taste. Adjust seasonings as needed. Set aside. Note: If using tomato paste, add water to thin until desired consistency is reached.
4. Prepare vegan parmesan if you haven’t already by blitzing raw cashews, sea salt, nutritional yeast and garlic powder in a food processor. Transfer to jar and refrigerate to keep fresh.
5. Roll out dough onto a floured surface and transfer to a parchment-lined round baking sheet. You’re going to add the pizza WITH the parchment directly to the oven to properly crisp the crust, so any round object will do as it’s not actually going into the oven.
6. Top with desired amount of tomato sauce (you’ll have leftovers, which you can store in a jar for later use), a sprinkle of parmesan cheese and the sautéed veggies.
7. Use the baking sheet to gently slide the pizza directly onto the oven rack WITH the parchment underneath. Otherwise it will fall through.
8. Bake for 17-20 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.
9. Serve with remaining parmesan cheese, dried oregano and red pepper flake. Leftovers keep well – no need to reheat!
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1/2 pizza Calories: 395 Fat: 13g Saturated fat: 2.7g Carbohydrates: 59g Sugar: 19g Sodium: 1570mg Fiber: 7.9g Protein: 15g
Recipe courtesy of
2. Mediterranean baked sweet potatoes
Ingredients
• 4 medium sweet potatoes* (~140 g each)
• 1 15-ounce (425 g) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked (or regular) paprika
• optional: Pinch of sea salt or lemon juice
Garlic herb sauce
• 1/4 cup (60 g) houmous (or tahini)
• juice of 1/2 lemon (~1 Tbsp)
• 3/4 - 1 tsp dried dill (or sub 2-3 tsp fresh)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 1/2 Tbsp or 9 g)
• Water or unsweetened almond milk to thin
• optional: Sea salt to taste
Toppings optional
• 1/4 cup (45 g) cherry tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup (15 g) chopped parsley, minced
• 2 Tbsp (30 ml) lemon juice
• Chili garlic sauce
Method
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a large baking sheet with foil.
2. Rinse and scrub potatoes and cut in half length wise. This will speed cooking time. Otherwise leave whole and bake longer (approximately double the time (45 min - 1 hour).
3. Toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
4. Rub the sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and place face down on the same baking sheet (or another baking sheet depending on size).
5. While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, only adding enough water to almond milk to thin so it’s pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more garlic for more zing, salt for savouriness, lemon juice for freshness, and dill for a more intense herb flavor.
6. NOTE: If you don’t have houmous, tahini will make a great base substitution for the sauce - just adjust the seasonings to accommodate the lack of flavour tahini provides.
7. Also prepare the parsley-tomato topping by tossing tomato and parsley with lemon juice and setting aside to marinate.
8. Once sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown - roughly 25 minutes - remove from oven.
9. For serving, flip potatoes flesh-side up and smash down the insides a little bit. Then top with chickpeas, sauce and parsley-tomato garnish. Serve immediately.
10. Additional side ideas might include Houmous, Pitta Crisps, or Aubergine Dip.
Notes
*Adjust number of sweet potatoes per person, and buy organic when possible for best quality and flavour.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 of 4 Calories: 313 Fat: 5g Saturated fat: .7g Carbohydrates: 60g Sugar: 3.9g Sodium: 82mg Fiber: 11.7g Protein: 8.6g
Recipe courtesy of
Be a a great vegan chef thanks to cookery courses London.
3. Coconut curry
For the full list of ingredients and cooking method, visit the Minimalist Baker.
4. Poblano and portobello fajitas
Find the full recipe here.
5. Vegan green chilli mac’n’cheese
Ingredients
• 10 ounces large macaroni shells
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4-6 hours or overnight, then drained
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (DIY or store-bought)
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 3/4 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 4-ounce can diced chills (scoop half into the sauce, reserve half for the finished mac'n'cheese)
• optional: 1 cup tortilla crisps, fresh cilantro for topping
Method
1. If topping with tortilla crisps, crush crisps into fine crumbs and add to a baking pan lined with parchment paper or foil. Spritz with olive or canola oil, sprinkle with salt and stir. Then bake in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
2. Boil macaroni according to package instructions.
3. In a medium skillet over medium-low heat, sauté onion and garlic in a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, stir and cook until soft and fragrant – about 7 minutes. Set aside.
4. Add onions and garlic to a blender with remaining ingredients, omitting the tortilla crisps and adding only half of the green chilies. Blend until smooth, using the “liquify” setting if you have it to get it really smooth. Otherwise just blend for up to a minute, scraping down sides as necessary, until smooth and creamy.
5. Drain the noodles, set aside, and cover (with a towel). To the same pot you boiled the noodles in, add the cashew cheese and cook on low stirring frequently until slightly thickened.
6. Add the macaroni noodles to the cheese, along with the remaining green chilies and stir. Serve immediately, topping with crushed toasted tortilla crisps and cilantro (optional).
Notes
*Adapted from the amazing Isa Chandra.*Nutrition information is for 1 of 4 servings without tortilla crisps.
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Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1/4 recipe Calories: 516 Fat: 17g Saturated fat: 3.5g Carbohydrates: 72g Sugar: 4g Sodium: 380mg Fiber: 5.6g Protein: 19g
Recipe courtesy of Minimalist Baker.
6. Easy peanut noodles
For the full list of ingredients and cooking method, visit Love and Lemons.
https://www.loveandlemons.com/easy-peanut-noodles/
7. Spicy chickpea veggie burgers
Ingredients
• 1 can chickpeas, drained, well-rinsed,and mashed
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 small zuchinni, grated
• 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
• 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
• 2 tbsp natural peanut butter
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup quick oats (gluten-free if needed)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
Method
1. After draining and rinsing the chickpeas, place them in a bowl and mash them with a fork.
2. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl.
3. Use your hands to mix very well.
4. Form into 6-8 patties.
5. Cook on the BBQ around 400 F for approximately 10 minutes each side.
6. You can also fry these in a pan with some oil for 3-5 minutes a side.
Recipe courtesy of Running on Real Food.
8. Vegan mushroom stroganoff
Find the full recipe here.
9. Italian Orzo spinach soup
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 cup diced celery
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) DeLallo whole wheat orzo pasta, or other whole wheat pasta
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 4 cups loosely-packed spinach
• salt and black pepper
• optional toppings: freshly-grated Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes
Method
1. Heat oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, until soft. Add carrots, celery and garlic and saute for an additional 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes, orzo (pasta), thyme, oregano, rosemary and stir to combine. Bring soup to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente.
2. Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes until it is bright green and wilted. Taste, and season with salt and black pepper as needed. (Also feel free to add more of the thyme, oregano and rosemary, if you’d like.)
3. Serve warm, garnished with your desired toppings.
Recipe courtesy of Gimme Some Oven.
10. Seven-vegetable couscous
For the full list of ingredients and cooking method, visit Food Network.
Learn More About Vegan Food
There's much more to vegan food than just being a healthy alternative to rich foods in the traditional western diet.
Contrary to popular belief, homemade vegan cooking doesn't have to be boring, just look at those flavourful recipes listed above which don't use animal products. And if you are looking to find more vegan dinner recipes, then why not try searching for more inspiration using the web? Just type in some key vegan or vegetarian words into your search bar to find a collection of vegan breakfast ideas, meals, side dishes, desserts or entrees.
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Just some examples are sweet potato, tofu, quinoa, lentil, butternut squash, pumpkin, risotto, noodle, almonds, banana, salad, cucumber, cabbage, broccoli, chickpea, beans, parsnip and pomegranate... the options are endless! But if you aren't confident being the chef and have some doubts over whether or not you can recreate such yummy recipes yourself, then you can always look out for vegan prepared meals at your local supermarket.
To find out which shops are best for vegan foods, visit The Best Shops For Vegan Food.
Finally, to learn more about what foods are vegan friendly, take a look at the blogs listed.
Ready to start making some delicious vegan deserts? Here are 10 Amazing Vegan Baking Recipes to get started with.
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