5 Simple Plant-based Meals
Lately I’ve been savouring my time in the kitchen. I don’t love meal planning, or grocery shopping, or prepping to cook…but the cooking part I love. (aka. the easiest part lol.) It’s exciting to create a healthy and tasty meal out of simple ingredients. And it almost feels like a form of art. The best feeling is when you’re able to sit down after cooking and enjoy a fresh meal that you just prepared for yourself. It is one of the ultimate forms of self-care. Nourishment all the way.
I shared a post a couple months ago on 5 Easy Weeknight Meals. I had a lot of fun putting that post together, and really want to continue to share more meal ideas. I find that picking meals to have throughout the week is one of the hardest and most frustrating things to do. I just want a good meal… I don’t want to have to think too much. Is that too much to ask? It’s a whole process, from choosing what to eat, getting everything you need, planning when you will cook what and then preparing everything. It’s a lot. And then the worst part is when the recipe is a flop. Or what’s even harder is when you have certain health restrictions like dairy-free or gluten-free and you have to search for a recipe that you will enjoy and one that checks off all the boxes for your health.
I share what I cook weekly on my Instagram stories, but I also share some posts on here, so you can easily find ideas for meals that work, are tasty and aren’t super difficult. This post will have a focus on plant-based meals. A lot of people are testing out plant-based diets, and I think it is absolutely great to see. I’m not vegan or vegetarian, but I’ve been slowly transitioning myself to a more plant-based diet. And I haven’t really found it that difficult. It helps having delicious and filling recipes, because when you look forward to your meals, you don’t miss something you’ve chosen to take out of your diet. And there are tons of alternatives out there now that taste like the real thing if you’re craving it. I’ve tried all of these recipes myself and would make every single one again.
I typically find all my recipes through Pinterest and sometimes through other people’s shares on Instagram. But again, sifting through to find the perfect meal is a bit annoying. So I’m putting it all in one place for you. If you want to see more recipes that I’ve tried myself and know are good, then also check out my Pinterest board: Tried and True Easy Weeknight Recipes. I only share the really good ones on there.
recipes
Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Tacos (with Chipotle Crema)
Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free
This was such a treat. I don’t usually make tacos, but this photo looked so good, that I had to do it. The cauliflower is such a nice texture, so it doesn’t feel like you’re missing meat in it at all.
My Alterations:
I used corn tortillas as they suggested, but I could not char them the way they described. It was just not working for me. I think I need to find a better brand of gluten-free tortillas. I tried their method, but then ended up just warming them in the microwave with a wet paper towel instead, because it was turning into a mess.
I didn’t have (or want to buy) a chipotle pepper/adobo sauce, which is used in this recipe. So I made a mixture of my own that I got from my mom:
1 tbsp tomato paste (or ketchup)
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp chipotle powder (or smoked paprika/cayenne powder mix)
1/2 tsp cumin
Pinch of oregano
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of salt
Adjust the above to the amount you need. I kind of just eyeballed it - almost halved it I would say, but if you make too much you can always save it and use it another time
Note: This recipe did take a bit longer than I expected, so I wouldn’t say it’s the fastest recipe for a weeknight. But worth the time for sure!
Photo cred: Jess - Plays Well with Butter blog
Vegan buddha bowl
Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free
This was the perfect weeknight meal. Super easy to make, easily adaptable and delicious. The sauce was amazing too. I saved the extra sauce and froze it to use in future recipes.
My Alterations:
I didn’t use cabbage because I find it takes long to cook and I also find it hard to digest. I substituted with shredded lettuce and it worked great.
I cut down on the maple syrup in the sauce. I found it was just a bit too much. The recipe calls for 1/3 cup maple syrup. I used just less than 1/4 cup. You could probably even go less than that.
Photo Cred: Nora from Nora Cooks Blog
slow cooker enchilada quinoa
Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free
This was a pleasant surprise. I picked this meal because I needed a break from cooking and slow cooker recipes are excellent for that because they are simple and last a really long time due to the portion size. I’m sure this is a recipe you could do without a slow cooker as well.
My Alterations:
I made cashew cream instead of using sour cream as a topping and used Daiya cheddar cheese instead of regular cheese to make this completely dairy-free. Mixing in the cashew cream really elevated this dish. It gave it a nice creamy consistency.
For cashew cream I use 1/4 cup soaked cashews (soak with hot water for 20-30mins or overnight in room temp water) and a little bit of water and blend. You don’t want to cover the cashews with water when you put them in the blender because you want a creamy not a watery consistency. So I usually just start with a teeny bit of water and then I’ll keep adding bits of water if needed to get the consistency I want. Sometimes you can add nutritional yeast to this for a more cheesy flavour.
Photo Cred: Robyn from Real Food Whole Life Blog
detox turmeric lentil soup
Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free
This recipe was something I chose because I needed something gentle on the digestion but still hearty and filling because I had a busy and stressful week when I made this. When I get stressed, I don’t digest my food as well so I needed all the help I could get. Lentils (if pre-soaked) are easy to digest and the spices in this dish also help with digestion! This was a quick and easy recipe.
My Alterations:
I pre-soaked my lentils before making this meal. I just took out the portions I needed for each type of lentil and then filled the bowl with water until the lentils were covered and let it sit for about 30 mins. By that point the lentils will usually soak up all the water and you can start cooking!
I used parsnip instead of turnip because I couldn’t find turnip at the store I went to. Parsnip worked great!
I added cashew cream to this one too instead of using coconut yogurt :)
Photo Cred: Alyssa from Simply Quinoa
Peanut Noodle Stir fry
Vegan, Dairy-free, Gluten-free
I found this recipe while scrolling through stories on Instagram. I saw it and instantly wanted to make it because it looked SO delicious. This was on Erin Ireland’s IG. If you follow her, you know she is the queen of all things vegan. Her recipes always look delicious and I love her transparency with cooking.
No alterations.
I don’t have a recipe link for this, so I just wrote down the recipe from Erin Ireland’s story:
Ingredients:
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup tamari or coconut aminos
1/2 cup of water
2-3 cloves garlic (chopped)
Juice of 1 lime
Splash of maple syrup
Brown rice noodles (I used GoGo Quinoa)
Veggies of choice (I used carrot, broccoli and red pepper)
Extra firm organic tofu, cubed
Optional: Cilantro and/or green onion and chopped peanuts or cashews for topping
Directions:
Whisk together peanut butter, tamari/coconut aminos, water, garlic, lime juice, maple syrup
Cook brown rice noodles according to directions, drain
Cook tofu in separate pan with a bit of tamari/coconut aminos
Add veggies to pot with a bit of oil or water and cook until soft
Add cooked tofu and noodles once done to pot with veggies and add whisked sauce
Top with chopped cilantro and/or green onion and peanuts or cashews!
Photo Cred: Me. (I got this recipe from Instagram, so I’m sorry for the non-professional quality photo lol.)
I hope this post is helpful. Let me know if you make any of these recipes or if you have any favourite plant-based recipes that you love! :)