Healthy & Easy Vegan Meals
- Meera Naveen
- Apr 8, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: Jun 24, 2024
Many people are reluctant to go vegan or try vegan dishes because of artificial ingredients and their dislike in taste for some vegan alternatives to things, such as tofu.
But whoever you are, even if you're not vegan but want to cut down on dairy and meat or are part of a climatarian movement and want to choose more vegan options, there are still many tasty, healthy, and easy food choices out there for you.
Here are some common ingredients in vegan meals that you might see:
Cashews
Nutritional Yeast
Onion Powder
Tofu
Chickpeas
Cornstarch
Bananas
Applesauce
Alternative milks: oat milk, almond milk, cashew milk, soy milk, etc.
Many veggies, fruits, breads, oats, rices, and pastas
Especially if you're on a Climatarian diet though, be cautious of ingredients such as cashews, almonds or pistachios since they're water - intensive and such.
Breakfast Vegan Ideas:
Smoothies and Smoothie Bowls: Using frozen fruit and items such as yogurt made out of alternative milks or banana, you can make totally awesome flavored smoothie bowls that are fresh, healthy, and totally vegan. They're filling and a great refresher to start your day. One awesome example of a smoothie bowl is an acai bowl: it is amazing, and you should try it!
Fruit - Topped Oats And Granola Bowls: Using alternative milks for your oats and granola bowls such as almond milk, soy milk, etc., you can put the main ingredients in, along with spices and toppings such as nutmeg, cinnamon, and fruits such as blackberries, blueberries, citrus, strawberries, raspberries, etc.
Toasts: Make sure you don't use butter while toasting the bread: just use the toaster or an alternative to butter on the frying pan, like oil. Examples of types of toast and bread preparations you can try are these:
Avocado Toast
Toast with Hummus and veggies (try topping with bell pepper and olives)
Toast with Tahini and apples
Simple nut butter and jam sandwiches
4. Tofu Scrambles and Scramble Burritos: You can reach all spice levels and flavors with tofu scrambles and burritos. From Indian spices and chutney scrambles to a nice Southwestern U.S. style, you can use that tofu of yours and create wonders, perhaps even better than an egg scramble!
Lunch And Dinner Vegan Ideas:
Vegan Pastas: There are many ways to make pasta without using butter or cheese or anything of the sort. One way is Vegan Mac & Cheese. This is made with Nutritional Yeast, onion powder and ground cashews and other such ingredients blended to substitute for cheddar cheese. Not only that, but you can make pasta without the cheese but more like a salad, filled with vegan sauces and lots of veggies.
Salads: Whether it's a simple vegetable toss in balsamic vinegar or a splash of leaves, berries, and onions, salads are a great choice when it comes to helping the environment, being healthier and climatarian, and backing off from dairy and meat products.
Rice Bowls, Pilafs, Couscous, Quinoa, And Stir - Frys: As long as you don't add any dairy such as cheese, this is a great option. Whether you're doing a classic rice - and - bean bowl or a tofu and veggie stir - fry, these are made of a variety of foods and are hot, delicious, and healthy. You can also do classic couscous or quinoa dishes, such as tabbouleh quinoa, or a great side might be chickpeas if you're up to it, as well as doing pilafs with dried fruit and nuts, squash, or whatever you like. If you're going climatarian, even in any small way, which I highly recommend you do, be sure to aim for more local ingredients, as for any of these recipes, and choose small business brands for the products you buy over chains.
Chilies, Gazpacho, And Soups: These are heartwarming options on cold days, and whether you chose to do a black bean chili, a watermelon gazpacho, or a hot miso ramen soup, either way, you would be able to enjoy delicious, healthy, vegan, hot meals.
Wraps: You can do any sort of wrap, as long as it doesn't have meat or dairy in it, and the style of a wrap already makes it simple. One you might really like is a falafel wrap. Taking a tortilla, pita, or whatever you have, fill it with rice, olives, falafel, and hummus, and you would enjoy a delightful on - the - go meal.
- Tip: if you're looking for a specific cuisine, the top three most vegan - friendly ones are Ethiopian, Indian, and Mediterranean.
Snack And Dessert Vegan Ideas:
Dipping Veggies and Bagels: Hummus, Nut Butters, Tahini on the side: if you're hungry and need a quick vegan snack, dip fresh veggies like carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes into hummus and tahini or just paste something like nut butter on some bagels. This is a healthy, easy, eco - friendly way to have something quick and filling.
Quick Bites and Wraps: This includes Tahini Triangle Bites, courtesy of @MinaRome, Veggie chickpea and veggie wraps, etc.
Cold/Hot Brews and Vegan Breads: Take away that Hot Chocolate or those milky smoothies and replace them with these cold and hot delicious brews! Using refreshing spices, these are probably just the thing to fill you up for a snack especially if you're juicing or just want something quick and vegan to enjoy. As for bread, it could be any eggless and butter less bread, but if you just want to be safe, try making bread out of veggies, nuts, or fruits, such as banana nut bread or simple zucchini bread.
Other Bakes: From mug cakes to muffins, you can basically make anything with non - dairy alternatives to things such as milk, butter, etc. As for egg, use vegan alternatives such as thick sauces or powders like cornstarch or apple sauce.
For bases, you can create or try mixtures such as date and nut mixes (food processed: it's thickened naturally with the dates and needs no flour and no eggs or dairy! It's also a no - bake food and completely healthy) sometimes, especially for protein - rich, less - sugar desserts and cakes that need strong, thick bases.
Now, I hope you know that as part of being climatarian, it's great to try some vegan food as well, and that there are so many ideas and ways to eat and cook safe, healthy, and tasty foods that are fully vegan.
Works Cited:
Images from Unsplash
Youtube @MinaRome
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