My goal is to be 100% plant-based, but in reality 75-90% of my meals are plant-based, depending on the week. Eating a whole food, plant-based diet checks all of the boxes. It's better for your health, better for the planet, better for the animals and better for your karma, if you believe in that sort of thing.
I harbor no judgement and I understand that there is quite the hurdle for some to overcome when thinking about how to even get started eating a plant-based diet. I would suggest adding one plant-based lunch or dinner every day if you can. You can make it really easy if you make a something in bulk that you can enjoy for 3-4 days in a row. For me, it's critical to have something quick, delicious and nutrient-dense ready for lunch because I have a full-time job and I'm often trying to get in a quick lunch, but I refuse to eat a PB&J. Here are a few go-tos that you can make on a Sunday to have ready for lunches M-W.
1. The best chili I've ever had (vegan or not): Way back in 2017 after I read "Eating Animals", I became repulsed at eating meat so I started looking for vegan recipes. I stumbled upon this website: itdoesnttastelikechicken.com The creator of the site is Sam Turnbull. She's a vegan blogger from Toronto. I love how she takes comfort foods and vegan-izes them. Here's the recipe for the Vegan Chili.
2. Pasta Salad: This recipe is super simple and you can really add whatever veggies you like. For some reason, pasta salad is nostalgic for me. My Mom made it a lot for family events. It's a recipe I make more frequently in the summer months, because you can just pull it out of the fridge and eat it cold. Here's the basic recipe:
- tomato, diced
- half a red onion, diced into very small pieces
- green pepper, diced
- Kalamata olives, diced
- broccoli, tops only, broken up into very small pieces
- 1 can small white beans or any other beans or chick peas, drained and rinsed
- 1 can jarred artichoke hearts, diced
- Italian dressing (I like the Good Seasons brand that you mix up on your own- I make mine with olive oil and apple cider vinegar)
- nutritional yeast
Cook tri-color fusilli pasta, drain and rinse with cold water. Combine with chopped veggies and beans. Add in dressing to taste and about a 1/3 cup of nutritional yeast. Mix and enjoy!
3. Thai Red Curry (from the book shown below): This recipe is so easy to make. If you prefer your veggies al dente, make sure you keep them pretty firm while cooking. The broccoli especially, will start to get overcooked with heating up the curry after a couple of days. I've experimented with plenty of red curry pastes, but my favorite is the Penang curry paste that I've been able to pick up at my local Asian grocery store. I prefer the Penang curry paste because it's less spicy and more flavorful than the typical red curry paste.
Here are the ingredients you'll need:
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 3 tbsp Penang curry paste
- 2 stalks of lemongrass
- 2 cans of full-fat coconut milk
- 1 cup of veggie stock
- 1 cup of sliced shiitake mushrooms
- 2/3 of a packet of fried tofu puffs or 4 oz. of firm tofu
- 1 cup of thinly sliced carrot
- 1 cup 1/2 inch pieces of broccoli
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 6 oz. of rice noodles
- limes, cilantro and scallions for garnish
Melt coconut oil in a large saucepan and mix with 3 tablespoons of the Penang curry paste and the lemongrass stalks. Mix for about 2 mins.
Add coconut milk, salt, stock, mushrooms and carrots. Simmer for 7 mins at medium to low heat. Add tofu and broccoli and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
When you are eating this as single serving, add the amount of rice noodles you want for a serving to a bowl and pour the heated curry over the top of the noodles, covering them by at least an inch. Let the noodles sit for a few minutes and stir slightly to help the noodles cook. Garnish with a squeeze of lime juice, cilantro and scallions. Enjoy!
4. Lettuce Wraps: I've changed this recipe to make it vegan. It originally came from my friend Lee. I love these lettuce wraps and they are a great meal for lunch or dinner. I usually have some cooked rice on-hand, but you can eat them without rice. You will also need large pieces of lettuce. I prefer butter lettuce, but any kind will work.
You will be making tofu crumbles and for that you'll need:
- 1.5 blocks of extra firm tofu
- 3 tbsp of nutritional yeast (nooch)
- 1.5 tbsp of olive oil or grape seed oil
- 1. 5 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari
Break the tofu into pieces that look like ground meat. Stir in nooch, oil and soy sauce to evenly coat the tofu. Prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spread out tofu onto the trays evenly so that pieces are in a single layer. Bake for 45 mins at 350F.
In a large wok, melt 1 tbsp of coconut oil. Add in the tofu crumbles and stir fry for a couple of minutes. Add in:
- 2 finely minced carrots
- 1 tsp of five spice powder
- 1 inch of grated ginger
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
Fry for 3 mins.
Add in:
- 1 can of finely chopped water chestnuts
- 1 tbsp of coconut nectar or mild honey
- 1 tsp of apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari
- 2 chopped scallions
Turn off the heat and mix in a handful of chopped cilantro.
To enjoy the lettuce wraps, add a small scoop of rice (optional) to a lettuce leaf, spoon some filling in, fold up the lettuce leaf and enjoy!
5. For the cold winter months, I love this stew. If you can get or make a good sourdough bread, it's a nice accompaniment to the stew. I've used an Athletic Brewing Company stout for the recipe, but anything will do. I also add in a can of butter beans to make the stew more filling.
This Irish Stew is another Sam Turnbull recipe and it's so hearty and delicious!
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