Many people like the idea of moving towards a plant-based whole food diet, but find it difficult to make the transition from a regular eating plan.
The truth is that preparing delicious, plant-based meals doesn’t have to be super time-consuming or an uninspiring chore.
In fact, plant-base meals and snacks are among the easiest to prepare.
Here, we want to share with you five of our favourite, simple recipes, that will open your eyes as to how easy and delicious plant-based cooking can be.
And the good news is you don’t even need any cooking skills to enjoy them!
Recipes like these are extra great when you need something tasty and nutritious in a short amount of time.
1. Banofee Smoothie
"Banoffee" stands for Banana and Coffee!!
This amazing super-smoothie is delicious, nutritious, energising and can be prepared in just a few minutes for breakfast.
To prepare this recipe, you'll need:
- 1/2 cup Frozen Banana Chunks (peel, slice and freeze ripe bananas in a zip lock bag)
- 1-2 pitted medjool dates
- 350 ml chilled coconut or almond milk
- 1/2 cup cold brew coffee (make yourself at home or source from your local health food store)
- 1 tablespoon raw cacao powder
How to prepare:
Add all of the ingredients to your blender or vitamix and whizz together until smooth. Add more milk if you prefer a runnier consistency.
Pour into a glass and enjoy right away or into a glass container or therma drink bottle and take with you as a mid-morning snack. This smoothie is very satisfying and will keep you going for hours.
2. GREEN Burrito
A burrito is another versatile meal, because you can include many different ingredients. So long as you have 2 to 3 key ingredients you can customise your green burrito into something delicious and nutritious!
For this recipe you will need:
- Organic Flour Tortillas (from your health food store or whole food supermarket)
- Red Onions or Spring Onions/Schallots
- Kidney or Black Beans
- Spinach Leaves
- Tomatoes
- Capsicum
- Avocado
- Coriander/Cilantro
- Grated Vegan Cheese or Organic Cheddar
Lightly fry the onions and capsicum in a small amount extra virgin olive oil in a fry pan. Add some chopped tomatoes, spinach leaves and beans, add sea salt and chilli flakes or cracked pepper. Combine and lightly simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Lay out the tortillas and gently spoon the bean and vege mix on top.
Top with slices of avocado, grated cheese and a sprinkling or chopped coriander.
Roll up the tortillas nice and tight. Enjoy on its own or with an easy green side salad. Experiment with this recipe to create your new definition of heaven!
3. Avocado Toast
Ok avocado toast may sound a little mainstream, but it can be jazzed up into a nutritious, taste sensation in a few simple steps.
Avocado toast is beautifully simple, foolproof and delicious when done right with the amazing bread and perfectly ripe avocado.
Here, we're going to give you a next level version of this trusty plant-based meal staple.
For this recipe you'll need:
- 2-3 slices of wholegrain bread (best sourced from your local organic baker)
- Fresh ripe avocado
- Drizzle of olive oil or grass-fed butter
- Fresh lemon
- Sea Salt, Pepper and/or chilli flakes
How to prepare:
Brush the bread lightly with olive oil and then toast to your liking.
Meantime, in a small bowl, peel and mash the ripe avocado with a fork. Once mashed, add a good squeeze of lemon and sprinkle sea salt and ground black pepper to taste. Combine.
Spoon and spread the avocado onto the toast. As an optional extra, add a slice of tomato and a dash of chilli flakes.
This makes a delightful breakfast or brunch, but also can be dinner if you're too tired to cook and want something quick, easy and healthy.
4. Mushroom Tempeh Tacos
There’s always time for tacos, but this easy and healthy version can be made in less than ten minutes. Like the green burrito, what you choose to include in these tacos is really only limited by the ingredients you have available or your imagination.
To prepare mushroom tempeh tacos you will need:
- Taco shells (try to find those prepared with organic flour or corn)
- Tempeh (available in most major supermarkets and health food stores)
- Taco Seasoning (Preservative-Free if you can find it)
- Mushrooms (any kind you like)
- Ice Berg Lettuce
- Red Onion
- Coriander
- Grated Vegan Cheese or Organic Cheddar
How to prepare:
Start by lightly frying the onion, tempeh and mushrooms in olive oil. Add the seasoning, combine and continue to fry for 2 minutes.
Chop tomatoes, lettuce and cilantro and store and store on a side plate.
Warm the tacos in the oven.
Remove the tacos from the oven and half fill with the fried tempeh mix, before layering the other ingredients on top.
Add some vegan cheese and enjoy!
5. Yummy Tofu & Veggie Stir fry
A stir fry has always been a quick and easy go-to, because you can add just about anything you have left in the fridge and spruce it up with some spices and sauces.
Most of the work that goes into a great stir fry is preparing the ingredients not the cooking. When you're ready to cook, the secret to good stir fry is plenty of heat and a wok if you have it available.
Again, this recipe is very versatile, however here's some of the ingredients that work well:
- Firm Organic Tofu
- Broccoli
- Schallots
- Carrots
- Snow Peas
- Mushrooms
- Capsicum
- Chilli
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Peanuts
- Pure Sesame Oil
- Tamari Sauce (alternative to Soy Sauce which usually has MSG)
How to prepare:
Lightly toast 1 cup of raw peanuts in a fry pan and set aside.
Thinly slice all of the vegetables and leave on the chopping board.
Cut the tofu into small cubes, place into a bowl and gently dress with sea salt, sesame oil and a good dash of tamari. Combine and let sit for 5 minutes.
Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of coconut oil or organic peanut oil in a hot wok or fry pan.
Add thinly sliced or minced garlic and ginger, fry for about 30 seconds. Add the tofu mix and stir until lightly golden. Remove the tofu from the pan and place in a bowl.
Immediately throw all of the veggies into the wok and sauté on high heat for a couple of minutes. Add a little more oil if required. Add the tofu mix back to the wok and combine everything together for about 30 seconds.
Place the stir fry into bowls and top with the toasted peanuts. Add extra chilli or tamari sauce to suit your taste. Is also delicious accompanied with steamed rice or noodles.
The Main Takeaway
It should go without saying, that the more whole plant-based food you can incorporate into your diet, the healthier you're going to be.
The trick is to find ways to keep plant-based eating interesting, which means you need to look for little sources of inspiration to help keep you on track.
Whether you try or experiment with the easy recipes shared with you here, or you tap into some of the other amazing, plant-based food recipes and resources out there, we just wanted to remind you that there is so much colour, nutrition, variety and even excitement when you get the hang of plant-based whole food meal preparation and cooking.
The more you practice preparing plant-based meals, the more you will develop the healthy habit of eating less meat and processed food and more whole food from nature's table.
Tolman Self Care.
