There are many questions about vegan recipes, and it is understandable if you have never tried vegan food before. When something is new or seems different, it can appear daunting. How many times, though, have you ventured into new, unknown territory and then it turned out to be easy as pie? Same here, there are so many easy vegan recipes and you do not always need to spend much time researching.
I ‘m all for improvising. I am really good at improvising, at anything, and I love that. 🙂 You don’t always need elaborate recipes that read like complicated formulas with instructions that seem to have been written in Klingon 😉 well, sort of, lol. Many can be made with less than a handful of ingredients.
Now that we have been staying home due to covid-19, I thought it would be a good idea to share some super simple recipes for meals I have often prepared here, many of them just created on the spot.
Let’s (not literally) dive into some soup, quesadillas, and sandwiches 🙂
Lentil Soup
I made this a few days ago. Lentils are full of nutrition, rich in protein, fiber, and iron. I am not going to give exact amounts here, because I made these recipes up on the spot and I did not take notes, but in case you are not sure about proportions, just remember that the ratio is one part lentils to three parts water.
Now that we’re making soup, you may add a little more water, of course 😉
The time to boil lentils is 20 minutes, so that can give you an idea what to throw in there when. I added cut up broccoli, celery, 1/3 of a large, chopped red onion, and finely chopped carrot and potato.
For flavor, I used curry powder, black pepper, half a handful of parsley, a pinch of salt, and a tablespoon of soy sauce.
You can make a large batch that can last for a few days (or stored in the freezer) or a small quantity. That is up to you.
Optional: you may add some vegan cheese when you reheat your first batch – like I did 😉
Quesadillas
That’s easy enough, and super quick. If you are busy blogging and you don’t have much time to prepare a meal, because you have to finish that article today, then just make some quick quesadillas. All you need to do is heat tortillas (on both sides) on a comal, add some vegan cheese, fold the tortillas, and wait until they are slightly browned and the cheese has melted.
Yes, vegan cheese melts. Here are a few excellent brands that you can try out.
Sandwich
Today, I improvised the following sandwich.
First, I chopped up some leftover broccoli I still had (about 1/3 of a broccoli head) into small pieces and then I fried them in some olive oil. I added curry and black pepper.
(I love curry, so I use it a lot, but you can obviously replace it with something else, perhaps paprika, cumin, or good old salt and pepper.)
After a few minutes, I added the rest of the red onion I had left over, about 1/6 of it. Then I poured a little soy sauce over it – about 2-3 tablespoons, don’t overdo it, though (it gives an incredible flavor). I let it steam on low heat for a bit until the broccoli pieces were tender.
In the meantime, I toasted some slices of bread, added veganaise, sliced cucumber, and topped it off with the broccoli and onion mix. Yummy!
You can, of course, replace the veganaise with something else, add vegan cheese, or just have a plain sandwich with cucumber and the broccoli and onion mix, that depends on your preferences 😉
Healthy and Tasty Tip
To add extra flavor, sprinkle some fortified nutritional yeast over your lentil soup and/or broccoli-red onion mix. Nutritional yeast brings a delicious flavor and it is rich in protein, vitamins (including vitamin B12), minerals, and antioxidants. Just make sure it is fortified (more info about its many benefits on Healthline).
An excellent brand of nutritional yeast is this one here. When you click on the picture, you will be taken to an Amazon page where you can order this wonderful, nutritional accompaniment that you can use for any meals you prepare.
I have to add a quick disclaimer here: when you decide to purchase from any of the Amazon links I provide, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is how I maintain this website 🙂
Final Thoughts
The meals I just shared with you have little prep and cook time. Especially the quesadillas, they need less than five minutes. Quesadillas also go well with avocado and basil on the side (and nutritional yeast sprinkled on top).
There are many more recipes on my website, but I wanted to share something simple and show you that whipping up a vegan meal from scratch is really not that hard. It involves no scavenger hunts that are filled with dangerous obstacles. It is pretty simple and straightforward.
Do you have any quick, vegan meals that you often make? Would you like me to share more of these ideas? Please let me know in the comments 🙂
Thank you for visiting my page!
P.S. Do you like fantasy set in a postapocalyptic time, with a message of compassion for all sentient beings? Check out my book here 🙂 First book review brought in 5 out of 5 glowing stars 🙂
I don’t know what it is about vegan recipes, but I love trying them out. I’m not vegan, but in general, I love trying new recipes and original ideas. I think with vegan the thrill is creating food with more wholesome and healthy ingredients!
Your sandwich recipe looks yum and I’m sure tasted just as good! Putting broccoli in a sandwich is a great idea. We love broccoli here, including my kids! Thanks for the great idea!
You’re welcome, Hollie. Try it out, it is really good!
Thank you for visiting my page 🙂
Hey Christine,
I’m so glad I came across this article. My girlfriend and my sister-in-law are vegans and I never know what to make them when we are all around my house. But now, I have a good few recipes in your article that I can steal, and the good thing is I believe they will like all of them.
I will let you know what ones I start with and what my girlfriend and sister-in-law thought of “my creations” :).
Thank you for sharing and keep up the amazing work.
All the best,
Tom
Hey Tom,
Wonderful, and these recipes are so easy to make. You can really improvise with them and add your own favorite flavors 🙂
I am glad this was helpful!
Hi Christine,
I don’t claim to be a vegan, and if I’m completely honest I never will be, but due to a slight lactose intolerance I have had to change my diet ever so slightly over the past few years.
I often use vegan alternatives for cheese, mayo, cream, etc. and have always found them to be a delight.
Then last year a new vegan cafe opened in my local town, so I thought, “Why not, let’s give it a go”.
As I’ve said, I’m never likely to be a full vegan, but the cafe certainly introduced me to some delicious meals. I was sold, this was definitely something I could do a few times a week.
Funnily enough, one of favourite meals was a lentil soup (small world), but it was and is absolutely lovely. And if I’m honest I could eat it over-and-over again.
I’ve never actually cooked lentils myself, but your quick recipe (along with some spices and herbs that I love) seems like it may be on the menu for quite a few nights in the near future.
Lovely. Thank You.
Partha
Hi Partha,
I’m very happy that this post was helpful to you and that the vegan cafe in your neighborhood introduced you to some delicious meals. Have you ever had a raw vegan cake? It’s absolutely heaven! Some really good vegan alternatives are Violife and Follow Your Heart, they are very tasty. They have cheeses, dips, and Follow Your Heart also offers ranch sauces, different types of veganaise, and it’s a non-GMO company, worth checking out 🙂
Thank you for your comment!
I must say my mouth is watering looking at the vegan sandwich recipe! The lentil soup also looks very hearty. I must try these, as I’m always on the look out for the vegan and gluten free recipes, that have to be delicious. But looks like I’ve come to the right website for it! 🙂
Many thanks for keep introducing healthy, tasty vegan and gluten free food ideas.
Hi Habib,
I’m glad you like these recipes. Try them out at home, they are indeed hearty and good, and easy to make 🙂