What Vegans Eat

Much as some of would like, we can't eat out all the time. It isn't practical, and frankly, a lot of the time, I enjoy my own prepared food better anyway.

I start off with a general plan so that every Monday I do some version of soup and a sandwich or salad, every Tuesday is a rice/grain bowl, etc. I find that this theme-based menu makes it a lot easier for me to plan.

So here is a sample menu with some of the recipes linked up for a typical Monday to Friday dinner meal plan.

MONDAY - soup with sandwich or salad

Slow cooker white bean soup and Mediterranean vegetable sandwich.

Slow Cooker White Bean Soup - Budget Bytes

TUESDAY - rice bowl (or other grain)

Red beans and rice, and roasted veggies (leftover from Monday's sandwich prep).

Red Beans and Rice - Budget Bytes

WEDNESDAY - pasta or rice dish

Creamy lemon asparagus pasta, oven-roasted broccoli/cauiflower/fennel.

Creamy Lemon Asparagus Pasta - Minimalist Baker

THURSDAY - potatoes and veggies

Roasted sweet potato medley, balsamic mushrooms, and garlic broccoli.

Garlicky Broccoli - The Woks of Life

FRIDAY - bread/pizza/tortilla/pastry

Pizza, kale salad with garlic dressing.

Kale Salad - Minimalist Baker

SATURDAY

Out somewhere. :)

SUNDAY

Everyone fends for him/herself.

Homemade Pizza

I really wondered if I was going to have to give up pizza when I adopted a plant-based diet. I ordered pizza without cheese from our regular shop but it didn't really light a fire for me. It was just okay. Then I discovered two things that changed everything: parmesan cheese and Sensations pizza crust. Woohooo.

For starters, I found the parmesan cheese recipe on the Minimalist Baker site. She calls for cashews in her version, which I sometimes do, but most of the time I use almonds instead. We have some cashew allergies in the family, so it's easier to just use almonds. You can find her recipe here and if you haven't already checked out her recipes, do that too. I have had great success with all of the ones I have tried.

Secondly, the crust. I have to credit my mom with finding this crust at Sobey's. It's called "original thin pizza crust" and it's the Sensations brand. I checked the ingredients and all was well until I got to the dreaded "MAY CONTAIN" disclaimer, may contain milk. So I contacted the company and asked what they meant. Here is their response:

"When it comes to allergy warnings on our packages, anything used in the product will be listed in the ingredients. The "May Contain" statement you were referring to is meant to warn about cross contamination through the same manufacturing line or plant, not in the actual ingredients, as we do want to make customers aware if there is a risk for the main allergens. We hope this helps, let us know if you have any other questions!"

I know there are some people who are not comfortable eating products with this type of disclaimer. If that's you, then I'm sorry but this pizza crust isn't going to work for you. I will eat products with this waiver because I believe it to be a legal manoeuvre and not anything really to do with a plant-based diet. If that's your philosophy, then definitely pick up this crust. It's delicious.

For the pizza toppings, I sautéed some peppers, onions, and mushrooms and sliced fresh avocado on top. The parmesan was sprinkled both on the naked sauce and then on top as well. Lots of basil, oregano, salt and pepper to finish. I popped it into a 400-degree oven on a preheated pizza stone for about 12 minutes. Easy peasy with that premade crust, and oh so delicious.

Pumpkin Muffins

I think that the biggest learning curve I experienced when I began following a plant-based diet was baking. Mostly it was substituting for eggs.  It took me a long while to get the hang of flax eggs and egg substitutes.

Fortunately, this muffin recipe doesn't require any hassle in this department. Super easy, super tasty.

Head on over to see Christine's recipe on her blog, Apple of my Eye. I made a few changes: subbing nutmeg in place of the ginger; adding chocolate chips and pumpkin seeds in place of the pecans on top; and making only 12 instead of her suggested 14 (which meant a bit longer cooking time).

When the muffins had cooled, I put them on a tray and popped them into the freezer. Once they were all frozen, I put them into a ziploc baggie and put them back into the freezer. Now when I'm feeling like one of these beauties, I pull one out of the freezer and microwave for one minute. Perfect.