Meal Ideas

Small Bites

• Beans on toast: This is a staple here in the UK, and it’s an ideal quick meal. Just canned baked beans on some toast in a tomato sauce, sprinkled with a little salt and some nutritional yeast. Seeded or wholemeal bread is healthier and gives it a little more texture.
  
• Avocado on toast: It’s popular for a reason. Just smash some avocado on toasted bread and sprinkle it with some salt and pepper. I like to add nutritional yeast and chia seeds for some extra nutrition.
  
• Soups: There are some very easy soups that are quick to make, and you can use whatever vegetables you have lying around and if you have a food processor it is even easier. There are vegan cream alternatives too, for recipes that call for it.
  
• Oats: Something every vegan should have in their pantry. You can use them to make oatmeal with your choice of fruits and nuts, and many sweeteners are vegan, such as golden syrup and maple syrup. You can also use it to make oat milk, oat cakes, or oat bars.
  
• Cereals. You may be able to enjoy the same cereals you eat now since plenty of them are vegan. Just keep an eye out for honey in things like granola and muesli, also be on the lookout for D3 – this can mean it is not vegan, but a quick online search will usually confirm. Pair it with your choice of plant milk, with oat, soy, and almond being the most popular.
  
• Pancakes. There are a few vegan pancake mixes, but making your own is easy. Just replace eggs with oil or syrup to bind it, or you can make a flax egg. You can find a bunch of great pancake recipes here.
  
• Sandwiches/bagels. Faux meats and cheese are popular on sandwiches, as well as hummus, pickles, and peanut butter. Falafel and hummus is a vegan classic, but you can also make vegan versions of most of your old favourites using faux meats. It isn’t hard to turn a BLT into a VLT with just some vegan bacon, or replace egg with some scrambled tofu and vegan mayo.
  
• Hummus/Guacamole. These are favorites for many vegans, since they’re delicious, filling and versatile. You can use them as a dip for chips, flatbread or vegetables, or as a spread for sandwiches.
  
• Shakes: Not everyone’s cup of tea, but I really like these as an easy way to pack in a lot of nutrients, particularly protein. You can use vegan protein powder as your base, top it up with plant milk, water, peanut butter, oats, chia seeds, frozen blueberries, banana – whatever you want. Huel is also great for easy, pre-made shakes.

Mains

• Chickpeas/lentils with rice: This is about as simple as it gets – just some canned chickpeas/lentils and some white or brown rice, depending on your preference. You can add some spices, soy sauce, or a pre-made sauce to give it some flavour. Curry sauces work well, but you can also just throw in some soy/tamarind sauce.
  
• Stir fry: Very versatile and takes five minutes. Just buy a pack of stir-fried vegetables or use whatever you have lying around, and a pre-made sauce or one you can throw together yourself. Add noodles, beans and some tofu/faux meat to make it more filling.
  
• Noodles: There are plenty of dried noodle packs that are vegan, or you can buy some rice/wheat noodles and whatever accompaniments you like. Broccoli, quinoa, edamame beans, tofu – pretty much any vegetable or bean works with noodles and a sauce of your choice.
  
• Curry: Quite a few of the pre-packaged curry sauces are vegan, and they may not be marked as such but check the packaging. This is especially the case for Indian curries. Otherwise, you can make your own very easily and pair it with rice or vegetables – I have some ideas in my recipes section.
  
• Burgers: There is no reason you can’t enjoy the classics. Veggie burgers are widely available almost everywhere and tend to be pretty cheap. If not, you can make your own with lentils, chickpeas, or vegetables. Most frozen fries are vegan, or you can make your own if you don’t mind the extra effort.
  
• Sausages: A sausage balm is a staple breakfast/brunch here in the UK, and plant-based versions are plentiful. There is no easier hot meal than throwing some sausages in the air fryer and putting them in a bun with some sauce, or serving with some mashed potatoes and peas. If you want to make your own instead, you can find plenty of recipes online – you can make them out of everything from seitan to beans.
  
• Jacket Potatoes: You can use both white and sweet potatoes for a bit of variety, and fill them in with anything you fancy. Baked beans and nutritional yeast work well for a simple one, as does hummus/avocado and salad. If you want something a bit different, I’ve got a great recipe here.
  
• Pizza: There are so many vegan frozen and takeaway pizzas available now, in just about every major supermarket. Otherwise, you can make your own, pre-made dough is often vegan and it’s very simple to just spread with tomato puree, your choice of vegan cheese (or go without) and some toppings.
  
• Pasta: Dried pasta is almost always vegan, and a lot of pre-made sauces are too, especially tomato/mushroom-based ones. These on their own are a meal, but adding a chopped onion, faux mince, spinach, lentils orany other vegetables can help liven it up and add some proteins.
  
• Quinoa: Quinoa is one of those foods that sounds expensive but isn’t. It’s a very healthy grain, you can buy it very cheaply and pair it with just about anything. I like to have it with broccoli, edamame/soy beans, and a sauce.
  
• Tofu/Tempheh: Don’t be put off by the unfamiliarity if you’re not used to these, they’re very good sources of protein, nutritionally dense, and cheap. Tofu recipes are usually just tofu (with cornstarch/salt on it), air-fried or fried, with a sauce you can put together yourself. I have a few of these in my recipes section as well.
  
• Soy Chunks: They don’t look great when you buy them, because they’re sold dried. Soak them for about 15 minutes in lightly salted hot water or vegetable stock, and they’ll turn into a similar texture to diced chicken. These are very high protein, cheap, and versatile – you can get them online in large bags. They have a great shelf life, so you can save even more money by buying them in bulk. You can replace the tofu in any recipe for these, or just add them to dishes like curry, noodles, or pasta.
  

Desserts

• Fruit and Yoghurt: Making yourself a fresh fruit cocktail is a very healthy way to do dessert, but remember that frozen and canned fruit is just as good, and tends to be cheaper. You can top it with vegan yogurt which is pretty widely available.
  
• Chocolate: Vegan chocolate is very easy to come by, and dark chocolate (particularly high cocoa chocolate) is often naturally vegan, as is cocoa powder to make hot drinks. Food is Power has an excellent list of vegan chocolate brands using fair labour practices here.
  
• Baked Goods: If you’re looking for some proper dessert, how available pre-made vegan options are will depend largely on where you live. Even if you’ve never been into baking though, some desserts are extremely easy to create vegan versions of. Minimalist Baker has a tonne of great vegan options, and Plant Based on a Budget has a vast archive of vegan recipes. If you want to invest in a good book, the BOSH! cookbook is the one I use most.