Are you in a Meatless Monday hurry? Here’s what a day of on-the-go meals looks like for me.
Meatless Monday Meal Plan (11/4/13)
Breakfast: Avocado Toast
Toast your favorite bread (Dave’s Killer Bread is awesome), mash a ripe avocado onto the toast, add nutritional yeast and devour (I like to add hot sauce, too!).
Lunch: Easy Bean Soup
I did a cooking demo class for a corporate client last week. One of the “recipes” I shared was my simple approach to pulling together a nutrient packed, fast soup. 2 cups of vegetable broth, 1 cup of beans, 1/2 a cup cooked grain (I love using quinoa or brown rice), 1 cup of fresh salsa (store bought, natch) and a leafy green (spinach is great for this!). Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan, bring to a boil, reduce to low to simmer for 3 – 5 minutes. Done!
Dinner: Tortilla “Pizza”
This quick pizza is a fun way to get your beans, greens and grains in no time! I heat the oven to 400F, spread a little extra virgin olive oil over a whole grain tortilla or wrap, and bake it on the rack for about five minutes. I remove it from the oven and start layering whatever I might have on hand. I spread tomato paste mixed with spices of my choice (cumin and chili powder, for instance), add some diced onion and minced garlic, add a layer of greens and then spread cooked beans over the top. I usually add even more onion because I love it! Put it back in the oven, directly on the rack, for another 8 minutes or so.
Those are my quick and easy vegan ideas. What are yours?
5 thoughts on “Meatless Monday Meal Plan (11/4/13)”
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OK, you’ve officially made me hungry, really hungry! It all looks great and easy to make. Thanks for sharing JL!
Thanks, @tedwallof:disqus ! You could make any one of these three in no time! 🙂
I roast a heap of veggies in a large oven tray and when they’re done I refrigerate them in tubs so that I have several tubs available for various meals. For instance, courgettes, aubergines, mushrooms, peppers, tenderstem broccoli, onion. You can add some oil and some cider vinegar with some herbs if you like when cooking them.
Then each night I take a tub from the fridge and make a quick dinner with them. For instance, thai stir fry night.
I take a stick of lemongrass and break in half, pound some garlic and galangal, chop a red chilli throw them into the frying pan. I add some kaffir lime leaves and a tin of cococnut milk and cook for about 15 mins. In the last 5 mins I add about a quarter of a lime to give it extra zest and remove when finished. It tastes delicious and is so quick and easy. Serve with rice, quinoa, naan bread or something similar.
Another night, I will go Italian. I’ll pound some garlic and chop and onion and fry them. I add antipasto mushrooms (from a jar bought from the shop) and remove some from the jar (they’ll be very oily but that’s good as you want some of that in your sauce), I add a tin of tomatoes and a teaspoon of basil (dried) and let it cook down so the flavour from the oil goes through the tomatoes and the basil cooks well into it. I add the veggies from the tub and cook for about 15 mins. You should end up with a very rich sauce, but very delicious.
Another quick one is to open a tin of potatoes (pre-cooked) that have been canned in water, not brine, Thrown them into the pot, add the veggies and stir in some vegan pesto (homemade or store bought). Cook until piping hot and serve. Hey presto, a deliciously quick dinner!
My mission is to find as many quick recipes as I can that are quick and easy to make without resorting to pre-made store bought meals or sauces because that stuff is nasty!
Great ideas, @fheathermoore:disqus! I do think store bought meals have a place for people who are transitioning or find themselves too busy to cook for one reason or another. But having said that, tips like these are very helpful for people who do need some ideas. I roasted a big platter of root veggies last night. YUM!
I couldn’t agree more. I’ve been vegan for over a year now and at time found it extraordinarily time consuming cooking everything from scratch. I never went down the route of pre-made meals. However as time goes on, I find myself wanting more of my time for other stuff and have been on a mission to find quick, simple and, most importantly, delicious meals because life is too short! Thank you for the avocado and toast idea, it sounds amazing! Oh and you just can’t beat roasted veggies especially now it’s winter!