Last week I received a message from Mega Friend Carma. She had made the decision to cut out all meat after already going dairy-free. With a one year old, Beautiful Daughter Elodie to look after, Carma was looking for tasty vegan recipes that wouldn’t take her the whole day to prepare. So whilst pretending to be super chilled about Carma giving up meat (as I have a tendency of exploding with excitement) I began putting together a list of recipes that Wonderful Husband and I enjoy eating. From there, came this blog post. Thanks Carma 😀
People tend to think that vegans eat salad, salad and more salad (or rice and broccoli but that’s another blog post). I admit, I used to feel the same way and it took many years of looking through recipe books and cooking websites to open my eyes to the limitless number of fantastic recipes that vegans can eat.
Prepare to have your eyes opened.
1 Creamy Polenta Bowl with Mushrooms and Crispy Kale by Deliciously Ella
This is one of mine and Wonderful Husband’s go-to dishes when we are looking for something quick and tasty for dinner. It’s super simple to make, it has a ton of differing textures and it’s great comfort food. This is an ideal vegan dish to try out if you’re a beginner as it’s super normal (no weird vegan ingredients!). The dish is perfected with a squeeze of lemon on top. You can find the full recipe here and the wonderful picture was taken from Laundry in Louboutins.
2 Udon Noodles with Fried Aubergine, Walnuts & Miso by Ottolenghi
Last year Super Friend Sam, Wonderful Husband and I had dinner at Nopi in London. After that glorious taste experience Wonderful Husband decided he was a super fan of the legend that is Ottolenghi. Fortunately for us, Mega Friend Caz then lent us her beautiful Ottolenghi recipe book Plenty More and Wonderful Husband enjoyed a week of non-stop cooking. This was definitely our favourite recipe from the book. The dish is bursting full of amazing flavour and I can honestly say I have never tasted a nicer aubergine. If you’re interested, check out the full recipe here.
3 Roasted Squash, Olive, Rocket & Avocado Salad by Deliciously Ella
Yep, the dreaded salad! But I challenge anyone (except for Lovely Auntie Lynne because
she is super fussy) to dislike this salad!
We normally need to eat something on the side of our salads but this dish can happily stand alone. For an extra treat add pinenuts on top at the end as we found this makes it even more delicious (if there could be such a thing!). Find the full recipe here.
(Apologies for these really bad picture frames!)
4 Portobello Peach Burgers by Green Kitchen Stories
I LOVE JUNK FOOD whereas Wonderful Husband isn’t so keen therefore these burgers are a perfect compromise.
Guacamole, peaches, a big fat mushroom and a side of sweet potato fries… What could be better?! The key is all in the roasting of the peaches in the wonderful garlic, rosemary and thyme marinade. For the full recipe, click here.
Warning: these burgers have a tendancy to get messy!
5 Lentil & Butternut Squash Dhal by Deliciously Ella
I have never been a fan of peas, beans or lentils but I should have known that marrying
Wonderful Husband meant his Indian background would come back to haunt me one day. Lucky for me, he is quite empathetic towards my intolerance for all things that mush and strives to cook them so that I find them palatable. He’s actually mastered this practice and now I happily gulp down a bowl of this dhal, it’s heavenly! He even adds some butter on top for me to mix in – the butter makes it extra creamy. Check out the full recipe here.
Note: This picture shows you that I’ve given into my dislike of pulses but I remain strong in my campaign against coriander.
6 No-Tuna Salad Sandwich by Forks Over Knives
Now I know that a sandwich might not sound like a meal but there is a trick to this one… Use the filling in a pasta salad instead!
Oh my gosh, my mind was blown after trying this filling. I hadn’t had tuna for over four years (and I loved tuna!) so you can imagine my excitement when I found a vegan, healthy alternative to tuna! Who knew a combination of chickpeas, pickle and tahini would be a perfect substitute! If you’re interested in trying it out then check out the full recipe here.
Tip: Make the filling and keep it in the fridge overnight to let the flavours combine.
7 Pineapple Fried Quinoa Bowl by Healthy Happy Vegan Kitchen
I’m a big fan of cooked fruit (much to the despair of Mega Friend Andaroo) so pineapple
fried quinoa bowl is one of my favourites. It’s a great, tasty dish to prepare in a short space of time (you also get super good at chopping pineapples!). I’ve also been known to add a bit more nutritional yeast than required. Full recipe here.
Note: The recipe offers you the chance to eat it in a bowl made from the skin of a pineapple and with a serving of tofu. We do neither of these things.
8 Spicy Coconut Noodles featured on Real Simple
Now guys, this recipe is a must!
This dish tastes mega and it’s super easy to make (takes about twenty minutes). This recipe is all about the base sauce, tomato puree and coconut milk, then building up flavour and texture from there. We love making it at home and Mega Friend Carma (and Beautiful Daughter Elodie) have given their approval too!
This dish is perfect in every way (well, if you like coconut). For the full recipe click here.
9 Sweet Potato, Lemon Grass & Coconut Curry by Deliciously Ella
My second and final coconut recipe of the article is one of the most wonderful curries
i’ve ever tasted (and aptly always made by Wonderful Husband). I love sweet curries, so this one was perfect for me. This dish is incredibly healthy, delicious, sweet, smooth, creamy and tasty (have I used enough adjectives!?) and it’s great to make in bulk to have over several days. So if you’re looking to make a curry then I would definitely recommend this one. The recipe can be found here.
10 Vegan Lasagna with Basil Cashew Cheeze by Oh She Glows
Lastly, the finest of lasagnas!
One of the things I worried about when transitioning to veganism was missing out on comfort foods but hopefully this recipe proves I’ve missed out on nothing. This recipe takes a little bit of time and preparation but luckily Wonderful Husband and I have it worked out. He makes the basil cashew cheeze whilst I sort out the veggies and violà, pop it in to the oven and forty minutes later, out comes a super, mega, tasty lasagna (mountain not included). Find the full recipe here.
If you’d like to check out more recipes and see more of my laughable food pictures then find me on Instagram where i post a food photo a day (whether good or bad!) or check out my recipe webpage listing all the vegan recipes Wonderful Husband and I have tried and recommend. Let me know if you’re looking for anything in particular or if you have any intolerances and I’d be happy to help out as best as I can.
Do you have a favourite vegan dish? 💚
wow, I am not a vegan but the pineapple
fried quinoa bowl & the coconut noodles look amazing. I would even go for that over a typical meat dish. The faux tuna sandwich looks interesting as well.
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Ah I’m glad you like the look of some of the dishes Eric. Let me know if you get round to trying one of them, I’d love to hear your thoughts 💚
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These all sound amazing, especially #3! I know there are so many amazing recipes out there that are so healthy and totally Vegan, but sometimes they are hard to find! I will definitely be forwarding this to my friend who is Vegan! Thank you!
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You’re right, there are so many amazing dishes out there and people shouldn’t forget that you don’t have to be vegan to try them haha! I hope your friend likes the recipes 🙂 💚
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These all look so yummy! My favorite is definitely the Pineapple Fried Quinoa Bowl. I just love how versatile quinoa is!
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Fortunately it’s super healthy too. Let me know if you get round to trying it, i’d love to hear what you think 💚
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While I can admit to not being vegan, I was a vegetarian going gluten-free for almost a year. It was fantastic! While I do like some meat, most is not appealing for me. In fact, I only buy cage-free vegetarian eggs. So while I may not be vegetarian anymore, I do thoroughly enjoy a good vegetarian meal. These vegan recipes look amazing! And I definitely want to try most of them.
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Well done for being veggie for a year? What made you go back?
It’s great that you’re open-minded about lots of food… It’s a shame when people don’t want to try things just because they are vegan haha! 💚
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To be 100% honest. It was a food that I had never tried before that made me go back. Although I still can’t remember what it was. I have this thing about always trying something at least once. So while I do miss being a vegetarian, I do like being open-minded.
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I can totally understand that as people most definitely need a strong motivation to give up food or experiences that they enjoy… One day it might happen for you but if it doesn’t, thank you for having the veggie option sometimes 🙂 🙂 💚💚
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It’s great that you don’t hate against people with different lifestyles than you. I find that some vegans I knew would shove it down my throat. That’s one of the things that turned me away. I do love animals, (in fact I won’t buy makeup if it’s been tested on an animal.) I do plan on going vegetarian or vegan at some point in my life when I feel ready.
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Ah that’s very sweet of you to say and I think you’re so right about the stereotypical vegan (unfortunately). I always think back to when I was transitioning and if someone would have been negative with me I would have just given up.
You can tell you’re super empathetic and thoughtful about your food choices so I have no doubt that you’ll make that jump one day (when you’re ready). Veganism is getting so much easier as well… We won’t be able to notice the difference between animal and plant food soon haha! 💚
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🙂
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I’m so glad we discovered this post. We have vegan friends coming to visit in a few weeks and we had no idea what to make. Thank you !
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Haha you’re very welcome. Let me know if you need any help in the mean time, I have tons more recipes 💚
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5, 7-8 are recipes I’m going to be trying on my own. Thanks for your suggestions.
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8 is a breeze (to make) and unfortunately I always eat it too quickly also haha! Let me know if you get round to trying them as I’d love to hear if they turned out well for you, especially the dhal! 💚
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That is one yummy list
I need to try most of these recipes
Thanks for sharing
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Haha thank you for your comment Ngum. I’m glad you think the list is yummy. Let me know if you get round to trying any of the dishes 💚
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ooo I love the sound of number 2 and 7. I might have to try those!
Hannah @ The Northern Writes | http://www.thenorthernwrites.co.uk
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Both are fab! Let me know how you get on 🙂 💚
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These look amazing!! Especially the peach burger I have to try that.
– Nicole
The Inspiration Closet
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That’s a great recipe! I had never thought about putting a peach in a burger before but roastng them brings on a whole new flavour/texture combination 💚
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These recipes look delish! The Pineapple Fried Quinoa and Polenta with Kale look sensational! Yummy!!
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I can assure you they are all delish, haha! Thanks for taking the time to have a look and if you get round to making any of them, let me know what you thought 💚
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Oh my God! Reading this made me hungry! I loved the quinoa bowl idea with the pineapples. All the other recipes I will have a look and try it out. I am not a vegan but I don’t have anything against it and I love eating vegan food. Funny enough my lunch today was a at a vegan restaurant. They prepared delicious a tofu salad and Chinese noodles with lots of veggies in a yummy sauce. To add a bit of spicy they added marinated ginger. Anyone who is bad mouthing vegan food has never tasted it when someone cooks it properly! So well done you for gathering all those brilliant recipes! 🙂
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I love that you love eating vegan food, how fantastic! 🙂
Your lunch sounds amazing, definitely something I would choose to eat in a restaurant. Thank you for your lovely comment 💚
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I’m so not vegan but the Pineapple Fried Quinoa sounds wonderful. Nice round-up post– I haven’t seen many people do this with recipes and it’s nice to have a list of them all in one place!
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Thank you for your comment Lacey.
I’m always looking for ways to normalise veganism for non-vegans like yourself so it’s great that you liked the look of one of them. Added bonus is that they are all incredibly healthy too 💚
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So many healthy options. I am a vegetarian so I am excited to come across this post. I especially like Pineapple Fried Quinoa Bowl 🙂
❥ tanvii.com
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Yah! Love meeting vegetarians. Glad you liked the recipes! The pineapple dish seems to be a favourite amongst a lot of readers 💚
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These sound amazing! I really want to try numbers 7, 8 and 9! Yum! Thanks for sharing these I will for sure be giving them a try!
XO-Lisa
http://www.thatssodarling.com
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I totally agree with you about 7, 8 and 9! Let me know if you get round to trying them, would love to hear what you thought 💚
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Oh my goodness, all of these look and sound incredible! I definitely want to try that yummy salad at #3.
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The salad is fantastic (and I’m not a lover of salad). Would definitely recommend giving it a try. If you get round to it then let me know what you think please. I hope you love it 💚
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I have to admit, these dishes look pretty great. Frames and all. My husband and I have transitioned to pescatarian and we (mainly me) are looking to go full veg and possibly vegan. This is a great list to get us going. I’ll try these out and see how much he complains, or hopefully doesn’t complain.
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Such a fantastic comment – thank you! Well done on going pescatarian, what made you make the transition?
Sounds like you’re doing great but if you do ever need any recipe ideas then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I hope your husband loves the recipes too.
P.S. Thanks for the lovely words about my really bad picture frames haha!
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I was feeling really disgusting after eating certain meals. My husband actually was vegetarian for a while because of a health problem, years before we met. We talked about the way he felt after starting to fast, cleanse, and change his diet, so we decided to take a step.
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That’s great news and I hope you keep feeling better for it. If you haven’t watched it already, you and your husband might really enjoy watching ‘What The Health’ – it’s super interesting! 💚
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This has come at the perfect time! I love finding new recipes and the Pineapple Fried Quinoa looks fantastic!
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That’s excellent new Jillian. Let me know if you get around to trying any, I’d love to know what you thought 💚
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The udon noodles sound like a recipe I’m gonna have to steal and make for my bf.. yummy always looking for new vegan goodness!
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Ah I hope you like it, it’s one of my favourites! It’s definitely vegan goodness so enjoy, enjoy, enjoy 💚
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Thanks for sharing these! I definitely have to try a few of them out! 😀
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Glad you liked the look of them Angie. I hope you enjoy them if you get around to making them 💚
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These all sound pretty delicious. Lasagna is my fav so I think I’ll try that one out. 🙂
Cheers, Sarah Camille // SCsScoop.com
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I am sooo grateful for your comment because it’s great you’ve liked a recipe BUT you also brought to my attention that I was spelling lasagna wrong haha! Thank you very very much 💚
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Haha! Tomato, To-mah-toe!! 😉
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These are definitely some great meals! My husband would like the mushroom ones!!
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Well there is only one mushroom dish so I’m not sure which other one you meant, haha! I’m glad to hear that your husband would like the polenta dish though 💚
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These look delicious. The polenta and the no-tuna are definitely on my list to try.
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Ah the no-tuna is a recent favourite of mine. Definitely try it if you have time! 💚
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These recipes look and sound amazing! I think I should give a few of these a try. Thanks for sharing!
Christine
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I think you should give them a try too! 🙂 💚
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HA… I am not a vegan diet person, but I couldn’t help jotting down some your recipes to try out this weekend. When I’m not writing tutorials on how to start a blog, you’ll find me cooking. Thanks so much for this recipes.
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I love to hear from foodies like yourself! I’d love to hear if you get round to trying any and whether you enjoyed them or not 💚
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These recipes look amazing. I would have never thought of adding peach to a burger (:
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Well technically this isn’t adding a peach to a burger, it’s substituting the burger for a peach haha! (Which probably sounds even more strange!).
However I do highly recommend and it would not be ideal for me to recommend vegan recipes that didn’t taste good! 🙂 💚
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So, the closest I can come to veganism at my house is meatless Mondays or my husband throws a tantrum, but I personally love mushrooms and polenta, so number 1 is definitely happening soon!
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Beth you are so fantastic for doing Meatless Mondays, well done!
My husband is also a meat-eater so I totally understand, however I find that if I make really tasty vegan food then he has nothing to complain about… A year later and he is vegan at home 99% of the time 💚
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I am a Vegan and everything looks so delicious here
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Great to hear from another fellow vegan, Sahana 💚
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These look amazing!
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Glad you like them Amy. Do you have a favourite? 💚
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The polenta bowl has to be my favorite out of all these recipes. I’ll have to try it.
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Let me know if you do 💚
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I love polenta chips so I’m sure I’d love a polenta bowl! Had never thought of that before myself.
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Polenta is super yum so I’m sure you’d like it too 💚
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I rarely find tasty yet healthy dishes to try out, being a vegetarian myself. These sound to be wonderful.
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Ah I’m glad you like the look of these dishes Gayathri (also great to hear you’re vegetarian!). If you would like to see more similar recipes then check out: https://thecrumbyvegan.com/mainz/ 🙂 💚
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The avacado salad (paired with other things) would probably be best for me! I am a recent lover of a avacado. Can’t get enough of it!
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Very happy you found a favourite. Let me know what you think if you get round to trying it please 💚
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Oh my gosh these look delish! I am for sure trying out that UDON recipe. Yum yum yum!
xoxo Chrisite
http://www.icanstyleu.com/blog/
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Let me know what you think if you get round to trying it Christie 💚
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