Plant-based eating is here to stay. We have assembled some suggestions for ways to inspire your plant-forward meals:
The list is long, but don’t be scared. You don’t need everything on the list, it is just to get inspired to make flavorful vegan meals that even meat-eaters will love.
- Legumes are an important and versatile source of protein, such as edamame, lentils, peas, tofu, chickpeas, and beans
- Grains offer fiber and protein to fuel your day. Some examples are amaranth seeds (similar to quinoa), rice, oats, wheat berries, and quinoa.
- Pastas are versatile, filling, and a good source of protein. Some examples of higher protein pasta are rice noodles, whole wheat noodles, quinoa pasta, and brown rice pasta. The examples provided are higher in protein than traditional flour pasta.
- Flour is essential for many recipes because it provides structure. Some examples are all-purpose gluten-free flour, almond flour, buckwheat flour, chickpea flour, oat flour, spelt flour, and whole wheat flour.
- Nuts and Seeds are great snacks filled with protein, and examples include almonds, cashews, chia seeds, flaxseed meal, hulled hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds.
- Dried Fruit is a great topper for many different meals or just for snacking alone. Apricots, coconut flakes, cranberries, dates, currants, mangos, and raisins are all good choices.
- Condiments are essentials that go a long way. This includes nut butters, tahini, jams and jellies, and vegan butter.
- Oils & Vinegar’s are versatile ingredients used for dressings, sauces, and plant sources of fats for cooking, like extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, nut oils (walnut, hazelnut, pistachio, etc.), apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, rice vinegar, and white wine vinegar.
- Sweeteners are great alternatives to traditional white sugar to fulfill your sweet tooth since not all white sugars are vegan. This includes pure maple syrup, coconut sugar or coconut nectar, date sugar or dates, and raw sugar.
- Flavor Enhancers are important, because they can deepen the flavor of any snack or meal, like umami powder (ground mushrooms and other spices to a “meaty” flavor), nutritional yeast, smoked paprika, turmeric, miso, and tomato paste.
- Dairy replacements, like almond milk and non-dairy yogurt, are must-haves.
Purchasing some tools will make meal prep convenient. Click here for a list of kitchen tools you might need to help you make the perfect vegan meals with the ingredients listed above.
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