Vegan Practically

Sometimes trying something new is daunting until you have a plan. Then it becomes easier. As promised earlier this week, today I’m offering a few ideas for easy Meatless Monday meals and snacks. I’m definitely a three-meals-a-day person, plus snacks, and so today I’ll cover breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Breakfast: A quick and easy breakfast that you can dress up or down as much as you like is oatmeal. I use quick oats. I put 1/4C of quick oats in a bowl and add 1/2C water (the basic guideline is to add double the amount of water to whatever your amount of oats), a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of salt, and then whatever fruit or nuts you like. I usually add berries, banana, raisins, crystallized ginger, and a teaspoon or two of shredded coconut. Nuke it on high for two minutes. Let it sit for 30 seconds. Serve it with some brown sugar or maple syrup and whatever alternative milk you like (I like soy, heated).

Other breakfast ideas: overnight oats, toast (bread, crumpets, english muffins — they’re all vegan), tofu scramble (start with this basic recipe and customize with added veggies or seasoning), blueberry pancakes, or a smoothie.

Lunch: I’m a big fan of bowls, so my first lunch suggestion is to have ingredients on hand to throw a bowl together. That means:

• A grain (e.g. farro, quinoa, millet) or rice that you make ahead on the weekend
• A protein source (e.g. tofu, chickpeas, black beans or any other kind of beans or legumes, any of the frozen “chick’n” or “f*sh” that’s out there)
• Veggies prepped ahead (e.g. steamed or air-fryed broccoli or cauliflower or asparagus or whatever you like in whatever combination; or microwave a frozen veggie mix)
• Sauce (e.g. to keep it basic, soy sauce or tahini or hot sauce or salsa; to get fancier, make a sauce ahead like this Creamy Buddha Bowl Sauce)

Other lunch options: chickpea salad or tuna salad sandwich, a big salad with lots of things in it, including protein, veggie burger or veggie dogs, with cole slaw or salad or carrots and celery sticks.

Dinner: I realize not everyone is a big cook. If you’re into cooking, the options are endless. You could consult my earlier post about great recipe sites, where I recommend a few things from each site. I’m going to highly recommend this amazing recipe for vegan pad thai. But it’s also easy to put together burritos or tacos, pasta with sauce (add some chickpeas for protein) and a salad on the side, or (for winter Mondays) a pot of chili or soup.

Simple dinners for non-cooks could be: frozen vegan pizzas like Daiya (thanks for the recommendation, Shelley!) or other frozen dinners; lots of take-out options (e.g. veggie sushi if you’re into sushi, channa masala and any number of other dishes if you like Indian food, burritos with beans and veggies and guacamole if you like Mexican food).

Snacks: hummus and veggies or crackers; guacamole; pretzels; oreos and a cup of tea; chips and salsa; a piece of fresh fruit or a cup of berries; a handful of nuts or trail mix; vegan coffee cake (here’s a gluten free recipe).

I hope that having some ideas on the table makes it easier to think about trying Meatless Monday if you’ve not yet had a chance to give it a go. The MM website has also got a recipe section, so if none of my ideas inspire you, I recommend checking it out too.

Bon Appétit!