This vegan salisbury steak with mushroom gravy is made with nutritious, satisfying tempeh. It’s an entirely homemade, plant-based version of the classic American comfort food dish. This is a hearty and cozy meal that’s perfect for winter and also a great option for the holidays.

I have a soft spot for American comfort food classics. Specifically the types of recipes that have, and could, end up as TV dinners.

The reason for this may be that I ate a lot of TV dinners growing up.

I came from a family of Greek immigrants who cooked, but also delighted in the convenience of ready-to-eat food in American supermarkets.

My grandmother and mother both liked microwave dinners, and I followed in their footsteps. Turkey tettrazini, chicken à la king, Swedish meatballs, meatloaf with gravy, mac n’ cheese, pot pie—I loved every single one of these.

I channel this love into many of my vegan comfort food recipes now. Chickpeas à la king, mac n’ cheese with peas, shepherd’s pie, lentil sweet potato loaf, cheesy quinoa broccoli bake—these are just a few of my favorite meals that are inspired by American comfort classics.

Now, vegan Salisbury steak is joining that list.

I was inspired to make this recipe when I saw Eric Kim’s recipe in the New York Times. “Salisbury steak deserves another chance,” the headline read.

I thought back to tasting and loving the frozen version as a kid. I remembered liking it because the beef was a patty, not an actual steak, which I preferred. My mom would serve it with a baked potato, and of course, there was that savory gravy (Worcestershire sauce!).

Kim’s article seemed like a pretty great reason to try a vegan version of Salisbury steak. So I did.

What is Salisbury steak?

Salisbury steak is a “steak” made from lean, ground beef. In the original recipe, it’s broiled, then seasoned to taste with butter, pepper, salt. Worcestershire sauce, mustard, horseradish, and lemon juice are option.

That recipe was developed by Dr. James H. Salisbury. Salisbury, who was born in 1823 and died in 1905, served as a physician during the Civil War.

Today, he’s known for his eponymous “steak” recipe. Salisbury was also one of the first physicians who argued that a specific diet was integral to overall health and well-being.

The diet he believed in consisted mainly of meat, with vegetables, fruits, starches and fats limited to a third of the diet. (The irony of sharing one of his recipes on this plant-based blog is fun.)

Apparently, Salisbury recommended that his steak recipe be eaten three times daily, with hot water to flush the digestive system.

Salisbury steak is similar to the traditional recipe for Hamburg steak, which is the recipe that the hamburger evolved from.

Salisbury steak caught some interest and became popular after World War I. Anti-German sentiment was strong at that time, and “Salisbury steak” described the ground beef dish without reference to a German city.

The recipe became a comfort food classic through TV dinners, which rose to popularity in the 1950s and 60s.

How to make vegan salisbury steak

When I chatted with Eric Kim about his recipe, he said that for him, its essence lay in the “umami-rich” onion mushroom gravy. This part of the recipe is easy to make vegan.

As for the steaks themselves, I turned to what is probably my favorite plant protein: tempeh.

Tempeh is probably my go-to when I really want to achieve the effect of “meatiness” in my recipes.

I use it to make tempeh bacon, tempeh meatballs (and tempeh meatball subs), tempeh tacos, and tempeh nuggets.

It also shows up in a lot of other, simple recipes: lemon pepper baked tempeh, balsamic mustard baked tempeh, and tempeh lunch salad.

The tempeh meatballs, in particular, are a fan favorite recipe from this site. And it’s a consensus that I agree with.

The meatballs are easy to make, deeply savory, and I think they’re as flavorful as store-bought vegan meatballs. (I’m a big fan of vegan meats, so in my book this is a compliment.)

I used the same ingredient base as I use for those meatballs—tempeh and walnuts—to make my Salisbury steaks. I adjusted the seasoning here, inspired by Kim’s recipe.

And of course, they have a different shape than the meatballs. They’re patties, rather than little globes.

I’m so happy with how they turned out. Here are the steps you’ll go through to prepare the entire recipe, steaks included.

Step 1: simmer your tempeh

Speaking of tempeh, I recently posted a recipe for tempeh nuggets. In that post, I mentioned that simmering tempeh in broth before cooking takes care of two purposes.

First, it helps to remove some of tempeh’s natural bitterness. This is the reason why many tempeh recipes call for steaming tempeh prior to cooking in other ways.

Second, it seasons the tempeh somewhat. More seasoning gets added when the tempeh is turned into patties.

For this recipe, you’ll crumble the tempeh before simmering it.

Step 2: process and season the tempeh

At this step, you’ll process the tempeh with walnuts and a number of seasonings, until it’s a mixture that you can shape into patties.

Step 3: bake the steaks

The patties need to bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown and crisping up on each side.

Step 4: make mashed potatoes

While the tempeh Salisbury “steaks” are baking, you’ll make mashed potatoes.

I’m a fan of steaming potatoes for mashing—I think it gives them better flavor than boiling, which can water-log the potatoes.

For this recipe, I make simple mashed potatoes with steaming russet potatoes as the first part of the process.

Step 5: make mushroom gravy

A very rich, savory mushroom and onion gravy is the component that brings these vegan Salisbury steaks to life!

This may become my new favorite gravy recipe to make at home. The Worcestershire sauce and a hint of Dijon mustard give it a really fun intensity of flavor.

And there’s a touch of cream added to most Salisbury steak gravy recipes, so I follow suit. I use my go-to cashew cream, which works perfectly.

If you need a substitute, you can try the same amount of an unsweetened, store-bought vegan creamer.

Step 6: plate and serve

At this point, the only remaining step is to plate the tempeh steaks with the potatoes and smother everything in gravy.

Serving suggestions and accompaniments

I’ve been enjoying serving this vegan Salisbury steak with simple, steamed broccoli or baby broccoli.

But the recipe would be wonderful with so many other vegetable side dishes:

• Any simple green salad
• Braised red cabbage
• Green beans with vegan butter, salt, and pepper
• Miso butter brussels sprouts
• Perfect winter chopped salad
• Sautéed spinach, chard, or kale
• Radicchio Brussels sprout salad

…and the list goes on and on. Essentially any simple preparation of a seasonal vegetable that you love could be a nice pairing with the Salisbury steak.

Meal prep & storage

I’ve been writing a lot about my meal prep routine and some of my favorite vegan meal prep dinners.

I’m happy to tell you that the vegan Salisbury steak would be a good contender.

All of the components here will keep for up to 5 days in airtight containers in the fridge. And everything can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

If you want to freeze it all, or freeze leftovers, I recommend freezing the “steaks” separately from the potatoes and gravy. This way, they won’t become soggy as you defrost.

Are the vegan salisbury steaks gluten-free?

Most vegan Worcestershire sauce (and Worcestershire sauces in general) have gluten in them, so as written, no, the Salisbury steak isn’t gluten-free.

However, the Worcestershire sauce can be replaced with tamari or coconut aminos if you’d like to make the recipe gluten-free.

In addition, be sure to also use a certified, gluten-free vegetable broth in the recipe.

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Vegan Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

This vegan salisbury steak with mushroom gravy is made with nutritious, satisfying tempeh. It's an entirely homemade, plant-based version of the classic American comfort food dish. This is a hearty and cozy meal that's perfect for winter and also a great option for the holidays.

Course holidays, main, Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword comfort food, holidays, make ahead, protein, tempeh

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• food processor
• sauté pan

Ingredients

For the "steaks"

• 8 ounces tempeh, crumbled (225g)
• 1 1/2 cups vegan no-chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth)  (360ml)
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2/3 cup raw walnut halves or pieces (75g)
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (20g)
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

For the mashed potatoes

• 1 1/2 lb (3 medium) Russet potatoes, peeled and quartered (680g)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter (30g)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened, non-dairy milk (I like unsweetened soy milk) (120ml)
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the mushroom gravy

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 8 ounces sliced button, baby Bella, or cremini mushrooms (225g)
• 1/2 white or yellow onion, finely chopped  (or 1 small onion, about 85 grams after chopping)
• 1 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour (substitute a GF all purpose blend)
• 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
• 1 1/4 cups vegan no-chicken broth (300ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup cashew cream (60ml; substitute unsweetened vegan creamer of choice)

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. 

Season the tempeh

• Place the tempeh into a wide, deep skillet or frying pan. Add the broth and tamari. Bring the liquid to a simmer, reduce the heat to low, and simmer  the tempeh crumbles until they've absorbed all of the liquid, about 10 minutes. Remove the skillet from heat. 

Prepare the patties

• In a food processor fitted with the S blade, process the walnuts, nutritional yeast and onion powder till the mixture is a fine meal. Add the crumbled tempeh, ketchup, and Worchestershire sauce. Pulse to combine all of the ingredients well, about 10 pulses.The mixture should be dense and a bit sticky. It should still have some texture, but no big chunks of tempeh remaining. 
• Shape the mixture into 8 patties, each about 3 inches long, 2 inches wide, and 3/4-1 inch high. Place the patties onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping once through, or until the patties are golden brown on each side. Set the "steaks" aside.

Prepare the mashed potatoes

• To make the mashed potatoes, bring a pot of water to boil. Place the potatoes in a steaming basket. Steam the potatoes for 15-20 minutes, or until fork tender.
• Drain the potatoes. Melt the butter in the still-warm pot. Add the milk, cooked potatoes, and salt to the pot.
• Use a handheld potato masher to mash the potatoes until they're fluffy and creamy. Add milk by the tablespoon to achieve a consistency you like. You can also use a potato ricer for extra fluffy potatoes! Set the mashed potatoes aside.

Make the mushroom gravy

• To make the gravy, heat the olive oil in a frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and onion. Sauté, stirring every minute or so, for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released all of their juices and are browning a bit.
• Sprinkle the mushrooms and onion with the flour and nutritional yeast. Continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until no streaks of white flour are visible.
• Pour in the broth, stirring the mushrooms constantly as you go. Then, stir in the Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and cashew cream. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the gravy for 2-3 more minutes, stirring frequently, or until it's thickened. 

Plate and enjoy

• To serve the Salisbury steaks, divide the mashed potatoes onto 4 plates. Top each with 2 of the tempeh "steak" patties. Top with a quarter of the mushroom gravy. I love to add steamed baby broccoli to my plate. Enjoy!

Notes

Inspired by Eric Kim’s recipe for New York Times cooking. 

I had some of the steak, potatoes, and gravy in my freezer this past week. And I’m happy to tell you that it was one of the cozy recipes that helped me to feel better and take care of myself.

I hope that this comfort food will truly be comforting for you, too, at a moment when you need that from your meals.

Enjoy!

xo

The post Vegan Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy appeared first on The Full Helping.

This hearty, nutritious butternut chickpea stew is seasoned with Moroccan-inspired spices and has a kiss of sweetness from golden raisins. It comes together in a single pot and is easy to meal prep or freeze. Serve it over couscous, quinoa, millet, or another whole grain for a complete and flavorful meal!

Weeks ago, just as fall was beginning in earnest, I made this Moroccan-inspired butternut chickpea stew.

I had plans to go to a friend’s place for dinner and had offered to bring something with me. I wanted a recipe that would be one-pot and easy to make, yet likely to please me and her and her partner.

This is what I created. It was one of those rare recipes that I was able to make spontaneously, with what I had at home. (Cooking without a plan is not my specialty.)

But I had a template in my mind, at least. The recipe is sort of a hybrid between this dish, in which sweet curry is a predominant flavor, and my Moroccan-inspired chickpea tomato stew.

That latter recipe is not only a fan favorite here from this blog, but one of my personal favorites as well.

This butternut chickpea stew features similar seasonings, but butternut squash gives it more heartiness and texture.

The squash, along with a handful of golden raisins, also adds a savory and sweet component to the recipe.

And it gives you an excuse to put butternut squash, one of my favorite autumn ingredients, to very good use.

The joys of a one-pot meal

I welcome one-pot vegan meals at any time of year, but they’re especially welcome during the busy fall season.

One-pot meals include soups and stews, which are also especially appropriate for cold weather. They also include chili, which is a meal prep staple for me, braised beans, and a lot of my favorite, simple grain + legume skillet meals.

An advantage of this type of recipe is that it tends to yield a plentiful amount of food, which is true of the butternut chickpea stew. You’ll have leftover portions to enjoy as the week goes by, or to freeze for the future. (More tips on freezing and defrosting vegan meal prep dinners dinners here!)

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Finally, these bountiful soups and stew-like meals are also a great opportunity to use a lot of vegetables or legumes or both. Whenever a nutrition client who’s trying to cook or meal prep more often asks me where to start, I recommend one-pot suppers.

This is a good one.

Butternut chickpea stew ingredients

This recipe came together because I had most of what I needed for it. You may have a lot of the ingredients in your pantry right now, too.

Butternut squash

You’ll need about 1 – 1 1/2 pounds (455-680g) peeled and cubed squash to make the recipe. This is about one medium small squash, seeded, peeled, and cut.

You could use fresh squash or frozen butternut squash in the recipe. If you use frozen, I recommend defrosting it according to package instructions first, draining it, and then adding it to the stew, so that it doesn’t add too much moisture.

Olive oil

Olive oil is used to sauté onion and garlic for the stew. It also helps to carry flavor and create some richness in the stew’s sauce.

If you like, you can sauté the onion and garlic in broth or water instead, though the stew may lose a little of that rich quality.

If you don’t have olive oil at home, then avocado oil, which is my other go-to for cooking, is a good substitute.

Ginger and garlic

Ginger and garlic help to add flavor and complexity to the butternut chickpea stew. You can use fresh cloves of ginger and fresh, minced or grated ginger root, of course.

If you have chopped garlic and minced ginger in a jar, that’s fine to use as well. In a pinch, you can use a quarter teaspoon garlic powder and a half teaspoon ground ginger.

Spices

Speaking of spices, the spice blend here is inspired by the spices that are commonly in ras el hanout. Ras el hanout, which in Arabic means “head of the shop,” is often used in Tunisian, Moroccan, and Algerian dishes.

It can include cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and allspice; this butternut chickpea stew includes all of those. Ras el hanout can also include nutmeg, dry ginger (I used fresh instead), cardamom, or clove.

Diced tomatoes

I use canned, diced tomatoes in the stew, but it’s fine to use crushed tomatoes if that’s what you have.

If you only have whole, peeled tomatoes, you can use those as well. Use a back of the spoon to crush and break them apart when you add them to the dish.

You’ll need 14 1/2 ounces—one 14 1/2-ounce/415g can, or half of a 28-ounce/800g can.

Broth

Homemade vegetable stock will add depth and flavor to the stew, and it’s something that I wish I were more consistent in making from scratch!

However, store-bought vegetable broth and vegetable bouillon will both work well in the butternut chickpea stew.

If you don’t have either, you can even substitute water, but know that you may need to increase the salt in the recipe accordingly.

Chickpeas

Chickpeas are probably my favorite legume, so it’s no surprise that a can of them is always to be found in my pantry.

You’ll need one 15-ounce/425g can of chickpeas for the recipe. If you cook legumes from scratch, then you’ll need 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas.

And if you don’t have chickpeas, never fear. Cooked white beans, lentils, cranberry beans, and kidney beans will all work well in the recipe.

Golden raisins

Golden raisins, which are also sometimes called sultanas, increase the sweet and savory notes of this stew. I love what they add to the recipe, but if you prefer more savory than sweet, you can omit them.

You can also replace them with either regular raisins or with the same amount of currants.

How to make Moroccan-inspired butternut chickpea stew

The steps for this recipe are wonderfully straightforward, and there are only two of them.

Ready?

Step 1: sauté

First things first, you’ll sauté onion till translucent and tender. You’ll add garlic, ginger, and spices, allow it to become very fragrant, and proceed with step two.

Step 2: make stew!

All that’s left to do now is add all of the remaining ingredients to the pot, bring them to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it do its thing.

You’ll simmer the stew for 10 minutes covered, another 10-15 uncovered, and then it’s ready to eat.

Right before serving, I recommend adding just a tiny splash of acid. Red wine vinegar, white wine vinegar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, or—my favorite—white balsamic vinegar will all work.

Serving suggestions and accompaniments

I like to serve the butternut chickpea stew over couscous, regular or pearl, or quinoa. But I think it would be nice over millet, rice, or even orzo.

If you don’t have any of those grains, but you do have some pita bread, that’s a great serving option.

Some fun things to garnish the stew with:

• Chopped, roasted pistachio nuts
• Chopped, fresh parsley
• Toasted pine nuts
• A drizzle of olive oil
• Pickled onions (I’m sharing my go-to recipe soon)

Meal prep & storage

The butternut chickpea stew is a great meal prep option: leftovers will be good in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Like many stews, it will seem to deepen in flavor after a few days.

You can also freeze portions of the stew for up to six weeks.

A cold weather keeper

To be honest, right after I made this recipe I thought that it probably wasn’t something I should post, because it was reminiscent of some other recipes on the blog.

But the test of a recipe’s value, for me, is always how often I make it. And I’ve now made the stew not once, but twice more since I first brought it over to my friend’s apartment. And that occasion was only a month or so ago.

For the record, she and her boyfriend loved it, too.

There’s no point in not sharing something warming, nutrient-dense, crowd-pleasing, and easy-to-make. Those recipes are worth their weight in gold. And if you plan to have any low-key holiday gatherings this year, this one is filling enough to hold its own as a plant-based entrée.

So here it is—my favorite new stew of the fall season!

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Moroccan-Inspired Butternut Chickpea Stew

This hearty, nutritious butternut chickpea stew is seasoned with Moroccan-inspired spices and has a kiss of sweetness from golden raisins. It comes together in a single pot and is easy to meal prep or freeze. Serve it over couscous, quinoa, millet, or another whole grain for a complete and flavorful meal!

Course main, Main Course, stew

Cuisine Mediterranean, Moroccan

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword butternut squash, chickpeas, make ahead, meal prep, one-pot, stew

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• Pot or dutch oven

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium or large red onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons fresh, grated or minced ginger (substitute 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 cups vegetable broth (950ml)
• 1 1/2 cups canned, diced tomatoes with their juices (1 14.5-ounce/415g can)
• 1 – 1 1/2 lb peeled and cubed butternut squash (455-680g; about one medium small squash)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (240g, or one 15-ounce/425g can, drained and rinsed)
• 1/4 cup golden raisins (40g; optional)
• 1-2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar, white balsamic vinegar, or freshly squeezed lemon juice (adjust to taste)
• 4 cups cooked couscous, quinoa, bulgur wheat, or another whole grain, for serving

Instructions

• Heat the oil over medium heat in a pot or Dutch oven. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion. Sauté the onion for 5-7 minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent, stirring often. Add the garlic, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook for one minute, stirring constantly. 
• Add the broth, tomatoes, squash, chickpeas, and raisins. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover the pot and cook for 10-15 minutes more, or until the squash is tender and the stew has thickened. Stir in vinegar and adjust salt to taste.
• Serve over cooked couscous, quinoa, or bulgur.

This has been a “clean-out-the-freezer” week for me. I can’t tell you how glad I was to find that I had three portions of the stew—and even some frozen, cooked couscous!—in there, amid all of the other random and assorted things.

Hope you’ll turn to the recipe many times this season, friends. I’ll be checking in on Sunday.

xo

The post Moroccan-Inspired Butternut Chickpea Stew appeared first on The Full Helping.

These air fryer tempeh nuggets are smoky and savory little flavor bombs! Crispy and satisfying, they add vegan protein to any salad or bowl, as well as to pasta dishes and soups. I like to snack on them, too. I’ve included an oven cooking option for those who don’t have an air fryer at home.

I spend a lot of time wondering how I could put my air fryer to more use.

The things I use the air fryer for, I really use it for. Primarily, I use it to reheat leftover pizza and to make sweet potato fries or home fries to eat with tofu scramble.

Pizza leftovers and savory breakfasts are big in my home, so the air fryer has more than been worthwhile.

However, I don’t often branch out with my air fryer. I can’t attribute this to laziness, because making things in the oven is actually more time-consuming. And I don’t suffer from a lack of inspiration, because I bookmark many air fryer recipes for weekend reading!

I think I’m just overly deliberate sometimes, which makes it difficult for me to try new things, start new things, and so on.

Lately, however, I’ve been determined to do more with my air fryer, and these air fryer tempeh nuggets are the fortuitous result.

What are tempeh nuggets?

A good question.

I’m calling these tempeh nuggets because they’re crispy at the edges, savory, and dense in texture. That density seems to evoke the idea of a “nugget.”

The tempeh nuggets are also very craveable.

You’ll probably want to add them to salads and bowls and tacos and such. But it’s also very likely that you’ll want to pop a few into your mouth as they cool, snack on them, grab a few whenever a plant protein craving strikes.

In this sense, they’re not unlike chicken nuggets. You can serve them with things or on top of things, but they’re fun to eat just as they are, too.

How to make tempeh nuggets in the air fryer

Use of the air fryer does two things in this recipe.

First, it makes cooking time quick. On average, anything that I air fry takes me at least a few minutes less than an equal amount of time in the oven.

Second, air fryer gives everything undeniable crispiness. And it does that without the need for too much oil, as well.

The recipe really is divided into two parts. The first is seasoning the tempeh nuggets, the second is air frying them.

Step 1: seasoning

I season the tempeh nuggets here with a technique that I’ve used in other recipes. Essentially, I simmer the tempeh in broth prior to cooking.

Many cooks recommend steaming tempeh prior to cooking, so that it loses some of its naturally bitter flavor. I never used to do this, but once I started, I could understand the advice.

Tempeh that’s been steamed prior to marinating or cooking does taste less bitter to me. I also think that it absorbs flavors more readily than tempeh that hasn’t been steamed.

The problem is that steaming tempeh is just another step. And lately, I seize any and all opportunities to streamline, rather than complicate, my cooking.

What I’ve found is that simmering the tempeh in broth (and any other seasonings you like) does a number of things at once. It decreases tempeh’s bitterness, seasons it, and helps it to absorb those seasonings and flavors, all at the same time.

I use this method for my chili lime tempeh tacos and the tempeh meatballs that I love so much.

And I use it for these air fryer tempeh nuggets. Before going into the air fryer, the tempeh nuggets simmer in a mixture of broth, tamari or soy sauce, paprika, mustard, onion and garlic powder.

One thing worth saying is that the simmering liquid would taste very overly seasoned if you tried it as it is. That’s completely intentional.

Think of it as you would the salted water for boiling pasta, which is always purposefully salty. This is because the pasta itself won’t absorb salt at any other point in cooking.

Similarly, this simmer time is the only chance you’ll have to season the tempeh nuggets. They’ll absorb some of the simmering liquid, but some will be drained.

The liquid needs to be doubly strong in flavor so that the finished nuggets are well-seasoned.

Step 2: drain and air fry

After 10 minutes of simmering, you’ll drain the tempeh. And you’ll give it a tiny coat of oil before it goes into the air fryer.

The oil helps the tempeh cubes to become crispy without becoming dry.

You can coat them lightly by returning them to the pot, adding a teaspoon of oil, and stirring them gently to distribute it.

You can also add them to the basket of your air fryer and then use an oil spray (I like to use avocado oil) to coat them lightly.

Next, you’ll air fry the nuggets for 8-10 minutes at 400F. Midway through this cooking time, pause the air fryer and either gently shake the basket to stir the cubes, or (if your air fryer is more like a toaster oven), flip them on their tray.

At this point, you’ll have perfectly browned, savory, and very irresistable little nuggets of plant goodness.

Oven option

While I created this recipe for my air fryer, you can make it in the oven, too!

To do this, simply preheat your oven to 400°F (200°). Lightly rub or spray a baking sheet with oil, or use a nonstick baking sheet. 

Bake the tempeh cubes for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy and browning. Flip the cubes on the sheet once, halfway through baking, so that they brown evenly.

Which air fryer do you recommend?

I have the compact Phillips Essential Digital Air Fryer. I’ve been really happy with it, and the size has worked for me so far with my limited storage and counter space.

I’ve definitely thought about investing in an air fryer that’s also a smart oven/toaster oven. Right now, it probably won’t work with my space, but if I do decide to go that route, I’ll update this post.

In the meantime, my basket-style Phillips has been a win: easy to clean, efficient, fast, nice interface. I think there are probably more economical and budget-friendly models that work similarly, but I do recommend it.

What to do with tempeh nuggets

Once prepared, there are so many fun things you can do with these scrumptious nuggets.

This week, I have plans to use them in the Power Plates sweet potato salad with tempeh and maple mustard dressing.

I also have tortillas in my fridge, so I might use them as a protein in breakfast tacos with homemade refried beans.

The nuggets will of course work well in grain bowls. I’ve also always liked to use tempeh cubes as protein-rich “croutons” in vegan soups and stews. They work especially well with split pea soup and chowder.

Another idea is to add the nuggets to pasta, in order to make a simple pasta meal richer in vegan protein. Some pastas that the nuggets could work well in/on:

• Balsamic roasted vegetable pasta
• Caramelized cabbage onion pasta
• Cauliflower Alfredo pasta
• Creamy vegan mushroom pasta
• Sausage mushroom marinara pasta (use the tempeh nuggets to replace the vegan sausage)

The nuggets are also delicious to simply snack on, or to have alongside other components in a lunch or dinner! I could imagine them working really well in kids’ lunch boxes (or grown-up kids’ meal prep lunches for the week).

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Meal prep & storage

The tempeh nuggets can easily be incorporated into your weekly meal prep routine. They’ll keep for up to five days in an airtight container in the fridge once cooked.

You can also freeze the tempeh nuggets for up to 8 weeks.

The only downside is that the nuggets will lose some of their crispy texture as you store them. Accordingly, you can reheat them in the air fryer (3-5 minutes at 350°F should do it).

Or, you can enjoy them cold, without letting the changed texture get to you. To be honest, I’ve been doing that all week, and I haven’t enjoyed the nuggets any less.

Here’s the recipe.

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20-Minute Air Fryer Tempeh Nuggets

These air fryer tempeh nuggets are smoky and savory little flavor bombs! Crispy and satisfying, they add vegan protein to any salad or bowl, as well as to pasta dishes and soups. I like to snack on them, too. I've included an oven cooking option for those who don't have an air fryer at home.

Course Appetizer, side, small plate

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword air fryer, protein, quick and easy, tempeh

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• air fryer (see oven cooking option if you don't have an air fryer)

Ingredients

• 2 cups vegan no-chicken broth (480ml; substitute vegetable broth)
• 2 tablespoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons paprika (sweet paprika or smoked paprika—it's up to you—or use 1 teaspoon of each)
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1-2 teaspoons avocado oil (or avocado oil spray, as needed for a light coating)

Instructions

Prepare the the tempeh

• Lay your rectangular block of tempeh out on a small cutting board or work surface.
  
• Cut the tempeh into 3/4-1 inch cubes (32 cubes per 8oz/225g block of tempeh).
  
• Place the broth, tamari, mustard, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a 2 or 3qt saucepan. Whisk or stir them together to combine.
  
• Bring the liquid mixture to a simmer over medium high heat.
  
• Add the tempeh cubes. Turn the heat to low. Simmer the tempeh, uncovered, for 10 minutes. 
  

Air fry the tempeh

• Drain the tempeh cubes. Coat them lightly with the avocado oil. You can do this by adding them back to the empty cooking pot, adding a teaspoon or two of avocado oil, and lightly stirring. You can also add the nuggets to the basket or tray of your air fryer, then spray them lightly with avocado oil spray. The oil, while not a lot, helps the nuggets to become crispy.
  
• Transfer the nuggets to your air fryer. Air fry the tempeh for 8-10 minutes at 400F, or until they're crispy and browning. Shake the basket once halfway through to ensure even cooking.
  
• Store these nuggets for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge or freeze them for up to 6 weeks.
  

Oven instructions

• If you don't have an air fryer, begin by preheating your oven to 400F. Lightly rub or spray a baking sheet with oil, or use a nonstick baking sheet. 
• Bake the tempeh cubes for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy and browning. Flip the cubes on the sheet once, halfway through baking.

This post has me thinking about other, easy air fryer recipes to come. Roasted veggies for winter, of course, but also simple proteins like this one. I’ve occasionally made my baked tempeh bacon in the air fryer, but there’s so much else to explore.

I’ll keep you posted on my experiments. In the meantime, happy Friday!

xo

The post 20-Minute Air Fryer Tempeh Nuggets appeared first on The Full Helping.

These vegan breakfast pinwheels are protein-packed, thanks to refried beans and vegan egg, which is made with silken tofu and chickpea flour. They’re a great make-ahead option for breakfast or lunch on-the-go. Plus, they’re smoky, savory, and delicious!

I know there’s been a lot of breakfast content lately, but there’s one more idea that I have to share.

These vegan breakfast pinwheels were created thanks to two other, recent breakfast recipes.

One of those was a simple recipe for smoky, vegan refried beans, which can be ready in about 15 minutes.

Another was a recipe for a homemade vegan liquid egg mixture. It’s a nutritious and economical alternative to store-bought, liquid vegan egg.

What happens when you put these two components together, maybe with some leafy greens, and wrap them up?

You get vegan breakfast pinwheels, of course. Breakfast pinwheels that happen to be rich in protein, portable, and a great option for vegan meal prep breakfasts.

What do you mean, pinwheels?

Within the realm of food, what’s a pinwheel?

Basically, it’s a wrap that’s been cut into crosswise sections.

I first became aware that there was such a thing when I was in high school. I wasn’t yet vegan or vegetarian. There was a place near my school that sold smoked turkey, arugula, and tomato pinwheels, and I (along with most other students) loved them.

I hadn’t thought about the famous pinwheels until recently, when I made the refried beans and the vegan egg in the same week.

I was also thinking about a frequent reader request, which is for savory, make-ahead breakfast recipes.

For me to think of make-ahead sweet breakfasts isn’t a struggle. There are overnight oats, muffins, oat bakes, and more.

I eat a lot of savory breakfasts, but they tend to be less portable than sweet ones. When I do think of a savory vegan breakfast that can be part of a meal prep routine, I get excited. These breakfast pinwheels fit the bill.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Early day protein power

I’ve written a lot about the importance of protein at breakfast. My thoughts in this post, but the Cliffs Notes version is that a protein-rich morning meal can contribute to satiety and blood sugar stability.

A protein-rich breakfast can also make it easier in general to meet protein needs for the day.

While most Americans tend to over-consume protein, sourcing adequate protein can be a learning curve for vegans. Starting the day with a protein-rich meal can help.

While this certainly isn’t something to obsess over, it is something to think about. My experience with nutrition counseling suggests to me that most clients have the hardest time with protein first thing in the morning.

There’s tofu scramble, of course. Yet it never hurts to have more high-protein vegan breakfast ideas.

These breakfast pinwheels have protein from several forms of legumes: soy beans (tofu), pinto or black beans, and chickpea flour. If you use a higher protein, whole grain wrap, that will contribute even more of this important nutrient to the recipe.

How to prepare breakfast pinwheels

Step 1: make your beans and vegan egg

Before making the breakfast pinwheels, you’ll need to prepare the refried beans and the vegan egg that are part of the recipe.

But it’s worth saying that you have the option to use shortcuts! And you should, if you want to.

I’ve gotten a lot of satisfaction from making more homemade staples this year, but I know when I’m too tired or busy to try. It’s such a gift that nowadays, there are store-bought versions of so many plant-based foods.

So, if you prefer to purchase canned, vegan refried beans and store-bought vegan liquid egg, go for it.

You’ll need to prepare the egg in disk shapes, as described here. I’ve included those instructions in this recipe, too.

Step 2: layer

The rest of the breakfast pinwheel recipe is a breeze, once you’ve made your components.

Simply layer the refried beans onto a flour tortilla or wrap.

Cover the beans with your disk-shaped egg. That may be fine for you, or you may want to add some vegetables.

I’ve tried the pinwheels now with roasted red bell pepper, very thinly sliced tomato, and romaine leaves. I like them all!

Step 3: roll & slice

At this point, you’ll simply roll the wrap up and then slice it into cross-sections.

I don’t bother tucking the ends when I roll my pinwheels, as I would do for a burrito. You can trim the ends, or you can just not mind that the cross-sections with the ends have their own, unique shape

To help “seal” your roll, you can use a little bit of extra refried beans.

As far as size goes, I like to make my pinwheels about 1 1/2-inches/4cm thick.

What type of wraps should I use?

Each roll will yield the most breakfast pinwheels if you use a larger wrap—burrito-sized, or 10-inches in diameter.

However, if you have smaller wraps at home, that’s OK. You may simply want to prepare more than 4, knowing each will give you a few less pinwheels than the approximate 6 that a larger wrap will create.

You can use a whole grain wrap, a spinach wrap, a gluten-free wrap, or whatever you like. So long as it’s pretty sturdy, it ought to work fine!

Storage and meal prep

Part of why I thought of the breakfast pinwheels as a meal prep option is that they’re easy to store for a couple days.

I don’t recommend storing for longer than 2 nights; at this point, the pinwheels may become a little mushy. But they’ll be fine until then.

I think it’s easiest to store them in a container that’s cozy. If they have too much storage space, they can come apart. This container holds the breakfast pinwheels nicely.

Breakfast pinwheel variations

I’ve been loving the flavor of the breakfast pinwheels, with their smoky refried beans and savory, “eggy” tofu layer.

However, I can think of so many ways that you might vary the pinwheels. You could adjust the seasoning of the beans to make them more spicy. You could even replace them with hummus (hemp hummus, if you want a little extra protein) or cashew cheese.

The egg could be replaced with thinly sliced tofu, if you don’t feel like making liquid vegan egg and need another protein.

If you like, you could add sun-dried tomatoes, pickled jalapeños, shredded vegan cheese or yellow cheese sauce, and/or cooked or steamed greens.

There are, of course, so many sweet variations to ponder for vegan breakfast pinwheels, and now the wheels are turning.

But savoriness is what makes this recipe shine. Here it is.

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Protein-Packed Vegan Breakfast Pinwheels

These vegan breakfast pinwheels are protein-packed, thanks to refried beans and vegan egg, which is made with silken tofu and chickpea flour. They're a great make-ahead option for breakfast or lunch on-the-go. Plus, they're smoky, savory, and delicious!

Course Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword beans, breakfast, make ahead, meal prep, tofu

Prep Time 50 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings 4 servings (about 6 pinwheels each)

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 4 burrito-sized (10-in/25cm) wraps (regular, spinach or whole wheat wraps will all work well)
• 3 cups vegan refried beans (1 recipe will yield 3 cups; substitute a store-bought refried bean of choice)
• 2 cups vegan liquid egg (or a store-bought, vegan liquid egg replacer)
• lettuce leaves, tomato slices, roasted pepper slices, or another component of choice (optional)

Instructions

• Heat a 10- or 11-inch (25cm or 28cm) non-stick frying pan over medium low heat. Add 1/2 cup (120ml) of the liquid egg mixture, or enough to cover the round center of the pan. 
• This liquid egg takes longer to cook than store-bought, liquid vegan egg or regular egg. The egg is ready to flip (for omelets or rounds) when bubbles form along the top surface, and that surface starts to become firm, about 3-4 minutes. Use a large spatula to gently flip the egg over. Cook until the bottom size is set, another 2 minutes. 
• Transfer the cooked egg circle to a plate or cooling rack while you repeat with the remaining liquid egg. You'll create 4 or 5 circles. Allow the circles to cool to room temperature before proceeding. The egg circles can be prepared up to 2 days in advance of making your pinwheels.
• To prepare a pinwheel, place a wrap on a flat, clean work surface. Spread 3/4 cup of the refried beans over the wrap. Top the bean layer with your cooked egg round, then enough lettuce leaves to cover the egg. Start at the bottom edge of the wrap and wrap/roll it upward into a long, tight tube shape. Use a little of the refried beans to help the top flap of the wrap stick to the roll. 
• Turn the seam of the roll onto your work surface and cut the roll into pieces that are each about 1 1/2-inches/4cm wide (this is similar to making maki rolls). These little pinwheels can come apart easily, so immediately transfer them to a container where you can store them snugly. Enjoy.

I’ve so been enjoying the color and cuteness that these little rolls are adding to my morning, and I hope that you will, too. If you try a fun variation, let me know—I’d love to hear about it.

xo

The post Protein-Packed Vegan Breakfast Pinwheels appeared first on The Full Helping.

This homemade vegan liquid egg will be your secret weapon for plant-based omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and scrambles! It features simple, nutritious ingredients and can be stored for a few days in the fridge.

Recently, I wrote about vegan meal prep breakfasts. It made me think about the fact that my own breakfasts have been a little repetitive lately.

That’s a norm for me in the summer. When tomatoes are perfect, all I seem to want are bagels or toast with hummus or avocado and thick, juicy slices of tomato on top.

When the weather cools down, though, I start to think about cozy oat bakes and dishes of savory breakfast hash. And of course, there’s always tofu scramble.

For convenience and easy protein, I sometimes pick up the Just Egg liquid or folded vegan eggs. I like to use the liquid for omelets and the folded version in breakfast sandwiches.

This year, I’ve been making an earnest effort to create more vegan staples from scratch. The ever-growing list includes vegan mayo, marinara sauce, vegan ricotta cheese, tempeh bacon, and date-sweetened BBQ sauce.

Since the store-bought, liquid vegan egg is pretty pricey, I figured it was time to experiment with a homemade alternative.

I’m so happy that this recipe worked out as well as it did.

How to make liquid vegan egg

Ingredients

The first challenge that I faced was to make the liquid vegan egg with simple, accessible, and nutritious ingredients.

I settled on some of the components that I’ve used for scrambles and egg-like dishes before: tofu (in this case, silken tofu), chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, and black salt.

Tofu gives the liquid egg its protein, as well as some of its texture and strength.

Chickpea flour helps to bind the mixture together. It also contributes protein, as well as some savory flavor. In fact, I’ve used chickpea flour for a breakfast scramble that has no tofu at all—it’s soy free.

Black salt, which is also called kala namak, has a high sulfur content. For this reason, it also has an “eggy” flavor and scent. It’s not mandatory for this recipe if you can’t find it.

However, you can order it online, and it’s a handy ingredient to have at home for any plant-based dish that is inspired by a traditional egg dish.

Nutritional yeast, finally, gives the vegan liquid egg added umami.

Process

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s really as simple as blending ingredients together.

You can use a food processor or a blender for the task. Either will work.

Once that’s done, you have a liquid “egg” that can be cooked in a few different ways.

How to use vegan liquid egg

Once the vegan egg is ready, there are a few uses for it that I know of already.

I say this because I only made the liquid egg for the first time a month or so ago. I’m still discovering all of the different ways I can use it!

I’ll update the uses below as I come up with more and can offer instructions for them.

Omelets + sandwiches

Most of the time, I like to cook it over low heat in a skillet. I use about a half cup of the mixture to make one disc-shaped serving.

The liquid egg will take longer in your skillet than does store-bought, liquid vegan egg. Be patient! It’ll need about 4 minutes for the first side, 2-3 minutes for the second.

Add your 1/2 cup of liquid egg to a skillet over medium low heat. Flip it over once the top is looking almost entirely set—and not until that point. The disc will get damaged if you flip too soon.

At this point, you can add filling ingredients to the center and make a lovely little omelet. Lately, I like to add sliced mushrooms and spinach that I sauté ahead of time and some Good Planet vegan cheese shreds.

You can also take the disk and fold it up. Once folded, it’s the perfect protein for a vegan breakfast sandwich!

Make your egg sandwich on toast, a toasted English muffin, or a roll. Add a slice of vegan cheese or some of my homemade yellow cheese sauce.

You could also add a slice of Tofurky ham or a vegan sausage patty here. I love the sausage patties from Field Roast.

You can also go for something a little fresher and more summery by adding sliced avocado, tomato, and sprouts.

No matter what, you have a great little breakfast sandwich on your hands.

Scrambles

If you don’t want to make a set disk, you can also scramble the mixture over low heat. Once again, I use a half cup of the mixture at a time.

Because the homemade liquid egg cooks more slowly than Just Egg, it takes longer to scramble. Again, be patient, and use a spatula to gently move it and stir it once you see parts that are solidifying.

By the time you finish, you’ll have a tasty, homemade scramble to work with.

I like folding cooked, leftover vegetables into my scramble. It’s a good place to incorporate your leftover broccoli florets or cooked greens.

What kind of cookware should I use?

This is an important question!

The best way to cook the liquid vegan egg is with nonstick cookware. Doing so will ensure the smoothest flipping and scrambling. It will also allow you to cook the vegan egg without needing to add any oil, or only a small amount of oil.

I’m a huge fan of Caraway’s non-toxic, nonstick ceramic cookware set and bakeware set. I use the fry pan for this recipe, but you can of course use any nonstick pan that you love.

You can also use well-seasoned cast iron or a stainless steel pan to prepare the vegan liquid egg. Just be sure to add some oil or vegan butter to prevent sticking.

And again, if you make an omelet or disk, be sure to let each side of your disc cook till set before flipping.

Storage

One of the cool things about the liquid egg is that you can prepare it, pour it into a large mason jar, and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Give it a good shake, then use it by the half-cupful as needed.

You can also make disks of the vegan egg for breakfast sandwiches and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

You can freeze the disks for up to 6 weeks.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

More savory breakfasts

If you love savory breakfast fare, and this post has you excited about it, here are a few more recipes to explore:

• Savory squash and kimchi porridge
• Farro breakfast salad with sweet potatoes and apples
• Chick’n enchilada breakfast casserole
• Butternut squash hash with tofu
• Black bean & scrambled tofu enchiladas
• Cultured breakfast macro bowls
• Grits with tempeh sausage and Brussels sprouts
• Savory turmeric chickpea oats

Print

Vegan Liquid Egg

This homemade vegan liquid egg will be your secret weapon for plant-based omelets, breakfast sandwiches, and scrambles! It features simple, nutritious ingredients and can be stored for a few days in the fridge.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword breakfast, chickpea flour, homemade, protein, tofu

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 2.25 cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• frying pan
• blender

Ingredients

• 16 oz silken tofu (450g)
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour (60g; substitute 1/2 cup/70g unbleached, all-purpose flour)
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon kala namak (optional; replace with 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt in addition to the sea salt listed below)
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Instructions

• Blend all ingredients together in a blender or a food processor till smooth. At this point, the mixture can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• To prepare the liquid egg for omelets, folded egg sandwiches, or scramble, use a nonstick pan over medium low heat. Pour the liquid egg into the pan by 1/2 cup (120ml) amounts. 
• This liquid egg takes longer to cook than store-bought, liquid vegan egg or regular egg. The egg is ready to flip (for omelets or rounds) when bubbles form along the top surface, and that surface starts to become firm and set, about 3-4 minutes. Use a large spatula to gently flip the egg over. Cook until the bottom side of the disk is set, another 2-3 minutes. 
• Fill and fold this round for omelets, or simply leave it in a large, pancake shape. This round can be folded and added to breakfast sandwiches. 
• Alternatively, scramble the egg gently as it cooks and serve as desired. 
• Leftover, cooked vegan egg will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

I’m so excited about all of the possibilities of this tasty, nutritious, and versatile concoction. And I’ll continue to share with you about how I end up using it.

Hope you’ll find some good uses for it, too!

xo

The post Homemade Vegan Liquid Egg appeared first on The Full Helping.

Devoting a few hours of time each week to vegan meal prep can make your life more nutritious, organized, and a lot tastier. This beginner’s guide tells you everything you need to know, from planning to storage. Plus, it includes more than 20 vegan meal prep recipe ideas to get you started!

For the past few weeks, I’ve been sharing more about my meal prep process.

On any given week, I might meal prep my dinners, lunches, or breakfasts. Most weeks, I prep at least some components for all three of these meals.

It’s great to chat about the types of foods and recipes that lend themselves to meal prep. Today, though, I’m taking a step back.

What is meal prep? How do you get started with it? How much food does one need to prep, and how do you plan? How long does meal prepped food last?

This is just a sampling of the questions that I’m typically asked when I write about or talk about meal prep.

I’ve learned that a lot of folks love the idea of meal prep, yet feel totally overwhelmed by the details and logistics.

Hence this beginner’s guide to vegan meal prep.

I’ve divided the post into the following sections, all inspired by feedback and questions that I commonly get asked about this topic:

1. Meal prep basics
2. Planning
3. Storage and reheating
4. Freezing and defrosting
5. My favorite storage containers
6. Vegan meal prep recipes
7. A meal prep-friendly vegan chili

Meal prep has made my life and self-nourishment so much easier. I’m hoping that it can do the same for you, too.

Meal prep basics

What is meal prep, anyway?

First things first: what, exactly, does it mean to meal prep?

Quite simply, meal prep involves making some, most, or all of the food one plans to eat for the week ahead of time.

What’s the advantage of meal prep?

So, what’s the point of making food in advance? Why might it be a better option than cooking day-to-day?

In my mind, the point of meal prep is to cook during the least rushed, fatigued, and stressful moments in one’s week.

I don’t cook well when I’m dealing with any one of those factors: tight time constraints, exhaustion, or stress.

I mess up recipes, including my own. I rush through the process, taking less care than usual, and my food suffers as a result. Sometimes I forget to purchase the ingredients that I need and make substitutions that don’t really work.

More importantly, I don’t enjoy cooking when I’m tired and hungry.

My meal prep isn’t always a joy. Sometimes it’s just functional, the thing I know I need to do. But it’s always more pleasurable than my efforts to cook at the end of a long day.

Here are some other reasons that I like to meal prep:

Variety

I do my best to eat a variety of dishes each week. Like most people, however, I fall into ruts.

This becomes more pronounced when I don’t have a plan. If I need to figure out what I’m making on the fly, I’ll tend to default to the same dishes over and over again.

There’s nothing wrong with having tried-and-true recipes that work. But variety matters, too.

As of 2019, food based dietary guidelines (otherwise known as FBDG) were available for 90 countries around the world. Each one of them stressed the importance of variety.

Why? Because a greater variety of foods ensures a higher overall and more diversified intake of nutrients.

Case in point: we know that the colors of fruits and vegetables are due to plant-based pigments that are associated with protective benefits against aging and disease. These pigments are phytonutrients. Each color—green, purple, red, orange, and so on—is associated with different health benefits.

The reason we’re told to “eat a rainbow” is because doing that allows us to take in more phytonutrients overall.

I’d like to pretend that I always “eat the rainbow” in a given day, but I don’t. When I don’t have a plan, I tend to eat the same veggies (broccoli, carrots, zucchini) and fruits (apples and bananas) again and again.

When I meal prep, I actually sit down and give some thought to what I’ll eat in the week ahead. In doing that, I diversify my produce.

Meal prep also helps me with culinary variety. When I pick a few dishes to make for the week, I’m thinking about variety of texture and flavor as well as color and nutrition.

Budgeting

Groceries can be expensive in the first place, and this only becomes more true with inflation.

Even so, I always spend less on food for the week when I meal prep.

This is because I’m intentional with my shopping. I don’t make impulse buys. I don’t spend money on ingredients that end up going to waste because I didn’t use them up quickly enough.

When I make food for the entire week ahead, I think carefully about what to purchase. I stay focused on what I need, rather than getting distracted by enticing (but sometimes pricey) new vegan products at the store.

Organization

There are many areas of my life where I’d like to be better organized. Meal prep, thankfully, has allowed me to stay organized when it comes to cooking.

This is true even if I have a week in which the days seem to fly by in a blur. I may lose track of many things, but my meals are taken care of.

Reduced decision fatigue

Decision fatigue is a weight that more and more of us are carrying as we navigate the responsibilities in our lives.

It’s not always possible to avoid decision fatigue, but there are strategies that can assist in managing it.

The strategy that works for me is to make decisions before making them becomes urgent. Without urgency and rush, I can apply more clarity and thoughtfulness to my choices.

Meal prep helps with this. It also reduces the number of choices that I need to make. When I commit to two or three recipes for the week ahead, I eliminate excess deliberation.

When should I do my meal prep?

You can choose to meal prep over the weekend, if your work life gives you weekends off.

If you have a work, academic, or parenting schedule that gives you other days off—Mondays, for example—then you can meal prep on Mondays.

In essence, you devote some of the free time you have to make-ahead cooking. It can happen when you want it to happen.

How much food do I need to make?

That’s up to you. You can prepare nearly everything you plan to eat in the coming week, or you can make one dish that’s a good multitasker.

Most of the time, I do extensive meal prep over the weekend or on Thursdays. (Thursdays are a day on which I don’t see my nutrition clients as a dietitian.)

My meal prep is usually on the more comprehensive side. I prepare most of my lunches and dinners ahead of time, and sometimes I make my breakfasts in advance, too.

Of course, I don’t make every single thing that I’m going to eat in advance. I intersperse simple, quick eats into my week as well. That might be a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast or a sandwich for lunch.

When I just can’t or don’t want to meal prep, I skip a week. I defrost things that I’ve made previously, or I have a week of simple food: sandwiches, pasta with marinara sauce from the freezer and some Gardein meatballs, skillets with a grain and a bean.

Having a meal prep habit doesn’t mean that you need to do it every single week. It’s a flexible ritual that should make life less stressful, not more.

How much time will it take?

When I was writing The Vegan Week, one of my recipe testers told me that she appreciated the fact that I was honest about how long it takes to meal prep.

I was grateful for that feedback.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Listen, I wish I could tell you that my vegan meal prep only takes me an hour or two. But the reality is that it usually takes me about 3-4 hours. This includes prepping before I cook, cooking itself, and putting everything that I’ve made away.

The good news is once again that you can choose to do more or less. I’m happier when I make more food upfront and have less to do during the week.

Of course there are some weekends when I have fun plans and only limited time for meal prep. If that happens, I just do a little more cooking during the week.

Something is always better than nothing. If all you have time to do is make one salad dressing, a simple vegan protein, or a cooked grain, that’s great! You’ll be able to use those components in a number of ways as the week goes on.

Planning

Now that we’ve covered what meal prep is and how it works, let’s chat about planning.

Planning weekly meal prep can be broken down into steps.

1. Think about how much food you need for the week

This sounds straightforward, but actually, it’s easy to underestimate. I often finish my make-ahead meals more quickly than I thought I would.

For the most part, though, I’ve learned that 2 recipes, each making about 4 servings, can give me five days’ worth of lunches and dinners.

Within those days, I alternate my prepared food with some of the simple options I mentioned above, like vegan sandwiches or frozen meals.

If your family’s needs are essentially triple of what I eat in a week, you have choices. You can make two recipes, like I do, and double them so that there’s more to go around. You can make an additional recipe. And you can also alternate meal-prepped options with your own favorite simple and convenient standbys.

Thanks to vegan meal prep, you’ll have more time to be present with family, or with yourself, on weeknights.

2. Choose your recipes

Sometimes readers ask me how I choose the recipes that I include in my meal prep.

Most weeks I just make whatever I’ve been craving. Sometimes I’m inspired by produce that’s just coming into season. At other times, there’s a recipe I want to test for the blog or revisit from a cookbook.

You might choose your meal prep recipes based on requests from your family. You may have health considerations that influence what you’d like to prepare.

Whatever your deciding criteria are, just choose a couple of recipes and roll with them.

3. Choose some not-recipes

After I pick the recipes that I plan to make, I also give a little thought to basic staple foods that I want to have around for the week.

This can look like:

• Store-bought sandwich ingredients
• Fresh fruit for snacking and to eat with breakfast
• Veggies (fresh or frozen) for vegetable side dishes
• Any pantry items that need to be restocked
• Snack foods
• Frozen foods/products I want to have around

Again, my two or three meal prep recipes won’t take care of all of my food needs for the week. So I stock up on foods that will fill in the gaps.

4. Make a grocery list

Once you know what you want to make, you can create a grocery list around it.

My grocery shopping list is divided into two sections. One is for the ingredients I’ll need for the 2-3 recipes I’m making.

The other is a list of those staple foods that I mentioned above. I add to it household items and cleaning supplies.

5. Shop

Once the list is made, it’s time to shop.

I usually get my groceries at a nearby Whole Foods. I rely on their 365 Everyday Value line for a lot of my staples (grains, canned beans, and so on). If I can, I get to the farmer’s market.

That’s just what works for me. Shopping can happen wherever and whenever is most economical and convenient for you. All that matters is that you have supplies before it’s time to cook!

5. Cook

Cooking is the time-consuming step in meal prep. But it’s easier and more efficient when you have a plan, which is what meal prep will afford you.

I usually plan what I’ll be making on Fridays, shop on Saturday morning, and cook on Saturday and/or Sunday. If I meal prep midweek, I plan and make a grocery list on Wednesday night after work. I shop and cook on Thursday.

6. Store

Once your food is prepped, you’ll be ready to store it.

One of the concerns that people express to me most commonly when I write about meal prep is that they’re afraid of the prepared food going bad.

While I understand this concern, a great many leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Some can keep for up to five days.

If you prep on a Saturday, your food will be good for eating until Tuesday or Wednesday. You can freeze some of it and defrost later in the week to keep everything optimally fresh. When I meal prep, I almost always freeze half of what I’ve made right away.

Speaking of, there’s a lot to say about safe food storage, freezing, and defrosting.

Storage and reheating

Meal prepped portions of many vegan soups, casseroles, pasta dishes, bowls, and other ingredients can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.

Of course, this is just an estimate. Always pay attention to smell and taste with leftover food. If you notice any off odors or flavors, it’s best to err on the side of safety. The FoodSafety.gov FoodKeeper app is a helpful reference tool.

When you reheat food, the goal is to heat it to a minimum internal temperature of 165F throughout. If you’re not sure, a probe thermometer makes it easy to know whether you’ve heated food adequately.

Freezing and defrosting

Many pastas, soups, stews, cooked grains and legumes, cooked vegetables, desserts, and dressings or sauces can easily be frozen. Freezing times vary, but most of the recipes on this site can safely be frozen for at least 6-8 weeks.

The most foolproof way to defrost food safely is in the fridge. But you can also microwave food directly from frozen, using your microwave’s defrosting setting. And you can safely cook food directly from its frozen state.

My favorite storage containers

If you get into a regular meal prep habit, you’ll need some containers to help store your creations.

I’ve accumulated a lot of meal prep containers! Some have worked better than others. Here’s my list of favorites:

Divided containers

• Mepal medium bento box
• Pyrex 3.4 quart bento box and 2.1 quart bento box
• Mepal duo lunch box
• Lunchbots trio container

Containers for salads and bowls

• W&P porter bowl
• Mepal duo lunch box

Storage containers

• Pyrex 3 cup containers
• Mepal nested storage bowls

Snacks & accesories

• W&P utensil set
• W&P porter dressing containers
• Stasher snack bags and sandwich bags

The best vegan meal prep recipes

For vegan meal prep meal ideas that are mealtime-specific, check out:

• Vegan meal prep breakfast ideas
• Vegan meal prep lunch ideas
• Vegan meal prep dinner ideas

Apart from this, there are some recipes that I think are particularly useful for meal prep:

• Sauces and dressings, for instantly jazzing up simple bowls, salads, roasted veggies, and more
• Dips and spreads, for snacking and sandwiches
• Simple proteins, for adding to to salads, wraps, burritos, and bowls
• Vegan one-pot meals, for easy dinners and lots of leftovers

Here are some of the ones that I prep most often.

Sauces & Dressings

Tahini Beet Dressing

This creamy vegan tahini beet dressing has the most beautiful, vibrant pink color! Sweet and tangy, it's the perfect accompaniment to your plant-based salads and bowls.

Get the recipe

Anti-Inflammatory Turmeric Tahini Dressing

This vegan turmeric tahini dressing is the perfect way to incorporate turmeric into your diet regularly. Versatile and easy to make! #vegan

Get the recipe

Greek Vinaigrette

This Greek vinaigrette salad dressing is as versatile and flavorful as it is easy to make! A perfect, all-purpose dressing for salads, grain dishes, and bowls.

Get the recipe

Versatile Vegan Cashew Queso

This recipe for vegan cashew queso is pure magic and extremely versatile. It’s tangy, a little sweet, and it has the perfect amount of spice. Using pre-soaked cashews, it’s ready in five minutes!

Get the recipe

Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Cauliflower Alfredo sauce turns a nutritious crucifer into the base of a delightful, creamy dairy-free pasta sauce! You can store it or use it to make an easy vegan Alfredo pasta with spinach.

Get the recipe

Dips & spreads

High Protein Hemp Hummus

High protein hemp hummus is a great alternative to regular hummus! It features nutrient-dense hemp seeds as well as tahini. It's a nutritious, satisfying snack that's also great in sandwiches and wraps.

Get the recipe

Go-to Cashew Cheese Recipe

Get the recipe

15-Minute, Smoky Vegan Refried Beans

Get the recipe

Creamy Vegan Sweet Potato Hummus

This vegan sweet potato hummus is a non-traditional spin on chickpea hummus. It has the most wonderful creamy texture and slight sweetness, thanks to cooked sweet potato. You can roast, steam, or microwave your sweet potato—it's all good! Perfect for dipping, snacks, sandwiches, and more.

Get the recipe

10 Minute Vegan Ricotta Cheese

This vegan ricotta cheese is ready in only 10 minutes! Made with cashews and tofu, it's a nutritious, homemade staple that can be used in a variety of dishes. Plus, it's creamy and so satisfying.

Get the recipe

Simple Proteins

Easy BBQ Lentils

These BBQ lentils couldn't be easier or quicker to make. I prepare them with my naturally sweetened, date BBQ sauce, and I use them as a staple in my vegan meal prep. They're a super versatile plant protein.

Get the recipe

Favorite Lemon Pepper Baked Tempeh Cubes

Get the recipe

The Best Salty & Savory Vegan Feta Cheese

Yes, vegan cheese can be successfully made at home! This recipe for homemade vegan feta cheese uses a combination of extra firm tofu, white miso, and other seasonings, to create a delightfully salty, savory vegan feta. For best results, allow the tofu feta cheese to marinade for at least 4 hours in the fridge, but preferably overnight.

Get the recipe

Creamy Coconut Curried Green Lentils

This versatile vegan recipe for coconut-curried green lentils is so creamy and easy to make at home. Serve like a soup, or as part of a vegan buddha bowl.

Get the recipe

Baked Balsamic Tofu

Baked balsamic tofu cubes are one of my favorite versatile, everyday plant proteins to keep in my fridge. I use them in salads, bowls, pasta dishes, in wraps, and even as a nutritious snack food. Learn how to prepare this easy and flavorful vegan staple!

Get the recipe

Vegan one-pot recipes

Lentil Tomato Pasta Stew

This one-pot, plant-based lentil tomato pasta stew is so cozy, hearty, and comforting! It's also packed with nutrition from vegetables and legumes. Easy to make gluten free!

Get the recipe

One-Pot Italian Quinoa and Lentils

This quinoa and lentils recipe is one of my favorite easy vegan meals for beginners because it’s so adaptable, and because it’s made in one pot! Made with protein-rich quinoa, lentils, greens, and sun-dried tomatoes, it’s seasoned with herbs that are common in Italian cuisine. Option to top with vegan cashew cream.

Get the recipe

Curried Potatoes, Lentils & Peas

This recipe for curried potatoes, lentils, and peas is one of my favorite quick and easy plant-based meals. It’s full of nourishing spices and nutritious vegetables — serve this dish alongside flatbread, rice, or enjoy on its own.

Get the recipe

Chickpea Miso Vegetable Stew

This creamy chickpea miso vegetable stew has a deep, savory flavor, thanks to the use of miso for seasoning. It's hearty and healthy, and you can make it with whatever vegetables you have!

Get the recipe

Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Chili

This hearty vegan black bean quinoa chili is packed with nutrient-dense vegetables, whole grains, beans, and greens. Plus, 20+ other make-ahead recipe ideas in my beginner's guide to vegan meal prep!

Get the recipe

A meal prep-friendly vegan chili

A few more words about that chili!

This guide is intended to be a starting place for those who are curious about meal prep. And black bean quinoa chili is a perfect recipe to start with.

The chili delivers what a great meal prep recipe should:

• Solid nutrition
• Easy preparation
• Lots of portions for storage and freezing
• Budget-friendly
• Adaptable

By adaptable, I mean that there are many ways that you could serve the chili:

• With a slice of vegan cornbread
• With a salad or other vegetable side dish
• As filling for breakfast tacos or a vegan burrito
• Bowl-style, with a vegetable component, an extra protein, and any toppings you like

Me, I like to top the chili with my 4-ingredient vegan sour cream or my cashew queso.

But avocado slices, pepitas, chopped cilantro, and crushed tortilla chips are all great, too.

Here’s the recipe!

Print

Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Chili

This hearty vegan black bean quinoa chili is packed with nutrient-dense vegetables, whole grains, beans, and greens. Plus, 20+ other make-ahead recipe ideas in my beginner's guide to vegan meal prep!

Course main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword beans, chili, make ahead, meal prep, one-pot, quinoa

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings 8 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• Pot or dutch oven

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil (substitute 1/4 cup vegetable broth to make the recipe oil-free)
• 1 white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped
• 1 red or green bell pepper, seeded, stemmed, and chopped
• 8-10 ounces sliced button mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped, with their liquid (reduce the amount to 2 peppers if you prefer less heat)
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed through a fine sieve  (180g)
• 3 cups cooked black beans (480g, or two 15-ounce/425g cans, drained and rinsed)
• 28 ounces regular or fire-roasted, diced tomatoes, with their juices (800g)
• 4 cups vegetable broth (950ml)
• 1 cup water (240ml)
• 1 bunch curly kale, stemmed and chopped
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 4-ingredient vegan sour cream (optional, for topping)

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, peppers, and mushrooms. Sauté the vegetables, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and reduced in size and the onion is clear and soft. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for another minute; add a splash or two of water at any point if the vegetables are sticking.
• Add the chipotle peppers, paprika, cumin, salt, quinoa, beans, tomatoes, broth, and water to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Add the kale to the pot (you may need to stir it in in batches). Re-cover the pot and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender.
• Add the lime juice. Taste the chili; adjust salt and extra lime juice to taste. Serve with vegan sour cream, if desired.

I know that meal prep can feel like an overwhelming concept if you haven’t done it before. My hope is that this post covers just some of the basic information that you need to get started.

And if you have a question about any of this, comment and ask!

I’ve come to cherish meal prep for its capacity to keep me nourished. I love talking about it, responding to questions, and continuing to figure it out for myself along the way.

Till soon,

xo

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Vegan Meal Prep appeared first on The Full Helping.

These smoky vegan refried beans are a staple for tacos, wraps, burritos, snacking, and more! They’re full of vibrant, savory flavor, thanks to the addition of lime juice, tomato paste, and smoked paprika. Best of all, they take only 15 minutes to prepare with cooked beans.

When my friend Ashley and I were working together on Power Plates, I went to stay and work with her in Denver.

When she asked me if there was anything I wanted to have on hand for breakfast, I asked if she could pick up some soft tortillas and canned, vegan refried beans.

Ashley was later surprised at how often I made soft tacos for breakfast. Fittingly, my go-to breakfast tacos ended up becoming a recipe in the breakfast section of the cookbook.

I noted there how often I rely on breakfast tacos because they’re versatile and satisfying. They’re also a good vehicle for so many kinds of plant proteins and vegetables.

Leftover cubes of baked tofu or tempeh? Roasted sweet potatoes or sautéed greens? The last cup or two of a tangy vegan slaw? Put them into a breakfast taco.

Not much has changed. Soft tacos are still one of my favorite, most frequent vegan breakfasts. The only difference is that I now make my own, smoky vegan refried beans more often than not.

What are refried beans?

Refried beans are beans that have been cooked and mashed, then fried or baked. “Refried” comes from the word “refritos,” or “well-fried.” They aren’t, as might be inferred from the name, fried twice.

This recipe is for vegan refried beans. While some vegan refried beans are available in stores, traditional recipes for refried beans might be prepared with chicken stock, lard, bacon fat, or butter.

It’s also worth saying that beans are typically soaked and scratch cooked for traditional refried beans. In order to make this version quick-cooking, I use canned beans.

If you like to scratch cook your beans, then you can of course use 3 cups of pinto beans that you’ve soaked, boiled, and drained.

Refried beans are typically made with onion and garlic, and they can be seasoned with epazote or oregano.

The main seasoning note in these vegan refried beans is smokiness. The smoky flavor comes from smoked paprika, which is a wonderful spice to keep on hand. I use it in chili, soup, tacos, my cashew queso, and many other recipes.

Making refried beans

Traditionally, the first step in making refried beans would be to boil dried beans until they’re tender. I bypass this step for my smoky vegan refried beans, opting to use canned instead.

The recipe calls for a total of 3 cups of cooked pinto beans. That’s about 480g, or two 15-ounce/425g cans, drained and rinsed.

Step 1: Sauté onion & tomato

The first step in the process of making the vegan refried beans is to sauté some onion and garlic in a skillet or deep sauté pan.

I use avocado oil, which is my go-to neutral oil for cooking and baking, to do this. You could use olive oil or vegan butter as well.

I also add a small amount of fresh, chopped tomato or tomato paste to the onion and garlic mix. This a non-traditional addition. For what purpose? Umami.

Tomato is a source of umami, which is also known as the “fifth taste.” It can be thought of as savoriness, but it roughly translates to “deliciousness” in Japanese.

Umami is responsible for the deep, savory quality of soy sauce, Parmesan cheese, anchovies, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Plant-based sources of umami can be a powerful tool in vegan cooking, as umami is also sometimes associated with protein in recipes. In any case, I think that it enhances the flavor of the refried beans.

Step 2: Add beans, broth & spices

Next, you’ll add your cooked beans, a half cup of broth (I like to use a vegan chicken-style broth, but vegetable broth is fine) or water, and spices to the pan.

The spices I like to use are smoked paprika, cumin, and fine sea salt. You could modify these to your liking: for example, if you like, you can add cayenne for heat. Oregano is also a nice and more traditional flavor addition.

Step 3: Mash

Now it’s time to get mashing!

Refried beans are typically mashed. I’ve tried refried beans that have a more chunky texture, in which some of the beans are whole. I’ve also tried some that are silky smooth, almost like a purée.

For these vegan refried beans, I’d invite you to use your judgment about how much you’d like to mash the beans. I like mine mostly mashed, with a little bit of texture still remaining.

You might prefer more mashing or less than me.

In order to do this mashing, I use a handheld potato masher, and I mash the beans right in the sauté pan they’ve been cooking is. This spares me the need to dirty an additional bowl for the mashing process.

If you prefer a very smooth texture, you could use an immersion blender here.

Step 4: Stir in acid

The smoky refried beans benefit from the addition of a little bit of acid. I like to use freshly squeezed lime juice, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. Sometimes it just depends on what I have.

Once you do this, you can taste the beans and adjust all other seasonings. They’re now ready to store or eat!

How to serve vegan refried beans

There are so many ways to serve these convenient, flavorful beans.

You can use them in any simple taco, of course. Add any vegetables, additional protein, and some sort of condiment.

I like to garnish tacos with my 4-ingredient vegan sour cream, cashew queso, cashew cheese, and vegan feta cheese.

I’ve used the refried beans to make a creative spin on huevos rancheros with cauliflower and my easy black bean sweet potato tacos.

The vegan refried beans could go into a tray of homemade vegan nachos. I love this seasonal version with butternut squash.

Or you can simply serve them on toast or with tortilla chips, for a savory little snack.

Do I need to use pinto beans?

You certainly don’t have to use pinto beans in the recipe. The vegan refried beans can be made with black beans, kidney beans, black eyed peas, or adzuki beans. Use what you have.

Can I make vegan refried beans with no oil?

You can make a whole foods, plant-based version of the vegan refried beans if you wish. To do this, sauté the onion and garlic in 1/4 vegetable or vegan no-chicken broth instead.

I find that the avocado oil contributes to a creamy texture and also helps to carry the smoky flavors of the dish.

Meal prep & storage

The vegan refried beans are a great option to include in vegan meal prep for the week ahead.

Like many sauces or dips, they can add instant flavor and life to otherwise simple combinations of ingredients. And the refried beans can be used in a few different recipes or methods as your week goes on.

The refried beans will keep for up to four days in an airtight container in the fridge.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Can I freeze vegan refried beans?

Yes, the refried beans can be frozen! I often make this batch as directed by the recipe and immediately freeze half, so that I can make soft tacos at a moment’s notice in the future.

The refried beans can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

And here’s the recipe.

Print

15-Minute, Smoky Vegan Refried Beans

Course dip, sauce, side

Cuisine Mexican

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword beans, dip, protein

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 3 Cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• sauté pan
• handheld potato masher

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped, fresh tomato (substitute 2 tablespoons/33g tomato paste and add with the beans in step 2)
• 3 cups cooked pinto beans (480g, or two 15- ounce/425g cans, drained and rinsed)
• 1/2 cup vegan no-chicken or vegetable broth, or water (120ml)
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice or 1/2 tablespoon white wine or apple cider vinegar (or to taste)

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and tomato, if using fresh. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the onion is tender and translucent. 
• Add the beans, tomato paste, if you're not using fresh tomatoes, broth or water, smoked paprika, cumin, and sea salt to the pan. Bring the mixture to a low simmer. 
• Use a handheld potato masher to mash the refried beans. You can leave quite a bit of texture or make them smooth—it's up to you. Continue heating for another couple minutes, or until they've thickened. Stir in the lime juice or vinegar. Serve or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

While I’m all for relying on store-bought items in a pinch, I’ve learned that whipping up certain homemade staples is often quicker and easier than running an errand.

Homemade staples are a nice way to be budget-conscious, too.

In the last six months I’ve come to rely more and more on my cashew ricotta, a new go-to marinara sauce, vegan mayo, tofu cream cheese, cashew sour cream, tempeh bacon, and other vegan basics that I’ve gone through phases of purchasing nearly all the time.

No guilt or story around trying new products, but it feels nice to make these foundational items from scratch. And the refried beans that I have in the freezer are now a more flavorful alternative to the canned stuff that I’m used to.

Hope you’ll get lots of use from them, too! Enjoy.

xo

The post 15-Minute, Smoky Vegan Refried Beans appeared first on The Full Helping.

Any week is better when you have nutritious, home-cooked meals in the fridge, waiting to be reheated at the end of a long day. In this post, I share some of my favorite vegan meal prep dinner ideas, along with tips of freezing and reheating. Begin your week with the knowledge that dinner is taken care of!

Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite meal prep breakfast ideas and lunch ideas, it’s time to tackle dinner.

The value of a meal prep dinner

For a long time, dinner was the meal that I was least likely to meal prep.

At the time, I had more flexibility in my schedule. I thought to myself that if I could prepare something at the end of the day, I should.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

Just because I can cook at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean that I should.

I don’t prepare great food when I’m tired. When I do that, I usually rush through the process, and my meals suffer for it.

There’s no bigger bummer of spending time, energy, and ingredients on a recipe—let alone on a weeknight—and having it not turn out well.

Decision fatigue isn’t my friend.

Like most people, I need to make a lot of decisions over the course of an average work day.

If I arrive at dinnertime without a sense of what I’m making, then I’ll probably stare into my fridge blankly. I’ll do this even if I have ingredients for a good meal in there.

The problem at that point isn’t what’s available. The problem is that I lack the motivation and creativity to come up with ideas.

Some nights I just don’t feel like cooking—and that’s OK.

This is most nights, actually. Especially weeknights.

There are many things I’d rather do after a long day than cook. They include catching up on my notes, communicating with friends, watching TV, and reading. Or getting out of my apartment for a while.

Other folks have family members they’d like to be talking to or kids who need to be put to bed.

If dinner has been meal prepped, then the entire weeknight is available for family, work, and much-needed rest.

The bottom line is this: if cooking feels like a relaxing, end-of-day ritual for you, then cook your heart out.

But if cooking on weeknights feels like a chore, you can still find a way to eat wholesome food all week long.

You can enjoy home-cooked dinners without feeling rushed or falling into food ruts.

Vegan meal prep dinners can be your solution.

My vegan meal prep dinner essentials

Here are the things that I need from my evening meal:

Balance

I’ll definitely sound like a broken record if I mention that I like my meal prep dinners to be power plates.

But if you’re a new reader and you’re wondering what a power plate is, it’s simple! It’s just a meal that intentionally includes a source of protein, a source of healthful fat, and a source of complex carbs.

Power plates are near and dear to my heart.

When I was in eating disorder recovery, learning to prioritize macronutrient balance was a big challenge—and later, a big victory.

I was resistant to dietary balance for a long time. My relationship with food became so much more grounded and positive when I started including all macronutrients with all meals.

I wrote a whole cookbook about power plates. It was a tribute to the process of learning to give my body the nutritional building blocks that it needed.

Now, when I do my weekly vegan meal prep, macronutrient balance is the organizational principle that I use to plan.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Comfort

Food is a source of comfort for me at any time of day. But I need for dinner, more than breakfast or lunch, to be cozy and comforting.

“Cozy” and “comfort” can look like so many different things. Sometimes a comfort food meal is a bowl of soup.

On other nights, it might be a nourishing grain bowl with seasonal veggies.

Sometimes very simple and wholesome food is what feels more comforting than anything else.

And sometimes I need classic comfort food: something hearty, warming, and evocative of childhood favorites.

There are a lot of recipes from this site that I’d put into that category. But some highlights are my carrot mac n’ cheese, skillet lasagna or lasagna rolls, sweet potato lentil shepherd’s pie, quinoa broccoli bake, and loaded garlic kale potatoes.

Each and every single one of those options can be meal prepped.

Freezer potential

It isn’t essential that a vegan meal prep dinner be freezer-friendly, but it sure is a nice perk.

I’m happy to prep a simple vegan meal prep lunch recipe and have it last 2-4 days. But if I make a big, hearty casserole as a meal prep dinner, then I want it to last.

Most of my favorite vegan meal prep dinners can be frozen for this reason.

Since I live alone, I often freeze half the recipe as soon as I make it.

If you feed a larger family at home, but you’d still like leftover to freeze, you can double the recipe. Make it once, enjoy it anew at some point in the future, when you need a week off from dinner prep.

Safe freezing and storage

Which vegan dishes can be frozen?

I’m often asked about what is and isn’t freezer friendly. The answer is that a lot of cooked food can be frozen!

There are some foods that might lose some of their original texture after defrosting. I find that this is often true of cooked rice—though it doesn’t stop me from freezing leftovers of rice dishes.

Many fresh vegetables don’t hold up well to freezing, but they can easily be frozen after cooking. I routinely freeze my favorite braised cabbage, cooked sweet potatoes, sautéed kale or broccoli rabe, and steamed broccoli.

I also freeze sauces and dressings, hummus, pesto, cashew cheese and cashew cream, my 20-minute marinara sauce, vegan feta, vegan ricotta, and homemade vegan mayo.

If you love dessert as much as I do and want to include it in your meal prep, good news! So many desserts freeze beautifully.

This includes vegan cake, brownies, cookies, tofu whipped cream, silken tofu chocolate pudding, cashew chocolate pudding, cobbler, buckle, pie, and more.

Safe freezing and defrosting

After I took food safety as part of my training to become a dietitian, I shuddered to think about how many times I had defrosted food by leaving it on my counter overnight. Yikes!

Anyway, now I know that the safest way to defrost food is always in the fridge. Depending on the food in question, defrosting might take anywhere from 12-36 hours.

There are other safe defrosting methods. You can microwave food from frozen, using your microwave’s defrosting setting.

You can also safely cook frozen food directly from its frozen state.

I’ve been known to pop frozen cubes of my balsamic tofu right into the air fryer or oven for reheating.

Sometimes I defrost a batch of chili or soup just enough in the fridge to get it out of its container, then finish cooking in my pot.

If you cook food directly from frozen, keep in mind that the food should be consumed immediately after cooking.

Refreezing

One more word about freezing: occasionally I’ll thaw something, then realize that I don’t need it (yet) because I’ve prepared something else.

In these cases, it’s safe and totally OK to refreeze the thawed food. Just keep in mind that the texture of the food may change a bit as a result of the thawing and refreezing.

Also be sure to never consume, let alone refreeze, food that has been at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Reheating

The minimum safe temperature for reheating leftovers is 165°F.

You can make your food reach this temperature on the stovetop, in the oven, or in the microwave—it’s all good. You just need to get it to at least that temperature.

Make sure to stir your food or rotate it while reheating, so that it heats evenly and through.

If you don’t have one, a probe thermometer makes it easy to tell whether food is adequately hot and safe to eat.

And you can find more basic tips on reheating, freezing, defrosting, and refreezing here!

How to serve vegan meal prep dinners

Some recipes need a side dish, accompaniment, or extra component in order to feel like a satisfying meal.

Vegetable sides

My usual vegan dinner meal prep routine is to prepare some main dishes for the week—stew, pasta, chili, casserole, stir fry, or whatever—and also to prepare some simple vegetable sides that I’ll be able to serve with these recipes.

This might be a big batch of steamed broccoli, bok choy, or roasted cauliflower. It could be sautéed, dark leafy greens, grilled strips of zucchini, roasted asparagus, or glazed carrots.

Simple salads

I also often keep washed, ready-to-eat salad greens in the fridge, along with one of my favorite dressings. My Greek vinaigrette takes no time at all to make, and my balsamic Dijon tahini dressing is also a favorite.

With some leafy greens and one vinaigrette, it’s easy to whip up a side salad for a meal prep dinner at a moment’s notice.

Massaged kale salads are also easy to prepare in advance, as kale can withstand being dressed and stored for a few days without going soggy.

Frozen veggies

Sometimes, if I haven’t had much time to stock my fridge with produce, a vegetable side will simply be some frozen veggies.

I always keep frozen broccoli and cauliflower florets, green beans, and peas at home. It’s easy to microwave cook them and serve them with a little vegan butter, salt, and pepper.

Frozen veggies are a lifesaver for busy folks who don’t want to waste money on produce that might go bad if it isn’t cooked in a timely fashion!

Your meal prep dinner recipes may not really need a side dish. Some may be substantial enough and have enough veggies for that to be unnecessary.

But I always like to have enough veggies available for making my dinners more well-rounded and filling.

Toast, baguettes, focaccia, cornbread, etc.

Many of my favorite recipes, including soup and a lot of grain bowls or salads, are more complete with something bread-like, be it toast or cornbread or a sliced baguette.

I always have a bread, and usually a variety of types of bread, on hand. I pull them from the freezer or slice them from fresh to serve with recipes as needed.

Vegan meal prep dinner ideas

With all of that said, let’s chat ideas!

There are truly so many kinds of vegan dinners that can be made ahead and enjoyed as you’re ready. But here are some of the ideas and recipes that I turn to again and again.

Pasta bakes

There’s no food that I love more than pasta. Pasta bakes are an easy way to prepare a big, generous batch of pasta, incorporating lots of veggies and/or protein and a great sauce.

Most recently, this vegan pasta bake with ricotta rocked my world, and it will probably be my new go-to.

But I also love my pizza pasta bake, pizza cauliflower bake, and eggplant baked rigatoni.

Soup & stew

Throughout the year, and certainly in cooler months, soup and stew are an essential part of my dinner meal prep.

A hearty bowl of soup, plus a slice of good bread, is a great meal. Soups and stews can also be paired with salads or other veggie sides, of course.

Here are some of my all-time favorites:

• Creamy chickpea miso vegetable stew
• Turmeric spiced cauliflower kale soup
• Lentil tomato pasta stew
• Butternut kale lentil soup
• Tomato orzo soup with kale
• Vegan French lentil soup
• Creamy vegan potato leek soup
• Spicy cabbage chickpea soup
• Slow cooker black bean butternut chili

A hearty grain bowl

If you make the components of a great vegan bowl ahead of time, then they can become satisfying and wholesome dinners through the week.

Substance is key for a dinner bowl. Some of my favorite, filling vegan bowl recipes include:

• Nutritious quinoa protein bowl
• Mashed potato bowls
• Chickpea burrito bowls
• Lemon pepper tempeh vegetable pasta bowls
• Turmeric rice bowls with quick pickled onions and chickpeas
• Harvest bowls with spelt berries, tempeh, and roasted root vegetables
• Macro bowls
• Spicy seitan sofrito bowls
• Black bean and cilantro rice bowls with baked plantains
• Red curry rice noodle bowls

A hard-working whole grain + protein duo

Some weeks I don’t prepare a recipe or two so much as a few components that I can use in different ways.

One of the best ways to ensure a rotation of vegan meal prep dinners is to make a good, versatile whole grain dish, along with a versatile plant protein.

You can pair these dishes together with a vegetable for an easy, balanced dinner plate. You might also use them in other preparations through the week.

For example, balsamic tofu or quinoa with roasted cherry tomatoes and chickpeas can each be added to a lunch salad.

Here are some of my favorite, simple grain dishes from the blog:

• Simple, savory mushroom farro
• Tomato quinoa & chickpeas
• Carrot & beet farro
• Creamy brown rice with shiitakes and peas
• Quinoa with roasted cherry tomatoes & chickpeas
• Gingery roasted butternut squash rice

And here are some of my favorite, multitasking proteins (these are also great to make for your meal prep breakfasts and lunches!):

• Baked balsamic tofu
• Lemon pepper baked tempeh
• Crispy baked tempeh bacon
• BBQ lentils
• Slow cooker black beans
• Brothy white beans

A cozy casserole

Oh, how I love a cozy casserole.

Casseroles are nostalgic, comforting, and filling. Sometimes they take a little time to make, but once you bake them, they are very generous with their leftover offerings.

I have many favorite casserole recipes. They’ve all become regular parts of my meal prep routine at home, and they’re often to be found in my freezer.

Here are some highlights:

• Cheesy vegan quinoa broccoli bake
• Chick’n enchilada casserole
• Sweet potato lentil shepherds pie
• Cozy vegan cauliflower gratin
• Wholesome lentil, mushroom & kale lasagna

A stuffed vegetable

Stuffed, baked vegetables are a great means of crafting dinners that are both plant-forward and hearty.

I love stuffed vegetables through all of the seasons. In the fall, there are winter squashes, potato, and cabbage leaves for stuffing. In the summer, there are zucchini and eggplants and tomatoes.

Some of the stuffed vegetable recipes that I turn to again and again:

• Millet lentil stuffed squash
• Stuffed cabbage rolls
• Quinoa kale stuffed sweet potatoes
• Bulgur stuffed eggplants with pine nuts and currants
• Stuffed acorn squash with garlicky beans & greens
• Rice and tempeh stuffed peppers

Pizza night! (Or frozen pizza night)

Frozen vegan pizza nights are a more regular occurrence around here lately than me making a homemade pie. But in either case, a couple slices pizza with a nice big salad is a great dinner.

And even though pizza may not immediately spring to mind as a make-ahead option, it works well for meal prep. Just be sure to reheat slices in the oven or air fryer before you eat, in order to preserve the crispiness of the crust.

Reheating pizza, by the way, has become the #1 reason that I use my air fryer.

If you feel like making from scratch, my favorites are green goodness pizza (pictured above), butternut red onion pizza, and, when I’m in a rush, tortilla pizza.

My favorite vegan store-bought ‘za is the veggie lover’s vegan pizza from SweetEarth.

Something stir fried

Stir fry dishes are quick to make and endlessly adaptable.

I usually stir fry rice as my grain, but you can stir fry noodles and other whole grains as well. Tofu is a great protein for stir fries, but you could also use tempeh, seitan, beans, or lentils.

One of my favorite stir fry dishes is the brown rice lentil stir fry with peanut butter sauce that’s pictured above. I also love my broccoli stem stir fry.

The photo at the top of this post is a “pepper steak” style soy curl dish from The Vegan Week. It’s not quite a stir fry, but it’s close, and I always serve it over cooked rice.

Veggie burgers (+ fixings)

It’s fun to have a vegan burger night, and veggie burgers happen to be very good for meal prep.

As you meal prep the burger itself, you might also want to make some fixings and side dishes to serve it with. For example:

• Baked sweet potatoes
• Sweet potato fries or regular fries
• A refreshing slaw or salad
• Grilled vegetables
• BBQ sauce, Dijon date mustard, or other sauces for serving

Veggie burger nights are enough of a routine occurrence in my home that pretty much always keep whole grain burger buns in my freezer.

I also tend to have frozen, cubed sweet or regular potatoes or frozen fries, just in case I’m too tired to peel and cut potatoes myself.

Here are some of the vegan burger recipes that I cherish:

• Sweet potato black bean burgers
• Millet, kale, and yam burgers
• Quinoa chickpea za’atar burgers
• Artichoke white bean burgers
• Sweet potato chickpea burgers

Vegan meal prep tacos

Just as you can meal prep a burger night ahead of time, you can also meal prep vegan tacos ahead of time.

To do this, you’ll simply prepare whatever components go into the taco (proteins, grains, whatever) and any sauces that you might use for them.

You can also prep vegetables sides that you’d like to serve the tacos with. You might take some time to chop lettuce, tomato, or any other crunch element that you’d like to add right before you serve your vegan tacos.

Taco night classics in my apartment:

• Easy vegan sautéed tempeh tacos
• Easy black bean sweet potato tacos
• Roasted carrot lentil tacos
• Crispy cauliflower chimichurri tacos
• Lentil walnut tacos
• Cauliflower mushroom tacos

Storage

If you don’t plan to use your freezer for some of your meal prep dinner leftovers, you’ll want to store them in airtight containers in the fridge.

The ones that I use most often are these 3 cup, rectangular containers and these glasslock, divided containers.

Most of the recipes I’ve linked to—or meal prep dinner ideas that I’ve mentioned—can be stored in the fridge for up to four days.

A gift to your future self

The subtitle of The Vegan Week is “meal prep recipes to feed your future self.”

I those words with all of my heart. Meal prep isn’t always easy to make time for. But when I do it, I know that I’m creating something that my future self will be grateful for.

This week happens to prove the point. I’ve been unusually busy, but I’m less stressed out than I usually am when my workload is really full.

Part of the reason is that it’s one of those lovely weeks where I have so much in the freezer that I can simply defrost, day by day.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinners have been taken care of. I’ve been able to reach into the fridge and have a time-efficient lunch break midday, thanks to meal prep lunches.

And it’s so nice wrapping up work, even if it’s late, knowing that dinner will be no more effort than reheating.

Hope these ideas give you a sense of the good nourishment that you might give to future you, too.

Till soon,

xo

The post Vegan Meal Prep Dinner Ideas appeared first on The Full Helping.

Whether you work from home, bring lunch to the office, or carry your lunch in a backpack all morning, these vegan meal prep lunch ideas will help you to stay fueled throughout the day. I’m sharing some of my favorite, convenient midday meals, plus tips for transportation and storage.

At the height of the pandemic, one of the things that I heard most often from my nutrition clients was that lunch had become a challenge.

For some reason, the midday meal was proving to be trickier than any other.

This is probably because everyone’s daytime routine had been profoundly upended. Many folks were well accustomed to dinner and breakfast at home, but eating lunch at home each day was new.

In addition, many were struggling to feed children who were home from school, creating an even greater midday meal prep burden.

In theory, lockdown lunches should have been easy for me, since I already had an established WFH routine. Yet I found myself getting awfully repetitive with lunch. When I tried to think of new options, I would draw a blank.

Even now, with the world more open, lunch is probably my most uninspired meal. The reason that I’m able to keep it interesting is my meal prep routine.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

Thanks to meal prep, I’m able to consistently incorporate variety into lunchtime. I alternate between leftovers and an array of simple, convenient meal prep lunch ideas that deliver on taste and nutrition.

When I do have a good lunch, I’m consistently more energized (and in a better mood) through the afternoon.

I think a lot of people feel the same. A subpar or inadequate lunch is a recipe for late afternoon energy crashes. A good one restores us and refuels us.

Before I share my favorite vegan meal prep lunch ideas, I’ll say a little bit about how I construct my lunches.

My vegan meal prep lunch formula

My nutrition formula for a satisfying vegan lunch will come as a shock to no one who reads this blog regularly. And it’s simple:

Protein + Carb + Healthful fat

This is the meal planning principle that I wrote about in my cookbook, Power Plates.

We need all three of these macronutrients. Each one of them contributes positively to our energy and our satiety after meals.

Healthful fats play a role in vitamin absorption, in maintaining body temperature, and in hormone regulation.

Protein is associated with immune function and maintenance of muscle mass.

Carbs provide us with energy, and they fuel our brains for the cognitive challenges of work, school, and every day life.

Here are the sources of these macronutrients that I most often rely on:

Fats

• Olive and avocado oils
• Nuts and seeds
• Nut and seed butters
• Avocado

Complex carbs

• Whole grains (rice, quinoa, farro, etc.)
• Grain products: pasta, bread, crackers
• Corn and corn products (tortillas)
• Potatoes (white and sweet potatoes)
• Legumes (beans and lentils)

Proteins

• Tofu
• Tempeh
• Seitan
• Vegan meats
• Legumes
• Higher protein grain products (such as sprouted wheat breads)
• Peanut butter
• Nutritional yeast

When I pack up a lunch, I try to see to it that a source of each macronutrient is included.

Am I always consistent about this? Of course not!

Sometimes I have a carby lunch that’s not very heavy on protein, or a salad with plenty of healthful fats but not a lot of complex carbs. Getting all macronutrients is a guiding principle, not a rule.

Don’t forget the veggies

I focus on macronutrients first and foremost, but I also try to get vegetables and fruits into my vegan meal prep lunches (and lunch boxes).

When I’m very busy, this can look as simple as baby carrots and cucumber slices, bell pepper strips or a cut apple.

When I have more time and bandwidth, it could be a side salad. It might also be leftover steamed broccoli from dinner the night before.

But I try to include a serving or two of fruits or vegetables, so that my lunch delivers on phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals, as well as macronutrients.

Portability & convenience

Portability and convenience were huge factors for me when I packed up meal prep lunches during my clinical internship.

Much as I love big, abundant vegan lunch bowls, they weren’t the easiest option in terms of transportation. And I typically had long commutes to think of.

Sandwiches, wraps, leftovers, and soups with accompaniments were often easier options. I did prep salads and bowls sometimes, but when I did, I tried to make them compact and simple.

Now, working from home, it’s a little easier to enjoy meal prep bowls. I’ve included some favorite options below.

The right containers for the job

I also needed containers that were light enough to fit in a backpack with books, notepads, and—on many days—a meal prep breakfast and snacks, too.

Here are some of the containers that I often used—and still use—for my vegan meal prep lunches.

• Mepal duo lunch box
• Mepal medium bento box
• Pyrex 3.4 quart bento box and 2.1 quart bento box
• W&P Porter Bowl
• LunchBots Trio container
• W&P utensil set
• W&P Porter Dressing Containers
• Stasher snack bags and sandwich bags

When I say “still use,” it’s because I still find it incredibly helpful to meal prep my lunches.

There are so many reasons for this, but the main one is that meal prep spares me having to rummage through the fridge in the middle of a busy work day, figuring out what to eat.

Meal prep lunches encourage me to intentionally focus on the variety of my meals. They help me to be more creative than I would be if I had to make decisions on the fly. And they save me a lot of time.

Vegan meal prep lunch ideas

With all of that said, here are some of the ideas and templates that I rely on most often.

Pasta salad

Pasta salad is a midday meal favorite of mine. It’s great in summertime, but really, it hits the spot at any time of year.

The above was a spontaneous pasta salad creation: frozen veggies, cooked pasta, and the goji curry dressing from Power Plates. (I had a lot of it leftover.)

Really, any combination of pasta + veggies + sauce (with a protein, or use a legume-based pasta for protein) can turn into pasta salad.

But if you’re looking for a recipe, some options:

• Curried tahini pasta salad
• The best creamy vegan pasta salad
• Tahini pesto pasta salad
• Chickpea pesto pasta salad
• Balsamic roasted vegetable pasta
• Carrot chickpea couscous salad
• Butternut zucchini pesto pasta

Leftovers

Leftovers, of course!

If you have them, enjoy them. There’s nothing better than when yesterday’s dinner can become today’s nourishing, delicious meal.

Most of my favorite main dishes—casseroles, pasta dishes, shepherd’s pie, grain and bean skillets, soups, enchiladas—make wonderful leftovers.

Sandwiches (+ something)

I go crazy for a sandwich.

Sandwiches are the lunches that I eat more than any other. There are so many sandwich options to choose from, from the classics (hello, PB&J!) to more creative combos. Here are my favorites:

• Miso tahini vegetable sandwich
• Vegan BLT with homemade mayo and crispy tempeh bacon
• Green goddess club sandwich
• Avocado and kabocha squash sandwich
• Tofu egg salad sandwich

Almost always, I pack up a sandwich with some veggies and/or fruit, along with a little something sweet: energy balls, a cookie, etc..

A grain salad

Grain salads often keep more sturdily than do salads that are mostly leafy greens. They’re full of fiber, super satisfying, and they lend themselves to so much creativity.

Here are a few of the grain salads that have long been lunchtime companions of mine:

• Citrusy bulgur sweet potato salad
• Spinach rice salad
• Farro breakfast salad with sweet potatoes and apples
• Pesto farro and baby kale salad
• Curried quinoa lunch salad
• Israeli couscous salad with roasted cauliflower, pistachios, and dates
• Spring quinoa black rice salad with peas
• Maple mustard kale, quinoa, and toasted pecan salad
• Roasted butternut squash salad with quinoa, grapes, and brussels sprouts
• Protein packed quinoa bean salad

A bowl-to-go

What’s the exact distinction between a salad and a bowl? I’m not sure, except that I think bowls have more of the grain (or another starch) and less of the greens.

Anyway, they’re close. And any grain bowl can be a lovely, hearty, wholesome vegan meal prep lunch.

I love packing up the following colorful vegan bowls:

• Nutritious quinoa protein bowls
• Chickpea burrito bowls
• Lemon pepper tempeh vegetable pasta bowls
• Warm winter squash bowls
• Soba, broccoli, and chickpea bowls
• Cultured breakfast macro bowls
• Turmeric rice bowls
• Power Plates macro bowls
• Power Plates harvest bowls

Tempeh salad

This 15-minute tempeh salad can be served on toast, and that’s what I usually do.

But I can attest to the fact that it’s a great recipe to meal prep not only because it’s quick, but also because it’s versatile.

The salad is very good with cooked rice or farro and a heap of a meal-prepped kale salad. A favorite bento-box lunchbox in my home is a portion of the tempeh salad plus a portion of my carrot raisin kale salad.

They work so nicely, side by side!

A frozen, time-saving vegan meal

Hooray for frozen vegan options.

I can’t tell you how often I nudge clients to keep more frozen vegan meals stocked at home.

Yes, we all love the idea of making our meals from scratch, but the reality is that we can’t do that all the time. When life is really busy, and vegan meal prep is not a possibility, nutritious frozen options can be a major boon.

I love frozen vegan foods. They’ve come to my rescue through so many hectic times. Here are some of the ones I love most:

• SweetEarth veggie lover’s pizza
• Hilary’s Eat Well burgers
• Gardein chick’n florentino
• Saffron Road vegetable biryani
• Cool Beans burritos
• Sunshine burgers
• Purple Carrot frozen meatball marinara and sweet corn elote bowl

Some of these options beg for an accompaniment. I always have the frozen pizza or burrito with a little salad or something else.

If I make a burger, I’ll have it on a bun with some sort of veggie.

Vegan wraps

Just as I love a sandwich, I sure do love a wrap.

Wrap one up at night, then take it to work (with whatever else you like) tomorrow. Wraps are versatile, fun, and portable. Some of my favorites:

• Lentil tahini wraps
• Chickpea Caesar wraps
• Rice & bean collard wraps
• Eggplant arugula wraps with tomato basil cashew cheese

Soup with crackers or bread

There’s nothing like a hearty soup or stew as the weather gets colder. Where I am, this is precisely the point of year that we’ve arrived at.

I love reheating soup for lunch. And I always have it with something for dunking or crunching alongside: could be a slice of bread, any type, or some crackers.

For lunch, I gravitate toward heartier soups and stews that have plenty of protein—usually from lentils, beans, or split peas—and fiber. But sometimes a simple vegetable purée is nice, too.

Here are some favorites:

• Curried butternut lentil apple soup
• Vegan French lentil soup
• Cream of broccoli quinoa soup
• Butternut kale lentil soup
• Turmeric spiced cauliflower kale soup
• Creamy vegan potato leek soup
• Egyptian inspired red lentil soup
• Spicy cabbage chickpea soup
• Simple, pantry tomato soup (with my favorite vegan grilled cheese recipe, too!)
• Chickpea miso vegetable stew

A stuffed pita pocket

Tired of sandwiches? Got a bunch of beans or roasted veggies or strips of seitan or pieces of tofu in the fridge?

Stuff them into a pita pocket, pack it up, and make it a meal prep lunch.

Stuffed pita pockets are tasty and easy to make. They’re so versatile, too, because they can be a vehicle for pretty much anything. Some fillings are too cumbersome for sandwiches, but they’ll fit very nicely into a pita pocket.

A hearty salad

Hearty, meals-sized salads make make really good packed lunches.

I think the leafy green that stands up best to storage and meal prep is kale. Fortunately, I love kale salad, so I don’t lack for options.

However, baby kale, baby spinach, arugula, and chopped romaine can all hold their own in the fridge for a few days, even if they’re dressed.

The key to a salad with enough staying power for lunch is, of course, protein, carbs, and fats.

Here are some of the salads that I consider to be power plates—and good contenders for vegan meal prep lunches:

• Vegan autumn harvest salad
• Spinach rice salad
• Tempeh quinoa salad with cumin vinaigrette
• Chickpea Greek salad (I serve it with pita)
• Lentil beet salad (I like to add toast and some of my cashew cheese)
• Winter panzanella
• French lentil Niçoise
• Quinoa chickpea Caesar
• Cauliflower pomegranate kale salad
• Lentil tahini sweet potato salad
• Quinoa carrot spinach salad with carrot chili vinaigrette

Chili + cornbread

I recently made a black bean quinoa chili that I posted a few years ago for the first time in a while.

I’d forgotten how easy, hearty, and flavorful it is.

And I’d also forgotten what a great lunch some chili is: as easy to pack up as soup, but with a little more stick-to-your-ribs factor.

Some of my favorite chili recipes:

• Black bean quinoa chili
• Mushroom bulgur bean chili
• Slow cooker black bean butternut chili
• Slow cooker two lentil chili
• Vegan chick’n bean chili

In my mind, chili isn’t complete without a slice of vegan cornbread.

Or rather, it’s very nice to eat along with rice or another grain, even a toasted burger bun, but cornbread is a little cozier.

So, I like to meal prep cornbread along with chili if I make it for my weekly lunches. I love a simple, whole grain vegan cornbread or a batch of pumpkin cornbread (which is also gluten-free).

Smashed chickpea salad (or white bean salad)

Smashed chickpeas are a favorite of mine for sandwiches or tartines. But they can also be a great meal prep option.

I like to make a simplified version of the deli salad from Power Plates and pack it up with some salad and pita wedges.

You can also pack smashed chickpea salad with crackers, pita chips, bread, or a whole grain.

Other than that deli salad, I love my smashed kimchi chickpea salad and curried chickpea tahini salad.

Chickpeas aren’t the only beans that I like to smash, either. My garlic tahini smashed white bean salad is an old, yet constant, go-to in my home.

Beans + BBQ Sauce (+ burger bun)

Speaking of beans, you can instantly turn a can of beans into a meal prep component if you simmer it with some barbecue sauce.

Once you do that—thereby creating almonst-instant BBQ beans—you can pack it up with burger buns or bread and some veggies for an easy lunch.

I also like to pack BBQ chickpeas, white beans, or pinto beans with cooked rice, veggies, and then top it with a generous drizzle of my cashew queso sauce.

A multitasking protein

When I was writing The Vegan Week, I realized the value of simple proteins that can be added to bowls, salads, bready things, and more.

Just as I’ve always said that a killer sauce can turn any humble plate of ingredients into a great meal, I’m now convinced that one hardworking plant protein is possibly the most efficient meal prep component there is.

If you don’t have time to do anything else for your vegan meal prep lunches, consider a protein that you can use in many ways as the week goes by.

Some of my favorites:

• Baked balsamic tofu
• Lemon pepper baked tempeh
• Tempeh bacon
• BBQ lentils
• Slow cooker black beans
• Brothy white beans

Freezing and storage

Once you’ve prepared your meal prep lunches, you’ll need to pack them and store them.

I find the following fridge storage times to be generally true for my favorite vegan lunch components. There are always exceptions, of course:

• Grain salads: 3-4 days
• Green salads: 2-3 days
• Soups: 5-7 days
• Pasta salad: 3-4 days
• Baked tofu or tempeh: 5 days
• Cooked beans: 4 days
• Prepared sandwiches or wraps: 2 days

Soups, cooked beans, and cooked whole grains call all be frozen for 6-8 weeks.

Forced WFH life may be over, but solving the dilemma of a nutrient-dense, tasty, non-laborious midday meal isn’t.

I hope that these vegan meal prep lunch ideas will breathe some new life into your routine!

xo

The post Vegan Meal Prep Lunch Ideas appeared first on The Full Helping.

The vegan meal prep ideas in this post will ensure that you start your day with good nutrition—even when life gets busy! Whether you eat breakfast on-the-go or work from home, you’ll find options that are nutritious, satisfying, and convenient.

I’ve spent nearly three years working on a book about vegan meal prep.

Now that I’m nearing the publication stage of that process, I can tell you that meal prep is the only reason that I eat home cooked meals consistently.

I love cooking so much that I’ve devoted a big part of my professional life to it. But I’m no longer at a place where cooking feels pleasurable at the end of a long day.

On busy weeknights, cooking feels like a burden. On top of this, I’m no good at making food decisions when I’m hungry and tired, which is often the case by 7 or 8pm, when I wrap up with my nutrition clients.

Under those conditions, I’m likely to have a hard time deciding what I want to eat. I’ll get easily frustrated if a recipe doesn’t go smoothly. Or I’ll reach for a frozen meal.

For the record, I love store-bought, frozen vegan meals and meal components. And I often encourage clients to rely on them when things are busy, stressful, or both.

But I also love hearty, varied, home-cooked vegan food—even if I don’t love to cook it à la minute. Meal prep is the habit that allows me to eat it, day in and day out, no matter busy I am.

The Vegan Week

Embrace the joy of eating homemade food every day with the hearty and wholesome recipes in The Vegan Week.

Whether you have three, two, or even just one hour of time to spare, The Vegan Week will show you how to batch cook varied, colorful, and comforting dishes over the weekend.

Buy The Vegan Week

I’ve wanted to share more about my meal prep routine here on the blog for a long time. Now that I’m not busy with The Vegan Week, I can actually devote some time and attention to some posts that share more about this process, which is such an important part of my self-care.

I didn’t expect to start with meal prep breakfast ideas. But in many ways, breakfast feels like the perfect place to start.

The value of a balanced breakfast

I’ve always been a breakfast person.

Yet I know from working with clients that many people are not breakfast people. They’re not hungry in the morning or they’re too rushed with early day obligations to prioritize eating.

I understand that feeling. I have the ability to eat breakfast at home nowadays. When I was completing my clinical internship, however, it was much more difficult to prioritize a morning meal.

Even now, when I have early day meetings or client sessions, I sometimes struggle to eat something nutritious as the day begins.

For all of the practical challenges that surround breakfast, there is plenty of evidence in support of a nutrient-dense morning meal.

Kids and teens to eat breakfast, rather than skipping it, seem to be more alert and perform more strongly in school.

Breakfast consumption has been linked in observational studies to improved cardiac health [1, 2], blood pressure control [3], and insulin sensitivity/prevention of Type 2 Diabetes [4, 5].

It’s not entirely clear from these studies whether it’s breakfast itself that makes the difference, or another pattern or habit that people who eat breakfast also tend to adhere to.

To me, it makes good, intuitive sense that a morning meal would contribute to a healthy metabolic rate and more balanced eating through the day. Most folks tend to have a harder time with balanced eating when they go long periods of time without food, forcing their bodies into pronounced hunger.

More importantly, a skipped breakfast is a missed opportunity for good nutrition.

Many breakfast foods are rich in fiber (think: oats, whole grain cereals, whole grain bread), protein (think: tofu scramble, peanut butter, vegan breakfast meats), and phytonutrients (think: fruits and vegetables).

Prioritizing protein

My clients tend to be very nutrition-savvy. Yet many of them report inadequate protein intake when we go over their diets together for the first time.

I’m a big believer in a protein-rich breakfast for energy, blood sugar control, and satiety. I routinely encourage clients to get a 20 gram bolus of protein at breakfast when possible, or a minimum of 10-15 grams when it’s not.

Eating a protein-packed breakfast will help you to meet overall protein needs for the day. Adequate protein and energy intake in is associated with strong immunity [6], maintenance of muscle mass over time [7], wound healing and recovery after injuries or surgeries [8], and enhanced satiety after meals [9, 10].

In short, protein is important! In pulling together the meal prep breakfast ideas below, I’ve tried to prioritize this critical nutrient.

Meal prep breakfast essentials

So, what else do I prioritize when I’m coming up with meal prep breakfast ideas? Here’s a short list.

Nutrition

I eat what I like in the morning. This means that not every single one of my favorite breakfasts is a nutrition powerhouse. Heck, I’ve been known to eat leftover vegan cake with my morning coffee.

Even so, I care about getting good nutrition early in the day when I can. The nutrients that I try to emphasize are:

• Protein
• Calcium
• Fiber
• Complex carbohydrates/starches
• Healthful fats
• Phytonutrients (for example, antioxidants)

All of my most common go-to breakfasts are power plates, which is to say that they feature protein, fat, and carbs.

I always include some fruit or vegetable for phytonutrient density. Phytonutrients are responsible for the beautiful colors that fruits and vegetables display. They’re individually and collectively associated with lower rates of chronic disease.

As for calcium—a big nutrient of concern for me, given my anorexia history—I prioritize fortified plant milks. I also try to sneak leafy greens and legumes into savory breakfast when I can.

Convenience

Much as I love a hearty breakfast, I don’t love having to fuss too much over food on a busy weekday. My favorite meal prep breakfast ideas include options that are simple to prepare.

They often feature my favorite store-bought vegan products, like cereal or yogurt. These foods make it easier for me to nourish myself well on a regular basis.

Variety

I love both sweet and savory breakfast foods. So, I try to get a variety of both as I plan my breakfasts for the week.

This doesn’t mean that I don’t have defaults. Toast and bagels (savory or sweet) are the two most common among those, followed by breakfast tacos and tofu scramble.

I also eat a lot of oatmeal and cereal.

Yet I try, even when I’m busy and on autopilot, to not eat the exact same breakfast each day. More variety means a wider array of nutrients.

When I meal prep for the week, I plan on making (or having ingredients for) at least two breakfast options.

Portability

I find that my most successful vegan meal prep ideas are portable. While I often eat breakfast at home, it’s good to know that I could grab these and take them to a meeting if I needed to.

Sometimes, I bring them to a coffee shop, so that I can work with others around me for a change.

Even if I do WFH every morning for a week, it helps me to pack my breakfasts up as if I were going to take them somewhere. They end up prepared, portioned, and ready to eat when I reach for them. This is a nice convenience if I have to eat in a rush, before my first client of the day.

Meal prep breakfast storage containers

On the topic of preparing, portioning, and storing meal prep breakfasts, it’s essential to have some food containers that make this possible.

That becomes even more true if you need to transport your breakfasts from home to work, school, childcare, or another setting.

There are many food container options nowadays, from bento boxes to silicone bags. Here are some of the containers that I rely on most:

• Pyrex 3.4 Quart Bento Box and 2.1 Quart Bento Box
• Mepal snack pot, fruit and veggie snack pot, and 17-ounce round container
• Pyrex 3-cup rectangle food container
• W&P porter mug and utensil set
• Stasher snack bags, sandwich bags, and 2 cup bowls

Most of the above are microwave friendly for reheating.

Vegan meal prep breakfast ideas

These 15 vegan meal prep breakfast ideas are by no means the beginning or end of what’s possible for a portable morning meal. They represent a sampling of what I’ve come to rely on myself when I need breakfast to be a make-ahead meal.

Many of the options can be modified by changing some of the accompaniments that I’ve suggested.

For example, there’s a lot of possibility when it comes to having baked goods for breakfast.

Vegan muffins and quick breads (such as my classic banana bread, zucchini bread, or pumpkin bread) are a favorite on-the-go option for me. However, a muffin or slice of bread rarely fills me up as is.

For this reason, I tend to enjoy either with “something else,” like nut butter or vegan butter, vegan yogurt, fruit, or a combination of those. You can vary your accompaniments based on hunger and preference.

The same principle goes for cereal, oats, tofu scramble, or really any of the options on this list. These breakfasts become more satisfying and nutritious when you find the right ways to serve them.

I hope you’ll find an option that you enjoy here!

Overnight oats or vegan muesli

Overnight oats and soaked muesli are incredibly easy to prepare, and they’re packed with soluble fiber. Add your favorite nuts, seeds, dried fruit, or fresh fruit to make these portable breakfasts more filling and fun.

Some of my favorites:

• Banana mocha overnight oats
• Ginger pear muesli
• Pumpkin spice overnight oats

Tofu scramble with bread + fruit

I can’t think of a plant-based breakfast that packs more nutritional bang-for-your-buck than tofu scramble.

Tofu scrambles are full of protein, fiber if you add veggies, and they usually have some calcium, too (this depends on the tofu brand that you use).

I like to pack up my scrambles with fresh fruit and some bread on the side.

If I put fruit and scramble in the same container, then I usually serve the tofu leftovers cold, which I like! If I want to heat the scramble up, then I simply pack it in an individual, microwave-safe container.

Other potential, portable tofu scramble accompaniments include:

• Blueberry corn muffins
• A container of cooked whole grain (like rice or quinoa)
• Toasted English muffin (if you have a toaster at work or school)
• Whole grain crackers (I like Triscuits)

Here’s a list of 7 of my favorite tofu scramble recipes—the one I make most often is my classic tofu scramble!

Oat cakes

I first made oat cakes when I was in grad school. I was always on the lookout for portable breakfasts that could double as snacks.

An attempt to make baked oatmeal in a muffin tin turned into these dense, nutritious little cakes. They’re not like Scottish oatcakes, which are crispy and cookie-like.

Instead, they’re hearty and surprisingly filling. A couple of them can be breakfast-on-the-go with serious staying power.

PB&J (+ whatever)

One of my grad school professors used to say that peanut butter and jelly is about as nutritionally perfect a food as there is, and I agree.

PB&J also happens to be my go-to lunch that’s portable or extra convenient. And there’s no reason for it to only be a lunch.

PB&J will provide protein, complex carbs, some sugars to get you moving, and satisfying healthful fats in the morning. Enjoy it with a piece of fruit, a soy milk latte (more protein!), and/or whatever else you like.

Quick bread (+ something else)

There aren’t too many sweet breakfasts that I enjoy more than a thick slice of vegan zucchini bread, pumpkin bread, or banana bread.

For breakfast, I pair these treats with something else. Here are a few of my favorite “something else” options:

• Vegan yogurt
• Fruit + almonds
• Nut butter
• A regular latte or turmeric chai latte
• A cup of warm soy milk (this is mainly for protein and calcium, though it’s also comforting and nice in the colder months, especially with a little vanilla!)

Savory leftovers

The leftovers of any favorite savory breakfast lend themselves well to meal prep. Portion them, store them, and enjoy them as the week goes by.

If you have a fridge at work, these are also great options for transporting and reheating!

Here are some of my favorite savory breakfasts that are also conducive to meal prep:

• Farro breakfast salad with sweet potatoes and apples
• Chick’n enchilada breakfast casserole
• Butternut squash hash with tofu
• Black bean and scrambled tofu enchiladas
• Savory split pea coconut porridge
• Pinto bean skillet bake
• Easy chickpea scramble

Muffins (+ something else)

Muffins, like banana bread or zucchini bread, are a wonderful on-the-go breakfast.

And same as with other quick breads, I’ve learned that I need to have them with something extra in order to feel satisfied.

That “something else” component can be peanut butter, yogurt, a beverage, and so on. Sometimes, two muffins are a perfect breakfast for me.

Some of my favorite, nutrient-dense muffins to meal prep:

• Apple vegan bran muffins
• Berry hemp spelt muffins
• Banana oat chia muffins
• Carrot raisin bran muffins
• Zucchini date muffins

Cereal, milk, and a banana

It’s not hard to enjoy cereal at a desk or on a campus, if you like.

Simply pack up your favorite cereal in one container, then non-dairy milk in another (something with a twist cap, like a mason jar or this, is best).

Enjoy with fresh fruit of some kind. I like a banana (also portable).

Meal prep smoothies

I’m not a big smoothie-for-breakfast person, but if you are, meal prep smoothies are always a fun idea.

Freeze individual portions of your favorite fruit, protein source, and mix-ins. (Here are some fun ideas.)

In the morning, add nondairy milk at home, blend, and add to a container for transportation.

Or, if you have an individual blender and coworkers who don’t mind a little noise, you can blend smoothies in the kitchen area of an office.

A snack bar (+ something)

I eat a heck of a lot of snack bars for snacks. I don’t love them as meal replacements.

Even so, life is life sometimes. Once in a while, a bar needs to stand in for a breakfast if I’m on-the-go or traveling.

If a bar is going to be breakfast, it’s better to choose something that’s more substantial. Some of my favorite, higher calorie bars with vegan flavors are Bobo’s Oat Bars and Pro Bars.

Clif bars aren’t meal-sized, but they definitely can hold me over till mid-morning.

You can also pair a less calorie-dense bar with other stuff. A snack bar + yogurt + fruit is a very good breakfast on-the-go. Now that it’s not hard to find non-dairy yogurt at airports, I’ve relied on this combo often while traveling.

Baked oatmeal (+ yogurt, if you like)

Speaking of stuff that’s good to serve with yogurt, I recently made my blueberry banana walnut oat bake and served it with yogurt on top.

I loved this combo. In the past, I’ve had slices of that bake with nut butters or a drizzle of maple syrup.

This was different. I liked the tangy, cool yogurt on warm slices of baked oatmeal.

Baked oatmeal was actually my favorite meal prep breakfast when I was doing my clinical internship. Sometimes I could microwave it, sometimes I ate it cold, sort of like a bar.

Here are the oat bake flavors that I make most often:

• Vegan pumpkin chocolate chip baked oatmeal
• Maple brown sugar baked oatmeal
• Apple berry baked oatmeal cups
• Peach skillet baked oatmeal
• Blueberry banana oat bake

Single-serve oatmeal

If you don’t feel like making overnight oats or baked oatmeal, you can also let the pros handle your oat needs.

A lot of brands make great, portable, ready-to-eat oatmeal that comes in a cup. All you do is add hot water and let it sit, or you add cold water and microwave it.

I’ve relied on this option while traveling, and it was another mainstay during my clinical internship year. Here are my favorite options that I’ve tried, but there are many others:

• Nature’s Path Summer Berries Boost
• Bob’s Red Mill oatmeal cups
• McDougall Right Foods Apple Flax

These oats may not be quite filling enough on their own. But it’s very easy to make them more substantial, even on-the-go, with a portable nut butter packet or single serve portion of nuts and dried fruit.

Fresh fruit, if you have it, is also always a great addition.

Vegan “McMuffin”

If you have time in the morning to make one of these, then eat it in the car or at your desk someplace, great!

I use:

• A toasted English muffin
• Just Egg folded
• A slice of vegan cheese (I like the American slices from Good Planet)

It’s not exactly a make-ahead breakfast, but it comes together quickly in a toaster. It’s filling, high-protein, and really tasty.

Once you toast your muffin and the egg, just assemble, wrap in foil, and transport to where you need to go.

Serve it with some fresh fruit, if you like. I almost always do.

A frozen vegan breakfast

If your meal prep plan fails to go according to plan—or fails to happen at all—it’s always great to have some nutritious, frozen vegan options to grab and reheat.

Fortunately, there are a lot of wonderful, frozen, store-bought vegan breakfast meals. My favorites:

• Sweet Earth Foods Big Sur breakfast burrito
• Amy’s Organic Vegan Bean & Cheeze burrito
• Amy’s Organic tofu scramble
• Gardein sausage, potato & kale breakfast bowl
• Alpha Foods breakfast sandwich

Baked, stuffed apples

These baked, stuffed apples have some of the goodness of whole grain oats, plus the goodness of fruit.

They’re already pre-portioned and easy to pack, and two of them makes for a very lovely morning meal.

Fruit + yogurt + granola

Fruit, yogurt and granola is a classic breakfast combo, and it can easily be made portable.

When I have this option on the go, I pack up:

• A 5.3-ounce yogurt (the Forager brand cashewgurt in plain or vanilla is my favorite)
• A container that will be big enough to hold my yogurt, granola, and fruit (I like this one)
• A Stasher snack bag with granola
• A cup of berries, a whole banana, some chopped apple, or another fruit
• My W&P Porter Utensil Set spoon

You’ll need to find someplace to sit and assemble this breakfast, but once you do, you’ll have something fresh, colorful, and textured to enjoy.

Meal prep breakfast storage

Once you pick out one or two vegan meal prep breakfast ideas for the week ahead, you’ll need to store them.

The specifics of storage time vary quite a bit from food to food. But here’s a general sense of how long various breakfast items keep:

• Vegan yogurt: 1-2 weeks before opening, 3-7 days after opening
• Dry cereals: 6-12 months before opening, 1-3 months after opening
• Fruit: varies, here is a good general storage guide
• Bread: 5-7 days at room temperature, 1-2 weeks in the fridge, up to 3 months in the freezer
• Tofu scramble: up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge
• Overnight oats (prepared): up to 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge
• Baked oatmeal: up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge
• Quick breads (such as muffins, scones, or banana bread): 4 days at room temperature, 5-7 days in the fridge, 2-3 months in the freezer

Prep now, be thankful later

I always say that meal prep is a gift that my current self gives to my future self.

The subtitle of The Vegan Week is “meal prep recipes to feed your future self,” and I mean it sincerely.

I try to be honest about the realities of meal prep. It can be time consuming and laborious, depending on how much you do.

For me, however, the benefits of having homemade food that’s ready to heat and eat (or transport and eat) as the week begins is priceless.

I’ve never once been sorry to have meal prepped, even if all I could manage was a sauce or a batch of muffins.

It’s easy to focus on meal prep lunch or dinner at the expense of breakfast. But I’ve found that breakfast is one of the nicest meals to prep ahead of time precisely because it’s so tempting to run out the door in the morning without something balanced to eat.

When I do have a solid, nourishing, and nutritionally adequate morning meal, the landscape of my day changes. I’m more energized, I feel more grounded, and I’m not starving when lunchtime rolls around.

I hope that these vegan meal prep breakfast ideas will help you to access all of those sensations, too, week in and week out.

Next up: lunch!

xo

References

1. Chen H, Zhang B, Ge Y, Shi H, Song S, Xue W, Li J, Fu K, Chen X, Teng W, Tian L. Association between skipping breakfast and risk of cardiovascular disease and all cause mortality: A meta-analysis. Clin Nutr. 2020 Oct;39(10):2982-2988. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2020.02.004. Epub 2020 Feb 17. PMID: 32085933.
2. Li ZH, Xu L, Dai R, Li LJ, Wang HJ. Effects of regular breakfast habits on metabolic and cardiovascular diseases: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2021 Nov 5;100(44):e27629. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000027629. PMID: 34871228; PMCID: PMC8568444.
3. Monzani A, Ricotti R, Caputo M, Solito A, Archero F, Bellone S, Prodam F. A Systematic Review of the Association of Skipping Breakfast with Weight and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children and Adolescents. What Should We Better Investigate in the Future? Nutrients. 2019 Feb 13;11(2):387. doi: 10.3390/nu11020387. PMID: 30781797; PMCID: PMC6412508.
4. Ballon A, Neuenschwander M, Schlesinger S. Breakfast Skipping Is Associated with Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes among Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies. J Nutr. 2019 Jan 1;149(1):106-113. doi: 10.1093/jn/nxy194. PMID: 30418612.
5. Bi H, Gan Y, Yang C, Chen Y, Tong X, Lu Z. Breakfast skipping and the risk of type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of observational studies. Public Health Nutr. 2015 Nov;18(16):3013-9. doi: 10.1017/S1368980015000257. Epub 2015 Feb 17. PMID: 25686619.
6. Chandra RK. Nutrition and the immune system: an introduction. Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Aug;66(2):460S-463S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/66.2.460S. PMID: 9250133.
7. Deer RR, Volpi E. Protein intake and muscle function in older adults. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015 May;18(3):248-53. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000162. PMID: 25807346; PMCID: PMC4394186.
8. Wild T, Rahbarnia A, Kellner M, Sobotka L, Eberlein T. Basics in nutrition and wound healing. Nutrition. 2010 Sep;26(9):862-6. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2010.05.008. PMID: 20692599.
9. Westerterp-Plantenga MS, Lemmens SG, Westerterp KR. Dietary protein – its role in satiety, energetics, weight loss and health. Br J Nutr. 2012 Aug;108 Suppl 2:S105-12. doi: 10.1017/S0007114512002589. PMID: 23107521.
10. Paddon-Jones D, Westman E, Mattes RD, Wolfe RR, Astrup A, Westerterp-Plantenga M. Protein, weight management, and satiety. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 May;87(5):1558S-1561S. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/87.5.1558S. PMID: 18469287.

The post Vegan Meal Prep Breakfast Ideas appeared first on The Full Helping.

I’ve been using Caraway cookware for the past six weeks, and this is my honest, glowing, review! I’m sharing everything I’ve learned about cooking and baking with Caraway. Plus, I have answers to your top questions about cleaning, storage, oil-free cooking for WFPB diets, and more.

I’m so excited about the review that I’m sharing today!

The very first new item to arrive at my studio—before furniture, storage, or even groceries—were two boxes from Caraway home.

One contained the Caraway non-toxic ceramic nonstick cookware set. The other contained the Caraway baking set.

I’ve had my eye on Caraway for a long time now. Within the last few years, I’ve started to use nonstick cookware almost exclusively. I love the easy cleanup and the fact that I don’t have to stir constantly to prevent things from sticking.

I also love the fact that I don’t have to use a ton of oil with nonstick cookware. I’m not an oil-free eater myself, but I don’t tend to use a lot of it when I sauté.

Really great, nonstick sauté pans make cooking with moderate or even no oil easy. I’ve been keeping my WFPB readers in mind as I wrote this review.

What is Caraway cookware?

Caraway is a line of non-toxic, ceramic-coated, aluminum cookware.

The signature Caraway cookware set includes the following:

• 10.5-inch fry pan
• 3-quart sauce pan
• 4.5-quart sauté pan
• 6.5-quart Dutch oven

The sauce pan, sauté pan, and Dutch oven all come with fitted lids that allow a small amount of steam to escape during cooking.

The pots and pans can be purchased individually or as part of that set.

The set, which is what I have, arrives with storage solutions for both the cookware and the lids. This has been one of the features I most appreciate as an urban, small-space dweller.

There’s also a Caraway bakeware set, which is a newer offering from the company. It can be ordered as a half set or a complete set.

The bakeware includes:

• 18×13″ baking sheet
• 10×15″ baking sheet
• 12 cup muffin pan
• 9×13″ rectangular baking pan
• 18×13″ cooling rack
• 9″ square pan
• 1lb loaf pan
• 2 9″ circular pans

I have the 5-piece, half bakeware set, which includes both sized baking sheets, the muffin pan, and the rectangular baking pan. I like the bakeware so much that I ended up purchasing the loaf pan separately.

Both Caraway cookware and Caraway bakeware come with heat pads. You can rest your pots, pans, and baking sheets on these if you’ve been using your ceramic nonstick cookware in the oven.

In addition, Caraway now makes a tea kettle, pot holders, and dish towels. I haven’t tried any of those yet (though the dish towels are really cute).

A non-toxic, nonstick option

It’s been my experience that folks have a lot of questions about the safety of nonstick cookware.

There’s concern, especially in the case of older nonstick cookware, about harmful chemicals leaching into food at high temperatures or if the cookware becomes scratched.

Caraway cookware is both safe and non-toxic—and the brand offers a lot of information around this feature.

Caraway pans, pots, and bakeware are free of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylenes, such as Teflon®), lead, and cadmium.

Caraway products also release less CO2 into the earth’s atmosphere during manufacturing than other leading nonstick pans, and they’re packaged sustainably.

Why Caraway feels like a fit for me

When I moved into this space, I knew that it was time for new cookware. I’d been using a hodgepodge of pots and pans that I’d picked up at various points between college and now.

The nonstick frying pan that I was using was both old and cheap. I had another ceramic non-stick pot that I liked, along with some stainless steel cookware that I kept around, but rarely used because I like cooking with nonstick more.

The plan was to give my mom the nonstick pot (she’s been wanting a new one) and research new cookware for my studio.

Because I don’t have much storage space, I hoped to find a single set that would take care of all, or at least most, of my cooking needs.

I’d heard great things about Caraway and loved the pans’ design and aesthetic. I also knew that the sets came with storage solutions, which felt important.

I connected with Caraway as I was packing up in my old space. We started to discuss the possibility of my becoming a Caraway affiliate.

Of course, I wanted to have at least a month to test the cookware at home, so that I could write an honest review and decide whether it would feel authentic to share about the cookware and bakeware on my blog.

It does. I’m loving my new Caraway sets, and I’d gladly invest in them even if I hadn’t been lucky enough to receive the cookware in exchange for sharing my thoughts with you.

Here are some of the features that I’ve most benefited from in the weeks that I’ve been using the Caraway set.

Storage

That’s a scene from one of my main kitchen storage cabinet!

As you can see, the entire Caraway cookware set fits in neatly. This is thanks to Caraway’s Magnetic Pan Racks. They can hold together or be used separately.

The bakeware has its own storage rack, which is visible in the top left.

These racks are magnetic and can be stacked however you’d like to stack them. I keep my cookware toward the back of my cabinet.

Things are tidier in the photo than they are in real life. On any given day, my colander, salad spinner (which is also a grater and spiralizer) and sieves live right in front of the cookware.

But as you can see, I’m able to store all of my cookware—the four pieces that allow me to make everything—tidily and in one place. That’s new for me, and it suits my new surroundings.

Caraway also arrives with a lid storage option for cabinet doors. Mine fits perfectly on the door of the same cabinet that’s home to my cookware.

Nonstick surface

I’ve used many nonstick pans and pots that were just a tiny bit sticky.

Most of the time, these did the trick. But occasionally there would be a moment when tofu scramble didn’t scramble easily, or pancakes were more difficult to flip than I wanted them to be.

The Caraway pan has proven to be the most truly nonstick cookware I’ve used. Sautéing just about anything is a breeze.

When I hear people talk about the true test of nonstick cookware, they often mention eggs.

Using Caraway at home has actually encouraged me to create a homemade vegan egg equivalent that I’m really excited about.

I’ll share the recipe very soon, but in the meantime, you can see how perfect Caraway is for making omelets (and scrambles).

The Caraway cooking set has also worked beautifully for all of my other, customary cooking.

This includes cooking whole grains, soups, stir fries, grain and bean skillets, pasta, and more. So far, no sticking or staining at all.

Caraway cookware cleaning

One of my favorite things about the Caraway cookware is how easy it is to clean.

The Caraway site will tell you everything that you need to know about the cleaning process. The takeaways, though, are simple.

First, don’t transfer hot pans to cold running water—this will “shock” the pans. Second, use soapy, warm water and a non-abrasive sponge, scrubber or cloth.

So far, I have yet to need a non-abrasive scrubber. A regular, soft sponge with warm, soapy water has removed every bit of food from the cookware easily. They’re the quickest-to-clean pots and pans I’ve had.

Design

Yes, Caraway cookware is functional, safe, easy-to-store, easy-to-clean, and truly nonstick.

But another reason that people, including me, love the brand is its design. The cookware comes currently in 8 lovely colors.

The gray is what worked for my kitchen, but I spent a lot of time gawking at the Perracotta (pink) and Sage (green) sets.

The cookware is also sleek and modern looking. It’s nice for me to look at the complete set after years of so many mismatched pieces of cookware.

While I would never recommend that someone invest in Caraway because of aesthetics, they’re part of the brand’s appeal. The visual beauty of the set isn’t meaningless—especially since the cookware also delivers on performance.

So, is Caraway cookware worth it?

When I asked readers what they wanted to know about Caraway, the most common response I received was, “is it [the cookware set] worth the money?”

My answer is an unequivocal yes. For me, the combination of function, form, storage and cleanup makes the Caraway cookware set 100% worthwhile.

A Caraway cookware set is priced at $545. For context, this is comparable to, or less than, many stainless steel and nonstick sets from competitors.

You can get $150 off the whole set and free shipping here. The cost of the 7-piece set will be $395.

Caraway offers a 30-day trial period. If you’re not totally happy with your cookware or bakeware, the free return and refund policy makes it simple to get your money back.

The brand also offers a limited one-year warranty. It covers major damage to the body, handles, lids or anything else that functionally impairs the cookware.

Back to the question—does the Caraway set live up to the hype?

I think it does. If I weren’t collaborating with Caraway as an affiliate and had purchased the set myself, I’d absolutely keep it based on my experience in the last month.

Can I imagine that there are some consumers who wouldn’t love Caraway? Sure. Folks who do a lot of high heat cooking, such as heavy duty pan-searing, may find that the suggested low to medium temperature range is limited.

If you already have a lot of cookware that you love, then it may not make sense to invest in the Caraway cookware set. A single cookware piece would be a better option.

Given my cooking needs, I’m super happy to have the whole set.

My most frequently asked Caraway cookware questions

When I received my cookware set, I popped into my Instagram stories and asked my readers to share their burning questions about Caraway with me.

Below, I’m offering some answers to the questions that came up.

Is Caraway cookware dishwasher safe?

No, dishwashers aren’t recommended for cleaning the cookware. This page has extensive information on how best to clean and care for your cookware or bakeware.

How does Caraway perform with different levels of heat?

According to the brand, it’s best to use Caraway over low or medium heat. Ceramic holds heat more efficiently than traditional pans, so a high flame isn’t necessary.

I’ve kept my flame to medium at most. I also tend to peek at the burner when I turn it on to be sure that the flame only extends over the silver, steel base on the bottom of the pans and pots.

For what it’s worth, I’ve done some stir fries and crispy tofu or tempeh in my Caraway pan, and so far, so good. It hasn’t been a problem for me to do these over medium heat. I have yet to think of a high heat application that I’m missing out on.

Caraway cookware can be transferred to the oven, as well. If you do this, note that the cookware can be placed in oven temperatures up to 550°F, but never to the broiler.

How does the cookware hold up?

This is a question that I plan to come back and answer periodically in this post as I continue to use my cookware!

So far, I don’t have any stains, warping, or signs of heat damage at all.

I will share that one reader and friend has the cream colored Caraway set. She loves it, but she reported to me that the cream colored surface has become discolored in a few places since she purchased it.

I don’t know whether that’s common for the cookware set’s lightest color or not. The gray set is quite a light gray, so I have fingers crossed mine will continue to be as durable as it has been so far.

Caraway does note that the nonstick surface will ultimately wear down a bit. So far as I understand, this is true of all nonstick cookware; it was true of the last pan and pot that I owned.

But the brand also states that, if the pots and pans are cleaned as instructed, they’ll last years. Again, I’ll be happy to update this post through the years to let my readers know how my cookware set is holding up.

Another reader asked me whether the pans and pots are fragile.

The answer is that they don’t feel fragile to me at all.

Caraway cookware seems incredibly well constructed. The pots and pans feel to me as sturdy or more sturdy than other nonstick cookware I’ve used. This includes my old Le Creuset ceramic nonstick pot, which seemed to have similar quality construction, but was a bit heavier than my Caraway pot.

Can you use Caraway on induction oven tops?

Many readers asked me this question, and the answer is yes! Caraway cookware is induction friendly.

I don’t have induction burners, but according to the brand:

Yes, our cookware is induction compatible, as long as the burners on your cooktop support our base sizes. The bases of our pans’ diameters are 5.5″ for the Sauce Pan, 6″ Fry Pan, 6.5″ Dutch Oven and 8″ for the Sauté Pan. Some induction cooktops may not support smaller base sizes.

Is the Caraway nonstick coating also safe/nontoxic?

Yes indeed.

Caraway’s inorganic natural ingredients are FDA-approved and safe to use in contact with all foods.

The cookware is also free of PTFE, PFOA, PFAS, Lead, and Cadmium. There’s no potential risk of these metals leaching into food over high temperatures or if the cookware is damaged.

What’s the upkeep like?

Easy! You don’t need to season the Caraway cookware set when it arrives. It’s pre-seasoned and requires only a wash before use.

For cleaning, you need only use warm, soapy water and a non-abrasive sponge or cloth. In my experience so far, the nonstick surface is so efficient that cleaning is ridiculously quick.

How are the pans different from stainless steel?

I think they’re much, much easier to clean. They’re also truly nonstick.

Do the baking pans warp in the oven?

So far, mine haven’t. In fairness, though, I haven’t used them much yet. According to Caraway:

It is normal for bakeware to slightly “warp” and make a popping sound in the oven due to the heat. Don’t worry—our bakeware’s reinforced rim will ensure it will flatten once cooled.

I’ll report back on this if it happens!

Can you use metal tools when stirring or sautéing?

It isn’t a good idea, because metal can scratch Caraway’s nonstick surface. You can use flippers, spatulas, or spoons that are silicone or wood.

I love the Material soft edge turner and usually use it when I’m cooking with my Caraway pans.

Caraway cookware for no oil cooking

The second most frequent question that I received about my cookware set was whether it’s nonstick enough to work for no oil cooking.

This is no surprise to me, since I have a great many no oil/WFPB readers. While I eat and cook with oils, I’m always mindful that a part of my community doesn’t, and I like to speak to their priorities.

So, I’m happy to tell my oil-free readers that Caraway cookware is perfect for whole foods, plant based diets—and for vegan cooking in general.

In anticipation of writing this post, I tested water and broth sautéing in my pans. Both options worked perfectly.

In fact, Caraway is designed to necessitate less oil (or butter) than most cookware. The brand itself notes that “a small amount will go a long way.”

So far, I’ve mostly used small amounts of oil or vegan butter for my cooking in the Caraway set.

Most of the time, however, I need only a teaspoon or two. A tablespoon at most has been adequate for everything that I’ve tried so far.

Note that the brand recommends against oil spray for both the cookware and bakeware; instead, it recommends using a measured, small amount.

When I used the loaf pan to make my vegan zucchini bread, I added a teaspoon of avocado oil and used a paper towel to spread it around. I had no issues getting my bread out of the pan.

So yes, the Caraway set is a great choice for vegans who cook without oil.

And for vegans who cook with oil, too

The bottom line

In short, I’m really happy and fortunate to have a Caraway set in my new place.

And I enthusiastically recommend the set to any reader who likes nonstick cookware and is comfortable with the heat level that Caraway is designed for.

I know that Caraway is an investment. There are some deals offered by the brand that help to make the investment a little easier.

• You can save $150 on a bakeware set when you click here.
• You can also save $50 on the 5-piece, half bakeware set here.
• And you can get free shipping with any purchase over $90—including single pieces of Caraway cookware—here.

If you have questions about Caraway, email me! Seriously. This isn’t a sponsored post, but the above links are affiliate links. I’m delighted to share them, and I’m also happy to speak to respond to any questions that I’m able to answer.

I let go of many things when I moved this summer. Caraway is one new thing that I feel very happy to have welcomed into my life.

I can’t wait to continue sharing the recipes I create with the cookware and bakeware sets. If you give Caraway a try, I hope that you’ll be really happy, too.

xo

The post Caraway Cookware Set Review appeared first on The Full Helping.

This delicious vegan pasta bake uses vegan ricotta cheese to create layers of creamy, comforting goodness. It’s a cozy, baked pasta dish that you can make with homemade staples, and it’s the epitome of wholesome comfort food!

This vegan pasta bake is proof of how helpful it is to have homemade staples in the fridge and freezer.

The pasta bake came about when I was testing out that 20-minute marinara sauce that I shared on Saturday.

I had tested a few batches, as I usually try to do in order to make sure that a recipe really works. I was planning to freeze some of what I had.

But since I needed a dinner plan for the week anyway, I wondered if there was a new recipe that I could try with the sauce.

We’re now in that wonderful moment between summer and fall. Vegetable-forward dishes that are bursting with color are still very fitting for the season.

Yet temperatures are dropping, and there’s a hint of fall now in the air. I, for one, am now thinking about cozy comfort foods for cooler days and nights.

Baked pasta is just about the most comforting comfort dish that I know of. And this is one of my favorites that I’ve tried.

Vegan ricotta for the best baked pasta

What truly makes this pasta bake work is not the sauce, but the vegan ricotta cheese.

I use my 10-minute vegan ricotta, which is now something that I routinely keep in the fridge or freezer.

The cheese uses a combination of raw cashews and firm tofu. I think that this creates the perfect ricotta texture: not too rich or dense, not too crumbly.

The ricotta has become the only vegan cheese that I use for stuffed shells, my vegan spinach lasagna rolls or regular lasagna, manicotti, and more. It’s also great for sweet or savory toast.

In this pasta bake, the vegan ricotta creates layers of rich, creamy goodness. It does this without the need for any store-bought dairy alternative.

The beauty of homemade vegan cheese

I really enjoy commercial vegan cheeses. This is especially true when it comes to cheese slices for sandwiches.

Good Planet American slices with thick slabs of local tomato on multigrain bread were just about my favorite lunch this past August.

Yet I’ve learned that homemade vegan cheese can be every bit as useful and tasty as store-bought equivalents. Sometimes, I enjoy their flavor and texture much more.

My pasta bake with ricotta is actually very illustrative of this.

I used to be on a never-ending quest to find the perfect, melty vegan cheese for lasagna and other baked pasta dishes.

But here, the vegan ricotta does everything that store-bought cheese shreds would do, and more. It unifies the dish and permeates it with richness.

Best of all, it does so without the greasy quality that some commercial vegan cheeses lend to food.

This summer, when I was experimenting with baked vegan feta pasta, I had no luck at all with store-bought feta. I enjoy that feta on salads, but when I put it into the oven, it melted into a puddle of oil.

My tofu vegan feta cheese, on the other hand, resulted in a tangy, textured, and very delicious meal.

So it is with this recipe, too. Whereas melty cheese shreds might be too oily, and commercial vegan ricotta (like the Kite Hill almond ricotta) might be too thick, the cashew + tofu ricotta is just right.

The vegan pasta bake is perfectly creamy without being heavy or gooey.

As an added bonus, the cashews add healthful, poly- and monounsaturated fat to the meal, while firm tofu adds a good amount of plant protein. This is a big win from a nutrition perspective!

How to make the best vegan pasta bake

With some homemade staples, some vegetables, and a box of pasta on hand, this pasta bake becomes an easy reality.

There are steps involved, but each one is manageable. Here’s how it all comes together.

Step 1: Prepare your homemade vegan staples

In other words, you’ll want to have your 20-minute marinara sauce and 10-minute vegan ricotta ready to go before you proceed with the pasta bake recipe.

You can prepare these directly before you make the pasta bake, or you can meal prep them in advance. Both the ricotta and the marinara can be frozen, so you could make them up to six weeks ahead of time.

When you’re ready for the pasta bake, just defrost the sauce and cheese and move on to the next step.

Step 2: roast your veggies

Yes, this is a pasta bake, but it’s a lot better (and more nutrient-dense) because sweet, roasted summer vegetables are involved.

These summer vegetables are my personal favorites: tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant. With that said, this is a pasta dish that can be carried into other seasons.

Here are some other vegetables that you could roast and include in place of the ones specified in the recipe:

• Broccoli florets
• Cauliflower florets
• Winter squash
• Bell pepper
• Carrots
• Beets
• Rutabaga
• Asparagus
• Artichokes
• Corn

Those are in no particular order, but you get the idea: you can use the vegetables that you have and love.

Assuming you use the zucchini, eggplant, and grape tomatoes called for, you’ll roast them with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a 400°F oven for 30 minutes, or until they’re tender and juicy.

This step, too, can be done ahead of time. Store the roasted vegetables for a couple days in the fridge before using in the pasta bake.

Step 3: Cook your pasta

While your vegetables roast, bring a big, salted pot of water to a boil. Cook your pasta as directed.

For this pasta bake, I recommend a medium pasta shape. That could be:

• Penne
• Fusilli
• Rotini
• Rigatoni
• Larger-cut shells (like these)
• Cavatappi
• Casarecce
• Ziti

Step 4: Assemble

At this point, you’ll simply layer your cooked pasta, ricotta, and marinara sauce in a lightly oiled baking dish.

The layering process doesn’t need to be at all neat. I just spoon the ricotta into my layers in big dollops.

When you reach your final layer, you can swirl and smooth the ricotta and the marinara sauce on top of the pasta.

Step 5: Cashew parmesan

Sometimes I top a lasagna or other baked pasta dish with vegan cheese shreds. But as I mentioned above, I think that the real beauty of this recipe is that homemade vegan cheeses work so well for it.

I like to dust the top of the vegan pasta bake with a light layer of my cashew parmesan cheese. It’s a perfect finish and adds just the right extra savoriness to the recipe.

In place of the cashew parmesan, you could use:

• Store bought vegan parmesan cheese
• Breadcrumbs
• Nutritional yeast

Step 6: Bake

Now it’s time to bake the pasta!

You’ll bake it covered for 20 minutes and uncovered for another 15-25. You’ll know the pasta bake is ready when it’s bubbling at the edges and crisping on the top.

Cut into portions and dig in—or store the pasta bake for the week.

Meal prep and storage

Speaking of that, the vegan pasta bake is a great option for weekly meal prep. Portions will keep in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 5 days.

They can be frozen for up to 8 weeks.

Can the pasta bake be made gluten-free?

Of course! Use any favorite gluten-free pasta in place of traditional pasta for the recipe.

If you’d like to give the meal a little more plant protein, you can use a legume-based pasta.

My favorite of those these days is Tolerant lentil pasta or Barilla Protein+, which includes whole grains and chickpea flour.

Can I substitute the 10-minute vegan ricotta cheese?

Yes, you can absolutely substitute the vegan ricotta in the recipe.

Here are some options:

• Store-bought vegan ricotta (such as Kite Hill)
• Tofu ricotta (no nuts) or tofu feta
• My simple, go-to cashew cheese

How to serve vegan pasta bake

You can truly serve this vegan pasta bake with any side dishes that you like.

I really enjoy it with a big, summery green salad and some of my Greek vinaigrette.

It’s also lovely with:

• Roasted asparagus or baby broccoli
• Garlicky, sautéed kale or broccoli rabe
• Kale salad
• Sliced, fresh summer tomatoes with olive oil and a drizzle of syrupy balsamic
• Grilled zucchini
• Sautéed spinach

No matter how you serve it, the dish will be oh-so filling and flavorful.

Here’s the recipe.

Print

Vegan Pasta Bake with Ricotta

This delicious vegan pasta bake uses vegan ricotta cheese to create layers of creamy, comforting goodness. It's a cozy, baked pasta dish that you can make with homemade staples, and it's the epitome of wholesome comfort food!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword casserole, comfort food, main course, make ahead, meal prep, pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 8

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• food processor
• rectangular baker (9×13")

Ingredients

• 1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise into 1-inch pieces
• 1 small eggplant, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (340g)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for oiling your baking dish)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 batch 20-minute marinara sauce (or 4 1/2 cups/1070ml store-bought marinara sauce of choice)
• 1 batch 10-minute vegan ricotta cheese (2 cups/225g store-bought vegan ricotta cheese )
• 1/4 cup cashew parmesan cheese (or a store-bought vegan parmesan cheese)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400°F. Arrange the zucchini, eggplant, and cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes, or until all are tender and the eggplant is browning. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. 
• While the vegetables roast, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente, according to package instructions. 
• Lightly oil a 9 by 13- inch/24 by 36cm baking dish. Spread a half cup (120ml) of the marinara sauce lightly across the bottom. 
• Drain the cooked pasta. Spread one third of the pasta in the baking dish, followed by a third of the vegetables. Dollop 2/3 cup of the vegan ricotta over the pasta and vegetables, followed by 1 1/3 cups marinara sauce. Repeat this twice. Use the back of a spatula or spoon to lightly spread and swirl around the marinara and vegan ricotta along the top when you finish layering. Then, sprinkle this layer with the vegan parmesan cheese.
• Cover the pasta with foil and bake it for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15-25 minutes, or until bubbling at the edges and crisping on the top. Cut into slices and serve or store.

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of having leftovers of a hearty casserole in the fridge. These dishes make generous portions, and they’re a wonderful, grounding thing to reach for when life feels especially hectic.

I know that September tends to be a whirlwind for many, and I’m feeling it right now myself. Hope this pasta bake will help to keep you happily fed through all of it.

xo

The post Vegan Pasta Bake with Ricotta appeared first on The Full Helping.

This homemade vegan marinara sauce comes together in only 20 minutes, but it’s bursting with flavor. It will become your go-to for pasta suppers, lasagna, pasta bakes, stuffed shells, and more. Plus, it’s freezer friendly, so you can always have some on hand!

I ought to think twice before ever making big, bold statements about my food habits or preferences.

I like big opinions about food and have many of my own. I’m becoming more particular with age, so I can almost always understand a strong food preference, even if I don’t happen to share it.

But there’s a laundry list of once strongly held opinions that I’ve had to revise: the food I claimed I’d always love and don’t anymore; the ingredient or flavor that I once hated, which has grown on me; the all-time favorite dish that has been replaced by a new favorite.

My claim that marinara sauce is one of those ingredients that I’ll always choose to purchase, rather than make from scratch, is one of them.

To DIY or not to DIY?

Like most home cooks, I have some things that I like to make from scratch, and other things that I’d rather buy.

There’s no airtight logic behind these categorizations. They’re shaped by a reasoning that takes into account how much things cost, how good my homemade version tastes vs. the store-bought one, and how much I actually enjoy making the thing.

I love making my own sauces and dressings, as well as homemade vegan cheese. I save a little money when I prepare these staples at home. Since I really enjoy the process of creating them, I almost always make them from scratch.

Yeasted breads are fun to make, but even so, I’m not always in the mood. There are many store-bought sandwich breads that I like. So I’d say homemade vs. store-bought bread is a 50/50 split in my home.

Then there are sourdough and kombucha. I enjoyed making the former for a while, but in this season, I get very little pleasure from the process. And I’ve never made homemade kombucha that’s actually tastier than what I could purchase.

I leave both to the experts.

And what about marinara sauce?

Until pretty recently, marinara was a staple that I preferred to buy.

Most marinara sauces are vegan as is. Many brands are affordable. Some, including Rao’s, which is my favorite, taste better than any version I’ve ever made from scratch.

The problem is that I don’t always remember to pick up marinara sauce. Then comes a night when I’d like to prepare an easy pasta, and I don’t have sauce on hand.

My new apartment, which has limited pantry space, is making my grocery hauls smaller. Moving has also made me more conscientious about my budget.

This means that I now think twice about purchasing things that I could very easily whip up with what I already have at home.

For all of these reasons, I’ve been trying to make my own marinara sauce with canned tomatoes more often. And that effort is starting to pay off.

Just as I was starting to make more of my own marinara sauce, a few readers DM’ed me on Instagram asking if I had a recipe of my own. It was even more motivation to settle on a formula that I like.

This 20-minute marinara sauce is it.

Is the sauce as good as Rao’s? Honestly, I don’t think so. Is it as deeply flavorful as an old family recipe that has been simmering in a pot on the stovetop all day? No. Is it even authentic marinara? Probably not.

But the 20-minute marinara is very tasty. More importantly, it’s fast and convenient. You can whip it up with pantry staples in about the same amount of time it’ll take you to boil water for and cook pasta.

In my book, that makes it a winner.

What is marinara sauce, anyway?

If you’re confused about what constitutes marinara, then that makes two of us. I’ve always wondered about the differences between marinara, red sauce, pomodoro, gravy, and so on.

This post was very instructive: apparently, marinara sauce is red sauce. And it’s chunkier than pomodoro, which is traditionally made with fresh tomatoes.

The post says that marinara sauce can be simmered from anywhere from 30 minutes to hours, which makes me worry less about the liberties that I’m taking with a 20-minute version!

(For what it’s worth, “gravy” is apparently similar to ragu, and the term originated in America.)

How to make 20-minute marinara sauce

My 20-minute marinara recipe is adapted minimally from one of Colu Henry’s “Mama’s Marinara” in her great cookbook, Back Pocket Pasta.

My version has a little more garlic, some tomato paste, which I think deepens the sauce’s flavor, and a little bit of optional sugar.

Why sugar? Because just one tablespoon manages to offset some of the acidity of the tomatoes in the recipe.

If you’re strict about sugar avoidance, it’s fine to omit. My own grandmother and mom always sweetened their tomato sauce a little, and I’ve come to prefer it that way.

To begin, you’ll sauté some onion in olive oil. When the onion is clear and translucent, add thinly sliced garlic and tomato paste.

Heat them for about a minute, then add whole, peeled, canned San Marzano tomatoes. I usually use the Cento or San Marzano brands.

If I find canned, San Marzano tomatoes with basil, then I often reach for them. I love the flavor of basil in this sauce.

Once your tomatoes are in the pot, you’ll need to break them down. I crush them gently with a handheld potato masher, but you can easily use the back of a spoon to do this.

The tomatoes may spatter as you crush them, so be sure to wear an apron when you make the sauce!

Add your salt, sugar if using, and some water to the mixture. Bring it to a low boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer your sauce for 10 minutes.

The sauce should be uncovered while you simmer it. After 10 minutes, it will be thickened, fragrant, and ready to use.

You can add cooked pasta directly to the marinara sauce and call it dinner, or you can store the sauce for any future meal.

Meal prep

The 20-minute marinara sauce is a such a smart addition to any meal prep routine.

Once made, the marinara can be used for quick, easy pasta suppers. It can also be frozen, so that you don’t have to spend money on store-bought sauce (unless you’d prefer to).

Any time you prepare to make a pasta dish that calls for marinara sauce—and so many do—you can pull your homemade sauce out of the freezer. It’s every bit as easy to do this as it is to open a store-bought jar that lives in the pantry.

Storage

I store my marinara in 32 ounce mason jars. The sauce will keep for about a week in the fridge, and it’s good in the freezer for up to 8 weeks.

If you freeze the sauce, be sure to leave about an inch of head space at the mouth of the jar. Liquid expands as it freezes, and this will help to prevent accidental freezer shattering!

How to use 20-minute marinara sauce

If all that I ever did with a jar of homemade marinara sauce was to put it on freshly cooked pasta and top it with cashew parmesan, I’d be very, very happy.

Yet there are so many other things that you can do with this humble, homemade sauce. Here are some of my favorite pasta recipes, which I’ll use the sauce for sooner or later:

• Eggplant baked rigatoni
• Spinach lasagna rolls
• Creamy vegan skillet lasagna
• Pizza pasta bake
• Easy sausage mushroom marinara pasta
• Spaghetti and white bean balls
• Wholesome lentil, mushroom and kale lasagna

Maybe you have your own list of beloved “red sauce” meals that you’ll want a quick, low-stress, homemade sauce for.

I’m hoping you’ll like this one.

Print

20-Minute Marinara Sauce

This homemade vegan marinara sauce comes together in only 20 minutes, but it's bursting with flavor. It will become your go-to for pasta suppers, lasagna, pasta bakes, stuffed shells, and more. Plus, it's freezer friendly, so you can always have some on hand!

Course sauce

Cuisine American, Italian, Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword DIY, homemade, pasta, sauce, staples

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 4.5 cups

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• potato masher

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped 
• 4 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 28 ounces whole, peeled San Marzano tomatoes (1 28-oz/800g can)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (or 3/4-1 teaspoon fine sea salt)
• 1 tablespoon brown or cane sugar (optional, to offset the acidity of the tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup water (120ml)
• Big handful fresh, finely chopped basil or parsley (optional)

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a medium large pot over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion. Cook the onion for about 4 minutes, stirring often, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook for another full minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the tomatoes to the pot. Use a handheld potato masher or the back of a spoon to crush them (they'll spatter, so wear an apron!). Add the salt, sugar if using, and water. Allow the mixture to come to a vigorous simmer, then turn the heat to low. Throw in a handful of fresh herbs, if desired. Simmer, uncovered, for ten minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. 
• At this point, you can add cooked pasta directly to the pot (you'll need about 12oz/340g pasta) for a pasta supper, or you can transfer the sauce to an airtight storage container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 6 weeks.

Speaking of meal prep, it’s a Saturday! I don’t usually post on Saturdays.

But this is the day on which I do my own vegan meal prep, and sauces are especially valuable parts of that routine. One good sauce can be the backbone of a week’s worth of food.

Homemade marinara was on my mind. And this coming week, I’ll share a recipe that I recently used it in (and loved it in).

Till then,

xo

The post 20-Minute Marinara Sauce appeared first on The Full Helping.

This vegan BLT has it all: crispy tempeh bacon strips, juicy summer tomatoes, and the best, homemade vegan mayo. It’s a plant based spin on the classic sandwich that you’ll want to make again and again!

Now that I’ve shared the homemade vegan mayo that I can’t stop making, it’s time to share the BLT sandwich that I’ve been hooked on this summer.

BLTs were one of my favorite sandwiches growing up. I’ve tried many approaches to veganizing them.

I’ve made vegan BLTs with seitan bacon, tempeh bacon, eggplant bacon, and coconut bacon. I’ve used homemade versions of these “bacons” as well as store-bought.

I’ve made BLTs with several brands of store-bought mayo. On occasion, I’ve taken gone rogue and replaced mayo with avocado, hummus, or homemade cashew cheese.

This is my favorite version so far. Part of this is just the satisfaction of using homemade ingredients.

I’m always happy to purchase what I don’t have time to make, but it sure does feel rewarding to prepare the tempeh bacon and mayo from scratch. I love both recipes, and neither require a lot of work. Win, win.

Beyond this, the vegan BLT is good for all the same reasons that make BLTs such a favorite: a mixture of salty bacon, sweet tomatoes, and tangy mayo. Toasted bread, creamy spread, juicy burst of tomato, and crispy lettuce.

Texture, flavor, and lots of nostalgia. Plus simplicity. My favorite sandwiches usually have just a few ingredients, which add up to something wonderful. This one is a shining example.

How to make a vegan BLT

The trick to making a vegan BLT is to find tasty, authentic plant-based ingredients that replace traditional bacon and mayo.

In late July, when I moved, I had a vegan BLT at a nearby restaurant that had oven-dried tomatoes, dressed arugula, and avocado in addition to mayo.

It was really good, and it set me on a path of experimenting with a few different, untraditional vegan BLT recipes.

I didn’t create a single sandwich that I didn’t want to eat. But the honest truth is that I kept coming back to the recipe that I’m sharing today.

Part of this was convenience. What I love so much about sandwiches for lunch is that they’re genuinely quick and easy for me to make.

Occasionally I come up with something unusual and labor-intensive. For example, I roast kabocha squash for this yummy, wintery creation.

But most of the time, I think that less is more for a sandwich. PB&J, for example, has only three ingredients, but there’s a reason it’s as beloved as it is. One of my grad school professors described it as a “nutritionally perfect food,” and he’s pretty much right.

So too with BLTs—less is more. I’ve stuck with a classic formula for this one: bacon, lettuce, tomato, mayo, bread. Occasionally I add some Dijon mustard along with mayo, and you’ll see that option in the recipe card.

Otherwise, making this sandwich is as simple as layering the ingredients, slicing, and serving.

A nutritious, high-protein plant “bacon”

There’s no vegan “bacon” that I love as much as my baked, crispy tempeh bacon.

I mean no offense to eggplant bacon, which is also a favorite. But vegetable-based vegan bacons just don’t deliver on protein, whereas seitan and tempeh bacon do.

Seitan bacon is usually something that I buy. But tempeh bacon is so easy to make from scratch. A little marinating and hands-off oven time is all that’s required.

Even better, tempeh bacon is rich in protein and flavor, but it has negligible saturated fat. Instead, it has healthful fatty acids, as all soybean-based foods do. And it offers some dietary fiber as well.

All things considered, it’s a more wholesome alternative to conventional bacon that still delivers on smoky, salty, crispy goodness.

My favorite homemade vegan mayo

“Favorite” is a big word, I know, since I just posted this recipe a few days ago. But now that I have a vegan mayo option that’s homemade, easy, and wholesome, it’ll be hard to justify vegan mayo that’s $6-$9 in stores.

My cashew-based mayo is tangy, creamy, and absolutely delightful. The fact that it happens to be oil-free and wholesome is an added bonus for plant-based eaters.

You certainly can, and it’s no problem to, prepare this recipe with store-bought vegan mayo. But 1 cup of soaked, un-roasted cashews will yield wonderful things if you have a blender or a food processor.

Not a fan of BLTs? No problem at all. Use the mayo for:

• Tomato cheese sandwiches
• Chickpea salad
• Tempeh lunch salad
• Tofu egg salad
• A vegan grilled cheese with the mayo method

Meal prep & storage

Good news for this recipe is that it’s very meal prep friendly.

The tempeh bacon will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days. It can be frozen for 4-6 weeks.

The cashew mayo can be kept in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Freeze it—leaving an inch of headspace at the mouth of your storage jar—for up to 6 weeks.

If you want to, you can prep the tempeh bacon and the cashew mayo ahead of time and freeze them. When you’re in the mood for a homemade BLT, you can defrost them and layer them with fresh lettuce and tomato.

Easy!

In the winter, try substituting that thick slice of fresh, summer tomato with store-bought, roasted red bell pepper. It’s not quite the same, but it’s a seasonal twist that’s nice at any time of year.

What kind of bread should I use for my vegan BLT?

I tend to associate a BLT with white bread. My favorite option is my vegan white bread, which is really ideal for sandwiches of all kinds.

Yet multigrain and whole grain breads are also great for this vegan BLT, or any BLT. I have some homemade recipes that I love when I have the time for them.

One is my easy vegan multigrain bread, which uses a multigrain blend for texture and nutritional richness.

Another is my maple oatmeal bread, which is a little sweet and a little savory—really great for toast (and French toast), but also good for sandwiches.

And if you don’t have the time or the bandwidth to make bread, which I rarely do these days myself, then you can use a favorite store-bought option.

My favorite vegan store-bought breads

I’m asked often via Instagram about my favorite store-bought breads. My favorite is probably any variety of Dave’s Killer Bread.

Sprouted breads (and burger buns, and hot dog buns) from Angelic Bakehouse are a close second.

Other brands that I love and buy from include Silver Hills Bakery and some of the whole grain + vegan options from Arnold (Oatnut is a favorite).

If you have a local bakery that makes great sandwich bread or great sourdough, which also a nice option for this recipe, great!

Can the vegan BLT be made gluten-free?

Absolutely. You can use any favorite vegan and gluten-free bread, homemade or store-bought, to make the BLT sandwich.

More favorite lunch sandwiches

Here we are, inexplicably entering September and back-to-school season. If you love sandwiches as much as I do, here are some of my favorites to take you into the year ahead:

• Avocado kabocha
• Green goddess club
• Tempeh meatball subs
• Garlic tahini smashed vegetable
• Miso tahini vegetable
• Tofu egg salad
• Vegan grilled cheese (and pantry tomato soup)

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Vegan BLT Sandwich with Homemade Mayo

This vegan BLT has it all: crispy, smoky tempeh bacon strips, juicy summer tomatoes, and the best, homemade vegan mayo. It's a plant based spin on the classic sandwich that you'll want to make again and again!

Course lunch, main, side

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cashews, dairy free, lunch, sandwich, tempeh, vegan

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 8 slices white sandwich bread (or a sandwich bread of choice)
• 1/2 cup vegan mayo (or a store-bought vegan mayo of choice)
• 4 teaspoons Dijon mustard (optional)
• 1 batch crispy tempeh bacon (or 8oz store-bought vegan bacon of choice)
• 1 large or 2 medium/small beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes, sliced about 1/4-inch thick
• Butterhead or oak lettuce leaves

Instructions

• Toast the bread slices. To assemble one sandwich, spread 1 tablespoon of vegan mayo on each of two slices of toast. Add 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard if you like that option. Place a tomato slice on one slice of the bread, followed by a quarter of the thin tempeh bacon slices (enough to cover the tomato slice). Place one or two lettuce leaves on top of the tempeh bacon, then top them with the other layer of toast and mayo. Slice your sandwich in half and enjoy.

Sometimes, only a sandwich for lunch will do. And sometimes it has to be a sandwich that’s nostalgic, a classic.

As I sat in my new space this summer, staring at the fortress of boxes that I knew I’d be unpacking little by little and my window onto a new world, I took comfort in the familiarity of many vegan BLT lunches.

It’s my most sincere hope that this little sandwich will bring that kind of comfort to your life, too. Enjoy the recipe!

xo

The post Vegan BLT Sandwich with Homemade Mayo appeared first on The Full Helping.

This is a simple approach to making homemade vegan mayo with only five ingredients. Cashews are the main ingredient in the recipe. This vegan mayo is oil free and ready in minutes. Use it on all of your favorite plant-based sandwiches!

I’ve always been very happy to purchase vegan mayo. In fact, Vegenaise is one of the first plant-based condiments that I bought regularly.

In spite of the fact that I like to make many homemade staples, mayo has never been a priority.

Until this summer, that is.

Summer 2022 has been my summer of sandwiches. With the upheaval of moving, unpacking, and especially long work days, sandwiches have been the easiest lunch for me to throw together.

At a certain point, after my tenth or so consecutive Tofurky sandwich, I started to wonder about homemade vegan mayo.

I’ve attempted a vegan mayo once before, with aquafaba. I liked it. This time, however, I wanted to try a version with cashews.

My kitchen VIP

There’s probably no single ingredient that contributes more to the success of my vegan cooking than cashew nuts.

My love affair with cashews began when I was a new vegan. At the time, there was no cheese equivalent of Vegenaise—that is, a store-bought version of a traditional dairy food that I liked as much as the real thing.

I taste tested the commercial cheeses that were available then, and none seemed especially worthwhile. I decided to try making a soft vegan cheese at home.

That became my go-to cashew cheese, a simple recipe that I’ve relied on for more than a decade.

I’ve branched out beyond this cashew cheese since then. I now use cashews to make melty vegan cashew mozzarella, cashew queso, yellow cheese sauce (so good on a baked spud), cashew parmesan cheese, 4-ingredient vegan sour cream, and an easy, 10-minute vegan ricotta.

The creamy texture of cashews, combined with their mild flavor, makes them a perfect base for dairy substitutes.

When I’m not turning cashews into homemade vegan cheese, I use them for creamy sauces and dressings. Here too, their creamy texture comes in handy.

Some of my favorite cashew-based dressings include carrot cashew dressing, creamy cashew Dijon dressing, and cashew cilantro sauce.

And how could I forget about cashew cream? There is always at least one jar of cashew cream in my freezer or fridge, waiting for use in creamy pasta dishes, muesli, desserts, and more.

Health benefits of cashews

Nut consumption for heart health

As a registered dietitian, I spend a lot of time encouraging my clients to include nuts and seeds in their diets. The main reason I give this nudge is that a substantial body of evidence links nuts with heart health.

One longitudinal study with over 210,000 subjects compared consumption of a 1oz serving of nuts five or more times weekly with minimal nut intake.

Consumption of peanuts and tree nuts 2 or more times per week and walnuts 1 or more times per week was associated with a 13% to 19% lower risk of total cardiovascular disease and 15% to 23% lower risk of coronary heart disease during the study period, which was 32 years in total.

A 2019 meta-analysis (in other words, a study of other studies!) of 19 studies that examined nut consumption and cardiac health concluded that nuts had a beneficial role in reducing the incidence of, and mortality from, different cardiovascular disease outcomes.

Cashew nutrition

Each variety of nut has its own nutrition benefits to offer. Cashews are rich in magnesium, zinc, Vitamin K, and Vitamin B6.

In addition, the fats in cashews are of the heart-healthy, mono- and polyunsaturated variety. And those healthful fats make cashews satiating.

The versatility of nuts in plant-based recipes

Honest confession? I’m not a big nut eater. In other words, I don’t often grab and eat them by the handful.

I think that nuts are a great snack from a nutrition perspective. But I don’t love them on their own from a flavor texture perspective—and I love to love my food.

What I do love are things made with nuts. And fortunately, nuts are a versatile ingredient. They can be ground up, blended, chopped, sliced, and slivered.

They can then find their way into so many types of recipes: energy balls and snack bars, dressings and sauces, dips, vegan cheeses, baked oats, muffins, and desserts.

So, with the exception of an odd trail mix craving here or there, I usually cover my nut intake by enjoying them in recipes.

This homemade vegan mayo will become a new standby.

Making vegan cashew mayo

Normally for a recipe “how-to,” I’d offer a step-by-step. For this vegan mayo, it’s pretty simple!

Step one: soak

Cashews blend up most easily when they’ve been soaked in water. You can soak them in room temperature water for a minimum of two hours, or up to overnight.

If you soak the cashews for more than two hours, transfer them to the fridge while they soak.

You can also soak cashews in hot water for 30 minutes if you’re in a rush and forgot to start soaking them earlier.

Either way, be sure to drain the cashews of soak water before you use them in this recipe, or any other.

Step two: blend!

Yep—that’s it. The only remaining thing to do with the cashews after you soak them is to blend them up with lemon juice and white wine vinegar, salt, Dijon mustard, and water.

You can use either a food processor or a high-speed blender for the blending. If you use a food processor, be sure to stop the machine a few times, scrape down the bowl, re-cover, and then continue processing. This will ensure a smooth mayo.

Tips for texture

Whether you use a processor or a blender, I recommend starting with 5 tablespoons of water and increasing by 3 more, to 8 tablespoons total, if you need to.

The amount of water needed will depend on how much water your cashews absorbed during soaking, and that depends on their age and texture.

When the mayo is first blended, it will be a bit “looser” than traditional mayo is. It will thicken up in the fridge, though, as you store it.

What type of cashews should I use?

I recommend using cashews that are labeled as “raw” or “unroasted” and unsalted. Roasted, salted cashews have too strong a flavor to work for the mayonnaise recipe.

Can I substitute the cashews?

If you have a cashew allergy, then macadamia nuts or pine nuts will be the best substitute in this recipe.

I know that neither of these substitutes is inexpensive, unfortunately, but they will each do the best job of creating the same texture, flavor, and results as the cashew nuts do.

If you have an allergy to all tree nuts, then aquafaba mayo is a fun alternative to explore.

Meal prep and storage

The cashew mayo would be a great homemade staple to add to your meal prep routine. It will keep for 4-5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

Can I freeze vegan mayonnaise?

Yes, you can! The vegan mayo, just like cashew cream, can easily be frozen.

Transfer it into storage containers, leave a little head space at the top of the container (liquids expand as they freeze), and freeze the mayo for up to six weeks.

What to do with vegan mayo

Once the vegan mayo is ready, you can use it in any recipe that regularly calls for mayonnaise.

Here are some of the recipes that I plan to try using it in:

• Smashed kimchi chickpea salad
• 15-minute tempeh lunch salad
• Tofu egg salad

This week, I’ve been doing a lot of tomato cheese sandwiches: a couple slices of vegan cheese, slices of perfect summer tomatoes, lettuce, the homemade vegan mayo, and some Dijon mustard.

It’s especially good on my classic white sandwich bread.

No matter what you do with it, I hope you’ll come to love this simple—and relatively nutritious—homemade mayo.

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Vegan Mayo with Cashews

This homemade vegan mayo has only five ingredients, including cashews. It's oil free and ready in minutes!

Course condiment, sauce

Cuisine American, French

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword cashews, dairy free, DIY, nuts, staples

Prep Time 5 minutes

Soaking time 2 hours

Servings 1 cup

Author Gena Hamshaw

Equipment

• food processor
• High-speed blender

Ingredients

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours and drained (140g)
• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar (substitute apple cider vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 5-8 tablespoons water

Instructions

• Start with five tablespoons of water. Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender or process in a food processor, stopping periodically to scrape the sides down, until the vegan mayo is creamy and completely smooth. Add up to three more tablespoons of water as needed, to facilitate blending without sacrificing a rich, spreadable texture. Store the vegan mayo in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Speaking of long, busy days, this week has flown by already! I’ll be back soon, for the weekend check-in.

xo

The post How to Make Vegan Mayo with Cashews appeared first on The Full Helping.

These vegan rice & bean collard wraps can be meal prepped for easy, make-ahead lunches. They feature my favorite, nutritious trio of foods, grains, beans, and greens! Barbecue sauce is a perfect accompaniment for dipping or drizzling.

I made these rice and bean collard wraps so many weeks ago that it feels odd to be posting about them now! I’m still thinking about what a great little lunch they were, though.

I don’t need to do anything special to rice and beans in order to enjoy them. I love this simple pairing of two simple, yet sustaining, ingredients.

Oft-cooked rice and bean recipes in my home include coconut sweet potato rice and beans, turmeric rice, beans and greens, grain, green, and bean skillet (with yum sauce!), and of course the rice, beans, tofu n’ greens from my cookbook Power Plates.

To date, it’s the recipe from that book that I’ve cooked the greatest number of times.

These vegan rice and bean collard wraps might join those other recipes as a staple meal. They gave me an excuse to eat rice and beans, which made me happy.

And they reminded me of how fun it is to make collard green wraps!

Rice, beans and complete proteins

When I became vegan, it was long enough ago that there was still a lot of mainstream advice to seek out complete, or complementary, proteins. Rice and beans were listed as a classic example of these.

We now know that it isn’t necessary to pair foods together in order to create complete proteins. Or rather, we don’t need to seek them out with each meal. Eating a wide array of protein-rich vegan foods is enough to supply our bodies with the essential amino acids that we need.

Even so, I remember taking the suggestion to eat rice and beans together seriously. In addition, they were each easy to cook.

Rice and beans became a staple food for me. It was one of the first meals I felt comfortable preparing. To this day, it remains maybe a top five comfort food within my diet.

I became interested in raw foods not too long after this. So, funnily enough, collard green wraps also became a staple in my diet around that time.

How to make collard green wraps

The reason I initially became interested in collard wraps was because I was leaning in the raw food direction. I wasn’t eating a lot of regular wraps, so collard leaves were an alternative.

Today, many years past my raw food flirtation, I enjoy cooked collard leaves for collard wraps, rather than raw.

Cooked or raw, collard wraps are pretty easy to make.

The main thing, I think, is to trim down the thick part of the center stem, so that the leaf becomes relatively flat. This makes the leaves easy to fill and wrap.

You can use a paring knife to shave down that stem, or you can use a vegetable peeler.

After that, you can treat the wrap similarly to how you’d treat a grain wrap! Add some filling to the bottom third, fold the bottom of the leaf over it, tuck in the sides, and roll upward.

If you’ve had a hard time warming up to collard greens, then it’s worth experimenting with this way of enjoying them. Collards are an especially good source of vegan calcium, and they’re really versatile.

Rice and bean collard wrap ingredients

The plainest way to prepare this dish would have been to mix cooked rice with canned beans, stuff them into my steamed and trimmed collard leaf, wrap them up, and eat them as is.

I will probably take that exact shortcut at some point, maybe adding some avocado to the wraps or using whatever homemade sauce I have leftover for some flavor and healthful fat.

But this time around, I seasoned the rice and beans with some sautéed onion and pepper, cumin, coriander, and smoked paprika. It gave the rice and bean filling some character.

I also added some tamari for saltiness and umami—sometimes I think it’s a more flavorful solution than regular salt—and some vinegar for a little acid.

Aside from those flavorings, this recipe really only consists of the rice, beans, and collards. Simple, wholesome stuff.

Shortcuts and time savers

This rice and bean collard wrap recipe calls for cooking your rice and using pre-cooked beans.

I use canned beans in my cooking 90% of the time. That’s shortcut number one.

Shortcut number two would be using frozen, cooked rice—a few brands make this nowadays, including Whole Foods’ 365 brand, Birds Eye, and Grain Trust. Minute Rice is another useful option.

If you’d like to serve the collard wraps with BBQ sauce, which I recommend, you can of course use a store-bought sauce.

Finally, you can prepare the whole recipe in stages: cook your rice one day, prepare the seasoned filling the following day, prep the collards and create your wraps a whole day later.

Each step of the process will feel pretty easy this way—a comforting approach to cooking anything when life feels overwhelming.

Dipping and drizzling

On their own, the collard wraps are tasty and nutritious. But I think that a good sauce is a key part of making the recipe feel craveable.

I love the way these taste with my date-sweetened barbecue sauce—or a store-bought BBQ. Barbecue sauce compliments the smoky seasoning in the rice and bean filling well.

However, I think that a lot of other sauces would work well with the wraps. A few ideas:

• Yum sauce
• Vegan yellow cheese sauce
• Cashew queso
• 4-Ingredient vegan sour cream
• Balsamic Dijon tahini dressing
• Cashew cilantro lime sauce
• Delightfully green tahini dressing

If you don’t have any of those, then I think salsa, hummus, store-bought vegan sour cream, and store-bought vegan ranch dressing would all be great.

You can drizzle your sauce over the collard wraps on a platter and serve them to your loved ones. Or you can meal prep the wraps and serve them with sauce as a dipper for as an easy WFH lunch.

Storage and freezing

While I don’t recommend freezing the wraps once assembled—the collard leaves are a bit too delicate to hold up that way—you can prepare the rice and bean filling and freeze it for up to six weeks.

Once you make the collard wraps, they’ll keep in an airtight container in the fridge for four days. Prep them on Sunday, then savor them as a nutrient-dense WFH lunch or light dinner for the next few days!

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Rice & Bean Collard Wraps

These simple, vegan rice & bean collard wraps can be meal prepped for easy, make-ahead lunches. They feature my favorite, nutritious trio of foods, grains, beans, and greens! Barbecue sauce is a perfect accompaniment for dipping or drizzling.

Course lunch, main

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword beans, brown rice, gluten-free, lunch, rice, rice and beans, vegan

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 8 collard green leaves (medium or large in size)
• 1 cup long-grain brown rice  (180g; substitute 3 cups pre-cooked brown or white rice)
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or another neutral vegetable oil)
• 1 small white or yellow onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon tamari
• 1 1/2 cups cooked kidney beans  (240g cooked beans, or one 15-ounce / 425g can, drained and rinsed)
• 2-3 teaspoons apple cider vinegar (to taste)
• 1 cup date sweetened BBQ sauce (or a BBQ sauce of your choice, or another sauce you love)

Instructions

• Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add the rice and boil (like pasta) until tender, about 40 minutes, then remove the pot from the heat. Drain the rice and return it to the pot. Cover and allow it to steam for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the rice gently with a fork. Re- cover and set aside.
• While the rice cooks, trim the bottoms of the collard stems. Lie a leaf flat on a cutting board with the back side (the side on which the center stem protrudes) facing you. Use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to trim down the thick part of the center stem, so that the leaf becomes relatively flat. Repeat with the other leaves. 
• Fill a large pot with a few inches of water and fit it with a steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil over medium- high heat. Turn the heat to low. Place the collard leaves in your steamer basket, cover the pot, and steam until tender, about 5 minutes. Pat the leaves dry and set them aside.
• When the rice is ready, heat the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion and pepper to the skillet. Sauté, stirring often, until the onion and pepper are tender and the onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, and tamari to the vegetable mixture and continue heating and stirring for 30 seconds. Add the cooked rice and kidney beans. Mix and heat the rice and beans through, stirring often. Taste the mixture and add apple cider vinegar to your liking—just for a hint of acid. Adjust the tamari for saltiness to taste. 
• To assemble the wraps, start by layering about 2/3 cup of the rice and bean mixture horizontally along the bottom third of a collard leaf. Tuck the sides of the leaf in, covering the filling. Roll the wrap up from bottom to top. Repeat with the remaining leaves and filling—you may have a little filling leftover, which you can enjoy however you'd like. 
• Serve the collard wraps with BBQ sauce for dipping, or drizzle them with sauce before plating. Enjoy.

I have a great many weeks where a sandwich every day for lunch suits me just fine. It’s usually the easiest option, especially if I’ve been removed from my beloved meal prep routine.

Yet I’m always really happy—and feel very satisfied—when I can squeeze some whole grains, beans, and greens into a working lunch. Hope this recipe, with all of its make-ahead potential, will give you that possibility.

xo

The post Rice & Bean Collard Wraps appeared first on The Full Helping.

This vegan avocado corn salad is so fresh and vibrant for the summer months. It features massaged kale, creamy avocado, and sweet, grilled corn. It’s easy to prepare and perfect for sharing!

Height of summer is a wonderful time for big, vibrant, colorful bowls of salad.

With all of the transition of my recent move, I haven’t been making many salads. Storing a lot of produce, let alone washing and chopping it, is tricky with the upheaval of a move and half-unpacked kitchen. Tofurky sandwiches and pasta or frozen dinners have been much more manageable.

Still, I made this lovely grilled corn avocado salad right before I relocated, and I was so happy with it. It was my first time cooking sweet corn this season.

It was also the first time in a while that I’d gotten my hands dirty massaging kale. Kale has always been one of my favorite bases for salads. I think it’s more substantial than other salad greens. I also love its slight bitterness and its texture.

I brought the corn and kale together with lots of creamy avocado, which for me is more of a summery craving than a year-round one.

These components added up to a recipe that’s ultra seasonal, flavorful, and bright.

How to make grilled corn avocado salad

The most notable thing about this corn avocado salad is that it employs avocado in two ways.

First, some avocado gets blended into a creamy dressing. You’ll use this dressing to soften and season your chopped kale.

Avocado based salad dressings are a favorite of mine. I’m especially fond of this one (which goes well with my vegan tempeh tacos as well as the vegan panzanella salad I created it for).

Avocado imparts a richness to salad dressing that oil alone can’t provide. Plus, it’s full of good nutrition—fiber, healthful fat, Vitamin E, potassium, and more.

You can prepare the avocado-based dressing in a blender or a food processor. The remaining avocado in the corn avocado salad is chopped and added to your greens. Here’s a step-by-step of the process.

Grill your corn

The recipe calls for four ears of corn in total. They can be white corn, yellow corn, or bicolor.

It’s hard to beat the grill as a cooking vessel for fresh, sweet corn. As an apartment dweller, I don’t actually have a grill.

But I do have a grill pan, and I use it all the time, especially for summer produce. My grill pan worked very well for grilling the corn.

Before grilling, I rub the ears of corn in a little avocado oil.

Make your dressing

The dressing employs a half avocado, olive oil, vinegar and lime juice, some water, and a touch of maple syrup. I really love a hint of sweetness in otherwise tart dressings, but feel free to omit the sweetener if you like.

Cut your corn kernels from the ears of corn

The best way I’ve found to remove corn kernels from corn is to use an inverted bowl inside a larger bowl (you can check out an image of this setup here).

It makes the task easy and creates much less mess than trying to cut kernels off on an open cutting board!

Massage your kale with the dressing

I’ve made many a “massaged” kale salad since I started blogging. Every time I write “massaged kale,” it still looks funny.

“Massaging” kale is simply rubbing dressing into the kale leaves with your hands and some pressure. This not only helps to dress the kale evenly, but it also softens the kale, making it more palatable for salad.

Mix

When the kale is ready, you’ll have only to mix the corn avocado salad up. Add your corn kernels, some red onion (optional), the remaining, cut avocado pieces, and toss everything well. Adjust the salad seasoning to taste right before serving.

What type of kale should I use?

Good question!

I’ve made the corn avocado salad with both curly kale and lacinato (dinosaur, or Tuscan) kale.

Curly kale is pictured above. It works very well in the salad, and it’s usually the easiest type of kale to find in stores. If you use curly kale, be sure to stem it and chop it finely for the corn avocado salad.

All things considered, though, I think my preference is for lacinato kale in the salad. It’s easy to chop this particular type of kale into thin ribbons, and I love its deep, deep green (almost a black green shade).

If purple kale is what you have, then that will work well, too. The only kale I don’t necessarily recommend is baby kale, which may be too tender to hold its own with a thick dressing and lots of creamy avocado pieces.

How long can I store corn avocado salad?

Honestly? I think that this particular salad is best enjoyed fresh.

I say this not because the greens will suffer with storage. In fact, kale salad is usually great for vegan meal prep, because kale holds up better with dressing than do more delicate salad greens.

In the case of this corn avocado salad, the issue with long storage is that the avocado will start to brown a bit with time. It will even start to brown as quickly as overnight.

This won’t affect the salad from a food safety perspective, but it can definitely impact the salad’s visual appeal.

For this reason, I recommend serving the corn avocado salad within a few hours of making it. It’s absolutely fine to prepare it in the morning and have it at lunchtime, for example.

If you need to, you can store it overnight and enjoy it the following day. You can also cut the recipe in half, so that there’s less to store, if you live on your own.

Serving suggestions

Speaking of serving, what to serve the salad with?

Nutrition clients often ask me about salads as a meal. What’s a meal-sized salad? How does one know?

I tend to feel that a meal-sized salad follows the Power Plates principle of including all macronutrient groups: a protein, a healthful fat, a source of complex carbs.

The corn avocado salad delivers on healthful fats, but it’s not especially high in protein or complex carbs. So, I’d recommend pairing it with something (or some other things) to turn it into more of a complete meal. As a side dish, it works beautifully.

Here are some accompaniment ideas:

• A slice or two of toast with hummus
• A grain pilaf (such as this quinoa with roasted grape tomatoes and chickpeas)
• A plate of vegan feta pasta or burst cherry tomato pasta
• Baked sweet potato (or a vegan sweet potato recipe that you love)
• A cup of potato corn chowder or cauliflower corn chowder
• A helping of tofu scramble
• A bowl of zucchini corn pasta

Vegan kale salads for salad season

Corn and avocado make this salad what it is, but kale is the foundation of the dish. If you try this salad and love it, here are a few others you might like to taste:

• Vegan feta kale salad
• Kale white bean Caesar salad
• Tahini mint kale salad
• Spicy peanut kale salad
• Cauliflower pomegranate kale salad

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Vegan Grilled Corn Avocado Salad

This vegan avocado corn salad is so fresh and vibrant for the summer months. It features massaged kale, creamy avocado, and sweet, grilled corn. It's easy to prepare and perfect for sharing!

Course Appetizer, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword avocado, corn, kale, kale salad, lunch

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Cooling time 15 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 4 ears yellow, white, or bicolored corn on the cob
• avocado oil (or another neutral vegetable oil, for rubbing the corn prior to grilling)
• 2 small or medium, ripe Hass avocados
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon maple or agave syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt (plus extra as needed)
• 1 bunch kale (curly or lacinato), stemmed and chopped or sliced into ribbons
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion or 1/4 cup pickled red onion (optional)

Instructions

• Prepare an outdoor grill according to manufacturer instructions or preheat a grill pan over medium high heat. Rub the ears of corn with the avocado oil. Place them on the grill or grill pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes, turning every 3-4 minutes, so that the corn has grill marks all around. Remove the corn from heat and set it aside. Allow the corn to cool until it can be handled, about 10-15 minutes. 
• Cut each avocado in half lengthwise, then remove the pits. Scoop the halves from the skin. Reserve three halves. Transfer the fourth half to a blender or food processor. Add the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar, water, syrup, and salt. Blend or process this dressing till smooth. Set the dressing aside. 
• Cut the corn kernels from the cobs. I like to do this by placing a small, overturned mixing bowl inside a larger mixing bowl. I position each corn cob vertically on top of the inverted small bowl, holding the cob at its tip with one hand. I use the other hand to cut down the sides of the cub with a chef's knife. The corn kernels will fall into the larger mixing bowl as you cut. Be sure to use a sharp knife for this task. Set the corn kernels aside.
• Place the kale into another, large mixing bowl. Add the dressing. Use your hands to "massage" the kale. It will be very well dressed. Add the corn and onions if using. Toss all of the ingredients well to combine. Taste and adjust the salt and lime juice to your liking. Serve. This salad is best enjoyed right away, but leftovers will keep overnight in an airtight container in the fridge.

One nice update on my end is that I’m now unpacked enough to have been able to do some meal prep for the week this past Monday. It feels good to eat homemade fare in my new space.

I hope to make the avocado corn salad at least once or twice more before the warm weather is gone. If you give it a try, I hope you’ll enjoy it, too.

xo

The post Grilled Corn Avocado Salad appeared first on The Full Helping.

This vegan feta pasta is a dairy-free version of the famous, viral baked feta pasta recipe. It uses a homemade feta vegan made with tofu in place of regular feta. It’s high in protein, nutritious, and so easy to make!

One of the last recipes that I prepared in my last apartment was this vegan feta pasta.

I watched baked feta pasta go viral on social media in 2020 and 2021. I loved the looks of the dish. It was creamy, fresh and incredibly easy to prepare. It had the convenience of a sheet pan meal and the heartiness of a summery pasta supper.

I didn’t make the recipe, no matter how appealing it seemed, because it looked like the sort of thing that might be tough to veganize.

There are now vegan feta options in supermarkets: I really love Violife’s feta, for example. But I wasn’t sure whether they’d melt and turn creamy in the same way that regular feta does in the original recipe.

Earlier this summer, I did try the recipe with commercial vegan feta. It was OK, but it wasn’t what I’d hoped for. The vegan cheese melted into straight-up oil, so the sauce ended up having a greasy quality, rather than a creamy one.

I had the thought to try the recipe with my homemade vegan feta cheese, but I also had doubts. I love that recipe, and I think that it captures a lot of the flavor qualities of feta for sure. But the texture is a bit different from regular cheese, and it doesn’t melt.

Finally, I thought what the heck, and I decided to give it a go.

I’m really happy to tell you that I thought the vegan feta pasta was a total success.

Is it exactly like the original viral recipe? I have no idea, honestly. I never tried the original, so I don’t know for sure what it tastes like.

What I do know is that this pasta is salty, savory, and sweet. It’s full of juicy summer tomatoes and herbs.

Thanks to the use of tofu feta, it’s also nutritious in different ways than the original recipe: it’s lower in fat, and it’s higher in plant protein. Since tofu is also a source or iron and calcium, the pasta dish contains both of those nutrients.

In short, I think that using the vegan feta recipe makes this dish a little different from the recipe that inspired it, but also very worthy of a place on your summer table.

How to make vegan baked feta pasta

If you don’t happen to have read about the baked feta pasta when it first became popular, then you might be wondering what my vegan version is aiming for in the first place.

In short, the viral baked feta pasta is a recipe in which tomatoes, olive oil, herbs, and feta are baked in an oven-safe dish until the tomatoes have burst and become juicy.

When you stir the burst tomatoes with the baked feta, the whole warm dish is transformed into a creamy, cheesy sauce. You add cooked pasta to the baking dish, stir everything well, and voila: a flavorful, hands-off summer meal.

My vegan feta pasta uses a similar method. To prepare it, you’ll bake grape or cherry tomatoes with some olive oil and a whole batch of my vegan feta cheese.

Once the tomatoes have transformed into juicy, saucy perfection in the oven, you’ll add cooked pasta to the dish. You can finish the vegan feta pasta with torn basil, if you like. Otherwise, this is a spare summer recipe that doesn’t require much fuss if your tomatoes are ripe and sweet.

Note that my vegan feta requires some marinating time (2-4 hours, overnight is fine), so you’ll want to plan your process accordingly.

Where did the viral feta pasta originate?

When the baked feta pasta first become popular, I wasn’t sure who had made it first.

I learned more when I read this article, from the Washington Post. Apparently two Finnish food bloggers, Tiiu Piret and Jenny Hayrinen, wrote about a feta pasta dish 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Hayrinen is credited with a more simplified recipe that inspired this TikTok video by MacKenzie Smith of Grilled Cheese Social. From that point onward, many other food bloggers created and shared their own versions of the recipe.

Vegan feta pasta ingredients

This recipe, like many of my favorite summer recipes, has a nice, short ingredient list.

Tomatoes

You can use grape or cherry tomatoes for the recipe. They can be yellow, red, or heirloom. You’ll need two pints (20-24oz/570-680g) in total.

Garlic

I use four cloves of halved garlic to make the pasta. The halves will bake right along with the other ingredients. If you love, love, love garlic, then you can add as many additional cloves as you like.

Olive oil

Tomatoes provide the juiciness in the sauce, but olive oil helps to give it richness. I use two tablespoons total. I’d imagine it’s possible to make the recipe without the oil, and I’ll be curious to hear how it is if any readers try it!

I really like what it contributes to the tomato/vegan feta sauce: an unctuousness that wouldn’t be there otherwise.

Thyme and basil

I added a few sprigs of thyme to my tomatoes and vegan feta as they baked, which I removed once the tomatoes were done. I also added some fresh, torn pasta to the finished pasta.

Both of these herbs are optional and fair game for modification. You can use neither, one, or both. You can also trade one of the for another summery herb that you like. For example, I’d love to try a version of the pasta with dill.

Vegan feta cheese

I use the plain version of my very beloved vegan tofu feta cheese in the recipe.

For many of my recipes, I welcome and suggest store-bought alternatives as a means of saving time. Since I tried this recipe with store-bought feta, though, and didn’t love the results, I’d suggest you stick with the tofu feta for this dish. It’s part of what makes the pasta both tasty and nutrient-dense.

Pasta

You can use any type of pasta that you love in the dish: regular wheat, whole wheat, legume-based, gluten-free, you name it.

I recommend a medium pasta shape, such as fusilli, rigatoni, penne, gemelli, or cavatappi in the recipe. However, I’ve tried it with spaghetti, and it was still great.

Meal prep and storage

I’ll admit it: as passionate as I am about vegan meal prep, I think that this particular pasta tastes best when it’s fresh and hot. It’s worth making and enjoying it—and perhaps sharing it—right away.

With that said, as a solo dweller I did actually have the vegan feta pasta leftovers for a few nights. And the stored portions stood the test of time. When I made it again (which I happily did) and froze a few portions, the defrosted leftovers held up, too.

TL;DR, the pasta is at its juiciest when it’s freshly baked and mixed. Leftovers will be just fine for up to four days in airtight containers in the fridge, or up to six weeks in the freezer.

More simple vegan summer pastas

Pasta is a go-to meal for me at any time of the year. During these hot months I enjoy very simple versions that allow fresh produce to shine through. Here are a few of my other favorite dishes.

• Simple vegan burst cherry tomato pasta
• The best creamy vegan pasta salad
• Vegan pasta primavera
• Chickpea pesto pasta salad
• Lemon orzo pasta salad
• Creamy zucchini corn pasta
• Butternut zucchini pesto pasta

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Vegan Feta Pasta

This vegan feta pasta is a dairy-free version of the famous, viral baked feta pasta recipe. It uses a homemade feta vegan made with tofu in place of regular feta. It's high in protein, nutritious, and so easy to make!

Course main, Main Course

Cuisine Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword pasta, summer, tofu, tomatoes, vegan feta

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 batch vegan feta cheese
• 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (20-24oz/570-680g)
• 4 cloves garlic, halved or quartered if large
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
• 8 oz pasta of choice, medium shape recommended (225g)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh basil leaves (optional)

Instructions

• Prepare the tofu feta as directed, allowing for marinating time (4-24 hours).
• Preheat your oven to 400F. Place the tomatoes and garlic in a rectangular baking dish. Add the oil. Mix the tomatoes to coat them with the oil. Transfer the tofu feta, including all of the marinade, to the baking dish. Stir everything to combine it. If using thyme, nestle the sprigs in the dish.
• Transfer the baking dish to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir the ingredients, then return the baking dish to the oven. Bake for another 15-25 minutes, or until the tomatoes have all burst, the liquid is bubbling vigorously, and the liquid is darkening along the edges of the dish. Remove the dish from the oven and discard the thyme sprigs.
• While the tomatoes and feta bake, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.
• Stir the pasta into the baking dish. If using basil, add it to the dish, then stir it in until it’s wilted. Add freshly ground black pepper to taste and the reserved pasta water if you feel the pasta needs to be a little more saucy. Serve.

How lovely it was to enjoy bowls of this fresh, nutritious, summery pasta in the days leading up to the chaos of a move. I can’t wait to try it out again and enjoy it from the new digs.

Speaking of that, it’s still pretty chaotic around here—but I’m settling in well. Till soon,

xo

The post Vegan Feta Pasta appeared first on The Full Helping.

This vegan spinach rice salad is the best summer lunch! Made with brown rice and a lemony dressing, it’s nutritious, satisfying, and simple.

I could probably eat a grain salad every day for lunch between the months of June and September.

Grain salads keep me full, but they’re light and cooling enough to work for the hottest time of the year. They showcase whole grains, which are a cornerstone of plant-based diets and one of my very favorite things to eat. And they lend themselves to so much variety.

I’ve been making and sharing grain salads for years on this blog. The spinach rice salad that I’m sharing today may be one of the simplest that I’ve written about.

Simple is what works for me lately. I’m still in that phase after cookbook writing when I don’t want to make anything especially complex. And since I’m moving in only a few weeks, I’m doing my best to use up the whole grains that I have in my pantry.

That includes brown rice.

Cool rice for warm days

There are a few varieties of brown rice in my apartment at any given time: long-grain, short-grain, parboiled. I probably use short-grain brown rice the most, but long-grain gets plenty of use, too.

Brown shows up in so many of my plates and bowls. I use it in simple, sautéed skillet meals, including my super adaptable grain, green, and bean skillet, my lemon dill zucchini chickpea rice, and my cumin spiced lentils and rice.

Brown rice becomes an accompaniment for stir fry, tofu scramble, and simple vegan proteins, like my baked lemon pepper tempeh cubes. I love serving it with vegan chili.

It wasn’t until I wrote Power Plates that I realized how great cool rice could be in salads. There’s a recipe for a brown rice tabbouleh in that book, and it’s one of my favorite summer dishes.

I remember how the tabbouleh defied my expectations when I made it. It was untraditional, of course, but I loved how the cooked rice added a little extra heft to a dish that’s usually made with a smaller whole grain.

I was also surprised at how nice it was to have cold rice along with crispy greens and a good dressing. It was simultaneously filling and refreshing, not to mention a smart way to use up leftover cooked rice.

This spinach rice salad follows suit. It features a mix of crisp grains and steamed asparagus, juicy grape or cherry tomatoes, and, of course, the rice. A creamy, lemony Dijon vinaigrette brings all of the ingredients to life.

Does the rice need to be cold?

I like to think of this as a cool rice salad, rather than a cold rice salad. The rice doesn’t have to be cold when you mix the ingredients.

To make the salad, I usually cook my rice and allow it to come to room temperature. It cools down a little more when it’s tossed with the other ingredients.

If you have leftovers to store—and the rice salad keeps really well for a few days—the rice will be cold when you have it next.

In other words, this can be a room temperature, cool, or cold grain salad, depending on how you prepare it. It tastes really great no matter the temperature.

How to make brown rice salad

Fortunately, this salad is a snap to make.

Step one: boil your rice (like pasta!)

You’ll start by cooking your rice. I’m a firm defender of cooking brown rice in a big pot of boiling water, like pasta, then draining and steaming it after cooking.

I first learned this trick from Saveur magazine, and I haven’t cooked rice in any other way since then. Boiling rice like pasta ensures fluffy, perfectly cooked grains every single time, without any annoying guesswork about whether you have the right rice:liquid ratio.

It also ensures that you won’t end up with any pots of burnt, mushy, or undercooked rice.

Step two: cool your rice

I recommend cooling your rice for at least 30 minutes, or until it’s only gently warm or at room temperature.

It’s also fine to cool the rice entirely, in the fridge. If you like, you can prepare the rice a day or two ahead of time, store it in the fridge, and use it in the salad when you’re ready.

Step 3: Steam your asparagus (or another vegetable)

I made the rice salad originally with what I had, which was a lovely bunch of bright green asparagus stalks.

I steamed stalks gently before adding them to the salad, so that they would be crisp tender. And I allowed them to cool a bit, like the rice, before cutting them into pieces and adding them to the salad.

If you have another vegetable at home, like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, carrots, beets, or whatever else, feel free to use that produce to replace the asparagus.

Step 4: Whisk your dressing

The dressing for the rice salad is a variation of a new thing that I’ve been doing, which is vinaigrette that has some tahini in it.

I make tahini-only dressings all the time. This site has many varieties: green tahini dressing, balsamic tahini dressing, tahini beet dressing, turmeric tahini dressing, and lemon tahini dressing, to name only a few.

The dressing for my brown rice salad is different. It’s a primarily olive oil-based vinaigrette, but a little tahini gives it a touch of richness and creaminess.

I’m loving this combination lately! Tahini vinaigrette, if you will, has the creaminess of an all-tahini dressing, along with the unctuousness of an oil-based salad dressing. It’s a perfect hybrid, and in this recipe, it coats all of the grains and greens beautifully.

Step 5: Mix & enjoy

Once the rice and veggies are cooked and cooled and the dressing is mixed, you can toss all of your ingredients together.

I used baby spinach as the base of my salad. I really like the texture of spinach with the rice and asparagus, and the dark green color is a nice contrast with bright red, grape tomatoes.

If you have another salad green that you love, feel free to use those greens instead.

Meal prep & storage

It’s tough to find salad recipes that make for reliable leftovers. Fortunately, the spinach rice salad is one of them.

Because this is primarily a whole grain salad, stored portions will hold their own for a few days in the fridge. The rice salad is a great option for make-ahead summer lunches (and it was responsible for my own lunches last week).

How to serve spinach rice salad

Speaking of leftovers, the salad makes 4 small portions or 2-3 larger ones.

If you like, you could throw in some chickpeas, white beans, lentils, or tofu to make it more filling.

You could also serve the salad with a chilled or warm soup. I’ve had it with my sweet potato red pepper soup, and it was a nice combination. My super simple green soup is another recipe that’s a good accompaniment to grain salads.

More summery grain salads

If you make and love the rice salad, and you’d like to try a few more dishes like it, I’ve got you. Here are some of my favorite whole grain salads for summer:

• Sweet potato bulgur citrus salad
• Protein-packed bean and quinoa salad
• Black bean quinoa salad with cumin dressing
• Pesto farro & baby kale salad
• Broccoli tabbouleh
• “Anything goes” vegan pantry salad
• Lemon orzo pasta salad
• Carrot chickpea couscous salad
• Tempeh quinoa salad with cumin vinaigrette

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Spinach Rice Salad (vegan)

This vegan spinach rice salad is the best summer lunch. Made with brown rice and a lemony dressing, it's nutritious, satisfying, and simple.

Course main, Salad

Cuisine Mediterranean

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword brown rice, gluten-free, lunch, rice, salad, tahini

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry long-grain brown rice (180g; you can also use short-grain brown rice)
• 1/2 pound asparagus, tough ends trimmed (225)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon tahini
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups (heaping) baby spinach, roughly chopped (60g)
• 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Instructions

• Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold running water for about 15 seconds. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice and boil (like pasta) until tender, 35 to 40 minutes, then remove the rice from the heat. Drain the rice and return it to the pot. Cover and allow it to steam for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot and fluff the rice gently with a fork. Re- cover and set aside for 30 minutes. At this point, the cooked rice can be transferred to an airtight container and stored for the fridge for up to two days, before you proceed with the rest of the recipe.
• Fill a large pot with a few inches of water and fit it with a steamer basket. Bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat to low. Place the asparagus stalks in your steamer basket, cover the pot, and steam until very fork tender, yet still bright green and crisp, 4 to 10 minutes (this will depend greatly on the thickness of your asparagus stalks). Remove the steamer basket from the pot and allow the stalks to cool enough for you to handle them. Cut them into 2-inch pieces.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, tahini, lemon juice, mustard, shallot (if using), salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
• When the rice is ready, place it into a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked asparagus, spinach, and tomatoes. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad ingredients. Mix well. Add a little extra olive oil, lemon, salt or pepper as needed. Serve or store.

Simplicity with food is always a gift, but summer is the time when simple eats feel especially right. Produce is so fresh, colorful, and abundant, and it doesn’t take much to make it shine.

Hope this simple, fresh little salad will become part of your warm weather lunch routine! It’s already becoming part of mine.

xo

The post Spinach Rice Salad appeared first on The Full Helping.

These BBQ soy curls are baked or air fried to achieve a crispy texture on the outside. They’re chewy on the inside and so flavorful. The soy curls perfect for serving on a bun, in tacos or bowls, or as part of a barbecue spread. Plus, they’re easy to make—you can use homemade or store-bought barbecue sauce!

Here I am again, with another simple vegan protein.

I know I’ve shared a number of these lately, along with other staple foods and basics.

But oh, how I love a soy curl.

Soy curls have become one of my go-to vegan proteins, right up there with tofu, tempeh, seitan, and beans. I now have a quintet of favorite proteins in place of a quartet.

Soy curls are nutritious, versatile, and wholesome. They’re less expensive than many store-bought vegan chick’n options. And, since you can season and flavor them yourself, they’ll give you endless opportunities to get creative.

This recipe is not creative, really. On the contrary, it’s a simple, vegan spin on a classic summer cookout staple, BBQ chicken.

But classics stand the test of time for a reason, right? I make these soy curls often, and if I like and use them as much as I do, there’s a chance that one of you will, too.

What are soy curls?

First things first: what the heck are soy curls?

That’s actually an easy question to answer: soy curls are actually soy beans. They’re non-GMO soy beans that are soaked, stirred, cooked, and dehydrated at low temperatures.

The product that results is light and dry.

When you soak soy curls in boiling water or broth, they plump up considerably. At this point, they can be drained of liquid and pressed a little to remove the extra moisture.

Prepared this way, soy curls have a texture that’s sort of similar to chicken in its chewiness. The color is similar to that of white chicken meat, too.

Rehydrated soy curls can be seasoned further or added to chili, soup, tacos, burritos, salads, and more. They become a vegan “chick’n” that’s made from a single ingredient, inexpensive, and nutrient dense.

I really only started cooking with soy curls regularly after I wrote Power Plates, so sadly, there aren’t any soy curl recipes in that book. But I’m happy to say that The Vegan Week features a few soy curl recipes. Creating them has only solidified my love of this versatile protein.

Soy curls nutrition

Soy curls boast the same nutrition benefits as other soy foods do—namely, plentiful plant protein. A serving of soy curls has 11 grams of protein, which is a solid contribution to any plant-based meal.

Protein needs are highly individual—they vary according to age, activity level, health demands, and other factors. But I encourage most of my nutrition clients to aim for at least 15-20 grams per meal. 11 grams will take you a good part of the way.

Soy curls provide about 10% of the recommended daily allowance of iron for premenopausal women and 25% of the recommended daily allowance of iron for men of all ages and postmenopausal women.

On top of this, soy curls are rich in fiber—6 grams, or about 20% of the RDA per serving. This is good news for digestive regularity, and high-fiber foods usually help people to feel satisfied after meals.

Where to buy soy curls

I buy soy curls directly from their maker, Butler Foods. Butler Foods is an independent, family-owned business in Oregon, and the company is responsible for the goodness that is the soy curl.

Shipping from the Butler site does cost some money, but soy curls are themselves very economical (about 50 cents per serving of protein). I order 6 bags at a time and store them in my pantry. I like to support the company.

You can also purchase soy curls on Amazon, and you can find them at some health food stores and grocers that specialize in vegan products.

How to make crispy BBQ soy curls

BBQ soy curls aren’t a new food for me. I’ve always enjoyed the taste of soy curls when they’re coated in BBQ sauce.

What makes this recipe a little new for me is the texture of these soy curls. Whereas in the past I would simply rehydrate soy curls in hot broth or water, squeeze them out, then coat them in BBQ sauce before eating, I now take the extra step of baking or air frying them.

Baking the soy curls results in crispy, browning edges. The centers of the soy curls remain chewy, but I think the soy curls are even more chick’n-like, thanks to the time they spend drying out in the oven.

Now that I’ve gotten used to preparing marinated soy curls this way, it’ll be hard for me not to go the extra step of baking or air-frying. It really does make a difference!

From start to finish, making the BBQ soy curls is so simple. You’ll rehydrate them, squeeze them to remove moisture, then coat them in BBQ sauce.

After this, you’ll bake or air fry them. The soy curls will need about 25 minutes in the oven or 10-12 minutes in an air fryer. (Air frying time may vary depending on the air fryer—this is the one I use at home.)

That’s it! From that point, you can choose to enjoy them as part of any meal that calls for a BBQ-themed vegan protein. On a burger bun with a tangy slaw is one good idea.

Two things to note about the recipe: first, you’ll be using a half bag of soy curls (120g, rather than a whole, 8-oz/225g bag). That’s about 4 servings. If you like, you can use the whole bag and double the recipe.

Also, when I prepare soy curls simply, I usually rehydrate them in broth for flavor and seasoning. In this recipe, the BBQ sauce provides both of those things, so I use hot water to rehydrate the soy curls.

Do I need to use homemade BBQ sauce?

No, you don’t. I include in this recipe a simple, minimalist homemade BBQ sauce. But you’ll have the option to use 3/4 cup of your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce instead.

If you like, or if you prefer to an option that’s sweetened with whole foods, you can try using my date BBQ sauce in this recipe.

Storing crispy BBQ soy curls

The soy curls can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to five days or frozen for up to six weeks.

Unfortunately, they’ll lose some of those pleasantly crispy edges during storage. But you can re-crisp the BBQ soy curls by spreading them on a baking sheet in a single layer and reheating in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes.

You can also pop them into the air fryer and air fry them for 3-5 minutes at 400F.

More vegan soy curl recipes

I don’t always turn cooked soy curls into a “recipe,” per se.

A lot of the time I just rehydrate them in hot, chick’n style vegan broth, then use them the same way I might have used cut chicken breast pieces before I became vegan: in salads, sandwiches, or wraps.

But if you’re eager to experiment with soy curl recipes, here’s a few of my favorites from this blog:

• Creamy vegan chick’n rice skillet supper
• Soy curl cacciatore
• BBQ soy curl and cabbage apple slaw sandwiches
• Vegan chick’n enchilada breakfast casserole
• Hearty vegan chik’n bean chili (a reader fave and personal fave!)

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Crispy BBQ Soy Curls

These BBQ soy curls are baked or air fried to achieve a crispy texture on the outside. They're chewy on the inside and so flavorful. The soy curls perfect for serving on a bun, in tacos or bowls, or as part of a barbecue spread. Plus, they're easy to make—you can use homemade or store-bought barbecue sauce!

Course protein, side, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Fat, Low Lactose, Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword BBQ, meat alternatives, protein, soy curls, summer, vegan

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Gena Hamshaw

Ingredients

• 3 cups Butler Foods soy curls (120g; this is half of an 8-ounce / 225g package
• 4 cups water
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Bragg Liquid Aminos or tamari
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar
• 6 tablespoons ketchup (100g)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• Place the soy curls in a large mixing bowl. Place the water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Pour the hot water over the soy curls and cover the bowl. Allow the soy curls to hydrate for 10 minutes, then drain in a colander. Once drained, use the bottom of a bowl to press down on the soy curls, helping to wring out the excess moisture.
• Return the soy curls to the bowl. Add the remaining ingredients or 3/4 cup date-sweetened barbecue sauce or store-bought barbecue sauce of choice. Use your hands to coat the soy curls well in the sauce. 
• Transfer the soy curls to the baking sheet and arrange them in a single layer. Roast the soy curls for 25 minutes, or until they're browning and becoming crispy. Gently flip the pieces on the sheet once halfway through baking.
• Alternatively, you can air fry the soy curls at 400 for 10-12 minutes, shaking or stirring them once halfway through cooking.

I’m already envisioning a summer full of these BBQ soy curls. They’ll end up on buns or toast, in bowls with rice or cornbread, maybe in quesadillas or tacos. Perhaps I’ll even throw together some kind of casserole that features them.

No matter what, they’ll be easy, satisfying, and nutritious.

Hope you’ll find a couple of uses for them, too. Enjoy!

xo

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