Veganism made easier (and delicious)

Tofu and vegetables ‘stir-fry’ (oil-free)

The 2nd day of the 30 Days of Veganism calls for a savory dinner recipe! Eating breakfast for lunch and dinner sounds fun and I know I’ve done that sometimes but we all need a nice amount of veggies in our diets as well. 

Because I wanted this recipe to be oil-free, I stir-’fried’ all the ingredients using just water. Believe me, it works great without oil! Also, feel free to use other vegetables than the ones mentioned below as these are just the ones I had on hand. This recipe works great with mushrooms, carrots and other veggies as well.

Ingredients (for one portion):

50-80g of rice (depending on the portion size; I used basmanti rice)

80-100g of firm tofu

75-125g of mixed greens

1/2 a broccoli stalk

1 sweet bell pepper

1 tbsp of soya sauce

1 garlic clove

Preparation:

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package, either in a pot or a rice cooker.

Meanwhile, chop the garlic clove into small pieces and the tofu into small squares. 

Next, pour a bit of water into a heated pan, add the garlic and simmer until it releases its aroma. Then add the tofu and simmer with the garlic until it gets slightly brown. Add more water whenever the pan gets too dry.

While the tofu is simmering, chop all the vegetables into small pieces. Add them to the pan and pour more water over them. Simmer everything until the vegetables get softer.

Blueberry chocolate smoothie bowl

The first recipe of 30 Days of Veganism is, of course, a breakfast smoothie! Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and you can prepare any delicious smoothie bowl in such a short period of time. This morning I added some cocoa powder to my usual fruit smoothie; it definitely satisfied my chocolate cravings!

Just a side note: I usually eat my smoothie bowls either with added oatmeal or homemade granola. Feel free to take out the rolled oats and substitute them with granola of your choice.

Ingredients:

40-50g of rolled oats

100-125ml of plant milk (depending on the desired consistency; I used soy milk - it has extra protein)

1 tbsp of vegan protein powder (optional; I used hemp protein)

1 tbsp of cocoa powder

1 tbsp of nut butter (I used almond butter)

80-100g of frozen blueberries

2 ripe bananas

1 tsp of chia seeds

fruit toppings: banana chunks, kiwi (or any other fruit you have)

other toppings: 1 tbsp of nut butter, 2 brazil nuts (for your daily dose of selenium), a handful of cashew or other nuts

Preparation:

Boil the oats with about 200ml of water.

In the meantime, pour the plant milk into a blender, add the protein powder (if you’re using it), cocoa powder, nut butter, frozen blueberries and 1  1/2 banana, and blend it all until smooth. If the consistency is still a bit too runny, add 1 tsp of chia seeds to make it a bit thicker.

Make sure to stir the cooking oats.

Prepare and cut the fruit for toppings.

Hi there! Seeing as today is only the 2nd day of January, I should probably start with some cliches, such as "new year = new start" or “this year is going to be your year!”. While I don’t doubt that it will be, I think the beginning of a new year is a time as good as any to start something new and make a change in your life.

If you’ve decided to join the 30 Days of Veganism, welcome and good for you! To help you start off well, I’ve put together a list of vegan kitchen staples that my recipes are based on. It will be easier to prepare all those delicious meals if you have all the necessary ingredients at hand!

Fruit: Buy it fresh if you can, although frozen fruit also works great, especially in smoothies. Berries are a great source of antioxidants, cherries and kiwis contain lots of vitamin C, as well as mangos which also have vitamin A. I also use lots of bananas as a base for my smoothies each day; they have potassium and some protein, and they are a natural sweetener!

Veggies: I prefer to buy mine fresh but, again, frozen vegetables also work well; simply depends on what is easily available/cheaper in your country. When it comes to making stir-fry or salad bowls, just choose the veggies you like the most. What I use the most often are tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplant, mushrooms, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sweetcorn, beetroots, and different types of potatoes. Sweet potatoes especially have a lot of vitamin A! Different recipes that I’ll be posting are not strict in terms of ingredients so feel free to substitute with whatever vegetables you have lying around.

Beans: These are a very important part of my meals. In savory dishes beans are my main source of protein (if not using tofu). There are many different kinds so choose whichever you enjoy the most. I usually buy my beans in cans so they are ready to eat right away instead of having to soak them overnight.

Grains: I base most of my meals on grains such as oats for breakfast and quinoa, couscous, buckwheat, different types of rice for lunch and dinner. I also use rice noodles for a lot of dishes as they are very quick to make. Most grains are also a great source of protein in addition to beans.

Greens: I try to include a large portion of dark leafy greens in at least one of my meals every day. They keep you hydrated, provide a nice amount of protein and are a good source of iron (spinach) and vitamin A and calcium (kale).

Healthy fats: In a plant-based diet, these come mainly from nuts and nut butters, avocado, and hummus. They are super important for proper hormone function, especially in women. Hummus and nut butters (especially peanut butter) also contain protein.

Plant milk: I love how many tasty varieties there are! My favourites include rice, oat and coconut milk. Many plant milks are fortified with calcium, vitamin D and B12 which is critical to remember about when on a plant-based diet (more below). Additionally, soy milk has a lot of protein. I use plant milk every day in smoothies or oatmeal, and also when baking.

Other protein sources and ’superfoods': Hopefully by now you can see that it’s not at all difficult to get an adequate protein intake from a plant-based diet, which is what many people fear the most. But there are more protein sources, for example ones that can be used as smoothie bowl/oatmeal toppings: chia seeds, hemp seeds, flax seeds. In addition to being high in protein, they all also contain essential omega-3 fatty acids and minerals (more below).

As for savory dishes toppings, nutritional yeast - also known as vegan cheese - is a great source of protein. It’s often fortified with vitamin B12, too! Another topping I use are sesame seeds which also contain a lot of protein.

In addition to those natural protein sources, I use plant-based protein powders every day in my smoothies. My favorites are unflavored hemp, pea, and rice protein. Don’t worry about them tasting bad - when combined with fruit and plant milk, you can barely notice the taste.

Even though not necessary, ‘superfoods' are great to include in any diet. Because the vegan diet incorporates so many nutritious foods, you shouldn’t be worried about not getting in enough of most vitamins or nutrients - but it definitely doesn’t hurt to add some more sometime along the way. Some of the most popular and my favorite vegan ‘superfoods' are spirulina and maca powders. They are not the cheapest; however, you don’t need to use a lot of them so they last you a very long time. Spirulina in particular has tons of protein and maca contains a lot of absorbable calcium and magnesium. It also gives you an energy boost and naturally balances your hormones!

Supplements: Despite the abundance of nutrients in the vegan diet, there are some vitamins and minerals you either cannot get from vegan foods or you should pay close attention to their intake. The one vitamin you should definitely be supplementing is B12. It’s not only vegans who cannot get adequate B12 amounts from food but also vegetarians. Despite plant milks and some other products with added B12, most of us probably don’t consume enough of those products to get enough of the vitamin. Therefore, the easiest solution is to take B12 supplements in form of pills.

Other important things to consider are minerals such as iron, magnesium, and calcium. I’ve already mentioned vegan foods rich in all of those, namely chia, hemp and flax seeds. Aren’t they great? So much love for them!

Other foods which are high in iron include spinach and kale. While you may eat those things frequently, iron is not so easily absorbed from those food sources. Ways to increase iron absorption include adding foods containing vitamin C to a meal. Fortunately, kale - as an example - contains high amounts of both so it’s a perfect way to boost your iron absorption! Magnesium can be found in dark leafy greens and different types of seeds and nuts, such as pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, brazil nuts, almonds and cashews. As mentioned above, maca powder also contains easily absorbable magnesium.

As for calcium, collard greens, tofu and other forms of soy contain large amounts. However, blackstrap molasses have the highest amount of calcium but many people dislike its taste. Other sources include kale, tahini, almond butter, and maca powder.

Blueberry banana purple smoothie bowl

Ingredients:

100-125ml plant milk (depending on the desired consistency; I used coconut rice milk)

15-20g vegan protein powder (optional; I used hemp protein)

80-100g frozen blueberries 

2 ripe bananas

fruit toppings: banana chunks, mango (or any other fruit you have)

other toppings: granola, quinoa puffs (optional), 1 tbsp of nut butter, 1 tbsp of chia seeds

Preparation:

Pour the plant milk into a blender and add the protein powder, frozen berries and 1  1/2 bananas, and blend it all together until smooth. The frozen fruit should make the smoothie thick but feel free to add 1 tbsp of chia seeds (or more) if you want to make it even thicker. If the smoothie tastes a too too sour, add 1 tbsp of peanut butter to the smoothie and blend well instead of using the peanut butter as a topping.

Prepare and cut the mango or other fruit for toppings.

Pour the smoothie into a large bowl. Then add the fruit (including the remaining 1/2 a banana) and other toppings, and enjoy!

Spinach banana green smoothie bowl

PS The recipe for homemade granola that I use as topping for my smoothies is coming soon!

Ingredients:

100-125ml plant milk (depending on the desired consistency)

1 tbsp vegan protein powder (I usually use rice or pea protein)

1/2 a tsp spirulina powder (optional)

a couple of handfuls of fresh spinach

2 ripe bananas

fruit toppings: banana chunks, kiwi

other toppings: granola, a piece of dark chocolate, 1 tbsp of nut butter, 1 tbsp of buckwheat (uncooked, for the crunch!)

Preparation:

Pour the plant milk into a blender and add the protein powder, spirulina (optional), spinach and the bananas), and blend it all together until smooth. The spinach should make the smoothie thick but feel free to add 1 tbsp of chia seeds (or more) if you want to make it even thicker.

Cut the fruit and prepare the other toppings.

Delicious buddha (salad) bowl

Just for the sake of clarity, the amounts given below are there to let you have an idea about how much I eat. Obviously, feel free to make it less or more, depending on how much you need to eat to feel full and satisfied ;)

Ingredients:

100-150g mixed greens

50-75g silver rice

100-150g black beans

50-80g chopped beetroot

1/2 an avocado

1 tsp sesame seeds (optional)

Preparation:

Cook the rice according to the instructions on the package, either in a pot or a rice cooker.

Meanwhile, drain the liquid from the beans, if using canned ones.

Put the mixed greens, beans and beetroot into a large bowl. 

Raspberry banana smoothie bowl

Ingredients:

40-50g rolled oats

100-125ml plant milk (depending on the desired consistency)

1 tbsp vegan protein powder (I usually use rice or pea protein)

80-100g frozen raspberries

1 ripe banana

fruit toppings: banana chunks, more raspberries

other toppings: a piece of dark chocolate, 1 tbsp of nut butter, 1 tbsp of buckwheat (uncooked, for the crunch!)

Preparation:

Boil the oats with about 200ml of water.

In the meantime, pour the plant milk into a blender, add the protein powder, frozen raspberries and the banana, and blend it all until smooth.

Make sure to stir the cooking oats.

Prepare the toppings.

Oats and buckwheat porridge with apples and cinnamon

Ingredients:

30g rolled oats

30g buckwheat

1 apple

1 tbsp cinnamon

100ml plant milk

1 tbsp rice protein powder (or any other vegan protein powder)

1 tsp maca powder

toppings: nut butter and dark chocolate chunks

Preparation:

Cut the apple into small chunks. Put them in a small pan, add cinnamon and a bit of water, and cook until the apple pieces soften.

Cook the oats and buckwheat in ~ 200ml of water in a separate pan; you can add just a bit of cinnamon to it, too.

Make sure to stir the apple chunks. Drain the excess water when they're soft enough.

In the meantime, mix the plant milk with the protein powder and maca powder (I usually use a shaker for this). You can also add a bit of maple syrup or other sweetener to the mix.

Lemon banana pancakes

Dough ingredients:

1/2 a mashed banana

100ml plant milk

1 tbsp melted coconut oil

1 tbsp maple syrup

a few drops of lemon and vanilla aromas

100g flour

1 tbsp plant protein powder

1/2 a tsp baking powder

Cashew cream:

Blend cashews, milk, maple syrup and lemon aroma.

Toppings:

coconut flakes

banana chunks

kiwi chunks

Preparation:

Mix all the dough ingredients in a blender.

Warm up a large pan. No extra oil is needed since there's already coconut oil in the dough.

Pour about 1 tbsp of the dough on the warm pan to make one small pancake.

Cover the pan with a lid for about 1min or until bubbles appear on the pancakes' surface, then flip the pancakes on the other side. Repeat until you run out of dough.

Meanwhile, prepare the toppings.