“I am considering going vegan but I am a bit confused and unsure of what to have for my meals especially dinner. Can you give me some Vegan Dinner Ideas Would really appreciate it. Thanks. Sandra”
Whether you are already vegan or are considering adopting a plant based lifestyle it is highly likely that you are struggling for meal ideas. This is quite common and many struggle with this. However let´s break this down very simply and then let me give you some vegan dinner ideas that we regularly eat. When you are looking at vegan meal ideas the key is to achieve nutritional balance in getting the required nutrients in your meal – carbohydrates, protein fats, vitamins and minerals.
All of these should be in each meal and fat for most. So let´s start with the carbohydrate portion. You can choose from pasta, rice, potatoes(sweet or white), quinoa, couscous, barley etc Then for protein you have kidney beans, chickpeas, butter beans, lentils, tofu, seitan and any type of pulse or beans. For vitamins and minerals you can choose from a wide variety of vegetables and salads. And then for fats you have avocados, nuts, seeds and healthy oils (use sparingly as very condensed so calorie rich). So this is how you should look at your meal and then it is easy to have many vegan dinner ideas.
Here are some of my favourites.
Vegan Lasagna and Home Made Wedges :
Chop up potatoes into chips and put on a tray, over in various herbs (no need for oil if you want to save calories) and bake for about 45 to 60 mins depending how crispy you want them. For the lasagna roast the vegetables – we use peppers, mushrooms and onions. Make your tomato based and cream based sauce. For the tomato we use tins of tomatoes with herbs and also include the lentils in it. For the cream based sauce we use vegan margarine, herbs, flour, engevita and soya milk Make your pasta layer. Cover with the tomato based sauce including lentils and vegetables. Then another pasta layer and then cover in the cream based sauce and cover then in vegan cheese and bake for 30 mins.
Curries, Chillis, Casseroles :
Decide on what vegetables you want to have it in and what protein source. Sautee onions and garlic with some oil first. Then add the vegetables. Then the tomatos and herbs and when cooking slow to a simmer and longer you leave it the better. There are so many combinations you can do with these dishes. Fajitas/Burritos/Tacos : WE love these. Roast the vegetables and chickpeas (makes them really sweet). Make your own guacamole blending avocado, onion, tomato and lemon. Make up your burritos then with the guacamole, roasted veg and chickpeas and add some rice and beans. Again there is much variety as to what to include here.
Vegan Pizza : You can easily make your own pizza bases or most shop bought pizza bases are vegan. Decide on your toppings and cover base in tomato based sauce, add vegan cheese and toppings and put in over for 20 minutes.