Are you brand new to a plant-based, vegan lifestyle? If so, you might be overwhelmed not with the food choices themselves, but with all the cooking and preparing that is required. It is definitely a difference when you can’t just grab anything you want from the local grocery store or convenience store, but that doesn’t mean you are spending hours a day cooking. Take a look at these simple, low-effort meal ideas for plant-based diets.
Rice Bowl
The simplest meal you can make when you are on a plant-based diet is a rice bowl. This is aside from a salad of course. But when you want a warm meal, you really can’t go wrong with a bed of rice or grains topped with your favorite veggies, nuts, and seeds. There are many ways to go about this. You can make it really simple with brown rice, topped with roasted butternut squash, chickpeas, carrots, and your favorite vegan sauce. Another option is to do a mix of rice and quinoa for even more fiber and protein, with any of your leftover mixed veggies and some black beans. Get creative and throw all your favorite foods together.
Baked Potatoes
When you go vegan, baked potatoes take on a whole new meaning. No longer are they the side dish to an animal protein source, but the main course! This makes it a lot of fun since there are so many ways to top a baked potato. If you miss your old baked potato with cheese and bacon bits, look for the vegan versions of them! Otherwise, you can just top it with anything and everything, like hummus and veggies, beans and lentils, and even fried tofu! This is another easy meal that pretty much just uses up all your leftovers.
Chili
Chili might seem like a hassle, but when you use your slow cooker, it is incredibly easy to do. Vegan chili is really just about adding all the ingredients and turning on your slow cooker. When you aren’t browning meat beforehand, this is made even easier. The only real prep work you have is measuring out spices and chopping any veggies you intend to add. You can throw in your choice of beans, vegetables, onions, garlic, and any of your favorite chili spices. Turn on the slow cooker and let it cook for as long as you want.
More Options
There are plenty of other vegan meal options that won’t take a lot of time and effort. This might include putting together a vegetarian sandwich or wrap with hummus and your choice of veggies or using a bag of frozen vegetables with your favorite vegan jarred sauce and microwave rice.