8 Easy Plant-Based Meal Ideas & Extras

By Donna Dior

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So many of us are interested in going at least a bit more plant based with our eating habits these days! The powerful potential of benefiting one's wellness, wallet & the planet are just a few of many reasons to be inspired. 
There are so many options when it comes to plant-based ingredients & meals.
Here are just a few ideas to get you started ...
(click "Read More" below to continue)

Just for clarity sake, It's Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) ingredients & recipes i'm referring to, where as your food is primarily consisting of ingredients from nature itself and not the processed versions of foods that just so happen to not contain animal based ingredients. The reason being is that processed plant based food can be potentially harmful as it is often loaded with ingredients such as solvent extracted & potentially inflammatory vegetable & seed oils (such as corn, soybean, canola, sunflower, safflower etc)  along with many other highly processed ingredients.
It does not have to be at all complicated to eat at least a bit more whole food plant based. Even incorporating a few meals a week could be very beneficial as these ingredients are filling and loaded with powerful nature made nutrients.
Often once you experience eating this delicious & nutritious food and the result of how you feel from it you will desire more...
Below are some simple & flexible ideas to get you started if you’d like to incorporate more healthy plant based food into your life!
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1) Nourish / Grain Bowls

Nourish/Grain Bowls are some of the most popular plant based meals these days and are super nutritious as well as so easy to just throw together. You can literally use any plant based ingredients you have available. They are also great way to use up your leftovers. The idea of creating a bowl is to have various plant based ingredients such as your grains, veggies &/or fruit and proteins such as legumes (beans, lentils & peas), tofu or tempeh (make sure any soy ingredients are organic) and nuts & seeds.
Some of my personal favorite ingredients to use in creating bowls are grains like quinoa, brown rice, or even whole grain or gluten free pasta or noodles. Veggie spirals such as zucchini are great since they are purely vegetable. Potatoes (regular or sweet, diced or sliced after roasting or steaming) are also a favorite.
Roasted Chickpeas, Baked Tofu, and lots of veggies such as greens (arugula is my personal favorite), tomatoes (cherry or grape) peppers, broccoli, cucumber, mushrooms, avocado & shredded carrots are also delicious additions. If you happen to have leftover roasted or steamed veggies they work great here too. You can literally use any veggies you have on hand! Fruits are a great option also such as diced apples, oranges, and berries. Nuts are a great addition as well such as almonds, cashews  pecans, walnuts or brazil (which are loaded with selenium).
You can top it off with seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin (lots of minerals). You can toss with your favorite dressing (oil free or not). See a few of my favorite Oil Free Dressings/Sauces below. Ive also been known to sprinkle coconut shreds, sesame or hemp seeds on top of my bowls. When you’re done creating your bowl you can either leave the ingredients sectioned off, or mix them all together!
It is easy to food prep some of your ingredients for your grain bowls in advance or even the entire bowl.
This will make them even quicker to put together!
Your grains and ingredients such as potatoes, roasted veggies / chickpeas & baked tofu in particular are great to batch cook in advance.
*You can also make grain/nourish mason jars, which are the same idea as the bowls only with layered ingredients in a mason jar. These look super cool & have a vacuum pack  seal/ lid so they stay fresh for longer. Just store them in the fridge for up to a week. If prepared this way in advance, It’s super easy to just dump out the mason jar into a bowl & add your dressing, or just take it on the road & eat it out of your mason jar !
So have fun creating & enjoy your grain bowls!
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2) Tortilla Wraps

Tortillas are a super easy plant based meal option! You can keep them super simple or get way creative. Keeping it simple you can just use fillings such as avocado slices, tomato & lettuce. Getting a bit fancier, after heating up your tortillas you can fill them with literally anything from Baked Tofu slices to portobello mushrooms (sautéed or baked) to any type of veggie spear/slice such as pepper, cucumber, carrot etc, greens, avocado, beans. chickpeas, corn or any kind of veggie mix. Roasted veggies are amazing here, you can roast oil free if you so choose using teflon free ceramic coated baking dishes / sheets (Take a Look HERE) , (HERE) & (HERE), silicone baking  mats (Take a Look HERE), or line your baking sheets with (preferably brown/unbleached) parchment paper (Take a Look HERE).
You can also add a small bit of broth if cooking in glass baking dishes so your veggies won't stick.
A few my of my personal favorite tortilla filling go to's are: 
Avocado slices/ black bean/ corn/ tomato & cilantro, (if the corn is frozen you can just let it defrost /& or heat up the corn in a pan on the stove & throw in the black beans.   
Fajita style is also delicious with stir-fried & seasoned onions & peppers (if going oil free use a teflon free non stick pan if possible (Take a Look HERE))  & just a few teaspoons of broth or water. Avocado slices or portobello mushrooms are a great addition to these as well.
… & lastly, fruit filled tortillas are amazing and one of my absolute favorite breakfasts other than smoothie bowls & avocado toast. Any combination of raspberry, blackberry/ blueberry or sliced strawberry with a bit of arugula & a little feta (alternative) cheese is the most delicious thing ever! I also love pineapple as an addition to Any of my tortilla wraps. Pineapple also has the added benefit of containing  bromelain, a highly anti-inflammatory enzyme!
Look for oil free whole-grain tortillas with just very few ingredients other than your grain (such as water & lime)..Make sure that especially your corn tortillas are non-gmo or organic (which also means they’re non-gmo).  
(Take a Look HERE) & (HERE) !
This would also be a good strategy for your wheat based tortillas, & sprouted wheat would be a great option (Take a Look HERE) & (HERE).
​You can even find coconut flour tortillas (gluten free) (Take a Look HERE) and   grain free tortillas (Take a Look HERE) with clean ingredients (also gluten free)...and you can even make your own tortillas from scratch if you're feeling inspired (Take a Look HERE) & (HERE) !

3) Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are another easy & delicious plant-based recipe idea and they are super nutritious, refreshing & energizing! 
The basic idea of lettuce wrap is to use a lettuce leaf to wrap your ingredients in similar to a grain based wrap or tortilla, except without the grain!
All you need to do is wash your medium to large sized lettuce leaf well, pat dry, add your fillings & roll it up just like a wrap.
My absolute personal favorite lettuce wraps are my:
Baked Tofu Lettuce Wrap with Peanut Sauce.
You can either crumble the tofu or use it in strips..
The filing when using tofu strips includes:
Tofu Strips / Cucumber /Avocado & Shredded Carrots  
Or
when using  Crumbled Tofu (plain or baked per recipe below)
Crumbled Tofu/ Slivered Pepper/ Shredded Carrot/ Scallion/ Chopped Cashews (you can eat this combination cold or heat it up)
​Again, I also like adding pineapple to either of these lettuce wraps if I have any on hand.
You can be creative and combine Any plant-based fillings you like. I've definitely been known to also make a black bean & rice with guacamole lettuce wrap myself (this is amazing with the lime avocado cilantro dressing also listed below)...
The best lettuce options for your lettuce wraps would be Boston (also known as Butter or Bibb), Romaine, Green or Red Leaf. Iceberg will work also but it’s the least nutritious. I personally also often use Collard Green Leaves (which actually makes them collard wraps) to make my wraps ~ They are often huge & super sturdy. They are also an amazing Cruciferous vegetable which comes with a whole slew of additional benefits nutritionally. They are ever so slightly bitter but usually the contents of your wrap more than makes up for this. If you use collard leaves shaving down the stem in the seam of the leaf (just use a knife to shave it off until its flatter) makes it much less tough & easier to chew.
So be plant based creative filling your lettuce leaves, wrap them up, add sauce if you like, & be energized !
​

4) Veggie Stir-Fry's

Veggie stir~fry’s are another easy & delicious meal option. Along with a grain such as quinoa, rice or even potatoes they are a filling & nutritious meal. 
Again you can use any veggie combinations you like.
Onions, peppers, broccoli, carrots & mushrooms are some of my personal favorites. I often add in tofu (cubed) & cashews (or other nuts) for plant based protein. Beans such as kidney, northern or cannelloni beans are also great sources of plant-based protein and additions to stir-fry’s.
Other veggie ingredients such as asparagus, string beans, bok choi, kale & spinach are also delicious options.
Stir fry’s are great with sesame seeds sprinkled on top!
I personally make my stir fry’s oil free, sometimes with just a small amount of veggie or mushroom broth (either a few tablespoons as needed or about 1/8th a cup or under, or with an oil free sauce such as Sesame Ginger.
Ceramic or at least ceramic coated  (ptfe / teflon free) non-stick pans also come in handy here (Take a Look Here).
Just to note, lots of veggies actually have their own water content that comes out once you start heating them up.
If you do use oil~I would highly recommend using a small amount of Avocado oil (cold or expeller pressed if possible, so it doesn’t contain harmful chemicals), along with it being a safer choice it also has a high smoke point (around 500°F ) and is not an inflammatory seed / vegetable oil.
If you prepare your stir fry and eat it over quinoa this will add additional plant-based protein. Brown rice is also a good option & sometimes I personally batch cook / food prep both of these grains in advance and even combine/mix them together to have with many meals during the week. You can also eat your stir-fry’s over potatoes (steamed, baked or roasted (preferably oil free), which are also another one of my personal favorite plant-based staples !
​Happy Stir~Frying !

5) Quinoa Salads

Quinoa salads are so very versatile as well as delicious! They are additionally  great because although quinoa seems like a grain, it is actually seed that is quite high in protein. It is also rich in all important b vitamins, minerals & fiber. 
Quinoa is super versatile overall and one of the easiest meals to prepare from it are certainly any variety of salad.  Quinoa based salads are beyond simple to put together using any number of ingredients.
One of my personal favorite ideas for a delicious & nutritious quinoa salad is using berries (such as raspberries blueberries blackberries or strawberries) along with arugula or spinach, cilantro, and cashews &/or pumpkin seeds. Oil Free Strawberry Walnut Balsamic dressing is my favorite to top it off along with shredded coconut if I happen to have some available.
Another of my favorites is quinoa, any green such as spinach or arugula, tomatoes (diced, cherry or grape), shredded carrot, chopped scallion, cashews & or pumpkin seeds..
Yet another is quinoa, chopped broccoli, diced pepper, diced orange or mandarin, shredded carrot, chopped scallion & chopped peanut or cashews with Peanut Sauce (recipe below) & sprinkled sesame seeds.
...& lastly my Mexican style which is quinoa, black beans, corn (canned or frozen & defrosted), diced tomatoes, diced avocado (if I have on hand), diced red onions & cilantro with Lime Avocado  Cilantro dressing (recipe below).
You can mix & match dressings with all of these recipe ideas! See oil free dressing recipe options below...
I also often add Baked Tofu cubes & Roasted Chickpeas to any & all of my quinoa salads especially if I prepare them in advance & have them on hand. I also often add beans such as kidney, black, or cannelloni (canned or dried & soaked). Avocado is also an ingredient I often add to any quinoa salad if I’m in possession of one.
If you make/food prep a big batch of quinoa in advance & keep it in your fridge, you can use it throughout the week and mix it in with practically any produce items/ types of salad to create a quinoa salad. It is so easy and equates to a super fast, nutritious meal every time !
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6) Ramen Noodle Bowls

Brown rice ramen noodles (Take a Look HERE) are quick, delicious and they  are personally one of my absolute favorite meals! Just as long as your noodles are minimally processed & some form of  whole grain they make a nutrient rich meal especially once you add your veggies.
You can prepare them as a soup or just a liquid free noodle bowl. Your Ramen noodle bowls can easily be a one pot super quick easy & delicious meal. 
You can add any veggie (frozen or fresh) into the same pot when you boil your water or broth first, before adding your noodles, which usually only take 4 minutes or less to cook. This way it’s a super quick & easy one pot meal.
My personal favorite noodle bowl recipe/ ingredients are broccoli, spinach & edamame beans (I steam these down first before adding noodles) with Peanut Sauce. I sometimes also add cashews (added to pot with cooking noodles or afterwards). After I strain the water out of the pot I often add Baked Tofu cubes (recipe below), as well as sliced avocado, shredded carrot & the peanut sauce. I love to sprinkle sesame seeds on top to finish. 
Beyond this particular ramen noodle recipe, there are endless variations using different plant-based ingredients & sauces you can easily create.
​So have fun & enjoy your ramen bowls !
​

7) Topped Polenta

Polenta is one of the easiest & most delicious possible plant-based meal bases. It is made from cornmeal and once cooked can be formed into a creamy but solid form. You can make it from scratch which requires a bit of work & time, or you can purchase it in tubes / rolls at the market (Take a Look HERE) that are already pre cooked & formed. 
This makes it super easy to just slice it (in rounds), heat it up in whatever form you choose such as bake, grill or toast on the stove (with either a few drops of oil (if possible use avocado (preferably), olive or coconut ) or oil free in a nonstick teflon free pan (Take a Look HERE). 
You can top polenta slices before or after you heat them up. I often make a tray  of little mini plant based pizzas topped with pasta sauce, plant based cheese, & veggies such as spinach & mushrooms (sometimes i’ll steam the veggies first for just a few minutes before I layer them on the polenta). You can also use any random combination of veggies & plant based protein (such as beans) you happen to have available. Another example would be a bit of salsa, black beans (which you can heat up for a min on the stove), any herbs or greens you choose such as cilantro or arugula, & top with avocado slices. Another one of my personal favorites is just adding salad ingredients to top the polenta slices once I heat them up. This can basically be any salad you so choose with or without dressing  (check out my Oil Free Dressings below!
Please purchase organic polenta as it is made from corn which is a highly genetically modified (gmo/ treated with glyphosate) crop. If it’s organic it is also non-gmo.
You will just Love your Polenta Creations !
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8) Smoothie Bowls

Smoothie bowls are a quick, delicious and refreshing way to get a huge quantity of amazing plant based nutrients into your body.
They are great for breakfast as they are light but filling and quite energy providing. They are also great as a picker upper between meals, a healthier desert or even a light, refreshing & nutritious lunch. Smoothie bowls are similar to smoothies just thicker in consistency and you generally eat them with a spoon out of a bowl, or I personally sometimes use a Mason Jar (with a lid  especially if I take my smoothie bowl on the road with me !
You can get quite creative with your smoothie bowl recipes.
Typically the base of a smoothie bowl is a banana or two (frozen or not) and any fruit (preferably frozen) you happen to have on hand. For me, many times this means either strawberries & or blueberries or more tropical fruits such as mango or pineapple. I also typically add greens to my smoothies such as spinach, arugula or kale. You can get super creative with ingredients & combinations. You can also add your choice of liquid be it juice (preferably free of  any added sugar), plant based milk such as almond or coconut, or filtered water. I personally use water as it doesn’t add extra sugars or calories. You also have the option of adding supplemental powders be it protein powders, superfood powders, etc. Acai is also a very popular addition to smoothie bowls essentially making them “Acai Bowls”. Acai is also a berry that is amazingly high in antioxidants and tastes like a combination of dark chocolate & blueberry. It is not sweet but adds a delicious flavor to your smoothie bowls. Acai can be purchased in frozen packets (just be cautious of purchasing ones without added sugars) (Take a Look Here), or in a powder form (Take a Look HERE) that you can just add into your blender with the rest of your smoothie ingredients.
Any high speed blender will make a great smoothie bowl.
When it comes to making a smoothie Bowl over a liquid smoothie, depending on how much frozen ingredient you’re using, your quantity of liquid would vary to make a bowl type consistency. I usually use about a cup of liquid if I use unfrozen bananas but a bunch of  other frozen fruit. If your bananas are frozen you may need a bit more liquid. You can adjust this as you blend. When you’re aiming for smoothie bowl consistency you’re better off adding less liquid at first and adding more as needed as you blend. You want the consistency thick enough to eat with a spoon but thin enough to pour from your blender.
After blended & poured into your bowl or jar you can add additions such as almond or peanut butter and toppings such as berries, nuts, seeds or other toppings such as coconut shreds or hemp seeds. 
So be creative & have fun with your delicious smoothie bowl creations ! 

That's it for now regarding the plant-based meal ideas...
​ Now as mentioned here are your :
Roasted Chickpea & Baked Tofu Recipes !

 

Roasted Chickpeas (Oil Free)

Roasted Chickpeas are super quick & easy to prepare in any size batch. They are beyond delicious, nutritious & a very inexpensive. They are a great source of plant-based protein. You can add them to practically any meal or enjoy them alone (they also make a great snack). Once roasted they usually stay good in the fridge for about a week !

>If using canned chickpeas, just rinse the chickpeas in a colander until the foam disappears. Shake off the water. Then pat them dry well. 
>If using dried chickpeas (not canned), soak them overnight in at least twice the amount of water as chickpeas until they plump up.
Rinse them in a colander till foam free, shake off the water & pat dry well.

>Put them in a glass casserole or shallow oven safe glass dish, teflon free baking sheet (Take a Look HERE), silicone mat (Take a Look Here) or parchment paper lined sheet (preferably unbleached (Take a Look Here)). 

>Sprinkle your chickpeas with your favorite herbs/spices such as garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper etc. 
​
>Squeeze a little lemon or lime juice on them which adds more flavor & helps them brown.

>Bake them at 400° for 15 minutes 

>Stir them to rotate them around. 

>Return them to the oven & bake them another 15 minutes

>Remove from oven , let cool & Enjoy !!!

Enjoy them by themselves or add them to absolutely any dish !
​

Baked Tofu (Oil Free)

In addition to regular soy based tofu there are now tofu alternatives such as chickpea &  pumpkin seed versions. If you choose to go with one of these, just as long as they’re firm in form, you would prepare this recipe in the same way. If you’re using regular soy based tofu make sure it’s firm or extra firm & organic, as soy is a highly genetically modified (gmo/glyphosate sprayed) crop.
​
​>Rinse your block of tofu 

>Dry it well with a towel 

>Put it on a cutting board or plate & further press on top of it with your hand, a towel or plate to press out more moisture & make it a bit flatter

>Cut the block up into pieces~either cubes or triangles (for bowls, salads, stir-fry’s & noodle dishes, etc), strips, or slabs (for sandwiches, wraps or stacks), or break up into crumbles (for scrambles or fillings).

> Place cut / crumbled tofu into a glass dish, ceramic baking dish, a silicone baking mat, or parchment paper covered tray. 

> Pour sauce of your choice (Oil Free Dressing/Sauce ideas below) & brush/ spoon over top to distribute it evenly (you can also marinate it for a few hours or overnite if you prefer for more intense flavor)

>Sprinkle extra herbs/spices (garlic/onion/ ginger powder etc) sesame seeds etc on top of tofu.

>Bake at 400° for 25~30 min (until nicely browned)

>Remove from oven, let cool & enjoy alone or with any dish !
​

Oil Free Dressings / Sauces

Here are a few oil-free dressings/sauces for you to try along with your plant-based meals..
*Just as a note...Since oil is a ridiculously calorie & fat dense ingredient (more than almost any other food) & often toxin laden depending on it's type (due in part to it's extraction process), you may choose to at some point consume less of it. If you do choose to consume/use oil in your dressings & otherwise, avocado, olive or coconut (cold or expeller pressed & organic if possible) would be the safest choices. 
Again, these recipes listed below are all  Oil-Free.
Any of these sauces/ dressings can be used on Any of your dishes!
You can just add all these ingredients to your blender & blend, or
most of them can be mixed by hand except the Cashew Cheese Sauce 
 Strawberry Walnut Balsamic  & the Cashew Cheese Sauce .
They are great to make ahead of time & keep vacuum packed (with sealed lid) in mason jars in the fridge.This makes them easy to grab as needed.
They stay fresh for at least a good week. 
They will yield about a cup of dressing /sauce for the most part.
They are all Whole Food Plant Based and Oil, Dairy & Gluten Free !

 

PEANUT SAUCE

>4 tbsp lime or lemon juice (approx Juice of 1&1/3rd lemon or lime)
>1/2 c peanut butter (preferably oil free)
>1 & 1/2 tsp honey
>1 tsp tamari or coconut aminos (optional)
>2 tsp garlic powder (or 2 cloves garlic minced)
>1 tsp ginger powder (or 1/8th inch chopped/minced ginger root)

​* if you mix this sauce by hand make sure to mash up & dissolve the peanut butter Well
​* Mix or blend until creamy !
​

 

STRAWBERRY WALNUT BALSAMIC

>1 cup strawberries (remove stems)
>2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
>1/8 tsp dijon mustard
>1/8 cup walnut pieces
>1 tbsp lemon juice 
>1 tsp maple syrup (optional)
​
*To make a creamy version of this dressing soak 1 cup of cashews in 2 cups of filtered water for a few hours & add them and all other ingredients to blender and blend (If you have a high~speed blender such as a Vitamix you don’t need to soak the cashews), or instead of cashews you can blend in a half block of silken tofu (to make a soy based creamy version, just make sure tofu is organic)
*To make plain balsamic dressing (oil free) just omit the strawberries & walnuts from this recipe! 

LEMON TAHINI

>Juice of 1 lemon or 3 tbsp lemon juice
>2 tbsp filtered water
>1/3 cup tahini
>1 tsp honey (optional)
>1 garlic clove minced or 1 tsp garlic powder
>1/8 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
​
*​Mix or Blend all ingredients together until creamy
​

 

SESAME GINGER

>1/8th cup veggie broth, water, or orange juice for orange based sauce 
>1/4 cup tamari, gluten free soy sauce, or coconut aminos (or any combination of the these 3)
>1/2 tsp rice vinegar or lime juice
>1/4 inch ginger root (grated, minced, or ground) or 1 tsp ginger powder
>2 cloves garlic minced or 2 tsp garlic powder
>1 tsp almond or peanut butter (optional)
>1/8th cup sesame seeds
​
*​Mix or Blend all ingredients together well
​

LIME AVOCADO

>1/2 avocado
>Juice of 1 lime (or 2-3 tbsp lime juice)
>1 tsp honey
 >1 cup cilantro (optional)
>1/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 garlic clove minced
>1 - 2 tbsp water (optional depending on preference of thickness)

​*If you mix this dressing by hand make sure to mash up the avocado well !
​Mix or blend till smooth & creamy
​

CASHEW / WHITE BEAN CHEESE SAUCE

>1 cup cashews / or 1 can cannelloni or northern beans or 1/2 a cup of each
​>3/4 cup filtered water, alternative milk (almond, coconut, or soy), or veggie broth
>2 tbsp lemon juice 
>2 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
>1 garlic clove or 1 tsp garlic powder
> Pinch of salt & pepper (optional)

*If using cashews and you don’t own a High Speed blender, soak the cashews in filtered water overnight or for at least 2 hours before blending
* If using canned beans, drain & rinse them well first
* If using dried beans rinse them well & then soak them overnight or for at least a few hours  
*Add all ingredients to blender & blend till smooth & creamy

​**You can also use boiled potato & carrots as a base (instead of or in addition to the cashews &/or beans for your plant-based cheese sauce .  Basically any combination of these three ingredients adding up to a cup will make a great base for your sauce. If you do use the boiled potatoes & carrots you can also use 1 cup of the water/broth you boiled them in as your liquid.
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That does it for now...please enjoy being creative with all your Plant~based endeavors !

"Let Food Be Thy Medicine & Medicine Be Thy Food"
​Hippocrates

**Before embarking on Any new dietary, wellness or nutritional program, it is advised and important to consult with your qualified and trusted Healthcare Provider to evaluate your particular and personal medical circumstance.

Disclaimer   
This blog, it's content and any linked materials does not provide medical advice and is presented and intended for informational purposes only. It is based on my personal experience and research and is Not a Substitute for Medical Advice or Treatment. Do not Disregard Medical Advice, or delay in Seeking it because of something you have read in this blog, website or in Any linked material. Consult with a Medical Professional if you have a Medical Condition ! ​