Going meat-free is a lifestyle choice that may be difficult for some, but proves to drastically improve our own health, while saving the planet and living within sustainable means. But meat free doesn’t need to mean flavor free – here are the most filling recipes that you won’t believe are packed with plants.
1. Chickpea Couscous Bowls with Tahini Sauce
Bowls are trending hard right now, and this chickpea couscous concoction is no exception. Drizzled with zesty tahini sauce, this vegan and plant based recipe will transport you to the Mediterranean. It’s somehow both light and filling.
2. Vegan Mac & Cheese
Who says you have to sacrifice comfort food to live healthily? No one should have to live without Mac and Cheese – these vegan version is surprisingly cashew free, instead utilizing butternut squash, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast with a bit of white miso paste.
3. Spicy Rice Bowl
Never worry about your rice bowl being bland ever again – this one is full of spice, roasted broccoli and chickpeas, on a brown rice base, all topped off with tase sunflower cream. Think chipotle, but so much better.
4. White Bean Kale Quinoa Soup
Perfect for the odd chilly day when you want the coziness of a hot broth, but the satisfaction of a carbed-up pasta dinner. This one-pot dish blends beans, kale, quinoa, and lemon juice, and is practically begging to be frozen for meal prep.
5. Veggie “Big Mac” Burger with Radicchio Slaw
After a long day, sometimes a burger really hits the spot. But those clogged arteries sure don’t. Instead, this veggie burger tastes so much better, and is topped up with crunchy radicchio slaw. Instead of black beans, the base is filled with mushrooms, onion, zucchini and garlic.
6. BBQ Pulled Jackfruit Sandwich
Jackfruit is the surprising star of this sandwich, which mimic a pulled pork texture. Soaked in a delicious BBQ sauce and topped in cabbage slaw, these sandwiches will please even the pickiest of carnivores.
7. Vegan Stuffed Peppers
Compact, yet oh so filling. Peppers are gutted, filled with the under-utilized freekeh grain, packed with chickpeas, corn, salsa, chili, and topped with avocado or seeds. Clean eating has never tasted so good.
8. Coconut Lentil Soup
Never order Indian food again – you can recreate it right from the comfort of your own home, without all the oils! This hearty vegan dish is optimally spiced, and perfect for dipping some naan in, or slurping up on its own. It looks and tastes like delicious nourishment.
9. Chickpea Loaf
This should be the new spotlight of Thanksgiving dinners. A meatloaf transforms into a chickpea loaf, with a base of seasoned veggies, herbs, chickpeas, and oats. With a side of mashed potatoes, there’s no bad mood that this recipe can’t fix.
10. Mushroom Chili
Make a weekly Sloppy Joe night with this meatless mushroom chili – you won’t regret it. Using a healthier alternative to processed soy crumbles, this author decided to make cremini mushrooms the star of this dish.
