Vegan recipes for beginners: A nutritionist reveals how to put together balanced meals

Veganism has experienced and is still experiencing its heyday, and the answers to the question of why to be vegan are easily divided into ecological, humane and health reasons. A vegan diet can be a good choice, but only if enough is known about this diet, its advantages and disadvantages.

Before you decide to become a vegan, be sure to keep in mind whether you know enough about proper nutrition in general , and then also about proper vegan nutrition. Balanced vegan meals should contain enough protein , a balance of saturated and unsaturated fats , as well as a proper combination of foods with the aim of obtaining a complete amino acid profile.

It is well known that a vegan diet should combine whole grains and legumes in order to obtain complete proteins. That’s true, but it doesn’t have to be like that in every meal. It is important to include all vegan food groups in your diet throughout the day:

• legumes
• whole grains
• seeds
• nuts
• fruits and vegetables
• vegan sources of protein such as tofu and tempeh
• various vegetable oils ( coconut oil as saturated, olive oil or pumpkin oil as unsaturated)
• supplements (especially vitamin B12 , vitamin D and others as needed). 

Today, there is a wide range of vegan products on the market, so there is a substitute for almost everything – from vegan hamburgers and sausages to vegan cream, yogurt and herbal drinks as a substitute for dairy products. 

However, not all vegan processed products have a favorable composition, so it is necessary to learn to read the declarations and composition of the product and thus be able to assess what is for everyday consumption and what is only for occasional consumption.

Vegan recipes for beginners 

If you are on your way to your final decision to become a vegan or simply want to take a break from meat and experiment, below are simple vegan recipes for beginners .

Quinoa with vegetables

Quinoa, although classified as a cereal, is actually a pseudocereal because it has seeds. Do you know that the UN declared 2013 as the year of quinoa? This extremely nutritious pseudocereal is indispensable in a vegan diet due to its amino acid composition.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of quinoa
• 2 cups of vegetable stock
• 1 soup spoon of olive oil
• 1 red onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 bell pepper (diced)
• 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup carrots (diced)
• 1 soup spoon of fresh parsley (chopped)
• salt
• black pepper .

Preparation

1. Rinse the quinoa well and leave it to drain.
2. Saute onion and garlic in heated olive oil , and after a few minutes add quinoa and saute for another minute.
3. Pour in the vegetable stock, season and let it cook for about 15-20 minutes.
4. While the quinoa is cooking, reheat the olive oil and add the carrots, peas and peppers and simmer for about seven minutes until the vegetables soften a little.
5. After that, add the vegetables to the quinoa and let it cook for a few more minutes.
6. Before serving, sprinkle with fresh parsley.
8. 

Vegan burger

Homemade vegan burgers can be not only nutritionally richer, but also very tasty. The good news is that you can add ingredients as you wish , so if you don’t have lentils, add beans or, if you don’t have buckwheat flour, add something else.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of lentils
• 1 cup chickpeas
• 1 red onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 cup of wholemeal flour of your choice
• 2 soup spoons of ground flax seeds + 6 soup spoons of water
• 1 soup spoon of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of ground paprika
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• olive oil
• black pepper
• salt .

Preparation

1. First , mix ground flax seeds with water and set aside to make gelatin.
2. Sauté the onion and garlic in heated olive oil for a few minutes.
3. Then, in a large bowl, mix the washed and drained chickpeas and lentils, flour, spices, onion and garlic and flax seeds .
4. Heat the olive oil in a pan, then shape the burgers with your hands and cook them on each side for about four minutes until they take on color.
5. Serve burgers with integral buns, various vegetables of your choice and add a teaspoon of vegan mayonnaise if desired .

Vegan moussaka

As we said, in the vegan diet there is an alternative to meat for everyone, including vegan moussaka . You can also use soy flakes , but we opted for brown lentils. 

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants (sliced ​​into rings)
• 2 potatoes (cut into thin slices)
• 1 red onion (finely chopped)
• 3 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 red pepper (diced)
• 1 cup of brown lentils
• 1 can of pelate
• 1 soup spoon of tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
• salt
• black pepper .

Ingredients for bechamel sauce:

• 2 soup spoons of vegetable butter
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 2 cups of herbal drink
• a pinch of nutmeg
• black pepper
• salt .

Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Arrange the eggplant and potato rings on a baking sheet , and then coat them with olive oil, pepper and salt. Bake them in the oven for about 20 minutes.
3. During this time, sauté the garlic and onion in heated olive oil, sauté for about four minutes, then add the paprika and sauté for a few more minutes.
4. Add the pelatas, tomato paste and spices and cook until thickened, about 15 minutes.
5. Then prepare the béchamel by melting the vegetable butter, then add the flour and mix. Gradually add the herbal drink while stirring, to avoid the formation of lumps. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and mix.
6. At the bottom of the baking dish, place a row of eggplant, then a layer of potatoes , and then a layer of brown lentils and cover it with tomato sauce. Repeat the process.
7. Pour the béchamel sauce over the top of the moussaka.
8. Bake for another 20 minutes until the béchamel takes on color.

Vegan Bolognese

Vegan bolognese with smoked tofu is just one more of the creative recipes that will fill you up, provide you with complete proteins, and you will enjoy it.

Ingredients:

• 200 g of smoked tofu (crushed or cut into small cubes)
• 300 g of pasta
• 1 red onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 carrots (grated)
• 2 stalks of celery (finely chopped)
• 1 red pepper (diced)
• 1 can of chopped peels
• 2 soup spoons of tomato concentrate
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 teaspoons of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of dry basil
• salt
• black pepper
• fresh basil .

Preparation

1. Sauté the onion and garlic in heated olive oil , and after a few minutes add the carrot, celery and pepper and sauté for about seven minutes until the vegetables are soft.
2. Add the vegetables to the tofu and simmer for another seven minutes.
3. Then, add the tomato paste and concentrate and all the spices . Mix, reduce the heat and cook the bolognese for about 20 minutes.
4. Cook the pasta according to the instructions and drain.
5. Pour the bolognese over the pasta and garnish with fresh basil.

Barley and bean stew

When it comes to vegan recipes for beginners , another very nutritious meal in a vegan version is barley and bean stew . If you want more protein, add cubes of tofu. 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of barley
• 1 can of beans (rinsed and drained)
• 1 red onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• 2 carrots (cut into rings)
• 2 potatoes (cut into cubes)
• 2 cups kale (chopped)
• 1 red pepper (diced)
• 1 can of chopped peels (400 g)
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of dry oregano
• 1 teaspoon of ground paprika
• black pepper
• salt .

Preparation

1. Sauté onion and garlic in heated olive oil , and after a few minutes add carrots, peppers, potatoes and kale and sauté for a few minutes until the vegetables are soft.
2. Add the barley, then pour in the vegetable stock and all the remaining ingredients and mix.
3. When the stew boils, let it cook for about half an hour until the barley is cooked.
4. If desired, serve with a slice of buckwheat or corn bread.

Vegan dessert

Vegan desserts, especially in the raw version, bring a real richness of taste . These extremely nutritious desserts are also a great snack. We bring one of those with avocado. 

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup of herbal drink
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• a pinch of salt
• 3 soup spoons of fresh raspberries
• a few roughly chopped almonds .

Preparation

1. Put all ingredients except raspberries and almonds in a blender and blend to a creamy texture. Add more herbal drink as needed.
2. Transfer the resulting pudding into a jar and leave it in the refrigerator for about half an hour .
3. Before serving , sprinkle with raspberries and almonds .