Everyday You'll Be Brusselin' With Our Vegan Meal Plan

We all have New Year's resolutions that we swear we'll stick to but somehow don't, leaving January 1st to come back 'round, starting the whole process again. 

If you've missed Veganuary, don't be so hard on yourself and give it another go for meat & dairy-free February*. To make things a little easier for you, we've put together a completed menu, from breakfast to dinner and all the snacks in between, to give you some inspiration. Now lett-uce eat! Sorry, dont you just hate vegan puns? They're soy cheesy. Okay we'll stop. 

*not necessarily a thing but it could be... 

___________________________________________________________________

Breakfast 

Blueberry Pancakes 

Breakfast is often referred to as the most important meal of the day so you have to make sure you're getting the correct nutrients you need to get you through 'till lunch. Even if you're not a breakfast person, we're almost positive you're a pancake person. 

Ingredients
Serves: 8 pancakes 
Recipe supplied by: a couple cooks 

• 1 flax egg (1 tbsp ground flax seed + 2 1/2 tbsp water, whisked) 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt 
• 1 cup almond milk 
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar 
• 1tbsp maple syrup, plus additional for serving
• 2 tbsp neutral oil, vegetable or grapeseed 
• 1 pinch turmeric (optional) 
• 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries 

Preparation

1. Start with making the flax egg (whisk it all together and let it sit for 15 minutes), and then while it's sitting, in a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and kosher salt. 

2. In a separate bowl, pour in the buttermilk, maple syrup, and oil. When the egg is ready to go, add that in as well. 

3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. You can add the turmeric now if you want to, it'll help give the mixture a slightly yellow colour. 

4. Lightly brush a skillet or frying pan with additional grapeseed or vegetable oil and leave it on medium heat. Pour the pancake batter into small circles and place the blueberries on top. Cook the pancakes until the bubbles pop on the top and the bottoms are nice and golden. Continue to flip them over until both sides are done and serve immediately with maple syrup. 

 
Lunch 

Cauliflower Banh Mi Sandwich 

Lunch is pretty much the only reason why some of us come to work (let's be honest) and thanks to this cauliflower sandwich recipe, enjoying a healthy lunch has never been easier. Perfect for when you're craving a sandwich but want something a little bit extra. 

Ingredients
Serves: 2
Recipe supplied by: minimalist baker 

Pickled Vegetables 

• 2/3 cup rice wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar) 
• 1/3 cup hot water 
• 1/2 tsp sea salt 
• 1 tbsp organic cane sugar (or stevia) 
• 2/3 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot 
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced or shredded daikon (or round radish) 

Cauliflower 

• 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce 
• 5 tbsp coconut aminos 
• 1 tbsp maple syrup 
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp sesame or avocado oil 
• 4 cups (heaped) cauliflower florets, cut into bite-size pieces

Aioli 

• 1/2 cup vegan mayo 
• 2 tsp maple syrup 
• 1 tbsp sriracha (or other hot sauce)

Sandwich 

•  2 small baguettes 
• Fresh cilantro 
• Fresh cucumber 
• Sliced jalapeño pepper 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 232°C and prepare the pickled vegetables first by adding vinegar, hot water, salt, and sugar to a glass jar and shaking or stirring vigorously to dissolve the salt and sugar. Then add the carrot and radish, stir to coat thoroughly and push down so that everything is submerged. Cover the jar and place in the fridge to chill, where they'll 'pickle' until the sandwich is ready. 

2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the chili garlic sauce, coconut aminos, maple syrup, lime juice, and oil and stir to combine. Then add the cauliflower florets and toss to combine. 

3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, use a slotted spoon to scoop the cauliflower into the pan, keeping most of the liquid from the cauliflower in the bowl. 

5. Sauté the cauliflower, stirring semi-frequently until they're slightly browned, then add most of the reserved marinade (be sure to save a little for serving) and toss it to coat thoroughly. Transfer the cauliflower to a baking tray and pop them in the oven to bake until they're nice and crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This should roughly be about 15 minutes. 

6. In the meantime, prepare the aioli by adding the vegan mayo to a small mixing bowl with the maple syrup and sriracha and stir to combine. Sample your saucy masterpiece and continue to season as needed, then pop in the fridge to set until you're ready to serve. 

7. Slice the baguettes in half and toast them in the oven or on a hot grill pan until they're slightly browned, then you're ready for the assembling stage (which is the best bit). 

8. To assemble, spread some aioli on both sides of the baguette, then on one side of the bread, add the cauliflower and brush on any leftover marinade for a little extra flavour. Lastly, add the pickled vegetables, cilantro, cucumber, and jalapeños and enjoy immediately because honestly, why would you wait? 

Snack 

Sweet Potato Crisps with Chilli-Lime Salt 

We're all guilty of wanting an afternoon snack that's both salty and crunchy now and again, and while we know that the temptation of grabbing a packet of potato chips is high, we're recommending this slightly healthier sweet potato version so you can snack away without feeling like you've just consumed a whole day's worth of kilojoules before dinner. 

Ingredients
Serves: 6
Recipe supplied by: taste

• Vegetable oil, for shallow frying 
• 250g orange sweet potato, unpeeled, very thinly sliced 
• 250g white sweet potato, unpeeled, very thinly sliced
• 250g purple sweet potato, unpeeled, very thinly sliced
• 2 tsp sea salt 
• 1/2 tsp chilli powder
• 1 tsp finely grated lime rind

Preparation

1. Pour the oil into a large, heavy-based frying pan until it's about 1cm deep, then heat it over medium-high heat until it starts to sizzle when you drop something into it e.g/ a small piece of bread. 

2. Cook the potato, 5 to 6 slices at a time, for roughly 1-2 minutes, or until they're golden and crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the potato to a wire rack and then drain it and let them cool. 

3. Combine the salt, chilli powder and lime rind in a small mixing bowl. Sprinkle your newly made crisps with the salt mixture just before serving and enjoy! 

Dinner 

Eggplant Lasagna 

If we asked everyone reading this blog right now what they instantly think of when they hear the words 'comfort food', we'd almost bet our entire life savings on the fact that lasagna would be in the top 5. Even if it's not, you can't go past a good, hearty, vegetable-y lasagna, and that's exactly what this recipe will give you. 

Ingredients
Serves: 8
Recipe supplied by: simply quinoa 

Eggplant

• 1 medium eggplant 
• Cooking spray/olive oil 
• Pinch of salt & pepper

Ricotta 

• 1 1/2 cups raw cashews soaked for 1 hour in hot water 
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast 
• 1 tsp lemon juice 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt & pepper 
• 1/2 cup coconut water or water 

Tomato Sauce

• 600ml jar of crushed tomatoes 
• 1 tsp garlic powder 
• 1 tsp dried oregano 
• 1 tsp dried basil 
• 1/2 tsp salt & pepper 
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional if you're not about that spice life)

Lasagna 

• 9 sheets of lasagna 
• 280g vegan cheese, shredded 

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C and slice the eggplant lengthwise, then cut it into 1/4 strips. Place them on a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray or drizzle with oil, and sprinkle with salt & pepper. Roast the eggplant for 15 minutes until they're tender. 

2. While the eggplant is roasting, drain and rinse the cashews and add them to a blender along with the nutritional yeast, lemon juice, spices, and coconut water. Blend the mixture until it's nice and smooth. 

3. In a large bowl, combine the tomato sauce spices, stir until combined. 

4. To start assembling the lasagna, grab a lasagna dish and layer some tomato sauce evenly across the bottom. Top it with three lasagna sheets, then some ricotta, spreading it out evenly. Then top with the eggplant slices, some more tomato sauce and repeat the process until all the ingredients have been used up (you should end up with a layer of sauce and ricotta), which you will then top with cheese. 

5. Bake the lasagna, covered for 50-55 minutes until everything has cooked through and is bubbling nicely. Remove it from the oven, let it sit for 10 minutes, then slice and serve immediately because we know you're hungry. 

Dessert 

Banoffee Tapioca Pudding 

For the dessert to end all desserts you absolutely need to try this banana flavoured banoffee tapioca pudding, and that's pretty much all we have to say about it. Make the pudding and you'll understand why it doesn't need any explanation. 

Ingredients
Serves: 4
Recipe supplied by: like a vegan

• 1 can Nature's Charm Coconut Whipping Cream 
• 1L water 
• 2/3 cup seed tapioca 
• 1 can Nature's Charm Condensed Coconut Milk 
• 1 cup non-diary milk e.g/ almond milk 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 tsp banana extract 
• Pinch of salt 
• 1 fresh banana, sliced 
• Squeeze of lemon juice 
• 1/3 cup Nature's Charm Coconut Caramel Sauce 

Preparation

1. Make sure you pop the Nature's Charm Coconut Whipping Cream in the fridge overnight, or if you can't plan that far in advance, pop it in the freezer for about 5 hours. 

2. Bring the water to the boil in a large saucepan and add the seed tapioca. Reduce it to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring it frequently to prevent sticking. Once the tapioca is almost clear, remove it from the heat and strain it before rinsing it well with cold water. Place it in a large bowl. 

3. Rinse the saucepan out and add the Nature's Charm Condensed Coconut Milk, the non-diary milk of your choice, the vanilla extract, banana extract, and salt. Whisk this mixture over medium-high heat until it's boiling, then reduce it to a simmer for 5 minutes. 

4. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the tapioca and mix it well, before carefully spooning it into 4 glasses. Allow them to set in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 

5. Once set, slice up the banana and coat it with a good squeeze of lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Add a layer of banana slices to the top of each tapioca pudding but make sure to leave some for decoration. 

6. Remove the can of Nature's Charm Coconut Whipping Cream from the fridge or freezer and simply whip it up with your hand mixer until it's light and fluffy. Then drizzle some Nature's Charm Coconut Caramel Sauce onto the top and pop some extra slices of fresh banana on top as well. 

7. Serve asap (because why wait) and enjoy! 

 

FAQs