“Let thy food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
Hippocrates
Oh, it’s stressful at first. I get it. I felt like I had to learn how to cook all over again. But you know what? I consider myself a much better and much more adventurous cook now than I was before. And thank goodness for the internet! There’s a never-ending supply of amazing recipes to try out, and most of them you don’t have to pay a cent for. I have a thick binder at home that keeps getting thicker and thicker as I print out our favorite recipes and add them to our collection. If you prefer having a real cookbook, there are hundreds of vegan cookbooks out there…just do an Amazon search!
There will be failures. I once made a sweet potato bisque that literally smelled like vomit and I’ve tossed entire tofu quiches… It takes a lot of experiments to figure out what you do and don’t like. Don’t be afraid to try something new and don’t be afraid to fail.
Below are some of our personal favorites. I hope they can help you discover new favorites of your own!
Breakfast
Lunch/Dinner
Tofu Bacon – Make this and enjoy some TLT (tofu-lettuce-tomato) sandwiches for dinner tonight!
For special occasions like Christmas dinner: Vegan Swedish Meatballs
Vegan Corn Bread – I have some healthy adjustments for this recipe: instead of oil, blend up one can of corn and use that. Instead of white flour, use whole wheat (or chickpea flour works too!) Use coconut sugar instead of cane sugar for an unrefined sweetener.
Hawaiian Haystacks
Orange Tofu
Sweet & Sour Tofu
Vegan Spring Rolls Air fry them instead of deep-frying!
Sweet Potato & Kale Couscous
Snacks
Cinnamon Maple Caramel Popcorn
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Hummus
Jalapeno Popper Dip – It’s a little rich with all the vegan cheese; leaving it out is also an option!
Desserts
Dreena Burton’s Sweet Potato Chocolate Cake – A chocolate cake that’s healthy and delicious?! No way! This one’s a game changer. Have the leftovers for breakfast…guilt-free!
Chickpea Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies – When the pregnancy cravings hit, feel free to indulge in some of these. You’ll be eating beans without even knowing it!
Smoothies/Shakes
Blueberry, Banana, Spinach Smoothie
Sauces & Soups
Hemp Seed Ranch – The best Ranch alternative I’ve tried yet
Jill’s Game Changer Cheese Sauce
More Recipes
Check out these websites for even more inspiration!
Nora Cooks – Lots of great (and easy) comfort food recipes here. Not all of them are necessarily the “healthiest,” but it’s a great place to start while transitioning.
Chocolate Covered Katie – Not all of her recipes are vegan, but she has a lot of healthier options to create tasty treats.
Plant Powered Pregnancy 