Why so lupey…and vegan?
Vegetarian striving to be a vegan comes at choice, Lupey not so much.
Zucchini, Romaine, Balsamic, Walnuts, and Dill
Baked Potato with your choice of toppings (anything dairy can be found in a plant-based form these days), tofu jambalaya, and more with the Dill.
Romanesco - It feels like cauliflower but tastes like broccoli. It's an alien that I never knew I needed in my life.
It doesn't have to be fancy to be delish. Multi-grain/seed toast with garden tomatoes, butter (or plant-based equivalent) and everything bagel seasoning.
Cannoli - this is not vegan, as shown in the picture. In fact, in my neck of the woods, I don't think I have ever seen vegan ricotta. If it exists, I will find it. If you are going a more vegetarian or less strict route, I highly recommend the simply ricotta and sugar combo with homemade shells.
Go-to lunch box fave for my kiddos...homemade "lunchable" pizza. The small pizza crusts at the store can be baked the night before. Less junk, more yum.
Mushrooms, tomatoes, mozzarella (real or plant-based options available), parsley, and either a real or plant-based cream sauce (dill, cream of your choice, turmeric, and whatever spices you prefer.)
Misfit Market haul
Caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella (real or plant-based options are easy to find)
My kids love this one. The bottom has hamburger. My family eats all the meats. The top is pasta without the meat and on top of mine I added the herbs you see...fennel, basil, parsley, and thyme.
Clearly, a steak. My family likes a steak. On steak night, I cook a portabella mushroom cap the same way they have their meat. Twisty potatoes thanks to the Kitchen aid attachment everyone needs, and a cream sauce made with either real or plant-based cream of your choice (cream, dill, rice wine vinegar, EVOO, salt and pepper).
Homemade fettucine alfredo - eggs are common in making dough but EVOO can be used without eggs, as well. I've done it both ways. I like a little more liquid without an egg. I hate eggs in all forms, so any option to skip is welcomed for me. Parmesan cheese and butter both have plant-based options floating around out there.
Gnocchi is my absolute favorite food in the world. Butter is the key. You can use plant-based options and EVOO. You need a lot of butter. Melt it and add your herbs, add the gnocchi until they get thick, the consistency is pretty easy to pick out, it's almost slimy but not in a gross way. Then add more butter. Top with fresh herbs and just eat the whole bowl.
French Toast. I'm not sure how you make this vegan, or even vegetarian for that matter, but my family does love it. I'm a hard skip because eggs are not my jam. I don't know if vegan eggs would work and I'd love to hear from anyone who has tried.
These golden nuggets of love are one of my favorite things. I get the small potatoes, cut them in half, lay them cut side down on a baking pan covered in EVOO and bake. I salt them, add some fresh herbs if I want, and then eat them all, like all of them. They don't have to be fancy. It's one of those things that are just good simple. Cook them for a long time to get that crunch and don't mess with them. When they are crunchy, they will peel up on their own. If you have to tug, they aren't ready!
Blueberry and chocolate chip muffins. You can use dark chocolate for a vegan option and leave out the eggs. I like to leave out the eggs anytime I bake and it is possible. Bananas are a good option to leave eggs out if you don't mind that taste in the background. Honestly, sometimes I cannot notice at all.
Tofu, kidney beans, tomatoes, olives, parsley, and a crunch corn tortilla
I found all of these things on hand as leftovers from other meals during the week and turned it into a great salad. Chickpeas, black olives, lettuce, cucumber, sunflower seeds, and a few tomatoes. I didn't want to take all that goodness and cover it in store bought salad dressing, so olive oil, a little local honey, a splash of lemon and salt and pepper made the dressing and it was delicious.