7 staple foods for easy vegan meals

Jennifer Sizeland

3 years ago

As Veganuary is on the horizon, it’s time to stock up on vegan pantry essentials! One way to make it really easy is to base your vegan meals around one staple ingredient and make meal planning a breeze!

Planning around my favourite healthy vegan staple foods has not only made my life easier, but I look forward to meals and my cooking skills have improved!

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Here are the 7 staple foods I recommend for easy vegan meals:

1. Tempeh

I was only introduced to tempeh when I spent a year in Asia, but it’s an ingredient that is becoming more and more popular for vegans. Now available in most supermarkets, tempeh is made from cooked soybeans that are fermented and made into patties. A great protein source, it can be baked or fried with a marinade and it’s very easy to cook. Tempeh keeps its firmness really well so it can be used for sandwiches, salads and added to noodles or spring rolls. Once you try tempeh you’ll wonder how you ever lived without this vegan staple.

Recommended TEMPEH recipes:

2. Mushrooms

The beauty of mushrooms is that there are so many types and they’re easily available – whether it’s button, chestnut or portobello – there are many options to choose from. Mushrooms can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner and they are so versatile. They go well in soups, risotto, baguettes and pasta and they’re great for you too! Try different types to mix it up and keep exciting your palate again and again.

Recommended MUSHROOM recipes:

3. Tofu

Tofu is the classic vegan staple, but it’s still as fabulous as ever as there is more to do with it than ever before. Made from condensed soy milk, tofu can be squeezed, dried and used in all sorts of dishes. It can be used as a substitute for meat and eggs and can be used to make quiches and scramble. It’s also lovely in noodle dishes and can be marinated in all kinds of flavours.

Recommended TOFU recipes:

4. Vegan sausages

Sausages are a classic and there are so many vegan options available now. They can be used for really simple meals, from the classic sausage and beans to sausage sandwiches. If you want to go one step further, you can make your own sausage rolls, casserole and toad-in-the-hole.

Recommended VEGAN SAUSAGE recipes:

5. Falafel

Whether it’s homemade or shop-bought, falafel is a delicious vegan treat. Falafel is made from ground chickpeas or fava beans that have been made into balls and deep-fried. They can be put into salads, flatbreads or burgers or served as part of a mezze. Serve with hummus or tabbouleh to tap into the deliciousness even further.

Recommended falafel recipes:

6. Vegan Noodles

Not all noodles are vegan, but many, like rice, soba and udon noodles are as they don’t contain eggs. Noodles are so versatile, they can be fried, used in soups and even put into spring rolls. There are so many lovely types of noodle dishes that you’ll never run out of ideas. You’ll always be popular with friends when you have them around for meals!

Recommended vegan noodle recipes:

7. Sweet potatoes

A wonderfully useful vegetable is the sweet potato. The texture of it means that it can be used to make mash or fritters as well as being added to curries or pies. For a really simple treat, chop sweet potatoes into thin discs to make into crisps or bake them and add fillings.

Recommended sweet potato recipes:

I hope you’ve been inspired by all these easy vegan meals! If you want your meals to be even easier then why don’t you try allplants for delicious pre-prepared plant-based meals direct to your door.