My go-to plant-based recipes

One of the first questions people ask before going plant-based is what can I eat?

Without meat, it can seem challenging to think up creative, tasty, and most importantly, filling meal ideas.

But fear not, it’s actually much easier than you may think and just requires a little bit of meal prepping and planning.

Here are a few of my favourite plant-based recipes to start you out!

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Breakfast

Steel-cut oats

Steel-cut oats are the perfect plant-based breakfast option. Not only are they naturally gluten-free, one serving is packed with 5g of protein.

A bowl of steel-cut oats soaked in almond milk and topped with peanut butter and banana is delicious and hits all the macros you need to start the morning.

Adding a tablespoon of hemp heart seeds on top or mixing in a serve of hemp protein powder are also great options to increase protein and get all nine essential amino acids.

Gluten-free toast

I like to use Vogel’s six seed gluten and dairy-free bread and often top with a combination of either peanut butter, jam, banana, hemp heart seeds or honey.

If you're not a spreads person, vegan cheese or some jackfruit are also great options.

Breakfast protein smoothie

If you’re not into big breakfasts or just prefer a smoothie here’s my go-to breakfast smoothie recipe.

• ¼ cup frozen blueberries

• 1 tbsp hemp protein powder

• ½ cup almond milk

• ½ cup kefir yoghurt

• ½ banana (frozen is best)

• 1 tbsp almond butter

• 1 tbsp chia seeds

This recipe is packed with protein, healthy fats and fruit sugars to get you buzzing in the morning. It's also great post-workout.

Lunch

Quorn chicken wrap

Wraps are a great option for a light, yet satisfying lunch and Quorn is perfect for bulking it up with the absence of chicken in your diet.

Quorn is a meat substitute product, the fungus culture is dried and mixed with egg albumen an powered by mycoprotein.

I prep my Quorn with a bit of oil on the stove for 5mins with a splash Coconut Aminos sauce and spices.

I then pop a serving into a dairy-free wrap with spinach, capsicum, grated carrot, sundried tomato spread, sunflower seeds and a tbsp of caesar dressing - yum!

Brown rice, quinoa and buckwheat salad

Brown rice is a great staple food to include in a plant-based diet - with quinoa and buckwheat perfect grains to add.

I cook 1/4 cup brown rice with 1/4 cup quinoa and 1/4 cup buckwheat in my rice cooker to add to my salads. You can also add some roasted kumera or potato to make it more filling.

Dinner

Fried brown rice with jackfruit & veges

Fried brown rice is a great base for a plant-based dinner and it easily bulked up with vegetables.

Prep 1 cup of brown rice in a rice cooker while frying 1/2 red capsicum and some sliced leek on the stove.

Once ready, transfer the rice to the pan with vegetables and add in a serving of pre-prepped jackfruit, peas, spinach, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.

Season to taste, and under 20 minutes you’ve got a yummy dinner packed with nutritious goodness!

Vegetable soup with rice noodles

Soup is another super quick and easy meal option. I usually cook mine in vegetable stock with potatoes, carrots, parsnips, peas and leeks.

Add in a pack of rice noodles to make it extra filling.

Buckwheat quinoa patties

Who doesn’t love a burger for dinner - especially when it’s healthy!

Add 3 cups mashed kumera, 1/2 cup cooked buckwheat, 2 grated carrots, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp curry powder, and salt & pepper to a food processor and blitz until combined.

Evenly roll the mixture into balls and flatten on an oven tray into patties. Bake on each side for 10 minutes and voila - vegan patties ready to be enjoyed in your homemade burger.

Snack ideas

• Rice crackers

• Fruit

• Nuts/seeds

• Carrot sticks

• Rice cakes topped with vegan cheese or peanut butter

• Plant-based protein bars - I like Tom & Lukes and MP natural bars