Plan Your Dinners in 30 Minutes of Less

Ready, Set, Go Vegan is a starter guide to help you and your family go vegan together. Ain't nobody got time to make multiple meals, so I cover meal planning a lot in the guide. Here's a little strategy I use when I wait until the last minute to plan dinners for the week.

My go-to meals are spaghetti, tacos and stir-fry. I love using these simple dishes because the options are endless.  

3 possible combinations for each meal:

Spaghetti

*Spaghetti noodles + mushrooms + red onion + spaghetti sauce

*Spaghetti noodles + vegan crumbles + spaghetti sauce

*Spaghetti-Nos with Lentil balls  

Tacos

*Roasted chickpeas (seasoned with cumin & chili powder) + lettuce + salsa + taco shells

*Seitan + cilantro + vegan sour cream + taco shells

*Black Beans + mushrooms + arugula lettuce + vegan cheese + taco shells

Stir-fry

Vegan sausage + broccoli bell peppers + red onion + rice

Tempeh + red bell pepper + onion + rice (full recipe here)

Tofu + canned tomatoes + onion + basil + rice (full recipe here)

There's so many possibilities with all these meals! Carrots, kale, spinach, kidney beans, sweet potatoes, are just a few more ingredients you can play around with.

 

What are some of your go-to meals?

BBQ Tacos & Slaw Recipe

I was in the mood for tacos (again) the other day, so I put together some using my super simple BBQ tofu recipe and then made a little slaw to go with it. 

I made the slaw twice....once without vegan mayo (1st picture) and the 2nd time with the mayo (last picture on this post).  If you can't find vegan mayo in your area, you can skip that ingredient and still make a decent slaw topping.

The kids weren't feeling the slaw, so I wouldn't call it the most kid-friendly topping. The adults (me and the hubby) thought it was delicious. The boys ate their tacos with lettuce & tomatoes, so it wasn't a complete loss. :-)

Nom Nom Nom! 

Update me if you try this recipe. :-)

What's on your meal plan for the week?

Purple Slaw topping for BBQ Tacos

by Brown Vegan

Prep Time: 10

Ingredients

• 2 cups of red cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 cup carrots, shredded
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup vegan mayo
• 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Mix all the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl until well combined.

Refrigerate for about an hour and use on BBQ tacos.

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Average Betty's Potato Tacos | Veganize It!

Delish!! I used vegan Monterey jack cheese instead of the cheese in the recipe.

Read Average Betty's full recipe here.

Watch the video tutorial below

Did You Miss This Youtube Video? Lunch Box Idea-Raw Taco Boats

I used to make these tacos for my kids' lunch boxes last school year. I love that I can put it together within 10 minutes and it doesn't require refrigeration.

Here's a video I made with my husband over 8 months ago....

Recipe adapted from Ani Phyo

Raw Vegan Taco Boats

by Ani Phyo

Ingredients

Ground Almond Taco Meat

• 1 cup almonds
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Cilantro Cashew Cheeze

• 1 1/2 teaspoon garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup cashews
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, fresh, from about 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
• 1/4 cup water, as needed

Salsa (or just use a jarred version)

• 1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup corn kernels, cut off cob
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped green chilies, to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Boats & Toppings

• 12 small romaine leaves
• 1 avocado, pitted, sliced

Instructions

To make taco meat, process almonds into small pieces. Add oil, cumin, coriander, and salt, and process to mix well. Set aside.

To make cheeze, process garlic and salt into small pieces. Add cashews, juice, cilantro, and only enough water to process into a thick cream texture. Set aside.

To make salsa, mix ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.

To assemble, fill romaine leaves with about 2 tablespoons cheeze. Sprinkle on 1 to 2 tablespoons taco meat and salsa. Top with avocado slices and serve.

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iEat Tacos!

I can eat tacos every day.  My favorite toppings are salsa, avocado and lettuce.

Even though you have to eat like four tacos to get full, I just love how simple and delicious they are.

Anyhoo, my bud Michelle told me about her favorite taco filling that doesn't include those tasteless overpriced "meat" crumbles.

Instead, this recipe calls for TVP.

Textured vegetable protein (TVP) is a high protein meat alternative made from defatted soy flour that is cooked under pressure and then dried. Once TVP is rehydrated, it has a very similar texture to ground beef. 

You can buy TVP online or at most health food stores.

I didn't expect to like this recipe (mainly because of the TVP) but it was flavorful and delicious. How did the boys rate the tacos? All 3 ate them but one said he didn't like it (he couldn't give me specifics on why though). Two out of three is a 'thumbs up' in my house!

Watch Michelle make this delicious taco filling below and don't forget to subscribe to her Youtube channel. :-)

Here's the recipe....

Ingredients:

1 can kidney beans (or your bean of choice), rinsed and drained
½ cup brown rice, cooked (white rice would work too)
½ cup water
½ cup TVP
1 jar of salsa (optional)
Taco sauce (optional)
Shredded lettuce (iceberg works best)
Taco Seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon cayenne powder
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon paprika
1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper

Process

1. Combine the taco seasonings and blend well. 
2. Bring ½ cup water to a boil.
3. Add the taco seasoning mix to the boiling water and stir until it's well combined and the spices have dissolved (30 seconds or so).
4. Add the water to the TVP, mix and make sure that all of the TVP is moist.
5. Let the TVP sit for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the TVP should have absorbed all of the water.
6. Add the beans and rice to the TVP and mix to combine. You could also add 1 jar of salsa to the mixture.
7. To assemble your taco, add the mixture to a taco shell and top with taco sauce and lettuce.

What's your favorite taco topping?