Next week’s meal plan is all sorted, full of tasty vegan recipes!
Choosing to adapt your diet and using more plant-based ingredients can seem quite overwhelming as we can be accustomed to eating meat or animal products. Having recently converted to pescetarianism, I wanted to challenge myself to be vegan for a week. As it turns out; most of my favourite recipes either were already vegan or I just needed to make a couple of easy adjustments.
For each day of the week, I’ve scheduled three different meals (except for Sunday) with ingredients for your shopping list and attachments to some recommended recipes. Have a great plant-based week and enjoy!
monday
| Breakfast | Banana pancakes | Banana, caster sugar, self raising flour, baking powder, milk alternative, toppings |
| Lunch | Bruschetta | Bread, oil, garlic, tomatoes, onion |
| Dinner | Quesadillas | Black eyed beans, sweetcorn, sweet potato, peppers, mushrooms, fajita seasoning, wraps, vegan cheese |
When making the quesadillas, embrace it as an opportunity to experiment! You can use whichever veggies you choose, as long as you add some Mexican seasoning. I can never find a quesadilla specific seasoning packet but fajita seasoning packets work just as well. To make the quesadillas, cook the vegetables with the seasoning. Once cooked, place on one side of the wrap, then fold it over with some cheese to make a half moon shape. Let them crisp up in the oven.
tuesday
| Breakfast | Scrambled tofu           | Tofu, bread |
| Lunch | Tabbouleh salad | Couscous/ bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumber, lime juice, mint |
| Dinner | Vietnamese wraps | Rice paper wraps, pepper, carrots, cucumber, spinach, tofu, sweet chilli sauce |
If you have a little extra time when making the scrambled tofu, you can add mushrooms, tomatoes and vegan sausages for the full fry up feel!
For the wraps, I prefer to have them without tofu and with sweet chilli sauce but they’re great either way. I like to keep my lunches full of fresh ingredients and avoiding as much cooking as possible. You can prepare the vegetables in advance and quickly assemble them when hunger strikes!
wednesday
| Breakfast | Porridge | Porridge oats, milk alternative, fruits and nuts, syrup of your choice |
| Lunch | Fresh soup | Fresh soups can be bought in yout local supermarket as is |
| Dinner | Creamy korma curry | Korma paste pots, coconut milk, tomato paste, potatoes, mixed vegetables, any of your favourite sides |
If you’re looking for a quick lunch, a fresh soup bought from the supermarket is a great way to give you sustenance quickly!Â
To make the curry, I prefer to use Patak’s Korma paste pots – super easy to use and tasty, just add to your onion and garlic. Plus, you can’t go wrong with a side of rice and naan bread!
thursday
| Breakfast | Breakfast cookies | Banana, oats, vanilla, nuts, dried fruit, sugar, flower, baking powder, syrup of your choice |
| Lunch | Falafel wrap | Pitta, falafel, cucumber, slaw (anything you want to stuff it with!) |
| Dinner | Carbonara | Plain yogurt alternative, peas, mushrooms, vegan cheese, garlic, onion, pasta |
For the breakfast cookies, feel free to make them in advance if you don’t want a rushed morning and keep some for a snack another day.
Carbonara is one of my favourite meals and what most people don’t realise is you can just use something like soft cheese or yogurt alternatives to create the sauce. Using the added cheese will thicken the sauce and give it some extra flavour. To make it, cook the mushrooms, onion and garlic in a pan. Once cooked, add the peas, yoghurt and cheese. Make sure to add plenty of seasoning before adding in the pasta.
friday
| Breakfast | Avocado on toast | Avocado, bread, seasoning, oil, chilli sauce (optional) |
| Lunch | Stir fry wrap | Stir fry vegetables, wraps, tahini, lemon juice |
| Dinner | Cauliflower wings | Cauliflower, hot sauce, paprika, garlic, milk alternative, agave nectar, chips |
Nothing quite beats a fake-away! Making your own buffalo cauliflower wings can be great fun! The tasty recipe is excellent but uses honey, use agave nectar as an alternative if you prefer. I like mine with chips and popped in the air fryer, if you have one.
saturday
| Breakfast | Berry smoothie | Mixed frozen berries, milk alternative, oats, agave nectar syrup |
| Lunch | Tomato and beans salad | Sun Dried tomatoes, cannellini beans, watercress, lemon juice, olives |
| Dinner | Katsu curry | Onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, mild curry powder, plain flower, vegetable stock, coconut milk, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice |
This is such a delicious katsu curry recipe and you can easily replace the chicken with butternut squash, aubergine or whatever takes your fancy! Although it does take a bit of time, it is certain to put a smile on your face. I personally don’t bother making the chilli mixture as I’m not a huge fan of spice, but friends of mine say it’s great!
sunday
| Brunch | Black beans and avocado on toast | Black beans, tomatoes, onion, garlic, cumin, chili flakes, avocado, bread, lime |
| Dinner | Vegan shepherd’s pie | Lentils, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, chopped tomatoes |
On Sundays, I prefer to have a later brunch to hold me out till dinner and have a much more relaxed day. Plus, great news! The Sunday lunch favourite, shepherd’s pie, can now be made vegan!
Bon Appetit!