5 Delicious Recipes to Follow a Vegan Diet

We're going to show you the best alternatives for healthy recipes that you can prepare if you follow a vegan diet and that guarantee a good nutritional intake. Don't miss out on them!

Written and verified by the nutritionist Saúl Sánchez Arias.

Last update: 20 July, 2022

Following a diet isn’t always easy. It’s essential to propose a series of recipes to maintain a nutritional balance. With the options that we are going to give you, it will be easier to satisfy the daily requirements of a vegan plan.

Before beginning, it’s important to comment that a vegan diet requires supplementation. It’s common that the needs in terms of vitamin B12, iron, and vitamin D are not covered by the foods in vegan diets.

1. Tofu noodles

Ensuring a good protein intake is crucial in the context of vegan diet recipes. These nutrients have been shown to help prevent the development of problems affecting lean mass.

Ingredients

The ingredients you will need to prepare this dish are as follows:

• 120 grams of rice noodles
• 200 grams of firm tofu
• One red bell pepper
• Fresh ginger
• 15 milliliters of soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground curry
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 lime
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Salt
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh parsley

Step-by-step instructions

1. First, discard the liquid from the tofu by draining it well. To dry it, cover it with several layers of kitchen paper and let it sit for about 15 minutes with a weight on top.
2. Then, cut it into small pieces and heat it in a frying pan with extra virgin olive oil. Once it’s golden brown, remove it.
3. Cook the noodles in plenty of salted water according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When they’re ready, drain and loosen with a fork.
4. Then, grate the ginger and cut the bell pepper into thin strips. Sauté these ingredients for a couple of minutes and mix with the tofu and noodles.
5. To finish, just season with salt and pepper and add a little soy sauce with spices. Everything can be reheated in the same frying pan. Add a little parsley when serving.

2. Quinoa salad

Quinoa is an excellent food because it manages to provide good quality complex carbohydrates. In addition, it’s a source of fiber, the key to achieving intestinal health, as evidenced by research published in the journal Nature Reviews.

Ingredients

This time, you will need the following ingredients:

• 300 grams of pumpkin
• One red onion
• 75 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil
• 200 grams of quinoa
• 30 grams of seed mix
• Fresh coriander
• Fresh mint
• 1 pomegranate
• 20 milliliters of lemon juice

Step-by-step instructions

1. To begin, preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius.
2. Then, peel and dice the pumpkin. The red onion, on the other hand, should be thinly sliced.
3. Both vegetables are roasted with a little salt and olive oil for at least 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, the quinoa is washed and cooked in abundant boiling salted water. It will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Drain the quinoa and combine with the rest of the above ingredients in a bowl. Just season and serve with the chopped herbs on top.

3. Falafel

Falafel is an excellent preparation to ensure a good supply of minerals in the diet. Among them, we can highlight iron, which is essential to achieve optimal oxygen transport through the blood and prevent anemia.

Ingredients

The necessary ingredients will be the following:

• 240 grams of chickpeas, cooked and drained
• Two slices of sliced bread
• 50 grams of onion
• Two peeled garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• One bunch of fresh coriander
• One bunch of fresh parsley
• 30 milliliters of extra virgin olive oil
• One teaspoon of chemical yeast
• Water

Step-by-step instructions

1. The first step consists of washing the chickpeas well to grind them with the rest of the ingredients. To do this, use a hand blender or a food processor.
2. Once passed this point, form small balls of dough with your hands and crush them a little.
3. Let the falafel balls sit in the refrigerator or in a cold area for one hour.
4. Then, put them in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius with heat on both sides. Twenty minutes will be enough. It’s important to get a golden color on the surface.
5. After this, they’re ready to be enjoyed!

4. Eggplants stuffed with soy

For vegan diet recipes, eggplants represent a source of antioxidants of the highest quality. For this reason, it’s good that they appear regularly in your diet.

Ingredients

In this case, the following ingredients will be necessary:

• 2 eggplants
• 150 grams of texturized soybeans
• 100 milliliters of vegetable broth
• 50 milliliters of tomato sauce
• 50 milliliters of béchamel sauce
• 3 grams of sweet paprika
• 60 grams of grated vegan cheese
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

Step-by-step instructions

1. First, mix the vegetable stock with the two sauces, adding the soy and waiting for it to hydrate well.
2. Meanwhile, prepare the eggplants. These vegetables should be washed well and then remove the stalk and cut in half lengthwise. The pulp is also cut without reaching the base and sprinkle everything with extra virgin olive oil and salt.
3. Then, put the halves in the microwave, covered with a perforated plastic wrap and cook at maximum power for 10 to 12 minutes.
4. After this time, empty the eggplants to be able to fill them. The pulp is mixed with the soy and sauces.
5. Then add paprika, salt and black pepper to taste.
6. All that remains is to fill the eggplant shells and sprinkle with cheese for gratin. Enjoy!

5. Chickpea curry with mango

Curry is one of the best spices to introduce in the pattern on a regular basis. Not only is it very tasty, but it has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Ingredients

The following ingredients are needed:

• 300 grams of cooked chickpeas
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 small spring onion
• 2 grams of coriander seeds
• 2 grams of cumin grains
• 1 curry or bay leaf
• 2 small fresh chili peppers
• 1 small thin leek
• 1 small carrot
• 1 small celery
• 5 grams of ground curry mixture
• 1 ripe mango
• 200 grams of coconut milk
• 5 milliliters of lemon juice
• Fresh parsley
• Black pepper
• Salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

Step-by-step instructions

1. Finely chop the garlic, ginger, and spring onion. The rest of the vegetables should also be chopped or cut into sticks.
2. Remove the mango pulp and mash it with the remaining juice to make it creamy.
3. Then, heat the oil in a frying pan with the cumin, coriander, and curry leaves until they release their aroma.
4. Add the garlic paste and the spring onion, stirring well and cooking everything for 8 minutes over low heat.
5. Then, add the vegetables and season with salt and pepper, adding the curry mixture as well. All this is sautéed for 5 more minutes.
6. Then add the mango pulp. Also, add the coconut milk. Once the boiling temperature is reached, lower the heat and cover for about 10 minutes.
7. All you have to do now is add the chickpeas to cover later. Keep them over low heat for another 10 minutes more. You can adjust the liquid levels by adding a bit of water or broth.
8. Finally, add the lemon juice and salt to taste. For the presentation, it’s recommended to add fresh parsley or coriander.

Prepare delicious recipes to follow a vegan diet

It’s easy to prepare a series of delicious recipes to follow a vegan diet. All of them stand out for being healthy and nutritionally dense.

They will provide decisive elements for the body to function efficiently over the years. So, what are you waiting for? Give them a try!