Being vegan can be a difficult task. Many restaurants and pre-made foods are not vegan-friendly and cooking can become a time-consuming activity. Here are ten quick and easy vegan recipes to help fit into your busy and healthy life!

Green Energy Smoothie

Author: Leanne Vogel

Ingredients:

• 1 cucumber, seeded and sliced

• 3 cups raw spinach

• 2 cups honeydew melon, cubed [about 1/2 of a medium-sized melon]

• 1 cup of organic green tea

• 1 teaspoon lemon juice

• 1/2 inch fresh ginger root

Instructions:

1. Blend and enjoy!

https://www.healthfulpursuit.com/recipe/green-energy-smoothie/

Vegan Breakfast Burrito

Author: Kristen Stevens

Ingredients:

• One 8-inch flour tortilla

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

• ½ medium onion, diced

• 1.4 green pepper, diced

• 1 small carrot, diced

• 5 grape or cherry tomatoes

• 3 ounces medium firm tofu, crumbled

• 1 large garlic clove, minced

• Sea salt

• Freshly ground pepper

Instructions:

1. Place a medium nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Warm the tortilla in the pan for 30 seconds, then set it aside.

2. Add the oil to the pan, then add the onion, green pepper, carrot and cherry tomatoes and saute for 5 minutes or until the veggies are soft and start to brown

3. Add the tofu and garlic and warm through about 2 minutes. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Pour the tofu scramble into the middle of the tortilla and roll into a burrito. 

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/vegan-breakfast-burrito

Curried Tofu Scramble

Author: Liuba Grechen

Ingredients:

• 1 potato

• 1 onion

• ½ green pepper

• ½ cup of chopped mushrooms

• One package of extra firm tofu

• 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast flakes

• 2 tablespoons of turmeric powder

• 1 teaspoon of curry powder

• A pinch or two of pepper

• A handful of fresh spinach

• 1 tomato

• 1 avocado

• 1 teaspoon of olive oil

Instructions:

1. Chop the potato into small cubes.

2. Add the olive oil to your skillet and cook the potato cubes on medium heat for a few minutes, stirring regularly until tender.

3. Chop the onion and add it to your skillet. Sauté for a few more minutes while stirring.

4. Chop the green pepper and mushrooms and add them to your skillet. Cook on low for 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Drain the tofu and place in a large bowl. Use a paper towel to help dry the tofu. Use a potato masher to crumble the tofu and add it to your skillet.

6. Add all your spices and stir. Cook on medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring regularly.

7. Slice the avocado and tomato and arrange on your plate next to the fresh spinach.

8. Scoop some delicious tofu scramble next to your veggies and enjoy!

http://www.onegreenplanet.org/vegan-recipe/recipe-tofu-scramble/

Hummus Quesadillas

Author: Cookie and Kate

Ingredients:

Per quesadilla-

• One 8-inch whole grain tortilla (or gluten-free tortilla for gluten-free quesadillas)

• ¼ to ⅓ cup hummus of choice

• Filling of your choice

• I used a handful of sauteed spinach in olive oil, rinsed oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, and some thinly sliced Kalamata olives)

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing

• Optional, for serving: Additional hummus, hot sauce, pesto, etc.

Instructions:

1. Spread hummus generously over your tortilla. Lightly cover one-half of the tortilla with fillings of your choice. Fold the blank half over to create a half-moon shape. Repeat if you’d like to make more than one quesadilla; you can cook up to two at a time in the same skillet.

2. Warm a medium skillet over medium heat. Place the folded quesadilla(s) in the pan. Let the bottom sides warm up for a minute or two, then carefully flip. Brush the warm sides lightly with olive oil and let them cook in the pan for another minute or two. Carefully flip once again, brush the new top side lightly with olive oil, and cook until the bottom is lightly golden and crisp. Carefully flip and cook until that side is lightly golden and crisp.

3. Transfer the quesadilla(s) to a cutting board and let them rest for a couple of minutes. Then, use a sharp chef’s knife or pizza cutter to slice each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve immediately. This can be enjoyed as-is, or you can add additional hummus on the side, or some hot sauce or pesto.

https://cookieandkate.com/2017/hummus-quesadillas-recipe/

Simple Beet and Coconut Pasta

Author: Green Evi

Ingredients:

• 300 g/10 oz pasta of your choice (use GF if needed)

• 4 cooked or roasted beets

• A handful of fresh mint

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 1 lemon, juice + zest

• 1 tablespoon cashew butter (optional)

• ½ cup thick coconut milk

• 2 tablespoon toasted pine nuts

• Salt, pepper

Instructions:

1. Prepare pasta according to package instructions.

2. Add beets, mint, garlic, cashew butter, lemon juice and zest to a food processor and blend until creamy. Add coconut milk, and pulse a few times until you have a smooth sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Toss drained pasta with the beet sauce. Serve cold or warm with toasted pine nuts on top. Enjoy!

http://greenevi.com/simple-beet-and-coconut-pasta/

Rainbow Shirataki Bowl

Author: Same Turnbull

Ingredients:

For the peanut lime dressing-

• 2 tablespoons smooth natural peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce

• 1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced

For the rainbow bowl-

• 1 – 2 packages Tofu Shirataki Spaghetti Shape (see notes)

• 1 cup red cabbage, shredded

• 1/2 red pepper, sliced

• 1 carrot, peeled and matchstick

• 1 mango, cubed

• 1/3 cup shelled frozen edamame, thawed

• 2 green onions, chopped

• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

1. To make the Peanut Lime Dressing: Add in all of the ingredients for the dressing to a small bowl and mix until well combined.

2. To make the Rainbow Bowl: Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Once boiling add the Shirataki noodles. The package says to boil for 2 to 3 minutes, however, it can take around 5 minutes before being able to gently wiggle them apart with a fork. Once cooked and separated, drain. These are delicious served both hot and cold.

3. To assemble the bowl, put the noodles in the center of the bowl, and arrange the veggies around the sides of the bowl. If you want a rainbow effect, start with the red cabbage, followed by the red pepper, carrot, mango, edamame, green onions and cilantro. Serve the dressing on the side.

Recipe Notes:

*If you are making this for one person, found one package of Tofu Shirataki was enough, if you are dividing this among two people, you might want to double the amount of noodles.

*To make this oil-free, just omit the sesame oil.

https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/rainbow-shirataki-bowl-with-peanut-lime-sauce/

Vegan Tomato Cucumber Feta Salad

Author: Amy Katz

Ingredients:

For the Tofu Feta-

• 1 pound extra-firm tofu drained and pressed, cubed (or use super-firm tofu and skip the pressing)

• 1/4 cup coconut vinegar

• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the salad-

• 1 dry pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved

• 1 English cucumber (or 2-3 Persian cucumbers) sliced

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh basil leaves

Instructions:

1. To prepare the Tofu Feta, place the tofu cubes in a resealable glass container or zipper bag. Add the coconut vinegar, oregano, and salt. Seal the container, then gently shake to combine. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for maximum flavor.

2. When you’re ready to make the salad, add the Tofu Feta, tomatoes, and cucumbers to a salad bowl.

3. Drizzle with the olive oil and red wine vinegar.

4. Add salt and pepper, to taste.

5. Toss to combine.

6. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.

https://www.veggiessavetheday.com/tomato-cucumber-feta-salad/

Cauliflower Tacos

Author: Nora

Ingredients:

• 3 cups riced cauliflower, or whole (see instructions)

• 1 cup raw walnuts

• 4-5 medium mushrooms (white or cremini)

• 2 tablespoons water or vegetable broth

• 1/2 large red onion, chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 2 tablespoons minced chipotle peppers in adobo (about 3 peppers)

• 3 tablespoons adobo sauce from the can or jar

• 2 teaspoons ground cumin

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste

• crunchy corn, soft corn or flour tortillas

• shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, non-dairy cheese shreds, salsa, avocado slices or non-dairy sour cream

Instructions:

1. If you are using whole cauliflower, wash, chop off the florets and place in food processor. Pulse, creating cauliflower “rice”. Set aside 3 cups of cauliflower rice. (If you can, get the already riced cauliflower in the produce section, most grocery stores carry it now)

2. Now add the walnuts and mushrooms to the food processor. (Alternately, you can chop these until they are in small pieces.) Pulse a few times until they are a similar consistency as the cauliflower. Don’t over process or you will have a paste.

3. Heat a large pan (cast iron preferred) over medium heat. Add the water/vegetable broth, and saute the onion and garlic for 2 to 3 minutes, until translucent.

4. Now add the cauliflower, walnuts, mushrooms, chipotles and adobo sauce, cumin, smoked paprika and salt. Stir until well combined. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring frequently for 15 to 20 minutes.

5. Remove from heat and serve in tortillas of your choice (or use in a burrito bowl) and choose your toppings: lettuce, tomatoes, non-dairy cheese shreds, non-dairy sour cream, avocado slices and/or salsa. Enjoy!

Vegan Coconut Snowball Cookies

Author: Minimalist Baker

Ingredients:

• 3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut

• 1 ½ tablespoons coconut oil

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1 ½ Tbsp aquafaba*(chickpea brine// for binding and moisture)

• Pinch sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (for structure // or sub arrowroot)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Add coconut flakes to a food processor and blend for about 1 minute or a little more, until the coconut flakes start clumping together. When you squeeze some of the coconut in between your fingers, it should stick together like a gritty loose dough, kind of let wet sand.

3. Add coconut oil, maple syrup, aquafaba, salt, and vanilla and mix for 20 seconds to combine. Add cornstarch and pulse several times to combine until a wet dough has formed.

4. Scoop out into 1 ½ tablespoons mounds and gently transfer onto your parchment-lined baking sheet, leaving a little room in between each cookie. They can be gentle, so scooping directly from the bowl and placing on the parchment without any additional handling is ideal.

5. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, or until tops are lightly golden brown and bottoms appear golden brown. They should puff up a little while baking, too. Be careful not to burn the undersides.

6. Let cool on pan for 10 minutes, then gently transfer to a plate or cooling rack to cool completely. For an optional kick of flavor, you could also dip these in dark chocolate.

7. These cookies are best enjoyed at room temperature. Store leftovers covered at room temperature for 4 to 5 days, or in the freezer up to 1 month.

https://minimalistbaker.com/1-bowl-vegan-coconut-snowball-cookies/

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

Author: Joy Shull

Ingredients:

FOR THE CHOCOLATE LAYER-

• 10 oz bag of semi-sweet dairy free chocolate chips

• 2 tablespoons virgin coconut oil

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING-

• 3/4 cup all natural peanut butter, chilled in the fridge (only ingredients should be peanuts and salt)

• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup

• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar

Instructions:

1. Add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil to a saucepan and heat on low heat, until melted.

2. Add 10 oz bag of chocolate chips, stirring on low heat, until melted (can take 5 minutes). *be sure not to burn chocolate and only melt on low*

3. Once chocolate is melted, add in ¼ teaspoon sea salt and ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract.

4. Once chocolate mixture is stirred and melted, line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper muffin liners.

5. Pour 1 tablespoon of chocolate mixture in the bottom of each muffin liner.

6. Place muffin tin in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until chocolate is set.

7. While chocolate is hardening, make the peanut butter mixture.

8. Add ¾ cup of chilled peanut butter to a bowl *note – peanut butter should be thick, not drippy).

9. Add maple syrup, sea salt and coconut palm sugar and stir with a fork until well combined.

10. Remove muffin tin from freezer and place 1 tablespoon of peanut butter mixture on top of each layer of chocolate.

11. Drizzle one teaspoon of chocolate mixture over the tops of each muffin cup, making sure to cover the tops well.

12. Freeze for 15 minutes or until chocolate is set.

13. Store in freezer or fridge (note – if left in the freezer long leave out for a minute or so to soften slightly).

https://buildyourbite.com/vegan-chocolate-butter-cups/