Incorporating vegan meals is not only easy, it benefits your health, the animals, and the environment. Try making these eight simple recipes this week and see how fast and delicious these creations are.

Chocolate chip pancakes

These pancakes are so tasty and fast to make. These are perfect to make on a Sunday morning for your family or just yourself. You’ll be amazed how close these taste to “normal” pancakes and you’ll probably make these for all of your friends just so they can try them.

1 cup spelt, white, or gf ap flour

1 tbsp unrefined sugar

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

Pinch salt

2 tbsp melted coconut oil

1 tbsp flaxmeal

2 tbsp water

1 cup almond milk/ non dairy milk

Handful vegan chocolate chips (Trader joe’s has these)

Whisk flax with the water and refrigerate at least 10 minutes.

Stir together remaining ingredients with the flax mixture to make a batter, then drop ladlefuls onto a greased skillet ( I use 1 tablespoon of coconut oil) and flip when the edges begin to dry.

The flax meal substitutes an egg and you can’t even tell the difference.

You can add maple syrup, agave, and fresh fruit to make it even more delicious.

Oatmeal

The humble oats packed with fiber, protein, manganese, they are best to fill you up and get you going for the day. They can either be delicious or bland and boring so use spices and fruit and nuts to bring out the flavor!

Oats ½ cup-1 cup (use plain rolled oats not flavored ones that come in those little packs, they are filled with sugar)

Brown Sugar 1-2 tbs

Cinnamon- 1 tsp

Salt- ¼ tsp

Water ½ cup- 1 cup

Blackstrap Molasses- 1 tbl (Good source of iron)

Optional

Almond milk

Fruit

Peanut Butter

Mix Oats, water, molasses, and spices in a bowl

Microwave for 2-4 minutes

Top with fruit, peanut butter, and dairy free milk and eat up!

Penne Arrabbiata Pasta

This is a perfect quick and easy dinner for when you really don’t have time to be bothered with cooking.. Trader Joe’s comes through with a lot of vegan options and this is one of my favorites.

Heat up pasta in a pan with 2 tbl of water for about 7 minutes.

Add sauteed mushrooms or your other favorite veggies for added flavor

Serve with some of your favorite greens like kale or spinach to add in extra iron and calcium.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Burgers

Being vegan doesn’t mean giving up burgers for good. This recipe has less than 10 ingredients but tastes delicious. My friend who is not vegan, tried this and loved it! This is a recipe that takes longer to make so set aside some time on the weekend to whip these up then you can freeze them and enjoy them throughout the week.

2 cups mashed sweet potato (~2 large sweet potatoes - organic when possible)

1 cup cooked salted black beans, rinsed and well drained (if unsalted, add more salt to the burgers)

1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice* (or sub cooked quinoa with varied results)

1/2 cup walnut or pecan meal (or very finely chopped)

1/2 cup finely diced green onion

2 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper (to taste)

1/4 tsp chipotle powder or mesquite seasoning (optional but highly recommend)

1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional | for added sweetness)

Click on the link for full recipe

http://minimalistbaker.com/sweet-potato-black-bean-burger/

Oil-Free GF Penne with Roasted Veggies

This Mediterranean inspired pasta dish is perfect for the summer. It’s not too heavy but still filling and delicious. Simple ingredients that are good for you and also taste good is a win!

2 cups dried GF penne pasta (cooked according to package)

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

8 mushrooms, sliced

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 zucchini, chopped

¼-1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 tsp. herbs de Provence

½-3/4 tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

¼ cup nutritional yeast

¼ cup cherry tomatoes, halved

8-10 pitted kalamata olives (in water), halved

handful of chopped spinach

Lime wedges

Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit.

Line a baking sheet with heavy duty foil or lightly spray with cooking spray.

Toss vegetables with vegetable broth, herbs, salt and pepper.

Roast veggies for 30 minutes or so. While veggies roast, prepare penne pasta.

Toss drained penne with roasted vegetables, spinach and nutritional yeast and serve in your favorite bowl. Top with kalamata olives and cherry tomatoes and a drizzle with lime.

Spaghetti

This beloved classic is not lost for vegans and vegetarians, all it takes is subtracting a few ingredients and adding healthier ones in!

2 cups GF corn pasta (prepared)

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

¼ onion, chopped

½ tsp. red chili flakes

1 cup white mushrooms, sliced

Green, red bell pepper- 1/2 each

Tomato basil sauce- 2 cups

½ red pepper, chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

In a pan over medium heat sauté the garlic and onions in 1 tbsp. olive oil for about 2 minutes.

Add in the mushrooms and peppers and saute for about 15-20 minutes then season with salt and pepper to taste and remove from heat.

Cook pasta according to package while sauteeing veggies.

When vegetables are soft and fragrant, lower heat to medium low and add in jar of sauce

Stir the sauce and veggies for 5 minutes

While the sauce simmers drain pasta and toss with a little bit of olive oil to prevent pasta from drying.

Pour sauce over cooked pasta, top with spinach, kale, parsley, and some nutritional yeast for added B12 vitamins and enjoy!

Nicecream

These creations pop up everywhere on Instagram and it looks like it takes a lot of effort. I’ve made this for non vegans who can’t believe how good this tastes. The hardest part about this recipe is decorating it and making it Instagram worthy. All you need is a few simple ingredients and you can make whatever flavor combos your heart desires.

3 Frozen bananas chopped

1 cup Frozen blueberries

½ cup Frozen strawberries

1 tbl Almond milk

1 tsp Cinnamon

1 tbl Maple Syrup

Optional for topping

Fresh fruit 1 banana, 1 tbl blueberries, 2 tbl strawberries,

½ cup Granola

1 tbl coconut flakes

In a food processor or blender blend your frozen bananas, blueberries, and strawberries until smooth

This may take up to 10 minutes depending how frozen your fruit is

Add in maple syrup and almond milk to make the ice cream smoother

Lastly toss in some cinnamon