Photo by Edgar Castrejon on Unsplash
In short: Plant-based cooking is easy when you build your meals around a few whole foods: vegetables, pulses, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Plan four or five meals for the week, cook grains and beans in batches, and let herbs and spices do the work for the flavour. Keep it simple, and it soon becomes a pleasure.
You’ve decided to eat more plant-based meals. Perhaps for your health, perhaps for the planet, perhaps because someone at your table has stopped eating meat. You open a recipe book, and the first dish asks for fourteen ingredients, three of which you’ve never heard of. You close the book and make pasta with tomato sauce. Again.
Eating more plants is a lovely decision. It brings more fibre and more colour to your plate, it’s kind to your digestion, and it’s a gentle way of looking after the planet too. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are twelve tips for planning and cooking plant-based meals that are nourishing, tasty and easy to fit into a normal week, followed by a sample menu for seven days.
What do you build a plant-based meal around?
1. Start with whole plant foods
Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, pulses (lentils, chickpeas, beans), nuts and seeds are the foundation. Build each meal around them, and aim for different colours and textures through the week, so that you get a wide range of nutrients. If you’d like to know why colour matters so much, read why eating a rainbow matters.
An easy formula for any meal: a grain, a pulse, two vegetables, something crunchy on top, and a sauce.
2. Make sure you’re getting enough protein
Protein does need a little attention when you eat plant-based, and it’s easy to manage once you know where to find it. Tofu, tempeh, lentils, chickpeas, beans, nuts and seeds are all good sources. Put one of them in every meal: chickpeas in your salad, lentils in your soup, a spoonful of nut butter on your toast. Some people also like to add a plant protein powder to a smoothie or porridge. For the full picture, including the vitamins and minerals to keep an eye on, see how to meet your nutritional needs on a plant-based diet.
How do you make plant-based food taste good?
3. Try different cooking methods
A vegetable changes completely depending on how you cook it. Roast it, steam it, grill it, sauté it in a pan, and notice which you like best. If you’ve only ever eaten steamed broccoli, try it roasted in a hot oven with olive oil and a little garlic.
4. Use herbs and spices
This is where the flavour is. Garlic, ginger, cumin, turmeric and paprika are a good place to start, and fresh herbs lift almost any dish. Try different combinations until you find your favourites.
5. Find recipes that inspire you
Look to the kitchens of the world that have always cooked with pulses and vegetables: Indian dals, Middle Eastern mezze, Mexican bean dishes, Italian minestrone. There are countless plant-based blogs and cookery books, and you’ll find ideas among my easy, healthy recipes too.
6. Keep it simple
There are many elaborate plant-based recipes, and sometimes simple is best. One of the most satisfying meals is a bowl of grains with roasted vegetables and a good sauce. That’s a complete, nourishing dinner, and nobody needs more on a weekday.
7. Adapt recipes without fear
If a recipe calls for quinoa and you only have brown rice, use the rice. No kale? Spinach or cabbage will do. Treat a recipe as a guide and make it your own.
How do you plan and prepare for the week?
8. Plan your meals in advance
Take a few minutes each week to choose your meals and write a shopping list from them. It saves time and money, and it means there’s something good to eat when you come home hungry. A list also makes the shop itself much quicker, as I explain in how to simplify your grocery shopping. If planning is new to you, my 18 questions and answers on meal planning will take you through it.
9. Prepare ingredients ahead
Chop vegetables, cook a grain, and make a sauce or a dressing in advance. During the week, dinner becomes a matter of putting things together.
10. Cook in batches
Cook a large pan of grains, a pot of beans or lentils, and a big tray of roasted vegetables, then use them in different meals. Sunday’s lentils can be a soup on Monday, a salad on Tuesday and a shepherd’s pie on Thursday.
11. Use plant-based substitutes wisely
Vegan cheese, meat alternatives and plant drinks are now easy to find. They aren’t necessarily healthier than the foods they replace, and some have long ingredients lists, so read the label. They can be a real help while you’re changing your habits, or on an evening when you need something quick.
12. Make it fun
Cooking can be a pleasure, and a calming one. Put on some music, pour yourself a glass of wine, and enjoy making something delicious and nourishing.
What does a plant-based week look like?
Here’s a sample seven-day menu to get you started. It’s only an example: change it to suit your tastes, your needs and what’s in season. You’ll notice that some dishes come back, which is batch cooking at work.
Day 1
Breakfast: overnight oats with almond milk, chia seeds, sliced banana and a drizzle of maple syrup
Snack: apple slices with almond butter
Lunch: chickpea salad with mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and a lemon and tahini dressing
Snack: carrot sticks with hummus
Dinner: lentil bolognese with wholewheat spaghetti and steamed broccoli
Day 2
Breakfast: avocado on toast with sliced tomatoes and a pinch of sea salt
Snack: a mix of almonds, cashews, raisins and dark chocolate chips
Lunch: tofu and vegetable stir-fry with brown rice and soy sauce
Snack: roasted edamame
Dinner: black bean burgers with sweet potato wedges and a side salad
Day 3
Breakfast: scrambled tofu with spinach and peppers, and wholewheat toast
Snack: homemade kale crisps
Lunch: lentil soup with wholegrain bread
Snack: frozen grapes
Dinner: lentil shepherd’s pie with green beans
Day 4
Breakfast: smoothie bowl with frozen berries, banana, almond milk and granola
Snack: rice cakes with peanut butter and jam
Lunch: vegan Caesar salad with tofu croutons, and garlic bread
Snack: roasted pumpkin seeds
Dinner: bean chilli with avocado and brown rice
Day 5
Breakfast: plant-based yoghurt with fresh berries and flaked almonds
Snack: homemade energy balls with oats, dates and almond butter
Lunch: vegetable and quinoa bowl, with garlic bread
Snack: banana with peanut butter
Dinner: mushroom stroganoff with roasted Brussels sprouts
Day 6
Breakfast: banana pancakes with sliced strawberries and a drizzle of agave syrup
Snack: air-popped popcorn with nutritional yeast
Lunch: hummus and vegetable wrap with baby carrots
Snack: frozen mango chunks
Dinner: mushroom risotto with roasted asparagus
Day 7
Breakfast: breakfast burrito with scrambled tofu, black beans and salsa
Snack: plant protein shake with almond milk and mixed berries
Lunch: sweet potato and black bean bowl with steamed green beans
Snack: rice cake with almond butter and sliced banana
Dinner: lentil and vegetable shepherd’s pie with mixed leaves
Not sure yet how far you’d like to go? The difference between a vegetarian and a vegan diet may help you decide, and my 18 questions and answers on plant-based nutrition cover the rest. And now, grab your apron. Happy cooking!
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to go fully vegan to benefit from plant-based meals?
No. Every meal built around vegetables, pulses and whole grains is good for you, whether you have one a week or one a day. Start with a meat-free evening or two and see how you feel.
Where do I get my protein on a plant-based diet?
From lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, tempeh, edamame, nuts, seeds and whole grains such as quinoa and oats. Include one of them in every meal and vary them through the week.
Is plant-based cooking more time-consuming?
Not once you have a few habits in place. Cook grains and pulses in a big batch, chop vegetables ahead, and keep tinned beans and frozen vegetables in the house. Many plant-based meals, such as a grain bowl or a lentil soup, are ready in the time it takes to boil pasta.
What if my family does not want to eat plant-based?
Cook a shared base that everyone enjoys, such as a chilli, a curry or a tray of roasted vegetables with rice, and let those who wish add meat, fish or cheese on the side. Familiar dishes with a plant-based twist, like a lentil bolognese, are usually well received.
When should I talk to my doctor?
Before making a big change to your diet if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a health condition, take medication, or are planning meals for a child. If you eat no animal products at all, ask your doctor or pharmacist about vitamin B12, and mention any lasting tiredness.
Would you like some help?
Bringing more plants to your plate, in a way that suits your tastes and your household, is one of the things we work on in my group programmes in nutrition and health, such as Six Tuesdays in Montignac. If you’d like to hear when the next group opens, write to me at hello@catherinepolet.coach.
Would you rather work one to one? I also coach online. Book a free 20-minute call, and tell me which plant-based meal you’d most like to get right. We can begin with that one.
About Catherine
I’m Catherine Polet, a holistic nutrition health coach, yoga and autogenic training teacher for more than 30 years, author and speaker. I help people find a way of eating and living that suits their own body, online in English, French, Spanish and German, and in person in Southwest France.
