Happy Monday y'all! I've been in one heck of a cooking and eating mood lately. I think it has something to do with the amount of non-vegans and/or recently-converted vegans I've been hanging out with lately, which has been encouraging me to bust outta the "basic bitch vegan" type meals I normally eat (think salad bowls, beans and rice, kale, tofu), and get busy bucking some stereotypes, by whipping up a slew of "no-one-would-be-able-to-tell-this-was-vegan" type dishes.
If you're a new vegan, aspiring vegan, or have some "vegan haters" in your life you want to blows the minds of, I hope this week's selection of recipes will help you do just that! Veganism has gone wayyyy beyond salads and tofu, and it just keeps getting easier.
I dare you to try these recipes out and still tell me that sticking to a vegan diet would make you feel like you'd be missing out or going hungry!
I've tested a LOT of pancakes over the years, since I have them for breakfast at least 2 times in any given week, whether I'm bulking, leaning out, or neither. This is a great crowd-pleaser pancake, for times you're not super concerned about health, and more just going for fluffiness and flavor. Having said that, I do leave out the sugar, add cinnamon, and use a mashed half-banana or applesauce instead of oil in mine. You could also use a mix of gluten free flours, 50/50 whole wheat and white, or any number of other adaptations. Sometimes though, you just want some good-old fluffy pancakes, and these are the best I've found!
This bad boy was the star of my week, food-wise. I've been a burger fan forever, but haven't honestly experimented with making many of my own. However, after seeing how doable and delish it was to whip up these BBQ bean burgers (a super hearty mix of cashews, beans, quinoa, and sweet potatoes), I'll be trying out other recipes much more frequently. These were perfectly hearty, the texture was on point, and they were crazy easy to make into burgers and cook up, without getting crumbly or falling apart like other burgers I've tried making in the past. The recipe makes 4, but you could easily double and freeze them for future lunches and dinners.
These are a GREAT make-ahead lunch option if you need something filling, hearty, and not-that-vegan tasting, but that comes together quicker than the burger recipe. I've been making variations of these for years now, and they're endlessly adaptable. You could leave off the ranch, add sriracha, throw in some sliced tomato and lettuce, or any veggies you like. Chickpeas are magic because they pick up any flavoring you put on them, and are SUPER packed with protein and healthy carbs, so they'll keep you full and satisfied way past your lunch hour is up.
Did I really need cake in my life this week? Probably not. Does anyone need cake/is life short? Absolutely. Carrot cake is one of my faves, and I hadn't had it in YEARS, so a random Tuesday seemed like an ideal time to whip this one up. I used a boxed cake mix for mine, full disclosure, but everything from the Minimalist Baker is always on point, so you can't go wrong with any of her baked goods. I also made her vegan cream cheese icing to top this off with and it was AMAZING. Like I had to physically force myself not to eat it with a spoon. I had multiple non-vegans test this cake out this week, and none were the wiser, so, I'd say it's a keeper.
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