Let’s take it back to the basics. Just some good classic vegan food, full of delicious flavours and nutritional benefits – without being overly restrictive…!

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Today we’re doing three recipes – one classic breakfast recipe and two lunch and/or dinner ideas. They are not only budget friendly meals, but they are all delicious, flavourful, healthy and very easy to make.

Easy Vegan French Toast

Ingredients (2 servings):

• 80g medium firm tofu
• 1/4 cup water or non-dairy milk
• 1/2 ripe banana
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 4-6 slices of bread of choice
• vegan butter/oil
• toppings of choice

Instructions:

1. To make the batter, add the tofu, water/non-dairy milk, banana, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla extract into a blender. Blend it until it’s nice and smooth then pour into a plate.
2. Heat vegan butter or oil in a pan on medium heat. Dip your bread in the batter to get it fully coated before placing on the pan.
3. Cook on both sides for around 3 minutes each side until they’re golden and crispy.
4. Place them on a plate and add whatever toppings you like! I added some berries and maple syrup.

Gnocchi with Homemade Tomato Pasta Sauce

Ingredients (2 servings):

• 1 tsp oil
• around 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 ripe roma tomatoes, chopped
• 1 can (around 400ml) tomato sauce
• 1 tsp basil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 cup broccoli (optional)
• 1 cup chickpeas, rinsed & drained
• small handful chopped fresh parsley or basil (optional)
• 2 servings of gnocchi
• nutritional yeast (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat some oil in a pan around medium to medium-high heat then add the minced garlic.
2. Sauté for about 30 seconds then add the fresh tomatoes. Let it cook for a few minutes.
3. Add the can of tomato sauce and cover it up to get it simmering before adding the broccoli and chickpeas .
4. Add the basil, salt, and brown sugar. Stir it around. You can also throw in some fresh herbs like parsley or basil, whichever you have. I used parsley.
5. While the sauce is simmering, cook your gnocchi according to the instructions. You can also use any other type of pasta.
6. Once the gnocchi is cooked, add it into the pan and mix it in well with the sauce.
7. This is totally optional, but I added some nutritional yeast to give it a slightly cheesy flavour.

Savoury Korean Style Lentils with Broccoli

Ingredients (around 4 servings):

• 1 cup green lentils, dry
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 tbsp soy sauce or equivalent
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp coconut or brown sugar
• 1 head of broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces (optional)
• chopped green onion (optional garnish)

Instructions:

1. Heat some oil in a wide pan and sauté the onions for a few minutes.
2. Add the garlic and ginger then cook for a few minutes as well. If it starts getting dry, just add a splash of water.
3. Add in the lentils, water, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring it to a boil.
4. Once it starts boiling, bring it down to a simmer and cover. Leave it for around 20 minutes or until the lentils are fully cooked and most of the liquid is gone.
5. Five minutes before the lentils are done cooking, add in the broccoli. Cover with lid again to allow the broccoli to cook.
6. This goes great with rice or quinoa! I also garnished it with some chopped green onion.