Tired of eating the same dinners night after night? Being healthy and avoiding foods made from animal products does not have to be boring. Instead, it can provide families with fun opportunities to experiment and think outside the box when it comes to meal times. As the seasons change, with it so should your meals. Being vegan is a fun way to take advantage of the ever changing selection of crops. By rotating out what you eat, you can deliver nutrition to your body and avoid consuming the same foods time and time again.
Here are a few of our favorite recipes to transform your vegan dinner plate and create a fun new meal for your family.
Sweet Potato Fries
Tired of eating the same old potatoes? Try adding a touch of sweetness with sweet potato fries. These are delicious treats that can make eating at a backyard barbeque enjoyable even for the non-vegans in your family or group of friends.
4 Sweet Potatoes peeled and sliced in 4 inch round strips
A brush of olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Optional ingredients: Garlic powder or chipotle chili powder sprinkled on top
To make these, simply preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Then, in a bag coat the sliced sweet potatoes with olive oil. Spread them out on a cookie sheet and top with your seasoning of choice.
Black Bean Delight
1 cup niblet corn
1 cup chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped green onions
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp salt & pepper
2 cups black beans
Add avocado if desired
Simply mix together all ingredients and refrigerate until you are ready to enjoy. You can even make this salad several hours ahead of time or overnight to blend flavors and create an easy and fast meal the following day.
Guacamole
Perfect for parties, to top a veggie burger of your choice or any other occasion when you just want to consume some omega-3 fatty acids and enjoy the taste of this green delight.
3 Avocados
½ diced red onion
2 cloves of garlic
Juice of 2 limes
1 cup diced tomatoes
Add salt to taste
Mash the avocados, onion, garlic and limes together. Then, stir in the diced tomatoes. This side dish is ready in only minutes and can make for a fun activity for the children to mash up the avocadoes.
Vegan Chili
This is a hearty dish for the winter and combines a variety of spices and flavors together with filling beans making it a great meal all around. In fact, it is so hearty that many meat eaters have a hard time resisting as well!
1 cup black beans, drained
1 cup kidney beans, drained
1 can diced fire roasted tomatoes
1/2 white onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste
Start by sautéing the onion and bell pepper together in the olive oil and garlic. Once this has softened add the remaining ingredients and allow them to simmer for approximately 20 minutes. If you like your meals spicier add cayenne pepper or chili flakes to give it a kick.
Eating vegan does not have to be boring. Experimenting with spices flavors and ingredients makes your dinner table a fun and healthy place to be.
About the Author:
Joyce Del Rosario is part of the team behind Open Colleges. Joyce blogs about health and fitness. When not working, Joyce participates in seminars and team building activities. She is also has a heart for painting and photography.
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