So, everyone’s been yapping about vegan this, vegan that. For ages, I just tuned it out. Sounded like a ton of effort, you know? And those super fancy vegan dishes you see online? Forget about it. I just wanted something, well, quick and easy if I was ever gonna try it. I’m not about to spend hours in the kitchen for a Tuesday night dinner.
My First Hesitant Steps into Vegan Cooking
Honestly, I poked around a bit. Looked at some vegan cookbooks my cousin had, scrolled through a few blogs. And man, a lot of it just seemed overwhelming. Ingredients I’d never heard of, steps that went on forever. I almost gave up before I even started. I thought, “This ain’t for normal folks like me who just need to get food on the table.”
But then I figured, there’s gotta be a dumbed-down version. Like, “Vegan for Dummies Who Are Also Lazy.” That’s the book I needed. Since it didn’t exist, I decided to just try and figure out the absolute basics myself. My goal was simple: find stuff I could make in under 30 minutes with ingredients I could actually find at my local store.
Breakfast: The Easiest Win
First up, breakfast. This felt like the least scary meal to tackle. I used to be an eggs-and-toast guy, or sometimes just cereal. So, I thought, what’s even simpler? Oatmeal. Seriously. Rolled oats, some water or almond milk (found that easily enough). Cook it for a few minutes on the stove or even in the microwave. To make it less boring, I’d just throw in whatever fruit I had lying around:
- Sliced banana
- A handful of berries (fresh or frozen, didn’t matter)
- Sometimes a sprinkle of cinnamon or a few nuts
That was it. Five minutes, tops. And you know what? It actually kept me full for a good while. That was my first “huh, okay, this isn’t so bad” moment.
Tackling Lunch: Sandwiches and Salads
Lunch was next. I’m a sandwich guy. Always have been. The thought of giving up my usual turkey or ham sandwich was a bit sad. But then I stumbled upon something called a chickpea salad sandwich. Sounded weird, but the recipe looked dead simple. Get a can of chickpeas, drain ’em, mash ’em up with a fork. Then you just mix in stuff you’d put in a tuna salad:
- A dollop of vegan mayo (again, surprisingly easy to find these days)
- Some chopped celery for crunch
- A bit of onion, if you like that
- Salt and pepper
Stir it all up, slap it between two slices of bread. Done. Took me maybe 10 minutes the first time. And honestly? It was pretty darn good. Had that same kind of satisfying, creamy texture. This was a game-changer for my lunch routine.
Another super easy lunch I started doing was just a big salad, but instead of chicken, I’d throw in a can of lentils or black beans. Rinse them, toss them in. Bulk it up, add some protein. Easy.
Dinner: Keeping It Simple, Stupid
Dinner felt like the biggest hurdle. I didn’t want to be making separate meals if anyone else was eating with me. But again, simplicity was key. My go-to became pasta with a veggie marinara sauce. I mean, who doesn’t like pasta?
I’d grab a jar of marinara sauce – just had to quickly check the label to make sure there wasn’t any cheese or weird stuff snuck in there. While the pasta was boiling, I’d chop up whatever vegetables I had on hand. Onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, spinach – whatever looked good. Sauté them in a pan with a bit of olive oil, then pour in the marinara sauce and let it simmer. Toss with the cooked pasta. Dinner served. Everyone ate it, no complaints. Took maybe 20-25 minutes total.
Another one I got into was roasted vegetables. Sounds fancier than it is. Just chop up potatoes, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes – literally any veggie you like. Toss them in a bowl with some olive oil, salt, pepper, maybe some garlic powder or dried herbs. Spread them on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven until they’re tender and a bit crispy. Sometimes I’d eat just a big plate of those. Super filling and barely any active cooking time.
Snacks and Other Bits
For snacks, it was even easier. Avocado toast became a regular. Just toast a piece of bread, mash half an avocado on it, sprinkle with salt and pepper, maybe some red pepper flakes if I was feeling spicy. Boom. Healthy fats, quick, tasty.
And fruit, obviously. An apple, a banana, a handful of grapes. Can’t beat that for easy.
So, yeah, that’s basically how I dipped my toes into eating more vegan meals. I didn’t go full-on overnight. I just started swapping out a meal here and there with these super simple ideas. The key for me was not to get intimidated by all the complicated stuff out there. Turns out, there are plenty of quick and easy vegan recipes for beginners if you just look for the basics. It’s not rocket science. It’s just food.