Meatless Monday: A Week of Plant-Based Dinner Ideas

Heyyyy y'all! Before I dive in I just want to say thank you so, so much for your kindness regarding the news in my last post. We are so grateful for your love and support, and every word of encouragement has been a huge help in the healing process. You're the best.Today I wanted to chat about a question I get asked often: what do you eat as a vegan? Whether you're trying to crowd out the amount of meat in your diet, or you're a seasoned veg in need of inspiration, this post is for you. Today I'm sharing a week of plant-based dinner ideas for your next meal. 

7 Plant-Based Dinner Ideas

All of the following meals are in regular rotation at the Waldow residence, or are on deck for us to try. I typically write out dinner ideas for M-S on a notepad, and then make a breakfast/lunch/snacks category before I start my grocery list of ingredients on the other side.  It looks like this:

Monday: Broccoli Mac & Cheese

We use Banza chickpea pasta or Tinkyada brown rice pasta, saute broccoli in a little olive oil with chopped garlic and onion, and then combine the two. I usually soak cashews and then blend them with sea salt, pepper, garlic, nutritional yeast and a little almond milk to make the cream/cheese sauce. We pour that over the pasta & broccoli combo, and then enjoy! If we are being lazy we skip the cashew cream sauce and just squeeze a little lemon over the broccoli pasta mixture.

Tuesday: Veggie Pizza & Mixed Greens Salad

I've mentioned our veggie and BBQ/Buffalo pizzas in this post. We usually make one of those or an Amy's veggie pizza and pair it with a mixed greens salad. I love adding Craisins, strawberries, pecans or walnuts, and cucumbers to our spring mix for a delicious salad. We make our own simple dressing by mixing  balsamic vinegar, olive oil and a little agave.

Wednesday: Mexican Quinoa Salad

I love this meal. We precook quinoa according to the package directions, and then add any (or all!) of the following: tomatoes, onions, cilantro, green pepper, cucumber, black beans, and avocado. You can throw it on top of romaine and drizzle with vegan ranch, or just eat it as is. So good.

Thursday: Caesar Salad with Boca Chik'n Patties

We make this meal by chopping up romaine and kale, baking Boca Chick'n Patties, and then topping the romaine with diced "chicken" and vegan caesar. I make ours following this recipe from Oh She Glows. I don't use capers, and I don't soak the cashews overnight, because our blender is decent enough (and because I usually forget and it ends up being 15 minutes).

Friday: Veggie Quinoa Chili & Cornbread or Sweet Potatoes

This is another favorite meal of ours, especially in the fall and winter. I use diced tomatoes, corn, quinoa, and black beans for this particular recipe. We bake sweet potatoes to eat along with it, or use this cornbread recipe when I am feeling adventurous lollll. This chili is also super good topped with guacamole and vegan sour cream, and paired with your favorite tortilla chips.

Saturday: Eat out

There are a few vegan-friendly local places that we like to enjoy, and try to reserve eating out to a once-a-week date night.

Sunday: Buddha Bowls

I haven't made these yet, but I've seen them all over Pinterest and they look amazing!

Other Dinner Ideas:

• Tofu scramble with waffles & vegan sausage
• Veggie stir fry
• Tacos or loaded Burritos
• Zucchini noodle pasta with Gardein meatballs & Italian bread
• Soups!
• BBQ tempeh or veggie burgers with homemade baked french fries

I hope this post gives you some inspiration for your next meal! If you make anything on this list I'd love for you to tag me over on instagram. I also frequently update my Vegan Pinterest board with lots of yummy ideas.Have a great week, friends!