It's been four months since I decided to start eating plant-based. As a newbie vegan, transitioning to a fully plant-based diet is exciting but can feel a bit overwhelming sometimes. There is so much information out there, so many new recipes you can try to re-create, but where do you even start? In this blog post, I will be sharing with you my favorite healthy, quick, and easy plant-based meals I love to make every week. If you're thinking of becoming vegan, or if you just want to add some delicious plant-based meals to your diet, this blog post is for you! I'm also including a free printable mini cookbook you can download with all the recipes and ingredients needed.

JICAMA TACOS

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons (45 ml) of extra virgin olive oil
jicama wraps (I recommend 4-5 per person)
impossible vegan minced meat
1/2 cup of cilantro
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a shallot
1/2 cup / 50 g of cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup / 50 g of sweet mini bell peppers
1 1/2 cup / 170 g of baby corn
1 cob of corn
2 cups / 200 g of kidney beans
1/2 cup of blue corn tortilla chips
1 tablespoon / 5 g of vegan mozzarella cheese
Paprika powder, cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, oregano,
salt & lemon pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. 1. Start by mincing the garlic, shallot & cilantro, and add to a bowl with the Impossible Meat. Mix everything well. Cut up the bell peppers, baby corn, cherry tomatoes & corn.
2. Add the minced meat mix to a skillet with olive oil on medium heat. After 1 minute, add bell peppers and baby corn and let it cook for 5 minutes.
4. Rinse kidney beans and add them together with the tomatoes, and corn to the pan. Mix well and finish off with the spices. Let it sit cook for 1 minute, and prepare to serve.
3. Finish off the tacos with the vegenaise as sour cream, guac or avocado, vegan mozzarella cheese, and tortilla chips, and enjoy!

TIPS & NOTES

- Use whatever veggies you have in your fridge or are in season. These tacos would be great with cauliflower or mushrooms as well!
- Not a fan of impossible meat or vegan meat in general? Feel free to sub for Beyond meat or skip it altogether.

GREEK SALAD

Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons (45 ml) of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup / 100 g of arugula
1 cup / 100 g of baby kale
1 cup /100 g of cherry tomatoes
1 cup / 100g of Persian cucumbers
1/2 of a shallot
1/2 cup / 50 g of Kalamata olives
6 tablespoons / 10 g of capers
2 1/2 cup / 300 g of vegan feta cheese
1/2 of a lemon
Oregano, salt & lemon pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Add the greens to a bowl and slice all the veggies.
2. Add oregano to the vegan feta cheese and cut into cubes.
3. Add the cut veggies and top it off with olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper & oregano. Enjoy!

TIPS & NOTES

- Instead of the shallot, feel free to substitute with red onions.
- You can add croutons or pita bread to make it more filling.

CAULIFLOWER GNOCCHI

Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

12 oz / 340 g of cauliflower gnocchi
3 tablespoons (45 ml) of extra virgin olive oil
5 cloves of garlic
1/2 of a shallot
2 tablespoons / 10 g of fresh sage
1/2 cup / 50 g of fresh parsley
1 1/2 cup / 170 g of baby corn
1 cup / 100 g of spinach
2 cups / 200 g of English peas
1 cup / 100 g of vegan pesto
1 cup / 100 g of vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup / 25 g vegan parmesan cheese
6 tablespoons / 10 g pine nuts
Lemon pepper & salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut up the baby corn and mince the garlic & shallots and add it together with the fresh sage leaves to a pan on medium heat with olive oil. Cook for 30 seconds and then add the baby corn.
2. On a separate skillet with olive oil, cook the cauliflower gnocchi for 5 minutes until tender.
3. Add the spinach and peas to the skillet with the baby corn until cooked. Then add the cream cheese, pesto and mix well.
4. Add the cauliflower gnocchi to the other skillet and mix well. Finish off with parmesan cheese, pine nuts, fresh parsley & salt & lemon pepper to taste.

TIPS & NOTES

- This recipe works great with regular gnocchi as well as any type of pasta.
- Feel free to add any other veggies you like to this recipe, such as broccoli or tomatoes.

Full disclosure: I'm still slightly shocked I was able to transition to a fully vegan diet. It's been four months now since I decided to start eating plant-based. Switching to a plant-based diet was something I've thought about, but something *kuch* cheese *kuch* kept holding me back. I've been a vegetarian for six years now, and I felt content. I did not want to give up animal products altogether, because I thought it would be too limiting and difficult to maintain on a day-to-day basis. However, a friend and fellow vegetarian convinced me to do a Vegan January challenge at the start of 2022 with him. After a successful month of veganism, I was surprised at how easy it was for me to transition from vegetarian to vegan. "If I can do it for a month, why not try to stick to it longer, and see how it goes?" So, that's what I did. And here I am, four months later, and still going strong!

Check out this video if you want to see me making the recipes live in action. I'm also sharing more about becoming vegan, doing a full fridge restock/grocery haul, and opening up about my weight loss journey. I hope you enjoyed my current go-to healthy and easy vegan recipes, and they gave you some inspiration for your own meals this week. The vegan cauliflower gnocchi pasta is delicious, the vegan feta greek salad is my go-to salad and tastes just like the real deal, and the tacos are honestly sooo good! I'm not an expert or dietician when it comes to food and cooking, but I did have a lot of fun trying out and creating these recipes, and I hope you will too!

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YOU CAN DOWNLOAD THE PRINTABLE PDF LILY LIKE'S MINI RECIPE COOKBOOK HERE.

Have you ever considered going vegan?

xo Lilia