A number people ask me about how they can moderate their meat and animal product intake and try more vegetarian or vegan meals. I incorporate a lot of vegetarian or vegan meals into my diet. Meatless meals are a pretty popular topic right now. There are so many new meatless food creations out there. My personal preference is to keep my meals full of whole foods that are not heavily processed and that are affordable. It’s also important that vegetarian meals contain an adequate amount of protein.  

Below are four of my go-to vegetarian/ vegan meals.

Vegetarian Chili by The Endless Meal

https://www.theendlessmeal.com/easy-vegetarian-chili-recipe/

This chili is super filling and flavourful. I add a third can of beans to increase protein content and add extra texture.

Kale Lentil and Quinoa Stew by Detoxinista

https://detoxinista.com/lentil-kale-quinoa-stew-vegan/

I assumed this recipe was going to taste boring because quinoa and kale aren’t my favourite foods but it’s actually delicious. This recipe is pretty perfect as is so I don’t modify it. I use regular canola oil if I don’t have coconut oil on hand.

Vegetable Panang Curry by Contentedness Cooking

https://www.contentednesscooking.com/vegetable-panang-curry/

I make a bunch of substitutions to this recipe to make it easier and to suit my preferences. I replace the mixed vegetables with a whole bok choy. Instead of using 4 tbs of red Panang curry paste, I just use a whole bottle of Thai Kitchen’s red curry paste (112 g). Out of the optional ingredients, I use cashews (I just throw them into the pot without cooking them in the way the recipe says) and maple syrup (but it tastes fine without maple syrup too). For added protein, I toast two containers of medium firm tofu on the side, seasoning with soy and Worcestershire sauce, and add them to the pot towards the end of cooking.  

Mexican Quinoa by Damn Delicious

https://damndelicious.net/2014/04/09/one-pan-mexican-quinoa/

For this recipe I use regular diced tomatoes (instead of fire roasted), regular salt and no jalapeno or cilantro and it still tastes great.

The Indian/ West Indian diet that I grew up with is full of protein rich vegetarian meals. I hand wrote these recipes while my mom taught me how to make them (and I’m still working on getting them to taste as good as her versions), but I’d be happy to share the recipes with anyone!

As we’ve all heard before, food can be medicine. To learn more about the connection between food and your mood, read my article on this topic by clicking HERE.