Today I'm checking in with some simple vegan meals from a lazy day. In my "what vegans eat" series I offer snapshots from one ordinary day of vegan eating.
People sometimes imagine that making plant-based meals is complicated or arduous. But really, vegan breakfasts, lunches, and dinners can come together every bit as quickly as their non-vegan counterparts.
For a while, I did one of these posts sharing my simple vegan meals every month. But after I hit 12 months, I decided to just pop in with them occasionally.
To see more easy vegan meals, check out this round-up of A year of vegan meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner.
Breakfast
Our furnace was on the fritz, and so we had someone coming to look at the heater on short notice.
So while I often go for breakfast burritos on days in which I have nowhere to be, this day I needed something quicker (or else I’d be answering the door in Christmas pajamas).
So I took tofu scramble leftovers from the day before, and repurposed them.
This quesadilla is made with a kale & onion tofu scramble stuffed into whole-wheat tortillas. I added a couple slices of smoked non-dairy gouda for sticking power, and on the side, salsa. The whole thing was ready in just 5 or 10 minutes, and our heater is fine now.
(If you don’t have leftover scramble at the ready, breakfast quesadillas are a fast & delicious similar option.)
Lunch
Near the top of my Christmas wish list was an air fryer, and David… I mean, Santa came through. I've been excited to give it an inaugural run, but I couldn't decide where to start.
If you're not familiar with air fryers, they basically blast hot air around food, making it crisp without adding a bunch of oil or needing to buy parchment paper for the oven. Although, a spritz of oil is often used for extra browning and non-stick needs.
(Check out this post for 40 vegan air fryer recipes.)
I decided to go with something foolproof – spring rolls. They’re one of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products.
Unlike cabbage-heavy spring rolls, they're stuffed with all kinds of good things like kale, edamame, tofu, and mushrooms. They kind of remind me of the Trader Joe's potstickers, but in spring roll form. I served them with Chinese mustard for dipping.
To make frozen foods in an air fryer, you bring the heat to the same temperature that’s listed on the package, and then set the timer for half of the time.
That meant I had piping hot spring rolls - straight from frozen – in just 8 or 9 minutes. I was really impressed by the light, flaky, and crisp quality from the air fryer. I'm excited to try more!
To go with the spring rolls, we had leftover salads from the night before. They're topped with peanuts for crunch and creamy cashew dressing.
Dinner
When dinner rolled around, we decided to make pizza.
At our local co-op, they have pizza dough that's made in house and kept in the frozen section. It's great because they use the exact same ingredients for it that I would buy there, except that I don't have to futz with yeast and worry about the results.
I just let the frozen dough thaw in the refrigerator, rise in a bowl, and it's ready to go for dinner that night. Plus, it's crazy delicious.
(If you don’t have access to pre-made dough, freezer-friendly cornmeal crusts like I use on my chili dog pizza are also great.)
I browned the following ingredients in a skillet one at a time for optimum browning - shredded Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced yellow potatoes, and caramelized onion. Then I quickly sautéed minced garlic in olive oil for the topping instead of marinara.
On David’s side, he added cherry tomatoes, and because I need pickled jalapeño slices at almost every meal, they made an appearance on my side. So good!
Dessert
We finished the night with something sweet. My favorite candy bar is Eli's Earth Dream Big Bars. They're kind of like Snickers, but better and totally vegan, of course.
Unfortunately, they're nowhere to be found locally, and even when I travel, it's rare that I find them. So I occasionally place an order for them from Rabbit Food Grocery in Austin or Food Fight Grocery in Portland.
I ordered a few for David's Christmas stocking, and now we're trying to ration them out, so that they last as long as possible. That meant we both got half of a candy bar for an after dinner treat.
With layers of rice milk chocolate, caramel, peanuts, and peanut butter, they almost have a chocolate turtle or peanut caramel cluster quality.
I hope you are enjoying this calm after the storm and having some relaxed easy days as the year winds down.
KZ
I want an Air-Fryer too! Adding that and the instantpot to my WANT list!
Cadry
The air fryer is so fun. I’ve been using it multiple times a day ever since I got it. It’s going to pay for itself just on the money I’m saving from not buying as much parchment paper! (The unbleached kind that I buy is over $5/box.) And I totally agree on the Instant Pot. They occasionally have sales on it for around $60, and the next time it comes up, I’m nabbing one! 😀
Kris
My engineer son tells me that it can’t fry with air but mama don’t care she’s putting one on her Mother’s Day wish list ; ) This is also how I got the I-phone he said I did not need lol.
Cadry
Haha! You’ll have to tell your son that if you can make bacon with tempeh, you can certainly fry with air. 😉 I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you for Mother’s Day!
Shell
The spring rolls from your air fryer look so yummy! I’m also very interested in the pizza crust. Have you found it anywhere in Des Moines?
Cadry
The spring rolls turned out so well! They were a lot flakier and lighter than I know they would have been with deep frying.
That specific pizza crust isn’t available in Des Moines, because it’s just something they make in the Co-op bakery (in the same way that Hy-Vee deli salads are only available at Hy-Vee). However, I’ve gotten pizza dough at Trader Joe’s before, and it’s good too. It’s in the refrigerated section by the hummus & fresh salsa. They have several different kinds, including wheat and garlic herb.
Kittee Berns
I’m pretty smitten with my air fried buffalo tofu!
Have fun! I use mine to make UMEEZING roasted chickpeas. They actually get crunchy if you let them.
Cadry
Yes, your air fried buffalo tofu is on my list of things to make for sure! As you know, I’ve made your buffalo cauliflower a zillion times. So I have 100% faith that I’ll love your tofu. And thanks for the tip about the chickpeas!
Becky Striepe
This looks like an awesome day of food, Cadry! I totally think you are onto something about the TJs spring rolls and dumplings. I bet it’s the exact same filling and wrapper, just fried instead of steamed.
Cadry
Thanks, Becky! If they are the same, that works out fine for me! I have been a long-time fan of their potstickers/gyoza.
Pixie @ Cheerfully Vegan
Wow, what rock have I been hiding under? I’ve never even HEARD of an air fryer, let along have recipes for it. Mercy. Something new to learn…..
Cadry
Ha! Yes, there’s always something new, right? So far I’m really loving this new toy!
Lena Pfeffer
omg! i think i need an air fryer!!! does it really make it crispy??
Cadry
Yes, very crispy! I’ve made 3 things in mine so far, and I’ve been very impressed. I usually just use parchment paper in the oven, but the air fryer is much better for all around browning and crisping.