• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Cadry's Kitchen
  • Home
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Threads
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Book
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Book
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • RSS
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Favorite Places and Things

    What’s a vegan diet? An average day of meals

    Updated: May 27, 2021 · Published: Oct 21, 2015 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 16 Comments

    Salad with chickpeas, rice, and avocado in bowl.

    Salad with roasted chickpeas, avocado slices, and sauerkraut in bowl.

    What’s a vegan diet? Here’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner from one ordinary day. Spicy black bean tacos, salad, and polenta!

    The feedback on my first What Vegans Eat post was really positive. Many people said they’d like to see more pictures from regular days of eating to get a sense of what’s a vegan diet. I’m going to do one post a month to show normal, everyday vegan meals.

    What’s a vegan diet?

    A vegan diet is one that doesn’t include any animal products – including meat, dairy, eggs, and honey.

    Here are my ordinary vegan meals from one day in October…

    Steaming bowl of polenta on table.

    Breakfast

    Now that the mornings are getting cooler, I’ve been returning to a favorite cold weather breakfast – creamy polenta. The kind I like is organic and finely ground. It has a smooth texture that’s akin to mashed potatoes and cooks in just minutes.

    (To see a full recipe and my preferred brand of polenta, check out this creamy polenta recipe.)

    Lunch

    Bowl with salad, roasted chickpeas, turnip pickles, avocado, and sauerkraut.

    For lunch, I had a salad with creamy cashew dressing and half of an avocado. On the side, raw sauerkraut and homemade turnip pickles. I made a cup and a half of roasted chickpeas and topped the salad with a handful of them and cracked pepper.

    Snack

    Before I went on a hike a few hours later, I pulled out the remaining roasted chickpeas from the refrigerator and finished them off for a snack.

    Dinner

    Tacos on plate. Chips and salsa in background.

    That night for dinner, David and I made one of our household favorites – spicy black bean tacos.

    Some family friends had plucked all of their tomatoes before the first frost, and we were lucky enough to end up with a bunch of them. I made a big batch of salsa and guacamole while David made the black beans for the filling.

    On the side, we had some chips for dipping, and of course, lots of hot sauce and jalapeños.

    Still want to know more about what’s a vegan diet? For more everyday vegan meals, check out these posts from the “What Vegans Eat” series: September, November, December, and January.

    More Favorite Places and Things

    • Text overlay: 50 favorite vegan Trader Joe's items. Collage with grilled olives, nutritional yeast flakes, Thai vegetable gyoza, and piquant popcorn on display.
      50 favorite Trader Joe’s vegan products (updated June 2025)
    • Text overlay: Top 20 vegan recipes of 2024. 4-panel collage with salad dressing, sandwich, cocktail, and salsa.
      Top 20 vegan recipes of 2024
    • Collage of homemade food gifts: candied pecans, Bloody Mary mix, peanut butter cookies, and pistachio butter.
      Homemade vegan food gifts for the holidays
    • Avon and Cally grooming each other in cat bed.
      10 best gifts for cats: Treats for your fuzzy friends
    • Facebook
    • Threads

    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Caitlin

      October 29, 2015 at 8:12 am

      I think these posts are great, to give people a sense of what vegans eat. I also find it interesting just because I’m curious, haha. Thanks for doing another!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2015 at 3:00 pm

        Terrific, Caitlin! I’m glad to hear it!

        Reply
    2. Isabetta

      October 23, 2015 at 6:44 pm

      This was really helpful to me and everything looks so good.I eat a lot of tacos so that one was especially appreciated.Thanks,Cadry!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 23, 2015 at 6:49 pm

        I’m so glad to hear that, Isabetta! I’m a big taco fan too. I have them at least once a week, if not two or three times. 🙂

        Reply
    3. Nicole @ Vegan Nom Noms

      October 23, 2015 at 6:45 am

      This has def inspired me to finally try polenta!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2015 at 3:09 pm

        Terrific! Let me know what you think.

        Reply
    4. Susan

      October 22, 2015 at 6:42 pm

      You have so much amazing food! I am not that interesting. Mind if I come and stay with you for a while?? 😉 We can watch Buffy and talk about cats!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2015 at 3:02 pm

        Absolutely! The next time you’re in my part of the world, it’s a date. 😀

        Reply
    5. Lisa | The Viet Vegan

      October 22, 2015 at 5:59 pm

      mmmm that polenta sounds fantastic, I’ll have to try it. Very interesting post =) I love seeing what other vegans eat!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2015 at 3:03 pm

        I’m glad to hear that, Lisa!

        Reply
    6. Bianca

      October 21, 2015 at 3:06 pm

      Yum! That polenta sounds so yummy. I should add that to my breakfast rotation. And that salad looks AMAZING!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 29, 2015 at 3:03 pm

        Since you already like grits, it seems like it would be a hit with you!

        Reply
    7. Shell

      October 21, 2015 at 10:08 am

      I’ve never refrigerated roasted chick peas before. I’ll have to try that. Do they lose their crunch after being in the fridge?

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 21, 2015 at 10:11 am

        Yes, they do lose their crunch and become drier. They are definitely best fresh, but I still like them cold.

        Reply
    8. Tracey

      October 21, 2015 at 9:30 am

      I usually love smoothies in the summer, now I’m loving oats!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 21, 2015 at 9:36 am

        Yes, the amount of fresh smoothies and juices I enjoy goes way up in the summer!

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Cadry Nelson standing in kitchen with hand on hip.

    Hi, I'm Cadry!

    I’m the creator behind Cadry's Kitchen and author of Living Vegan For Dummies.

    I'm a longtime vegan, but I grew up eating a standard American diet. I know that all of us crave foods that are familiar, comforting, and delicious.

    That’s why it’s my passion to share mouthwatering plant-based recipes that taste like home.

    More about me →

    In stores now

    Air fryer recipes

    • Hand dunking crunchy pita chip into bowl of air fryer roasted beet hummus on veggie board.
      Beet hummus recipe (with air fryer roasted beets + oven option)
    • Panko crusted asparagus spears by chili crisp dipping sauce and dill dipping sauce.
      Crispy breaded pan-fried asparagus (air fryer optional)
    • Vegan fried summer squash dunked in creamy onion & garlic dressing.
      Crispy air fryer summer squash (or pan fried)
    • Crispy corn tortilla strips made in the air fryer garnishing burrito bowl.
      Air fryer tortilla strips: Crispy snack & salad topper

    Colorful summer recipes

    • Cashew ice cream with mulberry and vanilla in bowl.
      Mulberry ice cream recipe (vegan & cashew-based)
    • Glass jar with quick pickled watermelon rind, dill, and garlic.
      Pickled watermelon rind with garlic & dill (No sugar recipe)
    • Watermelon salsa dip with cilantro and onion.
      Sweet & spicy watermelon salsa with jalapeño & lime
    • Potato chip dunked in cashew dill pickle dip with fresh dill on top.
      Vegan dill pickle dip (Perfect for chips, veggies & burgers)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Meet Cadry
    • Work with me

    Newsletter

    • Sign up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    As seen in

    Logos of sites where Cadry Nelson and Cadry's Kitchen have been featured: Buzzfeed, Taste of Home, Hello Iowa, Prevention, NBC News, Delish, and VegNews.

    Copyright © 2025 Cadry's Kitchen