It’s the middle of the week, you’ve just walked through the front door and you have literally 20 minutes to get food on the table before chaos strikes. Whether you’re feeding one or five people, opening the fridge when you haven’t had time to plan can be a daunting task that can sometimes lead to picking up the phone and ordering the speediest takeout available.
Throwing together a quick dinner doesn’t have to be stressful. Three Vegatopians share some of their favorite go-to weekday meals that require no recipes and minimal planning.
Keep an Arsenal of Staple Vegetables
Katherine Hove, Account Manager has two go-to meals that she can whip up in a pinch. “As a base I like to have a big batch of quinoa in my fridge for the week. I always have my fridge stocked with vegetables like broccoli, onion, tomatoes, and peppers.
“My favorite dinner is a quinoa bowl with garlic, Brussels sprouts, and any other vegetables I might have on top and I customize it with different spices and sauces. If I want a cheesy flavor I’ll mix nutritional yeast with water and pour it on top to make a really flavorful and veggielicious bowl.
“I also love doing lettuce taco wraps with my favorite veggies like Brussels sprouts, garlic, peppers, onions, and broccoli. Then I top it with avocado and the vegan cheesy sauce I make with nutritional yeast.”
Disguise Good-for-you Dinners as Kid Favorites
Colby Spencer, Creative Services Specialist, has three go-to meals for family when she gets home at the end of the day.
“Because I have a toddler I have to make something that we can all eat. I like taking a whole bunch of vegetables and making lentil noodle spaghetti, you can find them in the pasta or specialty section of your grocery store. I usually add whatever veggies I have in my fridge like broccoli and cauliflower, or whatever leftover ones I have from the night before. Then I add in a can of organic tomato sauce and heat it all up. It’s great because Flynn thinks he’s getting spaghetti but he’s really getting noodles that have protein with a ton of vegetables.
“Another one I love is nice and simple: avocado and hummus toast. For the adults I upscale it a bit and add a bit of balsamic vinegar, chili flakes, sea salt, or little slices of anything I have like fresh tomato.
“I also make pancakes with Vega One™. I like adding in walnuts, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, and smashed up bananas and tell him we’re having pancakes for dinner. I’ll try to sneak as many things as I can into them because even if they turn out green he doesn’t care because they’re pancakes.”
Don’t Limit Yourself to Recipes
Kelly Irwin, Customer Experience Representative, likes to get creative with food combinations for her quick and easy dinners.
“One of the things I’ll do is make open-faced hummus sandwiches on a whole grain rice cake. I like to grate carrots on top and add fresh basil if I have any. You can make them with pretty much any svegetablesou have in your fridge and get creative with toppings like sliced cabbage. I make a lot of hummus or black bean hummus in the food processor, and sometimes turn it into a salad dressing by adding apple cider vinegar, lemon, and olive oil.
“I also do a lot of rice bowls and throw beans, herbs, onions, tomatoes, kale, and some sort of hot sauce or spicy dressing in a bowl. I’m obsessed with cayenne. If I have time I’ll bake some yams and add those in as well, and chopped tofu can basically be added to anything.
“If I have corn tortillas I like to do an avocado and cashew taco with any other kind of veggies I might have in my fridge.”
What are your favorite go-to quick meals?
