What do vegans eat? Most people think vegans live off of green juices, quinoa, and carrot sticks, the typical stereotypes. In reality, this could not be further from the truth. As a vegan college student, I've learned how to cook flavorful vegan food in a timely manner. Vegan food is all around us, but not many people look at cauliflower and create an entire recipe around it.
Since becoming vegan, I have discovered some delicious and easy-to-make recipes. There are so many ways to turn a simple vegetable into the star of a dish. Here's a quick run-through of my three daily meals, made from fresh, savory foods that will make you want to hit up the produce section of your grocery store in no time.
Breakfast: Chocolate Cherry Smoothie
Each morning, I start off with drinking a big glass of water before making a smoothie. A big smoothie for breakfast always keeps me full and satisfied until my next meal. Today, I was craving chocolate, so obviously I needed to have a chocolate smoothie. This decadent smoothie consists of frozen bananas, frozen cherries, cocoa powder, a few scoops of organic LIVfit superfood blend powder, and water (depending on your preferred consistency).
Lunch: Ginger Tofu Salad
For lunch, I tend to throw together any leftovers and greens I have in my fridge. I filled my bowl with kale, a couple of fresh veggies, and some leftover teriyaki tofu. I topped off the salad with my favorite ginger dressing. The tofu in this meal offers a great source of protein and vitamins such as iron, zinc, magnesium, B1, and B12. This sweet and savory salad is easily one of my favorite meals.
Dinner: Rainbow Cauliflower Tacos
I tried out a new taco recipe for dinner and it is no doubt something I'm going to make again. The "meat" of the dish is cauliflower. With a few spices and some time in the oven, the cauliflower florets obtain a meaty texture. I also threw in purple cabbage and cannellini beans (white kidney beans). I topped off the taco with a homemade avocado crema sauce and cilantro. You can make your own colorful cauliflower tacos and see for yourself how great they are.
All of these meals are fresh, easy, and not too expensive to make. Living and creating meals as a vegan college student doesn't have to be difficult. Eating clean ingredients makes me feel strong, healthy, and never bloated. I know that what I eat in a day may seem very different to some people, but I hope this inspires you to add more plants to your meals and live a healthier, happier life (I promise you'll thank me one day).