I was the first to go plant-based in my household and when my helpful hubby would want to make me a nice meal he was at a complete loss. He didn't have any idea what to make. It wasn't that we didn't have lots of vegan/plant-based cookbooks - we have lots. So what was the problem?
This is the type of meal he grew up with (and so did I):
Okay so maybe it wasn't a TV dinner but it was pretty much this idea of meat having the largest portion of the plate, with minuscule amounts of other vegetables, either fried or drenched in butter.
So without a piece of dead animal muscle on the plate, and without the use of oils, cheese, eggs, or cream, what did a meal look like? He was unable to get past the typical way we all used to cook - heat oil in a pan, fry a piece of meat, bake a potato, and microwave vegetables. Bam. Done.
The problem was not that he didn't have a recipe, it's that he didn't know what a meal should include.
Anything. And that is the beauty of this new way of cooking. Remember the four food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. You can combine these four in an infinite number of ways to create different dishes. Have one or more of these dishes and that's a meal!
Here are a few pictures of some of my recent meals to get you thinking outside the box. Click on the picture to get the recipe. And if you want a great cookbook to get you started try Forks Over Knives the Cookbook.
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