A few weeks ago a friend asked me what my vegan recipe staples were – the tried and true meals that I cook every week because they’re easy and tasty. I love trying new recipes and more often make something new then something I’m familiar with. Oh She Glows is an inspiring source of new recipes. However, there are a few meals I do rely on. Most of them don’t have strict recipes. They’re more meal ideas that I can shape to the ingredients I have in my garden or fridge.

• Tacos
  
  Tacos are quick, easy to make, and easily adaptable to the ingredients you have on hand. Be creative. Almost any vegetable tastes good in a taco. My basic taco has black beans, grilled vegetables, lettuce, and a spicy salsa. I also like adding avocado, pineapple, green onions, roasted beets, and shredded carrots. If you’re feeling adventurous, try making walnut taco meat or jackfruit pulled pork. For a cheesy flavour, you can add nutritional yeast, cashew sour cream, or Daiya.
• Stir Fry
  
  A stir fry is another simple and versatile dish that can use almost any vegetable. There are a million stir fry recipes out there. My favourite ingredients are broccoli and eggplant. For a complete meal, add cashews, chickpeas, quinoa, or wild rice for protein.
• Roasted Vegetables
  
  Another easy way to prepare vegetables is to roast them in the oven with a oil and spices. Potatoes, beets, yams, and garlic all taste great roasted. Cauliflower is amazing! Service it with a fresh salad and wild rice and you have a great meal.
• Quinoa Salad
  
  Whenever we eat quinoa for dinner, I like to make extra so I can turn the leftovers into quinoa salad. to make an excellent Mediterranean salad, mix it with peppers, cucumber, tomato, olives, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Massaged kale also goes well in a quinoa salad.
• Lentil Soup
  
  I like making lentil soup because it’s fast, filling, and flavourful. It takes less than 30 minutes to make. The Rebar cookbook has an excellent recipe (available here) that I follow, minus the feta. The lemon juice adds a nice tang and brings out the flavour.