Whip up quick and tasty vegan side dishes with the food, herbs and spices you have on hand. Because there's no need for complicated recipes that slow you down, cost too much or require ingredients you'll only use once.
In the world of cooking, it would seem that the side dish is one of the more basic things you can make. But how many times do you reach for a recipe to pull your side dish together? And things get complicated when you have one recipe for the main dish, one for the side, and maybe even one more thrown in for salad or dessert. Oy vey!
Wouldn't you like to simplify your life? When you learn to cook without recipes, you can pull a vegan side dish together in minutes. And you usually save money because you use the ingredients you have on hand rather than having to rely on a recipe that calls for special ingredients you have to purchase just to make the recipe in the first place.
When you think of vegan side dishes...
...you might immediately think of vegetables. But there are lots of other yummy vegan ingredients you can play with such as beans and whole grains, nuts and seeds, whole soy foods and more. There is no limit to the combinations that exist using various plant-based foods. And your inherent creativity makes it fun to experiment and play with your food as well.
All the sides below were created with plant-based whole foods without a recipe in sight. Think of them as mini cooking lessons with some helpful tips and advice along with a tasty and good-for-you home-style recipe to illustrate how it all came together in the end. Hope they inspire you to get your own recipe-free wheels turning.
Ready? Click any dish below and let's get cookin'. :)
xo!
p.s. If you want to learn more about recipe-free cooking, click here to check out our helpful and fun online courses. They'll teach you everything from stocking your kitchen to cooking to menu planning — all based on our recipe-free and custom-made vegan lifestyle motto.
Sticky Millet Stacks
These make a pretty little presentation and have a unique taste with a sweet surprise.
Tasty Beet Cubes
There are many ways to cut your beets, including slicing and grating. But next time consider making these cubes, which add not only a fun texture to your meal, but create a beautiful presentation.
Sautéed Swiss Chard and Black Beans
It just doesn't get much more nutritious than beans and greens. The idea is extremely simple -- just choose your favorite bean and mix it with a dark leafy green.
Easy Vegan Greens and Beans
Just one example of a dish that's so simple to whip up, yet really packs a nutritional punch.
Pesto Grilled Veggies
I absolutely ADORE veggies that are slathered in pesto and grilled. So amazingly tasty. You're going to love these.
"I was inspired to try re-creating a side dish I loved in a restaurant: beets with farro. I boiled the farro and steamed the beets and combined them into a pan with a little water and veg broth and heated that for 3 min. and added some salt and pepper. I mixed up some water, miso, Dijon mustard, horseradish, and maple syrup, and poured it over the top with a sprinkle of nutritional yeast. I never would have tried cooking in my spare time before, so I view this as progress!"
-- Kate Williamson, Reading, Pennsylvania
Authored by Patty and Jeff Knutson.
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