How To Make Plant Based Eating Delicious

One of the biggest misconceptions of plant based eating is that it is monotonous and boring!  Most people conjure up images of boiled broccoli on a plate with some boiled beans or just a giant bowl of salad.  Instead nothing could be further from the truth.

So if you have decided to add more plant based foods into your diet, aside from making sure you are getting a good balance of your protein, fats and carbohydrates in, you also want to make sure that your food is delicious.

Here are just a few tips to get you started.

1. Get a selection of add-ons.

This means that  it is great to have a selection of foods that you can put on your main meals.  For example, if you are having a simple oatmeal in the morning your add ons may be a selection of the following - cinnamon, maple syrup, blueberries, goji berries, hemp hearts, a variety of nuts and seeds.  When you have a selection of add-ons your meals are never boring and they are not only delicious but full of nutrition.

2. Experiment with your favorite spices.

Spices make all the difference.  Investment in spices is one of the best decisions you can make.  Not only do spices have awesome benefits such as being packed with anti-oxidants but they add such a variety to you meals.  Take something simple such as black beans - you can blend them with chili powder or taco mix or mix them in a salad with tomatoes and corn.  One bean and yet such a variety of ways you can eat them.  Chickpeas are another example, you can grill them with spices for a crunchy snack, or have them with a curry or blend them with spices to make humus.  

3. Make it creamy.

Giving foods a creamy texture adds a dimension of variety to your foods.  To get the creamy texture you can add avocado, silken tofu, coconut cream, tahini or cashews!  Each of these is loaded with nutrients.

4. Give it some umami

Umami is a blend of saltiness, sweetness and bitterness.  Some foods that fall into this category are olives, nutritional yeast, seaweed, and fermented foods like sauerkraut.  You can add this to just about anything!

5. Fresh herbs

Get super creative with a herb garden.  Some of the most common herbs are cilantro, rosemary, thyme, and peppermint.  Start small and gradually expand.  I find you either love cilantro or you hate it.  I am in the 'love it' category and put it in everything from soups, to salads.

6. Mix the veg

Mixing your vegetables can give your taste buds a treat.  You can make a variety of salads just by mixing it up a bit.  Use a variety of greens in a salad for example and change what you put it.

7. Kick up your dressings

Your salad dressings can change the most boring salad into a real treat.  Use different oils with different condiments.  Olive oils can come infused with different flavors for example.  Add in a balsamic vinegar and you are good to go.  You can use tahini, or olive oil with a combination of any of the following - mustard seeds, fresh or dried herbs, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, sesame seeds.

 These are just some to get you started. Enjoy!