A whole lot of food resolutions float around this time of year. For 2020, Veganuary is on trend. Veganuary is exactly what it sounds like: focusing on plant-based eating in January, with the goal of shifting your eating habits toward vegetables throughout the year to come.
Quick Refried-Bean Quesadillas With Corny Salsa Verde, above. This summer, writer Jaya Saxena wrote for Eater that if you must grab a quick meal out, you should get the quesadilla. She’s right. This one isn’t exactly your typical quesadilla of tortilla glued together with cheese (as delicious as that is), but still fits the bill with a little nostalgia (refried beans) paired with briny salsa verde.
Vegan Chili Verde. Nothing is quite like a warm bowl of chili in the middle of winter. This bright vegan iteration relies on beans and bulgur wheat. It comes from our Plant Powered newsletter series — sign up for 12 weeks worth of vegan and vegetarian recipes as well as advice on how to focus more on plants.
Mushroom Walnut ‘Meatballs.’ If you’re craving spaghetti and meatballs, sub in these deeply savory mushroom-walnut dupes instead. They have so much flavor in their own right that you won’t miss the meat one bit.
Caribbean Black Beans With Sauteed Plantains. Beans and rice are such a simple and cozy dish to keep in your back pocket. This one gets a fresh citrus boost from both orange and lime juice, and it’s served with sweet plantains.
Falafel Pitas With Cilantro-Cashew Sauce. Falafel sandwiches, a popular lunch and late-night snack, are easy to make at home. This simple, flavor-packed recipe from our Plant Powered newsletter series is served up with a drizzle of a creamy, herbaceous, cashew-based sauce.
Green Chile Mac. Here’s another superstar from our Plant Powered series: the ultimate plant-based mac and cheese. Butternut squash and cashews in the base give it a creamy texture, while a little smoked paprika, nutritional yeast and chiles give it depth of flavor.
Vegetarian Mapo Tofu. Craving takeout? Make your own at home in the form of this tongue-tingling dish. It relies on Sichuan peppercorns, so be ready to sweat!
Cacao Chia Pudding. If you just need a little bit of sweetness in your day, chia seeds can deliver the creaminess you love from a milk-based pudding. We flavored this with chocolate, though you can play around with other flavors — like this berry version.
Vegan Coconut Ice Cream Base. For all the plant-based and lactose intolerant among us, ice cream is still within reach. This coconut base manages to be creamy and delicious without being too coconutty. Experiment with how you flavor it. Go classic vanilla, add chai spices as pictured above and definitely read the Voraciously guide to ice cream for inspiration.
More from Voraciously: