Category: Lunch

Best Vegan Spots for a Quick Bite in Boston & Beyond

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Cafés & Treats

Boston Tea Stop

Boston Tea Stop is one of my favorite places for bubble tea. They let you combine as many as 3 fruit flavors into a slush (blended ice – always vegan), snow (creamy slush – not available vegan), or smoothie drink (blended ice cream – available vegan). You can mix and match different toppings, too; regular boba is my go-to, but their popping boba is also vegan. They have plant-based milk options available for milk teas or whatever your drink of choice may be. For a delicious treat, opt for one of their vegan smoothies, which is made using FoMu’s local, coconut-based ice cream.

Recommendations: Bring cash to this cash-only spot and get a vegan bubble tea smoothie. The place is very small, doesn’t have a great ambiance or A/C, and fills up with customers in line, so plan to bring your drinks to Harvard Square’s expansive JFK Memorial Park, small Winthrop Square Park, or to the Charles River.

Bourbon Coffee

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Vegan-Friendly
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Coffees, Teas, Sandwiches, Wraps, Smoothies
  • Location(s): Porter Square, Cambridge, MA
  • Website: https://bourboncoffeeusa.com/

Bourbon Coffee is a rare gem—a good lunch spot in Porter Square with lots of seating. Skip Dunkin Donuts and Panera and make a bee-line for this direct-trade, African-by-origin café.

Recommendations: They have a few veggie wraps with hummus, avocado, kale or spinach, carrots, red onion, and other ingredients. They also have plant-based milks to choose from with your drink of choice. While the options here are not extensive, it’s a vast improvement over the other options in Porter Square. Even with a new Caffe Nero nearby, I’m confident Bourbon will have more for local vegans.

Dado Tea

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Vegan-Friendly
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Asian-Style Wraps and Salads
  • Location(s): Central Square & Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
  • Website: http://www.dadotea.com/vegan.html

Dado’s vegan menu, linked above, speaks for itself. When think of Dado I think fresh, simple, organic. Their food is not heavy and their portion sizes seem appropriate—they are a breath of fresh air. Service at the Central Square location is always friendly and fast, too.

Recommendations: The Central Square location is a great spot for a lunch date with a friend. Get the Dado Wrap and a pot of tea to share. Their Harvard Square location is best enjoyed to-go; the dining area is always a wreck, which is a shame because the café is lined with lovely, large, open windows overlooking Harvard Square. They have vegan bubble tea options, but they’re not nearly as good as Boston Tea Stop or Kung Fu Tea.

FoMu

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Fully Vegan
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Ice Cream
  • Location(s): Allston, Jamaica Plain, South End, Fenway, Boston, MA
  • Website: http://www.fomuicecream.com

If you love coconut, you’re going to love FoMu’s fully vegan nice cream—yes, it tastes coconutty and therefore amazing. The textures at FoMu are incredible; the base ice cream has a wonderful creamy consistency, not at all like slush or ice, and their flavors typically include generous chunky pieces of chocolate/toppings. Isn’t it amazing to find an ice cream spot with locations all over Boston that is 100% plant-based?

Recommendations: My favorites are Rockiest Road (almond-based), Mint Chip, and F’Oreo.

Kung Fu Tea

Kung Fu Tea is one of the most popular and well known places for bubble tea, so I’m including it for other bubble tea lovers like myself and for its convenience factor—but vegans, be careful. Their huge menu is full of problematic ingredients, their menu does not clearly label anything as vegan, and their staff is uninformed about veganism.

Recommendations: Stick to their Classic and Punch drinks, as these are mostly fruity tea and water. Only certain Slush drinks are vegan. Instead of their boba (“bubbles”), which are not vegan due to containing honey and caramel, add jelly or popping boba. My favorites are Mango Green Tea Punch with Mango Popping Boba, Mango Slush with Mango Popping Boba, and Winter Melon Green Tea with Mango Jelly. Do not mistake “lactose free” for “vegan”—most of their flavoring powders still contain milk derivatives. They do have plant-based milks, such as soy, but I’m not sure what good they are when most of the flavoring powders cannot be veganized. View ingredients list.

Pavement Coffeehouse

Aside from their coffee, Pavement may be best known for their bagels and bagel sandwiches, but I love that most of their sandwiches can also be turned into a salad with baby kale or arugula. They even offer vegan spreads for their bagels, such as veggie tofu, peanut butter, spicy diablo tofu, hummus, vegan butter, and raspberry jam. More recently, they’v added Just Egg (amazing vegan scrambled egg alternative) and vegan cheese to their menu, too! Pavement was the first place I ever got an oat milk latte, and it was incredible.

Recommendations: I love the Killer Tofu as a salad with baby kale. The Californian is also great as a salad with baby kale—just ask to omit the honey mustard to keep it 100% vegan. Some of their locations, such as the Symphony location, are a cozy spot to dine in. Be aware that it’s common for some locations, such as the Allston one, to run out of bagels on the weekend.

Starbucks

While many of Starbucks drinks use flavoring mixes that contain milk powder, they do have many menu items that don’t contain milk, contain plant-based milk, or can be veganized with plant-based milk. They also have been dabbling in offering vegan foods at select locations.

Recommendations: Iced Guava Passionfruit Drink (a coconutmilk drink), Dragon Drink (a coconutmilk drink), Mango Dragonfruit Refresher, Matcha Latte (with soy milk), Iced Latte (with soy milk), English Breakfast Tea Latte (with soy milk), London Fog Tea Latte (with soy milk). Be careful of frappuccinos, mochas, and specify “no whipped cream” if asked.

Fast Casual

&pizza

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Vegan-Friendly
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Pizza
  • Location(s): Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
  • Website: https://andpizza.com

Vegans can pick from tons of vegan-friendly toppings to create their own slightly-larger-than-individual sized pizza, prepared in what feels like mere seconds. They’ve got vegan mozzarella, vegan sausage, and plenty of veggies, sauces, and garnishes that are vegan as well. They’re open til 2 AM on Fridays and Saturdays, and I have to say, they especially hit the spot when you have the drunchies (drunk munchies).

Recommendations: Classic tomato sauce, vegan mozz, vegan sausage, onion, garlic oil and basil. Or how about classic tomato sauce, vegan mozz, mushrooms, banana peppers, and bbq sauce. Delicious. Also, if you get it to go, you’ll get a recycled/reusable cloth bag.

Bartleby’s (Food Truck)

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Fully Vegan
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Southern-Fried Seitan Nuggets & Sandwiches
  • Location(s): Ever-changing—Boston & Cambridge, MA
  • Website: https://www.bartlebysfood.com

Bartleby’s used to serve food near my work every Wednesday and it’s probably a good thing that their schedule eventually changed, because I was getting addicted to their nuggets and dips. Their homemade seitan is made with a secret blend of spices, breaded, and deep-fried in 100% allergen-free peanut oil, and you can get it in sandwiches, as nuggets, or on a salad.

Recommendations: Get the nuggets and as many sauces as you can carry. You won’t regret it! Bring your credit/debit card as they are a cash-free truck.

Bon Me (Food Truck & Restaurant)

I love Bon Me for their fresh ingredients and bold flavors. Pickled carrots, cilantro, roasted paprika tofu, crispy shallots, and scallion are some of my favorite components in their dishes.

Recommendations: If you get anything other than a sandwich, be prepared for a large serving that might give you some leftovers. I usually get a brown rice bowl with roasted paprika tofu with soy drizzle sauce.

by CHLOE.

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Fully Vegan
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Bowls, Burgers & Sandwiches, Snacks, & Brunch
  • Location(s): Back Bay, Seaport, & Fenway, Boston, MA
  • Website: https://eatbychloe.com

by CHLOE. has such a massive menu, it’s hard to even sum them up, but I would say it’s modern vegan fast food elevated with fresh, varied, 100% plant-based ingredients. They’ve got American favorites like Kale Caesar salad, burgers, BLTs, and fries, but also Asian-inspired eats like Spicy Thai salad and Sesame Ginger Soba noodles. They have some Mexican/Southwestern-style salads and nachos, too.

Recommendations: I like the Quinoa Taco Salad, and their Pesto Meatball sandwich is delicious, too. You really can’t go wrong with their menu. They’ve got nice branding and packaging, and fun decor for dining in.

Clover Food Lab

Local, farm-fresh ingredients, a passion for plants, an innovative story, and an environmental mission. That’s Clover in a nutshell. They’re best known for their pita-pocket sandwiches, the main 3 being Chickpea Fritter (vegan), BBQ Seitan (vegan version available), and Egg & Eggplant (not vegan), as well as their killer rosemary fries (definitely vegan). But they’ve also got seasonal side salads and grains that round out their platters. They carry Impossible Meatballs by Impossible Foods, and wow, they are good.

Recommendations: You can’t go wrong with their iconic Chickpea Fritter sandwich. If you get a platter, be vigilant about the sides, which often require some tweaking to be fully vegan.

Energize

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Fully Vegan
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Smoothie Bowls, Salads, Juices, Toasts
  • Location(s): Brighton & Boston, MA
  • Website: https://energizeboston.com

Energize defines itself as a “health oasis” where health and nutrition are at the core of all menu items. A relatively small, curated menu focused on nutrition makes this spot an easy, guilt-free choice for lunch.

Recommendations: Their menu and add-ons are a bit pricey, so I highly recommend downloading their app (App Store, Google Play) and joining their email list to get exclusive discounts. App users can also order their meal for pick-up, in addition to gaining early access to new menu items. The Açai Bowl and Matcha Bowl are my favorites, but their recently-added Avocado Toast is also fantastic. Unlike other places, they don’t skimp on the avocado and it’s very well seasoned. In my opinion, the salads are the weakest part of the menu. They’re overpriced, with basic ingredients, and overwhelmingly big portions.

Life Alive

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Vegan-Friendly
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Grain Bowls, Salads, Smoothies, Juices, Soups
  • Location(s): Back Bay, Brookline, Cambridge, Salem, Lowell, MA
  • Website: https://www.lifealive.com/

Life Alive has been a gem in Central Square for years and only recently has started to pop up with locations all over the Boston area! The Central Square location had kind of a crunchy granola, hippie, eclectic vibe (and may still), but as the company has grown it has started to really invest in trendier decor and interior design (check out the Back Bay location!). Life Alive has been a pioneer of grain bowls before they were omnipresent, and with fantastic flavor and texture combinations. All bowls have a comforting base (quinoa, legumes, or rice), exciting ingredients (pineapple, beets, umeboshi, jalapeño), rich sauces (ginger tamari, spicy peanut, red miso, cilantro lime), and a crunchy topping (almonds, peanuts).

Recommendations: For a cozy, neighborhood vibe, eat-in at the Central Square location in Cambridge. For a friend/more-than-friend date, check out the Back Bay location, which has more of a Newbury Street vibe. My go-to bowls are the Swami and the Adventurer. Their Living Caesar salad kind of changed my life, it’s that good.

Saus

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Vegan-Friendly
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Sandwiches, Hotdogs, Salad Bowls, Poutine, Frik
  • Location(s): Boston and Bow Market (Somerville), MA
  • Website: https://www.sausboston.com/

Saus is the perfect place for comforting fast food, “drunchies” (drunk munchies), and exposing your omni and veggie friends to amazing vegan food. Their menu is well-labeled with vegan options, including Beyond Meat and Impossible products. At the Bow Market location, everything on the menu is vegetarian and can be made vegan by omitting cheese or subbing vegan cheese.

Recommendations: Veggie Burger, Cauli-Falafel Sando, and Poutine!

Sprout

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Vegan-Friendly
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Mediterranean Salads & Bowls
  • Location(s): Boston, MA
  • Website: https://www.sproutboston.com/

Sprout is easy to miss, but once you try their food you will probably become obsessed like I did. Tucked into a shared eatery space with gyro and pizza counters, it’s quite literally easy to miss. With so many salad and grain bowl-type places on this list, where Sprout stands out is its dressings, add-ons, and customer service. Their Thai Cashew Dressing is heavenly. Fresh squeezes of lime juice and sweet, crunchy corn are stand-out ingredients. Free with your meal is a pita-style bread (vegan!) that makes the dish ultra filling yet so good.

Recommendations: The Muy Thai and Buddha are my two favorites. Always get the pita. They offer a wrap option for all bowls at $1 cheaper, but when I tried a wrap shortly after their opening, it completely fell apart into a huge mess. I learned from that point on to stick to the amazing bowls.

Sweetgreen

Pretty much everyone knows about Sweetgreen at this point—I feel like they made grain bowls into the trendy lunch item they are now. I think the best aspect of Sweetgreen is that they have so many locations; the convenience factor of ordering a bowl ahead of time on their app and then going to the nearest Sweetgreen to pick it up is a classic workday lunch routine. And with such a large menu and build-your-own options, there’s something for everyone at Sweetgreen.

Recommendations: The Shroomami bowl, and Guacamole Greens with tofu instead of the default chicken.

Taco Party (Food Truck & Restaurant)

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Fully Vegan
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Mexican Tacos, Tortas, & Nachos
  • Location(s): Somerville, MA (Restaurant), Cambridge & Boston, MA (Food Truck)
  • Website: https://www.tacopartytruck.com

Considering Mexican cuisine is my absolute favorite, discovering Taco Party was like a dream come true. They feature a rotating menu of 100% plant-based tacos that are priced at $4 per single taco, so it lends itself to trying multiple different tacos each meal. I have yet to try their nachos or tortas, but I am extremely curious!

Recommendations: I loved the Jackfruit Tinga Taco. Even if you’re hesitant about jackfruit, please get it, it will blow your mind. I got 2 tacos plus a side of rice and it was too much food for lunch (my eyes are always bigger than my stomach). The Crispy Fried Tofu Taco was also delicious. If you’re there for dinner, maybe 2 tacos plus a side or 3 tacos without a side would be a good sized meal.

Veggie Grill

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Fully Vegan
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Fast Food, American
  • Location(s): Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA
  • Website: https://www.veggiegrill.com/

Veggie Grill is the more-is-more, probably-not-good-for-you-but-it-doesn’t-matter, fast-food-galore experience that can be hard to come by as a vegan. Wings, tacos, nachos, fries, mac ‘n’ cheese, bowls, salads, burgers, sandwiches, and desserts—basically any comfort food you’re craving you can find at Veggie Grill. Portions are big, sauces are abundant, and there’s a lot of salt and fried food. But omg so good.

Recommendations: Get the mobile app (App Store, Google Play) to start earning rewards. My fav dishes are the Southwestern Nachos, Crispy Cauliflower, Santa Fe Chickin’ sandwich, and the Classic Romaine Caesar salad.

Whole Foods

It’s a no-brainer that Whole Foods has plenty of groceries for vegans, but what about lunch and on-the-go options? Depending on which location you go to, Whole Foods Markets have various grab-n-go counters, deli stations, hot food bars, salad bars, sushi, pizza, Mexican food counters, and more. There are so many options for vegans, but it’s important to check the labels and ask staff when the labels may be off or missing. Grab-n-go counters aside, there are also many ways to compile a meal out of their many plant-based groceries as well.

Recommendations: There are usually a few vegan pre-made sandwiches at the deli station—usually one with tempeh. For whatever reason the tempeh isn’t offered (last I checked) if you opt to build your own sandwich, but that’s okay. I love to build my own wrap with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, carrot, pickles, red onion, avocado, mustard, and hummus. I’ve also asked for extra avocado since I’m not getting meat or cheese, and the staff has always complied. At the Mexican food counter, I typically ask for a bowl with rice, tofu, lettuce, guac, and other mix-ins. At the hot/cold food bars, there is usually rice, tofu, sauteed greens/garlicky greens, potato-based dishes, and everything you could possibly need for a salad. At the pizza station, they even usually have a pizza with vegan cheese that is absolutely delicious. Sometimes they have a 2-slices-for-$5 deal that is such a good value. For something off a grocery aisle shelf, the Cedars brand (well-known for their hummus) makes lots of little salads, such as Black Bean or Lentil, that go really well with a small bag of chips or maybe a $3 container of fresh fruit on the side.

Whole Heart Provisions

  • Fully Vegan or Vegan-Friendly: Fully Vegan
  • Cuisine/Specialty: Veggie Bowls, Street Snacks, & Brunch
  • Location(s): Allston, Harvard Square & Central Square, Cambridge, MA
  • Website: https://www.wholeheartprovisions.com/

Whole Heart Provisions sets itself apart from the multitude of build-your-own bowl-style places with their bold flavors and emphasis on texture. Some examples: bulgogi beets, pickled cauliflowers, crispy lentils, roasted Japanese eggplant, miso bbq tofu, and pineapple corn salsa, just to name a few.

Recommendations: Their bowls are very filling—I usually end up with leftovers for the next day. My favorite bowls are Seeta and Tazon. I’ve never built my own bowl because their curated bowls are already so good!

A Few Others I Haven’t Tried…

  • Cocobeet
  • Foumami
  • Honeygrow
  • Red White

If you have other recommendations for this list, please let me know! I will also be compiling another list focused on sit-down restaurants, so if you have recommendations for that one, let me know as well!

Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese

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Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese
Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese

Before I went vegan, I was one of those people that would say I couldn’t live without cheese. Nachos was one of my all time favorite foods—I could not imagine a life without nachos. Even when I made the connection and became vegan, I accepted that I would never enjoy nachos the way I used to. Well.. lo and behold.. I now have a vegan, nut-free nacho cheese trick up my sleeve and I’m happy to say it hits on every single sensation I loved and remembered about nachos.

Pro-tip: if you want a super easy (but not nut-free) option, Siete Foods makes an amazing Mild Nacho Cashew Queso that works fantastically on nachos as well. Sprinkle on a little vegan shredded mozz (I like Good Planet, 365, and Daiya Cutting Board Collection brands) and you’ve got a very solid, quick and easy vegan nacho recipe!

 

Vegan Nut-Free Nacho Cheese Recipe

Ingredients (2–3 Servings)

  • 1 cup potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • .5 cup carrots, peeled and cubed
  • .25 cup vegetable oil
  • .25 cup plant-based milk, I used Silk soy milk
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • .5 tsp salt
  • +Any combination of cayenne powder, chipotle powder (or use a small amount of real chipotle peppers in adobo sauce), chili powder, smoked paprika

Method

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots in pot of water for approximately 10 minutes or until fork tender. Drain them from the boiling water and add to a blender.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and combine until smooth—taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. I usually go pretty light with all the red seasonings but then continue to add and build up flavor. I also usually end up adding more salt, more lemon juice.

3. Serve immediately over nachos. You could also use as a dip but it won’t be gooey like other vegan cheese dip recipes out there—I like to keep this recipe super simple. For nachos, I like any combination of tortilla chips, black beans, corn, cilantro, scallion, tomatoes, bell pepper, olives, etc. Add a slice of lime on the side for an extra punch of flavor. Enjoy!

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Vegan Avocado Toast with Homemade Hummus

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Vegan Avocado Toast with Homemade Hummus
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Vegan Avocado Toast with Homemade Hummus

Let’s be real, you hardly need instructions on how to make avocado toast. This recipe is really all about our foundation—the homemade hummus—and the little touches, like seasonings and fried bread, that make this toast extra special. To make into a more robust meal, also try adding lettuce, microgreens, sprouts, fresh tomato, banana peppers, beets, etc.

 

Vegan Avocado Toast with Homemade Hummus Recipe

Ingredients (3 Toasts)

  • 3 slices of bread, I used sourdough
  • Vegan butter, I used Earth Balance
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • Salt & pepper
  • Cumin
  • Sriracha (optional)

Homemade Hummus:

  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ~1+ tbsp tahini
  • Garlic powder (I recommend powder over fresh as raw garlic can be very overpowering, and this recipe makes enough for storing in the fridge, where raw garlic would become even more strong in flavor)
  • Salt & pepper
  • Olive oil
  • ~1 tbsp lemon juice
  • Filtered water
  • 1 tbsp za’atar or sumac (optional)
  • Smoked paprika (optional)

Method

1. Make the hummus by combining chickpeas, garlic powder, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, za’atar/sumac, and water in a food processor. Season to taste. Start with about a tablespoon of each wet ingredient and add more to properly emulsify. Set aside.

2. Heat up a nonstick pan on med-high heat. Spread butter on one side of the bread, and when the pan is hot, place them butter-side down in the pan. Once the butter has browned nicely, flip them over to heat the other side of the bread for just a minute or two. Remove from pan.

3. Start to assemble the toasts. Spoon a generous spoonful or two of the hummus over the buttered toasts and sprinkle over some smoked paprika.

4. Carefully halve the avocado by rotating a large knife around the center of the avocado. Protecting one of your hands with a kitchen towel, use some force to de-pit the avocado by stabbing the pit with the knife and using the edge of a cutting board to safely get the pit off of your knife. With one of your hands still under a kitchen towel, use a paring knife to slice each avocado half into even slices while still in the avocado skin. Use a spoon to carefully carve out all of the slices and lay flat on your cutting board. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin (optional).

5. Layer the avocado slices onto your toasts, and drizzle with sriracha (optional). Enjoy!

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Vegan Cold Peanut Noodles

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Vegan Cold Peanut Noodles

Now that it’s warming up outside and starting to feel like spring, I’ve been craving dishes that require less cooking. This Vegan Cold Peanut Noodle recipe is perfect for days like these because it’s quick, easy, and the only thing you need heat for is cooking the noodles. This dish includes raw red bell pepper, carrots, and cucumbers, but is highly adaptable to other items you might have on hand, much as green beans or snap peas, edamame, or tofu.

 

Vegan Cold Peanut Noodles Recipe

Ingredients (2 Servings)

  • 4 oz noodles (any long, thin type will do, I recommend Soba)
  • ~.33 cup bell pepper, chopped in thin strips then halved
  • ~.33 cup cucumber (any kind), chopped in sticks or disks
  • ~.33 cup carrot, peeled, chopped finely into sticks, grated, or sliced with a peeler
  • Chives or scallion, chopped finely
  • Handful of fresh cilantro (optional)

Peanut Sauce:

  • Heaping .25 cup crunchy peanut butter
  • 1.5–2 tbsp sriracha, depending on how spicy you want it
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • Generous pinch of garlic powder (recommend powder over fresh garlic as raw garlic can be very overpowering, and this recipe makes more sauce than needed so the garlic taste will continue to get stronger in the fridge)
  • ~1 tsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp hot water

Method

1. Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Keep an eye on them so that they don’t cook past al dente. Drain, rinse, then set aside or put into fridge or freezer as you prepare the rest of the recipe.

2. Prep all of the veggies.

3. Mix sauce ingredients, tasting as you go. Add more sugar if it is overpoweringly acidic. Add more water if it is too thick. Add more peanut butter and/or sugar if it is too spicy.

4. Combine the noodles and veggies, and spoon in the sauce as you stir, making sure it is evenly distributed, using tongs. There will likely be sauce leftover. Optionally, top with additional cilantro, chives, scallion, roughly chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, etc. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by “Cold Peanut Noodle Salad” from Julia of Savory Tooth. Thank you for sharing!

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Vegan Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Pico de Gallo

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Vegan Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Pico de Gallo
Diced sweet potato for Vegan Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Pico de Gallo
Jalapeño, bell pepper, tomato, lime, and onion for Vegan Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Pico de Gallo
Pico de Gallo with corn, black beans, cilantro, tomato, avocado, and lime juice
Close up of Pico de Gallo with corn, black beans, cilantro, tomato, avocado, and lime juice
Pan fried diced sweet potato for Vegan Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Pico de Gallo
Vegan Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Pico de Gallo

I love a burrito with beans and rice, but sometimes it’s fun to switch it up! These easy vegan sweet potato burritos take a classic pico de gallo and elevate it with a lot of mix-ins. I’m talking black beans, corn, avocado, bell pepper, and more. If you love fresh, raw ingredients, I think you’ll enjoy this recipe!

 

Vegan Sweet Potato Burritos with Avocado Pico de Gallo Recipe

Ingredients (3 Burritos)

  • 1 sweet potato, washed and diced (works great with any kind of potato)
  • 1–2 fresh whole tomatoes, deseeded and diced
  • 1 avocado, halved, depitted, and diced
  • .25 bell pepper (I used yellow), deseeded and diced
  • 1 scallion, sliced finely
  • ~.25 cup corn (I used frozen, or cut off the cob)
  • ~.25 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
  • ~.25 cup white or red onion, peeled and diced
  • .5–1 jalapeño, deseeded and diced finely (optional)
  • ~1 cup fresh cilantro, stems removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 3 burrito-sized flour tortillas
  • Taco seasoning (or substitute smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder)
  • Smoked paprika
  • Cumin
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Aluminum foil (optional)

Method

1. Boil the diced sweet potato until it’s fork tender, 10–15 minutes.

2. While the potatoes are boiling, combine all “pico de gallo” ingredients: tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, scallion, corn, black beans, jalapeño, cilantro, and lime juice. Mix well and add dashes of salt, ground pepper, cumin, and smoked paprika. Set aside.

3. When the sweet potato is ready, drain and set aside. Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a pan on med–high heat. Once hot, add the potatoes to the pan, making sure every piece has contact with the pan. Don’t mess with them for a couple minutes to allow them to get crispy. Stir to get color and crispness on all sides.

4. Once all sides are pretty much done, sprinkle a generous amount of taco seasoning (see ingredients list for substitutions). I also recommend adding about a tablespoon of water to the pan so that the seasoning does not stick to the bottom of the pan and immediately burn. Stir to coat the potatoes well, then allow them another minute or two on the heat.

5. In a large, nonstick, dry pan on med–high heat, heat tortillas one by one on each side, about a minute on each side. Be careful to not let them burn!

6. Tear 3 strips (or however many burritos you’re making) of aluminum foil, each strip should cover half of the rolled burrito, which in my case meant about 4 inches wide. Place the warmed tortilla on top of the aluminum foil and add one third of the potatoes and one third of the pico de gallo mixture. Roll the burrito, tucking in the edges of the tortilla, and wrap one end of the burrito in the aluminum foil. Set aside and repeat for all burritos.

7. With the nonstick pan still warm, add the burritos into the pan, seam-side down. This is optional, but it helps the burrito seam close up and rewarms the burrito before serving. Be careful not to burn!

8. Once warm, serve the burritos, aluminum foil and all. Optionally, serve with salsa on the side. Enjoy!

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Vegan Dill & Scallion Cream Cheese

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Vegan dill and scallion cream cheese on everything bagels
 

Vegan Dill & Scallion Cream Cheese Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1/2 package (4oz) vegan cream cheese (I use Tofutti brand)
  • Finely chopped fresh dill
  • Finely chopped scallion
  • Dash of garlic powder
  • Dash of salt
  • Splash of lemon juice

Method

1. Make sure the cream cheese is soft and spreadable—may need to microwave for about 15 seconds.

2. Combine everything well, and enjoy on a bagel, sandwich, etc.!

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Vegan Fresh & Layered Sandwich

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Vegan sandwich cross-section with hummus, sprouts, tomato, Tofurky deli slices, Violife cheese slice, lettuce, and pickled radishes.

Raise your hand if you love a little crunch and lots of texture in your sandwich! 🙋🏽‍♀️

This simple sandwich is a great way to use up any veggies you have laying around. Mix it up! I had white bread on hand, but I think this would also be fantastic in a pita pocket or on sourdough.

 

Vegan Fresh & Layered Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

  • White bread slice with mustard
  • Pickled radish slices (homemade)
  • Mixed alfalfa sprouts
  • Violife cheese slice
  • Tofurky deli slices
  • Slice of tomato with salt and pepper
  • Romaine lettuce
  • White bread slice with hummus

Method

1. Compile sandwich following the ingredients list from last to first—starting with the hummus and finishing with the mustard. Enjoy!

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Vegan Roasted Veggie, Kale & Rice Bowls

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VEGAN ROASTED VEGGIE, KALE & RICE BOWLS

I’ve really been loving my recent subscription to Misfits Market, which sends me two boxes a month of seasonal, fresh produce “rejected” by supermarkets based on their size or shape.

This week I had a bunch of veggies to play with: eggplant, red onion, green pepper, shishito peppers, plus a bunch I had already stocked up on, like kale and carrot.

I figured a roasted veggie & brown rice bowl would be a great way to use up as much as possible!

Roasted eggplant sliced into rounds with a mandoline, with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roasted eggplant rounds with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper sliced into quarters.
Roasted red onion, carrot, and green bell pepper with olive oil, salt, pepper, curry powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Vegan roasted veggie, kale, and rice bowls with blistered shishito peppers.
 

Vegan Roasted Veggie, Kale & Rice Bowls Recipe

Ingredients (Serves 2)

  • 1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped large
  • 3-ish leaves kale, stripped and ripped
  • 1 carrot, sliced in thick rounds
  • 1/2 eggplant, sliced in thick rounds (I used a mandoline)
  • 1/2 red onion, sliced in thick rounds then halved down the center
  • 1-ish cup uncooked rice
  • Panful of shishito peppers
  • Smoked paprika
  • Curry powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Onion powder
  • 1/4 cup tahini
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • Balsamic vinegar
  • Salt, pepper, water, olive oil

Method

1. Toss the carrot, onion, and bell pepper in olive oil, curry powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Spread onto parchment-lined baking sheet and cook for about 30 mins at 450°F.

2. Spread eggplant rounds onto separate parchment-liner baking sheet. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper, then drizzle (or paint) balsamic vinegar and olive oil onto both sides. Bake at same times and temperatures as other veggie tray.

3. Prepare the rice according to package instructions (if raw) or wait until later (if microwaveable).

4. Wash, strip, and rip the kale into small pieces and put into a bowl. Pour a little lemon juice on it and massage it into the kale for about 2 minutes. Put aside in fridge.

5. Prepare the dressing: mix tahini with juice of one lemon, salt, and thin it out with warm water. Whisk well and set aside.

6. Halfway through bake time, flip eggplant slices and mix the veggies around. Crank the heat to 500°F if color is not developing enough.

7. When veggies only need 5 more minutes, start the shishito peppers. Heat about 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan on high heat. Once almost smoking, add shishitos and stir constantly so they don’t get too burnt. After about 5 minutes, remove from pan and toss with salt and any leftover lemon juice.

8. When the veggies come out of the oven, cut the eggplant into quarters.

9. To serve: start with rice, then kale, then roasted veggies and eggplant. Dress with the tahini dressing, and serve with shishito peppers on the side. Enjoy!

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Vegan Nut-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese

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Vegan Nut-Free Mac 'n' Cheese

One major aspect of my philosophy when it comes to vegan cooking is to not get too hung up on veganizing dishes that rely heavily on non-vegan foods, with cheese as a prime example. I was drawn to this recipe, however, because it uses simple vegetables to create the cheesy sauce, as opposed to cashews, which can be expensive, time-consuming, or dependent on a high-speed blender to turn into sauce; or a concoction of non-dairy milk and flour, which can be bland or troublesome to thicken.

I also love that this recipe can be made entirely on the stovetop, not requiring any oven time.

I opted to add some herby toasted breadcrumbs to add a bit of crunch of the dish, but this is totally optional.

Two Bowls of Vegan Nut-Free Mac 'n' Cheese
 

Vegan Nut-Free Mac ‘n’ Cheese Recipe

Ingredients (Serves ~2)

Vegan Cheese Sauce:

  • 1 cup potatoes, peeled and chopped (I used Butter Potatoes)
  • 1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
  • .5 can Great Northern Beans (or any white beans), rinsed and drained
  • ~.40 cup of unsweetened plant-based milk or water (I used Silk soy milk)
  • 2.5 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • .5 tbsp lemon juice
  • .5 tsp salt
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic or .25 tsp garlic powder
  • .25 tsp onion powder
  • A very small splash of liquid smoke (optional)
  • .25 tsp tomato paste (optional)

Other Ingredients:

  • .5 pound dried pasta, I used shell pasta
  • .25 cup reserved pasta water
  • 1 tbsp vegan butter (I used Earth Balance) (optional)
  • 1 tbsp additional nutritional yeast (optional)
  • .5 tbsp olive oil (optional)
  • .5 cup panko breadcrumbs (optional)
  • Dried oregano (optional)
  • A few fresh basil or parsley leaves (optional)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1. Boil the potatoes and carrots together in a large pot for about 20 minutes or until fork-tender.

2. While it boils, cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

3. Once the potatoes and carrots are soft, put them into a blender (or leave in the pot to immersion blend) along with all of the other Vegan Cheese Sauce ingredients. Blend well and adjust seasonings as needed.

4. Once the pasta has cooked, reserve .25 cup pasta water, drain the pasta, and add it to the large pot of Vegan Cheese Sauce.

5. Mix well and adjust seasonings as needed. If it seems too thick, slowly add some of the reserved pasta water. If it doesn’t seem cheesy enough, add the additional nutritional yeast, butter, and/or salt and pepper.

6. For the breadcrumb topping: In a separate pan, heat .5 tbsp olive oil on medium-high heat until the oil can be swirled around the pan and is nearly smoking.

7. Add the .5 cup of panko breadcrumbs to the pan and stir constantly until they all look goldeny brown. Keep an eye on them the whole time! Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Mix in some dried oregano to your liking.

8. Spoon breadcrumbs mixture over the top of your vegan nut-free mac ‘n’ cheese, and rip up some fresh basil (or parsley) to garnish. Enjoy!

This recipe was inspired by “Nut Free Vegan Mac N Cheese” by Alexa Fueled Naturally. Thank you for sharing!

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Vegan Farro Bowl with Mint Lemon Vinaigrette

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This bowl is SO EASY! Sometimes I opt not to make bowls because it ends up taking forever just to make each component, but not with this dish. It was easy and pretty quick!

I’m leaving off any measurements because you can essentially eyeball how much of each component you prefer.

 

Vegan Farro Bowl with Mint Lemon Vinaigrette Recipe

Ingredients (Serves 2)

  • Carrots
  • Red onion
  • Cucumber
  • Tofu, drained
  • Dry farro
  • Fresh mint
  • Lemon juice
  • Garlic
  • Dijon/stone ground mustard (we used honey mustard)
  • Avocado
  • Fresh herbs as garnish (we used cilantro)

Method

1. Start farro according to package instructions. For two bowls, we used 1/2 cup dry farro.

2. Drain, press, and dry tofu.

3. Slice carrots and toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add to roasting sheet and set in 450°F oven. Monitor them, but plan for about 20 minutes.

4. While carrots are roasting, prepare other ingredients: Finely dice raw red onion. Slice cucumber into small pieces. Crumble pressed tofu into feta-like chunks and toss with salt and pepper.

5. Prepare vinaigrette: in a processor, combine approx 3 lemons-worth lemon juice, 10 fresh mint leaves, 1 tsp mustard of choice, .5 or 1 small garlic clove, .25 cup olive oil, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth and taste to adjust seasonings.

6. Compile bowls: farro topped with roasted carrots, crumbled tofu, red onion, and cucumber. Season with salt and pepper. Top with freshly sliced avocado and cilantro or fresh herb of choice. Drizzle vinaigrette on top and enjoy!

7. This recipe is based on Spring Vegetable Salad with Lemon and Farro Vinaigrette by Spices in my DNA. They also add peas, arugula (rocket), asparagus, and radishes. You could also add broccoli or kale. So versatile and bright!

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