My top 10 staple vegan breakfast meals that are all easy and delicious, for both speedy and slow mornings! Part of my Veganuary Series. QUICK AND SPEEDY Porridge: Porridge is probably my favourite breakfast ever. I have it almost every morning, and it …
A one-pot simple sweet potato chilli, that packs flavour and fuel into a bowl – plant-based and vegan, this is my go-to film night/dinner party menu staple. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I love films. If you were to ask …
Easy one-bowl recipe using simple vegan and gluten-free ingredients, resulting in a fluffy, delicious, and golden batch of cornbread.
I grew up making cornbread from those little blue Jiffy corn muffin mixes. The ones where you just add a few wet ingredients to the dry mix, and stick it in the oven for foolproof corn muffins – anyone know what I’m talking about? Most of my childhood baking experience involved working from these boxed mixes. I always thought baking from scratch was a magical art form far above my skills.
It turns out baking doesn’t have to be complicated; in fact, it can be downright easy. That’s the kind of baking I do now, the easy kind. And I would argue that it’s cheaper than box mixes – because you can buy ingredients in bulk that live in your cupboard; and it is definitely healthier because you can use wholesome and nourishing plant-based ingredients!
This cornbread is one of my favourite recipes ever. It was the first time I really dove into (light, let’s be real here) recipe experimentation, and it was so fun! It felt like conducting a science experiment, putting together different combinations of ingredients, adjusting one variable per batch to try to achieve the fluffiest, tastiest, and easiest combination possible. This recipe is the result, and I’m so proud of it. It can be done and dusted in just three easy steps:
1. Chuck all the wet ingredients in a bowl
2. Fold in the dry ingredients (into the same bowl)
3. Bake in a baking pan
Et voilà – you are left with a neat bowl and a few utensils to wash up, and half an hour later an amazing smelling batch of golden cornbread. Now that’s my kind of baking!
You would think after batches of recipe testing that I might get tired of cornbread, but I genuinely haven’t! It’s such a comforting and hearty snack, or addition to any meal. I find it goes perfectly with a bowl of chilli or soup, and on days when I’m running around like mad I’ll pack a couple of slices for snacking to get me through a long afternoon.
How do you feel about baking from scratch? Have you ever used box mixes before? Let me know in a comment below!
This recipe was inspired by Caitlin at @frommybowl, who has an amazing cornbread recipe on her blog!
If you end up trying out this recipe, let me know how you get on with it – take a photo and tag me on Instagram @bitesbybekah. I’d love to connect with you and it always makes me so happy to see your creations!
Then add the rest of the wet ingredients into the bowl (plant mylk, apple sauce, acv, maple syrup) and mix.
Pour into a greased pan and bake for about 30mins or until top is firm and a toothpick comes out clean.
Wait until cool, cut into slices, and enjoy!
*Chia seeds also work in place of flax seeds
*Using oat flour in place of gluten-free flour also works and tastes good, but isn’t quite as light and fluffy
*I imagine regular flour would work as well, but haven't tried it myself - so if you do, please let me know how it goes!
*Originally published Aug 19, 2018, updated on Jan 4, 2023
The vegan food staples that are regularly stocked in my fridge, freezer, and pantry – with some top tips for shopping. Bookmark this list for your next food shop! Part of my Veganuary Series, for anyone interested in exploring a plant-based lifestyle. Fruit and …
A fun and easy autumnal recipe, these vegan apple pie bars are packed with fall flavors and full of nourishing, healthful ingredients. ‘Can I ask you a question?’ Are you Team Apple or Team Pumpkin? It’s the question of the ages that always comes up …
Super easy, healthy and delicious plant-based dishes, perfect if you’re looking for some last-minute additions to your Thanksgiving menu!
Did Thanksgiving completely sneak up on anyone else this year? After spending two weeks traveling in London for the first half of November (more on that coming soon!), I got back to the US only to realize that Thanksgiving was just around the corner. Just in case you’re in a similar boat, here are a number of super quick and easy recipes that would be a great last-minute addition to your Thanksgiving table!
For the simplest salad, my lazy hack is to just pick up a fabulous salad mix and just add in some personal extras to liven it up. I love the Taylor’s Farm Chopped Kit from Costco. To that I added some leftover roasted butternut squash, as well as a Salad Mix topping also from Costco), which had extra nuts, seeds and dried cranberries.
I found a vegan and gluten-free stuffing by Bell’s at our local supermarket, but you can use whatever mix you prefer. Just add vegetable stock (I used Better than Boullion’s seasoned vegetable base).
Sweet potatoes are always a welcome addition to any table! You can go for regular sweet potatoes, or some adorable Baby Roasters. I just covered them with olive oil and a bit of salt, and roasted for 30mins at 400F until they got all gooey and gorgeous on in the inside.
Another super simple dish – just peel and chop your carrots and parsnips, cover with oil, salt, and a dash of maple syrup for extra sweetness, and roast for 30mins at 400F until soft (to save on oven usage, you can roast these at the same time as the sweet potatoes).
If you never thought you were a fan of Brussels sprouts, try them again in this recipe! It’s all about the preparation, and when this dish comes out of the oven, with the Brussels all beautifully roasted, you might just think again. Here’s how I prepare this one:
Pasta-ably my fav paste recipe ever, and it’s perfect for this time of year. You can check out the full recipe here, but you basically just need your fav pasta, your fav pesto, a butternut squash and chickpeas.
You can’t forget about dessert, and I’m an apple gal all the way. This apple crumble uses healthy, nourishing ingredients, and is such a breeze to throw together. Just prepare it while your mains are cooking, and then bake it while you’re feasting to enjoy as the perfect sweet ending to the meal!
Here’s how I make it (*recipe slightly adapted from Forks and Knives):
And that’s it! This menu gives you a full spread of delicious plant-based dishes, and they’re all so simple to make. I hope it gives you some inspo for your own holiday meal planning. Happy Thanksgiving friends!
Vegan pesto pasta made with 5 easy ingredients, filled with delicious warming flavours and golden pieces of roasted butternut squash. The perfect comfort food meal! Did anyone else grow up thinking they didn’t like pesto, only to realize its actually one of the best things …
In Feb 2021, my sweet mama was diagnosed with breast cancer. And our world was turned upside down.Breast cancer touches so many lives. 1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, which is a staggering statistic! In the last …
Easy and healthy vegan tacos using just 5 simple components: fajita peppers, cumin black beans, salsa, guacamole and fire-toasted corn tortillas. Super simple recipes for all, and put them together to make such a fun and delicious meal!
Almost every week – usually on a Tuesday, because I’m a sucker for alliterative meal days (aka #TacoTuesday) – I make all the fixings for vegan tacos! It’s such an easy meal to throw together, and it goes down so well every single time.
There are five staple components to my Taco Night spread:
Feel free to add, subtract, and adapt any of these. Sometimes I’ll also throw in lettuce for extra greens, and one of these days I need to try adding a vegan sour cream. Let me know if you have a fav.
When cooking up a vegan taco spread, I like to start with the components that take the longest – the fajita peppers and cumin black beans. These need time to cook on the stove, so I get those going and then chop and prepare the rest of the components while they’re sizzling (or bubbling) away.
These peppers are super versatile. All it takes is a bunch of peppers, and a small red onion (or half a big one). If I don’t have any fresh peppers and onion on hand, I always have a couple of bags of a frozen pepper and onion mix in the freezer. Those are nice because they save a lot on chopping time!
I just fry up the peppers and onions with a spoonful of avocado oil, and add spice to my desired seasoning. I like the trio of cumin, chilli powder and paprika. But you could add any number of other spices, or use a ready-made taco seasoning packet.
Probably the easiest beans recipe you’ll ever find! I literally just open two cans of black beans, rinse until there are no more bubbles, and then add them to a pan with enough water to cover. Turning the heat on high, I’ll mix in some cumin, and then leave them until the water basically cooks all the way down. If I want to mix things up, I’ll use red kidney beans instead of black beans, or a mix of half and half for the best of both worlds.
While the fajita peppers and black beans are cooking away, I’ll get on chopping up the ingredients for this super simple salsa. My family is obsessed with this salsa, and it couldn’t be easier to make. Just grab fresh tomatoes, a red onion, and some coriander, dice everything up, add salt and a dash of lime if you’re feeling fancy, and you’ve got a bowl of salsa. Perfect for Taco night, or just anytime snacking.
This guacamole recipe is a really quick way to add a lot of flavor, extra creaminess and deliciousness to these vegan tacos. It’s also super simple (surprise surprise). I just mash up two ripe avocados, and then add 1-2 spoonfuls of the above salsa, plus a squeeze of lemon or lime. That’s it!
We almost always finish the guac bowl the same day I make it. But if you do store leftovers, just know that the avocado will brown a bit overnight. The added lemon can help some with that!
Last but not least, when it’s time to serve up the meal it’s time to toast up some tortillas! My family prefers corn tortillas for our tacos. They’re naturally gluten-free and a great source of fiber. I’ve found they hold up pretty well after toasting as well.
To toast them up, I play a bit with fire. Literally 🔥 I just turn on one of the burners on the gas cooktop to a medium flame. Then, using metal chopsticks (the wooden ones can catch on fire), or occasionally my fingers if I’m feeling daring (just be extra careful!), I let the tortilla cook a bit on each side, turning often so that a side doesn’t get too burnt.
I like to layer my tacos in this order:
And that’s how I make Vegan Tacos for a Taco night spread! It’s a great meatless meal option, and a fun way to build a healthy and delicious soft taco. Let me know if you try it out, and what other components you’d add to your taco night!
Check out more easy and healthy bites of food and life on my Instagram.
Start with preparing the fajita peppers (you'll cook this at the same time as the cumin black beans): Chop up your red peppers and half the red onion; add a spoonful of avocado oil to a pan and cook up the peppers for about 20mins or until softened. Add your spices (cumin, chilli powder, paprika), to taste, while they're cooking.
For the cumin black beans: Open and rinse two tins of black beans; Add to a pan with enough water to cover, along with a tablespoon of cumin; Boil until the water cooks down (usually about 20mins as well).
For the salsa: While the fajita peppers and black beans are cooking, prep your salsa. Dice up your tomatoes, the other half of the red onion, and cilantro. Mix in a bowl with salt and the juice of half a lime/lemon, to desired seasoning.
For the guacamole: Mash up two ripe avocados, add 1-2 spoonfuls of the already made salsa, plus a dash of salt and lemon juice.
For the corn tortillas: Toast these over a gas-stove burner, turning from side to side until each side is lightly toasted.
My experience starting (and completing!) the 75 Hard Challenge! I cover what the challenge involves, why I started the challenge, 7 tips for starting it yourself, whether it was worth it, and 5 fun not-so-typical results. On April 18, 2022 I started the 75 …