‘My Simple Hack For Easier Plant-Based Meals’

From plantbasednews.org

With this simple hack, you can easily prepare delicious plant-based meals throughout the week 

Nisha Vora, a Harvard Law School graduate and former corporate lawyer, transitioned away from law to pursue her passion for plant-based cooking. As the founder of Rainbow Plant Life, she shares vibrant, flavour-packed vegan recipes designed to make plant-based eating accessible.

Many people find weeknight cooking overwhelming, whether due to time constraints, meal prep fatigue, or the challenge of making plant-based meals taste exciting. In a recent video, Vora shared her simple strategy for making plant-based meals easier throughout the week: preparing a few versatile sauces in advance. “The secret to making delicious healthy meals all week long is sauces,” she explains. By spending just 20 minutes on a Sunday preparing one or two sauces, she says it becomes effortless to assemble quick and flavourful meals on busy nights. “A good sauce transforms simple foods into something gourmet and makes it a breeze to whip up delicious weeknight meals.”

This simple hack will make it easier to create delicious recipes throughout the week - Media Credit: Rainbow Plant Life/YouTube

She highlights four key sauces that can elevate plant-based meals and demonstrates how to use them across multiple dishes. 

Vegan tzatziki

A Greek-inspired yogurt sauce, tzatziki is often served as a dip, spread, or dressing. Vora makes it plant-based by using thick coconut yogurt, which provides a creamy texture similar to traditional Greek yogurt. She mixes it with grated cucumber, fresh dill, garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper, creating a tangy and refreshing sauce.

Vora suggests several ways to use tzatziki throughout the week:

• Greek salad bowl – A mix of cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, capers, olives, olive oil, and red wine vinegar, topped with roasted chickpeas and vegan feta and finished with a dollop of tzatziki.
• Wraps and sandwiches – A replacement for mayo, adding creaminess to wraps with dressed greens, crispy vegetables, avocado, and beans.
• Grain bowls – Served over farro or another grain with roasted vegetables and a crunchy topping for contrast.
• Side sauce for roasted vegetables – Paired with carrots, broccoli, or cabbage, served alongside beans or nuts.

Beet hummus

Rainbow Plant Life/YouTubeBeet hummus adds flavour and a pop of colour to your recipes

A twist on traditional hummus, this vibrant pink dip combines roasted beets, chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon zest and juice, cumin, coriander, salt, and olive oil. “This is definitely our most involved sauce, but she’s worth it,” Vora says, noting that roasting beets enhances both flavour and colour.

Ways to use beet hummus include:

• Mezze platters – Served with pita, olives, pickled vegetables, and raw vegetables for a no-cook dinner.
• Grain bowls – Layered with brown rice, tofu, kale, and a crunchy topping like toasted panko.
• Sandwich spread – Added to wraps and sandwiches with tofu, sprouts, cucumbers, and pickled onions.
• Salad dressing – Thinned out with lemon juice or vinegar and drizzled over fresh greens.

Vegan queso

A dairy-free alternative to cheesy Tex-Mex sauces, this queso is made with cashews, vegan yogurt, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, nutritional yeast, pickled jalapeños, jalapeño brine, salsa, salt, and pepper. “I’ve been making this sauce for over four years, and it never gets old,” Vora says.

She suggests using it for:

• Quesadillas and burritos – Spread inside buffalo chickpea quesadillas or burritos.
• Nachos – Poured over tortilla chips with beans, salsa, and guacamole.
• Tacos – Drizzled over charred corn tortillas with avocado, pickled onions, and fresh cilantro.
• Burrito bowls – Paired with rice, beans, fajita vegetables, and salsa.

Vegan pesto

A plant-based version of traditional pesto, this sauce blends fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, lemon zest and juice, nutritional yeast, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Vora notes that pesto is highly adaptable, allowing for swaps like walnuts instead of pine nuts or parsley instead of basil.

Pesto works well in:

• Pasta and pasta salads – Tossed with cooked pasta or cold pasta salad.
• Sandwiches – Spread on sourdough with fried tofu, tomatoes, and greens.
• Soups – Stirred into vegetable soups for added depth.
• Vegetable salads – Mixed into salads made with blanched green beans, red onions, and toasted nuts.

A simple way to elevate plant-based meals

By preparing one or two sauces at the start of the week, Vora demonstrates how it becomes easier to assemble quick and delicious plant-based meals. Whether used in grain bowls, sandwiches, or simple vegetable sides, these sauces enhance flavor and variety, making plant-based eating easy.

Find out how to make Nisha Vora’s sauce recipes and lots more on her website and YouTube channel.

https://plantbasednews.org/lifestyle/food/my-simple-hack-for-easier-plant-based-meals/