Harissa tofu bowls with herbed rice, crunchy veggies and a zesty dressing is an easy, flavor-packed weeknight meal that’s very flexible! Make it exactly as-is, or mix and match veggies to use what you have. Serve in a bowl, or make a wrap!

This is the type of bowl meal that I love to whip up on busy weeknights: lots of crunchy veggies; a delicious dressing; and protein, like marinated beans or crisp, seasoned tofu. You combine it all in a bowl with either cooked grains, such as rice or quinoa, or some pasta/noodles. This combination is so flexible and works really well! And the best part is that for most of them, there is little cooking time, so it comes together quickly and is absolutely delicious and satisfying. 

The flavor in these harissa tofu bowls comes from the delicious crisped tofu seasoned with harissa sauce and herbs, and the zesty garlic lime maple dressing. Plus, there’s all that flavor from the different herbs and crunchy veggies, as well.

You can convert this into a wrap or sandwich, too, if you like! Other flexible meals like this include my Vietnamese curry tofu bowl, chili garlic sandwich, gochujang sandwich, and curry banh mi. Or make into hummus bowls like my harissa cauliflower hummus bowl. Those can also be served as bowls or as sandwiches or wraps. 

You can change up the veggies in these harissa tofu bowls to use whichever veggies you like. You can also pair it with shredded lettuce or cabbage instead of rice, if you want it to be more like a salad. It’s just an incredibly flexible recipe, so have fun, and make it your own!

Why You’ll Love Harissa Tofu Bowls

• super flexible, 30-minute meal
• crunchy veggies make this dish so FRESH and reduce cooking time!
• crisp, flavorful harissa tofu is so delicious!
• naturally gluten-free and nut-free with easy soy-free options

Continue reading: Harissa Tofu Bowls (30 minutes, gluten-free, nut-free with soy-free option)

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No egg needed to make this summery peach upside down cake. Caramelized peaches crown a beautiful, moist cake that’s easy to make gluten-free, if needed. It’s also naturally soy-free and nut-free!

It’s peach season! Make the most of succulent summer peaches with this tender, moist peach upside-down cake.

This is a simple upside-down cake, adapted from my pear upside-down cake. I use fresh summer peaches with a touch of vegan butter and brown sugar to help them caramelize as they bake with the cake in the pan. If fresh peaches aren’t looking good where you are, you can use plums or use canned peaches, or other stone fruits in this cake.

Peach upside-down cake is absolutely delicious topped with a big scoop of vegan vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream.

Why You’ll Love Peach Upside-Down Cake

• tender vanilla cake studded with succulent summer peaches
• peaches caramelize right in the baking pan, no need to cook them on the stove
• easily made gluten-free
• naturally soy-free and nut-free

Continue reading: Peach Upside-Down Cake (soy-free, nut-free with gluten-free option)

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Malabar eggplant — crispy eggplant in a shredded coconut red chili curry sauce — is a delicious introduction to the deep flavors of South Indian Malabar cuisine. Serve it with naan or flatbread and some dal for a veggie-packed meal that’s also packed with flavor!

Some veggies can be difficult to like when made simply. Eggplant is one of those. This Malabar eggplant is packed with flavor and texture and is very versatile. You can bake the eggplant or pan fry it. And you can even use other veggies instead, like cauliflower.

South Indian Malabar cuisine is a mix of multiple regional cuisines in Southern India. It’s heavily influenced by coastal and Kerala cuisine along with the many other nearby areas, because of the region being a major trade route. Kerala was considered “the spice garden of the ancient world,” because it produced flavorful spices like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, and pepper.

Trade, migration, and invasion brought influences from Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Malaysian, and other cuisines to Malabar region(north kerala region).

If you want to explore Malabar cuisine further, also check out my Malabar veggie curry

But back to this eggplant.

The other day I had lots of eggplant on hand, so I decided to make a Malabar-style eggplant , the sauce of which is inspired from crisp and spiced Malabar Chikin recipes. Usually I use cauliflower in this recipe, but you can basically use whichever vegetable you have handy. All of the flavor is in the batter, and that batter is super delicious. After battering and baking or frying the veggies, you toss them in this easy sauce and serve with some tofu curry or dal. You can also replace half the eggplant with tofu to ale this into a meal!

The sauce for Malabar eggplant is on the dry side. If you want to make the dish saucier, you can add in some coconut milk. The sauce can also be rather hot, so adjust as needed based on your heat preference.

🍆 Why You’ll Love Malabar Eggplant

• melt-in-your-mouth eggplant coated in a flavorful, crispy-crunchy batter
• incredibly shredded coconut curry sauce with option to make it even saucier!
• versatile! Make it with eggplant or cauliflower or protein like tofu or seitan or soycurls and adjust flavors and textures to taste.
• naturally gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Malabar Eggplant (Crispy Eggplant with Spiced Coconut sauce. gluten-free)

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Chickpea salads are such a versatile dish. Whether you’re craving a salad with spiced chickpeas, or mashed chickpea salad sandwich or a dinner salad starring whole chickpeas and amazing dressings, I’ve got lots of satisfying options for you to try.

Chickpeas are such a versatile, plant-based protein! You can use them to make soups, stews, curries, etc. And you can smash them into salads or use whole chickpeas in your green salads. Today, we’re talking about chickpea salads – smashed and otherwise. They make a great, quick summer lunch, so let’s celebrate them!

A simple chickpea salad sandwich can be seasoned like vegan chicken salad, of course, but you can also use so many fun additions to mix up the flavor profile!

And when it comes to whole chickpea salads, the sky’s the limit! You can mix up additions and salad dressing flavors to create so many delicious combinations. I have tons of flavor-packed options for you to try. Also check out my summer salads with other proteins and veggies!

Whole Chickpea Salads

Vegan Chickpea Dill Salad

5 from 12 votes

This beautiful Chickpea Dill Salad takes just minutes to put together! It is refreshing and delicious with Greek flavors from the dill dressing. Crumbled up tofu soaks up the dressing to sub as vegan feta! Make ahead and serve as is or in pita bread. Glutenfree Nutfree

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Chickpea Mango Zucchini Koshimbir Salad with Curry Leaves

5 from 6 votes

Fresh, flavorful Indian koshimbir inspired salad with crunchy zucchini, sweet mango, crisp peanuts and hearty chickpeas, is flavored Curry leaf scented spiced oil – tadka. It works as a side dish or as a meal on its own with pita or chips for dipping. It’s a satisfying vegan summer salad that’s naturally gluten-free and soy-free!

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Crunchy Salad with firecracker Chickpeas and Peanut sauce

5 from 12 votes

Crunchy Salad with firecracker Chickpeas. Easy chickpeas tossed in firecracker sauce served over salad and Peanut sauce dressing. Vegan Gluten-free Recipe Free of Dairy, egg, soy, gluten, grain, yeast.

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Continue reading: 16 Amazing Chickpea Salads (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free options included)

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A creamy, spicy gochujang chickpea salad sandwich with spicy-sweet gochujang caramelized onions is a Korean-style twist on this lunchtime favorite! It’s hearty, satisfying, and packed with FLAVOR! Options for gluten-free , Nutfree , Soyfree

I love cooking with gochujang, like in my gochujang bowl, peanut gochujang rice, gochujang cauliflower wings, gochujang lentils, and gochujang tofu sandwich. This gochujang chickpea salad is my most recent gochujang recipe.

I’ve got a bunch of chickpea salad sandwiches on the blog, because there isn’t just one way to make a chickpea salad sandwich. You can add a lot of different spices, herbs, flavors, sauces, and crunchy additions to make super quick lunches that are unique every single time! In this salad, we have creamy dressing with spicy gochujang, paired with caramelized onions that have been cooked with gochujang! Making them sweeter and spiced and gorgeous. You can use these onions in so many ways, on burgers, wraps, bowls and more.

For this chickpea salad sandwich, we add gochujang into the creamy dressing for the chickpea salad. We also caramelize the onions. Once the onions are halfway cooked, we add some gochujang to them, as well, so you get these sweet-and-spicy, delicious onions to top the chickpea salad sandwich. Serve it in a bread or pita sandwich or in a wrap or lettuce wrap or as a dip with tortilla chips or pita chips!

Why You’ll Love Gochujang Chickpea Salad

• quick, easy make-ahead lunch
• packed with FLAVOR!
• topped with sweet-and-spicy gochujang caramelized onions
• easy to make gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Gochujang Chickpea Salad Sandwich with Gochujang Caramelized Onions

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You have got to try this fresh and crunchy chopped Italian sandwich with zesty red wine vinaigrette! This chopped salad sandwich is a super versatile lunch packed with fresh veggies and herbs.

This recipe is based on the viral chopped Italian salad sandwich, and it’s so satisfying! You chop up veggies, tofu, and chickpeas, then toss it with Italian seasoning, vegan Parmesan, and this super flavorful Italian dressing and stuff it into a sandwich. The tofu in this recipe gives feta vibes, but you don’t have to prepare the vegan feta in advance, because the tofu is going to absorb the flavors of the dressing as you chop and mix, which will give it a tangy, deep flavor.

If you’re making this for one or two people, you can save time by chopping up all of the ingredients together on the cutting board and mixing it up with the dressing right there, too. For larger batches, you are better off chopping one or two ingredients at a time, then mixing in a large bowl. 

Whichever way you make it, it is a really delicious, fresh salad sandwich packed with that delicious Italian dressing made from lots of herbs, red vine vinegar, lemon, black pepper, garlic and olive oil. The dressing pairs really well with the crunchy lettuce, cucumber, red pepper, onion, and tomatoes. If you don’t have all of those veggies, you can use whichever ones you have on hand. It’s a super flexible recipe. You can adjust the dressing to your preference, too!

Why You’ll Love a Chopped Italian Sandwich

• easy and versatile 15-minute lunch
• High protein with chickpeas and tofu and delicious
• crunchy veggies in creamy Italian dressing
• no mayo needed, if you prefer! The dressing gets its creaminess from vegan yogurt.
• one-bowl recipe
• Nut-free, gluten-free option , easy soy-free option

Continue reading: Chopped Italian Sandwich (gluten-free, nut-free with soy-free option)

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Make the most of strawberry season with this amazing strawberry mousse cake! It is jam packed with sweet-tart strawberries with a thick layer of rich strawberry mousse and strawberry compote on top.

If you need a show-stopping dessert, this strawberry mousse cake is here for you, especially if you don’t like everything chocolate. This is a very vibrant and summery cake with berries added in 3 ways!! Fresh strawberries, strawberry compote, and a velvety strawberry mousse. Make my simple vanilla cake. Make some quick compote on a skillet. Blend up the mousse right in the blender! Layer, refrigerate, and slice!

The base is a thin layer of cake that you top with this really thick strawberry mousse layer and fresh strawberries and then you top the whole thing with this incredible strawberry compote. It just is mind-blowingly delicious. 

You can make the cake using whatever pan you have. I used a six-inch cake pan and also used a cake collar. You can just use your tall six-inch pan and pour the mousse in, if you don’t have a cake collar. You can also use a regular-sized eight-inch cake pan, and it will fill up the mousse to the top. It’ll be a thinner layer of the mousse, but it’ll still be plenty of strawberry mousse on top, because the cake layer will be thinner as well.

If you do use a regular pan instead of the cake collar, just make sure to line it with parchment before you pour in the mousse, so that it’s easy to take everything out. This cake is summery, refreshing, kind of like an ice cream mousse cake and decadent. Let me know if you try this and don’t forget to review the recipe!

Why You’ll Love Strawberry Mousse Cake

• gorgeous cake with so much strawberry flavor!
• creamy strawberry mousse made in the blender, no cooking needed
• sticky-sweet strawberry compote topping
• easy to make soy-free, nut-free, and gluten-free

Continue reading: Strawberry Mousse Cake (vegan, gluten-free option)

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Lemon Garlic butter beans with bright, lemony flavors are a super quick, 1-pan, 30 minute creamy refreshing recipe. Serve with pasta, or crusty bread or rice for an easy meal.

The garlicky lemon sauce is based on my lemon pasta with plenty of garlic and lemon and simple ingredients. Instead of pasta, you toss in butter beans for a hearty, simple main dish.

This is a vibrant, springy, delicious sauce with amazing flavor and it is pretty flexible. You can change up the flavor by changing up the herbs in the sauce, so feel free to use what you have and what’s seasonal where you are. 

You can also use other beans, like great northern beans, cannellini beans, or chickpeas. This sauce is also great tossed with baked or pan-fried tofu. And, of course, you can use this garlic lemon sauce on cooked pasta if you want, too!

Why You’ll Love Lemon Garlic Butter Beans

• 30-minute, 1-pan meal
• tender butter beans in a creamy, lemon garlic sauce with lots of amazing herb flavors
• simple dinner paired with crusty bread for dipping or served over pasta
• gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Lemon Garlic Butter Beans (gluten-free, soy-free, nut-free)

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Vegan Caprese-inspired stacks are like warm, cozy version of a vegan tofu Caprese. Instead of serving it cold, you bake these tofu tomato towers in the oven with a cheesy garlic basil breadcrumb topping. They are absolutely delicious!

This comforting dish features seasoned tofu topped with juicy fresh tomatoes and a garlic-cheese-breadcrumb topping. It’s the best way to use really good tomatoes, like heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes, which are super juicy and delicious. This is a great summer dish, and it works really well for the holidays, too!

Just slice up your tomatoes, then use a cookie cutter to cut the tofu into similar-sized rounds, as well, for a good presentation.

If you don’t want to cut the tofu into rounds, you can just slice it up and arrange the tomatoes on top of the tofu rectangles in the baking pan. Do as you like, and then make this delicious herb-garlic-breadcrumb-cheese mixture that you put on top along with a little bit of olive oil to help crisp everything up.

Then bake it. It’s as simple as that! 

This vegan Caprese salad-inspired casserole bakes into this very delicious dish that you will remember for a long long time. It is a great side dish, or you can make it a meal by serving it with some creamy pasta or some sourdough or bakery bread.

Why You’ll Love Vegan Caprese Casserole

• easy, 1-pan meal with amazing flavors and textures
• great way to use good, juicy tomatoes
• crunchy garlic breadcrumb topping is just so addictive!
• gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free options

More Cheesy Vegan Recipes

• vegan liquid mozzarella
• Vegan Pizza Bowl
• Spinach and Mozzarella Cheese Melts
• Jalapeno Skillet Mac and Cheese
• Melty Cashew Mozzarella Sticks

Continue reading: Baked Vegan Tofu Caprese Stacks

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If you love stuffed peppers, you are going to love this unstuffed pepper casserole! It has all the amazing flavors and textures of stuffed bell peppers without needing to fuss with stuffing each pepper and needing a knife when you eat it. Options for gluten-free Soyfree Nutfree

Unstuffed pepper casserole with rice is super easy, two-step casserole where everything bakes up in the casserole dish, so you don’t have to stand around to sautéing ingredients on the stovetop. Most of the active cooking time is just chopping up the ingredients and then quickly mixing them together in the pan. 

Even the rice cooks in the oven rather than on the stovetop!

I use veggie grounds in the dish, but you can also use lentils, chopped soy curls, or other vegan meat substitutes instead, if you prefer.

A crunchy breadcrumb and cheese mixture tops off this unstuffed pepper casserole, but if you want to make it gluten-free, you can omit the breadcrumbs and just use cheese. 

We bake the aromatics and peppers first then add everything else to the pan to bake! It’s a versatile casserole. Change up the herbs and flavors to preference. Add some chickpeas to the mix. Use a mix of rice and quinoa!

Why You’ll Love Unstuffed Pepper Casserole

• all of the flavors of stuffed peppers with less work
• No need to stuff individual peppers, no need to make the filling separately! Just add to 1 Pan
• veggie-packed casserole that cooks all in one baking dish
• crunchy, cheesy topping!
• easily made gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free

Continue reading: Unstuffed Pepper Casserole (Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers!)

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