Dinner is not just about having food or filling your tummy. It’s a refreshing activity that takes away the day’s stress from your body and mind. It’s also the time when the family gets together around a table to share their joys and sorrows, thereby creating a strong bond between the members. Therefore, the food that you have for dinner should excite your soul and not just your taste buds.
Being vegan can pose a challenge to your family because of the limited recipes commonly available unless you have a passion for cooking and is aware of the marvellous world of a vegan diet. However, with the right guidance, your vegan dinner can be a relishing experience with fulfilling starters, nourishing main courses, and delicious vegan desserts.
Essentials Needed for a Vegan Dinner
Let us start with listing out the essential ingredients needed to prepare a vegan diet, which will help you in planning a nutritious and delicious vegan dinner at home.
Leafy Vegetables – This includes items like kale, spinach, cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, and collard greens which are rich sources of vitamins and minerals. They also offer an abundance of antioxidants.
Starchy Vegetables – Although in limited quantities, starchy vegetables are necessary for a vegan diet due to their immense nutritional value. These are potatoes, pumpkin, chickpeas, corn, sweet potatoes, taro, yams, and beetroot.
Non-Starchy Vegetables – These items offer a healthy choice for those aspiring to a vegan diet and are good for people suffering from diabetes and various other health problems. The list includes asparagus, baby corn, beans, carrots, cucumber, turnip, eggplant, mushroom, okra, onions, radish, zucchini, tomato, and more.
Fruits – These form an unavoidable part of a vegan diet and can make your vegan dinner enjoyable. Fruits can be consumed as such or by converting into juices or salads. They energize your body and mind instantly and provide a wide variety of nutrients. While sweet fruits like apples, bananas, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, avocado, jackfruit, kiwi, and mangoes can be consumed by everyone, sour or citrus fruits like oranges, grapes, cherry, strawberry, blueberry, plum, and lemon are preferable for people with diabetes.
Legumes – Being a rich source of edible protein, legumes have a significant role in the vegan diet as they are the best substitute for animal protein that forms a part of the non-veg diet. Food products like lentils, soybean, black beans, kidney beans, cashew nuts, peanuts, almonds, pistachio, green peas, split peas, and more come under this category.
Grains and Cereals – These are a wonderful source of carbohydrates and offer many essential vitamins and minerals. Including grains like oat, corn, rice, and millet in your daily food can keep you fit and energetic.
Vegan Starters
Appetizers are the perfect way to start your meal. This helps to relax your mind and prepares your body to digest the heavy diet that is to follow. Here are a few amazing starters that can make your vegan dinner a unique experience for your family and other guests.
- Kale Farro Salad – Added with Almonds and Pomegranate Seeds, this serves for a delightful dinner.
- Roasted bell peppers – Make your vegan dinner a bit spicy with this delicious starter.
- Steamed artichokes – Give a perfect start to your dinner and surprise your guests.
- Creamy vegan broccoli soup – A simple and healthy soup that can become your family’s instant favorite.
- Hummus – Serve it with your favorite bread and vegetables and have a mouth-watering dip.
- Loaded Avocado Quesadillas – A yummy appetizer that can be served fresh on the dinner table in minimum time.
- Stuffed Mushrooms – Stuff healthy mushrooms with walnuts, spinach, and other fillings to make them even more delicious.
- Bruschetta – A tasty and simple starter that is a favorite of a vegan diet.
- Lemony Chickpea Quinoa Salad – A nutritious recipe that is a treat for your tummy.
Vegan Main Course
With an enhanced appetite you enter the main course, which is the chief component of your meal. This should be even better than your starters and satisfy your craving and hunger. Here are some interesting main course dishes that can be a great choice for your vegan family dinner.
- Mexican rice – One of the simplest gluten-free, vegan dishes you can prepare at home.
- Veggie fried rice – A very popular and favorite dish among vegans of all age groups.
- Mushroom oats – Rich in nutritional value, this savory dish will make your dinner enjoyable.
- Roasted pears – A sweet and salty dish that can complement rice and other main courses.
- Butternut Squash Curry – A delicious combo for rice and other bread with plenty of nutrients.
- Spring Panzanella – A bright green salad with toasted bread that fills your tummy for a healthy dinner.
- Creamy curried courgette noodles – An amazing delicacy to quench your children’s food cravings.
- Caponata Alla siciliana – A spicy stew made using eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, celery, and olives.
- Christmas rice – A combination of rice, beans, and nuts, this healthy dish will melt your heart.
- Butternut squash risotto – This gentle dish will make your children love their dinner.
Vegan Desserts
Dinner is not complete without the right desserts that can transform a simple meal into a memorable experience. Here are a few exciting vegan desserts that are gluten-free and can supplement your vegan dinner.
- Banana bread – With the right touch of sweetness, this incredible dessert will make your dessert.
- Pie cake – A delicious combination of dark chocolate and peanut butter gives a final addition to your dinner.
- Chocolate donuts – Give a yummy feel to your dinner with chocolate donuts dipped in dark chocolate with colored sprinkles.
- Peanut butter brownie – A delicious combination of dark chocolate and peanut butter gives a finishing touch to your dinner.
- Oatmeal sandwich cookie – Get that divine feel with a wonderful chai spice masala crème filling sandwiched between two oatmeal cookies.
- Confetti cream cake – Filled with cream custard and frosted with light and fluffy vanilla bean frosting, this dessert will melt your heart.
- White buttermilk donut – Vegan buttermilk donuts with a hint of nutmeg, white chocolate coating, and naturally colored sprinkles.
- Fudge brownie – Let happiness fill your dinner time with this exciting dessert made from chocolate.
- Pumpkin pie – A creamy and dense custard pie with a flaky pie crust will make your dinner delightful.
Best Gluten-Free and Vegan Desserts Online
If you are not a lover of cooking, it may be time-consuming and hectic to prepare all the dishes needed to make your vegan dinner wholesome. Karma Baker understands your needs and offers exciting vegan desserts suitable for your family for all events, seasons, and festivals. We believe in ‘karma’ and want to provide you with healthy food free from bad karma. Our top specialties include gluten-free and vegan pie, vegan and gluten-free Tarts, the sampler karma box, and more. The vegan banana bread by Karma Baker is an all-time favorite of vegans and food lovers. As we offer dairy-free products, we use only vegan butter for our cooking. If you are particular about making your life sweet with good karma, contact us to order your favorite vegan desserts online.