A huge part of the plant-based vegan diet is beans and leafy greens, which are excellent to learn about before Veganuary. Veganuary is a monthly event where participants go vegan for the month of January. Whether you’re participating or not, this guide is perfect for those who are new to plant-based cooking and making food at home. These are some of the most popular items to fill your pantry this Veganuary and are excellent to have on hand for a quick meal.

Here, we’re focusing on protein and greens. These are powerhouses when it comes to giving you steady energy to get through your day. Adding whole grains to these meals will round them out (think brown rice or pasta, or even naan or homemade rolls). However, remember to listen to your body and feed it what it needs.

If you’re looking for another guide to how to incorporate more whole foods in your diet, this guide goes over ways to do just that!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives! 

This week, we’re bringing delicious, fully vegan, and plant-based ways to build your vegan pantry!

Plant-Based Protein:

Source: Peppered Tofu Steaks

There are so many ways to enjoy vegan proteins and the main ways are with tofu and tempeh. Both are made from soy and pack in lots of protein in one serving. With tofu’s varied textures (from soft to firm tofu), you can create a variety of dishes with tofu. and  With tempeh, you can create tempeh bacon, use it on sandwiches, and even use it

Tofu:

Tofu is a wonderful source of protein and because of its varied texture (from soft to firm tofu), you can create a variety of dishes with tofu such as spring rolls and katsu!  With silken tofu, you can use it in a smoothie or make mousse, and with firm tofu, you can bake it to make it flavorful and crispy!

• Peppered Tofu Steaks by VBQ: The Ultimate Vegan Barbecue Cookbook by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer
• Crispy Tofu and Black Bean Fajitas by Vicky Coates

Tempeh:

Tempeh is perfect to marinate and then sautee up to serve! Like tofu, tempeh is also soy based. You can use tempeh to make bacon, add them in sandwiches, mix them into burgers.

• Pecan-Crusted Tempeh Cutlets by Compassionate Cuisine, Linda Soper-Kolton and Sara Boan
• The Easiest Tempeh Bacon by Cora Matheson

Beans and Lentils:

Source: Easy Black Bean Burger

Beans are a wonderful addition to your Veganuary pantry! You can either buy beans canned or dry, depending on how you want to make your beans. Beans are easy to cook and an excellent choice to start making homemade. Canned beans are perfect for when you’re in a pinch and don’t have beans already prepped. Plus there are so many varieties of beans to explore including white beans (cannellini), kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and many, many more!

Lentils:

Lentils are a great little bean! They’re incredibly versatile and cook up well into lentil dahls and curries. You can also use them to make sloppy joes, and even nuggets!

• Lentil, Rice and Bok Choy Soup by Julie Zimmer
• Crispy Red Lentil Nuggets by Melanie Sorrentino

Black Beans:

You can use black beans in so many recipes and they are a great flavor and protein to add to your meal.  You can mix them into rice, make refried beans or cook them into desserts. The most common recipe where black beans shine is in black bean burgers. You can even make black bean meatballs, as well!

• Cuban Black Beans by Val & Mani Latifi
• Easy Black Bean Burger by Caroline Doucet

Chickpeas:

Chickpeas are wonderful to use as hummus, but you can also roast them or sautee them for a crispy texture. Crispy chickpeas are excellent on top of salads or even added to wraps, but you can also just snack on them once they cool. But, there’s a whole world to explore with chickpeas, including adding them to desserts for a high protein kick and even using their brine to create meringue or mousse.

• Grapefruit Grain Salad with Roasted Chickpeas by Medha Swaminathan
• Pumpkin Chickpea Blondies by Hannah Sunderani

Dark Leafy Greens:

Source: Collard Greens

The best addition to your Veganaury is dark leafy greens. Not only do they offer a multitude of health benefits, but they’re amazing to add for another texture and flavor to the dishes you create. Plus, you can enjoy dark leafy greens cooked or raw! Here are a few dark leafy greens and how to use them in two recipes!

Collard Greens:

Collard greens are a wonderfully hearty green and are wonderful to use to create collard wraps. Or, you can slice it up and sautee it to make a delicious side dish.

• Collard Wraps with a Peanut Ginger Sauce by Robin
• Collard Greens by Brooke Brimm

Lettuce

The best thing to do with lettuce makes a colorful salad. Plus, the more veggies, protein, and dressing you add, the more filling the salad becomes. This winter salad is perfect to start making and adding to your meal routine! If you’re not super into salads, try using lettuce to make lettuce wraps or use it in pitas and sandwiches.

• Cozy Winter Salad with Crispy Tofu and Rice by Caroline Doucet
• Green Goddess Mexican Lettuce Wraps by Kaylee Pauley

Kale:

Kale is another hearty green and is wonderful in both salads and wraps, but also in breads, pasta, and just as a side. Kale is versatile and tastes amazing raw or cooked. If you’re going to eat it raw, remember to massage it so it’s a bit softer; this makes it easier to digest, as well.

• Marinated Kale Salad by Zuzana Fajkusova and Nikki Lefler
• Sweet Potato and Kale Hash by Serena Poon

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based recipe app on the App Store to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
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Lead Image: Lentil, Rice and Bok Choy Soup by Julie Zimmer