1. Avocado
- Use it to top salads
- Great for making nutritious desserts
- Adds a creamy texture to your smoothies
Avocados are full of Omega 3 fatty acids. They will make you feel full and satiated, while steadying your sugar level. (Source: Medical News Today – More on avocados)
2. Coconut (All Forms of Coconut)
- Coconut milk is delicious for coffee and desserts and can easily replace cow milk
- Coconut oil is great for cooking in place of butter
- Coconut water is perfect in helping to energize during and after strenuous exercise
- Coconut chips are just a delicious snack full of nutrients
3. Apple Cider Vinegar
- Use it in warm drinks to help digestion – Apple Cider Vinegar & Ginger Elixir
- Mix it with baking soda to use as a shampoo
4. Nutritional Yeast
Photo source: The Thrive Market
- Nutritional yeast is amazing at mimicing a nutty cheese flavor (See nachos or mac and cheese)
- Make a dressing out of it (mix nutritional yeast with a vegetable oil and add any flavor you want, such as Tahini) – Buddha Bowls dressing
5. Nut Butter
- Indulge on a tablespoon of peanut, cashew, almond, baruka, sunflower, or any nut butter for a filling snack
- Add a tablespoon in your smoothies for a creamy texture
- Create a quick dessert with nut butter stuffed dates
6. Dates
- Dates are a natural sweetener for smoothies
- Dates are a natural binding agent for energy balls
- Dates combined with fruits can make a delicious butter for your toasts
7. Non-Dairy Milk
- Swap dairy milk with these 6 alternatives
8. Dark Chocolate
- A square of dark chocolate (ideally 75% and more) can make you feel satiated
- Put it in your coffees to make delicious mochas
9. Dry Beans
- Soak them overnight to easily cook them in the morning
- Keep the cooking juice to make Aquafaba (See #20)
10. Chia Seeds
- Replace eggs by putting 3 tablespoons of chia soaked into water
- Adds texture and proteins to a vegan yogurt
- Add to protein balls for texture
11. Tempeh
- Tempeh is a great source of protein
- Replace chicken recipes with tempeh. See: Vegan Butter Chicken recipe
- Cut into rectangles, grill and dip into your favorite dressing. See: Tempeh Tenders
- Complete a buddha bowl with it
12. Flaxseed
- Buy them whole and grind them as you need
13. Olive Oil
- Mix it with Liquid Amino Acids (#14) and Apple Cider Vinegar (#3) for a nutritious salad dressing
- Make an olive oil bread dip
14. Liquid Amino Acids
15. Quinoa
- Create a quinoa oatmeal porridge
- Have a quinoa salad
16. Cruciferous Veggies
- Check out this beginners guide to cruciferous vegetables
- Cruciferous veggies include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, bok choy, brussel sprouts, and more
17. Lemon
- Start the day with lemon water
- Add lemon juice to bean salads
- Make a ginger lemon tea
18. Bananas
- Bananas are great for making smoothies
- Frozen bananas make a really good ‘ice cream’
- Chocolate covered bananas are heavenly
19. Raw Nuts
- Keep raw nuts handy for a quick snack
- Spread raw nuts on salads
- Blend them into a smoothie. See: ‘Cheesecake’ Lemon Smoothie
20. Aquafaba
- Make Aquafaba Meringues
- Check out this Fluffy Vegan Chocolate Mousse made out of Aquafaba by The Lazy Cat Kitchen