I crumble tofu and soak in a mixture of oil, soy sauce, paprika, onion powder, and some other spices (your choice). Then I air fry it for 20 mins, stirring occasionally. This is a decent “beef” crumble I use for burritos, sauces, or anything that normally uses a beef crumble.

I’m using this to make mock sofritas later this week actually. Easy to make, just onion, green pepper, garlic, a couple tomatoes, adobo sauce, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, maybe a splash of red wine vinegar. Put it in a blender or food processor to make a salsa, and then cook the crumble in the salsa for a few minutes. If you’re using fresh crumble and not what I stated above, cook the crumble first until browned.

Mujadara is easy, just rice, lentils, and onions. I serve with hummus, kalamata olives, and cucumber & tomato salad.

A lot of pasta options. The garden sauce I usually make is easy. Roughly chop up into large pieces: onions, carrots, a green bell pepper, mushrooms (I like bella), a pimento/cherry pepper, and zucchinis. Coat in olive oil, put it on a pan, and roast in the oven for an hour at about 400. Let it cool and throw it into a pot with crushed tomatoes (I like to mix with diced tomatoes so the mixtures isn’t too viscous) and cook for like 10-15 mins. Add whatever seasonings you like (I typically use salt, oregano, basil, thyme and serve with crushed red pepper). If it’s too acidic you can add a little sugar.

A salad I like is sort of a vegan cobb: I use romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion, avocado, roasted chickpeas, fried tofu, and vegan blue cheese. For dressing: olive oil, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, salt, pepper.

Another salad, based on a greek salad: romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, red onion (that’s my base for most salads lol), bell pepper, cucumber, kalamata olives, peperoncini slices. Vegan feta might be good but I haven’t tried it yet. Drizzle olive oil and red wine vinegar on top and maybe add a little oregano. Lemon zest if you want.

My chili recipe is a little more involved. Diced onion, garlic, orange and yellow bell peppers sauted in a slow cooker, then I add diced green chiles and jalepeno then serrano cut into thin discs, and sometimes a hotter pepper if I have access. Habanero is ok but the flavor doesn’t mesh well so I usually just half it and cook with it for the heat then fish it out at the end. Anyway, after sauteing the veggies for a few mins, I add a can of tomato paste (a spoonful is fine but I like tomato paste lol) and stir it in. Stir often for a couple mins, it’ll burn a bit on the bottom but that’s okay as the acidic tomato sauce will lift up most of it and you can scrape the rest. Then I add beans (black and pinto, kidney if you don’t plan to use TVP mock beef) and tomato sauce and a large can of diced tomatoes (if you want to dice fresh tomatoes, make sure to water with it). Then it’s spice time! Plenty of chili powder (homemade, tastes way better than store bought), cumin, a little bit of soy sauce for umami. A little cocoa powder and a splash of coffee for extra earthiness. Oh and don’t forget salt. Start modest and taste your chili partway through the cook; you’ll probably have to add more spices, esp salt since the beans soak up so much. I cook it overnight (usually 10-12 hours) in the slow cooker. About 20 mins before I’m ready to serve, I cook TVP mock beef in the chili because I like the texture but that’s def optional. Serve with bread/crackers, vegan sour cream, and/or cilantro. It’s a lot of work but it feeds me an entire week.

Not a balanced meal on its own but air frying potatoes is pretty amazing. I usually cube a couple, coat in oil, and add salt, granulated onion, granulated garlic, chili powder, cumin, potato (or corn) starch and stir it up. Cook at 400 for about 20-25 mins depending on how much potato I’m cooking. The starch makes it crunchy but the inside is still soft and fluffy, it’s really good! I mix in ketchup, mustard, sriracha, and sweet relish as a coating, semi-based on thousand islands dressing.