I’ve been eating vegan for almost two years, now. I wish I had the magic answer every time someone asks me how I do it. I seriously love food and try to enjoy it every bit as much as possible. That’s why I like to tell people who are curious that I do tons of baking and probably eat more cookies than the average human. I have a huge sweet tooth.

I am sharing some mostly not-sweet-tooth recipes, though, because there’s a huge variety of things you can cook that are vegan. Here are some of my favorites, and here are some I have previously written about.

#1 – Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese w/Broccoli and Maple Bacon Tempeh

I may be slightly biased, because we made this last night, but it is going down as one of my favorite recipes ever. We combined a couple easy recipes to make this, including vegan mac and cheese and maple bacon tempeh.

We’ve also made the mac and cheese by itself and it is incredibly delicious. It’s my favorite vegan mac and cheese recipe, so far.

#2 – Veggie Chili and Baked Sweet Potato Fries

The weather’s been cooling down quickly. Today, we’ve got a high of only 28 and I’ve definitely been craving warm, hearty foods. The bonus is that the recipe made a big batch and I still have some stashed in the freezer to eat later. I also added some veggie sausage crumbled up to make it a little meatier.

#3 – Easy Pizza with Vegan Parmesan Cheese

I have mentioned this pizza before, but I will point it out again, because it is my go-to pizza recipe and easy to make. We use it all the time! The Italian pizza dough at Trader Joe’s is delicious, and you can add any toppings you like. I usually go for green and red peppers and black olives, with vegan parmesan cheese.

#4 – Maple Baked Beans and Cornbread Casserole

In the vein of warm and hearty foods, this one will definitely fill you up. It’s sweet and savory and wonderful for a cold night. I’m a huge fan of cornbread and bbq, so it fills all my warm and toasty needs.

#5 – Avocado Pasta and Garlic Bread

A combination that you would not expect but goes fantastic together is avocado and pasta. It combines olive oil, basil, avocado, and garlic, and is delicious. We also grab half-baked bread from Trader Joe’s to make garlic bread.

#6 – Flourless Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars

This is easy to make and uses chickpeas instead of flour! You would never believe that chickpeas could make great cookie bars. I took these to Thanksgiving, and no one could tell that they had chickpeas. They’re super dangerous, because I could eat the whole dish.

Have you tried any new recipes you’ve enjoyed, lately?

It is no secret that I am a vegan superhero. I am lying about one part of that. Unless veganism is a superpower.

I have only been so since March (I decided to go 100% vegan almost at the same time we got married), so I am not quite learned in the ways of the long-time veggie folk yet. Maybe I can go into why I became vegan one day, but I don’t want to be that ranty person. I don’t mind when people ask me about it. I try to answer as honestly as possible at family gatherings and when friends are very confused about what’s the matter with me. The answer: plenty of things, but my food choices are doing okay.

Luckily, my husband is willing to try lots of kitchen experiments. I don’t know what I would do if he wasn’t accepting, since he is still an omnivore. A few of our experiments have gone terribly awry, but we have had lots of tasty, tasty success.

I thought I would share a few of my favorites. You do not have to be vegan to enjoy any of them – I think they are quite delicious, whether you eat just veggies or otherwise. Vegetarianism is my preferred route, of course, but the choice is always up to you. Do what you want.

1. General Tso’s Tofu

This is probably my favorite tofu recipe, and definitely in my top favorite vegan recipes. If you are not familiar with the taste of tofu, it’s a good starting place. It was the first recipe I made with tofu, and the texture felt weird at first, but the more I ate it, the more I craved it.

The General Tso sauce in this recipe is so good, sometimes I just make it and douse fried rice and veggies with it. Recipe found here.

2. Simple Vegan Pizza

If you are not vegan, you could always top this with regular parmesan cheese if you’re not ready for the vegan cheese experience. This homemade cheese tastes a lot better to me than the store-bought vegan cheeses. I loved it just how it was, and it’s super easy to make. Recipe found here.

3. 10-Spice Vegetable Soup

It’s basically been cold everywhere, lately, so unless you are living in a nice tropical country (I know some of you are!!), you may be covered in blankets and drinking and eating lots of warm things. I was craving something to warm my stomach, so I made this 10-spice soup.

The flavor was spot on. I made mine with sweet potatoes, and I think next time I would try regular potatoes to make it a little more hearty. It pairs really nice with a chunk of bread and butter / oregano. It also made a TON of soup, so I have lots of leftovers that I froze and have been taking to work. Recipe found here.

4. Crispy Breaded Tofu and Fluffy White Dinner Rolls

When in doubt, make chicken nuggets. At least, these taste like a yummy version of chicken nuggets to me. I also don’t make dinner rolls often, because I have a problem with freshly made bread. I want to eat them all. I love the smell, I love the soft doughy center, I love everything. Bread recipe here and breaded tofu recipe here.

5. Veggie Burrito with Guacamole