Welcome to Day 1 of the Veggie Challenge! No matter your motivation for signing up, we’re happy to guide you through the challenge and help you transition to a veg lifestyle.

This page contains cooking tips and recipes for the first day of your challenge:

• Green Smoothie
• Toasted Sandwich with Hummus
• Pasta with Broccoli
• Veggies and Hummus

Not interested in one of the recipes below? Visit our What to Eat page for more breakfast, lunch, salad and dinner ideas.

Daily Cooking and Nutrition Tips

Protein 101: where to get plant-powered protein:

• Did you know it’s easy to get enough protein on a veg diet? Plant-based foods high in protein include quinoa, tofu, tempeh, chickpeas, beans, nuts, seeds, and soy milk
• Many vegetables are also high in protein such as broccoli, kale, asparagus, spinach and snowpeas

Get creative with pasta! Here are our top pasta tips:

• Cook up your favourite noodles, then add a sauce such as tomato, pesto, mushroom, or herbs and olive oil
• For a heartier meal add in some diced tofu, chickpeas, lentils or nuts
• Pasta is best cooked until al dente (tender but firm). Taste it to tell, then add cold water or drain right away to stop the cooking process
• Rice pasta is a great gluten-free option

Learn the basics of plant-based sandwiches:

• Sandwiches are some of the fastest meals to make, especially when eating alone. Start with your favourite bread, tortilla, rice cracker, wrap or gluten-free bread
• Try mashed avocado, hummus, vegan mayo, nut butter or tahini for the sauce
• Add lots of fresh veggies such as cucumber, lettuce, kale, sprouts, avocado, or tomato
• For a more substantial sandwich, try veggie ‘meat’ slices, veggie burgers, falafel, or cooked tofu or tempeh
• Top it off with your favourite condiment such as dijon mustard, sauerkraut, or salsa

Day 1 Recipes:

Green Smoothie with Fruit

Green smoothies don’t have to taste like grass! Get your greens without sacrificing the taste.

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups water, divided
• 2-3 pieces of fruit (e.g. 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 apple, or if you want a more uniform flavour, use the same fruit such as 2-3 oranges)
• 6-8 leaves of romaine or other lettuce, or two handfuls of baby spinach
• Sprouts such as sunflower, alfalfa, pea shoots, etc. (optional)
• ½ to 1 scoop of Vega (optional)

Instructions:

1. Put 1 cup of water in blender.
2. Add fruit, Vega if using, and greens. Blend until smooth.
3. Pour into a glass or stainless steel bottle, swish out blender with remaining cup of water and pour in with the smoothie.
4. Mix well and enjoy. Makes 1 litre.

For more breakfast ideas, visit our recipes page.

Toasted Sandwich with Hummus

Makes 2 sandwiches | <10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 slices whole grain bread or 2 buns, toasted
• 1/2 (4oz/115g) package of hummus
• 6 black olives, pitted (or buy olive-flavoured hummus)
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1/4 cucumber, sliced
• 2 leaves of lettuce, or other greens
• Pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Assemble each sandwich by applying a layer of hummus, 3 olives, 2 slices of tomato, 2 slices of cucumber, and 1 folded lettuce leaf.
2. Add pepper to taste.

For more lunch ideas, visit our recipes page.

Pasta with Broccoli and Pine Nuts

A tomato pasta featuring whole-grain noodles, broccoli, garlic and pine nuts. It takes less than 30 minutes to make!

Serves 4 | 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb (450g) your choice of whole-grain pasta
• 2 heads broccoli (1 lb)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• ⅓ cup pine nuts
• A big pinch of chili powder
• 1 (28 oz/796ml) can tomatoes, chopped
• Fresh parsley as garnish

Instructions:

1. Boil water for pasta. Prepare according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, steam or boil broccoli pieces until tender crisp.
3. Sauté garlic in oil in a large frying pan until lightly brown. Add pine nuts, chili powder and tomatoes, and simmer over medium heat for five to ten minutes.
4. Stir in the cooked broccoli and drained pasta. Top with fresh parsley

For more dinner ideas, visit our recipes page.

Snack: Fresh Cut Veggies with Hummus

Hummus is a dip made from mashed chickpeas and often mixed with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and garlic. It can be purchased at your local grocery store, or you can make your own. It’s delicious with fresh cut veggies like carrots or celery.

Preparing for Day 2 of the Veggie Challenge

Visit our Day 2 recipes page to see your next meal plan! You can look forward to delicious and healthy meals such as the Green Goddess Rice Bowl.