High Protein Vegan Recipes

Maintaining an ideal daily protein intake is fundamental in the diet of an athlete, something that's not as easy to do if you're vegan. We believe that this doesn't have to be an obstacle to exercise or to your health, so in this article we suggest some high protein vegan recipes.

When following a vegan diet, it’s vital that we substitute the protein coming from animal products with protein from plants, given that these are essential nutrients for our metabolism and a deficiency of it may cause serious harm to our bodies. Let’s see some ideas for delicious and high protein vegan recipes.

High protein plant-based foods

There are lots of plant-based foods that we can use to make a delicious high protein vegan recipe and thus, keep ourselves healthy. Among the best vegetable sources of protein we find mushrooms, peas, quinoa, cereals and grains, and nuts.

In practice, there’s a bunch of options to ingest protein without having to eat meat. That’s why we recommend that you refer to a nutritionist to make sure you’re following a balanced vegan diet.

High protein vegan recipe: an exquisite Mediterranean salad

Ingredients (for 2 people):

• 5 cups of green leaves (spinach, arugula, basil, etc.) (200g)
• 5 tablespoons of hummus (100g)
• 6 black olives chopped up into big pieces
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes diced (50g)
• 1 red onion finely chopped (30g)
• 1 small cucumber chopped into small pieces (20g)
• The juice of 1 lemon (60ml)
• Salt, pepper and oregano to taste
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (20ml)

Directions:

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a container or bowl.
2. Season it all with salt, pepper, oregano, the lemon juice and olive oil.
3. Serve with hummus on top.

Lentil burgers with tahini sauce

This is a healthy and low-calorie alternative to eating burgers; as this recipe shows, you don’t have to stop yourself from having a delicious meal once in a while, to keep a healthy diet.

Ingredients for the burger (serves five people):

• 1 cup of cooked and drained lentils (200g)
• 1/2 red onion finely chopped (20g)
• 1/2 red bell pepper finely diced (15g)
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 cup of chopped parsley (40g)
• 1/2 cup of bread crumbs (100g)
• Juice of half a lemon (30ml)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Lettuce, tomatoes and red onion to serve with the burgers
• Burger bread

Ingredients for the tahini sauce:

• 1/2 of Middle Eastern sesame paste (80g)
• 1 cup hot water (200ml)
• Juice of 1 lemon (60ml)
• 1 garlic clove finely minced
• Salt to taste

Directions

1. To prepare the tahini sauce, mix all of the ingredients and put it in the fridge to marinate for a while.
2. Meanwhile put the lentils, the onion, some parsley, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a food processor. Blend these ingredients until you have a soft mix.
3. Afterwards, add the bread crumbs to the mix so that it becomes firm and absorbs all of the juices.
4. Divide and shape the final mix into 5 equal patties.
5. In a pan, put the olive oil, some margarine or vegetable oil over a medium heat. Add the burgers and cook them 4 minutes on each side. 
6. While you cook the patties, toast the burger bread in another pan.
7. Assemble the burger by putting the patties inside the bread, along with the lettuce, tomatoes and onion. You might add the tahini sauce inside the burger or serve it on the side.
8. As a side dish you could make baked or fried potatoes, or pumpkin slices cooked on a pan with fine herbs.

Vegan chickpea and bean tacos with guacamole

Ingredients (serves two people):

• 4 taco shells (150g)
• 1/2 cup cooked beans (100g)
• 1/2 cup chickpeas cooked and drained (100g)
• 1 cup of guacamole (150g)
• One finely chopped onion (40g)
• One medium-sized tomato diced in small cubes (40g)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil (20ml)
• Salt and pepper to season
• Tabasco sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Firstly, put the olive oil in a pan to saute the beans, the chickpeas, the onion and the tomato. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Meanwhile, heat up the tortilla shells in the oven or on another pan at a low heat. You may also use the microwave, but the texture will be somewhat chewy.
3. Fill each tortilla with two tablespoons of the vegan filling. It’s not convenient to put too much filling in the tortilla because it will be uncomfortable to eat. Settle for the right amount.
4. Before serving them, put some guacamole on the top and leave the tabasco sauce on the table for the guests to decide how much to put on their tortillas.