What is quick to prepare is usually easy to make as well but this is not the case 100% of the time. Ease of preparation of a dish could also pertain to the availability of its ingredients, tools needed to make it and even the storage and use of leftovers. Case in point are home-made -pancakes from scratch and not from a box. Though it takes minutes to prepare, it can actually be complicated if one is not aware of the steps involved: the importance of the inclusion of a leavening agent, mixing instructions (do not overbeat) and cooking. Do not undercook nor overcook or flip too soon. Same goes for certain styles of egg cookery like soft boiling and poaching. Overcooking yields hard boiled eggs while poaching in a wrong simmering liquid (too cold or without an acidulant) results in a mess.

Fortunately, vegan dishes can both be effortless and quick! Ask most vegans who have progressed on the path from vegetarianism and have eventually taken out eggs and dairy altogether and you’ll surely be inspired. After their initial transition stage of figuring out how to address the sourcing out their nutritional requirements, they can whip up dishes that address the elements of a great meal: practical, quick and easy to prepare and delicious.

Like vegetarian cuisine, animal product- and by product-free foods are best crafted from the simplest of ingredients from nature’s harvest basket and require the least amount of preparation.

Serving food raw is actually the easiest preparation method. Even basic vegan cooking is more convenient and quick than preparing dishes with meat. In fact, what one should be careful about when cooking vegetables is not to overdo it. This diminishes the heat-sensitive nutrients in the dish and also may affect its texture. Nobody wants to eat a limp asparagus stick or a broccoli floret that’s discolored. Though the old fashioned way of cooking cabbage is to boil it until its soft and falling apart, vegans put great importance of serving food in its optimum nutritional content and value. Cabbages are shredded and made into coleslaw or fermented to sauerkraut.

Practical tips for creating dishes in a jiffy include maximising the use of ready-to-use and ready-to-eat vegan components like bread, pre-cut vegetables, pre-washed salad greens, frozen and dried fruit and ready-to-use nut milks. If you have more time and resources, try making them from scratch but be prepared to spend for tools and ingredients.