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2, 3, 4 Ingredients: Simple Vegan Recipes From a Dedicated PETA Member

For nearly three decades, Dr. Hinda Avery has been part of PETA’s work for animals. A member since 1997 and a dedicated member of both the Vanguard Society and the Augustus Club, she has helped make victories for animals possible.

Today, she’s sharing another way to show compassion for animals, the planet, and our own health: a handful of simple vegan recipes anyone can make.

These recipes use just two, three, or four main ingredients, plus salt, and you can easily doctor them up with your favorite herbs and spices. They are proof that compassionate cooking need not be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming.

Choosing vegan foods helps save animals from the horrors of being raised for food and slaughterhouses. It can also benefit our health and reduce the enormous amounts of land, water, and energy that animal agriculture consumes. Every vegan meal is an opportunity to put compassion into action.

Two-Ingredient Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Soup

Ingredients

  • 1 medium or large sweet potato
  • 1 medium or large cauliflower
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions: Wash the sweet potato, leaving the peel on, and bake at 400°F for about one hour, or until soft. Steam the cauliflower until tender. Cut both vegetables into chunks and place them in a blender with about 1 cup of water and salt to taste. Blend until smooth, adding more or less water to achieve your preferred consistency. 

Three-Ingredient Sugar-Free Chocolate Squares

Ingredients

  • Your favorite nut butter
  • An equal amount of coconut oil
  • Unsweetened cocoa or cacao powder

Instructions: Mix the nut butter and coconut oil in equal parts. Add 1 teaspoonful of cocoa or cacao powder for each mini square you plan to make. Spoon the mixture into an ice cube tray and freeze. Remove the squares once frozen, and store and enjoy them straight from the freezer. 

Three-Ingredient Bean and Buckwheat Patties or Pie

Ingredients

  • 2 cups buckwheat groats, quinoa, or a combination
  • 1 400 mL can of your favorite beans, drained
  • Tahini, as needed
  • Salt, to taste

Instructions: Mix the buckwheat or quinoa with the beans, adding enough tahini to make the mixture hold together. Season with salt. Shape into patties or spread in a parchment-lined pie pan, then bake at 400°F for about 35 minutes.

Four-Ingredient Coconut, Chickpea, and Cabbage Stew

Ingredients

  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 1 medium or large sweet potato
  • 1 head cabbage
  • 1 400 mL can chickpeas, drained
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions: Grate the cabbage and cut the sweet potato into large chunks. Combine all the ingredients in a pot, season, and simmer until the vegetables are soft.

Three-Ingredient Sugar-Free Cookies

Ingredients

  • Your favorite nut butter
  • Coconut oil
  • Almond flour or oat flour

Instructions: Combine the ingredients until a cookie dough forms. If desired, add a little ground flaxseed and water. Roll into small balls, place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and flatten gently with a fork. Bake at 350°F for about 30 minutes. Cool completely, then freeze. Store and eat the cookies frozen, as they may crumble when thawed.

Thank you, Dr. Hinda Avery, for showing how easy it can be to fill our plates with kindness. With dedicated PETA members helping lead the way, we can build a world in which every animal is treated with respect.