Let’s talk about some simple pleasures… foods that don’t require any special ingredients or equipment for preparation yet they are amazingly tasty, satisfying, and popular.

I write a lot about delicious exotic vegan foods because I love to see new vegan food products out on the market!  And while it’s fun to walk on the wild side of the vegan food world, I want to offer a quick reminder about all the super yummy vegan foods that are simple and widely available.

Here’s my list of “simple pleasures” foods which are easy to make, easy to find in a restaurant, and easy to buy.

• Fresh guacamole
• Vegan dark chocolate and organic strawberries (or substitute your favorite fruit)
• Fresh fruit sorbet
• Sweet cherry/ grape/ sungold summer tomatoes from the farmers market (so sweet they’re like eating candy!!)
• Fresh peach smoothies with almond milk, coconut milk, or your favorite plant milk
• Sparkling water with freshly smashed mint 
•  Watermelon salad with fresh basil
• Grilled veggies with olive oil and fresh rosemary

For anyone who is new to a vegan diet, I made this list to illustrate a key point: as we follow a diet filled with whole, plant-based foods, the question of “what can I eat on a vegan diet” becomes less overwhelming.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are naturally flavor filled and scrumptious, packed with vitamins and phytonutrients, and… they’re all vegan!

Summer is a time to enjoy the simple pleasures in life… to slow down, to savor the sweetness of a cherry, the zing of fresh mint on my tongue.  Yum!  What a joy it can be to eat fresh and simple foods.  It is these simple pleasures that make it so easy for me to eat purely vegan.

This summer let’s take the time to explore and relish the season’s abundance and bounty!   Let’s enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

Rebecca Gilbert is the founder of Yummy Plants and the author of It’s Easy to Start Eating Vegan.