The Fundamentals

Essential ingredients for a plant-based diet:

Grains: brown rice, barley, quinoa, TVP, rolled oats, Bulgar  whole grain breads, wheat berries, cous cous, and whole grain noodles
Beans and legumes  chickpeas (garbanzo beans), black beans, lentils, and kidney beans
Bean products: tofu, hummus, tempeh, and seitan
Vegetables: leafy greens (romaine lettuce, spinach, chard), onions, yams, cabbage, squash, carrots, parsnips, cucumbers, peppers, asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mushrooms and the list goes on
Fruit: blueberries, raspberries, bananas, apples, oranges, grapefruit, grapes, and anything else
Seasonings: sea salt, soy sauce (low sodium), basil, dill, cumin, coriander, cayenne pepper, turmeric  minced onion, sage, cilantro, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg and any other organic seasonings
Oils: Olive, safflower, flax seed, white truffle, and sesame seed
Snack foods: fruit, raisins raisins, trail mix, peanut butter, rice cakes, whole wheat tortillas, organic salsa, nuts, and organic granola
Misc: earth balance butter, flax seeds, almond milk, protein powder (I prefer pea protein by Nutra Summa. This is not required, but if you are a athlete and are looking for a quick digestible protein, this is a great start)

Now creating a meal:

For starters, always pick a whole grain, add a protein such as beans, tofu or lentils, and add lots of vegetables. If you are hungry for desert, choose a healthy snack such as fruit in almond milk. A balanced meal should consist of 1/4 grains, 1/4 protein, 1/2 vegetables. You can add flavor to your meal with different seasonings.

An example of a healthy desert I had for a late night snack.

1/3 cup blueberries 

1 strawberry

6 oz unsweetened almond milk

One handful of crushed walnuts

Information from this post has been based on: The Kind Diet, by Alicia Silverstone.