This comforting combination—chewy soy curls, cheesy grits, and spinach, all slathered with barbecue sauce—tastes great and delivers legumes, grains, and greens, the healthy plant-based trifecta. Cook the soy curls in the air fryer or oven—your choice. With instant grits and an air fryer, dinner will be done in under 30 minutes!
Read MoreStuffed dates are a great substitute for an unhealthy treat at the end of a meal or in the middle of the afternoon when your energy is flagging. The possibilities are endless. See this post for 9 fun plant-based combinations plus a list of two dozen toppings for a make-your-own creation.
Read MoreThis plant-based, vegan recipe for chili bean dip results in an irresistibly creamy dip that you’ll be tempted to use not just with tortilla chips, but also on top of cooked vegetables, grains, and for nachos and burritos. It comes together in less than 30 minutes, including the soaking time for cashews. It’s a must-try.
Read MoreSince everyone likes different combinations and has different ingredients on hand, I created a template for chopped salads that last for days — just the proportions for the salad, a list of possible ingredients in each category, and links to recipes for delicious plant-based salad dressings.
Read MoreThis plant-based, oil-free puree is great as a side dish, but has so many other possible uses: on baked potatoes, crackers, bread, pasta, or pizza, or as part of a bowl or quesadilla, or snuggled next to stewed tomatoes, mashed potatoes, or rice pilaf. During the early summer when I get a lot of greens in my farm share, this is my go-to recipe. I used to make it with collard greens only, but I’ve found more recently that it works with any combination of dark leafy greens.
Read MoreRecipe for a light, smooth, creamy frozen treat without sugar or cream—gluten-free, oil-free, sugar-free. Other nice-cream variations are provided as well.
Read MoreThe Waldorf salad was created for the first time over 125 years ago, but its appeal endures. In this version, fresh cherries add welcome contrasts in texture and taste to the apple, celery, and raisins. Additional variation ideas are provided.
Read MoreThis versatile sauce has a healthy edge over most recipes for mango chutney: it contains no refined sugar. It gets its sweetness from orange juice, raisins, dates, and a little maple syrup. A bit of balsamic vinegar gives it a hint of smokiness, too. Delicious on Indian appetizers, curries, breads, rice, and vegetables.
Read MoreIf you don’t like hard, chewy vegan scrambled tofu, this is your recipe. Aquafaba (chickpea brine) is the secret. It lends frothiness and body to these plant-based “eggs” without causing them to burn or brown in the pan, and it’s also very low in fat. This recipe is inexpensive–especially compared to commercial egg substitutes–provides about 20 grams of protein per serving, and it’s quick to make. Can be made into a veggie scramble and tastes great on toast.
Read MoreThis simple recipe for za’atar, a Middle-Eastern spice mix, makes a seasoning that will enhance the taste of so many plant-based foods. It’s a great topping for plain cooked vegetables if you’re trying to eat lots of low-calorie vegetables. Just sprinkle it on before or after roasting, or after steaming. The mix goes well on salads, sandwiches, and avocado toast. The mix goes well on salads, sandwiches, and avocado toast. See post for suggestions.
Read MoreThis delicious plant-based sauce is a core ingredient for healthy vegan tacos, tostadas, nachos, and burritos at our house. No one misses grated cheddar cheese any more. The cashews and carrot give this sauce creaminess and heartiness. Goodbye, gummy vegan cheese sauces — hello, heavenly, creamy, drizzly Nacho Cheese Sauce.
Read MoreThis plant-based mac ‘n’ cheese sauce uses cashews and carrots, which prevents the sauce from getting gummy and provides a richness and heartiness that many vegan cheese sauces lack. Very low in cholesterol and saturated fat, and free of processed ingredients, this sauce is a double feel-good comfort food. See suggestions for how to use this sauce beyond cooked macaroni.
Read MoreThese delicious oil-free crumbles are high in plant-based protein, use whole-food ingredients, and taste great. The nuts provide a wonderful contrasting texture and flavor to the tempeh, creating the complexity needed for the base of tacos, tostadas, nachos, or burritos. I provide a number of suggestions for using these crumbles in various dishes.
Read MoreWith smoothness from tahini or almond butter, sweetness from maple syrup, and “bite” from balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard, this dressing tastes as good as the tastiest creamy balsamic dressings out there and has a lot fewer calories and grams of fat (per two Tablespoons, this no-oil vinaigrette has 35 calories and 2 grams of fat; Kraft balsamic dressing has 90 calories and 8 grams of fat in two Tablespoons).
Read MoreThis slaw tastes a bit like cold sesame noodle appetizers with its peanut sauce dressing. The gorgeous colors of the vegetables make this as attractive as it is delicious.
Read MoreI adapted this recipe from from the New York Times replacing the oil with a combination of tahini and water (saving almost 400 calories) and regular parmesan with vegan parmesan. The freshness of the lemon, the grassiness of the herbs, and the abundant asparagus pieces shout “It’s spring!” This is a perfect brunch dish as well as dinner entree, because it tastes great at room temperature or hot.
Read MoreThis no-oil dressing would go really well on a Middle Eastern-style fattoush salad or just about any salad you can think of. The combination of pomegranate molasses and cumin, along with other flavors, packs a punch that can stand up to a variety of greens, grains, and vegetables. Without oil, you save calories and fat, and the flavors of the molasses and spices are, if anything, bigger and bolder as a result.
Read MoreThis vegan universal stir-fry sauce, made without oil, goes with so many different vegetable and tofu/tempeh combinations. You can play with flavors using this as a base — you can add sesame flavors, peanuts, chilis, more garlic, etc. Have a jar of this in your fridge, and you’ll be able to whip up a stir-fry in no time!
Read MoreThese simple salads are great ways to use up the cucumbers from your garden. With four variations, you can mix and match your salads with a variety of meals. These recipes go well with seedless cucumbers as well and take almost no time to make.
Read MoreTry these easy tacos for an impressive dinner for family or guests. The classic combination of black beans and corn is a crowd-pleaser. This combination is especially great when you can get fresh sweet corn for the salsa, but even frozen corn works well. The bean mixture freezes well.
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