If you're curious about how plant-based eating might change the way you feel, here are some simple recipes. It can be overwhelming to try moving towards a more plant-based diet, especially if you work full-time and/or you have a partner and kids who may not be sold on changing the way they eat. My own experience was that I pretty much went whole food plant-based overnight. I was a vegetarian for a week until I realized that I really needed to get dairy out of my system. I have an intolerance for eggs, so I didn't have to make a choice there. For me, I can really feel a difference in the way I feel, depending on what I eat, so it's pretty easy to eat more plants. To this day, I have to balance what I would prefer to eat vs. what my kids would rather eat. The following meals work well for my family because you can easily incorporate animal-based options for your family members, but the recipes can also be made fully plant-based.
White bean pasta
This meal is so delicious. 2 out of 3 of my kids actually cheer when they hear this is what I'm making for dinner. My kids dislike beans in general, but in this recipe, the beans are hidden in the sauce. Our good friend Dan made this dish for us when we vacationed in Maine years ago. I have since changed it up to remove the cheese. You will need:
- 1 lb of pasta (any shape will work fine). I prefer to use the Jovial gluten-free rice pasta (fusilli) and I'll usually cook a separate batch of mezzi rigatoni wheat pasta for my family. We're a family of 5, so I'll usually do a box of the wheat pasta and then another separate serving of the rice pasta for myself.
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp of oil from sun-dried tomatoes
- 4 large cloves of garlic (sliced thinly)
- 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes in oil (cut into small pieces)
- 1 15 oz can of white beans (cannellini beans or small white beans)
- 1/4 tsp of salt
- 1 bunch of lacinato (dino) kale (gutted and thinly sliced). You can also use a bag of baby spinach instead.
- 1/2 cup of nutritional yeast
Boil water for the pasta and in the meantime, add oils to a wok or other piece of cookware that is a little deeper than a frying pan. Cook pasta when the water has boiled (add salt to water).
- Over medium-high heat, fry the sun-dried tomatoes for about a min, add garlic slices in a separate part of the pan and cook for another minute
- add in 1 cup of boiling pasta water and cook until it is reduces to about half the original volume
- add another 1.5 cups of pasta water, salt and add white beans. Cook for a couple more minutes. With a potato masher, mash the beans into the sauce.
- By now, the pasta should almost be finished cooking. Add sliced kale onto the top of the sauce, cover and let steam for 2-3 mins.
- When pasta is finished cooking, drain (reserving 1 cup of liquid) and mix in sauce. Stir in the nooch and remaining liquid as needed if the pasta looks dry. You might not need to add any of the reserved liquid. Best served hot. Optional to have parmesan cheese or vegan parm (Follow Your Heart) for adding to the pasta.
Burrito Bowls
Love these because everyone can makes theirs the way they like it. You can just set out all of the toppings and let them make their own. I like using quinoa as a base, but my kids prefer rice. This is also a great meal to make with your kids because there are plenty of jobs you can give to them. If this looks like too much work, you can easily omit one element (e.g. just make the tofu or just make the beans). You will need:
- 2 cups of rice (uncooked) and/or 1-2 cups of (uncooked quinoa) depending on who wants what. Cook the rice in a rice cooker or on the stove according to the instructions. For the quinoa, I like adding some vegetable stock to the cooking water.
For pan-fried tofu:
- 1 block of extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes
- 1 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil
- soy sauce or tamari
For seasoned beans:
- 1 15 oz. can black beans
- 1 small onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup of water
- 2 tsp of molasses
- 2 tsp of chili powder
- 1 tsp of cumin powder
- 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1/2 tsp of dried oregano
For pico de gallo: (If you are time-pressed, you can also use a jarred salsa instead of making fresh pico.)
- 1 large tomato
- 1 small onion
- 1 large clove of garlic
- chopped cilantro to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
For guacamole:
- 2 ripe avocados
- 2 cloves of garlic
- chopped cilantro to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lime
- 2 cups frozen corn (cover with water and microwave for about 2 mins) or 2 ears fresh corn (cook corn for 10 mins and slice off of the cob)
- 1 head of chopped romaine lettuce
- sour cream or unsweetened coconut yogurt (So Delicious)
- any kind of shredded cheese (sharp cheddar is preferred by my kids) or vegan cheese shreds (Daiya, Violife or Good Planet)
- hot sauce (In our family, we have 3 different types because we have 3 different preferences!)
For the pan-fried tofu, start with a non-stick wok. Add oil and heat to medium-high heat. Place tofu in the pan and let fry for a couple of minutes. Then keep turning and adding soy sauce to taste. Fry until tofu is a browned and a little crispy on the outside.
For the seasoned beans: (credit: Sam Turnbull, "Fuss Free Vegan")
Add oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until it's translucent. Then add crushed garlic and fry for a couple more minutes. Add beans, water, molasses and spices. Cook for 3 mins.
For the pico:
Just chop the tomatoes and onions into small pieces. Use a garlic press to crush in the garlic, season to taste with salt, pepper and cilantro.
For the guacamole:
Scoop out ripe avocado into a bowl. Add crushed garlic and squeeze of lime (one lime wedge). Add a splash of water (this will make the guac creamier) and crush avocado with potato masher. Leave the avocado partially uncrushed for more texture. Mix in salt, pepper and cilantro to taste.
To assemble the bowl, add rice or quinoa to a large bowl and have everyone add on toppings. If you're feeling decadent, have some chips on the side for scooping. Vegan cheese isn't always great cold- I like to add the vegan cheese to the quinoa and then pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds so it can melt and then add all of my other toppings.
Pasta Fagioli
This soup can be made in about 30 minutes and if you let it sit for another 45-60 mins, the pasta will soak up a bunch of flavor from the soup. It's comfort food. Serve with crusty bread. You will need:
- 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium sized onion, diced
- 2 medium sized carrots, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 4 large cloves of garlic
- 1 6 inch stalk of rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 2 15 oz. cans of cannellini beans
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 3 cups of water
- 4 cups of vegetable stock (1 and 1/2 tsp of Better than Bouillon organic vegetable stock in 4 cups of hot water)
- 1 and 1/2 cups of small pastas like ditalini pasta
Heat oil in large stock pot and add all vegetables, rosemary, bay leaves and salt. Fry for about 5 mins. Add crushed garlic and fry for another minute. Add in cannellini beans and fry for another minute. Add crushed tomato and water. Add stock and bring soup to boiling. Add in pasta and stir frequently with a flat-bottomed wooden spoon for 10 mins. Remove from heat, cover soup and let sit for 45 min.
"Meat", Potatoes and Veg
This is a very simple and straight forward meal that we have often when pressed for time. Your "meat" can actually be meat for the carnivores or it can be veggie sausage or sautéed tofu or tempeh for the plant-based eaters. Mix and match with a wide variety of green vegetables and serve with roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes or rice, quinoa or cous cous.
Here are some of the plant-based "meat" options that we like:
- pan-fried tempeh (slice tempeh thinly and sautée with olive oil and soy sauce until crispy on the outside)
- pan-fried tofu (cut tofu into cubes and sautée with olive oil and soy sauce or if you have access to an Asian Market, you can add a bit of the Lee Kum Kee black bean garlic sauce.)
Here are some vegetable options:
- sautéed broccoli, with olive oil, salt and pepper
- sautéed asparagus, with olive oil, salt and pepper
- steamed green beans with vegan margarine, salt and pepper
- pan roasted Brussels sprouts- cut Brussels sprouts in half and sautéed in olive oil. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover and let steam for 3 mins. Pour off water and pan fry until surfaces are brown, but not burnt. Season with salt and pepper
Carb side:
- rice
- roasted new potatoes
- mashed potatoes
- quinoa, cooked with vegetable stock
- cous cous
Baked Ziti
In our family, we have some who eat dairy products and some who don't, so I make this baked ziti with a tofu ricotta and then top half with dairy mozzarella cheese and the other half with vegan mozzarella cheese. Serve with a side of green vegetables or a salad.
To make the tofu ricotta (credit: Sam Turnbull), you will need:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 block extra firm tofu
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp nooch
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 1/2 tsp salt
Heat the olive oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Sautee onions until translucent. Add crushed garlic and cook for another minute. In a food processor, add tofu broken into 4 pieces and add cooked onion and garlic. Add all other ingredients and blend until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.
For the ziti, you will need:
- 1 box of ziti or rigatoni pasta
- 1 jar of Rao's marinara sauce
- mozzarella cheese shreds and vegan mozzarella cheese shreds (Daiya)
Preheat oven to 350F. Cook pasta (adding some salt to the cooking water). Drain and then mix in the tofu ricotta and marinara sauce. You may choose not to add all of the tofu ricotta and/or the entire jar of sauce. It's up to you. Pour pasta with tofu ricotta and sauce into a 9'' x 12'' glass baking pan. Top with mozzarella cheese (dairy and/or vegan). Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes with cover. Remove cover and bake for another 10 mins.
Singapore rice noodles
If you have an Asian grocery near you, it would be best to get the dried tofu, which has a little bit more texture, for this recipe. You will need:
- 1 package of rice noodles (use about 3 oz. per person)
- 1 large package of dried tofu, sliced thinly (if you can't find this, you can also just use pan-fried extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes and seasoned with soy sauce)
- 1 bag of mung bean sprouts
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts sliced into rounds
- 1 carrot, julienned
- snow peas, julienned
- 8 oz. shiitake mushrooms or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- yellow curry powder
- 1 tsp vegetable stock (Better than Bouillon No Chicken Base)
- 1 cup hot water
Pan fry the carrots, snow peas, mushrooms and tofu one at a time, separately in a wok with a little bit of oil. Add some salt to the carrots and snow peas and add some soy sauce to the mushrooms. Set the veggies aside.
Soak the rice noodles in hot tap water for 8-10 minutes. When they are soft, use kitchen scissors to cut the noodles into pieces about 5-6 inches long. Drain noodles and place into a wok. Mix vegetable stock with hot water and add to noodles under medium-high heat. Use tongs to move the noodles around the pan until they have absorbed all of the stock. Add scallions and fry for another minute. Add in curry powder to taste. Mix noodles with all of the cooked vegetables and tofu. Cook for a couple of minutes to heat up the veggies and tofu before serving.
Pizza Friday
We usually order pizza out for the kids and then make our own plant-based pizza. This recipe is loosely based on a Scott Jurek recipe from "Eat and Run". If you can find it, I really love the Wood Grilled Pizza Crust.
Preheat the oven to 400F and make the tofu feta.
Tofu Feta:
- 1/3 block of extra firm tofu
- 1 tbsp miso paste
- 1 tbsp nooch
- dash of soy sauce
To make the tofu feta, crumble the tofu into pieces that look like feta cheese. Mix in seasonings.
For the pizza, you will need:
- 1 12 inch pizza crust
- Rao's marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, cut into small pieces
- 1/4 cup basil leaves, chopped into thin slices
- vegan mozzarella (optional)
Add a thin layer of sauce to the pizza crust. Don't make it too thick or it will make the crust mushy. Evenly sprinkle on tofu feta, sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Evenly sprinkle on a layer of vegan mozzarella cheese (preferred brand is Daiya). Bake the pizza directly on the top rack for about 10 minutes. Add freshly chopped basil to the pizza. I love having an Athletic Brewing Company non-alcoholic beer with my pizza. The Upside Dawn Golden Ale and the Run Wild IPA are great. If you usually do your long runs on Saturday morning, the ABC beers are great. They taste amazing and they won't mess with your sleep.
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