Looking for replacements for some of your favorites, check out “A Beginner’s Guide to the Best Healthy Vegan Food Replacements For Meat, Fish, and Dairy” from PopSugar and get started on your vegan journey today.
Earth Day is on April 22, and with that comes the chance to rethink our approach to clean, smart eating and cooking. We have compiled a list of colorful, healthy and delicious recipes for you to try. Prepare them for you and your favorite family members and friends.
Main Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups black beans , drained and rinsed (about one 15 ounce can)
- 2 cups chopped sweet potatoes , about ¾ a pound
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning , homemade or store bought (adjust for flavor preference)
- ½ – 1 teaspoon sea salt , if you use store bought omit if it has salt
- Drizzle of your favorite roasting oil , or broth if you don’t use oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 8 tortillas , gluten-free if needed
Toppings (optional)
- avocado
- shredded cabbage
- cilantro
- Cilantro Lime Sauce , see below
Ingredients for Cilantro Lime Sauce:
- 1 cup raw cashews , see note
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F/ 205 C.
- Put the black beans, potatoes, green onions, oil/broth and spices on a parchment lined baking sheet and use your hands to mix so it’s all coated well. You could also do this in a bowl.
- Spread the mixture out evenly over the baking sheet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are crisp and cooked throughout.
- When done, drizzle lime juice over the top.
- Make sauce by putting all ingredients, except cilantro, in a blender and blend until smooth. Add cilantro and pulse to incorporate in.
- Assemble tacos by putting a few spoonfuls of filling on a tortilla, then adding toppings and drizzling sauce over the top. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
- Tomato juice
- 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 small jalapeno, seeded and minced
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted, ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chiffonade
Instructions
- Fill a 6-quart pot halfway full of water, set over high heat and bring to a boil.
- Make an X with a paring knife on the bottom of the tomatoes. Drop the tomatoes into the boiling water for 15 seconds, remove and transfer to an ice bath and allow to cool until able to handle, approximately 1 minute. Remove and pat dry. Peel, core and seed the tomatoes. When seeding the tomatoes, place the seeds and pulp into a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl in order to catch the juice. Press as much of the juice through as possible and then add enough bottled tomato juice to bring the total to 1 cup.
- Place the tomatoes and juice into a large mixing bowl. Add the cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno, garlic clove, olive oil, lime juice, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire, cumin, salt and pepper and stir to combine. Transfer 1 1/2 cups of the mixture to a blender and puree for 15 to 20 seconds on high speed. Return the pureed mixture to the bowl and stir to combine. Cover and chill for 2 hours and up to overnight.
Serve with chiffonade of basil.
Ingredients
- 1 cup broccoli , cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 cup green beans , cut into pieces
- 1 cup mushrooms , cut into fourths
- 1 cup chopped red onion
- 1 ½ cups chickpeas , drained and rinsed (about one 15 ounce can)
- 2 cups basmati or jasmine rice, cooked according to the packaging
- 1 cup cooked riced cauliflower. (Located in the freezer section of your supermarket) optional
- ½ cup Maya Kaimal tikka masala sauce , plus more to drizzle over the top
- Cilantro , optional for garnish
- Lime wedges , optional for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Mix veggies with ¼ cup tikka masala sauce and put on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Mix chickpeas with ¼ cup tikka masala sauce and put on another parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake veggies for 20-25 minutes. Bake chickpeas for 30-35 minutes.
- Mix rice and cauliflower rice together, if using.
- When done serve the chickpeas and veggies over the rice and top with more tikka masala sauce. Garnish with lime and cilantro if desired.
Main Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups mixed raw veggies , whatever you have in your fridge
- 2 tablespoons veggie broth (or your favorite oil) , for roasting veggies (low sodium if needed)
- sea salt , to taste
- ground black pepper , to taste
- 1 cup cooked rice (about 1/2 cup uncooked) , I used wild rice but whatever you have in your pantry
- 1/2 cup cooked garbanzo beans
Ingredients for Lemon Herb Cream Sauce
- 3/4 cup raw almonds
- 1 1/2 cup unsweetened Silk almond or cashew milk , or use coconut for an added layer of flavor
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove raw garlic
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1- 3 teaspoons of your favorite hot sauce , optional for spice
- 1/4 – 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped chives
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C).
- Rinse beans if using canned, or cook according to package directions if using dry.
- Wash and chop veggies into bite size pieces. Mix with beans, veggie broth (or oil) and dash of salt and pepper.
- Spread onto a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Even though different veggies bake at different times, I like mixing everything together and baking at that perfect 15 minute mark. This leaves some veggies al dente and some a little more cooked, which gives a great variety of textures to the recipe. The only exception is potatoes that would need to be kept separate and cooked longer.
- While veggies are cooking, cook rice and make lemon herb sauce
Instructions for Lemon Herb Cream Sauce:
- Place all ingredients except for herbs into a high speed blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add herbs and pulse until the herbs are chopped into fine pieces but still visible.
- Once veggies are done, put rice in a bowl, top with veggie and bean mix and drizzle as much lemon herb sauce as you desire! Dig in and enjoy the zero waste meal!
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro , dry (use semi pearled or pearled, see note)
- 1/2 cup peperoncini , chopped (leave out if you don’t want any spice)
- 1/2 cup Greek olives , sliced
- 1/2 cup cucumbers , chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh tomatoes , chopped
- ½ cup red onion , chopped
- 1/2 cup vegan Feta , I use my homemade version or you can use store bought
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
- drizzle olive oil , optional or leave out for oil free
Instructions
- Begin cooking farro in a medium pot according to package directions (will cook for about 25-30 minutes).
- As farro is cooking, you can cut all the veggies if you haven’t already.
- When farro is done cooking, drain and rinse with cold water.
- Transfer to a bowl and add all the other ingredients.
- Mix well and enjoy!
Ingredients
Coconut Bacon:
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- 4 teaspoons maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
For the sandwich:
- 8 slices sourdough bread , or use gluten free if necessary
- 5 tablespoons vegan mayo , soy free if necessary
- 8 leaves green leaf lettuce
- 8 slices large tomato
- 1 cup sliced peaches
- ¾ cup Coconut Bacon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
Make coconut bacon:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C, or gas mark 4), and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a mixing bowl, place the coconut flakes, maple syrup, liquid smoke, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Toss the mixture until everything is evenly coated
- Spread it out in a single layer over the parchment paper.
- Bake for 5 minutes, stir the bacon around, and bake for an additional 5 minutes, or until the coconut bacon is amber brown. If not using right away, store in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Let it reach room temperature once you take it out to use it.
To make the sandwich:
- Lay out the 8 pieces of bread, and spread roughly 2 teaspoons (9 g) of vegan mayo on one side of each slice.
- Layer 2 leaves of lettuce, 2 slices of tomato, ¼ cup (40 g) peach slices, 3 tablespoons (4 g) Coconut Bacon, and a pinch of black pepper on 4 of the slices.
- Then top with the remaining slices of bread.
Ingredients
- 8-10 Sheets of rice paper
- ½ Avocado sliced
- ¼ cup each of green, red and yellow bell peppers sliced
- 1 Zucchini zoodled or sliced very thin
- 1 Carrot zoodled or sliced very thin
- 1 Cucumber zoodled or sliced very thin
- ¼ of a small red cabbage shredded
- ½ can of garbanzo beans
Noodles
- 3 to 5 oz. of clear (cellophane) noodles or rice noodles
- Pinch of sea salt
Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- 4 tbsp peanut butter
- 4 tbsp coconut milk, canned
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 tsp hot sauce
- ⅓-½ bragg aminos or to your liking
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 cloves minced garlic
Instructions
- Boil the noodles as per the package instructions and rinse with cold water.
- You can color the noodles with beet juice, carrot juice, turmeric or spirulina to make them more vibrant but this is an optional step.
- Make sure all your veggies or fruits are finely sliced or zoodled
- Roast garbanzo beans with a little oil and bragg amino acids in a saucepan for extra flavor but this step is also optional.
- Fill a large bowl with water and dip the rice paper in the water for about 10-15 seconds to soften them. Do this one at a time.
- Use a lightly oiled parchment paper on your work surface to avoid sticking
- Place one rice paper and in the center add noodles, veggies or whatever filling you want, be creative and use your tastebuds to guide you.
- Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Dip your spring rolls in the sauce and enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Daikon
- 1 Large Cucumber (Spiralized with the C blade)
- 1 Small Green Bell Pepper (cut thin lengthwise sticks)
- 1 Cup Shredded Tri-Colored Carrots
- 1 Cup Sliced Bamboo Shoots
- 2 TB Raw Coconut Vinegar
- 2 TB Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
- ½ Tsp Onion Powder
- ½ Tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ Tsp Coriander
- ½ TB Dried Cilantro
- A Dash of White Pepper
Instructions
- Wash and prepare all your veggies.
- Run all your veggies through your Spiralizer or Zoodler
- In a medium mixing bowl add your vinegar, coconut and spices stir until blended
- Toss all your veggies in the bowl and gently mix to coat the veggies with the dressing.
- Place in the fridge to marinate and chill for at least an hour before serving.
Ingredients
For the mochi:
- 1 tbsp sweet rice flour
- 1 tbsp water
- ½ tsp matcha
- liquid stevia
- 1 tsp coconut flour
For the popsicles:
- ½ cup strawberries
- 3 tbsp coconut milk
- 3-4 tbsp almond milk
- Sweetener of choice, Stevia is fine
Instructions
Mochi:
- Add the sweet rice flour to a small microwavable dish and slowly mix in the water, once incorporated mix in the matcha and a couple drops of stevia.
- Microwave for 45 seconds or until it is slightly firm.
- Spread the coconut flour on a small plate and once the mochi is cool enough to touch, take small pieces of it and roll them into balls.
- Roll each ball in the coconut flour to coat and then set aside.
Popsicles:
- Blend all ingredients for the popsicles together, starting with 3 tbsp of almond milk. The mixture should be on the thicker side, but pourable – if t’s not, add more almond milk.
- To make the popsicles – pour a little bit of the mixture in the popsicle mold, drop in a couple mochi bits, and repeat until you fill the mold completely then place popsicle stick in the centre.
- Repeat with the rest of the mixture and mochi. This should make 4 popsicles.
- Freeze until solid.
- To remove popsicles from the molds – run them under warm water and wiggle the sticks until you can pop them out.
- Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 frozen bananas
- Handful frozen grapes
- 1 teaspoon açaí powder
- 1 teaspoon coconut syrup (optional)
- 3 tablespoons almond milk
- 1/2 slice watermelon
- Juice from 1 lime
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a powerful blender and blend until smooth
- Serve immediately or store in freezer until ready to enjoy