6 Plant-Based Recipe Ideas for the New Year

If the new year has you thinking about what to do better and differently this year - eating more plant-based foods can be a health fulfilling goal to set.

Plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, etc. are nutrient-rich and deliver important vitamins, minerals and fiber. Plus eating plant-based doesn’t have to mean giving up meat or animal proteins all together!

Here are some of the most viewed plant-based recipes from my website to give you some inspiration to add-in more plant-based foods to your routine.

Wishing you a happy and healthy year ahead!

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Mango Salad

Mango Salad with Creamy Vinaigrette Dressing

This colorful salad goes well with many dinners and it is full of fresh flavor and gets it’s crunch from omega-3 rich walnuts! Plus it includes my favorite fruit - mango.

Click here for the recipe.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

Sweet Potato Black Bean Burgers

These savory burgers are so filling and delicious! Plus they freeze great which makes them perfect for a quick meal on busy days.

Click here to view the recipe.

Korean BBQ Cauliflower

Korean BBQ Cauliflower

This dish is so delicious as an appetizer and is full of flavor - inspired from a favorite restaurant in Ottawa.

Click here for the recipe.

Cheesey Veggie Sticks

Cheesey Veggie Sticks

These cauliflower-based veggie sticks are “veggie-like” and such a delicious addition to a meal!

Click here to view the recipe.

Mixed Berry Chia Parfait

Mixed Berry Chia Parfait

A parfait makes a great breakfast, mini-meal, or snack! You can make the parfaits ahead, plus there are endless combinations when you switch up the fruit and added flavors to your preference.

Click here for the recipe.

Taco Stuffed Peppers

Taco Stuffed Peppers

These taco stuffed peppers are a perfect one-dish dinner! Each pepper delivers 15 grams of protein. It would even tasted great paired with a salad as a side dish.

Click here for the recipe.

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad (Image Source: Molly Morgan)

Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad
Serves 10 to 12

Ingredients
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeds removed and chopped
1 red onion, peeled and chopped
1 bunch of asparagus, chopped
1 box of Banza rotini pasta*, cooked
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard
Sea salt and black pepper
¼ cup sliced black olives
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. In a small bowl whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, and dry mustard. Season with sea salt and pepper.

3. Fill a baking sheet with chopped vegetables. Drizzle with ½ of the prepare dressing. Roast the vegetables for 20 to 25 minutes, until they are roasted and tender.

4. In a serving bowl toss together the roasted vegetables and pasta. Then toss in the sliced olives, feta, and reserved dressing. Serve immediately or if desired, chill before serving.

This tastes great made ahead!

*Banza pasta is pasta made from chickpeas, which is a great option because it is rich in protein and fiber. You can substitute other rontini style pasta if desired.

Omega-3 Rich Products Worth Trying

Sure you’ve heard the advice, shop the perimeter. But I have say that while sure, there are loads of important foods to include in the perimeter of the store, there are some gems in the aisles as well that are worth including routinely in your grocery cart. Captured here are a few of my favorites that deliver omega-3 fats!

Note: This isn’t an add, rather just highlighting products I love!

Barlean’s Omega-3 Oil

This omega-3 oil is a product from Barlean’s that is made from fish oil but let me tell you, there is no fishy taste (or after taste). It is a perfect way to get a boost of omega-3’s into your eating routine.

How much to add-in? 1 tablespoon per day for adults or children over the age of 4. This will deliver 1500 milligrams (1.5 grams) of omega-3 fats, in comparison a 3.5 oz piece of salmon has about 1.8 grams.

How to add it in? It is seriously so delicious just have a spoonful or it. Or it tastes really delicious added into smoothies or drizzle on yogurt.

Where to find it? You can find it in the “natural food” section of some grocery stores in a refrigerator or some vitamin shops (e.g. Vitamin Shoppe) have it as well. Or you can order it direct from Barleans.com. Also it may seem a little pricey yet, one bottle has 29 servings so it really goes a long way.

Note: If you are adding this product in, you don’t necessarily also need to have other sources of omega-3 within the same day - for example, skip the fish oil capsule, chia seeds, or instead of salmon have a different type of fish.

Chia Seeds

Tiny little chia seeds are worth every penny! Plus there are tons of ways to work them into your eating routine. For example, you could make up a batch of Reese’s Bites - click here for the recipe! There are two big nutrition benefits of chia seeds: the omega-3 fats and fiber. Each tablespoon serving of chia seeds adds about 2 grams of omega-3 fats and about 5 grams of fiber.

How much to add-in? Add in a tablespoon of chia seeds as a source of omega-3 fats for the day. Keep in mind, as mentioned above, if you are adding in other sources of omega-3 fats like salmon, walnuts, omega-3 oil, etc. you can alternate the sources because you don’t need them all every day.

How to add them in? A very cool property of chia seeds is they are hydrophyllic, which means they absorb water - in fact, about 10 times their weight in water! This makes chia seeds really great for thickening sauces, smoothies, chia pudding, or energy bites. Click here for a delicious chia pudding recipe from my Fuel2Win sports nutrition project.

Another use for chia seeds is to use them as an egg replacement in baking. For each egg: In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water, let sit for 10 - 15 minutes. Then use in place of eggs in your recipe. This works really well for quick breads and muffins.

Where to buy them? Look for chia seeds in the baking aisle of the grocery store. You may also find them in a “health food” aisle or section or you can buy them on-line from brands like Bob’s Red Mill.