I’ve collected some yummy vegan/vegetarian recipes for you guys so we can all get our veggies in! Over the Christmas break, I received a book called “How Not to Die” as a present and cannot stop reading it, and I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned with you guys.
Dr. Michael Greger, author of “How Not to Die”, states in his book that, “a more plant-based diet may help prevent, treat, or reverse every single one of our fifteen leading causes of death (page 9).” He’s referring to the leading causes of death in the United States, including heart disease, high blood pressure, cancers, diabetes, etc. He also claims that a plant-based diet can cure a multitude of illnesses, as its benefits help the whole body because, “unlike with medications, there isn’t one kind of diet for optimal liver function and a different diet to improve our kidneys. A heart-healthy diet is a brain-healthy diet is a lung-healthy die” (page 10). In other words, Dr. Greger is saying that a healthy, plant-based diet is a one-size-almost-fits-all kind of thing. Below is a round up of some easy, delicious recipes to take your relationship with veggies to the next level!
Each one of these recipes includes healthy portions of vegetables and whole grains, which fill you up and show you how delicious those veggies that you’ve been avoiding are!
1. Quinoa Salad
Here are 3 of my favourite options: Mixed quinoa-black/bean-spinach-sweet potato is my favourite flavour combo and makes this such a yummy salad! You can either eat this cold or heat it up like it’s a stir-fry. I love quinoa salad because there are so many vegetable options to throw in, making it easy to tailor it to your taste. It’s really filling, and testing out new vegetables and spices is always fun!
- http://www.food.com/recipe/quinoa-black-bean-salad-152136
- http://www.elizabethrider.com/superfood-black-bean-quinoa-salad-recipe/
- http://allrecipes.com/recipe/229156/zesty-quinoa-salad/
2. Smoothies
Smoothies are our friends! Not only are they so EASY to make and TASTY to drink, if you make them right, they’ll be packed with nutrients that you might be missing in the rest of your diet. Simply adding x fruit or vegetable can help you reach a certain vitamin/mineral intake for the day (think vitamins A, C, calcium, iron, antioxidants, potassium, magnesium, and fibre). iFoodReal’s green smoothie combines leafy greens, seeds, and fruit to cover all your nutritional bases! Just be careful of adding fruits with high sugar counts.
http://ifoodreal.com/delicious-green-smoothie-recipe-for-the-whole-family/
Bonus: Here’s a beets smoothie option for Dwight Schrute lovers (aka everyone) from the same site. Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.
http://ifoodreal.com/anti-inflammatory-red-smoothie/
3. Healthy Shawarma? We didn’t think it could be done.
Here’s a uOttawa staple. If you live in Sandy Hill or the area surrounding the uOttawa Campus, you KNOW about Shawarma. Here’s a seriously guilt-free version!
http://minimalistbaker.com/chickpea-shawarma-salad/
4. Buffalo Wraps
Buffalo Wraps? YES PLEASE. The Minimalist Baker, one of my favourites, uses chickpeas instead of meat in these wraps and they look amazing. Chickpeas are slowly becoming one of my favourite foods. There are so savoury and you can spice them according to the dish you are using them in. Chickpeas are not only awesome in these wraps from the Minimalist Baker, they are great to add to a stir fry or any of the quinoa salads mentioned above!
http://minimalistbaker.com/spicy-buffalo-chickpea-wraps/
5. Pasta, anyone?
For university students, pastas are a staple because they are the easiest thing to make, once you figure out how to measure dry pasta, that is. Impress your parents next time you go home with this plant-based recipe. Maybe you could teach them something about healthy eating!
http://minimalistbaker.com/spicy-red-pasta-with-lentils/
These are just a handful of the seemingly limitless options of plant-based meals! I’ve been trying to add more veggies and less meat to my diet and I’m having a lot of fun trying new things, hopefully you will too. I’ll leave you with another quote from “How Not to Die”: “It’s never too late to start living and eating healthier. The restorative powers of the human body are remarkable, but your body needs your help” (page 41).
Buy the book here.
Sources: Cover Photo Credited to Megan Woolfrey, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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