10 Whole-Food, Plant-Based Recipes We Love!

It’s time for another round-up of One Green Planet Whole-Foods, Plant-Based (WFPB) meals for you to create and devour.  If you are not in the know, or you need a reminder, a person following a WFPB diet puts emphasis on whole foods, such as legumes, ancient grains, fruit, vegetables, nuts, and seeds while eliminating refined sugar, processed oil, and white flour.

If processed foods are entered into the diet at all, it is usually only minimally processed foods with 5 or less ingredients.  That is to say, it doesn’t have to be an outright ban on processed foods if you are not ready.  The idea is to be a little more intentional about your food quality, to think about what you are putting into your body, and to have an awareness about where your food is coming from.

Check out these WFPB recipes for a little guidance and inspiration on how to make delicious, clean, and fresh meals for any day of the week.

1.  Zucchini Stuffed with Amaranth

Source:  Zucchini Stuffed with Amaranth/One Green Planet

This is a stunning recipe that can be served as a main or as a side dish.  Alejandra Olmedo‘s Zucchini Stuffed with Amaranth uses the ancient grain amaranth as the protein, cherry tomatoes to give a burst of flavor, Italian herds, and succulent, roasted zucchini as to vessel to serve it all in.

2.  Purple Magic Soup

Source: Purple Magic Soup/One Green Planet

Well, who doesn’t want a little magic in their meal?  This Purple Magic Soup by Nadine Horn and Jörg Mayer gets its magnificent color from purple cabbage.  It is packed with lots of nourishing veggies, split peas for protein, and healthy grains.

3.  Colombian Black Bean Stew

Source: Colombian Black Bean Stew/One Green Planet

This Colombian Black Bean Stew recipe by Kimberly Espinel is hearty, healthy, quick, and easy to make and, as an added bonus, inexpensive to pull together.  It’s a high protein, high fiber, and utterly delicious meal to add to a WFPB meal plan.

4.  Zucchini Noodles with Pesto

Source: Zucchini Noodles with Pesto/One Green Planet

If you are looking for something fresh, simple and a great alternative to pasta dishes, check out Lena Ropp‘s Zucchini Noodles with Pesto.  The dish is super quick to make and actually involves no cooking at all.  This is a beautiful example of how clean, whole foods come together to make something yummy and filling.

5.  Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potato Boats

Source: Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potato Boats/One Green Planet

Yet another budget-friendly WFPB meal.  Alexandra Dawson‘s recipe for Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potato Boats are such fun to serve with the tender roasted sweet potatoes carrying a cargo of hummus, tabbouleh, green olives, and chickpeas.

6.  Grilled Eggplant with Lemon Basil Drizzle

Source: Grilled Eggplant with Lemon Basil Drizzle/One Green Planet

Grilled Eggplant with Lemon Basil Drizzle is perfect as a light meal or as a side dish.  Taryn Fitz-Gerald seasons the eggplant simply with salt while allowing the flavor sensation to come from the lemon basil drizzle.  You can even use the eggplant as a wrap for your favorite veggie mix.

7.  Pumpkin Millet Kale Salad with Balsamic Reduction

Source: Pumpkin Millet Kale Salad with Balsamic Reduction/One Green Planet

This gorgeous Pumpkin Millet Kale Salad with Balsamic Reduction by Taryn Fitz-Gerald is as pleasing to the eye as it is the tastebuds.  Nutty millet, a pile of king kale, and a big wedge of roasted pumpkin make for a fresh, clean salad that can easily serve as a main meal.

8.  Double Crunch Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Fudge

Source: Double Crunch Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Fudge/One Green Planet

Oh Yes!  Desserts and sweet treats do not go amiss on a WFPB diet.  This Double Crunch Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Fudge by Bianca Slade is indulgent, delicious, and super easy to make.  It has the crunch of the peanuts and the soft velvety texture we all want from a bite of fudge.

9.  Lemony Macaroon Cups with Blueberry Basil Compote

Source: Lemony Macaroon Cups with Blueberry Basil Compote/One Green Planet

Picture perfect on a plate and made with delectable ingredients, these Lemony Macaroon Cups with Blueberry Basil Compote by Courtney West are a welcome sweet surprise.  The cool fresh flavor of the basil beautifully complements the sweet and sour flavor of the homemade blueberry compote.

10.  Mini Mint Chocolate Cheesecake

Source: Mini Mint Chocolate Cheesecake/One Green Planet

Believe it or not, Mini Mint Chocolate Cheesecakes are healthy, refreshing, and feel indulgent all at the same time.  Almonds, cashews, dates, and spirulina make this recipe by Cruelty Free Family a definite superfood dessert.

Whole-Food, Plant-Based meals can be everything and anything you want them to be.  They can feel light and refreshing, naughty and decadent, or hearty yet healthy.  With a few whole-food staples and ‘go-tos’ in your cupboards, you can whip up fancy feasts that don’t leave you in the kitchen for hours or empty of pocket.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home!

Reducing your meat intake and eating more plant-based foods is known to help with chronic inflammation, heart health, mental wellbeing, fitness goals, nutritional needs, allergies, gut health, and more! Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer, prostate cancer and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App — with over 15,000 delicious recipes it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

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