5 Favorite Plant-Based Recipes

 

A couple of years ago I took a plant-based cooking class that my friend was offering through our local community college. I signed up for two reasons 1) I wanted to support my friend and 2) I was really interested in committing to a lifestyle of health that centered more on natural and wholistic foods versus our typical manufactured foods we ingest daily. I also knew of several friends who had committed to Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live" lifestyle and they had seen such tremendous results that I thought it at least deserved some looking into.

Shortly after my class, I finally made myself read Dr. Fuhrman's "Eat to Live". Reading this book really changed my perspective on what we put into our bodies and how we have been fed misinformation about the foods we "should" or "need" to eat for years. (I will put a link to his book here in case you want to check it out!) Now, while the recipes included in this blog are not all linked to Dr. Furhman's Eat to Live lifestyle, they are all plant-based foods that are some of my absolute favorites that are part of my regular diet. All five recipes came from my plant-based cooking class I took in 2018 and I hope you love them as much as I do. If you try a recipe from this list, be sure to take a picture of your final product, post it to your instagram, and tag me @thetipsytroubadour. I would love to see your foods come to life and what you thought of them!

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(Major shout-out to Bobbi Ginder for putting together such an awesome and educational class and for sharing her tips, tricks, and recipes for living a plant-based lifestyle!)

Lo Mein Noodle Bowls

Ingredients: 

• 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 red bell pepper, julienned
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups cremini mushrooms
• 1 carrot, julienned (I use the bagged carrot sticks)
• 3 cups baby spinach, chopped
• Soy sauce

Directions:

1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles according to package instructions; drain well.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium high heat. Add garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender (about 3-4 minutes).
3. Stir in snow peas and spinach until spinach has wilted (about 2-3 minutes).
4. Stir in spaghetti and soy sauce. Gently toss to combine.

Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi and Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh, shelf-stable or frozen gnocchi
• 2 medium bell peppers cut into 1-inch chunks (I do 3 - 1 red, 1green, 1 yellow)
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• 1 small red onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 link of favorite Vegan sausage (I use the Field Roast Plant Based Apple & Sage)
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 teaspoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped basil leaves

Directions:

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 450°F.
2. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. Place the gnocchi, peppers, tomatoes, onion, garlic, rosemary, salt, and a few generous grinds of black pepper in a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and gently toss to combine.
4. Spread the gnocchi mixture out evenly on the prepared baking sheet.
5. Roast, stirring halfway through, until the gnocchi are plum and the vegetables are tender and caramelized, 18-20 minutes total.
6. To serve, spoon the gnocchi and vegetable mixture into individual bowls and garnish each bowl with the chopped basil.

Note: This pairs excellent with scrambled eggs. I always try and plan Breakfast for Dinner the night following making this dish because I love having it with scrambled eggs, salsa, toast, and a giant pile of fresh fruit!

Carrot Orzo

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
• 2 1/2 cups veggie broth
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cups uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 tbsp chopped chive
• 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Directions:

1. Process carrots in a food processor until finely chopped.
2. Combine 2 1/2 cups water and broth in a microwave safe cup. Microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes until hot.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add carrots and onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender (about 5 minutes). Add orzo and garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Slowly stir hot broth mixture, salt and pepper into the orzo mixture. Cook, stirring often, for 15-18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
5. Stir in chives and thyme. Serve immediately.

Banana Scones

Ingredients:

• 3 cups self-raising flour (or use plain, wholemeal or spelt flour and add 3 extra tsp of baking powder)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 2 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp flaxseed meal
• splash of almond milk (I added this. I like to add just a splash of almond milk to make the scones slightly more moist)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with baking paper.
2. Mix coconut oil, sugar, mashed bananas, vanilla, and flaxseed in a large bowl. Sift 3 cups of flour into wet mix, stir well to combine. Use hands to incorporate all flour and form a ball of dough.
3. Transfer dough onto baking sheet, flatten ball into a round disc and use a sharp knife to cut into 6 or 8 portions. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until pieces pull away from each other and the top is slightly browned.

Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 tsp (2 packets) rapid rise yeast
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2-3 tbsp water
• 1 cup warm water (110°)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup + 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, warm up the water until it is between 100°-115°F. It should feel like warm bath water. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar and all the yeast. Stir and let sit for a few minutes to activate. After 5-10 minutes, the mixture should have bubbles in it to show the yeast is alive.
2. Add 1/3 cup coconut oil, salt, 2 cups of flour, remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and stir until the mixture comes together. Add additional flour in 1/2 cup increments until mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl but is still soft and slightly sticky.
3. Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead a few times until you a form a smooth ball. Dust your bowl with flour and put the dough back i the bowl. Set aside while you prep the filling.
4. Combine the cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl and mix together. 
5. Dust the counter with more flour and turn the dough ball out onto the floured surface. Roll dough out to a rectangle about 12x16 inches. Spread 2 tbsp melted coconut oil over the rolled out dough, leaving a border of about 1 inch around the edges free from oil. Sprinkle oil with cinnamon and brown sugar mixture and use your hands to gently move it around so that it evenly coats the oiled dough. Use your rolling pin to gently roll over it to press the sugar into the dough.
6. Starting on the long end closes to you, begin to gently (but tightly) roll the dough up into a log. Position the dough log so the ned is underneath it.
7. Using a sharp serrated knife, slice off the two uneven ends where there is no filling. Slice roll off about 1 1/2 inch thick and place them in a greased 9x9 inch pan. You should get about 12 rolls.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and set somewhere warm to double in size for about 20-30 minutes.
9. Preheat oven to 350°F. Once rolls have puffed up and doubled in size, bake them for about 15 minutes. (If you like them doughy, take them out after about 13 minutes). Let them cool for a few minutes before glazing and serving.
10. Frosting: mix together powdered sugar, water, and vanilla extract.