My Plant-Based Family

Eating Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet recipes, On a Budget.

Holly Yzquierdo

Plant-Based Meal Plan

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I’m excited to share this week’s Plant-Based Meal Plan! My newest recipe, the Plant-Based Goulash I’ve been I’ve been talking about is finally on the blog. I’m testing a couple variations and will have the Instant Pot version out soon. Many of you have emailed me requesting it, I’m working on it!

plant-based meal plan

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I’ve also been experimenting with other recipes but they aren’t working out for me. Sometimes recipes come together quickly and easily, and other times we have to test so many variations to try to get it to work.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

The only batch cooking I did this weekend was the new goulash recipe. I made it on Saturday so I could share a step by step instructions in my stories. You can find it in my Instagram highlights. We did our grocery shopping so we are pretty well stocked to make most of our favorites.

Plant-Based Breakfast

It’s always nice to have some Overnight Oats in the fridge. I think my Chocolate Chia Overnight Oats are over due! Is anyone interested in a pumpkin overnight oat recipe? Let me know and I’ll share one. I’m also bringing back an old favorite Instant Pot Breakfast Rice! It’s time for a new batch of my oil-free Pumpkin Granola too!

Plant-Based Lunch

I’ll be having leftover Plant-Based Goulash for lunch almost every day! I can even take it in my thermos when I’ll be sitting in appointments. I may eat other dinner leftovers for lunch too. On of my favorite lunches is a Simple Veggie Sandwich! Bread, hummus and veggies…it doesn’t get much simpler than that. When I have it, I’ll add avocado too.

Plant-Based Dinner

Monday: Plant-Based Goulash leftovers make an easy Monday night meal. It’s very filling and perfect for fall weather.

Tuesday: Breakfast for dinner is always fun! I love this Southwest Tofu Scramble. It’s hearty and delicious! We usually serve it with fruit and toast but a side of Breakfast Rice is good too.

Wednesday: Instant Pot Minestrone Soup is a family favorite! Sometimes I’ll serve it with salad but since it’s full of veggies I don’t worry too much about it. My kids love having bread on the side.

Thursday: Instant Pot Refried Beans is exactly what we need on Thursday night. We can easily choose between Nachos, Tostadas or Burritos. It’s a win for everybody.

Friday: Veggie Burger and oven fries will be a fun Friday night dinner. 

What are your favorite kind of recipes? Instant Pot, stove top or something else? I’d love to know!

Plant-Based Goulash

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Many of you have been patiently waiting for this Plant-Based Goulash recipe! It’s finally here!

Plant-Based Goulash

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I will warn you that it’s not traditional goulash but traditional goulash is not plant-based. This tastes exactly how I remember eating it as a kid. 

Plant-Based Goulash

Instead of meat I used lentils and red kidney beans. This has tomatoes, peppers, onions and garlic too. Those are basically my favorite ingredients to put into any kind of soup or stew. I use veggie broth to deepen the flavor and a few other ingredients, mostly spices. 

Pasta is the last thing I add. I usually use macaroni noodles or small shells. 

I started working on this recipe last spring and had it just how I wanted it. The only problem was my recipe was big enough to feed an army! I finally cut it down to 4-5 servings over the summer. Then we moved. I still haven’t found the recipe but I mostly remembered the recipe and tested it again. This latest version is my favorite!

Plant-Based Goulash

Plant-Based Goulash

This Plant-Based Goulash uses whole food ingredients. Feel free to change it up to suit your family’s tastes. If you have kids eating it, you can increase the pasta and decrease the smoked paprika. A bag of frozen mixed veggies are a great way to add more veggies to your meal.

Ingredients

  • 5 cup veggie broth, divided
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup dry brown lentils
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (I use Tamari)
  • 1 cup uncooked pasta, (I used macaroni) 

Do

  1. Bring 2 cups of veggie broth to a boil in a dutch oven or big soup pot.
  2. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and lentils. Stir it all together and simmer until lentils are soft and the onions are translucent. About 15 minutes.
  3. Add in paprika, smoked paprika if using, your bay leaf and Italian seasoning. Give it a good stir.
  4. Dump your tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and drained kidney beans into the pot and stir again.
  5. Pour in 3 more cups of veggie broth, your Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce (or tamari) and dried pasta. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pasta is soft.
  6. If time permits, you can simmer longer but leave plenty of time for this to cool off before eating. The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits. Salt and pepper to taste.

If you are adding frozen veggies, feel free to add them when you add the kidney beans.

Yield: 4+ servings

Plant-Based Goulash

Plant-Based Goulash

This Plant-Based Goulash uses whole food ingredients in this hearty and delicious recipe.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 5 cup veggie broth, divided
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 cup dry brown lentils
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 teaspoons dried Italian seasoning
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce (I use Tamari)
  • 1 cup uncooked pasta, (I used macaroni)

Instructions

  1. Bring 2 cups of veggie broth to a boil in a dutch oven or big soup pot.
  2. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper and lentils. Stir it all together and simmer until lentils are soft and the onions are translucent. About 15 minutes.
  3. Add in paprika, smoked paprika if using, your bay leaf and Italian seasoning. Give it a good stir.
  4. Dump your tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and drained kidney beans into the pot and stir again.
  5. Pour in 3 more cups of veggie broth, your Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce (or tamari) and dried pasta. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the pasta is soft.
  6. If time permits, you can simmer longer but leave plenty of time for this to cool off before eating. The pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits. Salt and pepper to taste.

Notes

If you are adding frozen veggies, feel free to add them when you add the kidney beans.

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Did you make this recipe?

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Soups, Stews, & Chili
This weekend I’ll make this again and share in my Instagram Stories! You’ll be able to find it in the highlights! Look for it on Saturday!

Find more hearty recipes like this on my Soups, Stew and Chili Page!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

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The weather is finally cooling off and my fall recipes are hitting my plant-based meal plan this week! I’ve got a list of new recipes I want to develop and a bunch of favorites we will be enjoying!

In addition to meals, I’m so ready to make my Spiced Apple Cider! It’s not really cold enough for that yet but my kids are already asking for it. 

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

This week’s plant-based meal plan will include several dinners that will be used for leftovers. Two of the dinners are quick and easy family favorites. I don’t have a lot of food prepped for this week yet but these meals will be worth the time we invest in them!

Plant-Based Breakfast

We have been eating a lot of muffins lately. The kids usually have Instant Pot Oatmeal for breakfast but I’m a habitual breakfast skipper. My Apple Oatmeal Muffins are easy to pack on the go and provide enough energy to keep going until lunch. They are great as a snack too!

Plant-Based Lunch

We typically enjoy leftovers for lunch, especially when we have soups or casseroles. I’m a fan of hearty salads too like my Quinoa Lentil Salad or my Plant-Based Mediterranean Bowl. I’ve got a thermos (and this lunch box) for the kids to take soups in their lunch. Our youngest son loves soups for lunch.

Plant-Based Dinner

It’s a good thing when you are excited about your meal plan for the week! 

Monday: Chipotle Black Bean Chili is the perfect meal for the stormy weather we are expecting. It’s too spicy for the kids so they will eat something easy that they make themselves. 

Tuesday: Veggie Pad Thai is so easy and so good! It’s not traditional Thai but I love it. 

Wednesday: Instant Pot Mexican Casserole is one my my most popular recipes! I think it will make a great midweek meal! The leftovers reheat really well.

Thursday: We may have too many leftovers by Thursday but if not, we make Busy Night Pasta and serve a side salad or raw veggies and hummus.

Friday: Chickpea Rice Soup is a family favorite! I’ve got instructions for making it in the Instant Pot or on the stove! We love this soup and the leftovers 

I have been brainstorming a lot of fall recipes! If you have recipes you want to see, leave a comment or send me an email. 

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

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We have been on a muffin kick lately! I can’t even guess how many muffins we’ve made recently but I can tell you we love them! Our newest favorite is Apple Oatmeal Muffins!

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

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If you’ve ever made my Banana Bread, you’ll love this recipe too. They use the same base ingredients but the diced apples, cinnamon and oats help it transform into a muffin that deserves it’s own accolades.

I’ve tested this recipe with whole wheat pastry flour and whole wheat flour. Whole wheat pastry flour is my favorite (it’s my favorite in all my baked goods) but the whole wheat flour was good too, just a little dryer. I’ll be testing it with unbleached white flour soon and I’ll update this post.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

The oats make these muffins less dessert like and more hearty. The bananas, apples, apple sauce and sugar give it a nice sweetness, but they are not overly sweet. 

I prefer the muffins fresh out of the oven but we’ve exercised self control to enjoy them for a few days and they still taste great! 

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

If you are looking for a breakfast on the go, a mid day snack, or even a healthy dessert, this Apple Oatmeal Muffin is for you! I grabbed one on the way to church on Sunday and didn’t even make a mess! Did you know I’m a messy eater? Thankfully these muffins hold together well. 

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 cup apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup diced apples
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

Do

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Mix apple sauce and sugar together.
  3. Add 2 smashed ripe bananas and stir together.
  4. Add the salt, baking soda and cinnamon and give it a good stir.
  5. Mix in the diced apples and the rolled oats.
  6. Pour in the flour, adding a little at a time and stirring to incorporate before adding more until it is all mixed together. If it seems too dry you can add little plant-based milk. Add in 1 tablespoon at a time so you don’t use too much.
  7. Prepare your muffin pan. If your pan sticks you’ll want to use a little cooking spray. If you have a nonstick pan you won’t need to. Scoop batter into a muffin pan. I use about 1/4 cup of batter in each. 
  8. Bake for 15 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the muffin, it’s done when it comes out clean.

These muffins can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for a few days. 

Yield: 12

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

These plant-based muffins are easy to make and delicious! Your family will love these muffins.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup apple sauce
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 ripe bananas
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup diced apples
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Cream apple sauce and sugar together.
  3. Add 2 smashed ripe bananas and stir together.
  4. Add the salt, baking soda and cinnamon and give it a good stir.
  5. Mix in the diced apples and the rolled oats.
  6. Pour in the flour, adding a little at a time and stiring to incorporate before adding more until it is all mixed together. If it seems too dry you can add little plant-based milk. Add it 1 tablespoon at a time so you don't use too much.
  7. Prepare your muffin pan. If your pan sticks you'll want to use a little cooking spray. If you have a nonstick pan you won't need to. Scoop batter into a muffin pan. I use about 1/4 cup of batter in each. 
  8. Bake for 15 minutes. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the muffin, it's done when it comes out clean.

Notes

These muffins can be stored at room temperature in an air tight container for a few days. 

You can use white flour, whole wheat flour, or whole wheat pastry flour but whole wheat pastry flour gives the best outcome.

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Did you make this recipe?

We'd love to see it! Tag us and use #MyPlantBasedFamily!

© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Bread & Muffin Recipes
I can’t wait to hear what you think of these muffins? They remind me of the apple cinnamon oatmeal packets I would eat as a kid! The secret is to dice the apples really really tiny!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

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I’ve been spending a lot of time working on new recipes and taking new photos of old recipes. It can take a while before those new recipes show up in my Plant-Based Meal Plan! It’s a lot of fun for me though, especially when I know you are going to love the outcome.

Last week I planned to share a new Apple Oatmeal Muffin recipe but I shared my Best Veggie Broth’s instead. I plan to share the muffin recipe this week. I also tested another kind of flour to give you more options.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

This week we will plan to cook a few times and enjoy leftovers throughout the week. I just made a couple of batches of my Veggie Broth Mix that I’m looking forward to including in this week’s recipes.

Plant-Based Breakfast

This week, Instant Pot Breakfast Rice is making a comeback! We love this delicious, hearty breakfast. It’s a great break from oatmeal. I may make a batch of my Pumpkin Granola too.

Plant-Based Lunch

This week I’m planning to eat some of the leftovers in my fridge. I have One Pot Broccoli and Rice, Chickpea and Rice Soup and Taco Soup! I made the soups toward the end of last week and they need to be eaten. Once they are done I fully intend to dive into Veggie Sandwiches! I love having veggie focused lunches.

Plant-Based Dinner

Monday: Vegan Goulash is an easy-to-make recipe I’ve been developing. I haven’t published it yet but I love it! I just couldn’t bring myself to share it over the summer when it is super hot. Now that fall is on it’s way I’ll plan to share it soon.

Tuesday: Instant Pot Black Beans and Rice! This is one of my most viewed recipes! It makes a ton so I’ll sometimes half it if we don’t want to eat it all week. This recipe is a basic, mild recipe. You may want to spice it up but since my kids don’t like spicy foods, I make it this way, then spice up the the grown up servings.

Wednesday: Minestrone Soup is so good! I love all the different veggies! I’ve been thinking about it since I shared my posts about my favorite veggie broths. I’ll cook the noodles separate so they don’t continue to absorb all the broth.

Thursday: Leftover Black Beans and Brown Rice! We may eat this with tortillas.

Friday: Chickpea Nuggets, Mashed Potatoes and Brown Gravy is a family favorite! I don’t make this often because it’s a bit more labor intensive but we always love it when I do!

What are you eating this week? Any new recipes? If you make some of mine, I’d love to see them! Tag me on Instagram!

Best Veggie Broth

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Do you use Veggie Broth in your plant-based cooking? For us, a good Veggie Broth can make or break a meal. Thankfully, I’ve found the best Veggie Broth options!

Best Veggie Broth

Shortly after switching to a plant-based diet I created my Dry Veggie Broth Mix. I missed the deep, savory flavors from my previous diet but wanted to continue to eat healthy. I tried several brands but liked mine the best. Luckily, I’ve discovered a few that I enjoy when I’m not up for making my own.

Best Veggie Broth Options

I’ll share all my favorites and why I like them. I’d love to hear if you know some I should add to the list.

Dry Veggie Broth Mix

Dry Veggie Broth Mix

I may be biased but I’ve heard from countless people that say this Veggie Broth Mix is life changing. Not just good, LIFE CHANGING! I have to agree.

The good news is that you can easily adapt this recipe to suit your tastes. If you can’t have nightshades, just remove those ingredients. If you can’t have salt, leave it out! It still tastes great. The only ingredient that you need to include is nutritional yeast. It pretty much gives it the flavor and is the carrier for the rest of the spices.

I always double the recipe and keep it near my stove for a quick and easy broth. It lasts a long time in a glass jar.

My recipe uses one tablespoon of mix for each cup of water. If you blend it in a blender or food processor it will be finer and you can use less. I add it to soups (obviously) and many other foods like rice, pasta, popcorn and even sprinkle on potatoes or other veggies.

Veggie Broth

Veggie Scrap Broth

No doubt you’ve seen videos and heard of people who use veggie scraps to make veggie broth. It’s a great way to use up the odds and ends of veggies. You just need a bag or big jar and room in the freezer. Then once your bag is full, boil, then strain your veggies.

The downside of this is that you will forfeit room in your freezer, first for the scraps, then for the broth. You’ll also want to make sure you don’t have too many spicy or bitter scraps that may give your broth an off putting flavor. No one wants to sit down to a warm bowl of soup and taste bitter flavors.

Veggie Broth

Store Bought Broth Mixes and Bouillon

Seitenbacher Vegetable Broth and Seasoning is a favorite introduced to me by Anne at Recipe for Life. It tastes great and is perfect for a quick broth. The ingredients are really similar to my homemade version but I’ve been enjoying this one. I haven’t made a batch of mine since we started packing up our kitchen to move.

Better Than Bouillon Organic Vegetable Base is another favorite and the first veggie broth I tried. This one has to be kept refrigerated so it might be slightly less convenient but it tastes fantastic! I’m not as crazy about the ingredient list but the flavor might persuade you.

There are many others out there that I haven’t tried. I encourage you to read the ingredients and buy a small package to make sure you like the flavors. I’ve tried some brands that were not good but had so much I didn’t want to waste.

What’s the best veggie broth for you?

That will depend on your dietary needs and tastes. If there are foods you are allergic to, sensitive to, or just avoiding, making your own broth is the way to go! If you have room in your freezer and a good variety of veggie scraps, try making your own and store it until you are ready. If you don’t have room in your freezer, give my Dry Veggie Broth Mix a try!

Broccoli Potato Soup

Using your Veggie Broth

Veggie Broth isn’t just for soups! I use my veggie broth to give a little more flavor to pasta and rice dishes. It also works well when cooking veggies without oil. Just use a little broth to deglaze the pan and keep veggies from sticking.

I’ve even been known to make me a cup of broth when it’s cold. It’s so comforting!

And yes, soups are always a great choice. Here are a few of my favorites!

Do you use veggie broth? What’s your favorite?