My Plant-Based Family

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

Holly Yzquierdo

Are you ready for Father’s Day?

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Father’s Day is almost here. Last year I offered up some Father’s Day Meal Ideas and unsolicited and possibly offensive advice.

We haven’t really determined our Father’s Day plans yet. We don’t live near family so we won’t have a big family gathering. More than likely I’ll encourage my husband to pick a restaurant. For Mother’s Day we got together with some friend’s from church and ordered pizza. It was fun and fairly easy. I’ll call my dad and chat a bit.

worldsbestdad

Since Father’s Day is about honoring dad I think it is only fair to let them take the lead in the Father’s Day Plans; perhaps that will mean a meal, a hike or trip to the batting cages or driving range. Thankfully, my husband’s idea of a great time is NOT me spending hours in the kitchen.

grill

If you like to spend your holidays around the grill I highly recommend you read my top ideas for a Vegan Barbecue!

Sometimes it’s fun to celebrate Dad’s with gifts. My husband would love me to buy him a giant flat screen TV. He eyes them every time we go into Target but that is not going to happen. We don’t do extravagant purchases without discussing them and we will be waiting until our TV breaks before replacing it.

I never really know what to give my dad for holidays. If he wants something he will get it himself. I just send a card and talk to him on the phone.

fathers day

The gift ideas below are probably geared more toward husbands but some could be great for your father as well. We try to stick to practical gifts…here are my favorite

Amazon Prime Membership

We enjoy our Amazon Prime Membership all year-long. We enjoy instant streaming movies and TV, fast (2 day) free shipping and lots of kindle books. Considering the amount of items we purchase through Amazon it makes complete sense for us. I buy almost all of my gluten-free flours through Amazon. I also make a point of buying all of our Christmas presents, books, and specialty food products through Amazon. The money I save in shipping definitely pays for the $99 per year charge. Since we don’t have cable television (I’m talking zero channels, not even local) we love streaming movies. You can get a 30 day free trial to test the waters.

Movies

My husband is a movie guy! He loves action movies the most. A great gift for him would be to put the kids to bed early, bring out some of his favorite movie snacks like nachos with Unfried Black Beans and a delicious dessert while starting a movie would be a great gift for him.

Guys Night (or Day)

Maybe purchase a gift certificate to a local golf course and encourage him to go with some friends. If he is more of a camping guy give him a weekend off.

Write Him a Letter

More than any gift your husband or father would much rather hear your love and appreciation for them. Take a few days a write them a letter. Tell him how much he means to you, how thankful you are to have him in your life and recount some of your favorite memories.

What are your Father’s Day Plans?

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Meal Plan Monday: Stocked and Ready to Go

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Prepping foods on the weekend help me feel like I have a great start on the week. Yesterday I cooked brown rice and soaked white beans, I’ll cook the beans today. We also did our regular grocery shop, our bi-weekly Costco trip and I took my husband to Whole Foods for the first (and second time). The first one didn’t have what I needed so we drove a little farther to the next one.

I feel like we spent a lot of money this weekend because we were out a lot but we have a kitchen FULL of healthy foods and we took our kids out to eat a couple of times.

Meal Plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

I’m working on some new breakfast ideas this week. Additionally, we have apricots, strawberries, blueberries and grapes to add to our meals. We always have apples but are enjoying the new variety that summer brings.

  • Fruity Grain Bowl
  • Smoothies
  • GF Pancakes
  • Cereal
  • Muffins, maybe Blueberry

Lunch

Lunches will be quick this week, using mostly leftovers with sandwiches to fill in the gaps.

Dinner

My husband has already made his request and the rest is up to me, and our crazy schedule.

Snacks

I don’t mention snacks on the Meal Plan every week but we eat a lot of snacks. Usually fruit, my 3 year old eats at least 5 apples everyday, he is obsessed. We eat other fruit also, along with veggies. Most of the time when I need a snack I’ll grab a baked potato or a little leftovers. I feel like my kids are grazing ALL DAY.

I’ve also been making some dips that are amazing. I’ll share those soon! I have high hopes to do some baking this week. If I do I’ll be sure to show it off on Instagram.

I’m going to try some new recipes from Sweet Debbie’s Organic Treats after my next trip to the store. It uses a few flours I don’t normally have and I couldn’t remember what they were while at the store this weekend. The recipes are nut free, vegan and gluten-free so I’m excited to try them. If you’ve made any recipes from this cookbook let me know which one I should make first.

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Plant-Based Basics: Beans

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Today I’m starting a new series called Plant-Based Basics! This series is one you won’t want to miss if you are new to a plant-based diet or if you feel like you’ve been struggling to eat well. This series will also be the perfect thing to send to you friends or family who are curious about what you eat.

Plant-Based Basics: Beans What you need to know to get started eating healthy

Today’s focus will be on Beans. For many plant-based eaters, myself included, beans make up a large portion of our diet.

Why Eat Beans

Let’s look at a few reasons that Beans are so good for you.

  • High in Soluble and Insoluble FiberWhy eat beans?
  • High in Protein
  • High in Carbohydrates
  • High in Minerals
  • High in Vitamins
  • Low in Fat
  • No Cholesterol

Eating beans reduces the risk of “chronic disease such as obesity, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease” according to the USDA.

Beans are easy to include into your menu whether you eat vegan, vegetarian, or just trying to cut your grocery bill.

There are a lot of different types of beans too. I typically use pinto beans, black beans, white beans, and chickpeas most often. My favorite bean to use when I’m in a hurry is the lentil. Lentils are smaller and cook quickly.

Canned vs. Dry Beans

Canned beans are delicious and healthy. Although canned beans often contain large amounts of salt. Reduce the sodium levels by rinsing canned beans before using. Canned beans are fully cooked and can be eaten without any further preparation.

Dry Beans need to be cooked before eating. Follow the steps below for Soaking and Cooking Dry Beans or use this Printer-Friendly Guide: How to Soak and Cook Dry Beans.

You can expect to spend a lot more money on canned beans compared to dry beans. While dry beans are less expensive they take more time to prepare. Most people still consider canned beans to be inexpensive compared to animal products.

How to Soak and Cook Dry Beans

  1. Sort dry beans making sure there are no rocks, sticks or other debris.
  2. Rinse your beans with clean water.
  3. Put rinsed beans in a pot and cover them with water. I generally use a 1 part bean, 2 parts water ratio but you can use more water.
  4. Soak beans overnight.
  5. The next day, rinse the beans again and refill water. The water should cover the beans.
  6. Bring the beans to a boil, then turn it down to a simmer. Cook the beans from 1-3 hours. Some beans take longer to cook than others. (You can add onions, garlic, a bay leaf, etc. if desired.)
  7. Beans become soft when done. You can scoop up a few beans in a spoon and lightly blow on them, if the bean skin peels away they are done.

A one pound bag of dry beans is about 2 1/2 cups. Once cooked they will make about 5 cups of beans.

One can of beans is about 1 1/2 cups. Most of the time you will want to drain and rinse the beans if using canned.

Lentils do not need to be soaked prior to cooking. They cook quickly in about 20 minutes.

Some people swear by products like the Instant Pot Programmable Pressure Cooker, Stove Top Pressure Cooker’s, or Crock-Pot Slow Cookers for cooking beans.

Plant-Based Beans

How to Eat Beans

Beans are incredibly versatile! They can be eaten whole, puréed, ground into flour, partially mashed or even baked into treats.

We eat whole beans often. I like them in burritos, wraps, casseroles, mixed into soup or chili or just by themselves.

We also eat puréed beans a lot. Hummus is a popular bean recipe that can be made in a ton of different flavors.

Plant-Based Beans

Favorite Recipes that use Beans

Most of our favorite recipes are Mexican food but beans are used throughout the world.  These recipes are our favorites. Feel free to add links to your favorite recipes in the comments.

Even when a recipe specifies a particular kind of bean, often other beans can be substituted.

I use pinto beans and black beans interchangeably in many recipes including Taco Soup, Enchilada Soup, Unfried Beans (although I alter the spices slightly when making Unfried Black Beans), Taco Salad, Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole, or Bean and Grain Bowls.

I use white beans (Great Northern Beans) and garbanzo beans interchangeable too.  A few of our favorite recipes are Green Chili White Bean Dip, Lasagna, Creamy Italian Salad Dressing, Chickpea Noodle Soup, Lemony Quinoa Salad and many more.

I use lentils in Lentil Tacos, Quinoa-Lentil Tacos, Lentil & Barley Stew, Quinoa-Lentil Salad and Lentil Shepherd’s Pie. I also randomly include them in almost anything. I feel like Lentils are the ultimate super food.

Are you a Bean Eater? What is your favorite way to prepare and enjoy beans?

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Quinoa-Lentil Salad…A Salad that Fills You Up

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Are you looking to add more salads to your menu? I can help you with that! This Quinoa-Lentil Salad will fill you up AND taste great! If you don’t have quinoa you can substitute cooked brown rice. 

Quinoa Lentil Salad also contains lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions.

Have you noticed how some salads leaving you feeling hungry an hour after you finish eating? That won’t happen with this salad. The quinoa and lentils will fill you up! 

I prefer to cook the quinoa and lentils ahead of time and toss this together in a few minutes. If you still need to cook your quinoa and lentils don’t worry, it only takes about 20 minutes. You can chop veggies while you wait. I add various veggies depending on what I have on hand but this is my basic recipe.

Quinoa and lentils on a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and cucumbers.

Quinoa-Lentil Salad

This recipe is designed for one but you can easily make as many bowls as you like. It’s a great meal prep salad but I recommend using grape tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes for the make ahead version.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cooked lentils (seasoned with a little garlic and onion powder)
  • 1/2 cup cook quinoa (or substitute cooked brown rice)
  • 2-3 cups mixed greens or your favorite lettuce
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup diced cucumbers
  • 1/8 cup diced red onions

Do

  1. If desired, heat (seasoned) lentils and quinoa.
  2. Fill a large bowl or plate with greens/lettuce/
  3. Dump lentils and quinoa over greens, then top with diced veggies.

Serve

I love this salad with equal parts lemon juice and red wine vinegar (1 Tbsp each) but it is also delicious with my other oil-free dressings. Try the popular Sweet & Tangy Salad Dressing or the new Creamy Italian Salad Dressing that my pickiest kid eats with a spoon!

For more salad inspiration check out my Salad Board on Pinterest! I’ll be adding lots of new salads and oil-free salad dressings this summer. You don’t want to miss them!

Yield: 1

Quinoa-Lentil Salad

Quinoa Lentil Salad also contains lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and onions.

This Quinoa Lentil Salad is very filling and great any time of year. In the winter serve it with warm quinoa and lentils and in the summer you can keep them cold.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cooked lentils (seasoned with a little garlic and onion powder)
  • 1/2 cup cook quinoa (or substitute cooked brown rice)
  • 2-3 cups mixed greens or your favorite lettuce
  • 1/4 cup diced tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup diced cucumbers
  • 1/8 cup diced red onions

Instructions

  1. If desired, heat (seasoned) lentils and quinoa.
  2. Fill a large bowl or plate with lettuce.
  3. Dump lentils and quinoa over greens, then top with diced veggies.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Salads & Wraps

Meal Plan Monday: Full of Berries and Tomatoes

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I took a little break from the computer last week because we traveled to Michigan for our daughter’s graduation. We aren’t quite unpacked yet but we are slowly getting back to normal. I made Veggie Pad Thai last night and I’m soaking beans now. In a little while I’ll cook a batch of rice to use in various recipes.

Even though I didn’t take my computer I used my time off to plan and brainstorm. I have a couple dozen recipes I hope to show you over the next few months.

During the month of June I want to work on getting some extra ingredients and maybe a few meals prepped and in my freezer. We’ve been having too much food waste lately. My plan is to put serving sizes of cooked rice, beans, sauces, etc. into the freezer for an easy to grab dinner. I’ll come up with a better plan for this later, hopefully. 🙂

For now I’m focusing on berries and tomatoes!

Meal Plan

Plant-Based Meal Plan

Breakfast

Fresh berries are showing up in the stores. They are my breakfast inspiration.

Lunch

I’ll be focusing on simple, mostly unprocessed foods for lunch.

  • Baked Potatoes with steamed broccoli
  • Veggie Wraps with cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, red onions and greens
  • Tomato Soup with a salad or baked potato
  • Leftover Lentil & Quinoa Salad
  • Sandwiches with SunButter and fruit for the kids

Dinner

Most of our meals with be oven-less for the next few months. That leaves the stove, Crock-Pot, and grill as viable options.

If you need an idea for working more berries into your meals try my Blueberry Salad Dressing! It’s oil-free and very kid-friendly!

I’m using lots of tomatoes lately. My garden is in production mode! I gave a friend all of my ripe tomatoes before our trip and came home to find about a dozen more ready to go. I even left 4 or 5 for the bugs and birds.

Is your garden coming together? I’d love to hear what you are growing and how you work it into your Meal Plan!

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Fire Up the Grill

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I’ve already been proclaiming that Summer is here. It may be Spring for you but it is Summer in Arizona. Since Memorial Day is only days away I wanted to leave you will some grilling ideas.

Vegan grilling ideas

If you get invited to a barbecue you will be prepared. Just don’t go empty-handed!

portobello's on the grill

Portobello Mushrooms

You can’t go wrong with grilling Portobello Mushrooms. Consider grilling Portobello Steaks, Portobello Fajita’s, or Portobello Burgers. Mushrooms are incredibly versatile and work great on the grill. Since they are large they “fit” better and don’t fall in the fire.

Veggies

Many veggies can be grilled as well. Summer Squash, Onions, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, and Asparagus. I even grill Avocados, yes you read that right.

You can arrange veggies on skewers or just toss them on the grill. There are also really neat products available like this Emeril Grilling Veggie Basket that you can flip over to allow both sides to cook. Or, this Weber Style Professional-Grade Vegetable Basket that is open on top for easy stirring. I always loved eating kabobs but when grilling for company (and kids) these grill baskets make much easier options in my opinion. They are even Father’s Day gift worthy!

dips for a cookout

Side Dishes

Baked Potato Wedges, Potato Salad, Dirty Mashed Potatoes, Baked Beans, Chip & Salsa or Pico De Gallo are great side dishes if you are planning to grill.

If you are getting together with friends or family I always enjoy bringing stuff like chips and salsa, guacamole, Pico de Gallo, Green Chili White Bean Dip, Unfried Pinto Beans, Faux Cheese Dip for dipping. I’ll often bring a quinoa-black bean salad too. I like to bring chips and dips because these look “normal” to everyone else. I feel like dips are always safe to bring to a party. I sometimes feel weird bringing a whole separate entrĂ©e (unless I was asked ) to someone else’s party.

Drinks

Don’t forget to BYOB! I don’t drink alcohol and I’m rarely invited anywhere with it as an option (actually I’m rarely invited anywhere at all, I think everyone is too intimidated by my son’s allergies. That is the reason I’m going with. I’m fabulous, who wouldn’t want to hang out with me? I digress.) I prefer to bring my own drinks. Usually it is just water. I’m a water snob. We have a filter so I have a hard time drinking tap water.

Basically, don’t assume there will be something you can drink. I regularly attend events where lemon water is the only option. I prefer my water straight up. If you love lemon you must check out Sarah’s Stevia Lemonade at Gazing In!

gluten free vegan brownies

Dessert

Probably the most important part of any cookout. I don’t typically grill dessert but we occasionally grill peaches. Just cut them in half, remove the pit and put them on the grill. Serve them with vegan ice cream! It will taste kind of like peach cobbler without all the work.

If I’m taking dessert somewhere it is almost always my Gluten-Free Vegan Brownies. They travel well, don’t need to be refrigerated and everyone loves them.

4 Tips to Stay Safe in the Sun

If you plan to spend some time outside make sure to check out my recent post with 4 Tips to Keep You Safe in the Sun! I also share about learning a had a pre-cancerous mole years ago. If you don’t know what sunscreen to buy read the post!

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