My Plant-Based Family

Feeding My Family a Whole Food, Plant-Based Diet, On a Budget

Comfort Foods

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole (Crock-Pot)

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I’m constantly working on recipes that will be easy as well as delicious. This recipe is both and 100% comfort food.

I admit, this isn’t the same dairy and fat-filled Broccoli and Rice Casserole I used to make in our omni days but for any of you who have tried my other Broccoli and Rice Casserole I think you’ll love this. Also, you can change-up the veggies for a little variety.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Cheesy Broccoli and Rice Casserole

Ingredients

  • 2 cups brown rice
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/2 cups nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup brown rice flour*
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 cups plant-milk (I use rice milk)
  • 3 cups chopped broccoli (or other veggies)

Do

  1. Pour all ingredients into your crock-pot and give everything a good stir.
  2. Set crock-pot to low and cook for 3-4 hours. I gave it a stir about once an hour. 

Serve

This is great as a main dish. It is comforting and filling, perfect for cold weather.

*If you don’t have brown rice flour you can use wheat flour instead.

If you like this recipe try my Easy Crock Pot Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole!

Meal Plan Monday: Plant-Based Fall Favorites

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Did you know that you can eat delicious, hearty comfort foods on a plant-based diet? Today’s Meal Plan will share our favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner ideas for crisp fall weather.

This Meal Plan is more recipe intensive that others so feel free to pick and choose which recipes work best for your family and double them so you aren’t cooking something new for each meal.

mpm9-30

Meal Plan

Breakfast

I love a warm breakfast, especially on chilly mornings.

Lunch

We often have leftovers but I try to incorporate lots of leafy greens and raw veggies at lunch. Sometimes a soup and salad combo does the best job at hitting the spot.

Snack

I tend to focus on fruit and veggies for snack but I also like to include muffins and breads for my kids. We will have snacks in the morning and afternoon.

Dinner

Usually I’ll make double recipes to use for leftover lunches. When I have leftover soup I like to freeze it in small containers perfect for an individual lunch; the same goes for beans, grains and mashed potatoes.

Hot Apple Crisp sounds like the perfect dessert for fall weather but it’s hard to resist Pumpkin Cake! If you need more Plant-Based Recipe ideas check out the Recipe Page or the Meal Plan Page!

Meal Plan Monday: In The Beginning

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When my husband, little boys and I first started eating a Plant-Based Diet we ate a lot of comfort foods; Chili, Lentil or Quinoa Tacos, Nachos, Baked Potatoes were normal fare for us. I also made baked goods to help ease us off the junk food we were accustomed too. Since our teenage daughter had decided to live with us I thought it would only be considerate to eat more of these types of foods. One of the problems is we started eating plant-based in the winter, it is summer now so some of the foods we are then just don’t seem as appealing now.

My husband and I are happy with simpler meals, we can eat rice, lentils, and leafy greens and be satisfied. That is a tall order and would have been impossible for us in the beginning. It took a while for our taste buds to accept the kinds of food we like now.

A few days ago I made baked potatoes for dinner. I had some chili in the freezer that I thought would make a perfect accompaniment. I was right! Both of our teenagers liked it and my daughter even requested that I make it again this week. Yesterday my daughter flipped through my new Forks Over Knives Cookbook and picked out recipes she was interested in; I’m hoping to try a few this week.

Meal Plan

Breakfast is toast, fruit, muffins, and cereal more often than I would care to admit. We have oatmeal once or twice a week, usually with raisins, cinnamon, and a touch of agave.

Lunch is usually leftovers, nut butter sandwiches, bean and grain bowls, Big Salads, or bean burritos.

Snack ideas include: hummus with veggies, chips and salsa, smoothies, or fruit.

Dinner this week will include 3 Bean Chili, Beans and Rice, Black Bean Burgers with Twice Baked Potatoes, Quinoa or Lentil (or both) Taco Salad.

There are three nights this week with activities so we will be eating early, late, or out on those days. If you are wondering how I have time to cook so much food let me assure you I’m not slaving in the kitchen every day. Yesterday I cooked a big pot of lentils and a big pot of brown rice. I soaked pinto beans last night and cooked them today. Even if I don’t get the black beans cooked I have enough pintos and lentil to get several good meals made. By cooking beans and other foods that take a long time during my “down time” I can get dinner together in about half an hour.

While rice cooks, or beans heat up I can chop, steam, or otherwise prepare veggies.   

What are you eating this week?