My Plant-Based Family

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

plant-based diet

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bowl

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This Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bowl has been living on my personal meal plan for months! We love it! Most often it takes the form of a Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad because I put all the ingredients on top of a giant bowl of greens.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Bowl

I first shared this recipe during the Next Step Challenge. It’s been a big hit!

The flavor of this salad is my main reason for loving it. We love sweet potatoes and black beans. Corn and tomatoes are always a good choice for me. Add in the avocado and I’m a happy camper! Of course when I can’t find good avocados I’ll use a little packaged guacamole. Then, instead of salad dressing I use salsa!

The next reason is because I feel great after eating it. The potatoes and beans give me a lot of energy and fuel for my day. I get a lot of greens and veggies. Sometimes I even throw some fruit in there, usually berries.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bowl

Batch Cook

To make this easy to throw together on busy week days, we like to batch cook the sweet potatoes on the weekend. You can also cook your beans but I’ve been using canned black beans for ease.

To batch cook the sweet potatoes, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Then wash and peel your sweet potatoes, then dice them into bite sized pieces. Bake them for 40 minutes.

This recipe serves about 4. It will depend on how much of all the veggies you use. We like to prepare this for busy week day lunches because we can throw everything together in a few minutes.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bowl

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 head Romaine (or your favorite greens)
  • 1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup Tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can Corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup Salsa, divided
  • 2 Avocados

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Wash and peel 2 sweet potatoes. Cube them into bite sized pieces and place them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle salt on the potatoes and bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cook before eating.
  3. Assemble the bowl, starting with a layer of romaine or greens of your choice, add in black beans, cooked sweet potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and avocado. Top the bowl with your favorite salsa.

Other additions we enjoy is adding fresh lime, cilantro, fresh jalapeno, sauerkraut (really), and any other veggies that need to be used up.

Yield: 4

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bowl

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bowl

This Sweet Potato and Black Bean Bowl is incredibly satisfying. You'll get a great variety of veggies in an easy to assemble meal. This vegan meal will leave you full and energized.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

  • 2 sweet potatoes
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 head Romaine (or your favorite greens)
  • 1 can Black Beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup Tomatoes, diced
  • 1 can Corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup Salsa, divided
  • 2 Avocados

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. Wash and peel 2 sweet potatoes. Cube them into bite sized pieces and place them on a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle salt on the potatoes and bake for 40 minutes. Allow to cook before eating.
  3. Assemble the bowl, starting with a layer of romaine or greens of your choice, add in black beans, cooked sweet potatoes, corn, tomatoes, and avocado. Top the bowl with your favorite salsa.

Notes

You can also use fresh lime, cilantro, fresh jalapeno, sauerkraut, and any other veggies that need to be used up.

If you plan to carry this to work, I recommend using cherry tomatoes instead of diced tomatoes.

Save time by batch cooking the potatoes ahead of time.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Recipes

Salads don’t have to be only veggies, adding beans, potatoes and other higher calorie foods like avocados and nuts (if you make them a part of your diet) can help make your salads satisfying and give you the energy you need to conquer your day!

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

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We’ve been eating my Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole for years. It’s a crowd pleaser. I’ve adapted it and made many different versions. It seems like it’s time to do it again. I’m taking the same flavor and most of the ingredients plus quinoa! It make it even easier, I’m making it in my Instant Pot!

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

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If you are like me, you probably have a giant bag of quinoa in your pantry. I don’t know why, but in the summer I always gravitate toward quinoa.

What is Quinoa?

Quinoa is technically a seed but most people treat it like a grain. It should be cooked before eating. Quinoa has a slightly nutty flavor.

Quinoa is a great versatile food to add to your rotation. We enjoy it in stir frys instead of rice, in breakfast bowls instead of oats, as a replacement for taco meat, your imagination is the limit.

Should I Washing Quinoa?

If you are new to quinoa, you will want to rinse your quinoa first. Quinoa is coated in saponin. It’s bitter and will make you think quinoa is gross. If you rinse the quinoa well, we use a fine mesh strainer, you’ll be able to get the saponin off easily.

Many brands of quinoa will prewash it to remove the saponin.

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

I love how versatile this recipe is. I enjoy it hot and cold. Whether I reheat leftovers or serve them cold, I love topping it with my pico de gallo. What can I say, fresh tomatoes, onions, garlic and cilantro are irresistible.

When I know I need a filling meal on the go, this is one of my top choices.

Yield: 4 servings

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa

Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa is a quick and easy recipe your family will love. Adapt it to your individual preferences.

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

Ingredients

  • 1 15 ounce can Black Beans (drained, rinsed)
  • 1 1/4 cups water or veggie broth
  • 1 cup Quinoa (uncooked)
  • 1 cup Diced Tomatoes (from the can, drained)
  • 1 cup Frozen Corn
  • 2 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 1 teaspoon Cumin
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1 Lime, sliced for garnish
  • 2 Avocado (diced)

Instructions

  1. Dump the black beans, water/veggie broth, quinoa, tomatoes, corn, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and salt into the Instant Pot.
  2. Close the lid and close the pressure valve. Press manual/pressure cooker and cook for 5 minutes on high pressure. Once it is done, release the pressure manually. Remove the lid carefully.
  3. Serve in bowls topped with lime wedges and diced avocado. Fresh pico de gallo is my favorite way to enjoy it.

Notes

Refrigerate leftovers in an air tight container. Enjoy for 3-4 days.

You can eat leftovers warm or cold.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Instant Pot

Vegan Peach Crisp

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I love peaches! Every year as summer gets closer I patiently wait for the peaches to hit the stores. This year, the peaches and nectarines have been exceptionally good. With an abundance of peaches, it’s time to make my oil-free Vegan Peach Crisp.

Oil-Free Vegan Peach Crisp

Don’t get me wrong, I love fresh peaches but baked peaches are out of this world. I don’t make a lot of desserts because most are full of oil and sugar. This easy Peach Crisp is oil-free and uses maple syrup to sweeten it.

It’s not overly sweet. This is not a gooey peach cobbler. I love traditional peach cobbler but this is not a cobbler recipe. You can’t make cobbler crust without oil, butter or lard and I’m not doing that. A whole bunch of foods trigger headaches for me so I’m avoiding anything that could be a trigger and keeping to simple ingredients that make me feel good.

Oil-Free Vegan Peach Crisp

You can’t get much simpler than these ingredients. Other than peaches, the rest are pantry staples.

  • Peaches
  • Rolled Oats
  • Maple Syrup
  • Applesauce

You can add other ingredients to liven it up. Cinnamon, lemon juice and lemon zest, vanilla, almonds, pecans or even other stone fruit.

The topping on this crisp is similar to my oil-free granola. Since it doesn’t use oil or added fat, it doesn’t get super crispy. You can also add a scoop of your favorite dairy-free vanilla ice cream.

We think this Peach Crisp tastes best after a day or two.

Vegan Peach Crisp

Can I use frozen peaches for Peach Crisp?

I know it’s difficult to get delicious peaches all year long, don’t worry, you can use frozen peaches! Just let them thaw all the way first.

You can use a mix of fruit too. I’ve made this with a mix of peaches and nectarines and it was glorious!

Is Peach Crisp gluten-free?

Yes, if you use gluten-free oats. Most oats are processed on the same equipment with wheat. If you need to eat gluten-free, make sure your oats are certified gluten-free.

What can I substitute for applesauce?

If you don’t have applesauce you can use an apple for a substitute by blending it in your blender. If you don’t have an apple you can mash a banana or puree a peach. See more Applesauce Substitutes here.

Is Peach Crisp a dessert?

Yes and no. This Peach Crisp is so good for you, you could eat it for breakfast. It’s pretty similar to my Baked Oatmeal.

Yield: 6

Vegan Peach Crisp

Vegan Peach Crisp

Delicious oil-free Vegan Peach Crisp is an easy plant-based dessert. Fresh peaches and a few pantry ingredients are all you need.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Rolled Oats (divided)
  • 3/4 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
  • 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
  • 4 Peaches (pit removed, 3 cups peeled and sliced)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray. (8x8 works too)
  2. Put 1 cup of rolled oats into a blender or food processor and blend until the oats are a fine oat flour.
  3. In a medium mixing bowl, pour applesauce, maple syrup and oat flour together and mix well. Dump in remaining 2 cups of oats and stir well.
  4. Pour about half of the oat mixture into your prepared pan and mash down to form a crust. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
  5. Pour peeled and sliced peaches on top of the layer of oats in the baking pan.
  6. Spoon the rest of the oat mixture on top of the peaches. Try to cover the peaches evenly.
  7. Bake for 25 minutes.

Notes

Store Peach Crisp in an air tight container for about 4 days. It can be kept on the counter but will last longer refrigerated.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Dessert

Vegan Lettuce Wraps

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Vegan Lettuce Wraps are the perfect light meal for hot or busy days. These whole food plant-based lettuce wraps are easy to customize with your favorite ingredients and sauces.

Vegan Lettuce Wraps

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I’ll often prep all the veggies ahead of time and assemble these quickly on my lunch break.

Years ago, I’m talking like almost 20 years ago, I used to order chicken lettuce wraps at Chili’s. They stopped serving them but the memory always stayed with me.

After going plant-based I realized how easy these would be to make using whole foods. These Asian inspired Vegan Lettuce Wraps are perfect for quick meals and easy snacks.

I prefer to eat them with raw veggies. They are so light and refreshing. If you have trouble eating a lot of raw veggies, you could steam or stir fry the veggies first, then assemble the wraps.

Best Lettuce for Lettuce Wraps

I’ve tried a lot of different types of lettuce for lettuce wraps but my favorites are:

  • Butter Lettuce
  • Red Leaf or Green Leaf Lettuce
  • Romaine Lettuce

I recommend using what you like or using what you have. If all else fails, chop it all up and make a salad! Yes, I do that too.

Tofu Filling for Lettuce Wraps

I’m happy to eat my lettuce wraps with just the raw veggies and sauce but I prefer to add tofu. Using baked tofu, sauteed tofu or air fried tofu helps make the lettuce wraps more filling. Leftover tofu is perfect for this. If you aren’t a fan of tofu, or can’t eat soy, I recommend chickpeas.

I won’t always go through the effort to cook tofu but if I have it, I’ll add it. If you are new to tofu, check out my Tofu Starter Guide.

Vegan Lettuce Wrap ingredients

Sauce for Lettuce Wraps

The thing that really makes these plant-based lettuce wraps my favorite is the sauce! Oh, how I love the sauce! It’s mostly natural peanut butter and tamari but I also add a little maple syrup, rice wine vinegar, lime juice and water. Sometimes I’ll add ginger, garlic or turmeric. You can also add crushed red pepper or Sriracha.

The natural peanut butter is way easier than regular peanut butter to mix into a smooth sauce. If you can’t use peanuts, sunflower seed butter works perfectly too. I think tahini would be a good substitute but you may need to change up the proportions.

I use tamari because it’s gluten-free and delicious. If you eat soy, you can use soy sauce. If you need to avoid soy, use coconut aminos.

Vegan Lettuce Wraps

Plant-Based Lettuce Wraps

These quick and easy Vegan Lettuce Wraps are a great way to use up a lot of veggies and eat the rainbow. Lay out all the ingredients so everyone can build their own.

Lettuce Wrap Ingredients

  • Large Leaf Lettuce
  • Shredded Red Cabbage
  • Bell Pepper, julienne cut (I like red or yellow)
  • Carrots, matchstick or shredded
  • Red onion, sliced
  • Cucumbers, sliced into long sticks or diced

Tofu Ingredients

  • Tofu, drained, pressed and cubed
  • Spices are optional but you can use tamari, onion powder and/or garlic.

Sauce Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Tamari
  • 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
  • water (to get pour able consistency)

Directions

For Tofu (optional)

  1. Drain and press your tofu to remove extra moisture. I use my EZ Tofu Press.
  2. Season if desired.
  3. Put tofu on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then flip tofu and bake for 15 more minutes.
  4. Allow to cool.

For Lettuce Wraps

  1. Wash and chop all veggies as mentioned in the ingredient list.
  2. Place a lettuce leaf on a plate and stack the veggies on top of each other. Don’t overload the wraps or they will be too difficult to pick up and all your ingredients will spill.
  3. Set aside

For Sauce

  1. In a medium bowl, add your peanut butter and tamari and stir well.
  2. Then add the maple syrup, rice wine vinegar and lime juice. Stir again until everything is mixed together. If you are using any other flavors like ginger or turmeric, add them now.
  3. Add water a few tablespoons at a time until you reach the desired consistency. I like mine easy to spoon our or pour. You want it about as thick as cold maple syrup, that will help it stay put.

Assembling the Lettuce Wraps

Take your lettuce wraps filled with veggies, add tofu if you are using, and spoon or pour your sauce on the inside of the lettuce wraps. If your lettuce wraps close, great, if not, tilt your head and eat them like a taco.

Yield: 4 servings

Vegan Lettuce Wraps

Vegan Lettuce Wraps

Vegan Lettuce Wraps are the perfect light meal for hot or busy days. These whole food plant-based lettuce wraps are easy to customize with your favorite ingredients and sauces.

The veggies and sauce come together quickly. If using tofu, it will take the longest to cook.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes

Ingredients

Lettuce Wrap Ingredients

  • Large Leaf Lettuce
  • Shredded Red Cabbage
  • Bell Pepper, julienne cut (I like red or yellow)
  • Carrots, matchstick or shredded
  • Red onion, sliced
  • Cucumbers, sliced into long sticks or diced

Tofu Ingredients

  • Tofu, drained, pressed and cubed
  • Spices are optional but you can use tamari, onion powder and/or garlic.

Sauce Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Tamari
  • 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
  • water (to get pour able consistency)

Instructions

For Tofu

  1. Drain and press your tofu to remove extra moisture. I use my EZ Tofu Press.
  2. Season if desired.
  3. Put tofu on a baking sheet covered with parchment. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then flip tofu and bake for 15 more minutes.
  4. Allow to cool.

For Lettuce Wraps

  1. Wash and chop all veggies as mentioned in the ingredient list.
  2. Place a lettuce leaf on a plate and stack the veggies on top of each other. Don’t overload the wraps or they will be too difficult to pick up and all your ingredients will spill.
  3. Set aside

For Sauce

  1. In a medium bowl, add your peanut butter and tamari and stir well.
  2. Then add the maple syrup, rice wine vinegar and lime juice. Stir again until everything is mixed together. If you are using any other flavors like ginger or turmeric, add them now.
  3. Add water a few tablespoons at a time until you reach the desired consistency. I like mine easy to spoon our or pour. You want it about as thick as cold maple syrup, that will help it stay put.

Assembling Lettuce Wraps


Take your lettuce wraps filled with veggies, add tofu if you are using, and spoon or pour your sauce on the inside of the lettuce wraps. If you lettuce wraps close great, if not, tilt your head and eat them like a taco.


Notes

See substitution notes in blog post.

You can prep this on the weekend by cutting up all the veggies, cooking the tofu and making the sauce. Then assemble in 5 minutes to enjoy throughout the week.

These do not last long once they are assembled and shouldn't be stored for more that a day assembled. The ingredients will stay fresh for 4-5 days if stored separately.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Main Dish Recipes

If you like these flavors, you will love my Quick and Easy Veggie Pad Thai! It comes together just as quickly.

Tortilla Soup

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We love Mexican Food! Beans, peppers, cilantro…you name it, we love it. Plant-Based Tortilla Soup is one of those favorites that deserves a plant-based make over!

This Tortilla Soup is similar to my Taco Soup and Enchilada Soup but is different in several ways. This recipe is designed for only 4 servings and uses spices differently.

Make your own Tortilla Strips

I make my own tortilla strips using soft corn tortillas. They aren’t as crunchy as the store bought version that has oil but I don’t mind.

Don’t forget to preheat your oven because the tortilla strips will bake for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. I don’t put them in the oven until the soup is simmering but it’s important to have your oven ready.

When the soup is simmering on the stove I’ll cut up my corn tortillas. I like to sprinkle them with fresh lime juice and dust them with onion and garlic powder, sometimes I’ll add paprika. These bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

Plant-Based Tortilla Soup

I start this one off by doing a water saute of my onions, garlic, jalapenos and cilantro. I normally reserve cilantro for a garnish in most recipes but in this one, it’s one of the first ingredients.

Once this is cooking for a few minutes I normally start hearing from family members, they come from every room in the house and want to know what I’m cooking. The fragrance fills the house.

Next I add all my spices. I’m sharing the mild version today but you can spice it up by adding 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle pepper. You can also add extra jalapeno. If you really like chipotle flavor then add a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. It will have a kick!

Dump in your black beans, corn and diced tomatoes. I’ve used fire roasted tomatoes and plain. Both are good!

Add in your lentils. I’ve used brown lentils and red lentils. Both work. The red lentils break down a bit more, creating a creamier soup. The brown lentils stay whole, creating a chunkier soup. I don’t have a preference.

Lastly, the tomato paste is optional. We’ve made this soup with and without the tomato paste. I think it depends on the flavor of your broth. I used my Dry Veggie Broth Mix! It had a nice flavor but we are a fans of tomato-based soups.

Plant-Based Tortilla Soup

The soup needs to simmer for about 20 minutes. At the 15 minute mark, the brown lentils weren’t quite ready. If you have a tendency to forget you are cooking, set a timer. This soup doesn’t have a lot of excess liquid and you’ll simmer it out if you don’t check on it. If that happens just add more broth.

You can add some tortillas to your soup as it simmers. If you do this, use small pieces to make it easier to eat.

This soup has a lot of textures but I add even more by topping it with the tortilla strips, fresh Pico de Gallo, cilantro, avocado, and anything else I have. Oh, and don’t forget the lime! Squeeze fresh lime juice over each bowl!

Yield: 4 servings

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup

This hearty plant-based Tortilla Soup is filling and delicious. A few easy additions can give it extra heat if you like it spicy.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 sliced jalapeno (remove seeds for less spicy version)
  • 1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 cups veggie broth (see note in recipe)
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 ounce can of organic corn, drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup dry lentils
  • 2 Tablespoons tomato paste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees for the tortilla strips.
  2. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic and cilantro to a large pot on medium heat. Stir occasionally and as the veggies stick, add a few tablespoons of water and stir again.
  3. Cook these veggies until the onions become translucent.
  4. Add the broth, spices, black beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato paste and red lentils. All the ingredients should be submerged in broth, if they aren't add little more liquid.
  5. Bring the soup to a simmer and cover with a lid. You don't need a boil, that will cause too much water to evaporate.
  6. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  7. Cut your corn tortillas into strips, you may add seasoning if you want but it's not required. Bake for 10 minutes.
  8. Then test lentils to make sure they are done.
  9. Allow soup to cool some before eating. Top with tortilla strips. I like to top with fresh pico de gallo and cilantro too.

Notes

Want your soup to be spicier? Add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper or more jalapenos to the soup.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Soups, Stews, & Chili

Are you a Tortilla Soup fan?