My Plant-Based Family

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

Recipes

Simple Veggie Sandwich

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One of the things I miss from my pre-plant-based days is a really good deli sandwich.

There is no reason I can’t have a great sandwich. Meat and cheese don’t make the meal. Good bread, fresh veggies and condiments make the meal.

Veggie SandwichSimple Veggie Sandwich

There isn’t a set recipe, use the ingredients you love and have on hand. This is more of a template than a recipe anyway.

Ingredients

  • Good bread, you can also use wraps, naan, or lettuce wraps.
  • Condiments, I use spicy mustard and hummus. Guacamole is another good choice.
  • Greens, I used lettuce and chopped romaine. Use what you like.
  • Veggies, I used cucumbers, tomatoes and bell peppers. Artichokes, pickles and onions are good too.

Do

Build your sandwich in any way you desire. You may want to wrap it in parchment paper if you are on the go.

Veggie sandwiches tend to be pretty messy. I usually only eat these at home so I don’t make a huge mess.

Other great lunch meal include Veggie Wraps, Black Bean Mango Salad, Chick Pea Salad and Not So Tuna Salad.

Black Bean Mango Salad

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It’s summer time and that means salads.

When you adopt a plant-based diet the BIG salad is kind of a rite of passage. We aren’t talking the dinky side salads you typically found in your Standard American Diet (SAD) days. We aren’t even talking about the giant meat, cheese and oil salads you may have ordered when you were “eating healthy.”

No, I’m talking about fiber filled, colorful, BIG, flavorful and healthy salads.

Black Bean Mango Salad Vegan Gluten-Free Plant-Based

Unlike most of the recipes you’ll find here this recipe is for a single serving. Sure my kids would love most of the things in this salad but if your kids are like my kids they don’t want it all mixed together. Today, I’m telling the kids to get back. This one is all mine.

Even though this is for a single serving I prefer to build two (or three or four) at a time to eat later in the week. The only real difference is you’ll want to store the diced mango separately because it can get a little slimy.

Let me take just a moment to mention that the measurements below can be adapted to your taste. I actually added a little more of everything for the salad I ate at home. This size was perfect for work. I don’t know about you but it takes me a long time to eat BIG salads. My lunch salads need to be a little average size.

Black Bean Mango Salad Vegan Gluten-Free

Black Bean Mango Salad

Ingredients

  • 2-3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup organic corn
  • 1/4 cup diced tomato (remove seeds)
  • 1/4 cup diced onion (I prefer sweet onion or red onions)
  • 1/4 of a large mango (or half a small mango) diced.
  • diced jalapenos to taste
  • juice from half a lime
  • 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
  • 1/2 avocado (optional)

Do

  1. Place lettuce in a large bowl then top with beans, corn, tomatoes, onion and mango*.
  2. If using jalapenos and cilantro add now. Give the salad a good stir.
  3. Squeeze fresh lime juice over the salad and stir one more time.

*Notes: If you are packing an extra salad for another day leave the mango, lime juice and avocado separate I didn’t use avocado above but I stored my mango and lime in a container. See the photo below.

BBQ Cauliflower Bites

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For a girl that doesn’t eat meat, I really love barbecue sauce. Vegan barbecue is something I fully support. These BBQ Cauliflower Bites hit the spot. If you are looking for a plant-based version of BBQ Wings, give these a try.

Homemade vegan BBQ Cauliflower Bites. Similar to vegan wings.

Years ago, friends and I would share boneless BBQ wings in our late night chats. We’d order a bunch of appetizers and catch up.

Just because I avoid chicken doesn’t mean I have to avoid barbecue sauce. Especially this Homemade BBQ Sauce.

Vegan Barbecue Wings

You can make these with or without the breading. I’m sharing a gluten-free breading for the cauliflower but you can make it with wheat flour or skip the breading all together.

Homemade vegan BBQ cauliflower bites. Similar to vegan wings.

BBQ Cauliflower Bites

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 cup Gluten-Free flour blend
  • 1 cup unsweetened and unflavored plant milk (I use rice milk)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 recipe Homemade BBQ Sauce

Do

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Rinse cauliflower and cut into two-bite-sized pieces (about 2 inches or so).
  3. In a medium bowl mix the rest of the ingredients (except BBQ Sauce) together. I recommend adding the milk a little at a time because you may not need the whole cup. Stir with a whisk until the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.
  4. Put a handful of the cauliflower pieces into the batter then remove with a fork and place it on the cookie sheet.
  5. Once all of the cauliflower pieces have been dipped in batter and arranged on the cookie sheet bake for 15 minutes.
  6. After 15 minutes carefully remove the hot cauliflower and dip them into the BBQ Sauce. Put them back on the cookie sheet and bake for 5 more minutes.

Serve

These BBQ Cauliflower Bites are best served right out of the oven.

Vegan BBQ Cauliflower Bites

Vegan BBQ Cauliflower Bites

Sweet and tangy vegan BBQ Cauliflower Bites are the wing substitute you need.

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 cup Gluten-Free flour blend
  • 1 cup unsweetened and unflavored plant milk (I use rice milk)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 recipe Homemade BBQ Sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Rinse cauliflower and cut into two-bite-sized pieces (about 2 inches or so).
  3. In a medium bowl mix the rest of the ingredients (except BBQ Sauce) together. I recommend adding the milk a little at a time because you may not need the whole cup. Stir with a whisk until the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.
  4. Put a handful of the cauliflower pieces into the batter then remove with a fork and place it on the cookie sheet.
  5. Once all of the cauliflower pieces have been dipped in batter and arranged on the cookie sheet bake for 15 minutes.
  6. After 15 minutes carefully remove the hot cauliflower and dip them into the BBQ Sauce. Put them back on the cookie sheet and bake for 5 more minutes.

Notes

These are best fresh from the oven and do not reheat well.

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© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Main Dish Recipes

Need more barbecue ideas? Try these delicious recipes!

Vegan BBQ Sandwich...You'll never guess the secret ingredient!

Vegan BBQ Sandwich

Grilled Portobello Burgers and Vegan Potato Salad

Grilled Portobello Burger

Incredible vegan and gluten-free avocado grillers

Avocado Grillers

What are your favorite things to barbecue? Don’t forget the sides like grilled corn, veggie kabob’s, potato salad and pasta salad!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

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Summer is coming… for those of us in Phoenix it is right on our door step. In addition to the heat, summer brings on cookout season. If this is your first summer living a plant-based lifestyle you may be a little intimidated by all of the upcoming barbecue invitations. Don’t be, I’ve got you covered, right down to my Homemade BBQ Sauce!

Homemade Vegan Barbecue Sauce

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Today I’m going to share one of my secrets, Homemade BBQ Sauce.

I love barbecue sauce! Like, I really love it! I could eat it on almost anything.

Sweet and Tangy Vegan Barbecue Sauce

This Homemade BBQ Sauce is sweet and tangy. My husband said it tasted like candy but his palate is really sensitive to sweetness. Actually, at first you taste the sweet then the tangy hits.

This homemade barbecue sauce is perfect on baked potatoes, lentil BBQ or my Spaghetti Squash BBQ Sandwich, BBQ Chickpeas, tofu and more. The sauce is really versatile and you can change it up by using less sugar or more vinegar. You can also add Sriracha for a little more kick.

Simple Ingredients

A couple of years ago I started getting really sensitive to ingredients in processed foods. I can’t just grab a sauce off the shelf at the grocery store unless I want to chance a migraine.

This vegan barbecue sauce uses pantry staple ingredients that I always have on hand. These ingredients work for me. I love that I can get all the deliciousness of vegan barbecue without a headache.

No high fructose corn syrup in this sauce!

Quick and Easy

One of the best things about this DIY barbecue sauce is that it’s so quick and easy to make! Basically, you stir every thing together and let it heat up. You could just mix it but the flavors change as it simmers.

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

  • 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp molasses
  • 3 Tbsp
  • 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
  • 2 Tbsp
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup (more or less) of brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water (add it a little at a time to obtain the right consistency)

Do

  1. Add all ingredients except water in a small sauce pan place on low heat.
  2. Stir often as you add each ingredient.
  3. Once everything except water is added taste and make any changes.
  4. Add water a little at a time while stirring until you reach the right consistency. You’ll probably need between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup.

Serve

Use this BBQ Sauce as you would a bottled sauce. If you have leftovers store in the refrigerator in an air tight container.

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Forget store bought barbecue sauce, this DIY BBQ Sauce is vegan and delicious!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 6 oz can of tomato paste
  • 1 Tbsp molasses
  • 3 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke
  • 2 Tbsp Vegan Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup (more or less) of brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup water (add it a little at a time to obtain the right consistency)

Instructions

  1. Add all ingredients except water in a small sauce pan place on low heat.
  2. Stir often as you add each ingredient.
  3. Once everything except water is added taste and make any changes.
  4. Add water a little at a time while stirring until you reach the right consistency. You’ll probably need between 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup.

Notes

You can add more brown sugar or maple syrup if you like a sweeter sauce. Add more heat by adding hot sauce like Sriracha.

Recommended Products

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Did you make this recipe?

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

© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Sauces, Dips, and Salad Dressings

Next I’ll share my Cauliflower BBQ Bites recipe!

Make sure you read the labels on all of your ingredients. Some versions may not be vegan or may contain gluten. Always read ingredients on packaged products to make sure they are safe for you.

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Instant Pot Mexican Casserole

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I’ve been promising this recipe for a while but keep putting it off. Today I’m going to share my Instant Pot version of my Mexican Rice and Bean Casserole, a.k.a. Mexican Casserole. It uses dry beans so you don’t have to cook anything ahead of time.

The Instant Pot Mexican Casserole will amaze your family and impress your guests! This should be your go to plant-based recipe for your Instant Pot.

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If you’ve tried the Crock Pot version, the Stove or Oven version you know that this is really good and really easy. Some people don’t like the texture of the rice when cooked in the Crock Pot.  The Instant Pot Mexican Casserole comes out perfect every time; if you have a pressure cooker I challenge you to make this.

The Instant Pot Mexican Casserole will amaze your family and impress your guests! This should be your go to plant-based recipe for your Instant Pot.

 

Instant Pot Mexican Casserole

If your family is just starting to try plant-based living, this recipe is for you! You can enjoy it in a bowl topped with your favorite ingredients, wrapped in a tortilla, or with chips.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups uncooked brown rice
  • 1 cup uncooked dry beans (if you have trouble with beans not cooking enough, try soaking them first)
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 6 oz can of tomato paste (or 1 8 oz can tomato sauce with slightly less water)
  • 1 tsp garlic
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp sea salt (optional)

Do

  1. Dump all of the ingredients into your pressure cooker and stir once or twice.
  2. Close the lid and cook on manual for 28 minutes.
  3. Once done, allow the pressure to come down and open carefully. If you are in a hurry you can do a quick release.

Serve

This meal can be eaten alone or served with tortillas or chips and salsa. It travels well and we often take it in our lunches.

This photo shows what it looks like right out of the pressure cooker! It’s quite a bit darker than the Crock Pot and Stove Top versions.

The Instant Pot Mexican Casserole will amaze your family and impress your guests! This should be your go to plant-based recipe for your Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Cooking Info

If you are new to the Instant Pot or pressure cookers, in general, it’s important to know that it takes time for them to come up to pressure and time for the pressure to come down when they are finished cooking. This will take about 45 minutes to an hour even though it only “cooks” for 28 minutes.

The Instant Pot Mexican Casserole will amaze your family and impress your guests! This should be your go to plant-based recipe for your Instant Pot.

Note: If using beans other than black beans make sure you are cooking this long enough. The rice takes 28 minutes to cook but some beans may take longer. Consult the Instant Pot cooking guides and cook it as long as necessary.

I’ve had feedback from some that their black beans are not soft enough after cooking. Most people do not have a problem. If this is the case for you, make sure you are using beans that are not old. Beans that have been in your pantry for a year will take longer to cook than fresh beans. (This is why I stopped buying giant bags of beans in bulk.)

Also, hard water could make the beans cook more slowly.

If your beans could be older or if you have hard water, I recommend soaking the beans in warm water before cooking.

The Instant Pot Mexican Casserole will amaze your family and impress your guests! This should be your go to plant-based recipe for your Instant Pot.

Get More Instant Pot Recipes

Love Instant Pot Recipes? Get my free Instant Pot Recipe Collection! It’s my gift to you! Sign up and you’ll get it delivered to your inbox! You’ll also get a weekly update with plant-based tips! It’s a win-win!

Strawberry Lemonade

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I love short cuts in the kitchen. If there is an easier way of doing things I want to know.

My kids have been asking for “Lemon Juice” which is their way of asking for lemonade. We never buy the store-bought stuff. Last week a kid in our neighborhood was selling lemons door to door and I bought three; I appreciate a boy trying to earn a little cash. A lot of our neighbors have citrus trees but we don’t.

We have a Blendtec. Why not just peel the lemons and blend away? This probably wouldn’t work with an inexpensive blender Blendtec or a Vitamix you’re in business.

I’ll give a quick note, this recipe has a lot of room for variation. Start slowly adding a little at a time because lemons are different sizes, have differing amounts of juice and varying levels of tartness.

Strawberry Lemonade

Lazy Strawberry Lemonade

Ingredients

  • 1-3 lemons (I used one giant lemon) peeled with seeds removed
  • 1 cup of strawberries with stems/leaves removed
  • water
  • sugar or other sweetener

Do

  1. Put lemons, strawberries, 2 cups of water and 1/4 cup of sugar in your Blendtec.
  2. Blend until everything is liquefied.
  3. Add another 2 cups or water and 1/4 cup of sugar (if desired) and blend. Repeat this step until your lemonade has the perfect sweet/sour mix.

I used 6 total cups of water and 3/4 cup of sugar for the whole pitcher. My starting lemon was the size of a grapefruit.

This is so easy I call it Lazy Strawberry Lemonade but you could leave out the strawberries and just have Lazy Lemonade.

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