Vegetable Spaghetti

February 28, 2020 by Leave a Comment

Pasta is a quick and easy meal, perfect for busy week nights. This Plant-Based Vegetable Spaghetti recipe is incredibly versatile. I used every vegetable I had but you can adapt it to your preferences and use your favorite vegetables.

Vegetable Spaghetti 

I normally prefer pasta with a lot of marinara! I can’t get enough! My family prefers a light hand with the marinara so I decided to up the veggies to see if they could take the place of my red sauce. 

Guess what, all of those delicious, fresh veggies more than made up for it. 

Vegetable Spaghetti ingredients.

Vegetable Spaghetti

This recipe will help you get your fill of veggies! It’s a great way to eat the rainbow! You can use wheat or gluten-free pasta. We choose spaghetti but you could use your favorite shape. 

Ingredients

  • Spaghetti, 16 oz package made according to package directions
  • Zucchini, 1 1/2 cups chopped
  • Broccoli, 1 1/2 cups chopped, about one crown
  • Carrots, 1 cup sliced
  • Mushrooms, 1 cup sliced
  • Onions, 1/4 diced
  • Tomatoes, 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • Garlic, 4 cloves minced
  • Spinach, a handful 
  • Petite diced tomatoes, 15 ounce can
  • Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Do

  1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
  2. Dump the Zucchini, Broccoli, Carrots, Mushrooms, Onions, Tomatoes and Garlic into a hot pan. I prefer a skillet or Dutch Oven (something with a large base). 
  3. Cook the veggies for about 7 minutes. If the veggies begin to stick or burn, add a few tablespoons of water as often as needed. Cover with a lid, stir every few minutes. 
  4. Next, dump in the petite diced tomatoes and the Italian seasoning. Give it a stir then cover with a lid.
  5. Cook for another 5, then add the Spinach. Stir occasionally. 
  6. Cook for 5 minutes while the Spinach wilts. The veggies should be tender and the grape tomatoes will have burst. 
  7. Pour the drained spaghetti into the veggies and mix well. Add salt and pepper if needed. 

Vegetable Spaghetti after the cooked veggies are put on top of the cooked pasta.

This simple recipes gets it’s flavors from the veggies. I like to taste the veggies while cutting them to make sure they taste fresh. You won’t create a delicious meal with old ingredients. I’ll chop a few extra veggies and toss them in a salad.

This Vegetable Spaghetti is a nice alternative to pasta with jarred marinara sauce and takes only a little more time. 

Vegetable Spaghetti is an easy plant-based recipe your family will enjoy.

Yield: 6 servings

Vegetable Spaghetti

Vegetable Spaghetti
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • Spaghetti, 16 oz package made according to package directions
  • Zucchini, 1 1/2 cups chopped
  • Broccoli, 1 1/2 cups chopped, about one crown
  • Carrots, 1 cup sliced
  • Mushrooms, 1 cup sliced
  • Onions, 1/4 diced
  • Tomatoes, 1 cup grape tomatoes
  • Garlic, 4 cloves minced
  • Spinach, a handful 
  • Petite diced tomatoes, 15 ounce can
  • Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
  2. Dump the Zucchini, Broccoli, Carrots, Mushrooms, Onions, Tomatoes and Garlic into a hot pan. I prefer a skillet or Dutch Oven (something with a large base). 
  3. Cook the veggies for about 7 minutes. If the veggies begin to stick or burn, add a few tablespoons of water as often as needed. Cover with a lid, stir every few minutes. 
  4. Next, dump in the petite diced tomatoes and the Italian seasoning. Give it a stir then cover with a lid.
  5. Cook for another 5, then add the Spinach. Stir occasionally. 
  6. Cook for 5 minutes while the Spinach wilts. The veggies should be tender and the grape tomatoes will have burst. 
  7. Pour the drained spaghetti into the veggies and mix well. Add salt and pepper if needed. 

Notes

Wheat or gluten-free pasta can be used.

Only use vegetables you like, skip any veggies you don't enjoy.

© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Recipes
Looking for more pasta recipes? You can try my Busy Night Pasta that uses frozen veggies and my Instant Pot or my Pizza Pasta that uses your favorite pizza toppings.

Filed Under: Main Dish Recipes, Recipes Tagged With: , ,

Plant-Based Meal Plan

January 6, 2020 by 3 Comments

Whether you are already plant-based or hoping to transition to a plant-based diet this year, I hope this plant-based meal plan is helpful for you and your family!

I’ve been creating plant-based meal plans since 2012 when I started My Plant-Based Family! If you aren’t sure what to eat on a plant-based diet, there is no excuse! You can look at eight years worth of plant-based meal plans!

Plant-Based Meal Plan featuring soup, salad, a muffin and a Mediterranean Bowl

The style of the plans has changed throughout the years but the plans always include plenty of meal ideas for plant-based families.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

We all eat different things for breakfast and lunch so I share what we plan to eat during the week. Then I share a specific dinner for each week day night!

Plant-Based Breakfast

Instant Pot Oatmeal is one of our favorites! We just bought more things to add, like raw pumpkin seeds, chia seeds and natural peanut butter. My 10 year old made date paste to use as a sweetener. We’ve been adding all of these to our Instant Pot Breakfast Rice too. We made a batch over the weekend that we can enjoy all week. We have a bunch of Baked Sweet Potatoes cooked and ready to go, for an easy breakfast.

Plant-Based Lunch

My husband loves the One Pot Broccoli Rice Casserole that we make almost every week for his lunches. My son is requesting tofu to take in his lunch this week. I usually eat whatever leftovers we have. I made a big pot of Taco Soup over the weekend (for the second week in a row) so we could enjoy it for lunches. 

My Plant-Based Mediterranean Bowl is another favorite! I can prep them ahead of time for easy lunches or assemble it each day. If I wait to assemble, I run the risk of various ingredients being used in other meals but that’s ok, as long as we are eating all the veggies.

Plant-Based Dinners

Monday: Minestrone Soup is so warm and comforting. I get plenty of veggies! I’ll probably cook the pasta separate so that the pasta doesn’t soak up all the broth in the leftovers.

Tuesday: Taco Salad is one of my favorite salads. Over the weekend I cooked a pound of black beans with onions and garlic. These will be a great addition to a Taco Salad topped with fresh Pico de Gallo and avocado. 

Wednesday: Plant-Based Goulash has been a reader favorite lately. January seems like the perfect time to make it. I also have an Instant Pot Goulash that I may make instead of the stove top version.

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Veggie Burger or Carrot Dogs with baked beans and steamed potatoes are planned but if we have too many leftovers we may wait until the weekend. 

Even with planned leftovers on Thursday, I think this might be too much food for us! 

We are a family who likes our snacks so we will also be adding veggies and hummus, lots of fresh fruit and maybe some Blueberry Muffins!

What are you eating this week? 

Filed Under: Meal Plan Monday, Meal Plans 2020 Tagged With: , , ,

The Best Plant-Based Cookbooks

December 12, 2019 by 2 Comments

If you are new to eating a plant-based diet or just looking for some new recipes, a new plant-based cookbook may be a good thing to add to your wish list! Today, I’m going to share a list of the Best Plant-Based Cookbooks! Ok, it’s totally my opinion but these are the books I have on my shelf or hope to add soon!

Best Plant-Based Cookbooks

This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I from qualifying purchases. 

The Best Plant-Based Cookbooks

I believe this list of plant-based cookbooks has something for everyone! Most of the authors mentioned have websites where you can do a little research to see if the recipes are your style before purchasing. 

Budget-Friendly Recipes

I’ve always been a fan of Toni Okamoto! I’m pretty sure we would get along great if we ever met in real life and we would definitely enjoy the same foods. I love how she makes plant-based eating attainable for people on a budget. Eating plant-based does not have to be expensive and Toni proves that and gives you quick recipes to help you get going.

If easy and budget friendly plant-based recipes are what you are looking for, try Plant-Based on a Budget. 

Family-Friendly Recipes

Are you looking for recipes your whole family will eat? Then look no further than The Meatless Monday Family Cookbook. Jenn Sebestyen knows how to make delicious plant-based meals that her family love! I’ve been a fan of Jenn for years and know you will be too! 

Instant Pot Recipes

 

I have recommended this book many times and will continue to do so. If you are looking for plant-based recipes for your Instant Pot then buy The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook for your Instant Pot! Kathy Hester is a genius! Her vegan queso is life changing and the recipe is in this book!

Plant-Based Newbies

 

I don’t know as much about Gabriel Miller’s new cookbook, the Plant-Based Diet for Beginners, but I’ve seen a lot of excitement about it, and well, it’s contagious! This book is SOS free (salt, oil and sugar free) for people who are avoiding those. I think this book would be helpful to anyone new to plant-based eating but especially young men who could benefit from a former athletes perspective.

 The Most Flavorful

If I had to choose one word to describe Vegan Richa’s Everyday Kitchen it would be FLAVOR! Richa Hingle is known for her amazing recipes and flavors from all over the world. She is passionate about making vegan recipes easy and delicious but admits that many recipes have a long list of spices to create that amazing flavor. Richa provides plenty of substitutions for allergy or dietary needs, FYI some recipes do include oil.

Air Fryer Recipes

I purchased the Vegan Air Fryer by JL Fields in 2017! I really wanted to tackle foods like crispy french fries without the oil! If you have an air fryer and are wondering what to do with it, get JL’s book. 

The Most Variety

 

No list of plant-based cookbooks is complete without mentioning The Forks Over Knives Cookbook written by Del Sroufe. I bought this book in 2012, about a year after I went plant-based. It’s the ultimate plant-based cookbook with over 300 recipes. There is a lot of variety in this book and something for everyone. 

There is no way I could include every book in this list! There are so many good ones! I hope this list has something for everyone! 

If you have a favorite plant-based cookbook, let me know! Maybe I’ll add it to the list!

If you are looking for more book recommendations, check out my list of my The Best Plant-Based Diet Books. 

Filed Under: Tips for Plant-Based Living Tagged With: ,

Plant-Based Meal Plan

December 2, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Can you believe there is only one month left of this year? Soon, your evenings will be full of holiday parties and events. You’ll probably find yourself eating out more than you should. It’s a good idea to create a plant-based meal plan so that you plan to stay on track!

Plant-Based Meal Plan

This time of year, many of us tend to over indulge in treats. I’ve been pulling one of my kid-friendly strategies to make sure all of us eat more veggies. As much as 30 minutes before dinner, I’ll chop up some veggies and set out a dip. You’d be surprised how many people come to the kitchen once they smell food. When they see veggies and dip on the counter they don’t even think about having a little snack, they dig in!

Veggies and Hummus

The key is having veggies they like. We tend to have carrots, broccoli, and cucumbers as our main three. Depending on what else we have, we may add celery, tomatoes, mushrooms and more! You can see all of my favorite dips and dressings and choose one your family will love.

Plant-Based Meal Plan

We knew we wanted to have easy breakfasts and lunches ready so we made both over the weekend! We made a big batch of Instant Pot Breakfast Rice! It’s so nice to have on cool mornings and a great change from our typical oatmeal. 

Since we are having rice for breakfast we decided not to make the One Pot Broccoli and Rice this week. Instead we made a big pot of Hearty Veggie Soup! We love this soup! I’ve heard from some many of you who love it too!

Plant-Based Breakfast

As mentioned we have Instant Pot Breakfast Rice ready to go. This time I added some pumpkin pie spice for a little different twist. 

I have some bananas that are almost perfect for being made into Banana Bread! I plan to make them into muffins instead of a loaf for easy on the go breakfasts and snacks.

Plant-Based Lunch

In addition to the Hearty Veggie Soup, we will enjoy other leftovers from dinner. We will probably have plenty of leftover beans and goulash this week that will make for delicious lunches!

Plant-Based Dinner

Monday: Chickpea Noodle Soup is a quick and easy soup if you use canned chickpeas. Pick your favorite type of pasta, long spaghetti noodles or short macaroni noodles all work well.

Tuesday: Bean Burritos are something the whole family enjoys. Thankfully making Instant Pot Refried Beans is easy-peasy! Plus, we love leftover beans for Plant-Based Nachos or Tostadas.

Wednesday: Plant-Based Goulash is perfect this time of year. I’ll probably make it in my Instant Pot but I have a stove top version too. This hearty meal makes great leftovers too.

Thursday: Broccoli and Mushroom Stir Fry is great with rice but I may sub some Asian noodles instead! 

Friday: Baked Potatoes and steamed veggies topped with Brown Gravy is 100% comfort food. I cook my potatoes in the Instant Pot so it’s super easy. 

What are you eating this week? Follow my Instagram Stories and I’ll show you what we are eating this week!

Filed Under: Meal Plan Monday, Meal Plans 2019 Tagged With: , , ,

Chocolate Banana Bread

November 22, 2019 by 2 Comments

For years I’ve been using the same recipe for banana bread! We love it! The only change we ever made was to add chocolate chips! I love it with chocolate chips but my husband prefers it plain. One of my sons has a sweet tooth like me so we doubled down and made Double Chocolate Banana Bread! 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

This recipe is just as easy at the original, it only has two extra ingredients, cocoa powder and chocolate chips. I should probably mention straight away that I always use dairy-free chocolate chips. Enjoy Life Foods are my favorite because they are allergy-friendly and come in different varieties from mini chips, chocolate chunks, and dark chocolate.

You can use whichever brand you love!

Chocolate Banana Bread

This Double Chocolate Banana Bread is perfect for chocolate lovers! It’s oil-free except for whatever oil could be in the chocolate chips. I’ll admit, chocolate chips are not a health food. We don’t have them all the time but they really elevate and add a decadent flare to oil-free desserts.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup turbinado sugar. Mix with a wooden spoon.
  3. Add the bananas, plant milk and vanilla then mix well.
  4. Add baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and flour. Mix again.
  5. Add half the optional nuts and chocolate chips into the batter. 
  6. Pour into a sprayed loaf pan. Then top with the remaining nuts and chocolate chips.
  7. Cook for 40 minutes, then test every 10 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  8. Remove from pan once cool.

I enjoy this Double Chocolate Banana Bread recipe with a glass of rice milk. 

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Yield: 12 slices

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

This decadent Double Chocolate Banana Bread is perfect for parties or potlucks! The chocolate lovers in your house will love this plant-based recipe.

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

Ingredients

  • 1 cup applesauce
  • 1/2 cup turbinado sugar or raw sugar (I’ve used agave with a good result also)
  • 3 extra ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1 Tbsp plant milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips 
  • 1/2 cup nuts (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. In a large mixing bowl add 1 cup applesauce and 1/2 cup turbinado sugar. Mix with a wooden spoon.
  3. Add the bananas, plant milk and vanilla then mix well.
  4. Add baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and flour. Mix again.
  5. Add half the optional nuts and chocolate chips into the batter. 
  6. Pour into a sprayed loaf pan. Then top with the remaining nuts and chocolate chips.
  7. Cook for 40 minutes, then test every 10 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. 
  8. Remove from pan once cool.
© Holly Yzquierdo
Category: Dessert
Filed Under: Bread & Muffin Recipes, Dessert, Recipes Tagged With: , ,
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