This basic meal strategy shows how to combine pasta, herbs/greens in oil, and a roasted bean. This can be varied and a fast healthy plant based meal. After trying this recipe I made another version using beet greens cooked with a shallot and lemon juice. Kale or cabbage would be good choices too.

The spaghetti recipe below is adapted from AcademiaBarilla.it. This is essentially the same recipe in terms of instructions, but the veggies are doubled and the protein is increased by adding roasted garbanzo beans.

Step 1: Veggie Spaghetti with Lime, Spinach & Jalapeño

Ingredients:

• 12oz Box Veggie Spaghetti
• 1-2 Jalapeños Sliced
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1TBS Olive oil (for Spaghetti)
• 2 TBS Olive oil (for cooking)
• 8oz Spinach Leaves

Instructions:

1. Boil water, add a pinch of salt. Cook spaghetti according to box instructions for 8 minutes (one minute less than stated.) Drain pasta spread on a sheet pan or plate to cool tossing with 1 TBS olive oil.
2. Slice jalapeños into thin rings.
3. Crush garlic and remove paper layer. Chop into big pieces
4. Heat 2TBS olive oil in a skillet. Cook garlic and jalapeño about 1 minute.
5. Add spinach leaves to the skillet and cook till wilted. The pan will be very full but the spinach will decrease in volume a lot when heated. Set aside the spinach to cool.
6. Juice 2 limes. You don’t need a citrus juicer. Cut lime in half, using a fork squeeze the lime around the fork to extract the juice collecting it in a bowl, remove seeds before using.
7. Combine the spaghetti, spinach mixture, and lime juice. Add salt as desired. Refrigerate for a while before serving.

Step 2: Roasted Chickpeas

This is one of my favorite foods, really! Follow this fast and flavorful recipe for a plant based protein boost.

Ingredients:

• 15oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 TBS oil (olive oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil, coconut oil etc. all work fine)
• salt & pepper
• Optional: any dried ground spice or spice blend you enjoy (corriander, ginger, garlic powder, red chile, curry powder, chili powder, cumin, tajin – any flavor you like)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Open can of chickpeas and drain liquid. Rinse if desired, drain well.
3. Toss the chickpeas in a bowl with oil, salt, pepper, and any ground spice.
4. Spread on a sheet pan.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Chickpeas should have some browned color, appear drier, a little crispy. If they don’t seem quite done, cook a few more minutes. If you cook more than one can of chickpeas or if they are very wet when you first put them in the oven it will take longer.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving. Texture will firm up a little.

About Types of Lettuce in this recipe:

in this recipe there are two different types of lettuce. The smooth strong leaves (pictured above on the left are a cross between Romaine and Butter lettuce, sometimes called ‘little gem’ lettuce. It is great for making lettuce wraps or small bites. The more lettuce with the larger white rib and the crunchier texture is a cross of romaine with iceberg, sometimes called ‘Cos lettuce’. If you’d like to read more about types of lettuce check out this post by Kristina Hick-Hamblin at Gardener’s path to see photos and explanations of uses for 29 types of lettuce.

Lettuce wraps are a good way to use lettuce.

Emily Kim is a Korean-American Youtuber and cookbook author. Learn about how to make Beef Bulgogi Wraps from her video. If you don’t use beef and would like to try a Vegan Bulgogi with tofu instead, Seonkyoung Longest has a great video with instructions.

Most of us have heard of broccoli, but have you ever tried broccolini? Although they look similar and both belong to the cabbage family, broccolini is different from broccoli. Broccolini was developed as a hybrid of broccoli and Chinese broccoli. Broccolini is distinguishable by its longer, slender stem and smaller florets. The stalk, florets, and leaves of broccolini are all edible. As for taste, broccolini is milder and sweeter than broccoli. Sautéed, steamed, roasted, or grilled – there are endless ways to cook this beautiful vegetable and make it delicious! Chockfull of fiber and vitamin C, broccolini is a nutrient-packed food with limitless possibilities. Try this Lemon and Garlic Broccolini recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 1 head broccolini, separated into florets
• 4 tsp fresh lemon juice, separated
• 2 Tbls water
• 3 Tbls butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pinch salt

Directions:

1. Place broccolini florets in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir 2 teaspoons of lemon juice with 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl and pour the mixture into the skillet. Cover turn on medium heat, steam until broccolini is bright green and tender (cook time will vary, 6-15 minutes depending on your stove and heat).
2. While broccolini is steaming, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in the garlic and salt. Turn the heat to low and let the garlic gently fry until golden brown.
3. Drain the water from the cooked broccolini and return to skillet. Sprinkle with 2 more teaspoons of lemon juice and the butter and garlic mixture. Sprinkle broccolini with black pepper or other spices of choice, toss to combine, and enjoy!

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

For more information about types and storage visit FoodHero: https://www.foodhero.org/sites/foodhero-prod/files/monthly-magazines/Broccoli%20March%202021%20Monthly.pdf

Ingredients:

• Leaf Lettuce (Pictured Green Oak Leaf Lettuce)
• Cucumber
• Kalmata Olives
• Lemon
• Dried Oregano
• 3 or more TBS Oil (Olive oil has good flavor, other oil can work too)
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Wash Lettuce. Separate leaves from the head, look for and remove any slugs or insects. (What!? Yes, bugs are an unwelcome surprise but can show up in organic and very fresh produce.) Wash by submerging in cold water. Move leaves around gently to let dirt settle. Replace water and repeat 1-2 times. Shake off water, or let drip dry for a bit. You can also use a salad spinner to dry leaves.
2. Slice cucumber. Peeling a cucumber is not necessary. Wash the surface of the cucumber. Trim off ends. Slice into rings or dice into cubes. To make the cucumber sit flat on the cutting board, trim off a thin slice on one side to make a flat surface.
3. Slice Kalmata Olives. To slice round foods (like olives, grapes, and cherry tomatoes) place a small amount on a cutting board close together. Holding them still with your hand, bring in a knife from the side parallel to the cutting board and slice through the olives. If you keep the knife midway between the board and your hand this is a safe way to cut items that might roll around. Using a sharp knife is important.
4. Mix dressing. Juice lemon – wash and then cut a lemon in half, squeeze out the juice. There are many tools to juice fruit. I like to use a fork. Hold one lemon half in your hand, poke a fork into the cut side and squeeze the lemon against the fork to extract the juice catching it in a bowl, then remove seeds before using. Add 1/2 tsp dried oregano. Add 3 or more TBS oil. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix with a fork.
5. Combine Lettuce, cucumber, olives and dressing in a bowl. Enjoy!

This salad can be made more filling by adding a crumbled white cheeses like feta or chopped chicken.

Also: this video shows how to cut veggies into beautiful garnishes. It isn’t related to this recipe but is a fun YouTube find.

Creamy Tortellini Soup

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon oil

1 medium onion, minced

3-5 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons dried basil or 1 tsp Italian seasoning, more to taste

Salt & Pepper

2 tablespoons flour

4 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

1 small package tortellini

1 cup plain yogurt

5-6 ounces fresh spinach leaves

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and dried basil. Cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-4 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.

2.  Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.

3.  Add in chicken stock and tomato sauce, stirring well. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.

4.  Stir in tortellini; cover and cook until tender, about 4-5 minutes.

5.  Stir in spinach until wilted, about 1-2 minutes.

6.  Remove about 1 cup of soup and add it to the 1 cup of yogurt to temper it (warm it slightly).  Add this mixture back into the soup and (optional) add in 1 tablespoon sugar.  Stir well and serve immediately.