Many people choose Mondays as a day to reset the clock and set healthy habits for the rest of the week. Meatless Mondays have become one way for people to make sure the first meals of the week are full of fresh veggies, which means lots of flavor and a long list of health benefits! Whether you choose to go completely meatless on any day of the week or are simply looking to incorporate more healthy vegetables into your diet, there’s no question that recipes rich in fresh tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers can make mealtime healthier and more flavorful. That’s why we’re helping you to raise your veggie game with these tips.
Plan Ahead & Make a List
Keep a list of your favorite veggie-based recipes on your fridge or on your phone. Make sure to include a wide variety of recipes with different flavors – like this Summer Roll in a Bowl from Darn Good Veggies and Creamy Pepper Pasta from Le Petit Chef. If a recipe really hits the spot with your family – like we’re sure these two recipes will – mark it with a star. You can also have your kids rate recipes on the list; this is a great way to teach them healthy eating habits early in their lives. With your list at the ready, you can shop for the fresh ingredients you need and avoid making multiple trips to the grocery store. A few simple ingredients like Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers and Mini Cucumbers can pack in a lot of flavor and complement the other ingredients in dishes you cook throughout the week.
Try Different Cuisines
There are vegan options to enjoy in all your favorite cuisines and styles. Taking the time to make sure your at-home menu explores the world of vegan cuisines is an easy to way keep everyone in the family excited for dinner. Darn Good Veggie’s Summer Roll in a Bowl is a fresh Thai dish with vermicelli noodles, ginger dressing and peanut sauce. It will bring the refreshing flavors of summer into your home all year-round. On the other hand, you can try an Italian-style dish like Le Petit Chef’s Creamy Pepper Pasta that has warmer, creamy flavors to comfort you and warm you up on a cooler day in the late winter. In many ways, these two recipes are similar – they get all their flavor from delicious, greenhouse grown vegetables, are vegan and dairy-free, and are family favorites.
Think About the Flavors You Want & Make Substitutions
If you love the flavor of cheesy pasta but want to cut out dairy or make your dish truly vegan, add cashews and nutritional yeast to a sauce made with Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers. It’s this perfect combination of ingredients that gives this vegan pasta recipe a creamy texture and cheesy flavor. Plus, these ingredients are a great natural source of protein in a vegan diet. To make the most delicious Creamy Pepper Pasta, start by roasting Aurora Bites in the oven with onion and garlic for twenty minutes. Meanwhile, boil a pot of water and soak one cup of raw cashews for twenty minutes. In a skillet over medium heat, fry fresh broccoli florets with more Aurora Bites for five to seven minutes and season with salt and pepper. Take your roasted sweet peppers out of the oven, peel the peppers and blend them with the roasted onion, garlic, nutritional yeast, salt, olive oil and strained cashews. Now that your creamy sauce is ready, mix it with pasta and your fried broccoli and Aurora Bites. Enjoy your vegan Creamy Pepper Pasta!
Find the Right Balance
You should feel confident knowing that making the effort to include more vegetables in your diet is a healthy choice guaranteed to bring more flavor into your life. When incorporating vegan or meatless meals into your meal plan, don’t get stuck worrying about the amount of protein or other nutrients your menu contains. As long as you incorporate a variety of fresh veggies with recipes of all different styles and cuisines, you will enjoy all the health benefits of a balanced diet. Mini Cucumbers lend a great freshness to this Summer Roll in a Bowl recipe, but they also promote hydration because they are composed over 95% water. This makes Summer Roll in a Bowl the perfect post-workout meal. The Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers used in Creamy Pepper Pasta are full of Vitamin C and other important nutrients that can help support your immune system, among many other benefits.
Experiment!
Cooking should be fun and engaging, so don’t be afraid to get creative and mix in new ingredients. For example, to make Le Petit Chef’s Summer Roll in a Bowl, you start by mixing together garlic, rice vinegar, avocado oil, maple syrup, soy sauce and fresh ginger. This tasty mix of Asian flavors complements the fresh flavors of Mini Cucumbers and fresh herbs like cilantro, basil and mint. After making this recipe for the first time, you can start experimenting with some of these ingredients the second time around. Maybe swap the maple syrup with honey for that bit of sweetness and to give your dish more of a honey garlic flavor. You can spice it up by mincing Stingrays™ Hot Peppers in the ginger dressing, too! Maybe the next time you prepare this delicious Summer Roll in a Bowl recipe you can fry up some tofu or tempeh for a bit meatier texture.
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