Summer Black Bean Salad

Summer Black Bean Salad PinThis Oil-Free Summer Black Bean Salad recipe was inspired by a recipe from Amelia’s Aunt Marie. It’s easy to make and full of color and flavor. It tastes great all by itself as a side dish, or over a leafy green salad.

Last time we were back in Atlanta visiting Amelia’s family, her mom Jane made us this dish and everyone loved it! Aunt Marie included olive oil and cheese in her recipe, so we just removed those and didn’t notice them missing. In fact, I’m guessing the cheese would overpower the mild flavors of the other veggies.

A friend of ours told us this recipe is similar to Cowboy Caviar. However, real Cowboy Caviar also has black-eyed peas, diced tomatoes, and several other seasonings. Aunt Marie’s recipe is certainly a lot easier to make with its fewer ingredients and most of the flavor coming from the salsa.

Amelia’s mom inspired us to make more dishes with salsa as the flavor enhancer. It’s a lot easier and faster to make a delicious dish when all you have to do is open a jar of salsa and pour it in. We generally use my Grandpa’s Vegan Dipping Hot Sauce instead of store-bought salsa because we think it tastes better and it also saves us about $3/jar.

This recipe makes a great side salad for your favorite Mexican dishes, like Vegan Tortilla Soup or Mexican Lasagna.

If you choose to eat this Summer Black Bean Salad over leafy greens, you may want to add some fresh lime juice and/or vinegar to the greens beforehand to give them more flavor.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Vegan Tortilla Soup

Vegan Tortilla Soup PinEven though I just finished eating lunch, my mouth is watering just thinking about this Vegan Tortilla Soup recipe! It’s that good!

While conventional tortilla soup typically uses chicken as the protein, we used white beans instead. Beans are loaded with protein and fiber, but contain no cholesterol nor measurable saturated fat. They’re also a good source of iron, magnesium and potassium.

There are several different types of white beans: navy beans, great northern beans, cannellini beans and butterbeans. We like navy beans in our soups because the starch gets released during cooking, making the soup creamier. However, you can use whichever beans you prefer or have on-hand for this recipe.

For the tortilla strips, we used two small corn tortillas made with only two ingredients: whole corn and water. Whole Foods carries organic corn tortillas that are made with corn, water and a hint of lime. When eating a whole-food plant-based (WFPB) no-oil diet, it’s important to look for minimally processed foods without added oils and sugars (or other mystery ingredients).

We cubed some avocado as a topping for our vegan tortilla soup, but if you’re trying to lose weight or lower your cholesterol, you may want to skip the avocado until you’ve reached your goal. Saturated fat, regardless of whether it comes from a plant or animal, will raise your cholesterol and can contribute to heart disease and weight gain.

This recipe pairs well with a nice Side Salad or some Corn Tortilla Corn Chips and Salsa.

Vegan Tortilla Soup Cooking Video

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Chopped Asian Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing

Chopped Asian SaladThis delicious Chopped Asian Salad recipe is a hearty, colorful, tangy and delicious asian salad with 7 grams of fiber, 11 grams of protein and your whole days’ worth of Vitamins A and C.

Asian salads are known for their unique combination of sweet and savory. Some even throw in some spiciness for good measure. This recipe has it all.

The orange and agave provide the sweet. The veggies and soy sauce provide the savory. And the ginger and Sriracha give it a spicy kick that will make your tongue impatient for the next bite of this delicious Chopped Asian Salad with Orange Sesame Dressing.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Mexican Salad

Mexican SaladThis Mexican Salad is a flavorful, delicious, hearty salad that works well as a side salad or a main dish for lunch. With 14 grams of fiber, 10 grams of protein and 136% of your RDV of vitamin C, this is a nutrient rich recipe. And thanks to the beans and corn, it’s pretty filling, too.

Amelia whipped this recipe up one day with some spare ingredients we had laying around. Thanks to the lime juice and spices, it has a lot of flavor without using any oil.

You can put this Mexican Salad in a taco bowl to make it a little more special. EatingWell.com has a cool way to make your own taco bowls with corn tortillas and a muffin tin.

This salad is great on a hot summer day made with fresh corn on the cob, but you can eat it all year round and not get tired of it.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.

Hummus Veggie Wrap

Hummus Veggie WrapThis Hummus Veggie Wrap is a quick and easy lunch that you can make ahead of time and it pack for work or school, topping your veggies with hummus in a sealable container. This recipe is both filling and packed with nutrients. It has 15 grams of fiber, 13 grams of protein, 261% RDV of Vitamin C and 180% of Vitamin A.

We’ve included this as a weight loss recipe since it has so many healthy nutrients and nothing that can be considered bad. However, you can reduce the calories and processed carbs by eliminating the wrap and preparing it in a bowl. It’s delicious and nutritious either way.

If you make this recipe, please let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And please share with your friends to help spread the word about healthy plant based eating.