Main Dishes
Most of the Main Dish recipes are one pot meals to make it as easy as possible to prepare plant based meals on a regular basis. I serve them with a small bowl of soup or a side salad and fresh fruit for dessert.
I like to do my preparation of chopping, opening cans, measuring spices, etc. early in the day or even the night before so all I have left to do right before serving is to complete the cooking steps.
Many of these main dishes use other recipes as a starting point. Sometimes I added ingredients like beans or nuts to make a side dish into a main dish. In others, I made changes to make them more in keeping with a Nutritarian eating style as described in the book Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman.
Some recipes call for non-dairy milk. I like Silk Unsweetened Almond Milk or Silk Unsweetened Soy Milk but you can use any plant based milk in the recipes. Experiment to see which one you like the best.
Many of the recipes call for specific nuts like walnuts or almonds. You may substitute other nuts (cashew, pecans, etc.) or seeds (like sunflower or pumpkin) if you prefer. Just make sure to use raw, unsalted nuts or seeds.
For more tips see Cooking Basics.
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The mix of tomatoes, spices and shredded coconut give this dish a wonderful flavor. When you add them to the collard greens and beans, the result is something special.
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A colorful combination of green chard and red beets in a delicious sauce of orange and dill.
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This is a delicious, colorful combination of flavors that go well together. The tempeh, seasoned with a hint of smoked paprika, goes well with the black eyed peas.
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The mix of pecans, raisins and capers gives this dish a unique and interesting flavor.
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This colorful mix of red and green peppers, carrots and pineapple gets extra flavor from fresh ginger and soy sauce. It's delicious by itself or served over whole grain rice. It pulls together fairly quickly so if you are going to serve it over rice, cook the rice early.
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This is a colorful dish of broccoli and red pepper with a zesty balsamic glaze.
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Red or green chard flavored with onion, garlic, mushrooms and olives. Yum!
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This is a tasty curry to make when you don't have a lot of time. Use jarred minced garlic to make it even quicker to prepare.
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The tempeh goes perfectly with the barbecue sauce and walnuts. This is one of our favorite barbecue recipes.
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This is a very mild flavored curry with a mix of vegetables that is colorful and delicious.
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This is a quick and easy recipe using Thai Peanut Sauce you can make in your blender in about 15 minutes. The dish uses frozen vegetables.
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This delicious curry is quick and easy since it uses canned or dried ingredients with no chopping.
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I love oriental food and the combination of flavors that form the sauce in this recipe is delicious. This is a very flexible recipe. You can vary the greens and other vegetables to use up what you have on hand (if you do this, allow 3 cups of raw vegetables per person).
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The touch of mustard and soy sauce makes a very interesting sauce and goes well with the broccoli.
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This delicious curry comes together quickly. The hint of ginger and coconut adds interest.
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This dish is simple and delicious, a perfect combination. The raisins help to bring out the flavor of the black-eyed peas and the nuts add a little crunch.
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A dish of contrasts. Green kale against red cranberries, sweetness from dates mixed with tart vinegar.
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Pitas stuffed with black beans and sweet potatoes topped off with salsa and lettuce. Yum!
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This is a simple recipe with a wonderful flavor. It works equally well with other greens like chard or collard greens.
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This is one of my favorite ways to prepare collard greens. The sun dried tomatoes add a little zip to the dish. This recipe also works well with kale.
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This recipe has cooked quinoa added at the end. The quinoa and the mix of vegetables gives it a nice flavor.
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This recipe uses a home made barbecue sauce you can make in your blender. If you can't find black-eyed peas, just use your favorite bean. It tastes like you simmered it all day but it only takes about 20 minutes to cook.
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This dish gets its creamy taste and texture from a non-dairy nut cream. I like this version for the variety of vegetables along with the kale. This dish freezes and reheats well but you might need to add a little water or non-dairy milk to get the creaminess back.
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A delicious mix of sweet potatoes, corn, black beans and a homemade salsa served at room temperature on a bed of lettuce or a pita. Yum!
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Sweet potatoes and smoked paprika mellow the flavor of the tempeh and make a delightful combination.
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A mix of vegetables, beans and collards in a tangy peanut based sauce.
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This dish comes together quickly and works well when you want to eat Mexican. The black bean mixture can also be served over shredded romaine lettuce for a warm salad.
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A simple basic recipe that pulls together quickly. Use prepared or frozen ingredients to make it even quicker.
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This mild chili recipe adds interest by using two types of beans along with frozen corn. It makes a big batch and freezes well. If you like your chili spicy, add some crushed red pepper or jalapeno.
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The combination of garlic, vinegar and olives in this dish makes a delicious sauce for the kale.
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The slightly sweet balsamic vinegar sauce gives this dish a lovely flavor.
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This is one of my favorite dishes. I especially like it with the optional pasta. It is nutritious, colorful and delicious. When I freeze this, I omit the pasta and cook it fresh later.
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A contrast of colors and textures with crisp cooked carrots, kale, pasta in a peanut based sauce.
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Crisp cooked bok choy, onions, walnuts and mushrooms with a flavorful sauce of Dijon mustard, soy sauce and optional dry sherry.
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This recipe was inspired by a kale side dish recipe I got from a friend. The mix of dark green kale, red pepper, carrots and sweet potatoes makes a very colorful and flavorful dish.
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This is a quick sauce using a commercial tomato based pasta sauce as its base. Add onions, peppers, mushrooms and beans and serve over pasta or steamed greens.
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A flavorful mix of kale, garlic, onions, mushrooms and kale.
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The combination of beets, orange juice and a hint of dill makes this a tasty and colorful dish.
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This is an example of how you can use a commercial pasta sauce in a recipe. Check the sodium, sugar and fats on the nutritional information when you choose your sauce.
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This dish was inspired by Masamba, a traditional African dish of kale, ground peanuts and tomatoes and has turned out to be one of our favorites.
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