In this recipe, the Asian flavor of miso fuses with the peppers, tomatoes, and olives of Italian cuisine. This fusion pasta dish makes a luscious meal all year round. It’s good served warm or even at room temperature. Serve these Udon Noodles with Spinach-Miso Pesto with a bountiful salad of greens and tomatoes. Photos by Evan Atlas. Continue Reading…
Spinach with pine nuts and raisins is a traditional Mediterranean side dish recipe that’s both elegant to serve and easy to make. Its mild and slightly sweet flavor provides a nice counterpoint to boldly-flavored Italian pasta dishes. But really, this Mediterranean side dish goes well with most any kind of meal, including those featuring grain dishes and curries. Continue Reading…
Spinach and lentils are often paired in Indian cuisine. Here, they are given an unusual context when combined with pasta in this Curried Pasta recipe. For a delicious meal, serve with a fresh flatbread and sliced cucumbers in coconut yogurt, garnished with cilantro. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
Serve this healthy Vegan Green Vegetable Pad Thai recipe with some lime wedges and edamame. It’s perfect as a main course or as a hearty side dish.
A fast breakfast for a busy morning—we have to admit, it’s the ideal smoothie!
The texture of avocado is the secret to smooth, creamy smoothies, and avocado combines perfectly with chocolate. In addition to its digestive properties, the avocado has another quality: the fatty acids it contains quickly gives the satiety signal to the brain of the person who eats it!
With this green smoothie bowl recipe you will find the perfect balance between a healthy breakfast that keeps you from snacking between meals and a delicious breakfast that is absolutely tasty!
 The idea of a green smoothie bowl is to mix together a variety of greens and super foods to boost the nutrition of the smoothie. The green smoothie allows you to get a head start on your daily intake of fruits and vegetables. Because the consistency is so thick, you can eat it with a spoon. Don’t forget to sprinkle all sorts of ingredients on top, to vary the textures and flavors!
This simple recipe for chard with pinto beans is inspired by a Native American recipe made with wild greens. It’s an excellent way to use up big bunches of chard when it’s in peak season. You can use any variety of chard — green, Swiss, rainbow — our favorite is the latter. You can substitute other greens in whole or in part, too — kale, collards, spinach, mustard greens, etc. Try this side with tortilla dishes that don’t themselves contain beans, like vegan quesadillas. Continue Reading…
There are few veggies more versatile than spinach, which adds flavor and nutrition to so many kinds of dishes — soups, salads, sides, main dishes, and even appetizers and smoothies. Here’s just a small sampling of some of our favorite spinach dishes. Also explore Healthy and Delicious Spinach Recipes, where you’ll find even more. Let’s start with Spinach, Sprouts, and Pineapple Smoothie blends the green goodness of spinach and sprouts with the sweetness of pineapple. It offers ultimate refreshment, and the coconut water is immensely hydrating. Continue Reading…
This spring vegetable tart looks like a work of art, but it’s so easy to accomplish. Puff pastry isn’t the healthiest item in the world, but for special occasions, it transforms simple ingredients into something fun and festive. Use a name brand (these are most often vegan, though it doesn’t hurt to check the ingredients), and make sure to give it a good 45 minutes to an hour to thaw out—not less, and ideally, not much more. This makes two rectangular tarts that are easy on the cook and gorgeous to behold. Recipe adapted from Vegan Holiday Kitchen. Photos by Susan Voisin.
A sweet and spicy pineapple salsa adds an intriguing flavor element to these easy vegan quesadillas featuring convenient baby greens, prepared refried beans, avocado, and tomato. If you’re short on time, skip the homemade salsa, and use a prepared pineapple or mango salsa instead. Either way, finish the meal with a simple salad. For heartier appetites, add some cooked quiona or a baked sweet potato. Photos by Evan Atlas.
Spinach, baby corn, and tiny orange sections are featured in a salad that yields abundant pleasure with little effort in preparation. This is a perfect one to team with an Asian-style stir-fry or noodle dish.  Photos by Evan Atlas.
I almost named this “The World’s Easiest Lasagna” because this dish is super easy to make. Using no-boil noodles and pre-made sauce cuts prep time down so much that you can throw this together pretty quickly and your dinner guests will think you slaved away in the kitchen for hours. I served this at a party once and it was a huge hit, so I can attest to it’s omnivore friendliness. This tastes even better reheated the next day. Contributed by Dianne Wenz, from VeggieGirl.
Spinach and mushrooms are nicely flavored with vegan cheddar-style cheese in these delectable wraps. For an easy meal, serve with baked or microwaved potatoes or sweet potatoes and a colorful salad. Adapted from The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet. Photos by Rachael Braun. Continue Reading…
A feast of color and texture, this salad of baby spinach, embellished with other colorful veggies, is quick to prepare and a pleasure to serve. Serve it in larger portions as a main-dish salad, or in smaller portions as a substantial side salad. Delicious served with a pureed vegetable soup and some fresh bread. Photos by Rachael Braun.
Prepared polenta that comes in a tube provides an easy way to add variety to the dinner repertoire. In a simple combination, polenta topped with black beans and spinach can be a hearty warm appetizer or the main dish as part of a simple dinner. Look for this kind of polenta in natural foods stores or the Italian or gluten-free foods sections of supermarkets. Adapted from Vegan Express by Nava Atlas. See a complete simple dinner, with shopping list, featuring this recipe. Continue Reading…
Since my family loves lentils, I keep a few cans of organic canned lentils on hand to use when we want a meal with this nourishing legume in a hurry. If you prefer to cook your own, the dish will also come together in a snap if you have them cooked ahead of time. To make this dish a little fancier, try using beluga lentils. There diminutive, gleaming black lentils contrast attractively with the greens and dried tomatoes. Green or brown lentils will taste just as good, though they’re not as pretty. This is great served with Cauliflower Rice Pilaf, Quinoa with Cauliflower, Cranberries, and Nuts, or another grain dish, plus a simple salad.
Serves: 4Â to 6 as a side dish
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium-low heat until translucent. Add the garlic and bell pepper, and continue to sauté until the onion is golden.
Add the spinach and cover the pat; Cook until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients and stir until the spinach is evenly distributed with the lentils. Cook just until the mixture is well heated, then serve.
Variation: Replace all or part of the spinach with baby arugula.
Here’s a simple brown rice dish that incorporates lots of fresh spinach. Using organic baby spinach is convenient, because it’s already cleaned and ready to go (though I usually give it a good rinse nonetheless). Scallions, fresh dill, and lemon juice add the finishing touch. Photos by Evan Atlas. Continue Reading…
Here’s a gorgeous salad of spinach, red cabbage, and oranges that adds a burst of color and nutrition to the plate. It’s a quick salad for everyday meals and is equally welcome as part of a vegan Thanksgiving feast. Adapted from Vegan Express. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky. Continue Reading…
This delicious pesto turns ordinary carbs into special meals. You can use this as suggested below for serving with pasta, pizza, or potatoes. Or skip the carbs as I’ve done here, and toss this pesto with “noodles” made of raw zucchini and/or yellow summer squash made with a spiral slicer. No matter how you use it, this pesto, made greener with spinach, imparts a rich, briny flavor from the addition of miso. Continue Reading…
You will find fresh Chinese noodles in cellophane-wrapped packages in well-stocked supermarkets, shelved near tofu products, as well as in natural foods stores.
