Most Caesar salads are calorie bombs, with some dressing recipes calling for over 1/2 cup of oil (over 1,000 calories). I’ve tinkered a long time with my Caesar salad components and am very happy to say that this plant-based, oil-free solution delivers a bright, fresh, creamy, umami-edged, and all-around wonderful tasting salad. This takes the guilt and confusion out of Caesar salads!
Read MoreI adapted this recipe from from the New York Times replacing the oil with a combination of tahini and water (saving almost 400 calories) and regular parmesan with vegan parmesan. The freshness of the lemon, the grassiness of the herbs, and the abundant asparagus pieces shout “It’s spring!” This is a perfect brunch dish as well as dinner entree, because it tastes great at room temperature or hot.
Read MoreHere’s a simple, classic-tasting Caesar dressing when you want the sharpness of vinegar and Dijon along with the brininess of — not anchovies in this case — capers. This no-oil dressing saves calories and fat. If you make your croutons in the air fryer, you can achieve a completely oil-free Caesar!
Read MoreThis no-oil dressing would go really well on a Middle Eastern-style fattoush salad or just about any salad you can think of. The combination of pomegranate molasses and cumin, along with other flavors, packs a punch that can stand up to a variety of greens, grains, and vegetables. Without oil, you save calories and fat, and the flavors of the molasses and spices are, if anything, bigger and bolder as a result.
Read MoreThese delicious vegan cheesecakes melt in your mouth, with berries inside and on top to complement the lemony filling. This is a dessert that taste so good you can’t believe it’s so healthy. Who says you need butter, coconut oil, and sugar for a tasty dessert?
Read MoreEggplant, zucchini, and other summer squash are sometimes hard to include in a stir-fry. To get these vegetables cooked well and avoid using oil, I broil the vegetables with a tahini-water mixture instead of stir-frying them. The textures and flavors are spot-on. Everything is cooked right, without mushiness, and the flavor combination is divine.
Read MoreThis vegan universal stir-fry sauce, made without oil, goes with so many different vegetable and tofu/tempeh combinations. You can play with flavors using this as a base — you can add sesame flavors, peanuts, chilis, more garlic, etc. Have a jar of this in your fridge, and you’ll be able to whip up a stir-fry in no time!
Read MoreThese simple salads are great ways to use up the cucumbers from your garden. With four variations, you can mix and match your salads with a variety of meals. These recipes go well with seedless cucumbers as well and take almost no time to make.
Read MoreFor this summer entree salad, you can use whatever cooked grain you like, whatever kinds of grilled vegetables, and your choices of greens and dressing. The smokiness of the grilled vegetables and the roasted red pepper dressing give this its unique character. This plant-based salad ticks all the boxes on nutrition as well: healthy grains, vegetables, protein (from quinoa), seeds (from tahini), and dark leafy greens.
Read MoreAt only 29 calories and 2 grams of fat per 2 tablespoons, this dressing is a fantastic part of a healthy diet. It also happens to taste great, and its color is magnificent! You can use jarred red peppers and be done in 10 minutes or less! Or use up those red peppers from the garden or farmers market.
Read MoreRolling zucchini ribbons into spirals stuffed with vegan ricotta cheese makes for a perfect casserole. Baked in a simple marinara sauce, with vegan parmesan on top, these spirals taste like lasagna, but without the bulky noodles.
Read MoreTry these easy tacos for an impressive dinner for family or guests. The classic combination of black beans and corn is a crowd-pleaser. This combination is especially great when you can get fresh sweet corn for the salsa, but even frozen corn works well. The bean mixture freezes well.
Read MoreCompote is like a pie filling, but healthy. No need to add sugar. It’s so good for breakfast or dessert—see my ideas for many different ways to enjoy it. This recipe also works for apples. And it freezes well! The Instant Pot makes it simple.
Read MoreThis simple-to-make plant-based black bean soup is the epitome of the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” So few ingredients, so much tasty satisfaction. Plus, it’s low in fat (no oil used) and very high in fiber, which has been shown to offer many health benefits.
Read MoreHealthy cookie dough? It can be done. This recipes contains no added sugar, oil, butter, or eggs. The main ingredients are dates, chickpeas, oat flour, and pecans. The chilled dough has a texture so close to regular cookie dough, it might bring a smile to your face.
Read MoreThis tasty noodle bowl contains no oil, meaning it’s healthy and lower in calories than most noodle recipes. The simple sauce packs a ton of flavor, and the variety of textures from the noodles to the vegetables (cooked and raw) makes for a dish that satisfies.
Read MorePut a delicious Indian-spiced potato-pea filling into whole-wheat flour tortillas, and you get a wonderful fusion creation: a samosa-quesadilla! This recipe has no added oil, either, so these are a far cry from the deep-fried samosas in Indian restaurants. Spread your favorite chutney on top, and you’ll enjoy a healthy, heavenly dish.
Read MoreWith the Instant Pot, you can have a piping hot batch of apple-cinnamon whole-grain cereal ready in less than 30 minutes from stepping into the kitchen. There are countless ways to customize this recipe: choose different whole grains, your own apple type, and fun toppings.
Read MoreMake pasta alla puttanesca the easy way: in the Instant Pot. You add everything into the pot, program 4 minutes of pressure cooking, and walk away. Top it with vegan parmesan cheese, and you’ll never want to make it the old way again. This plant-based dish is also oil-free, which, in combination with whole-grain pasta makes it healthy, but not at the expense of tasting great.
Read MoreThis dish offers a great balance of textures and flavors. If you use store-bought vegan meatballs or if you have already made the meatballs, it’s a very quick meal (15-20 minutes max). This healthy, plant-based take on a meatball favorite is sure to please you and your fellow diners.
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