Weekly Spotlight: Simple Tricks to Incorporate Greens and Vegetables in Your Diet!

There are so many ways to start incorporating vegetables into your diet. If you’re new to eating vegetables or want to try preparing vegetables in a variety of ways, this guide is here to help you get started. Depending on what you have on hand, you can get creative with how you prepare them. Of course, making a salad or wrap is a great start, but you can blend vegetables into pasta sauces or dips, and even bake them into desserts.

Roasting vegetables brings out a deliciously caramelized flavor and an easy place to start enjoying vegetables. Broccoli, zucchini, and peppers are excellent to roast and are perfect to add to the meals below!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives!  

This week, we’re bringing delicious, fully vegan, and plant-based ways to incorporate and enjoy greens and vegetables!

Blending Them Into Sauces and Dips

Source: Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Mushroom Sauce

A great and secretive way to fit in more vegetables and greens is to add them to sauces and dips. This works best with leafy greens, mild-tasting veggies (such as zucchini), and peppers. These sauces and dips are perfect to prep to have on hand during the week or to share with friends. Mixing vegetables with beans or creating a deliciously creamy pasta sauce are both wonderful ways to enjoy extra vegetables.

• Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Mushroom Sauce by Maria Koutsogiannis
• Spinach and Garlic White Bean Dip by Katherine Vaught
• Creamy Spinach Sauce by Sara Oliveira
• Easy Garlic Spinach Pasta Sauce by Dominique Ebra
• Roasted Red Pepper Dip by Diane Smith

Sneaking Veggies Into Entrees and Desserts

Source: Chocolate Zucchini Brownies With Sweet Potato Frosting

There are many ways to sneak vegetables into meals. Spinach is an excellent green to sneak into foods because it has almost no taste. For instance, you can blend spinach with your pancake batter to make spinach pancakes. You can also use zucchini, sweet potato, and chickpeas to sneak in some extra fiber and protein.

• Spinach Blender Pancakes by Kristina Jug & Mitja Bezenšek
• Easy Spinach Balls by Ivy
• Greek Spinach and Orzo Soup by Adam Merrin and Ryan Alvarez
• Sweet Potato Dahl with Red Lentils by Denise Perrault
• Sweet Potato Pancakes by Mitch and Justine Chapman

Source: Wild Rice and Hummus Collard Wraps

Another way to fit in more greens is to make wraps using collard greens or lettuce. When it comes to eating veggies raw, you can combine them into salads along with a homemade dressing or with a protein like tofu or lentils.

• Collard Greens by Brooke Brimm
• Wild Rice and Hummus Collard Wraps by Zuzana Fajkusova and Nikki Lefler
• Blanched Collard Wraps by Molly Patrick
• Crunchy Broccoli Salad with Roasted Sriracha Chickpeas by Annabelle Randles
• Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Salad by Shane Martin
• Beluga Lentil Broccoli Salad by Pavani Nandula

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