Dinner Recipes

Browse through healthy and delicious dinner recipes that are inspired by local ingredients, and are always simple to make. Compiled by a Registered Dietitian these recipes are plant-based and mostly gluten-free.

Some of my favourite dinner recipes include this Chanterelle Barley Risotto, this Lentil Roasted Vegetable Buddha Bowl and this Simple Peanut Satay Indonesian Style.

1 Pan Healthy Roasted Vegetables Dinner

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This simple 1 pan healthy roasted vegetable dinner is just that – roasted vegetables, one pan, a simple dinner. I love adding some canned chickpeas and delicious dressing to complete the meal. Easy and low-maintenance, this dish is the perfect dinner to use up leftover vegetables. And the best part? No recipe needed!

I love the idea of getting people more comfortable with cooking without a recipe. I guess my confidence in the kitchen has happened over time, with the help of many cooking shows and a fuss-free partner my creativity in the kitchen has been able to flourish. I rarely use recipes now and prefer to instead look in my fridge and pantry and create something from the ingredients on hand. Gradually what I am beginning to realize is that this is what I want to share with others as well – how to cook without a recipe!

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Simple Chickpea Flour Flatbread – 3 Ingredients

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Chickpea flour flatbread changed my world. How could something so easy be so delicious? It helps elevate a simple curry into something special and is a great replacement for store-bought wheat-based bread. The best part – it is only 3 ingredients! I’ve included some top tips for variations and my favourite meals to pair it with.

If you haven’t gotten your hands on some chickpea flour, also known as besan, now is the time. My favourite way to use it is to make flatbreads – I find the slightly nutty and bean-y flavour lends itself nicely to savoury dishes. It is packed full of protein and fibre, making it a great lower carb alternative to rice or traditional wheat-based flatbreads.
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Cold Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Green Beans

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A simple cold beet salad to welcome in the warmer months. I love the simplicity of this dish – only 5 ingredients and lightly seasoned with quality olive oil and salt and pepper. Serve this dish alongside any BBQ, or have it on its own for a light and nutritious lunch.

This dish was introduced to me by one of my good friends Sage. She made it over a summer weekend when we rented a house on the beach for a beautiful fun and friend-filled weekend in Tofino. The dish allows for the ingredients to speak for themselves. I love steaming my vegetables for maximum nutrient availability, but the beets and green beans can also be boiled for ease. Seasoned lightly with some fresh lemon, olive oil and salt this is a delicious cold beet salad is a must for any recipe repertoire.
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Baked Asparagus Pearled Barley Risotto with Lemon and Hazelnuts

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This simple baked asparagus pearled barley risotto helps save on time in the kitchen, and the resulting risotto is higher in fibre, more filling and more nutritious than the classic risotto. Using seasonal asparagus is a great way to celebrate this high prebiotic vegetable. One serving of this dish provides 15 grams of fibre – more than half of our daily requirement!

Learning different ways to make familiar things can help keep our brains sharp. NPR posted an article titled “Learning A New Skill Works Best To Keep Your Brain Sharp.” While the rest of us are busy buying into expensive supplements and “superfoods” to increase brain power, these seniors took up new skills to prevent dementia and the results of the study were impressive – significant memory gains after 3 months! This asparagus pearled barley risotto is a new way to prepare a traditional favourite – and turns out it is higher in fibre and easier to make!

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Almond & Tempeh Vegan Meatballs Recipe [GF]

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This almond and tempeh vegan meatballs recipe is a quick and delicious way to add some variety to dinner. Following a plant-based diet doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy some of your favourite dishes. I love serving these tempeh meatballs with a pasta bolognese sauce, or on their own on a light salad. A simple and delicious fuss-free recipe, and it’s vegan and gluten-free!

Tempeh is a must in any plant-based foodies repertoire. Tempeh originated in Indonesia, and Indonesians enjoy it fried and spicy and often will add it to dishes such as Gado Gado (see my simplified recipe for Simple Peanut Sauce Indonesian Style), or enjoyed fried in a spicy sambal and served with rice. It is as versatile as tofu, but many prefer the firmer texture of tempeh over its soybean cousin. Here is my play on tempeh, and a good one to get you started on your tempeh journey – Easy Almond Tempeh Vegan Meatballs.
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Ginger French Lentil Stew Recipe with Couscous

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This recipe for a french lentil stew is as unique as it is delicious. The simple combination of french lentils with ginger, lightly spiced with coriander and cayenne and served on top of fluffy couscous makes for a delicious and high protein plant-based meal that is SO easy to make.

Lentils are a regular in our household. Most of the time it is this Easy Vegetarian Bean Soup or this Greek Red Lentil Soup with Lemon. I dug this recipe up from my university years – this used to be my go-to recipe when I needed something inexpensive and easy to make. Over the years this recipe has evolved so much that I can’t recall what the original recipe looked like. What I do know is that they savouriness of the lentils cooked in broth, mixed with the spiced ginger, coriander and cayenne, and served with a hit of lemon juice and a sprinkle of parsley makes for one delicious meal.
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Easy Vegetarian Bean Soup – Budget Friendly

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This easy vegetarian bean soup costs less than $1 per serving and is so simple to make! I love using seasonal vegetables and enjoying this soup all throughout the year. Try starchy potato and parsnips in the colder months, and zucchini and mushroom in the warmer months. I have also included some of my top tips on how to prepare beans to maximize their nutrition!

Beans and lentils are a Dietitian’s best friend. Not only are they a great source of plant-based protein, iron and zinc, they are also inexpensive and incredibly versatile. I also love sharing how sustainable this protein source is (see my post How To Cook Lentils + 5 Reasons Why We Should Eat Lentils). If you haven’t cooked much with beans and other legumes before this Easy Vegetarian Bean Soup is a simple introduction into cooking with legumes. For bean connoisseurs, I’ve included a few of my favourite variations to this classic and simple mixed bean soup recipe – miso anyone?
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Two Ingredient Corn Patties – [Indigenous Inspired]

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This recipe for Corn Patties was created as an alternative for white bread for a healthy eating and diabetes prevention group. We all respect and value what eating traditional Indigenous foods can bring to the community in terms of cultural wellness and overall health. This recipe is only 2 ingredients and is so simple to make. It tastes great with pesto, eggs, or even smoked salmon!

When we think of traditional Indigenous foods, here on the West Coast our mind automatically goes to salmon, seafood and berries. Corn was first harvested in Canada by the First Nations between Manitoba and Lake Superior and was a diet staple along with wild rice and hunted game. There was even a type of bannock made from corn (along with roots and sap), and it was only around the 1860s when bannock made from white flour was introduced. In my quest for flour-free alternatives to bread, this recipe for 2 Ingredient Corn Patties was created! And the best part – it is SO easy!

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Japanese Noodle Soup with Miso

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This quick and easy Japanese Noodle Soup with Miso can be made in less than 15 minutes! It is a great way to use leftover vegetables, and the protein options are versatile as well. Miso is not only a tasty broth, it is also rich in beneficial live-active-cultures which are important for a healthy gut.

This is a regular dish in our household because it is super easy and adaptable. You can usually find some sort of leftover vegetable in your fridge that would work perfectly with this dish. Miso is a little bit of a ‘superfood’, I use Genmai Miso as its made of brown rice rather than white, so it still contains the bran making it even more nutritious. This Japanese Noodle Soup with Miso is sure to be a favourite in your house, as it is in mine!
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Butternut Squash Curry Lentil Soup with Turmeric

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A simple and delicious Butternut Squash Curry Lentil Soup that is as easy to make as it is delicious. The creaminess of the butternut squash is emphasized by the thickness of the red lentils. Red lentils are amazing in soups as they break apart upon cooking, adding a hearty texture. This recipe is packed full of plant-based protein with 20 grams of protein, and only 280 calories per serving.

Legumes are one of the best foods we can feed our body, but often one of the foods we don’t eat enough of. They have a complex nutrient profile and offer plant-based protein, iron and zinc. They are also one of the most sustainable sources of protein we have access to (see my post Five Reasons Why You Should Eat Lentils). Clients tell me the main reason they don’t eat lentils is that they lack the confidence in preparing them. This is one of my favourite recipes for introducing clients to cooking with dried lentils, as red lentils are the easiest to cook with. This Butternut Squash Curry Lentil Soup with Turmeric really is fail-safe and will take only 35 minutes to cook!
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Healthy Coleslaw Recipe with Toasted Almonds [Mayo-Free ]

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Looking for the best Healthy Coleslaw Recipe? Well, look no further. Not only is this coleslaw recipe packed full of antioxidants from the red cabbage and fresh herbs, the creamy dressing is naturally mayo-free. Turn this salad into a main meal by adding some baked tofu or a few eggs.

The summer markets are bursting with berries, stone fruit, and fresh tomatoes. With the overload of delicious blueberries and wild blackberries, we sometimes forget about the more humble harvests. Cabbage springs into season in summer and has a lengthy season, lasting over 6 months depending on the climate. Cabbage is also packed full of antioxidants and is an easy addition to summer salads, BBQs and stir-fries.
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The Ultimate Vegan Pesto Recipe with Hemp

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Not just another pesto recipe – this Ultimate Vegan Pesto Recipe with Hemp is the best way to celebrate summer. The local ingredients have been maximized to great a truly sustainable dish!

The internet does not need another pesto recipe, but what it does need is a little flair added to the traditional basil pesto. I love using miso in my pesto, not only for that delicious umami flavour but also for the live-active cultures from this underutilized fermented food. Hemp is iconically Canadian, a sustainable source of protein, and a great replacement for pinenuts. Try this recipe for my Ultimate Vegan Pesto Recipe with Hemp on some Zucchini Noodles or on your favourite wrap.
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Dinner Recipes

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