How To Make Dinner

While I love to cook and try new recipes, many of my meals consist of this simple formula for dinner in a bowl (or on a plate if you’d rather). Simplifying weeknight/worknight meals is a priority for many of my clients and this is an easy way to do just that.

This can be done a thousand different ways to suit your mood and tastebuds.

Step 1: Veggies
Are you in the mood for a salad or a bunch of roasted or steamed veggies? Maybe zucchini or carrot noodles instead. Or, stir-fried veggies.
For this example, I went with romaine and tomatoes. To that, I added sauteed fennel, arugula, and mushrooms.

Step 2: Whole carbohydrate aka complex carb
Some options here might be sliced and roasted sweet or white potatoes, brown rice, millet, whole grain pasta, quinoa, or butternut squash.
I opted for a personal favorite, roasted red potatoes seasoned with dill, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Step 3: Plant-based protein
Any sort of bean will work here. Roasted chickpeas are awesome, mashed pinto beans, bean-based veggie burger, “meat”balls made from beans or lentils, curry-seasoned lentils, baked tofu, tempeh, edamame, or peas.

I opted for some boiled yellow split peas.

Step 4: Add some sauce and flavor enhancers
What works with your dish here? Maybe some marinara or teriyaki sauce? Or, Balsamic vinegar, salsa, tahini dressing, hummus, or guacamole. For even more flavor, try adding some olives, sauerkraut, or a spoonful of pumpkin seeds or walnuts.

For this combination, I used homemade vegan tzatziki sauce and kalamata olives.

This can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be.

Here’s another example. I opted for sauteed kale, roasted carrots, parsnips, and zucchini (seasoned with curry powder and salt). Then I added lentils, baked polenta slices, and a green curry tahini dressing (made from tahini, lemon juice, and green curry paste).