What I’m Cooking This Week – Whole Food Plant-Based

Written by on in Blog, Recipes

Every week I get a box of fresh organic produce as part of my local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). This week I’m showing you our latest box of veggies and how we cooked everything!

Check out the video below for all the details or jump directly to the written recipes using these links:

Creamy Basil Pasta

Bowl of spaghetti pasta covered in a creamy white bean pesto sauce and topped with vegan parmesean

Makes about 3 to 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 16 ounce package whole wheat spaghetti (or other noodles)

Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 (15 ounce) cans great northern beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
  • 2 teaspoons granulated onion
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
  • ¼ cup raw cashews
  • 1 teaspoon salt substitute
  • ½ to 1 cup water (or plant-based milk)

Basil Ingredients*

  • 2 bunches fresh basil
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon applesauce
  • 2 to 4 tablespoons water as needed to blend

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta per package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, add the sauce ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth.* Then transfer the sauce to a pot and bring to a simmer while the pasta cooks.
  3. Add the basil ingredients to a small food processor and blend until the basil is chopped finely. Then transfer this mixture to the pot with the simmering sauce.
  4. When the pasta is done cooking, drain it and combine it with the sauce.
  5. Serve with a side salad, and top with vegan parmesean.

*If you prefer, you can also add the sauce ingredients directly to your pot to begin with, warm it up, and then blend with an immersion blender before adding the pasta and basil mixture.

*Feel free to use a few spoonfuls of your favorite pesto instead of using the fresh basil if you prefer.

Beets and Swiss Chard

Pot of shredded beets, dates, and crushed nuts

I used the beets to make a sweet treat. I got this Beetroot Halwa recipe from the Plant-Based Los Angeles blog. It’s very simple to make and delicious. This is great for those who have a sweet tooth. I used fewer dates than the recipe calls for and it was still almost too sweet!

Skillet of chopped and sauteed onions and rainbow chard.

And we also sauteed the beet greens with some of the onions we got this week and a little bit of coconut aminos. I forgot to take a picture of the beet greens, but we did the same with the swiss chard, pictured above.

We do a simple water saute by adding chopped onions to a dry, hot skillet, and cook until they start to brown, adding splashes of water as needed to deglaze the pan. Then we add the chopped greens with a couple teaspoons of water, cover, and steam for about 3 to 5 minutes or until wilted. We finish it off with a couple teaspoons of balsamic vinegar or coconut aminos.

Broccolini, Rice, and Tofu

Plate with a base of brown rice, topped with chopped broccolini, crumbled marinated tofu, and roasted onion slices.

Makes about 3 to 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches broccolini, chopped
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 14 ounce package extra firm tofu, drained
  • Cooked brown rice
  • Optional: sesame seeds for topping

Sauce Ingredients*

  • 2 tablespoons tamari
  • 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon date syrup
  • 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
  • ½ teaspoon granulated onion
  • ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 or 2 teaspoons water

Directions

  1. If you don’t already have some prepped in the fridge, cook a batch of brown rice.
  2. Break the tofu into a large crumble. Then whisk together the sauce ingredients and pour over the tofu. Set aside to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve any extra marinade for basting and for topping your final dish.
  3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
  4. Spread the thinly sliced onions out on a parchment lined baking sheet, and bake about 15 to 20 minutes or until crispy.
  5. Spread the marinated tofu out on another parchment-lined baking sheet and bake 20 to 30 minutes, or until crispy. Stop halfway through, stir the tofu around, and baste with any remaining sauce before returning to the oven to finish cooking.
  6. Meanwhile, steam the broccolini for about 5 minutes or until tender-crisp.
  7. Assemble your bowls or plates with a base of cooked brown rice topped with the broccolini, tofu, and onions. Feel free to top with extra sauce and sesame seeds.

*This sauce was inspired by the Teriyaki Sauce on page 186 of The Engine 2 Cookbook by Rip and Jane Esselstyn. We adjusted it slightly as written above, but you can check out their full original recipe in their cookbook!

Steamed Zucchini and Summer Squash

Plate with a large mound of mashed potatoes topped with chopped zucchini, yellow squash, and onions mixed with pesto. and 4 small chickpea patties along the side.

Pesto Ingredients

  • ¼ cup walnuts
  • 1 to 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 bunches fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teapoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 or 2 tablespoons water

Other Ingredients

  • 1 large zucchini, chopped
  • 1 large yellow summer squash, chopped
  • 1 small red onion, sliced
  • Black pepper and salt substitute to taste

Directions

  1. Steam the zucchini, squash, and onions for about 5 minutes, or until tender-crisp. Season with the black pepper and salt substitute, if using.
  2. Add all the pesto ingredients except the water to a small food processor and start blending.
  3. Slowly add water until your desired consistency is reached.
  4. Combine the steamed veggies with as much pesto as you like, and store the rest in an air-tight container in the fridge. This will be best if used within a couple days.
  5. We served this over mashed potatoes and with my Curry Chickpea Patties.

Looking for More Ideas?

Check out some of my other CSA posts for more whole food plant-based meals ideas using fresh local produce.