There are trillions of germs in our guts, and all of them are important to our health and well-being as a whole. Research shows that gut health may affect everything from anxiety to bloating to major digestive problems. This is why it’s so important to take gut health seriously. There are a lot of things that can make a difference, like a lot of worry or not getting enough sleep, but diet is also very important.
Recipes for a plant-based diet that are healthy and good for your gut.
Bites of chickpeas and eggplant
What you need:
- 3 large aubergines, cut in half and scored on one side
- Spray for cooking
- 2 cloves of peeled garlic
- 400 g of beans in a can
- Coriander, 2 teaspoons
- Half of a lemon juiced and grated, and the other half was cut into pieces.
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 3 spoonfuls of polenta
- 2 spoonfuls of gram flour
- Polenta
How to do it:
Step 1: Heat up the oven and get the veggies ready.
Get the oven ready at 400°F. Coat the aubergines with cooking spray and put them in a baking pan, cut side up. Put in the garlic, cumin seeds, and coriander, and cook for 40 minutes, or until the aubergines are soft. Put away to cool down.
Step 2: Crush the veggies.
Put the meat of the eggplant in a bowl. Throw away the skins. Put the aubergines and garlic and spices in a bowl. Mix together the beans, lemon juice, lemon zest, and flour. Season as needed. Put the mixture in the refrigerator for an hour so that it can harden.
Step 3: Make a form and bake
Make 20 balls out of the mix. Before putting them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, roll them in the polenta to coat them evenly. Put them in the oven for 20 minutes to cook. They should get golden brown and crunchy. Serve with wedges of lemon and a yogurt dip of your choice.
Avocado and beans on toast in a Mexican style
This dish’s Mexican tastes will give you a great start to your day. Beans on toast with all the health benefits of prebiotics.
What you need:
- 270g quartered cherry tomatoes
- 1 small, chopped red or white onion
- Half of a lime’s juice
- 4 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic ground up
- 1 teaspoon of cumin flour or ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of chili flakes and 2 teaspoons of chipotle paste
- 2 emptied 400g cans of black beans
- Chopped coriander, about a teaspoon
- 4 slices of bread with whole grains
- 1 avocado, cut in half
How to do it:
Step 1: Mix the tomatoes.
In a bowl, combine the lime juice, chopped tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of oil, and 1/4 cup of chopped onions. Put away.
Step 2: Cook the food.
Fry the rest of the chopped onions in 2 tablespoons of oil until they soften. Before adding the chipotle and cumin, fry the garlic for 1 minute. Add the beans and a splash of water once the aromatics start to smell good. Stir and cook the mixture until it is warm all the way through. Cook for 1 minute after adding half of the tomato mixture. Most of the coriander leaves should be added, but save a few to use as a topping.
Step 3: Toast the bread and put on the toppings.
Make the toast. On top, add slices of avocado and beans, along with the rest of the tomato mixture, oil, and cilantro leaves.
Summer Rolls with Brown Rice
How to do it:
1. Pour warm water into a bowl big enough to hold the spring roll covers. Soak one wrapper for about a minute, or until it is just flexible, and then lay it flat on a cutting board. Place a few folded lettuce leaves on the plate, then add the vegetables and flowers. Roll the wrapper up carefully, folding the bottoms in and rolling it shut.
2. Serve with satay sauce made with butter.
Chili with Black Beans
What you need:
- 2 spoonfuls of olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, cut into small pieces
- 2 big onions, chopped up roughly
- 3 tablespoons pepper powder or sweet Spanish paprika
- 2 spoonfuls of brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons of cumin powder
- 2 cans of chopped tomatoes, each 400g
- 3 spoonfuls of cider vinegar
- 2 400g cans of cleaned and drained black beans
How to do it:
Step 1: Cook the sauce and aromatics
Heat the olive oil. Fry the garlic and onions for 5 minutes. Chili powder and cumin go in next. Before adding sugar, vinegar, and tomatoes, cook for a few minutes. Add seasonings and cook for another 10 minutes.
Step 2: Cook and serve the beans
Pour the beans into the sauce and let them cook for 10 minutes. Serve with the sides of your choice.
Brussels sprouts roasted with apples and chestnuts
What you need:
- 2 tablespoons of melted dairy-free butter and 2 tablespoons of dairy-free milk
- 1 teaspoon of oil from avocados
- 2 spoonfuls of coconut sugar
- 1/2 cup cider vinegar from apples
- 2 cups broccoli rabe
- 1 spoonful of olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic
- cranberries, 1/2 cup
- 2 apples from Granny Smith
- 1/2 cup chestnuts, peeled and roasted
How to do it:
Step 1: Heat up the oven and make the sauce.
Turn the oven on to 400°F. To make the sauce, mix together melted vegan butter/milk, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, and coconut sugar.
Step 2: Cook the veggies.
Cook the onion and garlic in olive oil in a dish that can go in the oven until they are soft and clear. Mix the Brussels sprouts with the sauce.
Step 3: Roast the veggies.
Put the dish in the oven for 30 minutes with the onion, garlic, and Brussels sprouts. Take it out and use tongs to move the veggies around so they cook evenly.
Step 4: Add Fruits and Nuts, and then Broil
Take out the Brussels sprouts and add the apples, chestnuts, and cherries. Mix them all up. Change the setting on the oven to broil. For 5 minutes, broil. Stir the mixture every 3 minutes until all of the liquid has been absorbed. Help out.
Socca with barbecued tofu
What do you need:
- Chickpea flour
- Water
- Olive oil
- A pinch of salt
- BBQ sauce
How to do it:
1. First, make the socca batter. Mix the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and a pinch of salt together and set it aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
2. Mix all the ingredients for the BBQ sauce in a small bowl with a whisk, then set it away.
3. Put a few glugs of olive oil in a pan and heat it over high heat. Add the crumbled tempeh and cook it for about 5 minutes, stirring it every so often, just to brown it a little. Take the tempeh out of the pan and toss it with about a spoonful of BBQ sauce. Put away.
4. To make the socca, put 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a small nonstick sauté pan and heat it over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot but the oil isn’t smoking, add about a half cup of socca batter. The batter should spread out right away into a nice 6- to 8-inch pancake, but if it doesn’t, just lift and turn the pan to help it spread out.
5. Flip the socca after 1 to 2 minutes, when the bottom is starting to brown and you can see small bubbles on the top. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. When done, move to a plate lined with a paper towel. Keep doing this with the rest of the batter, making changes to the heat and adding oil as needed. There should be two socca.
6. To put the dish together, spread BBQ sauce on the bottom of the soccas. Put the sautéed tempeh that you saved on top. Then put thin slices of red onion and serrano peppers on top. Pour the vegan ranch dressing over the pizza and top with a lot of fresh parsley.
Bolognese with Walnuts and Mushrooms
What do you need:
- 4 ounces raw walnuts
- 4 ounces cremini mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon chili flakes
- olive oil
- 1½ cups your favorite vegan marinara
- 8 ounces brown rice spaghetti
- salt
How to do it:
1. Put the first five ingredients in a food processor and pulse it about 10 times, or until all of the ingredients are mixed and the thickness is the same. On medium heat, put a large amount of olive oil in a nonstick pan.
2. Mix the mushrooms and walnuts together and add them to the pan. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, turning every now and then. Once the mushrooms have let out some of their liquid and the walnuts and garlic have started to smell good, add the marinara sauce to the pan and turn the heat down to low. Stir everything together to make sure it’s well mixed, then let it bubble away while the pasta cooks.
3. Bring a lot of water to a boil in a big stockpot and add a lot of salt. Brown rice pasta should be cooked for 1 to 2 minutes less than what the package says.
4. Drain the pasta, add it to the walnut mushroom Bolognese, and mix it well so the sauce sticks to the noodles. Taste, season as needed, and serve.
Korean tacos with jackfruit
What do you need:
- ½ large yellow onion
- 1 16-ounce can jackfruit, drained
- salt
- 1 tablespoon date nectar or coconut nectar
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup shredded red cabbage
- 1 cup coarsely chopped vegan kimchi
- 2 tablespoons fabanaise or soy-free vegenaise
- 4 grain-free tortillas
- cilantro
How to do it:
1. Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a pan and heat it over medium-high heat. Add the onion, jackfruit, and a pinch of salt. Sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, turning every so often, until the onion and jackfruit start to brown. While they are cooking, mix the next seven ingredients together in a bowl with a whisk and add them to the onion and jackfruit. Turn down the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 30 minutes.
2. Make the slaw while it is cooking. Just mix the cabbage, kimchi, and fabanaise or soy-free vegenaise together in a bowl. If your salad needs more dressing, add a little juice from the kimchi jar. Put away.
3. After about 30 minutes, the onions and jackfruit should be soft, and the sauce should have thickened a bit. Press down on the jackfruit with the back of a wooden spoon. It should break up into nice shreds. You can also use a potato masher.
4. After warming the tortillas in a pan or quickly over an open flame, you’re ready to put everything together. Add the jackfruit mixture to the tortilla and top it with the kimchi sauce and a lot of fresh cilantro.
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