Since a significant portion of our nutrition philosophy revolves around consuming more plant-based, complete foods, we’ve learnt a few tricks to help you navigate plant-based cooking so that each meal is equally delicious and nutritious!
Discover 9 basic culinary strategies for producing plant-based meals that will make your meals extremely delicious, nutritious, and quick to prepare!
1. DO ALL OF YOUR CHOPPING, SLICING, AND DICING AHEAD OF TIME
Therefore, advice number 1 is to perform all chopping, slicing, and dicing beforehand.
If you’re intending on cooking anything the day of rather than meal prepping, you may have a meal prep day for all of the chopping, slicing, and dicing so it’s ready to grab and go.
For salad greens, for instance, keep a large container of washed and sliced lettuce stored in an airtight container. This eliminates one more step when preparing a meal.
The same holds true for kale, brussels sprouts, and carrots, among other vegetables. They should be patted dry and stored in a glass jar until they are ready to be cooked.
2. COOK VEGETABLES BY CATEGORY
The second cooking tip is to cook veggies according to their categorization. This will allow you to prepare a large quantity of vegetables at once and ensure that they all finish cooking at the same time.
For instance, if you want to roast multiple types of vegetables at the same time, place only one type of vegetable per pan so that they all take the same amount of time to cook and you may remove them when they’re done even if another pan requires additional time.
There are various categories of veggies that you may not be familiar with.
- Root veggies
Root vegetables such as beets, radishes, potatoes, and carrots come first.
- Leafy greens
There are a variety of leafy greens, including kale, spinach, and collard greens. Additionally, we provide cruciferous veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts.
- Fruit veggies
Another classification includes fruit vegetables such as avocado, eggplant, and pumpkin. Gourds and squashes, such as butternut squash and acorn squash, are also a category.
- Mushrooms (technically fungus, not vegetables)
There are mushrooms, such as portobello, button, and shiitake (they are not technically vegetables because they are fungi, but they are delicious when roasted!).
- Stalk veggies
Another category includes vegetables such as celery, fennel, and rhubarb with stalks. Green beans, peas, and snow peas are examples of pod- and seed-bearing crops.
The next time you cook in bulk and want to reduce cooking time, this is a fantastic tip!
3. SOAK BEANS AND LEGUMES
The following culinary trick involves soaking beans and legumes.
Soaking reduces the amount of time necessary to cook beans and legumes. Secondly, they tend to taste a little bit better after the soaking period. Your foods will have a significantly more powerful flavor!
Third, they are significantly simpler for the body to digest. Specifically, soaking beans can significantly reduce the amount of gas produced as a result of bean eating. If you are frequently gassy after eating canned beans, consider cooking your own and soaking them the next time you eat them.
To soak your beans, cover them with a few inches of water and a pinch of baking soda in a bowl. The baking soda aids in their decomposition. Allow them to sit for at least six hours, and if possible, overnight. After soaking, strain the beans and you’re ready to cook them!
4. CHANGE UP THE TEXTURE OF TOFU
The fourth suggestion is specifically to enhancing the texture of organic tofu.
Tofu is an extremely flexible protein that contains all essential amino acids. In addition to protein, this item contains fiber and healthy fats. Each serving contains up to 20 grams of protein! It is flexible because it readily absorbs the flavors of surrounding ingredients.
Try this hack if you dislike the soft, sponge-like texture of tofu.
Freeze it in its container along with the liquid, then defrost it. After defrosting, divide it into three halves and place them on a cutting board lined with paper towels. Place a heavy object, such as a pan, on top of the tofu to drain the liquid.
For optimal results, maintain this position for at least an hour, replacing the towels every 30 minutes or so.
The combination of chilling and pressing creates a chicken-like consistency. Even if you prefer tofu’s original texture, this is a fun technique to give it a different texture.
5. LEARN HOW TO BLANCH
If you like your vegetables to have a little crunch, blanching is one of the best basic ways to make them crisp and soft at the same time. It’s also one of the easiest ways to keep food fresh, so blanching is the way to go if you want your seasonal food to last longer.
For this method, you put the vegetables in a pot of boiling water for about 7 minutes. Then you put them in an ice bath to stop the cooking. This method lets you keep the bright colors of the vegetables and helps keep their nutrients.
Put a tablespoon of sea salt in a large pot of water and bring it to a boil.
Put the vegetables in the pot and let them cook for a few minutes, until their colors get brighter. Then, take the vegetables out of the pot right away and run them under ice-cold water.
6. PLAY WITH THE TEMPERATURE YOU SERVE IT
The next cooking tip is to experiment with serving temperatures! The majority of healthy, plant-based foods can be served hot or cold!
For instance, you may be accustomed to topping a warm Nourish Bowl with cooked chickpeas, but chickpeas are also excellent when served cold! You can prepare a chickpea salad that is delicious as a side dish or as a topping for salads.
The same holds true for potatoes, broccoli, gluten-free pasta, and numerous other items we are accustomed to eating hot. They can all be served cold and dressed differently.
On the other hand, items that you are accustomed to serving cold, such as strawberries, taste very different and are nevertheless great when served hot in porridge or a dessert.
Another illustration of this is salads. The majority of salads are served cold, but a warm grain salad is equally delicious.
7. MAKE YOUR OWN FREEZER MEALS
Even if you have mastered weeknight cooking, there will always be a day when you’re busier than usual or have a little different schedule.
When preparing a recipe for a whole meal, such as our Tofu Tikka Masala or White Bean Chili Verde, make a double batch with the intention of freezing half.
Then you will have a healthy lunch. Instead of rushing to a quick-service restaurant, you can quickly retrieve a week’s worth of ready-to-eat meals.
8. COOK GRAINS IN VEGETABLE BROTH
The eighth hack involves cooking grains in vegetable broth. Actually, this is a double hack!
First, you can keep your vegetable scraps from the week and simmer them into homemade vegetable stock, maximizing the use of every item of product you purchase.
And by cooking your grains in veggie broth, you will enhance the flavor and add additional nutrients to the dish.
Both parties win!
9. ADD LEMON TO GREENS
The final cooking tip is vitally crucial for plant-based diet, so let’s discuss it now.
When preparing a dish containing a lot of greens, such as kale or spinach, add a squeeze of lemon to brighten the flavor and add vitamin C, which aids in the absorption of non-heme iron (found in plant-based foods like greens).
This is an excellent visual reminder that if you have a plant-based diet, iron is one of the elements you must consume intentionally. A wonderful blend of greens and citrus!
Let me know which one you are most excited about and will implement this week.
