High Protein High Fiber Marinara Sauce

This efficient meal upgrade transforms a standard jar of store-bought marinara into a nutrient-dense powerhouse by incorporating blended lentils. By pureeing the lentils into the sauce, you significantly increase both the plant-based protein and dietary fiber content without drastically changing the classic tomato flavor profile. The result is a thick, hearty sauce that is far more satiating than plain marinara, providing a substantial boost of iron and complex carbohydrates to your favorite pasta or vegetable dishes.

Nutrition Information (per serving)

Based on a 24 oz jar of standard marinara sauce and 1 can of no-salt-added lentils. Values vary by brand.

Peach (or Nectarine) Crisp with Oat Crumble

This lightly sweetened peach or nectarine crisp is a fresh, lightly sweet dessert (or easy breakfast) that celebrates summer peaches or any time of year (if using frozen fruit). You could even have this for breakfast! You can use fresh or frozen fruit, making it easy and flexible. Instead of traditional white flour, the topping uses oats, adding fiber and a heartier texture while still delivering a buttery, crisp finish.

Whole Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic is a simple yet transformative ingredient that enhances dishes with its mellow, sweet flavor. By roasting multiple heads at once, you also get infused olive oil—a versatile addition to your kitchen. This garlic can be mashed into potatoes for a mellow garlicky side, pureed into soups, spread on toast for a savory treat, or even used as a pizza topping. Roasting garlic also leaves you with infused olive oil that can be drizzled over vegetables, sautéed with greens, tossed with noodles, or used as a bread dip with balsamic vinegar and herbs. With its caramelized, spreadable texture, roasted garlic is the perfect addition to any recipe or nosh board!

Basic Vinaigrette

Make your own vinaigrette in 5 minutes or less. A basic vinaigrette is made up of a ratio of 3 parts oil to 1-2 parts acid—think olive oil and apple cider vinegar or avocado oil and lemon juice. You can flavor it with salt, pepper, herbs, mustard, garlic and/or shallots. A tiny bit of sweetness from maple syrup or brown sugar balances the acid. Make, shake and store this in a glass jar so that dirty dishes are kept to a minimum.

Substitutions (Optional)

Substitute lemon juice or any vinegar for apple cider vinegar.

Level Ups (Optional)

Add chopped herbs, citrus zest, mashed roasted garlic, 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese, 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast and/or dried Italian seasoning.

Miso-Maple Dressing

This unusual dressing contains no oil and combines the subtle tanginess of rice wine vinegar with the salty-fermented flavors of miso. Try it in place of your usual dressing choice.

Sesame-Miso-Orange Vinaigrette

Most salad dressings are a combination of 3 parts oil to 1-2 parts acid (such as a vinegar), but this one adds tahini (sesame butter) and miso (fermented soybean paste) to the traditional oil/acid combination to take homemade salad dressing to the next level.

Learning Objectives

Learn another way to use miso paste and make a homemade salad dressing.

Basic Caramelized Onions

Onions naturally contain sugar and when cooked for 15 minutes over medium-high heat, those natural sugars caramelize, and the onions become sweet and soft. These will keep in the refrigerator for a week and are a welcome addition to scrambles, tacos, sandwiches and flatbreads.

Learning Objectives

Learn how to properly caramelize onions.

Level Ups (optional)

Add 1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar near the end for a sweeter flavor.

Do-Ahead Peppers and Onions

When sauteed, bell peppers and onions become magically sweet as their natural sugars caramelize during the cooking process. We often make a batch (or three) of this recipe at the beginning of the week so that on those busy days, we are able level up our meals with a welcome addition of ready-to-eat vegetables.

Learning Objectives

Learn how to batch cook vegetables so that they are an easy addition to scrambles, burritos, pizzas, tacos and more.

Level Ups (optional)

Add 1-2 tsp minced garlic during the last minute of cooking.

Substitutions (optional)

Substitute grated carrot, thinly sliced cabbage, celery and/or chopped cauliflower for the peppers.

Whole Lemon Dressing

This recipe will surprise you! Blending a whole lemon into this dressing creates a bright, sweet flavor with a creamy texture. Using the whole lemon not only adds fiber to this dressing, but also a healthy amount of Vitamin C.

Learning Objectives

Learn how a whole lemon adds flavor and creaminess to dressings and sauces. Try this trick with hummus and other favorites.

Level Ups (optional)

Serve with a salad recipe from our website.

Substitutions (optional)

Honey may be substituted for the maple syrup.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust

NOTES

This crust can be used for a Spring Vegetable Galette. Click here for the recipe.