Mindful Eating: 15 Eco-Friendly Recipes

Master mindful eating with these 15 eco-friendly recipes. Did you know, your kitchen accounts for a third of your home's energy use? And much of that is due to cooking. As a mom and avid foodie, I spend most of my time in the kitchen; cooking meals and testing recipes, prepping snacks, clearing up and the list goes on. With so much time spent in the heart of our home, it's a great opportunity to ponder on how we, as a family, can become more eco-friendly. 

Taking care of the planet doesn't have to mean becoming vegan or growing your own vegetable garden. There are simple steps you can take to make your meals more environmentally-friendly.

If Earth Day is inspiring you to take action to better care for the planet, discover 15 nutritious and mouthwatering recipes that are eco-friendly - to help you practice mindful eating.

1. Quinoa Mung Bean Salad

Eating more pulses, like beans, is a powerful way to take care of the environment. Pulses are a low carbon footprint food, meaning that farmers need to add little or no nitrogen fertilizer. What's more, pulses use ½ to ⅓ of the amount of water that it takes to produce other sources of protein.

Kale and Quinoa Salad

This Kale and Quinoa Salad recipe calls for beautifully colourful ingredients to brighten your day. It's a stellar recipe — especially if you're on the hunt for salad ideas for lunch. Best for summer days, healthy meal prep for the week, or a nourishing side salad for cookouts and BBQs. Vegan and gluten-free.

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2. Massaged Kale Salad With Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

Kale is regarded as a sustainable crop since there are no known long-term impacts to the environment such as air, water, land, soil, forests, etc - as long as pestides have not been used.

Massaged Kale Salad With Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

A refreshing and flavorful kale salad, tossed in a creamy avocado-herb dip and topped with slightly-crispy spicy chickpeas. Now that's one salad you won't be able to resist.

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3. Warm Asparagus Tomato Quinoa Salad

Not only is this recipe perfect as a meatless Monday meal, it's all done in one pan for easy prep and cleanup - using less water! According to Friends of the Earth, the average household uses 150 litres of water everyday - to wash, cook and clean. You'll certainly be saving heaps of water cooking this recipe!

Warm Asparagus Tomato Quinoa Salad | Easy, One-Pot, Spring Dish

Done and dusted in under 30 minutes, this simple one-pan Asparagus Tomato Quinoa Salad is rich in taste; infused with flavours from peppers, garlic and cumin. The perfect meatless one pan meal for easy prep and cleanup. Who’s in?!

4. Black Bean & Sweet Potato Vegetarian Kebabs

By eating less meat, you're helping to slash water usage drastically because taking care of animals for meat and dairy is incredibly water-intensive.

Vegan Kebab Recipe

Perfect for times when your pantry is low in ingredients, and you just need something quick and simple. This kebab recipe creates succulent and soft kebabs (Shammi kebab-style) that are packed with protein and rich in flavour!

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5. Quinoa Lentil Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Like beans, lentils are pulses, that support soil health by feeding microorganisms in the earth. This benefits other crops that grow in rotation with pulses.

Quinoa Lentil Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Enticing stuffed zucchini boats! Super-yummy and packed with nutrition, these adorable boats are the perfect way to have fun with kids in the kitchen! Discover how to turn a simple vegetable into a delicious, and satisfying dish with an easy filling of sautéed onion, garlic, tomatoes, quinoa, and brown lentils.

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6. Easy Fluffy Pancakes

Cut food wastage and save money by using over-ripened food, such as bananas in baking.

Desi-licious Fluffy Pancakes Recipe

Looking for an easy fluffy pancakes recipe? Make our family's favourite healthy pancakes from scratch. Made with wholewheat flour and less sugar - they're desilicious! A never-fail weekend breakfast that's ready for all the fruits in your fridge!

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7. Eggplant Chickpea Wraps With Goji Berries

Can you believe it's made from leftovers? According to the Environmental Protection Agency, food wastage is the number one material sent to landfills and incinerators, which is more than plastic and metal combined. The EPA encourage us to use leftovers and compost because "Decomposing food in landfills emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas that causes climate change."

Eggplant Chickpea Wraps With Goji Berries

These eggplant chickpea wraps with goji berries take their cue from the Middle East. Fresh, filling and fabulous; they're perfect to keep you ticking along on busy days. The addition of sumac and goji berries transforms this recipe into one that's exotic, tangy and flavourful. This, certainly is no ordinary wrap.

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8. Superfood Green Smoothie Bowl

Did you know the water footprint of cow's milk is more than three times that of soy milk -1,050 liters compared to 297 liters according to a dutch study, published in 2012? Replacing cow's milk with soy milk would not only be a wise choice for water preservation, it's also a positive way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Green Smoothie Recipe

Stay energized with this 5-minute dairy free green smoothie recipe. It's delightfully refreshing and perfectly sweet - with no added sweeteners. Thick and creamy; made with banana, frozen pineapple chunks, spinach and wheatgrass, to create a nutrient packed shake.  What a quick, simple and delicious way to get your greens!

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9. Superfood Vegetarian Chili

Cooking in bulk is a great way to be more eco-friendly. I double (even treble) this recipe and freeze it to reduce water and energy usage in my kitchen.

The Best Healthy Chili Recipe You'll Ever Eat

Learn how to make this Desi~licious healthy chili recipe that's chock full of vegetables. It's our favourite vegan chili recipe - that's also freezer-friendly.

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10. DIY Lacto-Fermented Mixed Vegetables

To boost your gut health and reduce the need for stovetop or oven energy, incorporate some raw foods into your diet. For something a little different, try my DIY Lacto-Fermented Mixed Vegetables recipe, to give your body some much-needed probiotics.

Easy Fermented Vegetable Recipe

This easy, step-by-step recipe will teach you how to make delicious fermented vegetables with potential health benefits. Learn more about this tasty twist on veggies! This recipe is vegan and low carb.

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11.  Gluten free Quinoa Vegetable Pilau

Traditionally pilau is made with Basmati rice, which requires a lot of fossil fuels in getting to your plate. It's a type of long grain rice, the husk of which is removed, and then it goes through a second stage of processing to polish it. This Quilau is certainly a eco-friendly option.

Vegetarian Quinoa Pilau Recipe

Inspired by the traditional rice pilau, this enticing and super-healthy gluten free Vegetarian Quinoa Pilau Recipe, aka "qui-lau" is bursting with flavour, and so simple to pull off. Infused with the aroma of cumin, coriander and garam masala, this recipe is one you will want to add to your repertoire. Satisfying and finger-licking good!

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12. Pumpkin-Bean Burger With Chilli Avocado Mash

We make the effort to buy seasonal local produce, such as pumpkins. Food that's travelled across the world to get to your plate has a much higher impact on the environment; more energy needed to transport, refrigerate and store, as well as more packaging to ensure its freshness.

Desi Pumpkin Bean Burger

Just in time for Fall, these easy and healthy Desi Pumpkin Bean Burgers are an excellent alternative to store bought vegan burgers. Kidney beans, pumpkin and oats infused with curry powder and cumin, to create a healthy ethnic recipe - that'll knock your socks off! Served on a bed of alfalfa microgreens and topped with creamy guacamole. Just tuck in! 

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13. Kala Chana Chaat (Black Chickpea Salad)

Cutting your food in smaller pieces - as a strategy to reduce cooking time, is a good way to minimize  energy usage in your kitchen. What's more, you’ll save on time and bills and manage to feed your hungry family a lot faster.

Quick Kala Chana Chaat (Black Chickpea Salad)

One loaded kala chana chaat coming at ya! A popular South Asian street food, here kala chana, aka black chickpeas, are tossed in a delicious blend of Indian spices, citrus fruit, and fresh herbs to create a simple, irresistible chickpea salad. This quick 30-minute recipe is perfect for a healthy, high-protein nutrient-packed breakfast, lunch, or anytime really! Vegan and gluten free.

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14. Chickpea Kale Curry with Spaghetti Squash

Being a "rainfed" crop, chickpeas don't require significant amounts of water, and like other legumes, they enhance soil health by fixing nitrogen. This can favor crop rotation; meaning a more sustainable model of agriculture.

Vegan Chickpea Curry Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Vegan chickpea curry stuffed spaghetti squash is one of our favourite winter squash dishes. Chickpeas are high in fibre and have staying power, which makes them a winner in my book. This easy and healthy recipe is a delicious supper that's also naturally gluten-free.

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15. Easy Lemon Pepper Salmon

I used The Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) salmon fillets to create this recipe. Using the MSC blue fish label, gives me peace of mind, that the seafood I enjoy is certified wild, sustainable and can be traced back to the fishery they came from - a good choice for me and the oceans too! You can learn more about mindful eating and sustainable choices in my recent Huffpost article. This sheet pan wonder is by far the easiest fish recipe you'll ever make. It's flaky, juicy, tangy and you won't believe how incredible it tastes.

Easy Lemon Pepper Salmon

Primed for a weeknight dinner, this easy and healthy flavourful Lemon Pepper Salmon recipe can be on the table in just 20 minutes. This one-pan wonder is by far the easiest fish recipe you'll ever make. Flaky, juicy, tangy and absolutely desilicious.

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What are some of your best tips for eco-friendly cooking? Have you tried any of these recipes? How do you practice mindful eating? Share with me in the comments below.

If you try these recipe, would love to hear from you! Leave a comment, rate them, or share a photo and hashtag with #desiliciousrd on Instagram, Facebook and twitter!  Can't wait to see your photos.

References

1. Pulse Canada 

Shahzadi Devje

Shahzadi is an award-winning registered dietitian (RD) regulated by the College of Dietitians of Ontario and certified diabetes educator (CDE), approved by the Canadian Diabetes Educator Certification Board. A YouTuber and notorious foodie, she's dedicated to helping you end your cooking wars, transform your health, and be the best version of yourself! Shahzadi is an on-air nutrition expert for CTV Your Morning and a regular contributor for Global News and other national media outlets.