Mindful Eating: 15 Eco-Friendly Recipes

We all know we should be doing our part to save the planet. But what does that mean when it comes to food? It can be easy to get overwhelmed with all the different eco-friendly choices. Here are 15 eco-friendly recipes to help you get started on your sustainable living journey. 

Did you know that your kitchen consumes a third of the energy used in your home? And much of it is due to cooking. As a registered dietitian and busy mom, I spend most of my time in the kitchen. Therefore, I've had to get creative in order to prepare my favourite meals in an environmentally responsible manner.

We all have a duty to look after planet Earth, so one approach is incorporating more eco-friendly recipes into our diet. Because when we eat sustainable foods, we reduce our carbon footprint and help preserve the planet for future generations.

What's more, by eating more whole food plant based dishes (WFPB), we are also doing our bodies a favour. WFPB recipes are not only eco-friendly but they are packed with nutrients and antioxidants that help support our immune system and protect us from chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancers.

So if you're looking to take steps toward sustainable living, start with these eco-friendly recipes. They are delicious, good for the planet and many of them are also diabetes diet friendly and heart smart as well.

1. Quinoa Mung Bean Salad

Eating more pulses, like beans, is a powerful way to care for 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 half to one-third of the water it takes to produce other protein sources.

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 on the environment, such as air, water, land, soil, forests, etc. - as long as pesticides have not been used.

30-Minute Massaged Kale Salad With Spicy Chickpeas

Got a bunch of kale? Lunch is all sorted with this easy and healthy 30-minute vegan Kale Salad that's tossed in a creamy avocado-herb dip and topped with warm and spicy roasted chickpeas. Finished with sweet and tangy dried cranberries, it's a summer salad you won't be able to resist. Scrumptious enough to enjoy as a light lunch or even as part of a meal.

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3. Warm Asparagus Tomato Quinoa Salad

This recipe is perfect as a meatless Monday meal, but it's also 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 daily 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. Air Fryer Eggplant and Chickpeas Salad

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 encourages us to use leftovers and compost because "Decomposing food in landfills emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas that causes climate change."

Healthy Air Fryer Eggplant And Chickpeas Salad

On the lookout for nutritious salads? You're in the right place! This air fryer eggplant and chickpeas salad is jam-packed with wholesome ingredients like parsley, onion, cucumber and tomatoes. The best part? It's high in protein and fibre, which makes it filling and ideal as a diabetes salad, too. This recipe is vegan, gluten free and part of my heart healthy and diabetes diet friendly series.

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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 litres compared to 297 litres, according to a Dutch study published in 2012? Replacing cow's milk with soy milk would be a wise choice for water preservation and 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

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

Health Promoting 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 to get to your plate. It's a type of long grain rice, the husk of which is removed, and then it goes through the second stage of processing to polish it. This Quilau is certainly an 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 an 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 is needed to transport, refrigerate and store, as well as more packaging to ensure 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 into 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 favour 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

Using sustainable seafood gives me peace of mind that the seafood I enjoy is certified wild and can be traced back to the fishery it came from. You can learn more about mindful eating and sustainable choices in my recent Huffpost article. This sheet pan wonder is the easiest fish recipe you'll ever make. It's flaky, juicy, and tangy, and you won't believe how incredible it tastes.

Easy Lemon Pepper Salmon

In just 20 minutes, you can have this succulent lemon pepper salmon on your dinner table. The zesty flavour of lemon pairs perfectly with the pungent bite of pepper, creating a delightful dish sure to please your taste buds. And best of all, this recipe pairs wonderfully with a variety of sides to create balanced nutritious meals. High protein, diabetes diet friendly, and heart healthy.

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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 recipes, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment, rate them, or share a photo and hashtag with #desiliciousrd on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! I can't wait to see your photos.

Shahzadi Devje

Shahzadi is an award-winning registered dietitian (RD) regulated by the College of Dietitians of Ontario and a certified diabetes educator (CDE), approved by the Canadian Diabetes Educator Certification Board. A 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 to other national media outlets.