Category: No added oil

Elisa’s Mexican Beans

Ingredients

2 cups dried pinto beans

1 tsp. Garlic Powder

1 tsp. Salt

Steps

  1. Put beans in medium pot and rinse until water is fairly clear, removing any pebbles.
  2. Place pot of beans on stove with enough water to cover the beans by 2 inches.
  3. Bring beans to a boil, and then lower to medium. Keep adding water to beans so that they are covered by 2 inches of water.
  4. After 45 minutes, add garlic powder and salt.
  5. Continue to cook for 35 minutes until beans are soft.

Serve with Mexican Rice and sliced avocado.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cup
  • Calories: 123
  • Sugar: .3 g
  • Sodium: 311 mg
  • Fat: 1.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 22.71 g
  • Fiber: 7.7 g
  • Protein: 7.77 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients

  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 3-4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic, minced
  • 4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
  • 2 3/4 cups water
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
  • 1 cup red lentils
  • 2-15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
  • 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter
  • 2 tbsp. lime juice
  • Sea salt to taste

Steps

  1. If using a food processor, first chop onion, celery and garlic. Remove and set aside. Cut sweet potatoes in fourths to use the slicer for food processor.
  2. Place 1/4 cup of the water in a large soup pot. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
  3. Stir in the chili powder, paprika, cumin, cinnamon and crushed pepper. Mix well.
  4. Add the remaining water, broth, sweet potatoes, lentils, tomatoes, and beans. Stir to combine, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. Stir in the peanut butter, one tablespoon at a time. Season with lime juice and a bit of sea salt, if desired.

Adapted from “McDougall Recipes | Dr. McDougall’s Health and Medical Center”.

Brain Power Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe bananas and 2 frozen bananas
  • 1/3 cup strawberries
  • 1 1/2 cups of kale
  • 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
  • 1/4 tsp. turmeric
  • 1/4 tsp. ground ginger or 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger
  • Juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/3 cup cold water

Steps

  1. Add bananas to blender. Bananas should be very ripe with brown spots.
  2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

Quick Burrito Bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 bags of Walmart’s Great Value Boil in Bag Brown Rice
  • 2 cups chopped Romaine or Iceburg Lettuce
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 can black beans, undrained
  • 1 Tbsp. Aldi taco seasoning
  • 1 bag Aldi Steamed Sweet Frozen Corn
  • Aldi Restaurant Style Guacamole Sweet and Spicy
  • Aldi Mild Fresh Cut Salsa
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • Kosher salt to taste

Steps

  1. While boiling rice, chopped lettuce and cilantro.
  2. Add beans and taco seasoning to beans and heat on stove.
  3. Prepare corn according to package directions. Mix cooked corn with cilantro.
  4. Drain rice and add to individual bowls. Add to bowls, beans, corn, guacamole, salsa, and lettuce.
  5. Sprinkle lime juice and salt over burrito bowls.

May be served with warmed tortillas.

No Oil Oven Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 6 potatoes
  • salt & pepper to taste

Steps

  1. Place the whole potatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and boil for 5 minutes or until just tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain the potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces, and spread them evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
  2. Sprinkle the potatoes with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 degrees on middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until the potatoes start to get bubbly and brown.

Optional toppings: paprika, dried basil or rosemary.

Adapted from “Shane and Simple”.

Spicy Thai Peanut Spaghetti

Ingredients

  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 carrot
  • 4 green onions
  • 1 cup of cilantro
  • 1 box whole grain spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter
  • Juice of 2 limes
  • 1 cup soy sauce or tamari
  • 1/3 cup maple syrup
  • 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. water
  • 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper to taste
  • Chopped avocado

Steps

  1. In a food processor, chop garlic and carrot, pulse a few times, add green onions and cilantro and blend. Remove and set aside.
  2. Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and return to pot.
  3. While pasta cooks, in a food processor, add peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, maple syrup, rice vinegar and water. Blend until smooth.
  4. Add peanut sauce to pasta and mix well.
  5. Add veggies and crushed red pepper to pasta and and mix well.
  6. Top with avocado.

Can be eaten warm or cold. Optional-top with bean sprouts.

Adapted from Martin, Shane. “Spicy Thai Peanut Spaghetti.” Shane ad Simple. 14 Sept., 2017, https://shaneandsimple.com/spicy-peanut-butter-ramen-noodles/

Serves 5

Bean and Rice Burrito

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 4 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 chopped jalapeño
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • Aldi’s classic guacamole
  • Aldi’s Casa Mamita Mild Chunky Salsa in a jar
  • 2 cans of Aldi’s Casa Mamita Refried Pinto Beans
  • 2 Tbsp. Aldi’s Casa Mamita Taco Seasoning, 25 % Less Sodioum
  • Aldi’s Pueblo Lindo Flour Tortilla or Fit and Active Whole Wheat Tortillas, 1 package
  • 3 limes

Steps

  1. Cook brown rice according to directions.
  2. Chop tomato, onion, jalapeño, and cilantro
  3. Stir in taco seasoning to beans and microwave for 2 minutes.
  4. Heat tortillas individually in skillet.
  5. Place enough beans, rice, tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, guacamole, and salsa to cover end of tortillas.
  6. Squeeze lime juice over filling.
  7. Roll tortillas by folding sides toward the center and roll starting with end towards you.

Makes eight burritos.

You can use leftover ingredients and make a bean and rice bowl, omitting the tortilla.

Spicy Asian Noodles

Ingredients

  • 6 chopped green onions
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • 1 or 2 shaved carrots
  • 16 oz. of whole wheat spaghetti
  • 1 cup of low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 3/4 Tbsp. Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp. sesame seeds toasted
  • 1 1/2 limes
  • 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
  • 4 avocados, chopped

Steps

  1. After chopping the vegetabes, cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain noodles and return to pot.
  2. As the noodles cook, make the sauce. Add soy sauce, maple syrup, hot sauce, and corn starch to a small bowl. Whisk until combined.
  3. Pour the sauce into the cooked noodles and stir until the sauce covers the noodles and thickens.
  4. Mix in green onion, cilantro, carrots, sesame seeds and squeeze of lime juice.
  5. Stir in sesame seed oil. Serve with avocado on top.

Noodles can be eaten warm or cold. Broccoli sprouts are a good add-in.

Adapted from Martin, Shane. “5-Minute Spicy Asian Noodle Bowl.” Shane and Simple. 4 Aug., 2020 . Modified: Jan. 20, 2024, https://shaneandsimple.com/5-minute-spicy-asian-noodles/

Nutrition per 2-cup serving (1 of 4 servings):

  • Calories: ~700 kcal
  • Sugar: ~20 g
  • Sodium: ~800 mg
  • Fat: ~36 g
  • Carbohydrates: ~88 g
  • Protein: ~19 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 mg

Veggie Burrito Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of brown Rice
  • 12 ounces of frozen corn
  • 1 small red onion
  • 1/2-1/3 jalapeño, remove seeds
  • 1 1-2 cups cilantro
  • 3 limes
  • 3-4 large avocados
  • 2 cans of black beans, undrained
  • 4 Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 cups of Romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 3/4 tablespoon Kosher salt

Steps

Prepare Brown Rice

  1. In medium saucepan, bring 1 cup rice and 2 cups of water to boil.
  2. Set heat to low and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Remove from heat and let stand for five minutes.

Prepare Onion, , Cilantro, Lime, Salt Mixture

  1. In a food processor add chunks of the onion and jalapeño, pulse.
  2. Add cilantro and pulse until blended.
  3. Stir in lime and salt.

Prepare Corn Salsa

  1. Cook corn in microwave for two to three minutes and cool in a large bowl.
  2. Add 1/3 of the Onion, Jalapeño, Cilantro, Lime and Salt mixture and stir until blended.

Prepare Pico de Gallo

  1. Put chopped tomatoes into a small bowl.
  2. Add 1/3 of the Onion, Jalapeño, Cilantro, Lime and Salt mixture and stir until blended.

Prepare Guacamole

  1. Pit and slice three avocados and smash in a small bowl.
  2. Add 1/3 of the Onion, Jalapeño, Cilantro, Lime and Salt mixture and stir until blended.

Prepare Burrito Bowl

  1. Heat 2 cans black beans with liquid.
  2. To individual bowls, add rice, beans, corn salsa, chopped tomatoes, guacamole and chopped lettuce.

Optional: Spoon rice, beans, and veggie into a warmed flour tortilla.

Three-Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 1/2 cup Smucker’s Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup

Steps

  • 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • 2. Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Scoop out 1 tbsp. of dough with small spatula and roll into balls. Place each ball about 2 1/2 inches apart on baking sheet and use a large serving fork to gently flatten the cookies in a crisscross pattern.
  •  3. Bake on the center rack for 12minutes.

One cookie-Approximately 139 calories

Recipe adapted from “Shane Simple”.

Tropical Green Smoothie

Ingredients

  • Two very ripe bananas, should have brown spots on the peel
  • One frozen banana
  • 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
  • 1/2 cup of frozen pineapple
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh ginger
  • 1 Tbsp. flax seeds
  • 1 1/2 cup kale
  • ¾ cup of cold water

Steps

Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth.

Bob’s Nutrient Dense Salad

Ingredients

  • One bag of spring mix
  • 1 cup of baby spinach and arugula mix
  • 1 cup mushrooms
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 1/4 cucumber
  • 1/2 green pepper
  • 1/4 onion
  • 1/2 cup broccoli
  • 1 apple
  • 1 orange
  • 1/2 cup blueberries
  • 1 can of kidney beans with liquid
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 6 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds
  • 1/4 cup walnuts

Steps

  1. Chop all vegetables and fruits.
  2. In a large bowl, add greens, vegetables, fruits and remaining ingredients.
  3. Toss salad thoroughly.

The vinegar and the liquid from beans serves as a dressing. Optional salad dressing can be added.

Spicy Black Bean Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 3 celery ribs, finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
  • 4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/3 teaspoon dried red pepper chopped and deseeded
  • 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast
  • 4 cans (15 ounces each) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 4 cups (32 ounces) low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • Diced avocado
  • Lemon juice

Steps

  1. Chop all veggies in a food processor except cilantro. 
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons broth in a large soup pot over medium heat until shimmering.
  3. Add the onion, celery, carrot, garlic and a light sprinkle of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 8- 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add 1 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
  6. Pour in the beans and broth and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook, reducing heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer until the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes.
  7. Add cilantro and lime juice.

Top Soup with avocado and a little lemon juice and serve with brown rice.

Nutrition Facts for Soup

Number of servings – 6

Per 2-cup serving

  • Calories: ~420–450
  • Sugar: ~6–8 g
  • Sodium: ~1,000–1,200 mg
  • Fat: ~4–6 g
  • Carbohydrates: ~76–80 g
  • Protein: ~22–26 g
  • Cholesterol: 0 m

Hiromi’s Fresh Spring Rolls

Sauce

Whisk together:

  • 2 tablespoon of rice vinegar 
  • 4 tablespoons of soy sauce 
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 tablespoon miso soy paste
  • 3 tablespoons roasted sesame seeds

Filling

  • 2 cups of green/red lettuce
  • 1 Thinly sliced cucumber, deseeded
  • 1 Shaved carrot
  • 2chopped celery stalks
  • ½ package of mint, torn into small pieces
  • 1 cup chopped cilantro
  • Sesal leaves (optional)
  • Soy ham (optional)

Rice Vermicelli Filling

In a large pot, place a handful of vermicelli noodles into boiling water and turn off heat and cover.

After 3 or 4 minutes loosen vermicelli with a fork, drain and rinse under cold water.

Steps

  1. Take one piece of Vietnamese Rice Paper (Banh Trang Viet Nam) at a time and dip it into a bowl of warm water for 5 seconds.
  2. Place moistened rice paper on a plate.
  3. Place filling ingredients three inches from the edge facing you. I like to start with greens, other veggies, rice vermicelli and sauce. About a tablespoon of each ingredient.
  4. Bring sides toward the middle and then roll from the edge facing you.
  5. Serve spring rolls with sweet chili sauce. Makes 12 rolls.

Hiromi’s Sushi Rolls

Ingredients

  • 2 cups sushi rice
  • 3 cups water
  • ¼ cup rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 tsp. sugar or agave
  • Thinly sliced vegetable options: cucumber, carrot, avocado, red cabbage, or slightly boiled asparagus
  • 4 to 5 roasted seaweed sheets
  • Soy sauce

Steps

  1. Bring to boil rice and water.
  2. Switch to low heat and cook rice for 15 minutes.
  3. Place rice in large bowl to cool.
  4. While still a little warm, add vinegar to rice and gently stir three times.
  5. Add salt and stir gently.
  6. Add sugar and stir gently.
  7. Place seaweed on sushi mat and add 1 cup prepared sushi rice.
  8. Using the bottom of cup, spread rice over two thirds of the seaweed.
  9. Place vegetables on the end of the seaweed that is towards you.
  10. Use thumbs and fingers to roll and keep vegetables in place; press and roll sushi mat to shape the roll.
  11. With corrugated knife, slice sushi roll evenly into eights.
  12. Serve sushi with soy sauce.

May use a sushi mold instead of seaweed, placing vegetables atop the rice. 

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped white onion
  • 1/2 medium jalapeño or serrano pepper, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped (decrease or omit if sensitive to spice)
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2-3 tomatoes, chopped
  • Juice of 1/2 limes
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste

Steps

  1. Chop veggies or in a food processor, add chunks of onion, pulse, add jalapeno, pulse, add cilantro, pulse and add tomatoes and pulse lightly until tomatoes are roughly chopped but not mushy.
  2. Add lime juice, salt and to mixture and stir.

Serve with chips, arepa, spinach or whole wheat flatbread with hummus.

Adapted from Cookie+Kate.

Fiesta Polenta

Ingredients

  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 jalapeño, seeded
  • 1 1/2 cup dry cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 6 green onions or 1/2 white onion
  • ½ cup cilantro
  • 2 tomatoes
  • 2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 6 cups of vegetable broth
  • 2 diced avocado
  • Juice of 2 limes

Steps

  1. In a food processor, chop garlic and jalapeños.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, jalapeños, cornmeal, nutritional yeast, and salt.
  3. In food processor, chop green onions, then add cilantro and chop, and then add tomatoes and chop.
  4. In a medium pot, add the broth and heat over medium-high heat until bubbles start to surface.
  5. With the whisk in one hand and the bowl in the other, slowly pour the cornmeal mixture into the hot broth–whisking all the while. Once all the cornmeal mixture is added, the mixture will be thick and paste-like. Turn the heat to low. Whisk for about 5 minutes to ensure there are no lumps and the mixture is uniformly thickened.
  6. Pour the polenta into 6 bowls, and serve topped with black beans, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, avocado and a generous squeeze of fresh lime juice.
  7. Optional–Sprinkle Kosher salt to taste

Adapted from Esselstyn, Rip, The Engine 2 Seven-Day Rescue Diet.

Arepas

Ingredients

  • cups P.A.N. (pre-cooked white corn meal)
  • 2 1/2 cups of warm tap water
  • 1 tsp. of salt
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • A nonstick grilling pan
  • 2 Tbsp. Vegan butter

Steps

  1. Mix water, salt and oil in a large bowl. 
  2. Gradually add the cornmeal and mix with your hands until completely amalgamated. The dough should be firm enough to not stick to your hands and soft enough to not crack. If not add cornmeal or water.
  3. Let dough sit for 5 minutes.
  4. Wet your hands and form a big (palm size) ball with your hands. Press them between your hands to form patties about 1/2 inch thick.
  5. Heat butter on the grilling pan and cook arepas on medium low heat for 7 minutes each side. You are looking for a crispy layer on the outside (and brownish grilling strips).

Eat plain arepas, or cut in half with corrugated bread knife and open to make a pocket. Fill with small bits of avocado sprinkle with lime juice.