Mediterranean Beans with Greens from Vegan Meal Prep are quick and easy to make, and they’re perfect for either lunch or dinner.
Busy Schedules
My health coaching clients often tell me that they don’t have much time or energy to cook dinner once they get home from work in the evenings. I get it – so many of us have super busy schedules. I always suggest meal prepping by cutting vegetables and storing them in containers when they get home from the grocery store, cooking up a batch or two of beans and grains on the weekends, and preparing whatever they can in advance.
Vegan Meal Prep
JL Fields knows a thing or two about meal prep, and she’s sharing her secrets in her newest book Vegan Meal Prep. As you may have guessed from the title, this book is all about preparing foods in advance, so you don’t have to spend a ton of time in the kitchen once your hectic work week starts.
Vegan Meal Prep is divided into two parts: Vegan Made Easy and Recipes. In Vegan Made Easy, JL shares the benefits of meal prepping and meal prep principles. She lists her go-to ingredients as well as her favorite storage containers. She also includes her formula for filling mason jars and reheating tips.
Meal Prepping
There are seven meal preps in the book:
- Grain Goodness – dishes featuring whole grains
- Beat the Heat – summertime no-cooking meals
- Go Green – dishes featuring leafy green veggies
- For the Love of Legumes – dishes featuring beans
- To the East – Asian-inspired dishes
- Fiesta Time – Mexican-inspired meals
- Beautiful Bowls – bowl meals
- Back to Basics – healthier vegan versions of classic favorites
In each meal prep, JL guides you from start to finish, efficiently making the most of your time. Each meal prep has a shopping list, an equipment list, a weekly menu, and step-by-step prep instructions.
The Recipes
Part two of the book contains the recipes. They include:
- Breakfasts
- Lunches and Dinners
- Vegetables
- Grains and Beans
- Sauces, Dressings and Dips
- Snacks and Sweets
There are 70 recipes in Vegan Meal Prep, and they’ll take through breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Snacks, sweets, and sauces are included, too. Recipes include Tofu-Spinach Scramble, Quinoa and Kale Bowl, Miso Spaghetti Squash, Pesto Pearled Barley, Kale Chips, and more!
Each recipe includes storage and reheating instructions. If a recipe can be made in a pressure cooker or air fryer, JL has included instructions for them, as well.
If you’re hoping to save time in the kitchen by preparing foods in advance, Vegan Meal Prep is the book for you!
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, seasoned with basil, garlic, and oregano
- 2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup diced green olives
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or 1 tablespoon vegetable broth or water
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic (about 4 cloves)
- 10 ounces arugula
- ½ cup lemon juice (about 4 small lemons)
- In a large saucepan or soup pot, bring the tomatoes and their juices, beans, olives, and broth to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium-high. Add the garlic and sauté until it begins to brown. Add the arugula and lemon juice. Stir, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Steam for 3 minutes.
- Divide the arugula evenly between 4 single-serving containers, and then spoon the beans over the arugula. Let cool before sealing the lids.
