We finally pulled together another meal plan! This ‘mini’ is very simple, seasonally-inspired, and will leave you with a bunch of nourishing food for the week. Everything starts out with a pot of black beans, a batch of roasted sweet potatoes, and a jar of homemade harissa (so easy to make, and such a flavor bomb ingredient!), which will then make their way into three interconnected savory meals and one snack. Ready?
Menu
- Roasted Sweet Potato and Black Bean Soup
- No-Huevos Rancheros
- Curried Cauliflower Rice and Beans
- Harissa Black Bean Dip
*all recipes are vegan and gluten-free, see the recipes for serving sizes
Shopping List
(Print)
Bring this list with you when you go food shopping, it’s got all the ingredients you’ll need for the recipes in this meal plan mini. All the items are separated by category, to make the shopping easier and more efficient. Take the time to look over this list beforehand and cross out any items you already have. The hope here is that you own some of the pantry staples, spices, and maybe even some of the produce required, which will help minimize the list. Add whatever other ingredients you’ll need for the week here, if doing shopping for the whole week.
- 1 large head of garlic
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- 3 large yellow onions
- 1 large carrot
- 2-4 celery ribs
- 1 bunch kale (2 packed cups)
- 3 limes
- 2 lemons
- 1 large bunch of cilantro
- 2-3 avocados
- 1/2 lb crimini mushrooms
- 1 small head of red cabbage
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 4 cups black beans
- 2 cups Basmati rice
- 3 large prunes
Spices
- black pepper
- curry powder (1 tablespoon)
- bay leaves
- 8 dried chipotle chilis
- whole caraway seeds
- whole coriander seeds
- whole cumin seeds
- harissa paste – if not making your own
- neutral coconut oil or avocado oil
- red wine vinegar
- sea salt
- tahini
- kombu (optional)
- balsamic vinegar (optional)
- corn tortillas or other tortillas of choice
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes
Basic Prep
1) Cook the Black Beans
- 4 cups black beans
- 2-3 garlic cloves - smashed
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 1 sheet of kombu (optional)
- sea salt
- Soak the beans overnight or up to 24 hours in plenty of purified water with a splash of apple cider vinegar.
- Drain and rinse the beans. Place them in a large soup pot with plenty of purified water (about 10 cups). Add the garlic cloves, bay leaves and kombu, if using. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Taste for doneness. If the beans are not completely soft and buttery inside, continue to cook until fully done. Salt at the last 10 minutes. Drain, saving the cooking liquid. Discard the bay leaves and kombu, if using.
2) Cook the Rice
- 2 cups basmati rice
- Cook 2 cups of basmati rice according to the instructions on the package (if your rice came in a package). Or cook the rice according the this method, or any other rice cooking method you prefer, like in a rice cooker, etc. You should end up with about 5-6 cups of cooked rice.
3) Roast the Sweet Potatoes
- 3 medium sweet potatoes
- avocado oil or other neutral oil of choice
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C). Prepare 2 parchment paper-covered baking trays.
- Peel and cube two of the sweet potatoes and place them on the trays. Sprinkle with avocado oil, salt and pepper, toss to cover and spread into a single layer. Leave the third sweet potato whole, just scrub it and prick with a fork, and place on one of the baking trays.
- Roast the sweet potatoes for 20-30 minutes, until the cubed ones are soft and browned in places. Toss at half time. The whole sweet potato will take a little longer to bake. Cook it until it's easily pierced with a knife. Store the potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
4) Make the Harissa (you can also buy harissa paste)
- 8 dried chipotle chilis
- 8 sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon whole caraway seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 large garlic clove - minced
- ¼ cup olive oil
- juice from ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- Place the chipotle chilis and sun dried tomatoes in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl and let soften for about 30 minutes.
- Toast the caraway, coriander, and cumin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes, stirring regularly. Grind the seeds using a spice grinder, dedicated coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle.
- Drain the chilis and sun-dried tomatoes. Remove the seeds and stems from the chilis (wear gloves to protect your hands if sensitive to spice). Place the chilis and sun-dried tomatoes in a food processor, add the toasted and ground spices, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, and salt. Process into a slightly chunky paste. Refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to 1 month.
Recipes
This soup is cozy and incredibly quick to put together once you’ve done all the prep. It gets its rich, earthy flavor from the black bean broth and harissa. Roasted sweet potatoes bring more depth and nourishment to the table, and kale provides a dose of dark leafy green magic.
- 2 tablespoons neutral coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion - chopped
- 1 large carrot - sliced
- 2-4 celery ribs - sliced thin
- 3 large prunes - chopped
- sea salt
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 3 cups cooked beans (from above)
- 3 teaspoons harissa or more to taste (from above)
- 5-6 cups black bean broth (from above)
- 2 cups packed chopped kale leaves
- 2 cups roasted sweet potatoes (from above)
- splash of balsamic vinegar (optional)
- juice of 1 lime
- cilantro - for garnish
- Warm the oil in a medium soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery and prunes, and sauté for 8 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
- Add salt and garlic, stir around for 1 minute. Add the beans, harissa and black bean broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are completely cooked.
- Add the kale, sweet potatoes, splash of balsamic vinegar, if using, and more black bean broth, if needed. Bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Add the lime juice. Taste for salt and spice and adjust if needed.
- Serve over the prepped rice, garnished with cilantro. This soup freezes very well.
This huevos rancheros-inspired dish utilizes crimini mushrooms, together with the already prepped black beans, sweet potatoes, and harissa, to make a delicious topping for warm tortillas. Everything comes together in a flash, and it’s a meal that can be easily eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
- 2 tablespoons neutral coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion - chopped
- sea salt
- ½ lb crimini mushrooms - sliced
- 1½ cups cooked black beans (from above)
- harissa - to taste (from above)
- roasted sweet potatoes (from above)
- corn tortillas or other tortillas of choice - warmed or charred
- avocado - sliced or cubed
- shredded red cabbage - for garnish
- lime - for serving
- cilantro leaves - for garnish
- Warm the oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add the onion and salt and sauté for 7 minutes, until translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté for 8-10 minutes, until all the liquid released by the mushrooms evaporates. Add the beans, harissa, and prepped sweet potatoes (amount to taste), and stir to incorporate and warm everything through.
- Serve the mushrooms and beans over tortillas, topped avocado, shredded red cabbage, a squeeze of lime, and cilantro.
This re-imagined rice and beans recipe gets its bright flavor from the addition of curry, which is always great at providing a shortcut to flavor. It’s also full of cruciferous goodness from cauliflower, a little zing from lime, and some serious freshness from the essential topping of cilantro.
- 2 tablespoons neutral coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1 large yellow onion - chopped
- 1 large cauliflower - chopped into small florets
- sea salt
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon curry powder, or more to taste
- 3 cups cooked black beans (from above)
- 3 cups cooked basmati rice (from above)
- juice of 1 lime
- cilantro - to garnish
- Warm the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, cauliflower and salt, and sauté for about 15-20 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft. Splash some water in the pan if things begin to stick.
- Add garlic and curry powder, and stir around for 1 minute. Add the beans and rice, and stir to mix everything together until warmed through.
- Pour the lime juice over top and stir to incorporate. Serve, garnished with cilantro.
A flavorful dip is a great thing to have on hand at all times. It saves the day during snacking emergencies, but can also be spread on sandwiches and dolloped into bowls. Homemade dips are usually cheaper, healthier, and more flavorful than store-bought ones, and they’re easy to make. All of that is definitely the case with this black bean dip, which is made with the remaining, prep day black beans and whole baked sweet potato. If you happen to have any chipotle in adobo, those are a great addition to this dip as well.
- the rest of the cooked black beans (from above, about 4 cups)
- 1 whole roasted sweet potato (from above) - peeled
- ¼ cup tahini
- juice from 1 lemon
- harissa (from above) - to taste
- sea salt
- black bean broth (from above) - for thinning, if needed
- Combine the beans, sweet potato, tahini, lemon juice, harissa, and sea salt to taste in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add some black bean broth if necessary to thin the dip out. Taste for salt and adjust if needed. Serve, garnished with more harissa, toasted sesame seeds, and a drizzle of good olive oil. This dip freezes well if you end up with leftovers.
Paul Scott says
Wow! You guys rock! Such inspiring recipes for anyone who wants to eat a more plant-based diet. We made the mushroom, zucchini and sun-dried tomato bolognese last night and absolutely loved it. Today I’ll try this meal plan. Thank you for your inspired recipes!
Anya says
So glad you’ve been enjoying the recipes. Thank you for this note!