Making plant-based recipes with Canadian heritage is a prestigious and inspiring task. The vivid variety in Canadian cuisines has options for all ages and preferences when it comes to plant-based meals. Some people think incorporating veggies totally for a meal is a difficult task. Let me prove you wrong.
1. Maple-Glazed Roasted Vegetables
Roasted vegetables is a Venezuelan cuisine adopted by hundreds of other cultures to their liking. It gives a totally other outlook for one’s perspective on vegetarian meals. Maple syrup is an all-time favorite of every Canadian since childhood. Among plant based recipes, you can use your favorite veggies to your liking when making this dish. Carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and pumpkins are just to name a few. Roast them in a mixture of olive oil, maple syrup, and a pinch of salt until they are caramelized.
This dish is highly nutritious and vegetarians are gonna love the flavor of this dish.
2. Lentil Tourtière
Tourtière is a French-Canadian meat pie as an original recipe. But it can be easily turned into a plant-based dish. You can replace your meat with lentils, mushrooms, and chopped walnuts to mix things up. You must use spices like cinnamon, cloves, and allspice for that flavor and aroma to kick in. Bake this mixture in a flaky whole wheat pie crust. This is a highly flavored and nutritious dish among plant based recipes inspired by Canadian cuisine that can be served as a main dish.
3. Wild Rice and Cranberry Salad
Wild rice, a staple ingredient harvested in Canada, makes an excellent base for a nutritious salad. Cook the wild rice until it’s tender, then toss it with dried cranberries, chopped kale, and toasted pecans. Dress the salad with a light vinaigrette made from apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, and a touch of maple syrup. This salad is not only visually appealing with its vibrant colors but also full of antioxidants, fiber, and healthy fats.
4. Butternut Squash and Bean Chili
The winter cold from December to February is a time we all like to cook Chili for our meals. We can make a plant-based version of this with butternut squash, black beans, and kidney beans. Cook the butternut squash and beans together with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and a mix of chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika. You can serve this with a side dish of cornbread or a bed of quinoa for a very cozy meal in the winter.
5. Vegan Nanaimo Bars
Nanaimo bars are a very hard-to-miss dessert in Canada. We can make them using plant-based ingredients like vegan butter, coconut milk, and non-dairy chocolate. We can make the base layer from crushed graham crackers, cocoa, and shredded coconut. If you need it to be sweet you can heat brown sugar until it melts and mix it with coconut. That’s a real game-changer.
The Nanaimo bars can be topped with a creamy custard filling and a chocolate ganache. This desert will help you score points with your future in-laws.
Every single plant-based dish explained here is super healthy but also delicious. These recipes show that you can be a fancy cook with a few ingredients when you focus on plant-based dishes.