High Protein & Low Calorie Vegan Recipes (Healthy & Satisfying & GLUTEN-FREE!)

Today’s newest vegan recipes are not only healthy & delicious but also high-protein and relatively low calorie meals! Check out the video through the thumbnail below & don’t forget to scroll down for the written recipes~

This week’s newest vegan recipes are relatively lower in calories but high in protein — making it more filling and longer lasting in your tummy. Not only that, these are satisfying & delicious!!! Say hello to these three: Crunchy Wild Rice Salad, Quinoa Buddha Bowl, and White Bean Pasta! Don’t they already sound tasty to you?

Just a little trivia: did you know that Wild Rice isn’t actually rice but is a type of aquatic grass? Apparently, the only reason it is referred to as “rice” is because you cook it just like rice. Moreover, it is said to have more health benefits compared to brown or white rice, such as lower calories and higher protein and fiber content. I usually like to use a mixture of wild rice with other types of (actual) rice.

This Crunchy Wild Rice Salad is perfect for the summer, and is also a great dish to make if you want to try out new salad dishes!

For the Quinoa Buddha Bowl, I made a big batch and stored some of them (each in meal prep containers for easy access) in the fridge to eat for later. Just make sure to store the sauce in a separate container so you’ll always have a fresh drizzle of that yummy peanut sauce when it’s time to eat! 

Lastly, you’ll definitely love this White Bean Sauce Pasta because the sauce (made using white kidney beans) has a really creamy consistency and the whole dish is just so flavourful! The sauce comes out really thick out of the blender so make sure to add a splash of water to help thin it out a little bit when mixing it in with the pasta. 

Don’t forget that you can also watch the video above to watch how I make these dishes and go back to this page to see the list of ingredients.

Ready for the recipes? Here we go!

Crunchy Wild Rice Salad

Ingredients (3 servings):

  • 1 cup wild rice mix (mixture of wild rice with other types of rice – see video for reference) 
  • 2 cup chopped purple cabbage
  • 1/2 bell pepper
  • 1 head baby bok choy
  • 6 pieces olives, chopped
  • 4 pieces sun dried tomatoes in oil, chopped 
  • 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed

For the white wine vinegar dressing:

  • 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 2 tbsp dijon mustard 
  • 1 tbsp agave nectar
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp basil

Instructions:

  1. Add water into a pot, bring it to a boil, and add the wild rice in. Cook according to package instructions. 
  2. While the wild rice is cooking, chop up your vegetables and place in a bowl or a container.
  3. Add chopped olives, sun dried tomatoes, and black beans.
  4. Prepare the dressing by mixing together garlic powder, basil, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and agave nectar. 
  5. Once the wild rice has cooked, allow it to cool down then add it to the bowl together with the vegetables.
  6. Pour in the dressing and mix well. 
  7. Serve and enjoy!

Nutritional information: 447 calories per serving / 16g protein, 71g carbs, 11g fat

Quinoa Buddha Bowl

Ingredients (4 servings):

  • 1 cup dry quinoa 
  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into bite sized cubes
  • 1/2 head broccoli
  • 1 bell pepper, sliced
  • 1 can black beans (rinsed & drained)
  • 2-3 stalks green onion, chopped (optional)

For the peanut dressing:

  • 4 tbsp PB2 (powdered peanut butter) or regular peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp garlic powder 
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari if gluten-free
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 0.5 tsp stevia (or 1 tbsp of agave nectar or maple syrup)
  • pinch of ground ginger (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Peel and chop the sweet potato.
  2. Bring water to a boil in a pot and add in the quinoa and sweet potatoes. 
  3. Chop up the broccoli and throw into a heated wok to let it cook.  
  4. To make the peanut dressing, add in PB2, garlic powder, lemon juice, and soy sauce or tamari, stevia, and a pinch of ground ginger in a small mixing bowl. Mix well. 
  5. Once quinoa and sweet potatoes have cooked, transfer to serving bowls (I added broccoli, black beans, and red bell peppers — feel free to add in any vegetables you’d like). This recipe makes approximately 4 servings so divide accordingly!
  6. Top with peanut dressing and chopped green onions. 
  7. Enjoy!

Nutritional information: 395 calories per serving / 22g protein, 61g carbs, 9g fat

White Bean Sauce Pasta

Ingredients (2 servings):

  • 2 servings high protein pasta (I used 200g Banza chickpea spaghetti)
  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/4 onion, diced 
  • 1 tbsp (approx 3 cloves) minced garlic
  • 1 cup canned white kidney beans, drained & rinsed 
  • 1/2 block vegetable stock cube
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk
  • 2 cups chopped mushrooms 
  • salt & pepper to taste (I added lots of pepper!)

Instructions:

  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions. 
  2. Heat oil in a pan and add in chopped onions and minced garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and add into a blender. 
  3. Add in white kidney beans, vegetable stock cube, nutritional yeast, and non-dairy milk. Blend until consistency is smooth. Add in splashes of water or more non-dairy milk if you need help blending.
  4. In the same pan, heat a small amount of oil and add in the mushrooms. Cook until golden brown. 
  5. Pour in the white bean sauce and the finished pasta. Add a splash of water to thin out the sauce. 
  6. Season with salt and pepper. 
  7. Plate and enjoy! 

Nutritional information: 533 calories per serving / 32g protein, 82g carbs, 13g fat

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