Plant-based eating has surged in popularity in recent years, and the trend shows no signs of stopping as more and more people shift away from eating meat in their diet at least some of the time. Whether you’re interested in exploring a fully plant-based diet, or you’re just looking for vegetable-focused meals to add to your weekly menu, there are plenty of ways to branch out and try different meals with all kinds of ingredients. There’s no shortage of filling, plant-based recipes you can make with ingredients like stuffed vegetables, mushrooms, fruit, rice and quinoa to name a few!

What is Plant-Based Eating?

Before we dive into plant-based recipe ideas, let’s unpack what plant-based eating means. Plant-based diets focus on foods that originate from plants, including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, legumes and oils, while limiting or avoiding animal products. Unlike a classic vegetarian diet, it’s still possible to eat some animal products while following a plant-based diet. The goal of plant-based eating is to simply get most of your nutrients from plant-based foods.

There are a number of reasons why people adopt plant-based diets. Plant-based eating can be more sustainable than a meat-heavy diet, and it can be a helpful way to ensure you’re getting  valuable nutrients.

Meatless Mondays

If you like the idea of switching to a more plant-based diet but maybe don’t feel quite up to totally ditching meat yet, then Meatless Mondays may be just the thing for you. This is a worldwide movement to try and reduce meat consumption by skipping meat for just one day a week and eating a vegetarian or plant-based meal instead.

Giving up meat altogether can be quite a commitment for some people, so Meatless Mondays are a great way to ease yourself into plant-based eating.

Exploring Plant-Based Rice and Quinoa Recipes

Regardless of your reason for trying plant-based eating, there are plenty of delicious meals you can make that are plant-based while still being delicious and filling.

Here we’ve combined a list of some of our favorite meat-free recipes which you can make using Minute Rice and Quinoa.

Quinoa Recipes

Quinoa is a grain-like seed originating from South America. With its texture and sweet, nutty flavor complement a number of cuisines, and it lends itself well to recipes that feature a lot of vegetables.

For a quick and easy to prepare lunch, take a look at this plant based Quinoa Carrot Walnut Salad[1]  made with Minute White & Red Organic Quinoa. This recipe does not have to be heated, so it can be ready to enjoy in just 3 minutes! It’s also easy to make this recipe your own by adding other ingredients like avocado, cherries and dried cranberries to boost the flavor even more.

Another tasty quinoa salad is this Winter Salad from recipe creator Raising Twin Boys. Packed with sweet potatoes, nuts and Minute Instant Rice & Quinoa, this salad is a filling plant-based dish that comes together quickly on busy weeknights.

This 15-minute Vegetarian Chili With Rice and Quinoa is a hearty option that mixes together plan-based staples like chili, beans and diced tomatoes with cheddar cheese and Minute Instant Rice & Quinoa for a quick comfort meal.

A delicious meal perfect for a plant-based lunch or dinner is this Mediterranean Quinoa Bowl from recipe creator Balancing Pieces. With a base of Minute Instant Rice & Quinoa, this bowl combines fresh vegetables like cucumbers, tomato and avocado along with chickpeas and is topped with tzatziki, hummus and feta cheese.

Brown Rice Recipes

With its chewy texture and nutty flavor, brown rice is an excellent accompaniment to vegetarian or plant-based meals. This filling and delicious Rice Bowl with Veggie Burger recipe is absolutely packed with plant based ingredients and can be prepared in just 5 minutes when you’re in a pinch. Try topping the veggie burger with different types of cheese, dressings and vegetables to really make this recipe your own.

Made with a combination of Minute Brown Rice & Quinoa, this 5-minute Rice and Quinoa Bowl with Harissa Glazed Carrots is a delicious, plant-based, energy packed bowl that will keep you going throughout the day. Combined with butter, water and honey, the harissa paste makes a delicious, spicy glaze to give the carrots a bit of a kick.

For a plant-based dinner that’s sure to be a hit with the whole family, try this Southwest Skillet by recipe creator A Half Baked Mom. You won’t miss meat at all in this hearty dish, packed with filling ingredients like sweet potatoes, black beans, avocado and Minute Instant Brown Rice.

White Rice Recipes

Quicker to cook and versatile for many different meals and cuisines, white rice is also a great pantry staple for plant-based recipes.

This Fiesta Rice plant-based recipe with tomatoes and avocados takes just 5 minutes, and is a great option if you are looking for a light and refreshing plant-based meal. Although this recipe calls for Minute White Rice Cups, you can also try it with other flavored Minute Rice Cups to add another layer of flavor.

For a plant-based recipe with a Mediterranean flavor, try this Greek Salad made with Minute White Rice Cups, cucumber, tomatoes and red onions. Make sure your pantry is well stocked with other Greek ingredients that you can add into the mix, including yellow peppers, raisins or dried currants, artichokes and Kalamata olives.

This delicious Veggie Stir Fry from recipe creator Tati Vegan Cooking features a delicious homemade stir fry sauce over mixed vegetables and yellow rice. Minute Yellow Rice Cups are white rice lightly seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder and turmeric for a delightful taste that enhances any meal.

Jasmine and Basmati Rice

Fluffy and fragrant varieties of rice, jasmine and basmati rice can add a layer of aromatics to many plant-based meals.

Made with plenty of vegetarian ingredients like chickpeas, hummus and feta cheese, this Power Rice-Stuffed Sweet Potato works as a great plant-based dish any day of the week. The Minute Cilantro & Lime Rice Cup adds a zesty flavor that complements these ingredients. 

Another plant-based meal that uses Minute Cilantro & Lime Rice Cups are these Veggie Fajitas from recipe creator Tati Vegan Cooking. Made with bell peppers, red onion, tomatoes and avocado, these fajitas are as colorful and vibrant as they are delicious.

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If you’re wondering what a plant-based diet is exactly or you’re just looking for vegetable-focused meals to add to your weekly menu, we’ve got what you’re looking for. In fact, now more than ever there are plenty of ways to branch out and try different meals with all kinds of ingredients. There’s no shortage of protein-packed plant-based recipes you can make with ingredients like stuffed vegetables, mushrooms, fruit, rice and quinoa to name a few! 

At Minute® Rice, we’re always exploring different ways to bring sustainability to your meals. We’ll show you how to make quick and convenient meals using more plant-based ingredients like rice and quinoa just in time to celebrate Earth Day! 

What is Plant-Based Eating?

First, before we get into meal ideas, let’s unpack what plant-based means. From its name you can guess that it focuses on foods that are originally from plants, however unlike vegetarian diets, it does include meat and other animal products, just less. The idea is to focus your diet around foods that are plant-based rather than other meat products. 

Meatless Mondays

If you like the idea of switching to a more plant-based diet but maybe don’t feel quite up to totally ditching meat yet, then Meatless Mondays may be just the thing for you. This is a worldwide movement to try and reduce meat consumption, the idea is to skip meat for just one day a week and eat a vegetarian or plant-based meal instead. 

Giving up meat altogether can be quite a commitment for some people, however giving it up for just one day per week is perfectly doable no matter what your meat consumption is. 

Exploring Plant-Based Rice and Quinoa Recipes

So you want to start exploring different plant-based meal options, great! But where to begin? 

Here we’ve combined a list of some of our favorite meat-free recipes which you can make using Minute® Rice and Quinoa products. 

Quinoa Recipes

For those of you who are unfamiliar with quinoa, this so-called superfood from South America is technically a seed instead of a grain, like rice. It lends itself very well to recipes that feature a lot of vegetables. Here are some plant-based quinoa meal ideas.

For a quick and easy to prepare lunch, take a look at this plant based Quinoa Carrot Walnut Salad made with Minute® White & Red Organic Quinoa. As this recipe does not have to be heated, it can be ready in just 3 minutes! There are also plenty of other ingredients that can be added like avocado, cherries and dried cranberries to boost the flavor even more.

This 15-minute Vegetarian Chili With Rice and Quinoa is a hearty option that mixes together plant based staples like chili beans and diced tomatoes with other ingredients like cheddar cheese along with Minute® Rice & Quinoa. 

Vegetarian chili recipe with rice and quinoa
Vegetarian Chili with Rice and Quinoa

Brown Rice Recipes

Brown rice is also an excellent accompaniment to vegetarian or plant based meals like this filling yet delicious Rice Bowl With Veggie Burger recipe. This dish is absolutely packed with plant based ingredients like lettuce and tomatoes which can be prepared in just 5 minutes! Try topping the veggie burger with different types of cheese, dressings and vegetables to really make this recipe your own.

Made with a combination of Quinoa and Brown rice, this 5-minute Rice and Quinoa Bowl With Harissa Glazed Carrots is a delicious, plant-based, energy packed bowl that will keep you going throughout the day. Although the Harissa paste does have a bit of a kick, it’s not too overwhelming and compliments the carrots nicely. This meal certainly doesn’t lack anything, the Quinoa, Brown Rice and Chickpeas work together to create a  protein.

White Rice Recipes

Quicker to cook and used in more traditional meals, there are also plenty of plant-based recipe ideas that utilize white rice.

This Fiesta Rice plant based recipe with tomatoes and avocados takes just 5 minutes, and is a great option if you are looking for a plant based recipe which packs plenty of colors and flavors. Although this recipe calls for Minute® Ready to Serve White Rice, it also tastes good with Minute® Cilantro and Lime Jasmine Rice.

fiesta-rice-with-avocado-tomato-and-cilantro
Fiesta Rice

For a plant-based recipe with more of a Mediterranean flavor, try this Greek Salad made with Minute® Ready to Serve White Rice, cucumber, tomatoes and red onions. Make sure your pantry is well stocked with other Greek ingredients that you can add into the mix, for example: yellow peppers, raisins or dried currants, artichokes and Kalamata Olives.

Jasmine and Basmati Rice

Sweeter and more aromatic than brown and white rice, you may think that Jasmine Rice would be better suited to desserts than a plant-based meal. There are plenty of great tasting veggie loaded meals with natural ingredients that utilize Jasmine Rice.

Made with plenty of vegetarian ingredients like chickpeas, hummus and feta cheese along with Minute® Cilantro and Lime Jasmine Rice, this Power Rice-Stuffed Sweet Potato works great any day of the week. The chickpeas, hummus and feta cheese provide a nice helping of protein making this a great comfort meal throughout the fall season.

Power-Rice-Stuffed-Sweet-Potato-with-chickpeas-hummus-and-rice
Power Rice Stuffed Sweet Potato

Ready in just 10 minutes, this Garlic-Butter Kale Rice provides a colorful and tasty vegetarian side dish that is sure to impress the next time you are entertaining guests. To reduce prep time even further you can buy pre-washed, cut kale or baby kale as you won’t need to massage the leaves before cooking.

These Vegetarian Mexican Meatballs are the perfect substitute for the real thing, prepared with avocado, salsa along with Minute® Ready to Serve Cilantro Lime Rice. The whole thing requires just 5 ingredients and 8 minutes to make! Once you have tried this dish, you can try vegetarian meatballs with any number of different dishes!

Enjoy this seasonal Fall Harvest Rice Bowl with squash, apple and Maple Syrup along with Minute® Basmati Rice. The basmati rice works well to absorb the flavor of the Maple Syrup leaving you with a great fall flavored dish.  

For a non plant-based option try our: chicken cheese and rice.

For more great recipes along with tips and tricks in the kitchen make sure you stay tuned to Minute® Rice.

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