Jump to a recipe • Peanut Noodles • Grainy Veggie Bowl with Goma Dare • Doubles • Italian-style Chopped Salad • Everything Cookies
It’s generally accepted that eating more plants is a good thing. But it’s not just quantity that matters, or even quality. Diversity is key – eating a broader range of plant matter, including fruits and veggies but also herbs and spices, grains, nuts and seeds, is beneficial for our own health, as well as the health of the planet.
In his 2023 book The Lost Supper, Montreal-based author Taras Grescoe notes that since 1900, an estimated three-quarters of the genetic diversity in farmers’ fields has been lost; of the 10,000 plants that have fed us over the past thousand years, only 150 are cultivated for food today. Half the calories consumed on Earth come from three grasses – rice, corn and wheat, all of which are subject to genetic modification or scientific hybridization. We have far more choice when it comes to brands, styles and flavours of chips, and yogurt than we do varieties of apples and bananas, carrots and cucumbers.
A growing body of research supports long-standing farming and gardening practices that encourage agrobiodiversity for the sake of the land and harvest; more diverse agricultural communities mean more diverse micro-organisms in the soil, reducing pathogens and increasing yields. It’s similar for our own human gut gardens: a 2018 study found that more variety in our diet – specifically 30 different plants a week – translates to a more diverse gut microbiome, which in turn contributes to better brain function and overall health. (Good news: For the sake of the study, coffee counts as a plant. Add oat or almond milk, and that’s two. Yes, wine counts – you’re already on your way.)
Whether or not you attempt the 30-a-week challenge the experts behind the study suggest, it’s interesting to pay attention to how many different plants we consume from day to day. As fall schedules start to gear up and lunch is more often eaten away from home, these uncomplicated meals are transportable, keep well, and provide an opportunity to veer from the usual bag of oranges or broccoli crowns – for the sake of our eating experience as well as our physical and mental well-being.
Peanut Noodles
Any veg you happen to have in your fridge can go into a batch of saucy peanut noodles, which is perfectly portable and delicious cold. Peanut sauce keeps well in the fridge for weeks, and can be made with almond, cashew or an alternative nut butter instead, if needed. For added texture, toss your tofu cubes in cornstarch and brown in a drizzle of oil in a hot skillet until crispy on all sides.
Grainy Veggie Bowl with Goma Dare
It’s always a good idea to plan for leftovers at dinner to call in for lunch service the next day; leftover veggies of all kinds can be tossed into a dish with lentils and barley or farro and pulled together with a deliciously creamy toasted sesame dressing, both of which can also be made ahead to have on standby. The combination of fresh crunchy celery and apple is a delicious contrast to soft roasted squash, sweet potato, Brussels sprouts and other late-summer veg.
Doubles
Doubles are Trinidadian sandwiches made with saucy spiced chickpeas wrapped in soft flatbread – both the channa and dough can hang out in your fridge all week. The dough is rolled in and quickly cooked in a hot skillet. Though it’s not traditional, grating some sweet (or regular) potato into the chickpea mixture as it cooks is delicious, and boosts plant content. For a more streamlined flatbread, omit the yeast and add 1/2 tsp baking powder along with the dry ingredients; knead until smooth and let rest for 15-20 minutes before rolling, no need to rise. Serve with tamarind chutney and grated fresh cucumber, plain or dressed with a bit of garlic and/or finely chopped chilies and a squeeze of lime.
Italian-style Chopped Salad
As with most salads, there’s no need to stick to specific measurements here – start with plenty of crunchy chopped lettuces (and a bit of bitter radicchio if you like), and then scatter over chopped pepperoncini, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, salami, chickpeas and grated Parm. Peruse the deli for similar ingredients, such as marinated artichoke hearts and even feta-stuffed peppers – all have staying power and can be kept on hand for days you need a chopped salad.
Everything Cookies
These substantial cookies have a cake-like texture and resemble muffin tops – they’re loaded with grains, nuts (which can be omitted if little ones are heading to school) and seeds, with a protein and fibre boost from cooked red lentils, which have the flavour and texture of oats – no one will know they’re in there.
