Esselstyn No Oil Salads Sides Vegan Whole food plant based

Parsley Salad – Vegan, Oil-Free

I’ve been making this over and over since my daughter loves it- and it can be hard to get the young ones to unabashedly eat dark greens! It’s delicious and goes well alone or on top of a traditional salad, sandwich, or soup. Flat-leaf parsley is more popular than curly, but they’re both delicious. You …

Dinner Esselstyn No Oil Soups Vegan Whole food plant based

Kabocha Butternut Squash Soup – Vegan, Oil-Free

This recipe is a snapshot of two friends. One, who texted me a photo of a bowl of butternut soup she’d made next to a painting she was working on- two literal works of art, one comforting photo. Two, a new friend who generously gifted me a kabocha squash, knowing I’m vegan and oil-free, and …

Breakfast Dinner Esselstyn Lunch No Oil Recipes Sides Vegan Whole food plant based

Irish Soda Bread – Vegan, Oil-Free

I wanted a slice of bread without the hours of rising that yeast breads take, so I was excited to modify this recipe to see how it came out. The vegan, oil-free “buttermilk” gives it a deeper, more interesting flavor than milk or water could accomplish alone. Irish soda bread has been a staple of …

Articles Breakfast Desserts Esselstyn No Oil Scones & Muffins Vegan Whole food plant based

Blueberry Drop Scones – Vegan, Oil-Free

These are so much easier to make than muffins, and I love that we don’t have to figure out how to keep them from sticking to a muffin pan. It’s a similar recipe to my blueberry muffins, but these are faster, heartier, and easier! I love to use frozen blueberries that we picked during the …

Dinner Esselstyn No Oil Vegan Whole food plant based

Tomato Eggplant Maqluba

Everyone loves the rich flavor and filling veggies of this Middle-Eastern dish. Maqluba means “upside-down” but I don’t always turn it upside down the way the original calls for. You can flip your pot and do it right, or you can serve it straight out of the dutch oven after you’ve assembled the layers. If …

Breakfast Dinner Esselstyn No Oil Scones & Muffins Sides Vegan Whole food plant based

Whole Wheat Bread – Vegan, Oil-free

This is my favorite rib-sticking, hearty, delicious, wholesome, and heavenly bread. Plus, it makes the house smell like you’re a master French baker. I love to make this before I invite friends over- the aroma is pure comfort and will make you seem like a great host or hostess (in my case, I need all …

Dinner Esselstyn No Oil Recipes Soups Vegan Whole food plant based

Longevity Minestrone from Dan’s Blue Zones, Esselstyn, No-Oil

Though the Blue Zones were initially discovered by Michel Poulain, Dan Buettner wrote the book on “lessons for living longer from the people who’ve lived the longest.” While I love the book and especially enjoy the social aspects of it, I was shocked to see that many of his recipes include olive oil. Of course, …

Dinner Esselstyn No Oil Recipes Soups Vegan Whole food plant based

Lasagna Soup – Vegan, Oil-Free

If you’re craving lasagna, especially during the first year or so of transitioning to no-oil vegan, you might do what I did- and make a fake-meat lasagna with textured vegetable protein (TVP). I made it once- and never again. It just didn’t land for me. I gave up on lasagna altogether, knowing some things just …