‘Arbonne 30’ Plant Based Dinners

Have a lot of questions about the Arbonne 30? When you’re starting any new way of eating, it’s always a good idea to start by finding easy dinner recipes to start building your weekly meal plan. These Arbonne 30 dinner recipes and soups are the perfect family-friendly, hearty meals to serve on busy weeknights.

Hearty Arbonne Dinner Recipes

Quinoa with Spinach, Bell Peppers, and Zucchini

*Note- this picture has corn. I replaced it with Zucchini to make the recipe Arbonne 30 compliant

Ingredients:

 1 cup dry Quinoa (or 2 cups cooked Quinoa)

2 cups water

½ + 1/8 teaspoon salt, divided

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced small

3 scallions, sliced

1 bell pepper, diced small (orange or red)

2 cups diced zucchini

1 clove garlic, pressed

2 teaspoons cumin

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1 cup frozen spinach leaves (or 4 oz fresh, torn or chopped)

Procedure

Rinse the quinoa in a mesh strainer until the water runs clear. 2 to 3 times. Drain well.

In a dry medium-sized pot, add rinsed quinoa and toast over medium, stirring frequently until most of the water has evaporated.  Add the 2 cups of water and a 1/8 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil.

Lower heat to a simmer, cover and cook until water has evaporated and grains have uncoiled, about 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and allow to sit covered for 5 minutes. Uncover, fluff and set aside.

In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add onions and sauté over low/medium heat  until onions are caramelized, about 8-10 minutes. Remove the onions to a bowl and set aside.

In the same pan, add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil. Increase heat to Med/High and Saute scallions, bell pepper and zucchini for 5 minutes. (or until zucchini is fork tender)

Add garlic, cumin and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir and cook for another minute.

Add the vegetable broth and  spinach. Lower heat to medium, cover and heat until the spinach is wilted or warmed through.

Add quinoa and onions and mix. Adjust seasoning. Serve.

*Quick tip: You can buy frozen cooked quinoa!

Low-Fat Pistachio Pesto

Ingredients:

1 clove of garlic

1/2 cup raw pistachios

4 oz fresh basil

2 Tablespoons olive oil

*3/4 teaspoon salt

*Use this amount of salt if tossing with pasta. If you want it for a spread or for another application, use 1/4 teaspoon.

Procedure:

Remove basil leaves and discard stems. Wash and dry basil.

Put garlic, pistachios and salt in a food processor and process until nuts are chopped into small pieces. Approx 20-25 seconds

Add basil leaves. Turn on processor and slowly drizzle in oil. Process until basically smooth, but still retains some texture,  scraping once.

It will be salty. Don’t panic! When you toss it with the pasta, it will be just right.

You can freeze the pesto for use at another time, or continue with the recipe.

Cook noodles according to package. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water before draining the pasta.

Put the pesto into the pot you cooked the noodles in.  Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir to blend.

Add pasta and toss to evenly coat. Adjust salt to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Low-Cal Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoons olive oil

½ med onion, small diced

1/2 cup carrot, small diced (approx. 1 medium carrot)

½ cup celery, small diced (approx. 1-2 stalks )

2 cloves garlic, pressed

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon thyme

¼ teaspoon coriander

1 bay leaf

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup red lentils

Procedure:

In a large saucepot, add olive oil . Saute onion, carrot and celery for 3-5 minutes until vegetables just start to soften.

Add the garlic, salt, cumin, thyme and coriander. Cook 1 minute more, or until fragrant.

Add tomatoes, broth, lentils and bay leaf. Bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and let simmer 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Adjust seasonings and serve.

Oil-Free Homestyle Vegetable Soup

*Note: This picture has potatoes. I replaced them with butternut squash to make the recipe Arbonne 30 compliant.

Ingredients

6 cups vegetable broth

1 yellow onion

1 cup carrots, chopped (approximately 2 medium)

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 ½ teaspoon basil

1 ½ teaspoon oregano

3 cabbage, shredded

1 cup zucchini, chopped

2 cups diced butternut squash

½ cup tomato sauce

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

1 can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted, Italian seasonings or plain)

1 ½ teaspoons salt

1 cup frozen peas

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

Procedure:

Chop all vegetables into similarly sized pieces.

In a soup pot, over medium-high, heat ½ cup of the vegetable broth. Add the onions and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until vegetables just begin to soften.

Add the garlic, basil and oregano and cook for one minute more.

Add the cabbage, zucchini and butternut squash and cook for about 5 minutes, to allow vegetables to brown slightly. Add the broth tomato sauce, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, and salt.

Cover and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Add peas and beans and and allow them to just heat through, about 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper and serve.

*As with many soups, this one is even better the next day!

30 Minute Chili

*Note: This picture has hominy, but I omitted it to make the recipe Arbonne Friendly

Ingredients

1 Tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced

½ red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, pressed

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1 -15 oz can diced Fire-Roasted tomatoes

½ cup vegetable broth

1 Tbsp Tomato paste

1-15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 -15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

 Procedure

Over medium heat, sauté the onion and bell pepper until translucent about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, chili powder, oregano and salt. Cook 1 minute or until fragrant.

Add diced tomatoes, broth, tomato paste, and beans.

Stir until mixed well and bring to a boil. Cover and lower heat simmering for 15-20 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

*Note: I’m usually cooking for kids, so if you want it spicier, just add some chipotle powder or chili of your liking. To bulk it up even more, you could also addd chopped zucchini

*This recipe also freezes well, so keep the leftovers for an even easier dinner night!