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    You are at:Home»Dairy-Free Recipes»22 Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day

    22 Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day

    8
    By Alisa Fleming on April 21, 2017 Dairy-Free Recipes, In The News, News

    Every year, I search for Earth Day recipes to get some healthy ideas. But most of what I find is food tinted with green and blue food dye! I thought it was time to celebrate with sustainable recipes that don’t look like the earth, but instead, benefit the earth.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    For starters, all of these sustainable recipes are dairy-free and plant-based. These two aspects alone can account for some major earth-friendly points. Dairy milk has a carbon footprint that is more than 20 times greater than almond milk, and there is an even bigger disparity with coconut milk. And an abundance of data shows the positive environmental impact of making plant-based swaps.

    But this isn’t just a list of vegan eats. These sustainable recipes go a step further with nutritious ingredient choices and other eco-friendly benefits.

    Savory Sustainable Recipes

    Roasted Veggie & Wild Rice Buddha Bowl with Creamy Lemon Herb Sauce

    Dubbed her “Earth Day Bowl”, Sophia makes this dish by roasting up leftover vegetable scraps in her crisper. Consequently, she avoids precious produce waste at the end of the week.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Rosemary Mashed Root Vegetables

    This dish is a great way to use up any sad looking root vegetables rolling around your fridge!

    Rosemary Mashed Root Vegetables Recipe - vegan, dairy-free and gluten-free

    Grilled Tofu with Lemon and Rosemary

    Cadry’s recipe is packed with plant-based protein and is quick to prepare. Plus, rosemary is easy to grow in the home.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad

    Go green with greens! This flavorful salad is loaded with minerals and vitamins, and it is rich in ingredients with a low carbon footprint.

    Shaved Brussels Sprouts and Kale Salad

    Mango Tomato Salsa

    It doesn’t get much more Earth friendly than a recipe made purely of plants.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Marinated Mushroom Bowls

    This comforting bowl is high in plant-based protein thanks to the mushrooms and lentils. Plus it contains many more nutrient-rich ingredients.

    Marinated Mushroom Bowls with Lentils and Wild Rice

    Gazpacho Soup

    This vibrant soup is full of garden fresh ingredients that can usually be purchased locally or even grown in your backyard.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Raw Pesto Zucchini Roll Ups

    Raw recipes save on energy and preserve nutrients. These roll ups are a simple and light party appetizer or nutritious snack.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Carrot Top Mint Pesto

    Save the carrot tops! Pesto is a great way to use up just about any type of green.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Nutritious Creamy Pasta Primavera

    This plant-based meal uses minimally processed ingredients and seasonal vegetables. It packs a punch of all natural nutrients. Keep it sustainable by using whichever vegetables are in season and local.

    Healthy Vegan Pasta Primavera Recipe with Fresh Peas & Carrots (dairy-free, soy-free, gluten-free - I used high protein lentil noodles!)

    Garden Veggie Burgers

    Made with fresh herbs, black eyed peas, and carrot tops, these burgers are a great way to enjoy summer produce. Plus, the recipe is easy to customize depending on what you have on hand.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Sweet Sustainable Recipes

    Sweet Potato Pancakes with Caramel Sauce

    Not only are these pancakes a great way to use up leftover sweet potato and reduce food waste, they are also made with spelt flour. Spelt is one of the few flours that doesn’t require pesticides to grow. The recipe also uses coconut sugar, which was named the most sustainable sweetener by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Hippie Breakfast Bowl

    With hippie in the name, of course this recipe is Earth friendly! It features hemp seeds, which come from the multi-use and low-impact hemp plant.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Banana-Oat Trail Mix Bars

    These hearty muffins are made from whole foods and are a great way to use up whatever nuts, seeds, or dried fruit you have in your pantry.

    Banana-Oat Trail Mix Muffins - Easy, Wholesome Recipe (Naturally Gluten-free, Dairy-Free, and Vegan)

    Chia Pudding Dirt Cups

    Now these are some fun, healthy, and kid-friendly Earth Day treats!

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Strawberry Basil Creamsicles

    Just four simple ingredients are needed for these flavorful frozen treats. They’re also naturally sweetened!

    Strawberry Basil Creamsicles

    “Nicer” Krispie Squares

    This no bake snack is a childhood favorite made au natural. These tasty treats are made with minimally processed ingredients like brown rice cereal and macadamia butter.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Almond Nectarine Crepes

    These crepes are made from buckwheat and oats, both of which are sustainable and even benefit the environment. Buckwheat grows quickly, so it typically requires no chemical help. And oats are a great for soil conservation!

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Sippable Sustainable Recipes

    Seasonal Sustainable Smoothies

    This post contains not one, but four seasonal and sustainable smoothies! The recipes use the lowest carbon footprint options that are widely available for the spring, summer, fall, and winter.

    Choosing the best ingredients for Sustainable Smoothies - which milk, protein, nuts, seeds and protein tread the lightest while providing nourishment.

    Homemade Green Apple Juice

    Homemade juice is cost-effective and a great way to avoid plastic bottles, but the pulp is usually tossed. But not with this green juice! Even the apple peel is used up.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Homemade Maple Hemp Milk

    Making your own dairy-free milk is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Plus, this hemp milk can be made in large or single-serve batches to help avoid waste.

    Homemade Maple Hemp Milk - vegan, dairy-free, soy-free, nut-free recipe with unbelievable flavor freshness and nutrition.

    Gut-Healing Vegetable Broth

    You can use up leftover vegetables and kitchen scraps with this plant-based variation of trendy bone broth.

    Sustainable Recipes for Earth Day and Every Day - dairy-free, plant-based, healthy and earth-friendly eats

    Eat Dirt Chocolate Protein Shake

    I highly recommend eating dirt if it’s in the form of this nutrient-dense chocolate smoothie!

    Eat Dirt Protein Shakes - superfood vegan smoothies with a fun presentation

    More Great Earth-Friendly Posts

    The Best Earth Day Books for Food Lovers

    20 Easy Ways to Conserve Everyday (including your Diet!)

    Earth Day Resolutions that Save You Money

    Alisa Fleming
    • Website

    Alisa is the founder of GoDairyFree.org, Food Editor for Allergic Living magazine, and author of the best-selling dairy-free book, Go Dairy Free: The Guide and Cookbook for Milk Allergies, Lactose Intolerance, and Casein-Free Living, and the new cookbook, Eat Dairy Free: Your Essential Cookbook for Everyday Meals, Snacks, and Sweets. Alisa is also a professional recipe creator and product ambassador for the natural food industry.

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    8 Comments

    1. Megan on April 9, 2020 12:26 pm

      Hello! I am writing an article about environmentally friendly meals for my journalism class. I was wondering if you could tell me a little bit more about why some of these meals are so good for the environment so I could quote you and this article in my piece! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alisa Fleming on April 9, 2020 1:22 pm

        Hi Megan, you are welcome to quote any portion of this article. I answer your question in the beginning and throughout the article.

        Reply
    2. Doann Houghton on July 25, 2019 9:23 pm

      FYI Almond milk is not sustainable. Both almonds and walnuts require a great deal of water to grow. Flax milk is the most sustainable. Frankly, cacao isn’t sustainable either. It requires a bit of work to uncover what is really sustainable. Peas, bulgar, beans, local organic produce, organic pears, kamut, wild rice, peanuts, loose leaf tea, mussels, most small fish such as sardines and anchovies are some examples of sustainable foods. Rice, any cow product, most nuts (except Brazil nuts), tea bags, soy products, avocados, bananas, lamb, shrimp, abalone and much more are NOT sustainable.

      Reply
    3. Cadry on April 27, 2017 9:32 am

      Wow, what a mouthwatering line-up! Thank you for including my grilled tofu.

      Reply
    4. Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite on April 24, 2017 1:38 pm

      Thanks so much for including me Alisa! I love all these earth conscious recipes for any day.

      Reply
    5. Rich on April 24, 2017 5:34 am

      The Mango Tomato Salsa looks incredible! Definitely making this! Thanks Alisa.

      Reply
    6. Linda from Veganosity on April 23, 2017 9:05 am

      So many healthy, delicious, and eco friendly recipes! Thanks for including our green apple juice. Sharing!

      Reply
    7. Nicole on April 22, 2017 5:49 am

      Loving all these recipes Alisa. Such a great collection for Earth Day or any day ?

      Reply

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

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