From cereal and milk to yogurt and fruit to broccoli and cheese, combining dairy with plant-based foods creates a superfood power couple that can help ensure you and your family are getting the nutrients you need any time of day.
With the rise in popularity of plant-based diets, dairy can help optimize nutrient absorption from plant foods and provide additional nutrients like high-quality protein, calcium, vitamin D and vitamin B12. Combining dairy and plant-based foods can be easier with these dairy-powered recipes from Milk Means More. They are ideal for creating a nutritious and delicious plan for every meal throughout the day.
Start with a blueberry apple crisp smoothie bowl in the morning then build out your lunch or dinner plans around a main course like lentil tacos with tangy cuacamole and a classic Moroccan staple, creamy couscous with broccoli, tomatoes and cheese, on the side.
Find more recipes that combine the goodness of dairy and plant-based foods at milkmeansmore.org.
CREAMY COUSCOUS WITH BROCCOLI, TOMATOES AND CHEESE
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 6
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups broccoli florets
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups fat-free, 2 percent or whole milk
1 1/2 cups plain couscous (wheat pasta)
1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil leaves
(Source: Culinary dietitian Marcia Stanley, MS, RDN)
LENTIL TACOS WITH TANGY GUACAMOLE
Prep time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Guacamole:
1 medium ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon orange, lime or lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup plain, fat-free Greek yogurt
Lentil tacos:
2 1/3 cups water
1 cup dry brown lentils, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups seeded and chopped tomatoes, divided
1 1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
12 yellow corn taco shells
(Source: Culinary dietitian Marcia Stanley, MS, RDN)
BLUEBERRY APPLE CRISP SMOOTHIE BOWL
Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
1 cup frozen blueberries
2 cups apples, roughly chopped, reserving 2 tablespoons for topping
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
1 cup spinach
pure maple syrup, to taste
ice cubes (optional)
Toppings:
2 tablespoons oats
1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
1 tablespoon pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons reserved chopped apple
Fesh blueberries
(Source: Rachel Gurk of Rachel Cooks)
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 43 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.