Five easy, flavour-packed recipes to help you reach 30 plant foods a week

This spiced pilaf is a great way to use up odds and ends of veg – try swapping in squash or sweet potato for an easy twist - (Discover Great Veg)

If you’ve heard that aiming for 30 different plant foods a week is the secret to a happier gut, you heard correctly — and better gut health can mean benefits for everything from mood to immunity.

The good news? Hitting that number is far less daunting than it sounds. It’s not just fruit and veg that count: wholegrains, legumes, nuts, seeds and even dried herbs all help clock up those precious plant points.

To help you on your way, here are five quick and satisfying recipes, each brimming with a variety of plant-based ingredients and packing in up to eight plant points per serving.

From a ginger-harissa pilaf to a vibrant Mexican quinoa bowl, these dishes make it deliciously easy to tick off your weekly plant goals, one tasty forkful at a time.

Ginger harissa roasted vegetable pilaf

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes

Plant points: 8¾

Ingredients:

2 parsnips, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 onion, diced

2 tbsp olive oil

5cm piece root ginger, grated

1 tbsp harissa paste

200g pack sliced Cavolo Nero

250g pouch super seeds with quinoa & chia

200g brown basmati rice

Juice 1 lime

Yoghurt to serve

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200C, gas mark 6.

2. Place the parsnips, carrot and onion on a large baking tray and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil, ginger and harissa, season and roast for 20 minutes. Add the cavolo nero, the seeds mix and toss in the remaining oil, roast for a further 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the rice in boiling water for 20-25 minutes until tender and drain well.

4. Stir the rice into the vegetable mixture with the lime juice, season and serve with the yoghurt.

Cooking tip: Great to use up leftover cooked rice. Try stirring in cooked prawns at the end.

Hummus, spinach and noodle salad

Light, speedy and packed with crunch – a fresh lunch you can throw together in minutes and customise with whatever veg you have (Discover Great Veg)

Serves: 2

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 5 minutes

Plant points: 7½

Ingredients:

1 nest egg noodles (60g)

3 tbsp hummus (60g)

2 tsp grated ginger

Juice 1 lime

2 tsp tahini

1 tsp soy sauce

½ x 250g bag spinach

75g cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small carrot, grated (100g)

1 small courgette, grated (125g)

Method:

1. Cook the noodles according to pack instructions, drain and run under cold water.

2. Meanwhile, whisk together the hummus, ginger, lime juice, tahini, and soy with 2 tbsp water. Season to taste.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the spinach, tomatoes, carrot, courgette and noodles. Toss in the dressing to serve.

Mexican quinoa bowl

A hearty, colourful bowl that’s endlessly adaptable – swap the chicken for black beans or tofu for an easy plant-based swap (Discover Great Veg)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes | Cook time: 15 minutes

Plant points: 7½

Ingredients:

175g quinoa

250g pack kale (or use 250g pack spinach)

1 tbsp oil

300g chicken breast, thinly sliced

1 tsp mild chilli powder

400g can kidney beans

200g pack fresh tomato salsa

227g can chopped tomatoes

2 ripe avocados

1 tbsp chilli sauce

1 lime

Method:

1. Cook the quinoa in stock for 15 minutes, drain off any excess liquid. Meanwhile, cook the kale in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain and stir into the quinoa and season. Place in the base of a heatproof serving bowl.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil and fry the chicken and chilli powder for 5-6 minutes, add the kidney beans, salsa and tomatoes and cook for 1 minute or until the chicken is cooked throughout. Spoon on top of the quinoa.

3. Mash the avocado with the chilli sauce and juice of half the lime, season and spoon over the chicken. Serve with the remaining half lime cut into wedges.

Saag chana masala

This comforting chana masala comes together in just 20 minutes – double up and freeze for an instant midweek curry night (Discover Great Veg)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes

Plant points: 5

Ingredients:

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

2 leeks, washed and sliced

1 thumb size knob ginger- grated

3 cloves garlic, sliced

6 tomatoes chopped

1 x 400ml tin chickpeas, drained.

100ml coconut cream

200g spinach, roughly chopped

Method:

1. Add the oil to a large frying pan and heat to a medium heat. Add in the cumin and mustard seeds. When they start to pop, add in the chilli flakes, coriander, and turmeric.

2. Stir for a few seconds, then add in the leeks. Fry for approx 6-7minutes until soft and browning.

3. Add in the garlic and ginger and stir for another few minutes, then add in the chopped tomatoes and 200ml water.

4. Cook for a further 5-6 minutes then add the chickpeas, coconut cream. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, adding the spinach for the final 2 minutes.

5. Season to taste.

Cajun kale jambalaya

All the soul-warming flavour of jambalaya, but boosted with extra greens – perfect for batch cooking and even better the next day (Discover Great Veg)

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

250g bag kale

1 tbsp oil

2 leeks, sliced

1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 corn on the cob

250g long grain rice

2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes

400ml vegetable stock

Method:

1. Cook the kale in boiling water for 3-4 minutes, drain well.

2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry the leeks for 4-5 minutes, add the spices and cook for 1 minute.

3. Cut the kernels off the corn cob using a sharp knife and add the pan with the rice, chopped tomatoes and stock, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally until the rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed. Season to taste and stir in the kale to serve.

Recipes from www.discovergreatveg.co.uk