This great looking Spinach Mushroom Frittata from Dianne Wenz’s brand new cookbook Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook: 90 Whole-Food Recipes with Deliciously Simple Ingredients is easy to prep, so all you have to do in the morning is bake and serve.
Truly Healthy Vegan
Dianne Wenz, who I am honored to call friend, wears many hats, and all of them fit to perfection. She is a health coach, a mentor to IIN students and runs two blogs, Chic Vegan and Dianne’s Vegan Kitchen. I had the pleasure of working with Dianne when she was enrolled in Essential Vegan Desserts at Rouxbe (read what she had to say here). Now Dianne can add cookbook author to her resume with her just launched, fabulous book, Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook. (She has another on the way, too.) I am thrilled that Dianne, as busy as she is, has agreed to do a guest blog post and a cookbook giveaway today.
Here are some great tips from Dianne, straight from the cookbook, just in time for the New Year and Veganuary.
Meal Prepping Tips
I find that life is much easier when I plan and prep. Here are a few ways I like to save time, and a little money, in the kitchen:
- Buy in bulk. A lot of grocery stores have bulk bins full of nuts, seeds, grains, and dry beans. They’re always cheaper than their packaged counterparts. Plus, because there’s no packaging, it saves pantry space and helps the environment by not contributing to landfills.
- Chop veggies ASAP. I chop my vegetables as soon as I get home from shopping and store them in containers in the fridge until I’m ready to cook. Heartier chopped vegetables, like cauliflower and broccoli, can last for up to a week. More delicate vegetables, such as leafy greens and bell peppers, will only last a day or two.
- Cook ahead of time. Grains and dry beans don’t take much effort to cook, but they take a little bit longer than vegetables. I like to cook up a batch of grains or beans at the beginning of the week and store them in containers in the fridge or freezer, so they’re ready to go when I’m ready to make dinner.
- Mise en place. This is French for “everything in its place.” It may sound fancy, but, simply put, it means prepping all of your ingredients, including chopping veggies and measuring spices, ahead of time. When it’s time to cook, everything is ready to go. Et voilà—dinner is ready!
Some meals, like this Spinach Mushroom Frittata, can be prepared in advance. Cook the mushrooms and make the tofu mixture ahead of time and place them in the fridge overnight. In the morning, just pop it into a pan and bake it. Breakfast is served!

Spinach and Mushroom Frittata
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon neutral-flavored oil such as grapeseed or avocado, vegetable stock, or water
- 8 ounces cremini or white button mushrooms coarsely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 14-ounce block of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 3 tablespoons plain unsweetened nondairy milk, such as soy or almond
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch or arrowroot
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 5 ounces baby spinach
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and lightly oil an 8-inch pie pan.
- Heat the oil in a large sauté pan or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown. Remove the pan from the heat.
- Place the tofu, nutritional yeast, nondairy milk, lemon juice, cornstarch, dried basil, dried thyme, turmeric, sea salt, and black pepper into a food processor and process until smooth.
- Add the spinach and mushroom mixture to the food processor and pulse two or three times to incorporate. [If you don’t have a food processor, coarsely chop the spinach. Mash the tofu mixture together with a potato masher or large fork until all of the large lumps are gone. Fold the mushrooms and spinach into the mixture.]
Pour the tofu mixture into the prepared pie pan and smooth it with a spatula or wooden spoon. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the frittata is golden brown. Let the frittata sit for 10 to 15 minutes to firm up a little before slicing.
Recipe Notes
Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook: 90 Whole-Food Recipes with Deliciously Simple Ingredients by Dianne Wenz
Published by Rockridge Press. Copyright © 2019 by Callisto Media. All rights reserved. Photography copyright © 2019 by Antonis Achilleos.
Dianne has a copy of her book Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook for one lucky winner. Follow the instructions below to enter. The contest ends at midnight EST on January 19, 2020 . U.S. residents, 18 and older only, please. Good luck!
About Dianne Wenz
Dianne Wenz is a Certified Holistic Health Coach, Vegan Lifestyle Coach, and Plant-Based Chef, and she has a certificate in plant-based nutrition. Dianne coaches people from across the globe, supporting them in improving their health and wellbeing, as well as making the dietary and lifestyle changes needed to go vegan. She also teaches both private and public cooking classes in the Northern New Jersey area. She is the author of The Truly Healthy Vegan Cookbook.
Visit DiannesVeganKitchen.com for healthy living tips, nutrition information, and recipes.
My favorite healthy meal is soup that has legumes, whole grains, veggies and greens in it. You can easily get so much nutritious food in one meal!
Shira,
Your soup would check off a lot of boxes on Dr Gregor’s Daily Dozen!!
Well done.
Fran
Exactly! I use the Daily Dozen app everyday and try really hard to check everything off!
Shira,
I use @Nutritionfacts.org Daily Dozen app too! Somedays I check off more items than other days.
Good for you, for us!!
Fran
I love homemade tacos – freshly made corn tortillas filled with chipotle spiced black beans, topped with pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, shredded cabbage, sliced avocado and fresh lime juice. Mmmm!
You had me at tacos. Your fully loaded ones sound scrumptious!!
Thanks for sharing
Fran
My favorite healthy vegan right now is a cabbage veggie soup I make in the instant pot. Twenty minutes to dinner!
Right now soup is a staple meal and I am using my instant pot very frequently. Your soup sounds nourishing and delicious.
Thank you for writing!
Fran
I love a good soup like Minestrone!
Lydia,
I’m with you on Minestrone.
Thanks for letting us know.
Fran
I love quinoa stuffed peppers.
Jillian,
Do you roast the peppers before adding the quinoa? Stuffed peppers are pretty, versatile and healthy!
Fran
A burrito filled with rice, veggies, beans and more!
Hi Corrine,
I wondered why no one had mentioned burritos yet. I agree!!
Fran
Currently, Blackened Tofu Burger with guacamole.
Renee,
TRIPLE YUMMM!!!!
Fran
Homemade burrito with homemade tortillas
You make homemade tortillas!! Wow. Delicious.
Thanks for letting us know.
Fran
Moroccan Style Stew with Quinoa.
Cassandra,
I love Moroccan flavors. Actually, I made more quinoa last night than I meant to so maybe I’ll make a stew to go with it.
Thanks for writing.
Fran