Are you getting your daily leafy greens fix? Need something to cheer you up through these COVID-19 dark times? Why not use this time being cooped up at home to cook some comfort food with a healthy, immune-boosting, plant-based spin?

There's never been a more important time than now to make sure you're getting your greens intake to help boost your immune system and so many other good things. But it doesn't have to feel like you're missing out...

Sometimes it’s difficult to find tasty recipes that will excite your palate with the inclusion of ingredients like kale, arugula, spinach, and asparagus. Before you give up on hitting your leafy green intake goals, you should know that there are plenty of seemingly naughty dishes that will actually help you get your magnesium fix for the day and are full of other antioxidants and vitamins!

Here, check out 8 plant-based naughty dishes that aren’t actually naughty to get your leafy green fix!

1) One-Pot Asparagus and Spinach Gnocchi

If you are anything like us, then you definitely love sinking your teeth into the soft and delightfully strange texture of gnocchi - and while gnocchi nutrition might be lacking, plant-based diners can add some healthy elements to a meal featuring gnocchi by incorporating leafy greens into the mix, which is why we love Green Evi’s recipe for One-Pot Asparagus and Spinach Gnocchi. Get ready for a delicious combination of:

Gnocchi
Asparagus
Green peas
Spinach
Cilantro
Almond milk

Recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/BEEU_QeCTsf/

2) Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese

We don’t normally associate comfort food with healthy food. With that being said, Oxford University student and vegan food chef Maria Gureeva is showing her followers it’s possible to have both by highlighting her delicious recipes that are easy to make and good for you! One of our favorites is her Vegan Baked Mac and Cheese. Her recipe finds the perfect balance of both indulgence and health, so you can feel good about dining whilst also getting an entire cup of kale in for the day! Feel free to add more ingredients or mix and match with ingredients like steamed broccoli or asparagus to pack even more leafy greens into this delicious meal.

Also, be sure to eat your healthy serving of kale whilst rockin’ Plant Faced’s ‘Kale ‘Em With Kindness’ Tee. This top is both stylish and sustainable, as it is made using 100 percent organic cotton!

Recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5yFu6kJK_4/

3) Roasted Grape, Carrot, and Sumac Salad with Caraway Seeds and Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette

When we read pomegranate molasses, we knew we needed to check this recipe out! Olivia Moore is an up and coming plant-based Instagrammer who also founded her own meal-toppers company (all of which are vegan, btw), with delicious toppers including coconut bacon and salted tahini caramel! Her Roasted Grape, Carrot, and Sumac Salad with Caraway Seeds and Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette particularly caught our eye - has anyone else ever heard of roasting grapes?!

Get ready for a mouthful of flavor, as this salad features some of the following delicious ingredients:

Carrots
Sumac
Caraway seeds
Salt & pepper
Red seedless grapes
Roasted almonds
Baby spinach

Recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/B772bSspx5X/

4) ‘Refried’ Black Bean Tacos

You don’t need to wait until Tuesday to dig into this delicious taco recipe! This ‘Refried’ Black Bean Tacos recipe by plant-based dietician Catherine Perez will leave you feeling full and fueled. Get ready to indulge in some of the following ingredients:

Roasted sweet potato
Greens of your choice (we recommend roasted broccoli and romaine lettuce!)
Corn
Avocado
Spring onions

Put all of these delicious ingredients over healthy blue corn tortillas from Pinole Blue Tortillas, and you’ll leave even the most committed of carnivores craving more of these plant-based tacos!

Recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/B74hZwShprf/

5) Vegan Caesar Salad

All plant-based diners feel nostalgic from time to time of the coveted Caesar Salad - take into account the anchovies, cheese, and ranch dressing, and it seems like this is one of the only salads we truly can’t tailor to our lifestyle.

Fret not, however, as Angela, a Canadian expat livin’ in Sydney, shares her delicious Vegan Caesar Salad recipe with us! Being that a Caesar Salad was one of her favorite dishes growing up, Angela knew she was going to need to alter this recipe to suit her vegan needs, including making her own homemade vegan mayonnaise with tofu and lemon juice! Make this salad extra healthy by substituting romain lettuce with spinach or kale.

Recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/BzFig0BDiAv/

6) Herbed Vegan Vegetable Pot Pie

Southern vegan food is always a treat! Dive into delicious with the help of plant-based author and vegan blogger, Lauren, who shares her delicious recipes with all of us - including her delicious Vegetable Pot Pie recipe! This comfort food has all the vegetables you’ll need to get through your day full of energy, including:

Potatoes
Carrots
Peas
Spinach
Herbs
Dijon

Recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPdxbdABqF/

7) Easy Broccoli Quinoa Casserole (Gratin) With Vegan Cheese

Vegan creator and chef Michaela Vais is vegan for the animals, but we hungry plant-based diners would certainly argue that we are receiving some of the perks, as well! One of our favorite recipes is her Broccoli Quinoa Casserole. This delicious souffle will knock your socks off, and it is made with broccoli. It is also a great dish to share amongst friends! Some of the tasty ingredients you should prep your palate for include:

Broccoli
Homemade vegan cheese sauce
Chickpeas
Quinoa

Recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/B03rcklBMGg/

8) Teriyaki Tofu Balls

Scrolling through plant-based blogger’s Woon Hen’s Instagram feed seriously got us hungry! One recipe that caught our eye was her Teriyaki Tofu Balls! The tofu balls are packed full of vegetables, including chopped celery, broccoli, and carrots! Either make your teriyaki sauce at home or buy some for the store. Then, add the tofu balls once your sauce is hot and mix in some healthy blanched broccoli. You have yourself a delicious and green vegan meal!

Recipe: https://www.instagram.com/p/B3WuZocJMqa/