3 must-try recipes from Dr. Greger’s top-selling cookbooks

It’s Dr. Michael Greger’s birthday, and he’s celebrating by giving you the gift of health! 

As the author of How Not to Die, How Not to Diet, and How Not to Age, Dr. Greger has spent his career showing how the right foods can transform your health.

To mark his special day, he’s sharing three of his favorite plant-based recipes. Straight from The How Not to Die Cookbook and The How Not to Diet Cookbook, these dishes are simple, delicious, and backed by science—proving that whole foods have the power to protect your body.

Cottage pie with sweet potato mash

Ingredients

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into 2-inch chunks
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 ½ cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen green peas
• 1 cup cooked fresh or frozen lima beans
• 2 cups cooked or BPA-free canned or Tetra Pak salt-free brown lentils
• 1 cup Light Vegetable Broth*
• 8 ounces mushrooms of choice, chopped
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons salt-free tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried

Instructions

1. Place the sweet potatoes into a large pot with enough cold water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until fork-tender, then drain and return to the pot. Stir in the onion powder and black pepper and mash until smooth. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F.
3. Heat ¼ cup of water in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and lower the heat to low. Stir in the corn, peas, and cooked lima beans. Cook until the vegetables are tender and any liquid is absorbed, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the 1 ½ cups of the lentils, then transfer the vegetable mixture to a shallow baking dish and set aside.
4. Heat the Light Vegetable Broth in the same large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, nutritional yeast, tomato paste, miso paste, and thyme and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms are soft. Transfer the mushroom mixture to a blender or food processor, add the remaining ½ cup of lentils, and blend until smooth. If the gravy is too thick, blend in up to ½ cup of additional broth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed.
5. Pour the gravy over the vegetable mixture, stirring to combine. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes on top, smoothing to cover the surface. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling. Serve hot.

Excerpted THE HOW NOT TO DIET COOKBOOK: 100+ Recipes for Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss by Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM. Copyright 2020 by Michael Greger. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Antonis Achilleos.

Love Veg Recommendation: To prepare Dr. Greger’s Light Vegetable Broth, we suggest using the recipe from The How Not to Diet Cookbook. Alternatively, you can opt for a quality, store-bought vegetable broth.

Cheesy broccoli soup

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 6 cups Light Vegetable Broth*
• 6 cups small broccoli florets
• 1 cup salt-free cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
• ¾ cup raw cashews, soaked in boiling water for 30 minutes, then drained
• 1 (¼-inch) piece fresh turmeric, grated, or ¼ teaspoon ground
• ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat ¼ cup (60 ml) of water in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and celery and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups (⅓ of total amount) of the Light Vegetable Broth and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes longer.
2. Transfer the soup mixture to a high-powered blender and blend until smooth. Transfer the pureed soup mixture back to the pot. Add the remaining broth and bring to a boil. Add the broccoli and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the broccoli is just softened. Do not overcook.
3. In the same blender (no need to clean it), combine 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of water and the cannellini beans, cashews, turmeric, nutritional yeast, apple cider vinegar, miso paste, paprika, and black pepper to taste. Add 1 to 2 cups (240 – 480 ml) of soup mixture to thin the mixture, if necessary. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed, until you reach your desired cheesy taste. Stir the bean mixture into the soup and heat over low heat until hot.

Excerpted THE HOW NOT TO DIET COOKBOOK: 100+ Recipes for Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss by Michael Greger, M.D. FACLM. Copyright 2020 by Michael Greger. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Antonis Achilleos.

Love Veg Recommendation: To prepare Dr. Greger’s Light Vegetable Broth, we suggest using the recipe from The How Not to Diet Cookbook. Alternatively, you can opt for a quality, store-bought vegetable broth.

Roasted vegetable lasagna

Servings: 6

Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower cut vertically into ¼-inch slices
• 1 zucchini cut into ⅛-inch slices
• 1 eggplant cut into ⅛-inch slices
• 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
• 12 100% whole-grain lasagna noodles
• 1 ½ cups cooked or 1 15.5-ounce BPA-free can or Tetra Pak cannellini beans drained, rinsed, and mashed
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup minced fresh parsley
• ½ cup Almond Milk
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white miso paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 cups jarred or homemade marinara sauce
• ¼ cup Nutty Parm*

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.  Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. Arrange the cauliflower on one of the prepared baking sheets and the zucchini and eggplant on the other. Sprinkle the chopped bell pepper over the zucchini and eggplant. Place both pans of vegetables in the oven and roast until the veggies are tender, about 20 minutes, turning once about halfway through.
2. While the vegetables are roasting, cook the lasagna noodles according to the package directions.  Drain and set aside.
3. Remove the roasted vegetables from the oven and set aside to cool. Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF.
4. Transfer the roasted cauliflower to a food processor and pulse until it is finely chopped. Place the cauliflower in a large bowl and add the remaining ingredients, except the marinara sauce and Nutty Parm. Mix well.
5. To assemble, spread a layer of marinara sauce on the bottom of a 9 × 13-inch baking dish. Top the sauce with a layer of noodles. Cover the noodles with half of the roasted vegetables, topped with half of the cauliflower mixture. Add another layer of noodles, topped with more sauce. Once again cover the noodles with roasted vegetables, and then the cauliflower mixture. Repeat this layering process, ending with a layer of noodles topped with sauce. Sprinkle Nutty Parm on top. Cover and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbling. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Excerpted from THE HOW NOT TO DIE COOKBOOK: 100+ Recipes to Help Prevent and Reverse Disease by Michael Greger and Gene Stone. Copyright 2017 by Michael Greger. Reprinted with permission from Flatiron Books. All rights reserved. Photography by Antonis Achilleos.

Love Veg Recommendation: To prepare Dr. Greger’s Nutty Parm, we suggest using the recipe from The How Not to Die Cookbook. Alternatively, you can opt for a store-bought, plant-based parmesan.

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