I incessantly encourage my clients to eat more cruciferous
vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, Brussels sprouts, bok
choy). They are loaded with
phytonutrients, vitamins, and minerals that can help with hormone balancing,
cancer prevention, heart disease prevention, and because of their natural
anti-inflammatory properties can avert any form of inflammation.
If you dislike any of the aforementioned vegetables, no
worries! There is an unfamiliar cruciferous vegetable that I love more than all
of the above. It’s sweeter and more succulent. It’s called Kohlrabi and it’s in
season— go find one at a farmer’s market near you! Kohlrabi has more than 100%
of your daily vitamin c needs and it is loaded with minerals as well as the
cancer-fighting phtonutrients.
Try out this ***-kickin Kohlrabi Slaw.
Ingredients
-
1 Kohlrabi, peeled and shredded
-
½ cup plain yogurt
-
2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
-
3 Tablespoons of honey or agave nectar
-
2 shredded carrots
-
Handful of raisins
-
Sea salt to taste
Directions
Mix the yogurt, vinegar, and honey or agave nectar. Mix the
kohlrabi and carrots. Pour yogurt mixture over the kohlrabi and carrots. Season
with sea salt and toss in the raisins!
I'm a sucker for chicken parmesan. Most of you know that I was a vegetarian for 12 years. I’m surprised I made it 12 years being deprived of this delicious dish! If only I had this recipe back then! We all know that eggplant parm. is not the same. Don’t get me wrong, I had a lot of eggplant parmesan during that 12-year period and still make it during the summer months when eggplant is in season. This dish is different and best of all, it doesn’t use any soy or wheat-gluten fake meat. It uses chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans). I didn’t even make the connection to chicken parmesan until my husband said “Wow, this is like chicken parmesan!”
This recipe came to me as I scanned my pantry, desiring to concoct a recipe with what we had on hand. I was going to call them chickpea burgers, but I like vegetarian chicken parmesan better. So, here’s the deal!
Ingredients:
2 cans organic chickpeas
1 Tablespoon organic Italian seasoning
Up to 1/3 cup warm water
¼ cup raw walnuts
½ cup nitrate-free sundried tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic minced
1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
4 slices organic mozzarella cheese (soy or rice cheese for vegans)
Directions:
Blend the chickpeas in a food processor so it turns into “mashed chickpeas.” Pour into bowl and mix in Italian seasoning, sundried tomatoes, and garlic.
Slowly mix water in and use your hands to mix all ingredients until the consistency feels like dough.
Preheat oven at 350.
Pulse the walnuts in the food processor for 10-15 seconds until they turn into small pieces/crumbs (not flour).
Dry roast the walnuts for 3 minutes on a pan over a medium flame.
Pour olive oil in a large pan (I like cast iron) over a medium flame. Make four patties out of the chickpea mixture and press into the pan with a spatula.
Turn the patties every few minutes and sprinkle walnuts on the outside each time to get a crunchy outer texture.
Place cheese slices over the patties and place in oven for 10 minutes or until patties are thoroughly heated. Delicious!
I like using Eden canned beans because these cans are BPA-free unlike most canned foods. BPA is a toxic xenoestrogen, which just means it's like the female hormone estrogen, except for two things: 1) it's foreign to the body, which is what "xeno" means, and 2) it is way more harmful than our natural estrogen for everyone, male and female. It can lead to fertility problems and even certain types of cancer, like breast cancer.
Many of you already know that I am not a huge fan of soy. In fact, it really irks me when companies promote and tout soy as an ever-so-amazing health food. It's not; not the way we have come to use it here. Most soy products on the market today are genetically engineered--government subsidies have enticed farmers to convert many of their crops from “real food” to soy. What does this mean for food manufacturers? Because soy is a subsidized crop, it is CHEAP, so all packaged food companies jump on it and USE it! It is hard to find a packaged food product that does not contain soy.
Soy has harmed me personally. I was a vegetarian for 12 years. As I launched my career in holistic health back in 2002, I was simultaneously suffering from severe abdominal cramps that would at times paralyze me. After eliminating foods, I found that when I didn't eat soy, I didn't get those abdominal cramps! I had a soy intolerance! It was then that I became skeptical of soy. I learned that it wasn't healthy after all; that it raises estrogen levels and that because it's genetically engineered (when it's not organic), it can create a whole host of problems.
Interestingly, when I consumed soy, I had a horrible problem with ovarian cysts...and guess what? High levels of estrogen cause cysts! These days, I have eliminated all foods that have high estrogen levels (no more morning cups of Joe).
Today, seven years after my departure with soy, research continues to reveal the dangers in excess soy consumption. The latest: consuming large amounts could have harmful effects on female fertility and reproductive development.
I advise you to keep your soy consumption in check. If you are going to have it, choose the fermented types such as miso or tempeh and make sure it's organic! If you want to read more about the latest soy research, check out this article from Environmental Health News.
Earlier this week, I had one of those REALLY long days at work, where somehow, a million distractions came my way, and at the end of the day, my "To Do" list had maybe one or two things (out of 20 +) crossed off. I came home that night, and all I could think about was making a soup. Sometimes I am in no mood to make soup, as it does require a lot of effort (chopping and so forth). But there are times, when I think the meditative motions of chopping, slicing, peeling, etc. can be extremely therapeutic. I made this borscht recipe and served it warm with grilled cheese(organic local sharp cheddar on local multigrain). It's autumn and what better way to feed your body than with an antioxidant-rich soup? With the swine flu scares, we need to keep our immune systems strong!!! So this was a double-dose of therapy for me. Making the soup and consuming it!
Thanks to my friend Judy for sending me this recipe!
Russian Vegetarian Borscht
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used extra virgin olive) 1 tablespoon butter (I used ghee) 1 onion, chopped (didn't have an onion, so I didn't use it) 3 medium size carrots, peeled and sliced (I used 5--more vitamin A) 1 small parsnip, cut into thin 2-inch strips (I used 3) 3 medium size beets, cut into thin 2-inch strips 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced (I used 6 cloves---great anit-viral properties) 1 bay leaf 1 tablespoon sugar (no sugar for me) 6 cups vegetable or chicken broth (I used 8 cups Pacific Mushroom broth) 1 small cabbage, cut into 2-inch chunks 3 medium size potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch pieces (I used 4) 1/4 cup tomato puree (I used 1/2 cup) Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (no salt as there was some in the broth) 1/4 cup Balsamic or red wine vinegar Sour cream for accompaniment (I used yogurt) Directions: In a Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium heat and saute onion, carrots, parsnip and beets until onion is translucent.Stir in the garlic, bay leaf and sugar and cook for 30 seconds. Add broth, cabbage, potatoes and tomato puree, salt and pepper. Simmer, covered until vegetables are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vinegar. To serve: Ladle cold soup into bowls and place a dollop of sour cream (or yogurt) on top. Serves 6.
We all hear about healthy alternatives to unhealthy food choices, but sometimes the tradeoff is taste. Who would ever want to trade in a delicious homemade chocolate chip cookie for one of those 100-calorie snack packs? Here are five delicious healthy alternatives to not-so-healthy common food choices.
1. Swap Spaghetti Squash for Pasta
Spaghetti is made from refined durum flour; and though tasty, it is a carbohydrate that is lacking nutritious qualities. Whole wheat, brown rice, and even quinoa pastas are available as an alternative, but the taste is definitely an acquired one. Good news: spaghetti squash is a delicious alternative to pasta. It looks like spaghetti and even tastes like spaghetti. Here are just some of the amazing nutrition facts about spaghetti squash: it’s high in dietary fiber, high in vitamin C and even boasts a fair amount of niacin, vitamin B6, potassium and manganese.
2. Swap Quorn™-style Chicken for Chicken
Sometimes eating chicken just gets old. Quorn™ has a vegetarian chicken substitute, which has less cholesterol, fat, and calories and more fiber than poultry. It is made from mycoprotein, a natural protein found in mushrooms. Don’t get me wrong skinless chicken prepared properly is a nice lean protein, but the best news about quorn is that it lowers cholesterol. Their mock chicken products eerily resemble the real thing. I was a vegetarian for 12 years and developed a soy allergy; this product is excellent for vegetarians because it is soy and meat free!
3. Swap Fruit Juice and Seltzer for Soda
Did you know that 16 ounces of soda has more than 10 teaspoons of sugar? And diet soda isn’t the answer either; researchers have discovered that diet sodas though calorie-free can make you gain weight. I satisfy soda cravings by mixing a mere three ounces of fruit juice with 12 ounces of seltzer water. One juice I particularly enjoy using in my concoction is V8’s V-Fusion Acai Mixed Berry.
4. Swap Grilled Portobello Mushrooms for Hamburgers
Red meat is okay to consume on occasion, but consuming it regularly can lead to high cholesterol, weight gain, and in the long-term, heart disease. A recent study conducted by researchers at John Hopkins University found that replacing high-density foods like red meat with low density foods like mushrooms could fight obesity. Grilled Portobello mushrooms have a delicious meaty taste. If I can get my meat-loving husband to devour a Portobello burger, they must be scrumptious!
5. Swap Baked Sweet Potato French Fries for French Fries
French fries are one sure way to increase your waist line, especially when they’re deep fried. Why not try baking sweet potatoes, a much healthier option. A recovering French fry addict who I know finds these sweet potatoes fries to be just as satisfying. They’re easy to make too—preheat the oven to 450 and simply cut a sweet potato in ¼ inch strips (keep the skin on for fiber). Toss the strips in a teaspoon of olive oil. Scatter fries on a baking sheet, sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon of sea salt over the fries and bake for 25 minutes or until crispy.
If you and your significant other need more intimacy, there's no better place than in the kitchen! Oops, sorry - that's not really where this blog post is going. This blog post is a response to my post last week, where I informed you that I'm dedicating myself to more cooking these days!
I thought it would be nice for me to share with you all the sort of dinners I usually create for my husband and I. Here's a look at last week. He actually made the dinners on Thursday and Friday, so he gets credit too! This way you can see how two BALANCED health freaks eat!
MONDAY: VEGETARIAN MEAL # 1: Indian dahl with prepackaged naan and steamed kale with sauteed garlic, 3 juicy fresh tomatoes chopped and olive oil. Dahl is so easy to make, saute a chopped onion in a generous amount of olive oil. Add 1 part lentils and two and a half parts water. Bring to a boil. Simmer and mix many times. Then season. I add cumin, Herbamare salt, ground pepper, a bit of cayenne pepper, and a sah of balsalmic vinegar (gives it a nice little bite).
TUESDAY: Thank you Eating Well. CHICKEN THIGHS WITH SCALLIONS, COLLARD GREENS, AND PEARS OVER BROWN RICE. If you've already clicked on the link to the recipe, you can see that I changed it up a bit. I like to do that. I didn't have currant jam, so I used lemon and it made quite a wonderful combination. I added the collard greens because this recipe defintely needed some more green. I used two pears instead of one and I used kuzu instead of cornstarch as it's a healthier alternative. And I simply enjoy scallions more than leeks! Might I add that this was my first time ever cooking chicken thighs, it took me about 40 minutes just to cut the fat off. I wasn't too grossed out though and the flavor of this dish was amazing. I couldn't imagine it with chicken breast instead of thighs.
WEDNESDAY: VEGETARIAN MEAL # 2 Thank you again Eating Well for the idea anyway. In their latest issue, there was a recipe for Sweet Potatoe and Red Pepper Pasta. It sounded tasty minus the pasta, so I put a healthy Moroccan spin on it and served it with millet instead (kind of like couscous), and I also added raisins, which added a VERY nice sweetness. Also, I used WAY WAY more parsely than they suggested in order to get in some more greens!!!
THURSDAY: This was an "easy night" for Brent and I. Both of us had crazy schedules, so we just threw together a "healthy" taco kit. We used ground turkey and added shredded lettuce from the farmer's market, chopped cherry tomatoes from the farmer's market, and sliced avocado. And we only used half of the spice packet - it still tastes fantastic and then we don't have all the added salt. We had a nice hearty mixed green salad on the side too. YUM!
FRIDAY: VEGETARIAN MEAL # 3" Brent's absolutely delicious homemade pizza. I can't say enough about his talent in pizza making. This time he used sauteed spinach, lots of garlic, basil, sauce (obviously), ricotta cheese, pecans and peaches!!! It was so tasty!
So, as you can see, we aren't PERFECT eaters, but we try very hard to get in healthy nutrients daily. Lately, we've been trying to do vegetarian meals every other night and it's working out quite well.
Try out this ***-kickin Kohlrabi Slaw.
