Recent Updates

I have had a very busy and exciting month and wanted to share some of the details...

This past Friday, October 28th, I was featured as the expert on The Dr. Oz Show.  J. Morris Hicks wrote a fabulous blog delineating the details of the show on his site. To read it, click here: Healthy Eating Healthy World. After Dr. Oz showed the massive beneficial results of putting 3 women on a whole food, plant-based diet for about 6 days, he had me explain how this is plausible in the real world. I explained how to appropriately and easily find protein, calcium, healthy fats, and carbs in the plant kingdom, all while improving your health. In the second segment, I demonstrate how to make 3 recipes from my book: It's Easy Being Green Smoothie, Mexican Noritos, and Beans and Greens Chili. Overall it was an incredible experience...going to New York City, taping at 30 Rock, and meeting Dr. Oz and his incredible team. If you liked the show, please write in to tell them here because I would love to go back.

Here are the links to watch the show online:
Part 1 sets up the story.
Part 2 explains the results for the women.
This is me describing the details of the diet.
Here are the cooking demos.

One of the most rewarding parts of having this experience is that it helped my book and DVD rankings go all the way into the top 100 books and documentaries! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Plant-Based Nutrition ended up as #48 in all books, #2 in Nutrition, #2 in Nursing, #3 in Diets, and #4 in Medicine on Amazon. (Ok, yes, I have become obsessed with these numbers!)

I also had my debut on an amazing website called One Green Planet. Click here for my article which is entitled Reducing Reductionism: A Big Picture View of Nutrition.

I thank you all for your support in my journey to help tell the masses about the benefits of a whole food, plant-based diet!

4th of July Chili

If you like fireworks, this chili will fire up your taste buds and give you a great kick to celebrate America's birthday! Enjoy the spice, color, texture, and festivities with this nutrient-dense delicious dish. 

Yield: 5 cups

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups red bell pepper, diced

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, and finely diced

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups vegetable broth (or water)

1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15-oz.) can garbanzo beans

1 (15-oz.) can black beans

1 cup corn kernals

1 (14-oz.) can crushed tomatoes

2 TB. maple syrup

1 TB. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Zest and juice of 1 lime

[1/3] cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

1.     In a medium pot, combine onion, bell pepper, carrots, jalapeno pepper, garlic, and 1/2 cup vegetable broth, and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, for 10 minutes.

2.     Add remaining broth, kidney, garbanzo, and black beans,  corn, crushed tomatoes, maple syrup, chili powder, oregano, basil, cumin, pepper, cayenne, and lime juice/zest. Stir continuously to combine. Increase heat to high, and bring to a boil.

3.     Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro. Serve hot with cornbread or brown rice.

Bean, Baby Bean Chili! Jon and Julieanna in the Kitchen

This is one of the simplest, heartiest meals that can be whipped up very easily, with minimal work. Plus, it is loaded with antioxidants (tons of various carotenoids which are great for heart and eye health and cancer protection), fiber, vitamins and minerals. Another benefit is that it lasts for days in the refrigerator which means tasty and quick leftovers. Jon Ham was able to learn about the beautiful rainbows of color found in nature and he was (fortunately) pleasantly surprised!

The chili can be eaten alone or with a chunk of cornbread, whole grain rolls, or on brown rice.

Recipe:
~1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 large onion, chopped
2 (red) bell peppers, chopped
1 bunch of (rainbow-colored) carrots, sliced

Let this simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft.
Then add:
1 can pinto beans
2 cans kidney beans
2 cans black beans
1 can garbanzo beans
~1.5 cups frozen (or canned) corn
~1 Tbsp Chili Powder
~1 Tbsp smoked chipotle powder (optional)
1.5 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 small can green chillies
1 28 oz. can chopped tomatoes
~2 more cups vegetable broth

Let simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Enjoy!