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.

Japanoodles!!!

One of my favorite cuisines is Japanese. I spent a couple weeks in Japan touring with a play I was in as a teenager and could not stop eating throughout the trip! The flavors of miso, rice vinegar, tamari, sesame, garlic and ginger are tantalizing to the tastebuds and the dishes are typically low-fat and plant-rich. I try and emulate the flavors in my kitchen as often as possible. I made Japanoodles!!! in a way to be able to incorporate more greens into your meals since it is the most important food group. Click here to learn why greens can save your life.

Japanoodles!!! is a very simple and is one of the simplest meals to make, requiring only a few ingredients and a couple of steps.

1 package rice noodles

2 Tbsp miso paste (any type)

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 1/2 tsp Gomashio (optional)

4 cups mixed greens (any or all of the following: collards, chard, spinach, kale, dandelion greens)

Directions:

Boil 4 cups water

Once boiling, add whole package of rice noodles

In a medium to large bowl, smash together the miso paste, garlic and gomashio

When the noodles are almost ready (usually 3-5 minutes into cooking), add greens into the boiling water/noodle mixture

After 2-3 more minutes, drain noodle/greens mixture

Add to sauce

Serves 2-4. Enjoy! Domo arigato!

For more information on eating healthy, see my website here.

Fiesta Fantastica!

Many people who are trying to incorporate vegetarian meals into their diet or trying to wean off of the meat products they are used to miss some of the dishes they were accustomed to eating. Fortunately, there is a plethora of meat-like options available now and are omnipresent in all types of grocery stores and restaurants. They are known as meat analogues and are made with wheat protein (seitan), soy and other items used to create the textures and flavors of meat. The benefit of eating these products is that you can have the "meat"without the saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein which we know is a leading cause in the development of our modern Western diseases that are increasing morbidity and mortality and epidemic rates (i.e. heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, etc).

This recipe is a staple at my house. It is very easy to whip up for a last minute filling meal that my family will actually eat without any prodding.

Recipe:

Lightly toast whole grain tortillas in the toaster or on the stove one at a time

In the meanwhile, saute about 3/4 cup (1 medium) onion, chopped in 1/2 cup vegetable broth. Once the onions become soft, add in 1 package of veggie ground round (i.e. Yves or Lightlife). Let heat up in the pan for a couple minutes, until the ground round is heated.

Place the tortilla on a plate.

Add about 2/3 cup veggie ground round/onion mixture on top

Add 1-2 cups chopped spinach (or other salads greens)

Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp shredded vegan cheese (optional)

Add 1/2 cup salsa (I like to use black bean and corn salsa for an extra nutrient boost)

Enjoy! It makes 2-4 servings.

Jon's Rainbow Salad

This Rainbow Salad comes from Jon Ham, who makes this divine concoction on a regular basis. In fact, this is a simple, yet delectable dish that I will now be regularly creating in my kitchen. Not only does this tout ease and tantalizing tastes, but it is chock-full of nutrients. Jon's Rainbow Salad includes high quantities of lutein, lycopene, vitamins C, A, B6, K, B2, B3, E, and folate; potassium, iron, manganese, molybdenum, chromium; fiber; protein; tryptophan; and thousands of phytochemicals that work synergistically to protect us from disease. All of that with minimal calories, fat and zero antibiotics, and hormones. Talk about nutrient density! This is maximal nutrition for a minimal buck!

We literally threw in the following ingredients:

1 red pepper, chopped

1 orange pepper, chopped

1 yellow pepper, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

3 Persian Cucumbers, chopped

1 cup grape tomatoes

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed

2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped

balsamic vinegar (amount to taste)

Toss together and enjoy.

Truly an easy meal and I loved the textures (crunchy and chewy) and flavors (acidic, sweet, basil-y). Good recipe, Jon!

To learn more about the hows and whys of plant-based nutrition, please see my website.

Veggie Peanut Pasta Masala

Here is a very quick and easy meal that can be made in literally 15 minutes, including cooking time with absolutely no chopping, washing or mess. Jon Ham and I boiled brown rice pasta (but any type of whole grain pasta will be great). When it was about 4-5 minutes before being cooked, we added a bag of frozen organic mixed Thai vegetables to the pasta. Then, we let the water re-heat to boiling and let it sit for a couple minutes to make sure everything was cooked through. After straining the water out of the veggies/pasta mix, we placed it in a wok and added Basu's Homestyle Peanut Masala Sauce. It simmered for less than 4 minutes. Presto! A delicious, healthy Indian-flavored meal that was made in barely enough time to get your pajamas on and pour a glass of wine after a long day at work! Cheers!