Split red lentils cook in just 10 minutes and are an awesome source of iron, protein, fiber, and disease fighting properties. And to me, they almost take like cheese! Ugh so GOOD! I make a different version of this soup at least every week lately. Broccoli and onions one day. Zucchini and mushrooms another. The ginger, turmeric though. So divine. Give this a try!
The Hero Pot
A large pot
1 red onion
2 garlic cloves
1 small chunk of ginger
1 tbsp ground or fresh turmeric
1 sweet potato
1 cup red lentils
~6 cups filtered water
~1/2 cup broccoli
~1/2 cup celery
~1/2 cup mushrooms
~1/2 cup peas
Lime and avocado to garnish
Prep ingredients: chop vegetables, mince garlic + ginger
Sautee onions and garlic in pot in 1/3 cup of water (keep a jug of water nearby to add as needed)
Add turmeric, lentils, sweet potato, and 5 cups of water and bring to boil for about 10 minutes
Turn down heat to simmer and add in rest of ingredients to simmer for about 15 minutes
Pasta. What a delectable vehicle for vegetables! Add your favorite beans, steamed veggies, and tomato sauce and BOOM! An impressive gourmet dinner. While intact grains are the gold standard (grains in their whole form), whole grains, yes including their bran, germ, and endosperm, are milled into a fine flour to make whole grain pastas, breakfast cereals, and other “whole grain” products. A few examples of legit whole intact grains would be steel cut oats, brown rice, quinoa, and millet.
How to tell if the product is WHOLE GRAIN?
Whole grain stamp is on the package
“100%” or “Whole” are used to describe it
The first ingredient listed is a whole grain
Refined grains are not only grains milled into a flour, but their grain was stripped of the nutrient and fiber containing bran and germ! Murder! Refined grains are white / light in color and examples include white bread, cookies, cakes, pretzels, white rice, regular pasta, and anything made with white flour. Darn!
Don’t fret too much! The recommendation is:
Make at least 1/2 of your grains whole grains.
Grains are an important part of a healthy balanced diet for fiber, iron, magnesium, selenium, b vitamins, and lasting energy! Be sure to include them on your plate.
The Taste Test
Well before #1, my personal favorite is ZUCCHINILINI OF COURSE! Which is simply zucchini or summer squash, spirilized to look and feel like spaghetti. I like to mix it with pasta dishes to add bulk, flavor, color, and more veg of course!
#1 Nature’s Promise Whole Wheat Spaghetti: #1 in taste, texture, and nutritional profile. Contains gluten.
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#2. Bionaturae Gluten Free Corn and Soy Spaghetti: Fabulous texture and taste and with 5g protein and 6% iron, this product is ok. Low in fiber
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#3. Jovial Gluten Free Brown Rice Spaghetti: Quite sticky texture, but great flavor and elasticity. Would go great with a sauce. However, low in fiber although whole grain. Brown rice is naturally low in fiber.
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#4. Ancient Harvest Gluten Free Corn and Quinoa Spaghetti: Texture dry and kinda crunchy, but a good source of fiber at 16% daily value and 10% iron!
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#5. Andean Dream Quinoa Gluten Free Spaghetti: Texture was definitely a little sandy. But I must say with 6% calcium, 12% iron, and just barely a good source of fiber at 10% daily value, not bad.
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The Consensus:
The quinoa based gluten free products have a better nutritional profile, but are not as delicious as the lower fiber rice based ones.
Why I personally still avoid Gluten?
Do I go out of my way to avoid gluten?
No. I still enjoy it in moderation. My mom makes homemade bread and pizza with gluten which I eat occasionally. My diet is whole foods based, so I rarely purchase packaged products that might contain gluten.
Do I eat gluten every day?
No. Maybe I eat a gluten containing meal or snack 3-4 times a week. I am generally healthy and do not currently feel any reason to put more effort into seriously avoiding wheat, barley, rye, and foods containing gluten 100% of the time.
Why I make this personal choice:
My sister has ulcerative colitis, which is similar to celiacs in that they are both autoimmune inflammatory intestinal disorders. With a genetic risk factor in my family, I try to not over load the gluten as a personal preventative measure.
Studies linking gluten and autism spectrum disorders autism-and-nutrition-1. The GFCF (gluten free casein free) diet has been shown to help people with ADHD and autism, what else could it be linked to? I am ever curious and after reading such articles have trouble stomaching gluten (and of course would never recommend drinking milk).
Naturopaths recommend avoiding gluten initially when trying to avoid inflammation with an “elimination diet,” along with dairy and other common inflammatory trigger foods. With this in mind, many people have success reversing adverse symptoms like rashes, IBS, fatigue, etc (SO MANY), once they remove gluten from their diet. I grew up with canker sores, weird rashes, and eczema so, avoiding inflammation (and gluten) is in my best interest.
Close friends with celiac disease so it is easier for everybody to find a gluten free delicious option!
While as you could see from the video, a gluten free diet is not recommended for the general public because it tends to have less nutrients. Be a savvy shopper and let me know if you have any questions! Enjoy those intact whole grains and plant yums! xx
Which is healthier? Nobody says it better than Dr. Michael Gregor of http://www.nutritionfacts.org. Watch his video on the topic here. The main takeaway: America should definitely eat more beans, no matter sprouted or boiled. One protein and fiber packed disease fighting food that is literally $0.45 per pound?! Is this real life!? Buying dry beans in bulk not only stretches your dollar ridiculously (sprouting is seriously a garden on steroids), but beans are an important element in our diets. If you do buy canned, be sure that it is low sodium. I recommend purchasing the Eden’s brand.
The Nutrients
According to USDA’s supertracker 1/2 cup of pinto beans cooked from dry contains 6 grams of protein (as much protein as an egg) , 4 grams of fiber (recommendation is about 25 grams / day), and about 20% the daily recommendation for folate. What supertracker doesn’t mention is that many studies have shown that phytates in beans are incredible magic cancer fighters. The fiber and antioxidants in beans also help promote healthy gut bacteria, weight goals, decrease inflammation, the list goes on. Enjoy!
Recipes
All of these recipes with beans from Forks Over Knives , the Post Punk Kitchen and Pinterest look awesome! My personal favorite recipes with beans are Black Bean Brownies and my mom’s EPIC Chili! Although these recipes call for canned, I use boiled and it works just as well. Hummus with chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans, ohh baby there are SO many kinds of beans!!! I CHALLENGE you to try them ALL!
Step 1. SOAK
1/4 container with dried beansFill the container with water and let sit for about 6 hours or overnight
Step 2. RINSE
Dump out water and they are ready to boil!
Step 3. BOIL OR EAT RAW
Rinse 1-3 times a day for 1-3 days to sprout. Keep on countertop or in a warm and dry place. To cook, just boil for about 30 minutes, feel free to add a garlic clove, bay leaf, or other spices. Low sodium vegetable broth is good too.To stop the tails from growing, put them in the fridge. 🙂 Yum!Eat your medicine ❤
What even is “tempeh”??? It is made by cooking and fermenting soybeans and forming them into a condensed patty type thing. I prefer its texture to its similar tofu brother, however, this is my first time actually experimenting with a soy product, so we’ll see! I love how it has a meaty texture and picks of flavors really well. It has a slight bite of chewiness and is full of protein, calcium, and iron. I used the WESTSOY Five Grain tempeh (which has gluten), but I’m sure any kind would be superb. Just be sure the version you get is GF if you have a sensitivity.
Serves one. About 230 calories and 14g protein per serving.
Ingredients:
1/3 block of organic “west soy” tempeh
1 tablespoon maple syrup
juice of 1 key lime or about 1/2 regular lime
1/2 – 1 tablespoon grated ginger
juice of 1 orange or about 1/3 cup orange juice
Steps:
Using a knife and a cutting board, cut off 1/3 of the block of tempeh. Turn this on its side and slice it in half so that you have 2 skinnier third pieces. Cut these two third pieces into triangles.
Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the orange juice, lime juice, maple syrup, and ginger, and mix with a spatula to combine
Put the tempeh triangles in the pan and allow them to sizzle on one side, moving around while sizzling.
Flip the tempeh when ready, and allow it to sizzle on the other side. Be sure to keep it moving so it doesn’t burn and add a little more oj (or whatever you’d like to add to make it even better!) if needed.
When the tempeh has soaked it up, time to eat! I had a little orange glaze left over in the pan so I stir fried some rice in there, delish! Serve with kale, rice, scallion, avocado, sunflower seeds – whatever you got! 🙂 xx
Happy Sunday! This scramble is savory, satisfying, easy, and CHEAP! Use produce from your farmers market ❤ Inspired by Minimalist Baker’s tofu scramble… I invite you to take this as inspiration and run with it using whatever vegan goodies are in your kitchen to create something that makes you love yourself from the inside out feeling relaxed, cozy, and grateful :-*
Chickpea Scramble
Serves 1
Ingredients:
1 cup chickpeas (cooked from dry, no salt or fat added)
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium-small sized potato, cubed
1 leaf lacinato kale, rolled up and sliced thin
1-2 tablespoons fresh dill
1-2 tablespoons fresh green onion
Extra love ❤
Steps:
Dry chick peas triple in size when you soak them so make sure they have plenty of water and plenty of room to grow when you saturate them and soak them for about 6 hours or over night. Drain chick peas, rinse, and boil them for about 30 minutes or until desired softness
Frying pan on medium to high heat, have water handy. Add a little water (enough so the potatoes don’t stick) and the cubed potatoes and mix to prevent sticking. Add water as needed
After the potatoes have gotten a little soft, add red bell peppers. Continue mixing and adding water if needed
Add kale, scallion, and dill and mix.
Measure 1 cup of chick peas and add those to the pan.
Serve with 2 cups mixed greens, 1/4 avocado and plenty of lemon or lime (the vitamin C in the citrus and the red bell pepper helps absorb all the non-heme iron!! 😀 )
Does anyone out there love ice cream as much as I do?? I used to work at an ice cream shop, and boy was a feeling like CRAP. This is ice cream that makes me feel AMAZING and it does not compromise taste for health. It is sweet, smooth, thick and creamy and can be made the way you like with whatever animal free ingredients you have. Feel high on life all day eating ice cream for breakfast, and reap the benefits of all the cell and DNA protecting antioxidants, phytochemicals, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Serves 1: ~336 Calories
Uses food processor or high speed blender.
Easy, takes about 5 minutes.
Prep: Freeze 2 ripe bananas for 6 hours or overnight
Recipe: Shamrock Shake Soft Serve! This is way too thick and creamy to fit through a straw! Mmm.. Made homemade ice cream before? Growing up, my family had an ice cream maker and we would make it all the time. White sugar, heavy cream, takes about a half hour in the freezer bowl. This is so healthy, so quick, and it barely costs anything. Much more delicious alternative to a shamrock shake too.
This batch had bee pollen and chopped banana chips instead of chocolate chips 🙂 yuum!
Prep:
Make sure bananas are ripe and peeled before you freeze them
Chop chocolate chips
Wash, de-stem kale
Measure ingredients roughly
You will need…
Food Processor
Rubber spatula
Giant bowl
Spoon
Hungry tummies
Ingredients
5 frozen bananas
7 fresh kale leaves
7 fresh mint leaves
a dash of vanilla
¾ cup vegan chocolate chips
Steps
Peel and freeze bananas
Bananas: Make sure you wait until they are spotted brown, you absorb more nutrients and get a sweeter banana!
Potassium: essential for maintaining proper heart function and regulating normal blood pressure
Vitamin B6: important for amino acid metabolism
Vitamin C: antioxidant, boosts your immune system
Fiber: great for digestion helps regularity and fullness
Reduce Stress: they are high in the amino acid tryptophan, which converts into the feel good neurotransmitter serotonin in your brain
Hangover cure: because alcohol depletes nutrients like potassium and bananas help to replenish that
Kale and greens goes in the food processor or blender first! Then bananas on top of greens
Kale: wash, dry, and de-stem before adding to the food processor.
Fiber- regularity and satiety. GI health, fullness
Calcium- Connie Weaver’s study 9/11 subjects better available calcium from kale!
Vitamin E – fat soluble antioxidant
Vitamin K – blood health
Process until smooth, adding water or non-dairy milk as necessary or desired
Fold in chopped chocolate chips
Chocolate: Cacao powder has beneficial antioxidants and iron!
I didn’t have chocolate chips when I made this batch, so I added bee pollen and chopped banana chips for a little crunch 🙂
Crowd pleasing, hearty, healthy vegan burgers. There is no way to mess these up- the ingredients will still taste fantastic. Inspired by Whole Foods and Istanbul’s Mediterranean cuisine. Great for parties, families, and Thanksgiving!
Makes about 24 beautiful burgers
Prep Time: 25 minutes Cooking Time: 45 minutes Total Time : 1 hour and 10 minutes
You will need…
Large pot
Steamer
Mashed potato masher
Cutting board
Chef knife
Large stirring spoon
Large bowl
Measuring cups
Potato peeler
2 Cooling racks
2 Baking sheets
Oven
Garnish: buns, tomato, avocado, mustard, ketchup, onions, pickles, etc.
Ingredients
3 large sweet potatoes
4 cups cooked quinoa (2 cups dry quinoa cooked in 4 cups of water)
1 cup flour (any kind will work, even gluten free!)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 head cauliflower, chopped into pieces
1 cup BBQ sauce (or buffalo or any hot sauce)
Prep
Measure out ingredients
Set up cutting board with cauliflower and paring knife
Set up baking pan with parchment paper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F
Steps
Combine the water or non-dairy milk, flour, and garlic powder in a bowl and stir until well combined
Coat the cauliflower pieces with the slower mixture and place on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes (until cauliflower is cooked and breading looks crispy)
Let cauliflower cool about 5 minutes and then fold them in a bowl with BBQ sauce
Bake another 5-8 minutes on parchment paper.
Serve with vegan ranch dressing and celery sticks.
Homemade BBQ Sauce (FREE OF ADDED COLOR, FLAVOR, THICKENERS AND PRESERVATIVES!) any sauce you want works though, try your favorite vegan buffalo sauce for buffalo wings.
magnesium, selenium, b vitamins, and lasting energy! Be sure to include them on your plate.
VITAMIN KATIE 