RECAST THE ENTREE

One of my favorite quotes to use is:  "If you knew how meat was made, you'd probably lose your lunch!"  

That quote is so true...I am constantly researching nutrition...this is my passion.  Because I have a very hard time learning about how animals are treated from the time of their birth right through until it's time for the slaughter house, I won't go into detail with you.  It literally turns my stomach.  So, I tend to leave this part of why we shouldn't be eating meat out of the equation, because on the other side of that same coin, meat is so detrimental to our health.  Health is my main goal in this way of eating....I know some people begin to eat a Whole Food Plant Based diet because of the horrific treatment of "farm raised" animals, but my primary reason for doing this is for our health.  However, knowing how the animals are raised and treated motivates people even more into eating a WFPD diet.  By the way, when I refer to meat, that means anything with a face and a mother...cows, chickens, turkeys, pigs, fish ( I know fish is not "meat"), etc.  Some people think that when I refer to meat I mean beef only.

If you are anything like I was, the typical American, the center of our plate was meat.  My mother would plan the rest of our meal around whatever kind of meat we were having that day.  We would have some kind of vegetable and either potatoes, rice, or pasta.  This was of eating, along with drinking milk with every meal, was typical. Because this way of eating is ingrained in most people, not eating meat sounds too DRASTIC for most people.  However, once they start dabbling in new and different recipes that taste really good, their health improves and the numbers on the scale go down, it motivates them to continue on.  This is not as hard as you may think!

So, what foods in the plant kingdom are a good source of protein?  My first choice are beans...they are full of protein and low in calories, no fat, no cholesterol, and the bonus is, beans have a lot of fiber...fiber is extremely good for our health...meat products have 0 fiber.  Dr. Joel Fuhrman tells us in his book, Eat to Live, (excellent book), if we eat approoximately 1 to 1 1/2 cups of beans a day, we have met our protein requirements.  I put beans on everything...they are in my soups, my salads, my stir-frys, my sauteed greens...I put them in everything and anything.  And, there are so many different kinds of beans available to us:  chickpeas, navy beans, kidney beans, black beans, cannelli beans, great northern beans, pinto beans, and, don't forget lentils, another superstar.  Again, you can buy them in a can, just drain and rinse them before using.  However, I buy the dry beans in a bag, soak overnight, cook for about 1 hour, and you have a huge potful for about $2.  I freeze them in ziplock bags and they are ready to go whenever I need them.  Very easy, very cheap, and extremely healthy.  

So, let me give you a  really easy, really healthy recipe today using beans and another superstar, kale:

INDIAN SPICED CHICKPEAS & KALE

2 cups of kale, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c tomato sauce

1 T water or veg broth

1/2 t ground cumin

1/4 t ground coriander

1/8 t ground ginger

pinch of salt

1 cup cooked chickpeas, (the canned version is ready to go)

1/4 t garam masala, (Indian spice now found in grocery stores everywhere)

few dashes of garlic powder, (optional)

1. Steam kale until it's bright green and slightly softer, about 3-5 minutes.  Set kale aside on a plate.
2. Combine garlic through salt in a skillet and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.
3. Add chickpeas and stir to coat, adding another tablespoon of water if necessary.
4. Cook until warm.
5. Remove from heat and stir in garam masala and set aside for a few minutes.
6. Plate kale and sprinkle generously with garlic powder, (optional).  Top with chickpeas and serve. 

At the risk of repeating myself, there are so many Whole Food Plant Based recipes available to us.  One of my favorite sites is straightupfood.com.  Another good one is Allrecipes, which includes all foods, but once you are on that site, just type in Vegan recipes.  However, for those of you wanting to lose weight or are watching cholesterol levels, be careful of the oil that may be in some recipes....I NEVER use oil..I sautee everything in water or veg broth...believe me, you WILL NOT MISS the oil and all those extra calories and saturated fat.  

So, if you have time this weekend to try a new recipe, pick one and let me know what you think!  Also, time permitting, soak some beans overnight and cook them in the morning.  The same goes with any whole-grains...make a big batch, freeze in ziplock bags and your dinner will be on the table in no time after work next week.

Emaill me and let me know how you are doing or if you have ay questions...I love hearing from you!!