A Very Vegan Diet

Posted by Emily on Jan 31, 2012 in Healthy Foods | 0 comments

As the whole world begins to ‘go green’, becoming vegan is an ever more popular diet choice for people to make. Some reasons that vegans cite for becoming so are: it saves money, “thou shalt not kill” applies to animals, it is more environmentally friendly, and it reduces the National debt. While some of these may seem a little ridiculous (such as the reason of National debt), they are turning many people away from meat.

Before we go any further, let us define the term vegan. For a person to be vegan means that they do not partake in any animal product. This means they do not eat fish, milk, dairy, eggs, and honey on top of not eating meat. I am sure that you know someone that is vegan or at least thinking about becoming so. However, if you do not then here are some famous people that are either vegan or vegetarian. Some famous Americans that have become vegan are: Alec Baldwin, Ellen DeGeneres, Lea Michele, Jason Mraz, Brad Pitt, Olivia Wilde, and Mike Tyson just to name a few. They do not all choose to be vegan because they believe that eating animals is cruel and in violation of the Ten Commandments. That view is only held by a few, and it is a very relative idea.

Many of these stars and many people who do decide to become vegan do so because of the health benefits. The effects a vegan diet has on a person’s health are incredible and are often overlooked or pushed to the side. When you eat vegan, you eat less saturated fats and just fats in general. People generally receive the fat that they ingest through dairy products and meat. This means that your cardiovascular health will be much better as well as your overall well-being. You also receive larger amount of the vitamins that your body needs to function at optimum levels. There is more vitamin C and vitamin E as well as other antioxidants in your diet when you eat vegan. These antioxidants help your immune system become stronger as well as allowing your body to heal faster when it is sick or hurt.

As you become more healthy, you are able to prevent a variety of diseases. These diseases range from heart illness to diabetes and cataracts to cancer. You body is much better equipped to handle these illnesses and diseases when you are eating vegan. If you are worried about not eating things that you like, or things that taste good, then you are wrong. Here are some examples of sample vegan recipes: spinach linguine with pesto, Chipotle chili with sweet potatoes, mushroom stroganoff, and raspberry truffle brownies. These are all things that you can fix and make yourself that keep you healthy and following a vegan diet.

If the vegan diet is not for you, that is fine. It takes a huge amount of commitment and dedication to make sure that you do it all the way. I would recommend that you still take a look at the vegan recipes because you might be able to find some that you like that you can cook so that you can avoid meat as much as possible.

Roasted Broccoli

Posted by Esther on Jan 27, 2012 in Recipies | 0 comments

A delicious variation of your basic dinner vegetable!

You preheat the oven to 425.

Take 4 to 5 pounds of broccoli (I just got two large bunches), cut into florets (but relatively big ones.) Wash and dry them THOROUGHLY.

Now, it’s easy. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. About 5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper – or just eyeballed it. Now add 4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too.

Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.

You can shake the pan around once or twice during the roasting.

When it’s done, take it out of the oven–and here’s where it gets really good–zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, 3 Tbs toasted pine nuts, and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

This delicious combination of crispy broccoli with garlic, lemon, and cheese will make this main dish worthy!

Wheatgrass and the Internal You

Posted by Emily on Jan 25, 2012 in Healthy Foods | 0 comments

The latest health craze that has swept the nation: wheatgrass. Wheatgrass is a derivative from the common wheat plant and provides a huge number of health benefits. While it may taste a little strange and seem a little too “hippie” to you, once you understand what wheatgrass can do for you, the bandwagon might be looking more appealing.

You might have seen patches of green, grass-like substances sitting in the window of your favorite smoothie place. That was most likely wheatgrass. It is able to be grown in a tray indoors and it only takes about ten days for the plant to mature to the point that the juices are harvestable. In order to extract the juice, the wheatgrass is typically places in a press of some sort and squeezed until it has yielded all the juice that it can. Next time you are picking up a mango smoothie, ask the cashier about their wheatgrass.

Wheatgrass is a serious superfood. Thirty milliliters of juice is roughly equal to two pounds of green veggies. That type of ratio is hard

to beat! Health food stores and some restaurants offer a wheatgrass shot which is sometimes the easiest way to get the wheatgrass you need. Along with containing a huge serving of your vegetable dietary needs, it also contains two times the amount of vitamin A as carrots have and it has more vitamin C than an orange. Here is another fact for you, having a teaspoon of wheatgrass is equivalent to eating an entire spinach salad (if the salad weighed around fifty grams).

There are so many other benefits of wheatgrass, you should do some research into it. It is truly an amazing food. The health benefits are worth any of the slight discomfort you might have in the taste. Wheatgrass is used very often as a “detox” agent. The vitamins and minerals contained in the wheatgrass are key in the neutralization and elimination of free radicals in your body. This means that you stay healthier and everything works better. Chemicals and such aid the development of free radicals and wheatgrass stops that production and eliminates the ones that are in your body. It also takes away toxins that interfere with the cellular systems. It also can help your body eliminate the decaying waste and hardened mucus within your intestines and such. Your gastrointestinal tract along with your blood and organs will thank you because they will be able to function better thanks to the wheatgrass.

Along with detoxifying your body, wheatgrass helps it fight and prevent various infections and illnesses that your body may be susceptible to. It helps you prevent the common cold, the flu, and various other sicknesses. On top of all of that, it protects your body from harmful carcinogens which cause cancer. The body is able to mount a defense that can last for a long time just because you decided to have a shot of wheatgrass.

Do your body a favor, try some wheatgrass. It can be put into smoothies, supplements, and many other mediums.

Related articles

• Wheatgrass (foodservicewarehouse.com)
• Organic Wheat Grass Powder (chennaifocus.wordpress.com)
• Lemon Shortbread Wheatgrass Shot (thevegetablecentrickitchen.com)

Whole Grain Waffles

Posted by Kristie on Jan 22, 2012 in Recipies | 0 comments

Ingredients:

• 2 cups kefir (or ½ yogurt & ½ milk, or use all buttermilk)
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 1/3 cup whole grain flower mixture (spelt, barley, oat groat, kamut, quinoa, millit, brown rice, etc)
• 1/4 cup ground flax, cornmeal, or toasted wheat germ
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 large eggs lightly beaten
• 2 TBSP raw honey, agave, or maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp applesauce or oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Instructions:

Mix kefir, eggs, sweetener, applesauce (or oil), & vanilla in a medium bowl. Whisk flour, oats, flax, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix with a rubber spatula just until moistened.  You can let this sit for as long as you’d like. You can even have it sit overnight in your fridge. Add the baking powder & baking soda just before you are ready to cook & mix well. Coat a waffle iron with coconut oil, butter, or cooking spray.

Quinoa Chili

Posted by Kristie on Jan 21, 2012 in Recipies | 0 comments

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dry beans, soaked and cooked (I like kidney or black)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 zucchini, shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 2/3 cup quinoa (ideally soaked overnight in 2/3 cup water + 3/4 tbsp. lemon juice or kefir)
• 1 can tomato sauce (8oz)
• 2 cups tomatoes, diced (or canned stewed tomatoes)
• 2 cups water

Instructions:

Sauté onions in olive oil until translucent. Add green peppers, garlic, and zucchini and sauté until tender. Add garlic, salt, and spices. Add quinoa, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and water. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add beans and simmer for 15 more minutes. Serve topped with cheese.

Recipe was adjusted from Feed your Family.

Veggie Topped Pasta

Posted by Kristie on Jan 19, 2012 in Recipies | 0 comments

Ingredients:

• 4 C. cooked whole grain pasta
• 3 C. Veggies of choice (broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, yellow squash, sweet peppers, snap peas etc).
• ½ large onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic – minced
• 2 tsp dill
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil

Instructions:

Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add all vegetables, spices, & salt. Stir to combine. Cover & let cook (stirring occasionally) until vegetables are as soft as you want them (we like ours pretty crunchy). Serve over pasta with parmesan cheese.

Black Bean Salad

Posted by Kristie on Jan 18, 2012 in Recipies | 0 comments

Ingredients:

• 1 pressed garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (or cumin)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups black beans, cooked
• 1 cup corn
• ½ cup cooked quinoa (any color)
• 1 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
• ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped (optional)
• 1 avocado, sliced (optional)

Instructions:

Whisk together garlic, vinegar, oil, honey and spices to form a dressing. Combine all other ingredients, pour dressing over and toss. Serve alone, in lettuce wraps, in tacos, or as a side dish.

Recipe adapted from Taste is Trump.