Showing posts with label great. Show all posts
Showing posts with label great. Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2015
Vegan Fusilli With Artichoke Hearts And Great Northern Beans In Less Than 30 Minutes
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| Skip the take-out and prepare this healthy meal in minutes! Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK ! |
When you Dont Have Time to Cook
Youre busy and youre tired. Everyone is hungry and the refrigerator is pretty empty. Its late in the week and youve already gone through the fresh produce and havent had time to shop for more. "Lets just go out to eat!" Sounds easy. So you all get in the car and try to think about where to go.
You name 10 local restaurants and try to pick one that has some tasty yet healthy dishes that doesnt cost a fortune. You finally agree on one and stress out looking at the menu. You select something and proceed to give the waiter the third degree. "Are you sure thats made with vegetable stock?". "Please leave out the cheese". "Are the vegetables organic?" "Can you make that with whole wheat pasta?" "Do you have a vegan salad dressing?" "Can you bring me Earth Balance with the bread? Actually, Ill skip the bread."
Luckily the owner of the restaurant doesnt throw you out but after you get the meal and the bill, you sort of wish he had. You think, "geez, for that much money, I could have made a lot better meal AND bought a great bottle of wine". You go home in disgust.
What to Keep in the Pantry
There are a few key ingredients that I always have in the pantry for times like this.
* Whole grain pasta (especially fusilli and penne)
* Cans of beans like Great Northern, Cannellini and garbanzo
* Jars of prepared tomato sauce
* Dried Italian seasoning
* Extra virgin olive oil
So when you are having a busy week and the only thing left in your refrigerator is one small onion, heres a recipe that you can whip up in less than the time it would take you to get your family into the car. And besides being quick, each delicious serving provides over half your daily requirement of dietary fiber and lots of high quality protein while having less than 1 gram of saturated fat and zero milligrams of cholesterol!
Vegan Fusilli with Artichokes and Great Northern Beans
[serves 4]
2 teaspoons sea salt for cooking water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
8 ounces dry whole wheat fusilli
One 14 ounce can artichoke hearts in water, drained and quartered
2 cups of your favorite prepared tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
One 15 ounce can great northern beans with liquid
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Fill a 5 quart pot with water and bring to a boil. After it comes to a boil, add salt and cook pasta according to directions. Do not over cook.
While water is coming to a boil and you are preparing to cook the pasta, make the sauce.
Heat oil in a saucepan and sauté onion for 5 minutes or until soft.
Add quartered artichokes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and great norther beans along with their liquid to the cooked onions. Stir and bring to a boil. Then lower to simmer and continue to cook until the pasta is ready. If the sauce is too thick, stir in a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water.
When pasta is done, drain and rinse in hot water. Return to pot.
Gently stir in the tomato sauce until well combined.
Top with freshly ground black pepper, if desired, and serve immediately.
Per serving: 311.8 calories, 5.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 17.6 g protein, 75.1 g carbohydrates and 14 g dietary fiber.
Vaughns Red Pepper Sauce With Vegan Sausages Serve On A Bun For A Great 4th Of July Entrée Also Great On Pasta!
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| This slow cooked red bell pepper sauce is great with sausages or served on top of a plate of rigatoni pasta. Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK ! |
More Recipes from the Visit
Ive been featuring my familys recipes from their recent visit. The other day I shared my daughter-in-law Karinas Garlic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing. Today Im going to share my son Vaughns red bell pepper sauce.
During our recent annual family gathering, we had a mix of vegetarians, pescatarians and meat eaters so the menu is often eclectic. The appetizers and salads were all vegan as was the German Chocolate cake for dessert. For the main course, I made a 20 pound lasagna with lots of grilled veggies (like eggplant, zucchini, portobello mushrooms, etc.) and my son made two pots of red bell pepper sauce: one for the vegan Field Roast Apple Sage sausages and one for the Willie Bird turkey sausages. Unlike me who likes all meals to be completed in 1 hour or less, Vaughn loves to make rich, slow cooked sauces, Julia Child style, which can take hours. But the results are worth the time and effort! This one certainly was.
Dont be fooled by the short list of ingredients and absence of any herbs. The slow cooking, wine and just salt and pepper give this dish a rich and complex flavor.
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| I didnt get a picture of Vaughn making the featured recipe but he is no stranger to the kitchen. Here he is making his famous enchiladas! |
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| Field Roast makes my favorite vegan "grain" sausage. |
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| For your 4th of July party, serve smoked apple sage Field Roast sausages on a whole wheat bun topped with this red bell pepper sauce! |
Red Bell Pepper Sauce with Vegan Apple Sage Sausages
[serves 6]
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon Earth Balance vegan buttery spread
2 large onions (or 3 medium), thinly sliced
4 large red bell peppers (or 6 medium), thinly sliced
One 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1/3 cup red wine
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
6 Field Roast apple sage vegan sausages
Add olive oil and Earth Balance to a large saucepan or Dutch oven and heat on a low temperature until buttery spread is melted. (Dont be tempted to use just oil or margarine alone - the combination gives the sauce a wonderful French, buttery consistency).
Add onions and sauté for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add red bell peppers and sauté another 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in salt and pepper.
Add diced tomatoes and wine. Bring to a low boil, stir and lower heat to a low simmer.
Cover and cook for 1 1/2 to 4 hours, stirring every half hour and adding water if it gets too dry. (I cooked it for 2 hours and it was wonderful).
Add vegan sausages in the last 15 minutes. (DO NOT do this for turkey sausages which would need to first be seared and then cooked in the sauce for the last hour).
If, at the end of cooking, the sauce is too watery, remove the cover and cook until it reaches the right consistency.
Serve the sauce and sausages on a bun or over pasta.
Per serving (one sausage and 1/6 pepper sauce): 353.8 calories, 23.2 g fat, 2.0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 28.5 g protein, 25.8 g carbohydrates and 6.5 g dietary fiber.
Per serving (sauce only): 113.8 calories, 4.2 g fat, 1.0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.5 g protein, 14.8 g carbohydrates and 3.5 g dietary fiber.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Raw Vegan Dolmas Great As An Appetizer Or For Lunch
Select nice, large leaves of organic chard.
Gently clean chard leaves, remove stem, and marinate.
Place mixture on a strip of chard and roll up dolmas.
What Are Dolmas?
Traditionally, dolmas are stuffed grape leaves. Known as a Greek delicacy, they are also made all over the Middle East and other parts of the Mediterranean. Dolmas are typically made by stuffing cooked grape leaves with various combinations of rice, lamb, currants, pine nuts, lemon zest, onions, herbs and spices. The traditional version is very time consuming to make. This "raw vegan" recipe is quite simple to assemble but does require a few days to sprout the garbanzo beans. They make a wonderful appetizer or snack (Ive been snacking on these for the past few days!). Dolmas would also be a good thing to eat for lunch. You can add this to your menus when you do your Raw Food Cleanse.
Nutritional Benefits
I made quite a few changes to the typical ingredients for dolmas. I substituted sprouted garbanzos for the cooked rice and used raw chard instead of the grape leaves.
Garbanzo beans are one of my favorite "long life" foods. They are high in protein and low in saturated fat. Their high fiber content helps lower cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels. They are a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, and are an excellent source of molybdenum and manganese. They are also a good source of copper, phosphorus and iron. Try making Raw Hummus with Sprouted Garbanzo Beans or Garbanzo Bean and Raw Kale Salad with Lemon-Turmeric Dressing.
Swiss chard is also an exceptionally healthful food. One cup of raw chard has only 7 calories yet it provides more than 3 times the daily requirement of vitamin K. Its also an excellent source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and iron.
Experiment
Try different ingredients in your dolmas. Add currants or substitute some or all of the parsley with mint. Instead of garlic, try thinly slices green onions. Add some of your favorite spices.
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Raw Vegan Dolmas
[makes 14 pieces]
For The Marinade
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
For the Dolmas
1/3 cup dried organic garbanzo beans for sprouting (or 1 cup of sprouted garbanzo beans)
4 large chard leaves
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 packed tablespoon fresh lemon zest
1/2 cup raw pine nuts (unsoaked)
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
To sprout garbanzo beans, soak 1/3 cup of dried, organic garbanzo beans overnight in a sprouting jar. Rinse gently the next morning, put on the sprouting lid and turn the jar over to drain the water. Let the jar sit upside down and tilted (so oxygen can get to the sprouts) and not in direct sunlight. Rinse them 3 times a day in cool water for 3 days until sprouted.
Once the garbanzo beans are sprouted, you can prepare the dolmas.
Gently wash the chard leaves, being careful not to tear the leaves. Remove the stems and place the leaves in a large bowl with the marinade of lemon juice, olive oil and salt, making sure each leaf is covered in the mixture. Set aside.
Drop the garlic through the shoot of a running food processor with an S blade and process until it is minced. Add the sprouted garbanzo beans, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and lemon zest and process until fairly smooth. Add the pine nuts and continue to process until they are well chopped. Add the parsley and pulse a few times until combined.
Cut the marinated chard into 2" by 4" strips. Place a spoonful of the garbanzo mixture onto the inside of the chard strip and roll up. This should make about 14 rolls.
Per dolmas (not counting the marinade): 62 calories, 4.6 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.8 g protein, 4.4 g carbohydrates and 1.3 g of fiber.
7 Foods That Are Great For Natural Weight Loss
I healed my body naturally from chronic disease, and in the process lost over 60 pounds, without drugs, deprivation or surgery. Along the way, I discovered that some foods are healing and have the ability to promote health within our bodies, while others can actually cause harm and create weight gain.
Here are some of my personal favorite healing foods that can promote health and support natural weight loss.
1. Broth
When my body broke down, I was bedridden for weeks. As part of my journey back to health, I felt very fortunate to discover the healing power of broth.
Broth can be made easily by cooking chopped organic vegetables in water, until they are super soft. (Bonus points if your vegetables are also local!) Leave six hours or overnight. Then drain the liquid, heat it up, and voila! Your soup broth is ready to drink. Add sea salt and pepper for taste if you want.
You can eat the cooked vegetables seasoned with fresh herbs. (You can also add fish, meat or grains to your broth depending on your preferences.) This can be very healing for your body, since its easy to digest, and also hydrating.
2. Extra virgin coconut oil
Many health experts agree that coconut oil is as close to a superfood that you can get. High in lauric acid (found naturally in breast milk), extra virgin coconut oil is anti-aging, moisturizing, and healing. Its the only oil that you should ever cook with since it stays stable when heated to high temperatures.
3. Apple cider vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is produced through the fermentation of fresh apple cider. Its a rich source of minerals (particularly potassium), vitamins, enzymes and amino acids. Apple cider vinegar is a potent and versatile healing substance and can be applied topically or diluted and taken internally.
Always choose good quality apple cider vinegar made from organically grown apples and aged in wooden barrels. It should be pungent and when held up to the light, you should be able to see a cobweb like formation, called the “mother” suspended in the liquid. Its evidence of the vinegar’s naturalness.
4. Cinnamon
It may be hard to believe that something that tastes so delicious is also so good for your body. Eating cinnamon has the ability to regulate your blood sugars, which is an important part of the weight loss process. Generously sprinkle cinnamon on your cereal or add it to your smoothies for a flavor injection.
5. Lemons
Lemons are naturally detoxifying and have an alkalizing effect on your body. This makes them an ideal weight loss food. Each day upon waking, drink a glass of water with a squeeze of fresh lemon. For a delicious, yet healthy taste, squeeze fresh lemon juice onto your food just before serving.
6. Fresh juices
Drinking a selection of fresh fruit and vegetable juices in your day, your body will certainly feel the benefit. Fresh juices are a powerful way to increase your intake of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins and enzymes. You can juice most fruits and vegetables. I try to choose the greenest, water-rich and most alkalizing ones for my own juices, using some (or all!) of the following: spinach or cucumber, celery, pears, apples, ginger and lemon.
7. Fresh greens and vegetables
I encourage you to try a wide variety of fresh greens and vegetables to find all the ones you like. Always eat your greens according to the seasons. Some of my favorites are baby spinach, parsley, basil green leaves, broccoli, celery, cucumber, and chard.
Healing foods are found everywhere in nature.
Always listen to your body and let it guide you. Your body knows best how to heal itself naturally. Eating healing foods will help.
I hope that this article inspires you to start eating more fresh, local foods so that you can experience the incredible joy that comes from feeling healthy and losing weight naturally, without diets, deprivation or restrictions. If youd like to learn more about healing your body, mind and emotions, please click here to download a free chapter of my book, Losing Weight is a Healing Journey.
By Katrina Love Senn
Source; http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-13168/7-foods-that-are-great-for-natural-weight-loss.html
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