I've done alot of reading over the years and have come to the conclusion that a plant foods diet is the best for our health and for the earth. The following are some of my favorite resources that I like to refer people to. Most of the books and DVDs should be available at your local library or I've provided links to the author's pages for all of them. When I remember more or find good new ones, I'll add them to this post. Hope this is helpful!
DVD's:
I just found this and watched the trailer but haven't seen it yet, but it looks great: Planeat
Genetic Roulette
Forks Over Knives
Food Inc
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead
Food Matters and Hungry for Change
Dirt! The Movie
Farmageddon
Supersize Me
Websites on Health:
Get a kick start on your health: http://www.21daykickstart.org/
Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine
Harvard School of Public Health
Red Meat and Cancer
Books/Authors:
I became vegetarian after reading the following books by John Robbins-yes Robbins as in Baskin/Robbins Ice Cream:) -The Food Revolution and Diet for a New America
The China Study
Eat Drink and Be Healthy
Eating Animals
The Kind Diet
Quantum Wellness and Veganist
Doctors who write about using plant foods to prevent and reverse disease:
Dean Ornish
Neal Barnard
Andrew Weil
T. Colin Campbell
Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr.
Joel Fuhrman
Did you know Bill Clinton went vegan because of his heart disease? He looks to Dean Ornish and Caldwell B Esselstyn for advice.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Corn, Zucchini, and Tomato Salad
Just starting to see organic sweet corn available at the farmers market and also have just started harvesting some black cherry tomatoes from the garden. This salad is a really simple, and really delicious side dish. I made it to go along with lentil sloppy joes, yum!
On Cooking and Ingredients
Corn, Zucchini, and Tomato Salad
Makes about 4 cups
1 1/2 cups of sweet corn-it took 4 medium sized cobs to get this much corn
1 medium zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes sliced into quarters
small handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 T finely diced shallot
1 T white wine vinegar
1 t stone ground mustard
1 t agave or other sweetener
1 1/2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in 4 peeled cobs of corn. Remove them from the water after no more than 90 seconds, give them a quick rinse under cold water, cut the corn from the cob and place into a medium sized bowl. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and shallot.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, agave, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and give it a stir. Taste it and add more salt and pepper if you would like.
On Cooking and Ingredients
Corn, Zucchini, and Tomato Salad
Makes about 4 cups
1 1/2 cups of sweet corn-it took 4 medium sized cobs to get this much corn
1 medium zucchini, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes sliced into quarters
small handful of fresh basil, chopped
1 T finely diced shallot
1 T white wine vinegar
1 t stone ground mustard
1 t agave or other sweetener
1 1/2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in 4 peeled cobs of corn. Remove them from the water after no more than 90 seconds, give them a quick rinse under cold water, cut the corn from the cob and place into a medium sized bowl. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, basil, and shallot.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, agave, olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetables and give it a stir. Taste it and add more salt and pepper if you would like.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Grilled Tofu and Peanut Salad Wrap
This is a great clean out your fridge recipe-I had little bits of different green things in my fridge harvested from the garden to use and this was the result. Pretty tasty:)
If you want to make the wraps bigger, you can add some brown rice pad thai noodles. But it tastes great with just the greens, veggies, and tofu. You can also use whatever veggies you have in your fridge that need to get used-carrots, jalapenos, pea pods, peas, green beans, pretty much any raw veggie you like.
On Cooking And Ingredients
On Cooking And Ingredients
Grilled Tofu and Peanut Salad Wrap
Makes 4 small/medium sized wraps or 2 really huge wraps
Salad
3 cups of greens torn into bite sized pieces (I used a little cabbage, a couple of collard leaves, and a couple kale leaves)
1 cup sliced veggies-any color sweet pepper, carrots, broccoli, carrots, pea pods, etc.
2 T sliced scallions, including green parts
2 T fresh herbs-cilantro, basil, or mint ( I had mint and basil on hand)
3-4 T prepared peanut sauce
a handful of sprouts
a handful of sprouts
Tofu
1 15 oz block extra firm organic tofu
3 T peanut sauce
1 T high heat tolerating organic oil
My tofu method
Fold a kitchen towel several times until there is enough towel to cover the bottom and top of a tofu block. Place the towel on a plate, place the tofu on one half of the towel, fold the other half of the towel over the tofu, place a small cutting board on top, and weight it down with a heavy pan or pan filled with water.
Drain the tofu for 4-6 hours or even overnight in the refrigerator.
Slice the tofu into thirds length wise and width wise so you have 9 slices of tofu. Mix the 3 T of peanut sauce and 1 T oil and brush both sides of the tofu slices.
Grill on medium to medium low for about 5 minutes on each side until tofu is slightly browned. Check it during cooking to make sure it doesn't burn-the heat and time really depend on your grill.
Mix together the salad ingredients-the greens, veggies, scallions, herbs, and about 4 T of peanut sauce. Divide the tofu and salad between each of the wraps you are using, top with sprouts, and serve.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Zucchini, Sun Dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive TapenadeTart
It's been too hot out lately to use the oven, so dinner tonight was on the grill. This tart is so easy to make if you use a ready made crust. I have flopped one too many crusts in my life to attempt to bake one from scratch, so I used a ready made, organic, vegan cornmeal crust. If you can't find one at your local natural foods store, use your favorite pizza crust. When it's not so hot out, this tart can be made in the oven, just follow the instructions for baking the crust. On Cooking And Ingredients
Zucchini, Sun Dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Tapenade Tart
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil, just dried) soaked in water for 1-2 hours
1/2 cup kalamata olives cured in olive oil, drained
1 T chopped fresh basil
1 small clove garlic
1 8.5-9 inch vegan organic cornmeal crust
1 small zucchini sliced thin
Heat the grill to medium/medium low. While the grill is heating, make the tapenade.
Sun Dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Tapenade: In a food processor, pulse the soaked sun dried tomatoes, drained olives, basil and garlic until mixed well, but not pureed. Makes a cup.
Assemble the tart: Spread the cup of tapenade on the crust.
Top with zucchini slices.
Place it on the top rack of the grill, or some method of indirect heat on your grill on medium to medium low heat.
Grill for 15-20 minutes, checking to make sure the crust doesn't burn. The tart is done when the crust and zucchini slices are slightly browned.
Zucchini, Sun Dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Tapenade Tart
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil, just dried) soaked in water for 1-2 hours
1/2 cup kalamata olives cured in olive oil, drained
1 T chopped fresh basil
1 small clove garlic
1 8.5-9 inch vegan organic cornmeal crust
1 small zucchini sliced thin
Heat the grill to medium/medium low. While the grill is heating, make the tapenade.
Sun Dried Tomato and Kalamata Olive Tapenade: In a food processor, pulse the soaked sun dried tomatoes, drained olives, basil and garlic until mixed well, but not pureed. Makes a cup.
Assemble the tart: Spread the cup of tapenade on the crust.
Top with zucchini slices.
Place it on the top rack of the grill, or some method of indirect heat on your grill on medium to medium low heat.
Grill for 15-20 minutes, checking to make sure the crust doesn't burn. The tart is done when the crust and zucchini slices are slightly browned.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Grilled Very Herby Potatoes
This recipe sort of reminds me of french fries-white potatoes and oil, but baby reds from the farmers market have to be utilized once in a while. I wouldn't call this recipe healthy, but these potatoes do taste pretty good and are nice to make outside on a hot day.
I looked up grilled potatoes on Food Network to find a method of grilling potatoes since I've never done it before, and this is a combination of methods, so thank you Food Network chefs!
On Cooking and Ingredients
Grilled Very Herby Potatoes
Serves 6 as a side dish
4 cups baby reds, cut into pieces that are no more than 3/4 inch thick at the thickest part
1/3 cup garlic infused olive oil
6 T fresh herbs, I used 2 T parsley, 2 T dill, 2 T chives
1-2 T canola or other high heat organic oil
salt, pepper
In a large pot, add the potatoes and just enough water to cover them. Cover the pot, turn the heat on high and bring it to a boil. After one minute of boiling, drain the potatoes and add to a large bowl. Toss with 1-2 T of canola oil, salt, and pepper.
Place the potatoes on a grill heated to medium and cover. Grill until the potatoes are browned and then flip. My little grill took about 10 minutes on each side.
While the potatoes are grilling, mix the garlic infused olive oil and herbs in a small bowl.
I looked up grilled potatoes on Food Network to find a method of grilling potatoes since I've never done it before, and this is a combination of methods, so thank you Food Network chefs!
On Cooking and Ingredients
Grilled Very Herby Potatoes
Serves 6 as a side dish
4 cups baby reds, cut into pieces that are no more than 3/4 inch thick at the thickest part
1/3 cup garlic infused olive oil
6 T fresh herbs, I used 2 T parsley, 2 T dill, 2 T chives
1-2 T canola or other high heat organic oil
salt, pepper
In a large pot, add the potatoes and just enough water to cover them. Cover the pot, turn the heat on high and bring it to a boil. After one minute of boiling, drain the potatoes and add to a large bowl. Toss with 1-2 T of canola oil, salt, and pepper.
Place the potatoes on a grill heated to medium and cover. Grill until the potatoes are browned and then flip. My little grill took about 10 minutes on each side.
While the potatoes are grilling, mix the garlic infused olive oil and herbs in a small bowl.
Remove the potatoes from the grill and drizzle them with the herbed oil and toss.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
June Vegetable Fried Brown Rice
Ok, I feel a little silly posting June vegetable fried rice in July, but I bought the ingredients from the farmers market and made it a few days ago when it was still June. I learned a tip from a co-worker about making fried rice and that is to make it using day-old rice, thanks Pang:)
On Cooking and Ingredients
June Vegetable Fried Brown Rice
Serves 4-6
5 cups cooked brown rice (cook it the day before in no salt added vegetable broth)
1 cup asparagus chopped in 1 inch pieces
1 cup pea pods, stems removed and cut in half or thirds
1 cup onions-I used a mix of green and white onion
4 oz button mushrooms thinly sliced
1 T garlic,diced
1 inch of ginger, peeled and diced
4 T low sodium tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
1 T mirin (rice cooking wine)
1/2 block tofu, drained in a colander for about an hour and then cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 small bunch of swiss chard stems removed and roughly chopped
about 1/4 c canola or other high heat organic oil
Heat a wok or large pan to high. Add a tablespoon of oil and the tofu and cook, stirring continually until the tofu is slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Since fried rice typically uses eggs, it's ok if the tofu is cooked lightly in this recipe, because it takes the place of eggs. You may need to add a little more oil if the tofu starts to stick. Remove from the wok. Add 1-2 t of oil and add the ginger and garlic-stir fry for 30 seconds to a minute. Then add the asparagus and pea pods and cook while stirring for another minute until they turn bright green. Remove them from the wok.
Add 1 T of oil to the wok and add the rice. Stir fry the rice for about 5 minutes, adding a little more oil if needed. Add the tamari and mirin to the rice and mix. Then add the vegetables and tofu, toss until combined, and serve.
On Cooking and Ingredients
June Vegetable Fried Brown Rice
Serves 4-6
5 cups cooked brown rice (cook it the day before in no salt added vegetable broth)
1 cup asparagus chopped in 1 inch pieces
1 cup pea pods, stems removed and cut in half or thirds
1 cup onions-I used a mix of green and white onion
4 oz button mushrooms thinly sliced
1 T garlic,diced
1 inch of ginger, peeled and diced
4 T low sodium tamari (wheat free soy sauce)
1 T mirin (rice cooking wine)
1/2 block tofu, drained in a colander for about an hour and then cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 small bunch of swiss chard stems removed and roughly chopped
about 1/4 c canola or other high heat organic oil
Heat a wok or large pan to high. Add a tablespoon of oil and the tofu and cook, stirring continually until the tofu is slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Since fried rice typically uses eggs, it's ok if the tofu is cooked lightly in this recipe, because it takes the place of eggs. You may need to add a little more oil if the tofu starts to stick. Remove from the wok. Add 1-2 t of oil and add the ginger and garlic-stir fry for 30 seconds to a minute. Then add the asparagus and pea pods and cook while stirring for another minute until they turn bright green. Remove them from the wok.
Add another 1 t of oil to the work and add the onions, stir fry them for a minute, then add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes, until the mushrooms start to brown. Remove the onions and mushrooms from the wok.
Add 1 T of oil to the wok and add the rice. Stir fry the rice for about 5 minutes, adding a little more oil if needed. Add the tamari and mirin to the rice and mix. Then add the vegetables and tofu, toss until combined, and serve.
Monday, July 2, 2012
On Cooking and Ingredients
Cooking for some people is a scary thing, but for others, it just seems to come natural. Here are some tips for cooking that may help if you are one of the people with cooking anxiety:
1) Cook when you are slightly hungry-your palate works better when you are hungry, your sense of taste and smell are heigthened, so you can taste things as you go along and adjust spices if necessary.
2) Recipes should be guides-If you are making a recipe that uses spring season ingredients in the fall, the flavor of the ingredients won't be at it's peak, so you may need to adjust seasonings to your liking.
3) Take a deep breath, relax, and be happy in the kitchen. Play your favorite music if that helps.
4) Plan ahead-washing produce and cooking from scratch takes longer than using convenience foods. If you know you are going to be busy all week, take half the day on Sunday and spend it making 2-3 recipes to give you a head start for the week. That may help to eliminate some stress later in the week that causes you to hit the fast food drive through.
On Ingredients
1) Buy organic when possible. Organic produce tastes better, bottom line. Also, organic produce is better for future generations-less toxic chemicals are put into the soil, and organic products are grown with future soil health in mind. And, who wants to eat chemicals that are made to kill bugs and weeds anyways? If you can't buy everything organic, here is a list of produce items with the most and least amount of pesticides used: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/. The EWG is a great resource for issues regarding the enviroment and our health, check it out:)
2) Cook seasonally. When produce is in season, it tastes better, and is cheaper. The recipes on this blog are labled by season-Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.
1) Cook when you are slightly hungry-your palate works better when you are hungry, your sense of taste and smell are heigthened, so you can taste things as you go along and adjust spices if necessary.
2) Recipes should be guides-If you are making a recipe that uses spring season ingredients in the fall, the flavor of the ingredients won't be at it's peak, so you may need to adjust seasonings to your liking.
3) Take a deep breath, relax, and be happy in the kitchen. Play your favorite music if that helps.
4) Plan ahead-washing produce and cooking from scratch takes longer than using convenience foods. If you know you are going to be busy all week, take half the day on Sunday and spend it making 2-3 recipes to give you a head start for the week. That may help to eliminate some stress later in the week that causes you to hit the fast food drive through.
On Ingredients
1) Buy organic when possible. Organic produce tastes better, bottom line. Also, organic produce is better for future generations-less toxic chemicals are put into the soil, and organic products are grown with future soil health in mind. And, who wants to eat chemicals that are made to kill bugs and weeds anyways? If you can't buy everything organic, here is a list of produce items with the most and least amount of pesticides used: http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/summary/. The EWG is a great resource for issues regarding the enviroment and our health, check it out:)
2) Cook seasonally. When produce is in season, it tastes better, and is cheaper. The recipes on this blog are labled by season-Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.
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