Recipe Sunday Part 2

This week's post is part 2 of delicious comfort food recipes.

This one is an all-american "vegan"meatloaf.   Most everyone loves meatloaf and especially leftover meatloaf sandwiches.   This one is more healthy, loaded with fiber, protein and loads of flavor and easy to make.  It is a little time consuming, but most good things are!

Vegan Lentil Walnut Loaf

1 cup green lentils

3 cups vegetable stock or broth(Knorrs)

1 large yellow onion

1 large carrot

1 stalk celery

2 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp minced garlic

1 cup bread crumbs

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

3 tbsp ground flax or chia seed mixed with 1/2 cup water

1 tsp oregano  1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

for topping-

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350'

In a small bowl, combine the ground flax and 1/2 cup water. Set aside.

Simmer together the lentils, broth and a pinch of salt for about 25 minutes or until lentils are tender and have absorbed all the broth.

Meanwhile, prepare your veggies by chopping the onion, grate the carrot and dice the celery.  Saute the onion and celery until tender but not caramelized.  Add the garlic and carrot cooking for about another four minutes.  Toast the walnuts in a toaster oven for 6-7 minutes, WATCH THEM not to let them burn.  Add to stove-top mixture and stir well.  Add oregano, salt and pepper and take the mixture off the stove, transferring to a large bowl.  Add breadcrumbs, flax gel and cooked lentils tossing well.   Press mixture into a oiled loaf pan or form into loaf.  Set aside while you make the topping.  In a small bowl combine ketchup, maple syrup and vinegar.  Spread on top of loaf.  Bake for 40 minutes.  Enjoy with homemade mashed potatoes or organic corn and peas!

BELIEVE IN 

KINDNESS

Have a great week.

Judd

Recipe Sunday Part 1

This is part one of comfort food Recipe Sunday.

The healing powers of Congee.

I look at Congee like a vegan chicken noodle soup.  If you are feeling under the weather Congee is just what the doctor ordered.  Congee is an Eastern Medicine digestive remedy.

   In Traditional Chinese Medicine, foods that are warm, easily digestible and moistening help nourish and soothe a weakened or inflamed digestive tract.  It is a healing porridge, a soupy rice mixture and is very easy on the stomach and offers an accessible source of energy for the body.  It nourishes the stomach and spleen imbalances which include bloating, sinus drainage and congestion, headaches and irregular bowel movements.  It is ideal for recovery from stomach flus/viruses and food poisoning.   This offers your body real food that truly hydrates and nourishes.  

There are many ways to make congee, but here's a plant-based version we use, which makes 4 large servings.

Plant-based Congee

Gwyneth Paltrow's egg-less version

8 cups vegetable broth (Knorr's)

6 garlic cloves

1-(3-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and very finely grated or minced

3 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil

2/3 cup of jasmine rice

4 large pinches of salt

4 tablespoons of tamari or coconut amino acids

6 scallions thinly sliced

Furikake seasoning:

2 toasted nori sheets

2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

2 tsp coconut sugar

1/2 tsp toasted sesame oil

pinch of salt

crumble nori sheets in a small bowl and mix all together

Combine the stock, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, rice and salt in a medium pan.  Bring mixture to a boil, partially cover and simmer over very low heat fore 30-40 minutes.  Stirring every 5 minutes or so to make sure rice isn't sticking. 

Garnish with scallions and furikake.

Enjoy.

Next week: Vegan Lentil Loaf

BELIEVE IN
KINDNESS

Have a great week.

Judd

Beautiful Broccoli

I could eat broccoli everyday. 

A phytochemical found abundantly in broccoli called sulforaphane has been found to dramatically minimize the damaging effects caused by strokes.  Scientists from The Kings College in London found the enzymes are useful in removing dangerous free-radicals.  The study was funded by the British Heart Foundation to find new and better options to treat damages caused by strokes.  These findings are hailed as a major breakthrough in helping at-risk individuals to help prevent strokes or minimizing the damage already caused.  They believe a simple "pill" could be taken to help to prevent a stroke.  Could possibly eating broccoli on a regular basis do the same?

Broccoli is part of the Brassica family, which includes kale, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts,

collards, bok choi, mustard etc.  This diverse group includes plants that the leaves, flowers, stems and roots can all be cooked and eaten.  They are the most commonly eaten plant group worldwide.  Broccoli is inexpensive and can be found at just about any grocery store.

Broccoli is a great source for the antioxidants vitamin C, beta-carotene and quercetin.

They are renowned for quenching free-radicals and reducing risks for prostate and breast cancer, Alzheimer and Parkinson's.  They are essential

for good health, promoting healthy immune systems, nutrient absorption (e.g. iron)
and overall vitality.

Broccoli is rich in calcium, making it an excellent vegan source of the nutrient that supports strong bones, which prevents osteoporosis.

Broccoli is an source for glucosinolates, which are sulfur containing chemicals.  These have

been shown to prevent oxidative stress, stimulate the immune system and reduce cancer growth.

They are anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and help to eliminate toxins from our bodies.

Broccoli is a great source of potassium and soluble fiber which help in blood sugar levels,

preventing heart disease and managing diabetes.

The best way to eat broccoli is raw.  Cook or steam it for only about 5 minutes to retain its nutrients.

Nutrient fact: Sprinkle on a pinch of ground mustard

to reactivate the glucosinolates, so to get all the health benefits.

Here's a informative video on broccoli:

Broccoli- the DNA whisperer

BELIEVE IN
KINDNESS

Have a great week.

Judd

Recommended Reading 02/03/19

Lizzie says;  It's recommended reading time!

I hope you enjoy these posts as much as I do.

The first recommendation reminds me of when were living in Lexington, Ky.  We had a mobile auto detailing service which meant in the cold winter(salt and slush on the roads) months we still worked, outside in the elements.  I was known around town as the crazy guy that wore shorts all winter long, as far being interviewed on a local television station.  We Salute You Guy Wearing Shorts All Winter

While we are on the subject of extreme weather, here's a short video from Jimmy Kimmel show where two young kids "break down climate change for Donald Trump"   One more from Outside Online: The Difference Between Weather and Climate.  Sixteen year old Swede GretaThunberg tells it like it is in this TEDx talk,

On to nutrition:

 the FDA is having an issue with what exactly is milk. The Smithsonian has a great article on: Nut Milks are Milk, Says Almost Every Culture Across The Globe,  also here's my take on Milk DOESN'T Do A Body Good.  Call it "dairy crack", dairy producers have found a way to keep you coming back for more: Why Its So Hard To Give Up Cheese.  If you are plant-based, here is a healthier alternative to bone broth: Vegetable Mineral Broth.  Animal food production is not sustainable,  The Way We Eat Could Doom Us As Species.

On to exercise:

Training starts when you throw your laziness in the trash.  David Goggins: The Cure To Laziness

You don't need to go to the gym to get strong: Seven Underrated Body Moves.

Or at least get a Kettlebell: Master The Turkish Get-Up

"Forget everything else. Keep hold of this alone and remember it;  Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see"  Marcus Aurelius

BELIEVE IN 

KINDNESS

Have a great week.

Judd