Fall Harvest Bowl

 

This week we have another great nutritious "Fall Bowl" recipe.

This one is inspired by "Sweetgreen", 

Sweetgreen Harvest Bowl

3 Servings

Serve on a bed of  prepared wild or brown rice, (for an easy rice recipe)

Sweet Potatoes

Slice 3 small sweet potatoes (or 2 normal) into rounds

Coat with olive oil, cinnamon, and sea salt

Roast at 350 degrees for 25 minutes

'Chicken' Tofu

Cube 1/2 block of tofu

Mix together cumin, nutmeg, cayenne, and pinch of salt

Coat tofu cubes in spice mix and spoonful of cornstarch

Saute in pan with olive oil on medium heat until crispy

Balsamic Dressing

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tbsp dijon mustard

Salt & Pepper to taste

Other Toppings

 1 apple, cubed

Toast almonds with olive oil 

Roasted cauliflower with nutritional yeast 

To assemble:

Massage kale with olive or coconut oil until softened

Add cooked rice, tofu, and sweet potatoes

Top with almonds, apple, cauliflower and balsamic dressing

Have a great week.

Wear your mask please.

VOTE!!!

Judd

Root Vegetable Cassoulet

 

It is almost Fall and root vegetables are the key to a healthy plant-based diet.  They are a great source of carbohydrates, gut friendly fiber and antioxidants.  Root vegetables contain anti-inflammatory vitamins, minerals and nutrients all in the form that which we can absorb them the best. These vitamins and minerals help the body's immune system to fight inflammation, which reduces the risks of cancer and heart disease.

Here is a delicious recipe:

Root Vegetable Cassoulet

Preheat oven to 425'

Cube and dice:

2-3 Yukon Gold potatoes

1-2 Small Sweet potatoes

2 medium carrots(peeled)

In a medium pan cover veggies with cold water and bring to a boil.

Reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes.

While simmering prepare fresh herbs, preferably from your own garden.

Roughly chop 3-4 sage leaves, 3-4 small sprigs rosemary and leave 3-4 sprigs of thyme whole.

 Roughly chop 1/4 sweet onion and 2 cloves garlic.

In a medium cast iron skillet add 2 tbs olive oil and heat on medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.  Add potatoes etc. and toss to cover with the olive oil, adding 2 -3 tbs.

Put skillet in oven baking for 25-30 minutes.

To serve on a bed of rice, try this easy Baked Rice recipe:

Bring 3 cups cold water and salt to a boil.

In a med sized baking dish add 1-1/2 cup jasmine rice.  When water is boiling, add to baking dish and cover with aluminum foil tightly. Bake at the same time in oven when 20 minutes are left on timer.

If baking separately, bake at 350' for 25 minutes(brown rice will take longer, appr. 40 minutes) let stand for 5 minutes when done. 

Enjoy!

Have a great week.

Wear your mask.

Judd

Tomatoes & Herbs with Artichoke Garlic Bread

Tomatoes & Herb with Artichoke Garlic Bread 

These are two delicious recipes from two of are favorite chefs: Chef Chloe Coscarelli and Kris Carr.  Kris Carr is a New York Times best-selling author, wellness activist.  Her Tomato & Herb recipe was changed a little by switching the olive oil with Balsamic Glaze.  Chef Chloe Coscarelli is a vegan chef and author of numerous cookbooks of which we have probably created each recipe.  To learn more about Kris go here: Meet Kris and for Chloe, the first vegan chef to win "Cupcake Wars" : Meet Chloe.

Artichoke Garlic Bread From "Chloe Flavor"

12-16oz. jar or can Artichoke hearts, drained.

1/2 cup vegan butter.

2 tablespoons Nutritional yeast.

3-6 garlic cloves.

1/2 tsp sea salt.

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil.

1 baguette.

vegan parmesan

Preheat oven to 425'

Combine all ingredients in food processor, pulse until mixture is combined but with texture.

Slice baguette in half horizontally and place cut-side up, spreading an even layer of mixture.

Sprinkle with "parmesan" cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes, then broil for 1-2 minutes, making sure not to burn!

Tomatoes & Herbs

4 large ripe tomatoes, sliced in 1/4" sections.

3 Tablespoons of coarsely chopped fresh basil.

Sea salt and ground black pepper.

3-4 tablespoons of Balsamic Glaze.

Arrange sliced tomatoes on a plate and sprinkle basil, salt/pepper and glaze.

Enjoy!

This is a meal in itself , but if making for several people, try some delicious 1 Pot Lentil Soup

You will truly enjoy this meal.

Recommended Reading 08/16/20

 

What a mug...

Mochi says it's reading time!

There is no better way to occupy your down time then by reading.  Instead of mindless scrolling through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram etc. read a book.  Exercise your mind, gain knowledge, learn something new and travel the world without leaving your couch.  Just remember to get up and move!  There has to be a balance.

Let's get started with the environment:

From Patagonia: Remember the Original Tree Huggers  

Stop making sense: Why it's time to get emotional about climate change.

What's up Facebook? when will it end? Abandoning drilling equipment?

Costa Rica Set to Eliminate all Single Use Plastic

In my field of work we utilize Lidar, travel to Honduras with Chris Fischer on the importance of why we should Lidar the whole Earth.

This is an image of Lidar scan of 500kv transmission line showing trees and brush which might impede power distribution.

Food and Recipes

How to make 2 ingredients oil-free Tortillas, from The Minimalist Baker.

Epic vegan BBQ tofu wings  from One Green Planet.

Ethiopian Spiced "Meat" Hummus Bowls from MBG

Raspberry Oat Crumble Bars from Center for Nutrition Studies.

Ikarian-style Sourdough Bread from Blue Zones.

Wellness and Exercise

10 Signs Your Liver Needs Some Love from Food Matters.

How Hydration Can Support Immunity from MBG.

Cancer Prevention and Treatment from Center for Nutrition Studies.

Training in Hot Weather may enhance fitness and performance from Trailrunner Magazine

Just Crazy

Do we really need this? Coffee infused Coca-cola.

Coca-cola secrets you never knew.

Is this how they are spending their time addressing climate change? U.S. .Energy Department

Stay Strong.

Have a great week.

Keep washing your hands.

Judd

IT IS TIME TO REBEL

Thank you Greta Thunberg for speaking the truth.

Wake up humanity, the universe is crying out.  With all that is going on in the world, we CANNOT go back to normal.  We must change the way we progress forward with a new beginning.   

IT"S TIME TO REBEL

We are right now, in the beginning of a climate and ecological crisis. And we need to call it what it is. An emergency. We must acknowledge that we do not have the situation under control, and that we don’t have all the solutions, yet. Unless those solutions mean that we simply stop doing certain things. We must admit that we are losing this battle. We have to acknowledge that the older generations, have failed. All the political movements in their present form, have failed. But homo sapiens have not yet failed. Yes we are failing, but there is still time to turn everything around. We can still fix this. We still have everything in our own hands. But unless we recognize that the overall failures of our current systems, we most probably don’t stand a chance. We are facing a disaster of unspoken sufferings for enormous amounts of people. And now is not the time for speaking politely, or focusing on what we can or cannot say. Now is the time to speak clearly. Solving the climate crisis is the greatest and most complex challenge that homo sapiens have ever faced. The main solution, however, is so simple that even a small child can understand it. We have to stop our emissions of greenhouse gases. And either we do that, or we don’t. You say that nothing in life is black or white. But that is a lie. A very dangerous lie. Either we prevent a 1.5 degree of warming, or we don’t. Either we avoid setting off that irreversible chain reaction beyond human control, or we don’t. Either we choose to go on as a civilization, or we don’t. That is as black or white as it gets. Because there are no grey areas when it comes to survival. Now we all have a choice. We can create transformational action that will safeguard the living conditions for future generations, or we can continue with our business as usual, and fail—that is up to you and me. And yes, we need a system change rather than individual change, but you cannot have one without the other. If you look through history, all the big changes in society have been started by people at the grassroots level, people like you and me. So I ask you to please wake up and make the changes required possible. To do your best is no longer good enough. We must all do the seemingly impossible. Today, we use about 100 million barrels of oil every single day. There are no politics to change that. There are no rules to keep that oil in the ground. So we can no longer save the world by playing by the rules because the rules have to be changed. Everything needs to change, and it has to start today. So everyone out there, it is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel.

Greta Thunberg

If you have Netflix, please watch a new series with Zac Efron and my health "Guru" Darin Olien called "Down to Earth". Excellent.

PLEASE WEAR YOUR MASKS!

Have a great week.

Judd

THANK YOU

Gratitude is a practice, which turns into an action,

 which is the foundation of a happy life.

On February 6, 2011, we posted our first post: Skinny Bitch.  A couple of years before, we began our journey on living a healthier life by stopping to consume any animal products. We had read a book by Jonathan Safran Foer titled: Eating Animals.  It totally changed our mindset on animal agriculture and its untold cruelty that it imposed on animals and the environment.  It set us on this journey to living a cleaner and more compassionate life.  We immediately stopped consuming meat of any kind knowing the what went on behind "closed doors" of the agriculture industry.  Our friends began asking us "What do you eat?" and of course "Where do you get your protein?".  

So, we started our blog to share recipes and information on consuming a plant-based diet.

THANK YOU!

Over the past 9 years, for wanting to share information, I have opened my mind to so much knowledge.  By researching a wide variety of information, I have gained so much insight on how what we put in our mouths to feed ourselves creates life or sickness.  We truly are "You are what you eat"

I want to say, Thank you! I have learned a wealth of knowledge by sharing this information.  The time I have spent researching the topics we post has enriched my life.  I look forward to every week anticipating what I can share with you.  The other week I noticed that we had reached over 60,000 views of this blog. WOW!  My hope is it will continue to enrich your life as it has ours.

Our world is at a tipping point.  Both socially and environmentally, we have to make a change.  We have to be the change.  Environmentally, the most profound act that we can do individually, is to change to a plant-based diet.  Animal agriculture is not a sustainable industry   Socially, "BE KIND",  For you Christians, 13 times Jesus commanded "To love one another as I have loved you"

The prophet Muhammad said "You will never enter paradise until you have faith and you will not complete your faith until you have loved one another".

In this time of social unrest and July 4th celebration of Independence, you should read or re-read the Declaration of Independence.  "We  hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness".

THANK YOU, for letting us be a part of your journey towards a healthy life.

Namaste

Judd

SO EASY SOCCA BREAD!

SO EASY SOCCA BREAD-VEGAN , GRAIN-FREE AND GLUTEN-FREE

 Socca has got to be the easiest bread to make!  Easier than "Crockpot Bread", 

Made with only chickpea flour, water and salt, Socca is a savory, simple and unleavened round flatbread.  The origin of this bread is believed to be from Italy, where Roman soldiers roasted chickpea flour on their shields before battle.  Others say it originated from the French Riviera.

Chickpea flour is high in protein(11g per cup), fiber(5g), low in carbohydrates, calories and full of micronutrients.

SOCCA

Using a batter rate of 1 part flour-1 part water, plus salt and oil

(Makes 6 small breads)

2 cups chickpea flour

2 cups water

2 big pinches of sea salt

1 tb olive oil

Blend all together in mixing bowl

Add any spices if you like

Let batter set for 10-15 minutes

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium high heat, adding a small amount of oil

Pour in 1/4 cup of batter  like you are making pancakes!

Cook for 3-5 minutes until edges are crispy, then flip for 3-5 minutes

They will be crispy outside and soft and savory inside.

TOPPINGS

While the batter is setting, caramelize a small sliced onion then add some half sliced cherry tomatoes and fresh chiffonade basil.

Let simmer while making "pizzas"

When your bread is done, add your toppings and enjoy a delicious healthy treat.

Your choice of toppings are endless like:

Roasted carrots, avocado with cilantro or Asparagus, zucchini and mint.

For a larger bread like the photo above, use 1/2 the amount of mixture and bake it in the oven.

Pre-heat the oven to 450'

Place medium sized cast-iron skillet (or oven safe pan) in while pre-heating.

When ready, slightly oil the skillet and pour in your batter, filling skillet.

Bake for 12-15 minutes

When done gently lift edges with spatula and remove.

This can be eaten with soups, topped with veggies or even a large pizza.

For more Socca information check out: "A Brief History of Socca"

Have a great week.

Be kind.

WEAR YOUR DAMN FACE MASK!

WASH YOUR HANDS!

Judd