Monday, July 22, 2013

Baked Corn Chips

These are so much healthier than the store-bought fried corn chips.  Also, you can custom flavor them!  They are quick and easy.






Take corn tortillas, brush with water, lemon or lime juice.  Sprinkle with salt or other desired seasoning. 

 
Cut tortillas into 6ths or 8ths.




Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.  Cool and enjoy.


Thursday, July 18, 2013

Did You Know...


Popcorn

Did you know that 3 tablespoons of unpopped popcorn (4.5 cups popped) has 140 calories, 5g fiber (20% RDA!), 4g protein (it's everywhere - more on that later), and 6% of the RDA of iron.

Snack away!

Just be careful what you put on it...  (smile).


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Black Bean Dip

This is one of my favorite recipes from The Feast of Santa Fe.






Black Bean Dip

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional - we omit this)
1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin

Put all ingredients into food processor and process until smooth, leaving a little texture if desired.  Top with salsa and chopped cilantro.  Serve in quesadillas, burritos, tacos, or with chips. 

Black beans are an excellent source of many nutrients including protein, fiber, folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, and more.

Saturday, July 13, 2013

Friday, July 12, 2013

Lawns, Pesticides, and Us

A very moving blog from the Children and Nature Network:

CHILD-FRIENDLY LAWNS AND GARDENS: Ten Things You Can Do to Reduce Hidden Chemical Risks

I especially appreciated the following quote, since I am currently reading Silent Spring:

"People in the children and nature movement often cite Rachel Carson because she eloquently advocated introducing children to nature in her book A Sense of Wonder.  We must not forget that she also wrote Silent Spring, courageously researching and speaking out against the dangers of pesticides. For the sake of our children and all other living things on our planet, we need to spread both parts of her message."

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Did you know...?

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supports a vegetarian/vegan diet.  You can read more about it on their website.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus



Hummus is a great snack or part of a meal.  With veggie sticks or healthy crackers, it's a guilt free snack.  Since it's made with chick peas, it's a great source of protein, fiber, folate, iron, and other nutrients.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus (no oil added)

3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 cans, drained)
1 roasted red pepper, peeled
3/4 tsp salt (or to taste, especially with commercially canned chickpeas)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp smoky paprika
1/2 cup cooking liquid, low/no sodium veggie broth, or water

Place in food processor and process until smooth.  Serve as a cracker/veggie dip or sandwich bread.



Roasted Red Peppers

Cut stems off red peppers and clean out seeds.  Place on grill and cooked until blackened on each side, rotating as necessary.  Peel off blackened skins and eat or use in recipes.

Monday, July 8, 2013

Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)


Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

Chickpeas, or Garbanzo Beans, are one of our favorite beans.  Traditionally, they are the main ingredient in hummus (see tomorrow's post!).  We also use them on tossed salad, in falafel, in bean salads, in grain salads with other fresh veggies, and as a replacement in chicken/tuna salad (just mash them up a bit).  You can sprout them to add sprouts to your salads or roast them for a crunchy snack.

Research shows that chick peas are great for decreasing your cardiovascular risk, increasing digestive health, and regulating blood sugar.  For more information on the health benefits of chickpeas, click here.

Chickpeas are an excellent source of many important nutrients.  In just one cup of cooked chick peas, you get 14.53g protein (that's a whopping 29% of the RDA), 12.46g fiber (50% RDA), 71% RDA folate, 8% RDA calcium (not found in just dairy), 26% RDA iron, 20% RDA magnesium, a high percentage of 11 amino acids, and much more.

Chickpeas are also great for the grocery budget.  Where we live, I can find a pound of dried, organic chickpeas for just under $3.00.  Once hydrated and cooked, there will be 3 pounds of chickpeas.  That's $1.00 per pound!  Talk about a great nutritional value for your dollar (literally)!

Tomorrow I'll be posting our homemade Roasted Red Pepper Hummus.  Until then, check out one of my favorite chickpea recipes:  Teriyaki Chickpeas from Happy Herbivore!

Friday, July 5, 2013

A Plant-Strong 4th of July

So, on one of the days when Americans are most known for grilling out, what do you do when you're plant-strong?  You grill out - veggie style.  We actually do this almost every week.  It's nice to casually cook and eat dinner together outside.  Then, cold drink in hand, we kick back and enjoy the fire.  Our menu for the 4th this year was pretty simple, since it was just us this time.  We had veggie hotdogs, hotdog chili, asparagus, zucchini, squash, carrots (make great "hotdogs" when cooked soft enough), corn, and apple crisp.  Yum!




Zucchini, Squash, Carrots, and Red Peppers (for a later project)



Corn, Hotdogs, Red Peppers




Asparagus, Squash, Zucchini, Carrots




Apple Crisp (baked inside early, but warmed over fire)
Cool part - the crisp was not made with butter!  I'll share that recipe later!

Monday, July 1, 2013

In The News

Milk does a body good? Maybe not always, Harvard doc argues - Dr. David Ludwig, Harvard Pediatrician

The Toxic Truth about Sugar -  Dr. Robert Lustig, UC San Francisco Pediatric Endocrinologist

Now, great advice on How to Break a Sugar Addiction.  I can tell you that once you break it, you really do lose your "sweet tooth".  I can't eat sugary foods nearly at the same rate as I used to.  One cookie or treat and I'm done.  If I cave and eat a second, I regret it.  I actually don't feel as well afterwards.  If you're not sure what foods have sugar added to them, the author of this site has a list here.  You may be surprised.

Good luck!  If we can break the chocolate chip cookie dough/brownie cravings, you can too!