KICKING CANCER'S BUTT

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FALL TREATS, NO TRICKS (CUBAN BLACK BEAN SOUP WITH CAULIFLOWER MASH)

This is a recipe my brother sent me to try from Dr. Fuhrman (here's the link to his Facebook page and the recipe)  "Cuban Black Bean and Cauliflower Mash"  I added some cut up avocado and a bit more chili powder and cumin than he calls for, but it's good either way.  Make a big pot and have a Happy Halloween.

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IS MEAT THE ONLY WAY TO GET GOOD PROTEIN?

This is a great article and easy to read.  Will people ever stop asking that annoying question?


Click on the article and subscribe to Forks Over Knives for more inspirational stories.

EVEN GLADIATORS WERE PLANT BASED

A Study of some ancient bones of Gladiators revealed that they ate mostly vegetables and grains and drank an odd concoction of plant ashes for their minerals.  I wonder if anyone challenged their diet by asking "where do you get your protein?"  Check out the article link below!

FALL VEGETABLES ARE HERE

Newest Quote:  Stop worrying about dieting.  Just eat foods that come out of the earth, not foods that fertilize it!  Ken Carlile, Chef and Blogger

Click this link for more Plant Based Quotes

It's that time of year again to visit your Farmer's Market or Grocery Store and get you some Root Vegetables and other Fall produce.  As the weather begins to get a chill in the air, soups and stews are on the menu.  In the stew shown above I incorporated Red Beets, Golden Beets, Turnips, Yams, Yukon Gold Potatoes, Carrots, Celery, Onions and Brussels Sprouts.  With my rich Homemade Roasted Vegetable Stock, a little red miso paste, Tamari, balsamic vinegar and Mushroom Base this stew has a very rich, full taste.  I encourage you to always have those ingredients in your pantry and fridge as they really add richness to soups, stews and gravies.  There is still an abundance of zucchini available along with the squashes like Butternut and Pumpkin... Be creative and enjoy roasting and preparing Fall Veggies.

If you want the recipe, here's the link for My Fall Stew.

Roast Beets in aluminum foil in a 400˚ oven for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on the size)  A knife easily inserted into one will tell you it's done.  Also, wash but don't peel the beet before roasting it.  When it's done and cooled down a bit, use a dry paper towel to remove the skin.  It's easier than peeling as the skin comes right off.

BLACK BEAN BOMB BURGER - SRIRACHA STYLE

If you've ever made burgers without meat, it can be a little tricky getting them to stay together.  The worst thing that happens is when you go to barbecue them and they fall through the grates. These hold their form even on a bar-b.  And flavor? Plenty here!  Can be a little spicy if you like things on the milder side...but if you see Sriracha in a recipe, you know what to expect.

Ingredients:

8 cups black beans (rinsed if they are canned.  The quantity is roughly 4 15 oz cans)
3 rounded tablespoons vital wheat gluten
1 1⁄2 cups diced red or sweet onion finely diced
2 pints rough chopped brown mushrooms (4 cups)
1⁄2 cup diced roasted bell pepper finely diced
1/2 cup vegetable stock or water
4 cloves garlic diced minced
1⁄2 cup chopped cilantro
1⁄2 cup Sriracha
2 Tbl Braggs aminos
3 teaspoons ground black pepper
2 1⁄2 cups whole wheat or sourdough breadcrumbs
2 Tbl Ancho Chili Powder (optional.  Adds smokiness not heat)
2 tablespoons flax-seed meal mixed together with 6 tablespoons water and let it sit to gel for 10 minutes or longer. (tip:  I keep already gelled flax-seed meal in a jar in the fridge so I always have some ready to go on hand.  Because it creates an oily texture it holds up for awhile)

In a hot, non-stick skillet, add the onion and mushrooms.  When they begin to stick to the pan, loosen them with a little vegetable stock or water and keep sauteing until they are soft and then, right before they're done, add the roasted red peppers and garlic.

Partially mash the black beans then mix all of the ingredients together except the flaxseed mixture.  Let it sit for about 15 minutes for everything to absorb.   If it’s too dry and not binding when you’re making the burgers, add the flaxseed 1 tablespoon at a time.

Condiment:

1/4 cup Sriracha
1/2 cup Aioli Mayo or your favorite plant based mayonnaise
1/2 cup Ketchup

Serve with your favorite pickles, avocado, lettuce, tomato and if you're really daring, sliced jalapeno!

THIS IS THE MIX BEFORE MAKING THE BURGERS

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JOAN RIVERS ON WEIGHT

"Does this dress make me look fat?  No, it's what you put in your mouth!"

Joan Rivers                                                       

ENTER TO WIN

CLICK HERE TO ENTER....MENTION ieatplants.com  You can't win if you don't try!






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CHORIZO (WALNUT CHORIZO)

WALNUT CHORIZO

Two medium sweet white onions, peeled and cut into eights

2 pints baby portabella (crimini)  mushrooms, cleaned and stems removed

3 cups whole walnuts (12 oz. by weight)

6 whole garlic cloves

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried cumin

1 tsp coriander seed

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

½ tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like spicy)

4 dried chipotle peppers rehydrated in 2 cups hot water for at least 15 minutes (reserve soaking water)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

2 cups roasted vegetable stock

1 tsp sea salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Heat a large, non-stick skillet.  In a food processor, pulse the mushrooms until they are finely chopped.  Pulse the onions and garlic, one onion at a time, until they are finely chopped.  Add the mushrooms and onions into the hot pan.  Sauté until soft.  If they begin to stick, add some of the RVS.  Keep adding the stock while sautéing.  In a coffee grinder add all of the dry spices and pulse until they are finely mixed and the coriander seed is crushed.  Add the dry spices to the onion/mushroom mixture. 

In the food processor add the dried chipotle peppers and tomato paste and pulse.  Add some

SUPERFOODS ARE JUST SUPER MARKETING

My brother posted this on Facebook this morning and not only is it funny, it's informative.  It goes to what I say a lot on this blog...it's the proof behind the science that matters.  Just because Oprah says it's so doesn't it make it so!

ENCHILSAGNA (LASAGNA ENCHILADA)

Enchilsagna, laschada, lasenchilagna, whatever you want to call this, it's good.  The layering like lasagna with different layers with the ingredients of enchiladas and all WFPB n(o)il.  

Double (or triple) the recipe of my enchilada red sauce.  It's nice to have extra to pass at the table.  I made this recently and people were also using the sauce for a dip for tortilla chips...it's that good.

Enchilsagna, laschada, lasenchilagna, whatever you want to call this, it's good.  The layering like lasagna with different layers with the ingredients of enchiladas and all WFPB n(o)il.  

Double (or triple) the recipe of my enchilada red sauce.  It's nice to have extra to pass at the table.  I made this recently and people were also using the sauce for a dip for tortilla chips...it's that good.

 

For the red sauce:

In a separate saucepan, add all of the following ingredients and heat until lightly boiling.

4 tablespoons tomato paste

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon crushed oregano (Mexican oregano if you can find it)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 cups Roasted Vegetable Stock (or more if you want the sauce thinner)

 

For the Filling:

 

Re-hydrate 1 1/2 cups TVP with 2 1/2 cups Vegetable Stock

1 28 oz. can black beans (rinse thoroughly to remove the salt)

1 28 oz. can black beans (rinse thoroughly to remove the salt)

1  tablespoon cumin

1 tsp sea salt

Slightly crush half of each type of bean and mix all of the remaining ingredients together and this will make two layers

4 cup mixture baby kale and baby spinach (or any variation of greens)

1 head cilantro rinsed and most of the stems removed

Mix all of greens together and this will make a layer

1 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn

1 can (14 oz) sliced black olives

2 tomatoes sliced (time to use some of those heirlooms you grew this summer)

at least 25 corn tortillas

In a 9 X 14 inch lasagna pan, begin the layers.

1.  Light red sauce

2.  Corn tortillas dipped in red sauce

3.  TVP/bean mixture with black olive slices on top

4.  More corn tortillas dipped in red sauce

5.  Green layer with tomatoes placed on top.  Add some sauce to this layer

6.  More corn tortillas dipped in red sauce

7.  Second TVP/Bean layer with remainder of olives followed by corn

8.  Last layer of Corn tortillas dipped in red sauce

9.  More red sauce on the top

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and put in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for one hour.

Serve with a dollop of my whole made Sour Cream and some avocado slices.

HASH-BROWNS

This is a great cheat for hash-browns.  You can buy an eight pack of these dehydrated potatoes and each one makes 6 1/2 cups of hash-browns.  This is n(o)il in a non-stick skillet.  I add some salt, garlic powder, onion powder and pepper.  In the beginning stir it up and then leave it in the pan until you get the desired color.  Using hot pads, put a plate or cutting board on top of the pan and flip them out.  If you have a good non-stick pan they'll come right out...but wait until you have a crust on the potatoes because that's what allows them to release from the pan.

Serve alongside a great tofu scramble and with some of my sourdough toast and my sourdough toast and cream cheeze and you've got the breakfast of champions.

SUMMER TOMATO/SHERRY VINEGAR ANGEL-HAIR PASTA (easy, about 10 minutes)

It's that time of the year when the tomatoes are piling up on the counter, the basil has become a shrub and you don't know what to do with it all.  Here's one of the simplest and most delicious pasta dishes you can make.  You all know that Sherry Vinegar goes great with tomatoes, right?  Well, now you do....and this critical ingredient rocks the dish (don't waste your time substituting the vinegar....buy some sherry vinegar).

Ingredients:

1 pound whole grain angel hair pasta (I prefer semolina)
2 to 3 pounds of homegrown tomatoes chopped
8 oz package of sliced sun-dried tomatoes (you can make your own, just don't buy them packed in oil)
1/2 medium red onion chopped
2 cups basil chiffonade (roll the basil leaves to look like cigar and finely slice into ribbons of basil)
3 tablespoons at least of sherry vinegar (you'll taste later and add more if needed)
sea salt (at least a teaspoon of salt)
freshly ground black pepper

Begin boiling a large pot of water for the pasta
While waiting for the water to boil, chop up the tomatoes and onion and add to a large bowl.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.   The salt will draw out tomato water and create a fresh tasting sauce.(The earlier you do this step, the more tomato water your sauce have)  When you put the pasta in the boiling water (it will take 4 minutes), add the vinegar to the tomatoes and onion and stir.  When the pasta is done, reserve a couple cups of the pasta water.  Drain the pasta but don't rinse it.  Add the pasta to the bowl of tomatoes and onion.  Mix really well, until you can see tomatoes throughout.  While this rests, add the sun-dried tomatoes to about a cup of the pasta water to re-hydrate them.  After about 2 minutes drain off the water and add them to the pasta.  Throw in the basil and mix it all again.  If it seems to dry, add some of the pasta water.  The vinegar should be a pleasant taste in the background but not over powering.  If you need more add it.  Taste for salt and serve.  We ate all of this for two people it's that good.

INTERMARCHÉ - "INGLORIOUS FRUITS AND VEGETABLES"

UGLY AND DEFORMED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES STILL TASTE THE SAME.

WFPB PRIMER Whole Foods Plant Based

If you're wondering how or why to make a lifestyle change, I would suggest first watching the Documentary Forks Over Knives which is available on Netflix instant streaming or for purchase on the website.  This gives an overview of how eating certain foods are killing us and causing chronic, often reversible diseases.  It's not a diet it's a lifestyle.  One of the benefits of eating this way is your body will go to it's ideal weight without any effort other than a change in your habits.

I would follow this up with Preventing and Reversing Heart Disease  by Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn as it explains how to reverse chronic heart disease, lower cholesterol and get your blood pressure in order just from eating the right foods and eliminating others from your diet.

Next I would check out T. Colin Campbell's new book Whole available on Amazon.


Then I would read The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall.  This website has lots of amazing information.

If all of this doesn't give you "food" for thought and a little light, summer reading I don't know what will.  You can always refer to this website/blog for great recipes and helpful information.  Enjoy!

ZUCCHINI BREAD

It has begun!  That period where the summer harvest (zucchini) get away from you and you run out of things to do with them.  Enter the Zucchini Bread.  Subtly sweet with a fresh, green fields taste.  I also make a lot of ratatouille once the tomatoes really kick in.  So far this year I've harvested more than the last 3 years combined....don't know why but I'm cooking and baking the heck out of this vegetable.  I can go out in the garden in the morning and there will be a small to medium sized zucchini but by the time I return in the afternoon it's the size of a baby's arm.

Preheat oven to 350

Ingredients:

Dry ingredients

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup oat flour (make your own by putting whole oats in your spice grinder) 

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground mace (or nutmeg)

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup organic raw coconut sugar

Wet:

1 cup over ripe bananas (mashed)
1 cup shredded and chopped zucchini (keep the skin but if you want you can remove the seeds using a teaspoon)
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Optional:
1/2 cup walnuts almonds (chopped)
1/2 cup raisins

Thoroughly mix all dry ingredients together (a whisk works well for this).  In a separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients.  You can put the wet ingredients in a blender to mix, but leave the zucchini out.  In a large bowl, combine both the wet (including the zucchini) and dry ingredients until just mixed.  Don't
over mix.  Pour bread mix into a 9 X 5 X 3 inch loaf pan (paper pan, parchment paper lined, non-stick or silicon pan).  Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry. Remove the pan from the oven and turn the loaf out onto a cooling rack and wait about 45 minutes to an hour to slice into it.  It continues to cook outside of the oven so this is a critical step.  If you want it warm you can always warm it in the oven before you serve it.  Serve it with some of my homemade cream cheeze.

BOEUF BOURGUIGNON (Seitan and Red Wine Sauce)

This is a classic French dish with a WFPB n(o)il twist.  It's a lot of ingredients, but don't be scared.   It's well worth it!

Ingredients:

8 oz bakin (either this recipe or your favorite fake bacon) chopped

3 Portabello Mushrooms varying sized chunks

1 pint sliced crimini mushrooms or baby white mushrooms

24 oz. Seitan (sliced or cut into chunks or a combination)

2 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour

1 sweet onion thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic chopped

4 carrots peeled and cut 2" on the diagonal

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons brandy

1 cup dry red wine

2/12 cups salt and oil free Roasted Vegetable Stock  Plus extra for sauteing 

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper seeded and chopped

sea salt and pepper to taste

Method:

In a large, non-stick pan add the chopped Bakin, sliced onion, bell pepper, garlic and mushrooms.  Saute until onions are browned and mushrooms are soft.  use some stock to keep them from sticking.  Remove from the pan.  In the same pan, toss the Seitan with the flour and brown it for about 2 minutes.  Add back in the sauted vegetables and pour the brandy over the mixture.  If you're not familiar with flaming, remove the pan from the heat and using a long nosed lighter, flame the brandy and let it cook off the alcohol.  This helps de-glaze the pan.  Add the remaining liquids (stock and red wine), herbs (thyme and bay leaf), carrots and stir until well mixed.  Add salt and pepper to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and go from there).  

Served over Smashed red potatoes and Saute' of Zucchini

SUMMER HARVEST BEGINS

An unusually hot spring kicked my Summer Harvest into and early Spring Harvest.  Can't wait for the rest to come in but lots of herbs, lettuce, corn, peppers and tomatoes, tomatoes tomatoes.  Already had more zucchini this year than I had all of last year.  Basil usually comes available late June and I have more than I know what to do with already.

But on the flip side, the Green Horned Tomato worms (which also like peppers, potatoes and eggplant) are already munching away.  Killed a 3/12 in one yesterday.  Got to get on more of that homemade organic spray of apple cider vinegar, garlic and cayenne pepper.  My trick is to follow the poop trail of the worm either early morning or late afternoon and it usually leads to a worm or two.  In case you're wondering what wasps are good for, they kill horn worms by laying their eggs on the worm and using it as nutrition.    Here's more information about these pests.

So, make some Aioli and enjoy a fresh picked organic tomato sandwich.

ICE CREAM SANDWICHES

I had some great ice cream at Cafe Gratitude last week and decided to make it.  No dairy, no eggs, no oil.
This is so rich and creamy you'd never know it wasn't heavy cream.


For the cookie:

2 Cups almonds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoon soy lecithin
4 oz. Medjool dates Pitted
1/4 cup almond flour

Pulse everything together in a Cuisinart until it's well mixed.  When you're ready to roll it, sprinkle on a cutting board and roll to about 1/8 inch.  Cut in 4 inch round circles or 2" X 4" rectangles.  Put on parchment paper and freeze.

Ice Cream:

2 cups unsweetened almond milk
2 cups raw cashews (soaked for at least 8 hours)
1 vanilla bean (scraped, just the vanilla seeds inside the bean)
3/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth (no sandy feeling between on your fingers).   Using an ice cream maker, freeze according to your machine's instructions.  It will freeze to the same consistency as soft serve ice cream.  (My Cuisinart ice cream maker freezes in 20 minutes.  I then covered with plastic wrap and put the whole container back in the freezer.)

PEOPLE LOOK FOR GOOD EXCUSES TO SUPPORT THEIR BAD BEHAVIOR

In our fast paced lives it’s often easier if someone else does the research and we get the benefit of learning the results. (Case in point, the Paleo diet.  Yes, you probably will lose weight doing the diet.  Is it healthy or sustainable? The facts don’t support it.  Most people just hear meat is good for you, fat even better, forget about cholesterol and they think “now that’s the kind of diet I've been waiting for”.) But another problem with our fast paced lives is that we don’t care to read all of the information nor do we care where it came from, who backed the study, how many similar studies were done to support the claim and how many journal articles are written about it.  I can’t tell you how many people I have passed on information I have researched and shared with family and friends that in turn read a couple of sentences about the information learned in the study and decide they will pass it on to one of their friends and relatives when the advice I gave was actually for them. I know they say that the teacher will come when the student is ready, but often times the teacher is there and the student doesn't want to hear. 

The information shared on Dr. Oz for example, would probably kill you if you followed all of his advice.  He has so many conflicting stories I don’t know how anyone can know whether they are fat because they eat too much, have a bad thyroid, are lazy and want to diet without exercise and take a multi-vitamin and single supplements as a magic bullet as well.  Yikes!  I know that he’s extremely popular, but how can you possibly follow a single contradictory thing he says?  One day he’ll tell you to eat to lose weight and the next he’ll tell you to fast to lose weight.  And then people use his name illegally to sell products just because he said the name of their company once and people see the name Dr. Oz and they blindly buy the product figuring he did all the research…if he says it’s good it must be!

 I think that what’s going to really help is that slowly, as the WFPB way towards better nutrition takes hold, we as practitioners, students and teachers need to encourage people that we have helped to tell their doctors before beginning this program that they are going to do it and then have their doctor record the results in their charts as they make incredible changes in their health.  I have opened many a doctor’s eyes that poo-pooed what I was doing and now are starting to be believers when they see the change before their eyes.  We may not be able to do medically sanctioned human studies for a lot of chronic diseases, but if we affect a change based purely on diet and the outcome is recorded, at some point you have to believe that someone will listen and spread the word.

Ken Carlile

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CUPCAKES

I have to admit, I'm not a big chocolate fan.  I had to come up with something to make for my twin aunt's birthday that fit in with the WFPB lifestyle and it had to be easy.  I came across a recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz on the Forks Over Knives website and tweaked it just a little (Check out their websites for more amazing information and recipes).  The resulting cupcakes were both rich and delicious.  I've always loved raspberries and chocolate so the addition of the raspberry filling checked that box for me.

Preheat the oven to 350°

Ingredients:

Cupcakes Dry ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

13 BEAN SOUP

I had a bag of Bob's Red Mill 13 Bean soup, which is a little mis-leading because it's really just a mix of 13 different kinds of beans and lentils....ie. no spices, dehydrated veggies etc.  I prepared the bean mix somewhat according to the package.  Rinse and soak the beans (2 cups dry) overnight in about 2 quarts of water and then cook for about 3 hours.  Now that I had the cooked beans, what to do?  By the way, you can always use pre-packaged (canned) beans, make your own mix or any combination thereof.  I wanted to eliminate extra sodium so I cooked them with only sliced onions & garlic with a little liquid smoke.


6 cups Roasted Vegetable Stock (no or low sodium if you don't make your own)
2 tablespoons mellow red miso paste
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base (optional)
1 teaspoon Marmite
4 tomatoes chopped (or a 15 oz can of diced tomatoes)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1 Yam peeled and cubed
1 carrot peeled and cubed
1 zucchini cut into chunks
1-2 cups cooked beans (as much or as little as you prefer)
2 cups mixed greens chopped (spinach, kale, swiss chard.  I buy Power Greens from Costco)
Cracked Black Pepper to taste (about 1 teaspoon)

In a large Pot add the stock, miso and bouillon.  Bring to a boil and make sure all of the miso has melted into the stock.  Add the carrots and yams and continue cooking for 25 minutes.  Add the beans, tomatoes and herbs and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.  Add the Zucchini an beans.  When it begins to boil again, remove from the stove and let it sit for awhile.  This is one of those things that actually tastes better the next day.  Before serving add the greens to the hot soup and serve with a crusty bread.  *I just ate this a day after I made it and I have to say it's one of the best soups I've ever made.....

THE RESEARCHER THAT STARTED THE GLUTEN "CRAZE" SAYS "WE GOT IT WRONG"

Isn't this just great?  All of these people that went gluten free didn't have to.  The same guy that started the fad, craze, diet or whatever you want to call it, admits he got it wrong.  Lots of companies made some big cash on this so it will be interesting to see how they spin it.  Bottom line, go to your doctor if you're having gastrointestinal problems and stop self diagnosing.

VEGETABLE LASAGNA

Ah Lasagna.  So many different types, but they all have one thing in common....they take time.  This one is time consuming but worth it.  I did sort of use a couple of cheats like leftover Alfredo sauce and canned tomatoes (but you still have to make the marinara).  It was really inspired by my desire to use up a bunch of vegetables at once.  You can also cheat using no boil lasagna noodles but I find the boil method works best.  The no boil tends to dry out as it needs the liquid in the lasagna to help it cook in the oven.

Ingredients:
1 box whole grain lasagna noodles, boil or no boil, your choice...this is made with boil  (If you use no boil use a bit more sauce)
2 cups alfredo sauce
1 head of broccoli steamed (about 2 cups)
2 leeks cleaned, sauteed (using only the white and light green parts.  Discard or compost the rest)
4 packed cups spinach
1 bunch fresh basil (about a cup)
2 small Italian Zucchini cut into circles and sauteed in a dry pan until browned but not completely cooked
1 large yellow squash cut lengthwise and sauteed in a dry pan until browned but not completely cooked
2 large yams peeled, boiled and mashed (if you don't peel them they should just come out of their skin when done)
2 Portabello mushrooms de-veined, sliced and sauteed in a dry pan until browned but not completely cooked
Steam the spinach and basil together and throw it in a large bowl of ice water (water including ice) to shock it and set the color.  When it's cooled remove and wrap in paper towels to dry.

Marinara Sauce:
(When making this sauce I would always double it as you can never have too much and it freezes well)
2 28 oz cans San Marzano whole peeled tomatoes (try to get low or no sodium and no sugar) Pomi is a good brand
1 teaspoon dry rosemary
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon dry thyme
2 Tablespoons onion powder
1 Tablespoon garlic powder
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
sea salt and pepper to taste
8 cloves fresh garlic

Prepare the lasagna noodles according to the directions on the box if using the boil method.

Mash the yams with a little almond milk, salt and pepper

Put the Alfredo Sauce in a Vitamix, blender or food processor.  Add the cooked broccoli and leeks then

BĀK'N - NO PORK

Miss that taste of Bacon but not the pork, fat, cholesterol and salt....this coconut works!  The hardest part about this recipe is finding the large coconut flakes.  I found them at a local international food market but you can usually find them at an Indian market.  I used a pretty thick sliced coconut but there are thinner versions on the market.  You don't want shredded coconut unless you want bāk'n bits.  The version of Bacos, bacon bits used on salads which people have been using for years, is actually soy based.

They looked like this before I made the bāk'n

The Recipe continued on the next page

WAFFLES....WHOLE GRAIN

It's hard to find Waffles or Pancakes that will check all the boxes.  Try these:

Whole grain  √
No oil   √
No eggs  √
No Dairy  √

So here's how (you obviously need to have a non-stick waffle iron)

1 cup buckwheat pancake and waffle mix (make sure it doesn't contain dry milk powder or eggs)
1/4 cup applesauce (this replaces the egg)
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed  2 tablspoons water. Mix them together and let them sit for 10 minutes at least
1 tablespoon organic honey
1 cup almond milk

Preheat your waffle iron to high.  Mix 1 tablespoon of the flaxseed mixture (this replaces the oil) and the

OSTEOPOROSIS: WHY DO SO MANY AMERICANS HAVE IT?

Most people think that WFPB, Vegetarian and Vegan diets don't get enough protein, but the truth is we get plenty.  The problem is that most people get TOO MUCH PROTEIN.  The problem with osteoporosis is not enough calcium but too much protein which your body breaks down into amino acids which places a burden on the body.  The acids need to be buffered so the acid dissolves the bones to buffer the acid to break them down and that's the beginning of osteoporosis.  The excess protein also places a burden on the liver and kidneys before your body can eliminate the excess protein.  This is a quick video explaining what happens and dispelling some big myths. 

Check out more interesting facts at www.drmcdougall.com

CHICKPEA SALAD WITH TAHINI AND CRANBERRIES

I had this recently on a trip to Seattle with my sister to visit my niece.  It was so good I had to try and replicate it.  I think this is just as good.  If you're ever in Seattle, they have a TON of restaurants that Plant Based or Vegans can eat in.

1 15 oz can of Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
2 stalks of celery - fine dice
1/2 cup of dry cranberries - fine dice
1/2 red or sweet onion - fine dice
1/2 cup Aioli
1/2 cup Tahini
sea salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the Chickpeas in a food processor.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

I used it in my wraps (see below) or on a sandwich with a slice of tomato.

9 THINGS YOU SHOULDN'T STORE IN THE FRIDGE

This was an article titled "10 Foods You Should Never Put in the Refrigerator" by Alison Spiegel for the Huffington Post.  I have been telling people not to put tomatoes in the fridge for years so here's someone else saying the same thing.  We're coming into the summer season with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables available so heed this list to see how to properly store them.  I removed olive oil from the list because you should never have that around anyway!