,Jerk Kidney Bean Stew

I have a patient, who is a vegan athlete, who asked me to put together a meal plan for him.   It was a great challenge!   I did a bunch of research so that my suggestions could be as current, and evidence-based, as possible.   It was a great reminder that sesame and chia seeds are top-notch sources of calcium.   It also led me to the book 'The No Meat Athlete Cookbook by Matt Frazier and Stepfanie Romine.'   Here is a link to Frazier's super informative website.   It's an amazing book and resource!  It's just the way I try to approach food - making it practical, varied, and healthful.  

So, this recipe comes from the cookbook, but I modified it so much, I'm actually not certain whether it isn't my recipe now.  Also, I can't find a link to the recipe available online.  I like nothing more than an easy dish that has new flavours!

So, I made this seasoning:

• one tbsp garlic powder
• two tsp brown sugar
• two tsp dried thyme
• two tsp onion powder
• two tsp salt
• one tsp black pepper
• one tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Then, I made the dish itself with: 

• one large bunch of chard, rinsed and roughly chopped
• one yellow onion, diced
•  one 796 ml/ 28 fl oz can of diced tomatoes
• one 540 ml can of dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• about 300 ml of strained tomatoes 
• three tbsp of the jerk spice
• and, one package of frozen cauliflower rice to serve it on

How I did it: 

• first, I fried the onion in olive oil
• then, I added the spice and fried everything for a few more minutes
• then, I dumped everything else in the pot, and cooked it at a medium heat until it reduced a bit
• last, I served it on the cauliflower rice 

Lentil Loaf

I don't remember my parents ever making meatloaf as a kid, or being served it much as an adult, but I'm certainly enjoying the vegan versions now!   

A lot of people have difficulty digesting beans and lentils.   This can be for four main reasons:

• a food sensitivity 
• a deficiency in digestive secretions that we use to break down beans
• an imbalance in the population and location of bacteria in your digestive tract
• a reaction to some of the compounds naturally found on beans, such as phytic acid

If you're wondering about which of these applies to you, best to talk to your health-care practitioner.   For me, my reaction is definitely the last one, and I find that when beans are made in a factory it breaks down the phytic acid better than any amount of soaking, sprouting, boiling, and pressure cooking I can do at home.   So, for me, the toxins that come from the can lining are the lesser of two evils. 

* Side note - Never, EVER, prepare beans at home by just slow cooking them!   You've got to bring them to a rolling boil for a few minutes first!  

Anyway, back to the dish at hand.  I used this recipe, with the following modifications:

Ingredients

• one 540 ml can of cooked lentils, rinsed and drained (the recipe calls for just over one cup of cooked lentils, if you want to make from scratch)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ½ large onion about 1 heaping cup, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 rib of celery chopped
• 1 carrot peeled and chopped
• ½ cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 3 Tablespoons tamari
• 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 Tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt

Maple Sweetened Glaze:

• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 ½ Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• pinch of sea salt

​

Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 375°F
• Toast walnuts by spreading them onto a baking sheet and toasting in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a medium sauté pan and cook onions, garlic, carrots and celery until they've softened and become fragrant. About 5-10 minutes. Once cooked remove from stovetop to cool.
• Add lentils (reserve ½ cup for later), cooked veggies, toasted walnuts, oats, tamari, tomato paste, ground flaxseed, nutritional yeast, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, thyme, oregano, basil, cayenne pepper, ground pepper and sea salt to the food processor. Pulse until mixture is just combined and the texture is to your liking. You want the mixture to be combined enough to stick together, but you don't want it to be completely pulverized.
• Stir in the reserved lentils and press mixture into a silicone loaf pan.  The recipe calls for a parchment lined loaf pan (9" x 5" x 2½").
• In a small bowl stir together glaze ingredients and spread the glaze over top of the loaf.
• Bake covered with silicone pot or bowl covers for 25 minutes. (I learned this trip from a friend!   Instead of using foil once and sending it to the landfill, just put silicone over top of your dish when it needs to be baked covered!)  Uncover and bake for about 8 more minutes. Let the loaf rest 15 minutes before cutting and serving.
• Store leftovers in a sealed container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Or freeze for up to 1 month.

Pasta Salad - Christmas Colours Edition

Kind of funny that my last post was a chickpea noodle salad too!   I winged this salad, and it turned out SO, SO GOOD!    

First of all, a shout out to Dags and Willow, where a few of these new (to me) ingredients came from!  

Secondly, OH MY GOSH these chickpea noodles from Maria's homestyle Noodles were so good.   I didn't even understand how good noodles could be.  They cooked easily, held their shape, and didn't harden up at all once they cooled down....which is actually a miracle (for those of you familiar with gluten-free noodles).   At first I thought they were a bit pricey, but once I compared the package size with Chickapea noodles (see previous post), they're actually about the same price.   I have another package of their green pea noodles to try, and I'll report back.  I will definitely be placing an online order. 

Last but not least, thanks to Adoro olive oils and vinegars for their delicious products. 

Okay, so this salad was made with (rough estimates, I didn't measure):

• one package of reginette noodles 
• one sliced and lightly steamed zucchini
• two jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
• one half red onion, diced
• one large handful of snap peas, cut into pieces, and left to sit on the freshly drained noodles, so they wilted just a little bit 
• one half of a small jar of sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
• one package of cherry tomatoes, halved
• one half cup of pine nuts
• two tablespoons of capers 
• one small jar of Sweety Drop Peruvian peppers  
• one third cup of olive oil
• one third cup of lemon balsamic vinegar 

I'm obsessed with the Sweety Drop peppers too.