Valentine’s Day: Romance your tastebuds with a Thai Curry

Valentine’s Day- love it or hate it?  Whether you will spend it blissfully gazing into your significant others face and savoring your good luck, bitterly perusing NetFlix and indulging in some light Facebook stalking, OR refusing to buy into such a garish and crudely executed sell-out and focusing your eyes down and straight ahead, one thing holds true… You got to eat!

This Thai Curry recipe can be applied to red or green curry. Whatever protein or vegetables you like can be substituted as well.

Thai Curry
2 cans of organic coconut milk (not light! refrigerated for 20-30 minutes, I’ll explain later)
2 small cans of green or red curry paste, or 2-5 heaping Tablespoons from a large tub
2 cans worth of vegetable or chicken stock (about 28 oz)
1 cup of tofu, cubed, or chicken or beef (freeze for 20-30 min prior to slicing, see below)
2 or more cups of vegetables (bamboo shoot, bell pepper, zucchini, mushrooms), sliced in bite-sized pieces
small handful of Thai basil leaves
2 or 3 Keffir lime leaves
good quality Thai fish sauce (Red Boat brand recommended), or soy sauce
Palm or Organic sugar, to taste (traditionally green is served sweeter than red)
Fresh bird’s eye chili, chopped (green), or roasted red chili flakes (red), optional
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper

Note:  Sometimes I find Keffir leaves and Thai basil for sale at Whole Foods or Central Market, but the best place to find them is at one of Austin’s Asian markets.  If you can’t find one or another, don’t try to substitute, just omit them.

I learned this curry technique while working under local chef Jam Sanitchat.  Once you’ve done it a few times you know the basic art of curry making, so try different proteins and veggies!

Directions:
Select a small stockpot or large saucepan and begin heating it over a medium low flame.

Open your chilled cans of coconut milk.  The cold causes the cream to solidify at the top of the cans.  Scoop the cream into the hot pot.  Beware of hot splatters.  Reserve the coconut milk at the bottom of the can to add later.

Stir the cream until it evenly coats the bottom of the pot, and reduce the heat until the cream is slowly bubbling.  Allow to bubble, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the cream appears thicker with gently rolling hills, about 5-10 minutes, depending on how high the heat is.

Meanwhile, cube your tofu or slice your protein.  The chicken or beef you stashed in the freezer with now be easier to slice thinly.

Once the cream is thick and hilly, add your curry paste, stirring until well incorporated.  If you’re measuring paste from a large tub, remember that the more paste you add, the oilier and spicier your curry will be.  Continue to simmer the mixture for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The longer you simmer, the spicier you’ll curry will be.
In the meantime, wash and prepare your vegetables.  Keep them separate for now as mushrooms and bamboo need to cook longer than peppers and zucchini.

Now add your protein and stir gently.  Throw in the Keffir leaves.  Add a pinch of sea salt.  Simmer until cooked, or about 2-5 minutes.

Pour in the reserved coconut milk, then add 2 cans worth of broth or stock.  Stir and raise heat to bring pot back to a simmer.

Once pot is bubbling again, add your veggies.  Bamboo shoots can go in whenever, they don’t get mushy.  Mushrooms will go in first.  Make sure you stir them often to encourage them to sink.  Peppers and zucchini will go in once mushrooms are almost completely tender.  Simmer until just cooked, as they will continue to cook in the hot curry until you eat them.

Now it’s time to taste.  First should be spicy, then salty, then sweet.  Add fish sauce or soy sauce and sugar as desired, a small amount at a time.  Sweetness mellows spice, saltiness counteracts sweetness.  Knowing this, you can craft the perfect curry.  If you will serve the curry with rice make it a shade saltier than you normally would.

If you’d like an extra kick, add extra chili now, traditionally fresh for green or roasted for red.
Simmer for a few more minutes to set the flavors.  At the end, add a dash of black pepper.

Turn off the flame.  Add the handful of Thai basil leaves and stir until wilted.  Serve immediately with Thai jasmine rice, or cool quickly to be reheated and served later.  Cooling can be accomplished by pouring into several shallow containers, or with an ice paddle if you have one.

The biggest sporting event of the year is taking place this Sunday- Super Bowl 48! The Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos are getting ready for a heated competition in freezing New Jersey at the brand new MetLife Stadium, and with the way these two teams fought their way through the playoffs, this is sure to be one incredible match-up! But not only do we have the game to look forward to- we have all the delicious game day treats to enjoy! Here are some of our favorite vegetarian Super Bowl friendly recipes that will help fuel an amazing day of football and fun!

Butternut Squash Queso Nachos

1 butternut squash, peel cut off and chopped into bite size pieces

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped finely

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce, plus one chipotle pepper, seeded (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo)

1 cup vegetable stock

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 ½ cups whole milk

1 bag of tortilla chips

1 can of spicy vegetarian refried beans

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small can or jar of pickled jalapeño slices

1 jar of salsa, or 2 tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch of cilantro, chopped

5 scallions, chopped

2 limes, cut into wedges

1 avocado, sliced into wedges and drizzled with some lime juice

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the squash with the olive oil and some salt and pepper and lay out on a sheet pan. Roast until cooked through and golden, around 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a pot over medium heat and sauté the carrot, onion, and garlic in some olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cumin and coriander. Cook until the onions and carrots are tender, 12 minutes, then transfer to a food processor. Add the adobo sauce, chipotle pepper, and squash, then use the vegetable stock to puree the mix in the food processor until it is very smooth.

Reheat the pot on the stove and melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, allow the mix to cook for a minute and a half, then whisk in the milk. Season with salt and pepper, then add the nutmeg. Stir in the squash and veggie puree.

Turn on the broiler. Heat up the refried beans with ¼- 1/3 a cup of water. Arrange the chips in a casserole dish and add spoonfuls of the refried beans all around the chips. Sprinkle with the black beans, then pour the queso on top. Place the casserole in the broiler for a few minutes until the edges brown. Top with the cilantro, jalapeños, salsa, scallions, avocado, and lime wedges.

Fudgy Football Brownies

1 lb unsalted butter

1 lb plus 12 ounces of dark chocolate chips

6 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3 tablespoons instant coffee granules

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

2 and ¼ cups sugar

1 and ¼ cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

Pinch of salt

Chocolate frosting

White decorative frosting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Grease a 12×18 baking sheet with butter, then sprinkle with flour.

Melt the butter, 1 lb of the chocolate chips, and the chocolate in a medium bowl over a small pot barely filled with water that’s been brought to a boil. Allow the mix to cool for a minute or two. Carefully mix together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and let the mix to come to room temperature.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture when it has cooled off. Toss the remaining 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a bowl, then add to the batter. Pour into the baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes. Tap the baking sheet against the oven to allow some air to escape from the pan, then bake for another 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow to cool thoroughly. Using a football shaped cookie cutter (or, we used an oval ramekin!), cut the brownies into footballs. Top with the chocolate frosting, then use the white decorative frosting to make a football.

There are a lot of advantages to cooking at home. It’s cost effective. You control what goes in your food, so you can add and omit and add things for your health needs and flavor desires. So then why don’t people cook at home more often? The excuse used most often is that people simply don’t have enough time! Here are some of our favorite vegetarian recipes to prepare in a flash. All of these recipes will take you about 15 to 30 minutes to cook up, and use quick and easy cooking techniques you can apply to future recipes to breeze right through them!

Grilled Tofu and Soba

1 12 ounce pack of soba noodles

1 16 ounce patty of extra firm tofu, dried off

¾ cup + 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 cup of Asian greens, like mizuna, tatsoi, shiso, or red chard

4 cloves of garlic, grated or chopped

3 shallots, diced

3 jalapenos, seeds and stems removed, sliced

1 bunch of cilantro, picked

Juice of ½ a lime

1 teaspoon of honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the soba noodles according to package directions. Toss the warm noodles in a bowl with a tiny bit of olive oil and stir in the greens to wilt them.

Heat up an outdoor grill or grill pan. Cut tofu into equal slabs, then drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place on the grill. Cook, flipping once, until browned.

Combine garlic, shallots, jalapenos, cilantro, honey, and lime juice to a food processor. Pulse a few times to start breaking down everything, then keep it one while gradually drizzling in the ¾ cup of olive oil. Process until well combined.

Add the dressing to the bowl with the soba and combine. Serve the noodles in bowls with the grilled tofu on top, drizzled with a bit of extra dressing on top.

Vegetable Gumbo

3 tablespoons grape seed oil

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 medium big yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped,

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon of vegan/vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon gumbo file powder

1 large bunch of kale

2 cups vegetable broth

1 10 ounce package frozen black eyed peas

Your favorite rice, as an accompaniment

Heat the grape seed oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add the flour, mix together well, and let the mixture cook in the pan for a few minutes, until it starts to develop a dark golden color.

Add the onion, pepper, celery, garlic, and 3 tablespoons of water to the pot. Reduce the heat, cover, and cook down for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Worcestershire sauce and cook another minutes, then deglaze with vegetable broth, using a wooden spoon to get all the dark delicious stuff from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, add the greens and black eyed-peas, and cover. Reduce heat back to a simmer, cover, and cook for another 15 minutes, stirring ever few minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve over rice.

The slow cooker is an underappreciated, but fantastic kitchen tool. Just load it up with your favorite ingredients, turn it on, and let it work its magic while you go on about your day. A few hours later, you have a delicious, flavorful, healthy, and tenderly cooked dinner, all with an easy clean-up. It does all the work for you, but your food tastes like you’ve been slaving over it for hours! It’s also great in winter for making your favorite hearty soups and stews to warm up with. You can find a slow cooker pretty easily, and at a great price too. No need to worry about burning or overcooking something; the easily adjusted heat levels on the slower cooker takes all the guesswork out.. It really is the miracle kitchen tool! Here are some of our favorite vegan slow cooker recipes to try out.

Chana Masala

1 cup dried chickpeas/garbanzo beans

2 ½ cups water

½ teaspoon turmeric

1 red onion, chopped

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

3 tomatoes

1inch knob of ginger, peeled

2 jalapeños, sliced

1 teaspoon garam masala

1 lime

1 bunch of scallions, chopped

Big handful of cilantro, chopped

Place the chickpeas, water, salt, and turmeric in slow cooker. Cook on high setting with the lid on for 4 hours. Puree the tomatoes, ginger, and jalapeños in a blender, and mix into the chickpeas in the slower cooker,  along with the onion, olive oil, cumin, and coriander, and cook for another 2 hours.

Stir in the garam masala, allow to sit on 15 minutes on off. Squeeze in the juice of the lime and garnish with the cilantro and scallions.

Butternut Squash Coconut Chili

1 onion, chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 medium apples, peeled and diced

2 cups of butternut squash, peeled and diced

4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or grated

1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cap of coconut milk

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

2 cups vegetable broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

salt and pepper, to taste

1 bunch of chives, chopped

Place all the ingredients except the chives and the salt and cook on low for 7 hours. Take the lid off and cook for an additional 45 minutes. Garnish with chives and serve.

Last week on our blog, we gave some basic nutrition guidelines and tips to help you get healthy and achieve your New Years resolution. This week, we are here to help you start on your way to eating better with some delicious and nutritious vegan friendly dinners. These dishes are so warm and comforting, you won’t even feel like you’re eating healthy!

Spicy Vegan Sloppy Joes

1 pound of Cremini mushrooms, halved

1 large yellow onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

1 red bell pepper, diced, seeds removed

1/3 cup chopped almonds

1/4 teaspoon of chili powder

1 chipotle in adobo, finely chopped

1 tablespoon of the chipotle in-adobo sauce

1 cup of tomato sauce

1 teaspoon of honey

Salt and pepper, to taste

Add the mushrooms to a food processor and pulse in batches until they are finely chopped. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat, then heat up the oil. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, chipotle pepper, and chipotle in adobo sauce. Cook until the onions and peppers soften, around 5 minutes. Then add the mushrooms, almonds, and and chili powder and cook until the mushrooms get crispy and cooked through. Add the tomato sauce and honey. Bring to a bubble, then lower to a simmer for 6-7 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. Season and serve.

Serve on top of whole grain or Paleo buns with pickled jalapeno or a cabbage slaw (sliced cabbage, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper)

Lumberjack Soup

7 ½ cups of chopped rutabaga

1 ½ cups chopped celery

2 cups of chopped Cremini mushrooms

6 cups of chopped carrots

3 cloves of garlic, sliced

2 cups of chickpeas

1 cup Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon of olive oil

¼ cup of vegetable stock

5 cups baby kale, washed and dried

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 ½ tablespoons chopped parsley

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lay out the chickpeas on a baking sheet and roast in the oven at 350 for 20 minutes, until they’re fully cooked.

Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker, minus the kale. Bring to a simmer and keep the slow cooker on low for 5 and a half hours, until all the veggies are soft and cooked through. Add the kale and then cook for an additional 30 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with parsley and serve with grilled Paleo bread.

Happy New Year! What’s your New Years resolution this year? If it’s to lose weight, you’re not alone- it has been the most common resolution in America for over a decade!

Now that you’ve made it your resolution, you’re probably wondering- where do I begin? There’s tons of information on the Internet about dieting and nutrition, and much of the research done out there in recent years has created a very different “food pyramid” from the one we remember from grade school.

You may have talked to a dietician at some point, or read some articles online about nutrtion out there, and the most common thing you’ll hear from any expert is that sustainable weight loss can only happen from a true change of your food lifestyle, not just from following a specific diet for a few weeks until you reach a certain weight.

The first step in changing this lifestyle is to be honest with yourself about what you put in your body. Think about everything you’ve eaten for the week. Was it all the healthiest choices you could’ve made? You don’t need to feel guilty about what you’ve eaten in the past. Nor should you think that embracing a healthy lifestyle means depriving yourself of some your favorite less nutritious treats. It’s about making better choices when you eat, finding healthier alternatives, having things in moderation, and letting yourself indulge, just doing it a lot less often. Will it require some more time, effort, and commitment than the diet you’ve been eating in the past? Yes, especially at first as you adjust to your new lifestyle. But as soon as you see the results, the time and effort become worth it. Not to mention how much your overall health will improve with living the healthy lifestyle; proper nutrition and exercise has even been proven to cure some serious illnesses, like Type II diabetes.

So for the first blog entry of the year, we have put together a guide to help you make these healthier eating choices, and some other tips to make the transition to a healthier you in 2014 easier and even more fulfilling.

• Having too much sugar is having the most detrimental affect on your health.
  • Sugar comes in many forms, from the white crystals poured into coffee and desserts, to what’s produced when white flour pasta passes through your digestive system. Starches turn into sugar in your body. Even some your favorite fruit and its juices are loaded with tons of sugar.
  • Avoid: anything with refined sugar in it and/or white flour in it, and Also, avoid fruit juice, and only consume high sugar fruits like bananas, grapes, pineapple, and oranges, cherries, mangos, and any dried fruits, including raisins and dried figs, in moderation. Omit any starchy vegetables, like corn and potatoes, or those with a naturally higher sugar content, like beets and carrots.
  • Craving something sweet? Go for low sugar fruit options, like papaya, guava, and cantaloupe. Your best option it to go for berries, which are not only low in sugar, but high in antioxidants and other healthy stuff.
  • There’s really no such thing as a good sweetener, but if you need to put something sweet in your coffee, go for a natural alternative sweetener, like whole leaf stevia extract. Artificial sweeteners like Splenda and Equal won’t spike your blood sugar like regular sugar, but are filled with nasty chemicals. Honey and other non-sugar sweeteners, like molasses and agave, are only a little bit better for you than table sugar and may not raise your blood sugar quite as much, but usually have much more calories than its counterparts. All sweeteners should be avoided if possible, but a pack or two of Stevia in your coffee is perfectly ok.
• Not all fat is bad for you. There is such a thing as bad fats and good fats and good fats can actually help you in your quest to keep healthy and lose weight.
  • Good fats: avocado, olives, olive oil, fatty fishes like wild salmon, trout, mackerel, and catfish, and nuts and seeds like cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. These should still be eaten in moderation
  • Bad fats: red meat cuts with high fat contents, poultry skin, full fat dairy products, lard, and coconut oil.
• Protein + veggies are an unbeatable nutrition combination
  • A foolproof way to make a great meal is to have a healthy sized portion of a lean protein and some vegetables, either raw, steamed, or roasted lightly in a little bit of olive oil.
  • The best kinds of proteins are lean proteins like light meal poultry (dark is ok once in awhile, but it is a bit higher in fat than its light counterpart), all seafood, pork tenderloin, lowfat yogurt, beans, soy, eggs, and lean cuts of beef. Other proteins tend to be higher in fat and should only be eaten in moderation.
  • Vegetables are pretty much the best food out there for you: very low in carbohydrates and very high in nutrients. Just make sure you avoid the starchy and high sugar vegetables discussed before, and that you avoid preparing them with ingredients that have a high bad fat content.
• The dairy debate
  • In terms of weight loss, most dairy is high in bad fat, and also contains some sugar. But you can enjoy low or non-fat dairy products in moderation, and it won’t hinder weight loss.
  • However, more and more studies in recent years have been verifying the connection between acne with diary and sugar products. So if you’re someone who experiences acne, you may want to consider avoiding dairy.
• The grain predicament
  • Any grain made with white flour, like bread, pasta, and flour tortillas, as well as white rices, are very starchy and should rarely be eaten.
  • Whole grains, like brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat bread, and whole wheat bread, contain significantly less starches than white ones, but still have enough to be considered something that should be consumed in moderation.
  • Gluten-free products are often made with potato and corn, which are higher in starches. Your best bet here is to use a gluten free brown rice or tapioca product.
• Always check your food labels!
  • You’d be surprised what’s in your food, so you MUST check ALL of your food labels, including the ingredients. Example: there are some brands of soups and stocks that add sugar to their vegetable, chicken, and beef stocks.
  • Sugar and sodium are the ingredients most often to be found snuck into food. The best way to avoid added sugar? Makes sure it says unsweetened, then check the ingredients to make sure it doesn’t have sugar in it under it’s many pseudonyms. Here’s a great article from the Huffington Post that explains this in more details and provides a great list of “sugars” to avoid.
  • Foods labeled “low” and “no-fat” are usually loaded with sugar and artificial ingredients, so be sure to get the whole picture of the real nutrition of the product before you buy it.
• Limit your alcohol intake
  • It’s sad but true: alcohol is high in sugar.
  • Some alcohols have less sugar than others. Beer is made with grains and sugar is what helps those grains ferment into beer (and what helps it carbonate in the end), so it’s the worst on the list. Wine being made from fruit makes it a little better, but grapes are naturally high in sugar, and sugar is also the product of the fermentation process in wine, so it’s still pretty high sugar to be something that’s consumed often.
• • Your best bet is go with something distilled, rather than fermented, like vodka, whiskey, or gin, but these are all made from starches, so they should still only be enjoyed in moderation. And don’t mix it with anything except for some seltzer, since fruit juices and sodas will raise the sugar content even more.

Following these basic guidelines will help you on your way to changing your lifestyle over to a healthy one; if you stick to them, only good things will happen, not just to your waistline, but in your overall wellbeing as well.  Healthy is often associated as not being as delicious but there are so many recipe resources out there that will help you eat the right foods and not the bad ones. Next week, we’ll help you get started with some of those tasty recipes and prove that healthy food can be even more appetizing!

Beef Shank and Cabbage Stew

  The media is full of buzz about the Paleo diet, the latest of a long line of “fad” diets to get mainstream coverage in recent years. But a lot of the hype out there doesn’t give an accurate description of what exactly the Paleo diet is, what it aims to accomplish, and why this is a healthier way to eat. Sure, you’ll lose weight if you start eating the Paleo way; but it’s not the cure all weight loss plan everyone is seeking, nor does it claim to be, like diets have touted before. It’s about eating whole ingredients that help the body do what it does naturally, better.

To start off the Paleo discussion, let’s talk about the name Paleo. Also nicknamed the “Caveman” diet, the name comes from the Paleolithic era, implying that the diet adheres to what our prehistoric ancestors ate during that period. This is not exactly historically accurate, but what it’s saying is that the diet is embracing a past era of eating, a time before man and machine began change what nature gave us, a time when grains were not ground into flour, when cows fed on their natural diet of grass, and when sugar wasn’t being processed out of it’s cane into the tiny white crystals we see today. It’s this notion that sets up the guidelines for the Paleo diet and also what the Paleo diet truly aims to do: ridding oneself of all foods that are processed, chemically altered, and hard to digest.

So then what can and can’t be eaten on the Paleo diet? Any kind of meat or game is ok, as long as it’s grass-fed. Chicken and other poultry, as well as eggs, are good, as long as everything is produced without antibiotics on pasture-raised farms. Seafood is good too, as long as its produced sustainability and without any chemical additives (such as the food coloring that’s often added to farmed salmon to turn its flesh pink). Grains, soy, legumes, dairy, gluten, and refined sugar are off limits. Eat vegetables abundantly, but none that are high in starch, such as white potatoes (sweet potatoes are ok) and corn. Fruit with lower sugar content, such as berries, are allowed in moderation. Fruits with a higher sugar content, like bananas, are ok once in a while. A small amount of nuts and seeds are acceptable as snacks.

Date, Shallot, and Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Butternut Squash and Baby Spinach

That’s a lot of food to stop eating! So why omit all of those things from your diet? It’s actually pretty simple: our bodies don’t do a very good job of digesting the things on that list. Grains, sugar, gluten, legumes, soy, dairy, and starches are just naturally hard for the body to digest, and then as they become processed and chemicals are added, it becomes even more difficult. So your body needs to work extra hard to pass these types of food through your system, wreaking havoc not only on your digestive system, but the rest of your body as well by taking focus away form the remaining bodily functions. By removing these things from your diet, your body will start to function better because it won’t have to put extra effort into digesting your food.

Banana Crumb Muffins

This may sound fantastic, and going Paleo may not only help you lose you weight, but it can help relieve digestive symptoms, lower blood sugar levels, raise energy, and boost your mental alertness. But the Paleo diet has some drawbacks that are important to note. Many of the foods eaten on a regular basis on the Paleo diet can raise your cholesterol levels, so if you are someone who needs to keep an eye on that, you will need to eat more vegetables and lean proteins and less red meat and eggs than the diet allows. Also, many restaurants lack dishes that are completely Paleo, so the diet requires a lot of at home cooking, which can be expensive and time consuming. The diet requires a lot more effort than a lot of healthy lifestyle diets out there.

Even if you’re not sold on the Paleo diet, there is an important lesson to be learned from it: we need to be more careful of what food we put into our bodies. Meat, poultry, and seafood sold to grocery stores are sourced from large scale farming operations, which are large factory like businesses that need to gain a profit. Cows are fed a diet of grain because it’s cheaper than letting them eat grass. Poultry is kept in tiny cages with not much space, and are fed antibiotics so they won’t catch diseases from each other because they’re in such a confined space. Fish is farmed often in unnatural habitats, which cause them to lose their natural nutrients, texture, flavor, and color, so fish purveyors often spruce up their appearance to sell them.  You are what eat, so if you are consuming meats fed a poor diet, you eating their poor diet as well.

Also, as you’ve heard many times before, sugar is very, very bad for you, and is much to blame for the obesity and diabetes epidemic in America, and should be avoided as much as possible. Knowing this, many companies have tried to release artificial sweeteners made from chemicals that won’t affect your blood sugar the same way as regular sugar, but this really just replacing one bad thing that shouldn’t be consumed for another. There are all natural, unrefined sweeteners out there that alleviate this problem, like Stevia, maple syrup, coconut sugar, and honey. All sugars should be still consumed in moderation; if it’s sweet, your body will recognize it as sweet regardless of it what is. But these natural sweeteners won’t raise your blood sugar through the roof, or put unnecessary chemicals in your body. Sugar is disguised under different names with artificially processed ingredients and added to foods that you wouldn’t expect, like adding sugar to vegetable stock or evaporated cane juice to tomato soup. You are what you eat, and you don’t want to be fed extra chemicals or extra sugar.

Blueberry Carrot Cake Parfait

This article is just a very short, bare bones summary of the Paleo diet and the science behind it. There are so many wonderful places on the Internet that can provide more information about the Paleo lifestyle, along with great products and recipes that make the diet easier to follow, and will help silence your desire for some of your favorite foods by providing healthier alternatives. For example, look at the pictures throughout this article: entrees and desserts alike, they were all made with 100% Paleo ingredients. Below are some links to our favorite Paleo websites, where you’ll find lots of great Paleo resources, including the recipes to the dishes featured in the article.

http://robbwolf.com/what-is-the-paleo-diet/

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/

http://nomnompaleo.com/

http://paleomg.com/

http://www.whole9life.com/

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and we here at Austin Veggie Chef know how difficult it can be to be a vegetarian on a day that’s devoted to turkey. The great thing about fall produce is that can make a completely meatless meal feel like a hearty, Turkey Day feast, minus the turkey. Here are some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes featuring your favorite fall veggies!

Cornbread Stuffing

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh sage, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped

1 teaspoon fresh parsley, chopped

4 cups cornbread, cut into cubes

½ cup vegetable stock

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 420 degrees.

Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat. Add the oil or butter, and then add the celery and onion. Sweat for 3 minutes until translucent. Meanwhile, mix the bread and the chopped herbs together in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Pour in the onions and celery from the pan and stir together. Add vegetable stock a little bit at a time until all of the bread has absorbed some liquid. Pour into a small casserole or baking dish and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and serve.

Butternut Squash Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound small penne rigate or cavatappi

4 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1 inch squares

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter (or olive oil)

2 shallots, chopped

4 cloves of garlic, chopped or grated

3 tablespoons of flour

2 ½ cups of milk

3 cups of sharp cheddar cheese

½ cup of vegetable stock

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

¼ teaspoon clove

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Bring a pot of water to boil, add salt and cook the paste until very al dente.

Toss the squash in some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 25 minutes, until the edges have browned. Lower the oven to 375. Once the squash has cooled for a few minutes, add half of it to a food processor along with the vegetable stock and puree together, and reserve the rest.

Melt the butter in a saucepot over medium heat. Whisk the flour, then allow it to cook for 90 seconds. Add shallots and garlic and let them soften for 3 minutes, then whisk in the milk. Bring the mixture to boil, then lower to simmer and let cook it for a few minutes until its thick enough to stick to a spoon. Whisk the squash puree into the milk mixture.

Stir in most of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Once the cheese has melted, add the pasta and combine. Mix in the rest of the squash, then top with cheese. Add to a large, greased casserole dish and bake in the oven until the cheese on top has completely melted.

The season of fall is the season of chili. After all, what do we think of when we think of chili? Tailgating at a football game on a chilly autumn afternoon, warming up with a delicious bowl of chili! Here in Texas, there is a very strong opinion on what’s a “true” chili and what isn’t. But one of the great things about chili is that it can be altered in so many ways to fit a variety of dietary needs! Vegetarian or vegan? There’s a chili for that. Trying to watch your sugar intake? There’s a chili for that! Here are some of our favorite chili recipes to get you warmed up for the remainder of the chilly chili season!

Veggie Chili

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 jalapeno, chopped (for extra heat, include seeds and ribs. For less heat, leave them out.)

4 cloves of garlic, chopped or grated

2 chipotle in adobo peppers chopped, plus 1 teaspoon of the chipotle in adobo sauce

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes (use entire can, including liquid)

1 ½ 15 oz cans of red kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can black beans, drained

4 cups of water

1 teaspoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano (substitute regular oregano if you can’t find Mexican)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil

salt and black pepper, to taste

Garnishes: green onion, cheddar jack cheese, sour cream, avocado, cilantro.

Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add onion, celery, carrot, and the bell and jalapeno peppers to the pot. Cook for 8 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook another 4 or 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened. Add the chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomatoes, water, black pepper, oregano, cumin, and chili powder. Stir together, bring to a boil and then lower heat and allow to simmer for 45 minutes. Add beans and cook for another 45 minutes. Add salt to taste. Garnish to your liking and serve.

Low Sugar Paleo Friendly Chili

1 pound of grass-fed ground beef

12 baby bella or 4 portabella mushrooms, halved and cut into thick slices (portabella) or quartered (baby bella)

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped or grated

2 jalapeno peppers, chopped (leave the seeds and ribs for more spice, remove them for less)

2 28 ounce cans of diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

Cayenne pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil, coconut oil, or ghee

Salt and pepper, to taste

Garnishes: Avocado, chives, green onions

Put your slow cooker on high. Add the two cans of tomatoes, with their juices, to the slow cooker.

Heat up a large pot separately. Once hot, add your cooking fat. Allow the fat to heat up for a minute, then add the ground beef. Cook the ground beef, breaking it up into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Cook for about 5 or 6 minutes, or until you see very little pink left. Then add the onion, mushrooms, peppers, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne. Let the vegetables soften for 4 or 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Cook for another 3 minutes. Add the meat and veggies to the tomatoes to the slow cooker. Once the mixture comes to simmer, switch the power to low on your slow cooker and let it simmer, covered, for 8 hours. Garnish and enjoy!

Lately, the media has been talking a lot about GMOS, or genetically modified organisms. But what are they exactly? How do they affect people? What foods are impacted? Austin Veggie Chef is here to answer some of the questions you may have!

Genetically Modified Organisms, often shortened to GMOs, are living things whose genes have been altered so that they can be more effectively produced. For example, many plants and vegetables have had their genes changed to be able to resist bugs or pesticides, while some species of fish have had their genes altered so that they can be farmed.

There are some crops that have almost all been genetically modified. 93% of the soy crops in the United States and 90% of corn crops are comprised of genetically modified specimens. Canola seeds, cotton, sugar beets, greens like tatsoi, chard, and mizuna, flax, wheat, and rice also have large percentages of genetically modified plantations. These crops are called high risk, meaning there is a big chance that the ingredient you are eating from that list has been genetically altered.

Another important thing to note about these high-risk plants is that because they are often used as ingredients in various other foods, it can cause other foods to be affected. Examples of this are molasses, amino acids, many flavorings, xanthan gum, which are all made from ingredients that are often genetically modified. It can also affect animals and thus animal products, as many of them eat feed that contains these genetically modified ingredients.

So why does this matter? How are they harmful? Well, the answer is pretty complicated, and lots of experts out there have a several on how bad they are and how exactly they can affect you. But in a nutshell, anything that involves tampering with genetics can have negative consequences. Even with science as far advanced as it is, genes are unpredictable.

Look at humans, for example. We can look at a family’s genetic make up and maybe get an idea of what our children may look like, but it is impossible to predict exactly how genes will end up expressed in our offspring. The same goes for plants and animals.

The same goes for other animals and plants. Scientists alter the genes in hopes of creating a better plant or animal, but genes can mutate and turn them toxic and cause food allergies. Most of this genetic work is not regulated, which makes it difficult for food sellers to know if what they are getting has been genetically modified, and, if it was, whether that genetic modification was completed successfully and will not be harmful.

However, as the issue of GMOs gains national attention, more is being done to educate consumers about them and how to take preventative measures against eating genetically modified ingredients. Many wholesale and retail food sources are now labeling foods known to not have GMO ingredients, and are making a conscious to not include them in their food. Whole Foods Market is one great example of this, even going so far to let people know in their stores that the rotisserie chicken they about to eat was made with canola oil that does not contain GMO canola seed.

It is very difficult to avoid eating GMO foods, since they are so prevalent in many staple crops and ingredients here in the United States.  But the best way to do so is to educate yourself.  For more information, check out the Non-GMO Project website. They have a listing of products, restaurants, and markets that are devoted to using as many non-GMO products as possible. When shopping, look on the label for their Non-GMO certified products. If in doubt, try to avoid the high-risk crops mentioned above.

As we learn more and more about GMOs, the food community is heeding the advice of scientists and trying to weed out GMOs from the country’s food sources. Soon enough, the United States will be free of GMOs, saving the health of its people and its land, much because of the fantastic work the Non-GMO Project has done.

Source: The Non-GMO Project