Curried Hummus – No Added Fat

Today has been a little busier than normal for me because I lost over two hours on the computer watching a webcast on toxic hunger on Dr. Fuhrman live. It was interesting. I watched it to get an idea of the webcasts because he has a member’s only webcast on cancer prevention and survival coming up on Thursday. I think I am going to join the member’s center for 6 weeks to see that webcast and get a chance to look around the site. After I have had a chance to thoroughly check it out I will let you know if it is worth the investment (it isn’t cheap).

While I was watching the webcast I had some garbanzos cooking on the stove. We have been out of hummus for weeks and I was missing it. It is one of my favorite salad toppings, that and salsa. Today I added some Indian seasonings because I wanted to include turmeric for its antioxidant and anticancer properties. Here is what I made today:

Curried Hummus – No Added Fat
Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

2 cup garbanzo beans (dried), cooked until very tender, beans only but cooking liquid reserved
1 lemon, zested and juiced
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 teaspoons hot crushed peppers (or substitute jalapeno, cayenne, or crushed red pepper)
1 tablespoon no salt seasoning (I used the Costco brand)
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
as much bean cooking liquid as you need to achieve the texture you like
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

Directions:

Combine the ingredients in your food processor or blender. I have a large 14 cup food processor and it all fits in one batch if you have a smaller processor you may need to make this in two batches.

Process until the ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add bean cooking liquid a ladle at a time until you achieve the texture you like. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your tastes. The final texture will be smoother if you use the beans when they are still hot.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 131.41
Calories From Fat (15%) - 20.09

Total Fat - 2.42g
Saturated Fat - 0.24g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 14.34mg
Potassium - 337.91mg
Total Carbohydrates - 22.39g
Fiber - 6.67g
Sugar - 3.69g
Protein - 6.94g

Comments:

I imagine you are asking yourself, what does this taste like? Well it is a little hard to describe but it reminds me of curried garbanzos that I would typically have over rice. The Indian spices are not assertive but they are noticeable. The predominate flavor is a tie between the hot crushed pepper and/or lemon. If you like both of those you will like this hummus.

I added the turmeric for it health promoting properties. Since reading that it causes cancer to commit suicide I have been adding turmeric where ever I could. Adding the turmeric was what prompted me to make this an Indian inspired hummus.

Do you need another version of hummus? I suppose that depends on how often you eat hummus. Since I tend to make a batch of hummus twice a month I need many options.

I have been making no fat added hummus for a quite a while now so we are used to the texture of it. But if you still add oil and/or tahini to your hummus I suggest you try to stick to the tahini since it is a more healthful fat. However once you get used to hummus without fat it becomes your new normal.

Unrelated note:

True confession time, I have not been the best wife over the last couple of weeks. We have been eating so many salads for dinner that my husband has been buying his lunch almost every day. I have been making him trail mix and making a big bottle of fresh juice every morning. But after doing that and making breakfast I have not had time to make lunch too. That was one reason I decided to make some cooked food today. That is easy to put in a lunch bag with a side salad. Thankfully my hubby has a couple of good healthy options very close to his office downtown. But I have been feeling a bit guilty for not making him lunch. Sorry sweetie!

I have an experiment planned for dinner tonight. Since this is entirely new and there is no recipe I have no idea if it will turn out or not, but I hope it does. I don’t want to give up too much info yet in case my hubby is reading the blog because I want him to be surprised. ;-) We need a little mystery after more than 2 decades together. Whether it turns out of not I will let you all know what I am trying and what I learn from my experiment.

I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday. I will talk to you again soon.

Happy Thursday - One Day Until a Long Weekend!

The good thing about today is that it is almost the weekend. I need a long weekend something fierce. This week has not been one of the best. But it is almost over and that is a very good thing. I am ready for some fun and relaxation. For those of you that listened to me whine today a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart! You have no idea how much you helped me not have a mini breakdown. Thankfully I bounce back quickly. ;-)

The weather the last few days was uncomfortable to say the least. I am not fond of heat and today it has 90 plus degrees and not very pleasant. The air conditioning is still cranking at our house. Early today I would have loved to hit the pavement to get out my frustration but the weather was not right for it. Heather suggested kickboxing and that was a brilliant idea! Sometimes kick and punching is just what you need to get your frustrations and stress out. I felt so much better once I was finished. If you haven’t tried kickboxing I highly recommend it. What a wonderful stress reliever it is.

Memorial Day:

Memorial Day isn’t a holiday where we tend to do anything special. At our place it does mean the official start of summer. For us that translates into more cold and raw food. Shorts and sandals become the uniform of choice. My hair will normally be a in a high pony tail, like it was 30 years ago when I was a cheerleader, though there are some grey hairs now that I didn’t have then. Both Dan and I move a little slower in the summer though we are also outside much more often soaking up the UVB and vitamin D (post to come on that).

Speaking of outside I may see if Dan feels like going for a nice long bike ride this weekend. We haven’t done that yet this year. A bike ride and a picnic sound like a great idea. What do you have planned for this long weekend? Something good I hope.

Eat to Live:

I know that some of you are doing or have tried to do “Eat to Live” (hereafter E2L) because I get a lot of great email and comments about it. Any of you that have been reading for a while know I love Dr. Fuhrman and “Eat to Live.” I love the nutritional aspect of the plan but it also is good if you want to drop a few pounds. I decided I should write a little about our experience so that you would know what to expect. We went from omni to E2L so it was probably a bigger change for us than most of you will probably experience. I read the book in a few hours and we went vegan with the next meal. What I like about the plan is that is science based. The doctor does a great job of footnoting his sources and you can go on line to read the studies if you wish. I did this for many of the studies he cited. Yes I am that much of a nutrition geek, LOL. If any of you like science I recommend the book for that aspect alone.

The question I get most often is how hard was it? Well if you think a root canal is a party this plan is for you. ;-) The first couple of weeks I was miserable, not unhappy but downright miserable. I stomped around complaining that I would rather die than eat like this. A little dramatic, you think? Sadly this is exactly what happened. I cheated and ate more starch and added a little oil and convinced myself that I was following the plan. Yeah, okay if you say so Alicia. But I just couldn’t commit 100% immediately. Twenty three days after we started Dan was scheduled for a blood draw for a visit to his internist. He and the doc had been watching his cholesterol and there was talk of prescribing a statin drug.

Neither Dan nor I like to take meds. We don’t like to take a Tylenol when we get a headache unless absolutely necessary. This is where the magic in the story happens. Dan’s cholesterol went from 280 to 165 in a matter of 23 days and we weren’t as diligent as we should have been. My reaction was to be overjoyed. This is when I knew we were on to something. Additionally my blood pressure went from 120/80 to 95/55 in just a few months. The physical results were amazing. Even today the seasonal allergies I struggled with each spring for more than 20 years are gone, vanished. I used to “have to” take pseudoephedrine every four hours all spring (don’t cringe Louis). If I didn’t take them, and I tried that approach, I lived with constant sinus headaches. I think we all know how debilitating those can be. I can’t tell you the last time I had a sinus pill. For me that was a miracle.

Now it was time to get serious and really commit to the 6 week plan (page 179 in my edition). Was it hard? Yep. I had no idea how to cook without oil, heck I am Italian. We think olive oil is good for anything that ails you. But I persisted and discovered that you can sauté in water and it works just fine. The biggest problem for me was what to cook. Initially I felt so limited in my choices. But the worst part was only one cup of grains and/or starchy veggies a day. What? Thankfully this was the initial program and it gets more relaxed after 6 weeks. Before I went through this I didn’t realize the point was to break the hold those less than optimally healthy foods had on my body. I had no idea that I was actually addicted to them. Sure they tasted good but addicted, that didn’t seem possible. Since then Dr. Kessler has written a great book called “The End of Overeating”which explains the addictions to sugar, fat and salt. However before that book addiction didn’t really seem like a physical possibility, at least I didn’t believe it. But I now believe the entire point of the strict 6 weeks is to break your addiction to those less than optimally healthy foods.

Once the 6 weeks is over the doctor has the 90 percent rule (page 185) that allows you to relax a little and live in the “real world”. This works if you have broken your addiction but can lead to trouble, even for me. I find it easier to keep our diet free of oil, dairy and meat than add them back at any level. Very rarely we will have something made with flour (whole wheat pasta, pita, pizza) but that is a treat and doesn’t happen often and is normally when we are out. Additionally it is nearly impossible to get food at a restaurant that doesn’t include oil. I have learned to relax and just go with the flow. I would prefer not to have it but most commercial kitchens (even when you know the chef …. you know who you are) can’t cope with a request for no oil. They look at you as though you just asked for their first born. I had to relax and realize that a little oil and flour every once in a while wasn’t going to kill us. My hubby would love me to relax a little more, but that isn’t going to happen. ;-) Those of you that know me know that I am not kidding.

It took us about a month to get comfortable with cooking and eating this way. Dan thinks it was harder on me since I make the food. I will honestly say that I no longer feel limited in my choices as I once did. I have no difficulty coming up with ideas for meals. If anything adhering to E2L has resulted in more creativity and choices, not less.

I hope that answers some of your questions.

Unrelated note:

I need to run and get into the kitchen and make dinner. I will be back later and let you know what we had. As usual I have not entirely decided yet. Nothing like planning, LOL.

E2L Spinach Salad with Fruit and Lime Vanilla Creamy Tofu Dressing

This is the salad we had tonight with our white bean stew. I wanted to make something similar to last night’s salad, because I enjoyed it so much, but I also wanted it to be different. I decided to use silken tofu as the base (eliminating the oil) and add the lime and vanilla for flavor. I think we were all surprised by how different the dressing was for the last version. The flavors were much more muted and subtle. I still like the combination of flavors. If I weren't eliminating added fats from my diet I think I prefer the dressing version from yesterday a little bit more. However this one is also good and does provide additional protein to the salad, which is an added benefit. Here is the recipe for the salad we had tonight.

E2L Spinach Salad with Fruit and Lime Vanilla Creamy Tofu Dressing
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

6.15 ounces firm organic silken tofu (1/2 package)
1 lime, zested and juiced
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
1 scoop stevia
2 apples, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
2 cups black seedless grapes, cut in half
1 tangerine, peeled and seeds removed
12 cups baby spinach
1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded
4 tablespoons almonds, sliced

Directions:

Combine the silken tofu, lime zest, lime juice, vanilla extract, salt and stevia and process until smooth. You may need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides to get all the dressing smooth.

Add the fruit (apples, grapes and tangerines) to the dressing and toss. Add the baby spinach and cabbage to the fruit and toss to cover the greens with the dressing.

Serve the salad with almonds sprinkled on top the salad.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 211.13
Calories From Fat (26%) - 54.64

Total Fat - 6.47g
Saturated Fat - 0.66g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 165.84mg
Potassium - 972.75mg
Total Carbohydrates - 35.67g
Fiber - 6.85g
Sugar - 23.12g
Protein - 8.76g

Comments:

This salad was cool and refreshing. Shredded cabbage adds nice crunchy texture as well as anthocyanins, red grapes add resveratrol, tangerine adds vitamin C, apples add polyphenols, and almonds add healthy fat. Overall this salad is healthy and tasty. Each serving of this salad contains approximately 8,725IU of vitamin A, 60mg of vitamin C, 160mg of calcium, 3.9mg of iron, 195mcg of folate, 450mcg of vitamin K, 160mg of phosphorus, and 122mg of magnesium. Not bad at all for a quick 10 minute salad.

I tried to get a comment out of the hubby regarding the salad and all he would say was “that it was very good” and “that I needed to make some bad food so that he can compare”. Husbands! Sometimes they can be so helpful. Not! He likes to frustrat me for entertainment, can you tell?

Unrelated note:

I don’t know what we are doing this evening at our house. Typically Saturdays are movie night at home, but since the hubby already has his ticket for Avatar tomorrow morning he may want to pass on the movie tonight. I guess will find out soon one way or another.

I hope you all have a great evening.

White Bean and Vegetable Stew with Red Wine Sauce

One of the recommendations in E2L is to eat beans multiple times per day. I find this to be an easy thing to do since I love beans of all types. However, I get bored eating the same exact recipe over and over again (which you may have guessed if you have been reading my blog for long).

Last night I was looking for a different way to make beans and came across an interesting recipe in “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” that I hadn’t made in years. The original version uses 6 tablespoons of butter (gasp), celery root and leeks, which most people don’t keep on hand. I modified the recipe to use ingredients more common ingredients and removed the fat. Here is what we had tonight for dinner along with another big green salad (recipe to follow).

White Bean and Vegetable Stew with Red Wine Sauce
“adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone”
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound Great Northern beans, picked through and soaked overnight
3 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
2 cloves garlic, peeled (allow to stand 10 minutes before adding to pot so allicin can develop)
2 large organic carrots, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
½ red onion, peeled and finely diced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon thyme, dried
1 cup good quality dry red wine (I used Amarone)
¼ cup fresh parsley, finely minced

Directions:

Cook the beans in plenty of water and remove the protein foam that forms on the top. When the beans stop foaming add the bay leaves, cloves and garlic in a cheesecloth bundle since you will be removing them. Cook until the beans are tender, about 45 minutes. The exact amount of time will depend on the age of your dried beans.

When the beans are tender add the carrot, celery, onion, salt, pepper and thyme and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. If the bean pot has a lot of liquid remaining you will want to remove some of it so the final dish won’t be too “soupy”.

Simmer the wine in a separate saucepan until it has reduced by half. This will cook off the majority of alcohol and concentrate the flavor. Add the wine to the beans and cook for at least 5 minutes so the flavors can marry.

Serve hot with fresh parsley on top. The flavor of the dish will be better the next day.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 393.54
Calories From Fat (3%) - 11.37

Total Fat - 1.36g
Saturated Fat - 0.39g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 364.55mg
Potassium - 1595.96mg
Total Carbohydrates - 65.93g
Fiber - 20.82g
Sugar - 5.03g
Protein - 21.08g

Comments:

How does this compare to the original version? Well, it has been more than a few years since I made the original recipe so I can’t exactly compare them. However, this version has a nice subtle flavor. I found it to be a nice warm and comforting meal tonight on this cold and windy evening. The next time I make this I will process some of the beans to thicken the stew.

Each serving of this soup contains approximately 7,250IU of vitamin A, 210mg of calcium, 6mg of iron, 470mcg of folate, 90mcg of vitamin K, 450mg of phosphorus, 190mg of magnesium and 12mcg of selenium. Quite a bit of nutrition for a bowl of comforting bean goodness I think.

Unrelated note:

The first day back on the 6-week plan of E2L was quite easy actually. I didn’t feel the slightest bit deprived and it was good to refocus on eating nothing but healthy whole food. The modifications I needed to make for the hubby were very simple.

One thing that I had not entirely anticipated is that I am going to need to feed the hubby an evening smoothie snack to make certain he gets enough calories. When you cut way back on the whole grains and fats there aren’t many calories consumed. I think for the coming few weeks I am going to be adding more in the way of seeds and nuts to Dan’s meals to keep his calories up.

E2L Spinach Salad

If you read both my blog and Rose’s you know that we have decided to do the 6 week “Eat to Live” (E2L) program together starting today. I find that doing the 6-week program periodically is a great way to refocus my eating on health and it also helps to reduce my cravings for less than healthy foods (sorry pasta I will miss you). I will be posting my recipes and telling you how I am modifying them for my hubby since his weight is perfect (lucky man).

Like most weekends we started late this morning with brunch at 11 am. I had leftover black-eyed peas from yesterday (no brown rice) and the hubby had the same thing with a double serving of rice. Then we had a quick spinach salad for the added nutrition. I included broccoli sprouts since they have been reported to be even healthier than eating full-grown broccoli. The only difference in the salad I had versus Dan was that I included a tablespoon raw sunflower seeds on his salad. Here is what I made this morning.

E2L Spinach Salad
Serves 2

Ingredients:

8 cups baby spinach
1 cup broccoli sprouts
¼ English cucumber, cut in half and thinly sliced
½ cup salsa
1 tablespoon of tofu sour cream, drizzled on top

Directions:

Place the spinach on the plate, top with sprouts, cucumber, salsa and finish with a nice drizzle of tofu sour cream.

I was able to make the tofu drizzle by keeping my tofu sour cream in a squeeze bottle in the refrigerator. The squeeze bottle has two purposes. First, it looks nicer drizzled on top of things. Second, I use less, which is an added benefit.

Nutritional Information:

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 65.43
Calories From Fat (12%) - 7.78

Total Fat - 0.91g
Saturated Fat - 0.13g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 497.77mg
Potassium - 921.74mg
Total Carbohydrates - 10.89g
Fiber - 4.88g
Sugar - 3.15g
Protein - 6.07g

Comments:

This salad has a huge amount of flavor from the salsa and tofu sour cream. It has nice textural variation and is packed with nutrition. Each serving of this salad contains approximately 11,500IU of vitamin A, 35mg of vitamin C, 145mg of calcium, 3.7mg of iron, 240mcg of folate, 590mcg of vitamin K, 95mcg of phosphorus, and 110mg of magnesium. Can you believe all that nutrition for less than 70 calories?

Not the most conventional brunch, I know. But it was tasty, filling and ridiculously healthy.

Unrelated note:

I soaked a pound of great northern beans overnight and have them simmering now. I will be modifying a recipe in Deborah Madison’s “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone” for tonight. We will be having a modified White Bean and Vegetable Stew in Red Wine Sauce as part of dinner tonight.

For now I am off to get a few things accomplished. I hope you all have a great day.