Give Them Something Better

Author: Stephanie Howard

Blue Zone Living–How to grow older without getting “old”

This is Ellsworth Wareham he is 95 years old and lives in a beautiful home in the mountains of San Bernardino Valley He needed an 8-foot-high wooden fence to border the steep edge of his property. A local contractor quoted a price of $5,000 to build the fence.He did a little math and realized he could buy the materials from a local hardware store and do it himself for just $2,000.

He had the money and he was more than 90 years old but he decided to build it himself…Why? How? And for that matter why and how does he still perform heart surgery at his age?
His story is truly amazing. Did he just get good genes or does he eat some special berry that keeps him fit and active at 95 years old? I think we need to find out!
Dan Buettner author of the National Geographic Study “Secrets of Longevity” and New York Times best-seller “Blue Zones,” has spent years learning what makes people live longer healthier and happier lives. He found four areas where people live the longest and he has dubbed them the “Blue Zones”.
I am part of that Blue Zone culture who has been promoting healthy, plant-based diet for more than 150 years. I made the change myself 15 years ago from a standard American diet to a healthy, whole-foods, plant-based diet and love to help others make that life changing decision to eat healthy and give their own families something better

Buettner, Dan. The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who’ve Lived the Longest. National Geographic Society, 2008.

March 11, 2011
Meatless Monday – Quick and Easy Minestrone Recipe
Meatless Monday! The perfect meatless soup for a very cold, but almost spring day!

Quick and Easy Minestrone Soup
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cans (15 ounces) beans, rinsed and drained (kidney, great northern, garbanzo, etc.)
- 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3/4 cup small pasta (shells, macaroni, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes, Italian or regular, undrained
1. Stir together broth, beans, vegetables, onion, pasta, and basil in a large saucepan
2. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until pasta is tender
3. 3. Stir in tomatoes and heat through.
  Makes 10 servings.
If you are out of vegetable broth, make your own using 1 tablespoon of Chicken Style Seasoning per cup of water. My favorite is from Vegetarian Express.

This recipe is also featured on Tasty Tuesday and Real Food Wednesday!
March 7, 2011
Meatless Monday–Taco Burger Recipe

It’s Taco Tuesday!

Taco Burger Crumbles

“Beef up” your tacos with a healthy homemade burger crumble full of fiber and all kinds of good stuff. If you don’t have time to make your own, you can always buy vegetarian burger at the store!
2 cups bulgur wheat
2 cans (15 ounces) tomatoes, with juice
1 cup walnuts or sunflower seeds
1 small onion, chopped
½ cup Taco Seasoning (recipe below) or commercial taco seasoning
4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons salt

1. Preheat oven to 275°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place bulgur wheat in a medium saucepan.
3. Combine remaining ingredients in a blender; blend until smooth and pour over bulgur. Place an additional ½ cup water in the blender; puree briefly to rinse out, and pour over Bulgar mixture. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer and cook 20 minutes, stirring often.
4. Spread mixture evenly on prepared baking sheet; bake 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally, being careful not to overcook. Remove from oven while still a little moist.

Makes 7 1/2 cups.

NOW & LATER: This homemade taco burger freezes well! Make extra and keep it in your freezer for a quick meal. It’s great in chili.
CHANGE IT UP: Burger Crumbles: Leave out the taco seasoning and you have a great plain burger crumble to use in spaghetti sauce or Sloppy Joes.
SHORTCUT: Use vegetarian ground beef crumbles and commercial taco seasoning. Follow instructions on taco seasoning packet, using half of the water.

February 28, 2011
Have you ever eaten Brussels sprouts?

I am ashamed to say that I had never tried them… our food stylist loves them and while we were at the studio taking pictures for the cookbook she made us a batch. They were so simple to make. She simply cut them in half and drizzled with a little olive oil and salt. Then she roasted them in the oven until they started to caramelize. Soooo good.
Although it was a grueling 5 days of cooking every recipe be in the book, we had a great time shooting the pictures. Working with Laura Goble our food stylist and the KP Photo the photography studio was so much fun and they did such a nice job. I wanted to show you a few pictures that I took at the studio. .

This is Laura the stylist and Craig the photographer.

Here is a great behind the scenes shot of our lemon pie.

This is just one small portion of their prop room where we had to decide what plate we wanted to use for each recipe.

February 17, 2011
Meal Planning

I just learned about Menu Plan Monday from I’m and Organizing Junkie and LOVE the idea! Our new cookbook is centered around meal planning. Especially for a plant-based diet. I have met a lot of people who are ready to make the change but are worried about good nutrition. It is isn’t hard, we like to say “Eat the Rainbow” if you eat a variety of plant-based WHOLE foods you will automatically get good nutrition!
One thing we like to do with our menu planning is to plan ahead and make recipes do double duty. this is how we do it….

Monday

Breakfast: Granola Parfait
Main Meal: Split Pea soup & “chicken” salad sandwich
Plan Ahead: Make extra soy curls for BBQ “chicken” on Friday
planning for leftovers tomorrow check to see what you have if you need to make extra soup.

Tuesday

Breakfast: oatmeal
Main Meal: smorgasbord
Plan Ahead: Make Garlic Spread x2 for Wednesday & Saturday

Wednesday

Breakfast: Cereal
Main Meal: Pasta Primavera, Spinach Salad and Garlic Bread
Plan Ahead: Make extra Alfredo Sauce and cut extra Cauliflower, broccoli and carrots for Saturday.

Thursday

Breakfast: Cereal
Main Meal: Bean and Rice Chimichanga with guilt free guacamole and lettuce, tomato and salsa.
Plan Ahead: Make Refried Beans and Spanish Rice x2 and freeze for Fajitas next week.

Friday

Breakfast: Pancakes (with homemade mix) and fruit sauce
Main Meal: BBQ “Chicken” and coleslaw.
Plan Ahead: Prepare Pasta Bar for Saturday. Make Basil Pesto x2 and freeze half. Use leftover Vanilla Pudding from Monday to make Banana Pudding.

Saturday

Cook Pasta, warm sauces and vegetables and relax
It takes a little more work to do it this way but it sure pays off in the end! My “Chicken” sandwich items are not really chicken if you are interested in some of our favorite substitutes make a comment we would be happy to help!

February 14, 2011
Vegan Vanilla Pudding Parfait
Berries say LOVE, especially this time of year when they cost more than chocolate and maybe even gold! But it is worth it to have that touch of spring after the long hard winter we have had. For our Valentine Breakfast we want to celebrate spring with granola parfaits. All of the special people in my family love this breakfast treat.
I simply make a delicious vanilla pudding or use soy yogurt layered with granola and berries. Here is my recipe for pudding, it comes out perfectly every time.
A super easy, extra special that will show your family that you love them on Valentines day!
Vegan Breakfast Parfait

Yield: 8

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

A fantastic vegan vanilla puding layered into the perfect vegan breakfast parfait.

Ingredients

4 cups nondairy milk

2/3 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients, except vanilla, in a medium saucepan. Stir well to eliminate lumps.
Heat over medium until mixture comes to a boil and thickens, stirring constantly.
Stir in vanilla. Cover and chill.
Before serving, blend mixture in a food processor for a smooth and creamy pudding.

Notes

TIP: Maple syrup can be very expensive so, if you don’t want to use maple syrup, use a different sweetener and add 1/2 teaspoon maple flavoring.
© Stephanie Howard

Cuisine: American / Category: Breakfast
February 13, 2011