We’ve been getting to know Bindu Grandhi, author of Spice Up Your Life this week. We’ll conclude our introduction of The Flex Cook with a video of Bindu preparing one of her flavourful, healthy Flexitarian recipes. One that I’ve tried and love!

In December’s  Spice Up Your Health Nut’s Life cookbook review, I reported how much me and my family were enjoying Bindu’s first cookbook – where the meat minimalist meets spices! At the time we had tried 7 recipes and loved almost every one of them.

Seasoned Kale was one of my favourites – why not try it out for yourself? Here’s The Flex Cook in action so you can follow along as she prepares her scrumptious Seasoned Kale (6:39 min):

Want more videos of The Flex Cook cooking her Flexitarian recipes? Subscribe to her YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/theflexcook

By the way, for those of you who are wondering, we’ve tried and loved these recipes, too:

• Tofu Topping on Crackers
• Spiced Carrot and Sweet Onion
• Pasta with Spiced Cashew and Almond Sauce
• Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Curry

Have you tried any recipes from Spice Up Your Life? Stay tuned next week as Bindu has graciously offered to giveaway 2 of her cookbooks!  And if you’ve tried a Spice Up Your Life recipe, let us know what you thought in a comment below.

Although the sun is setting later these days in Canada (yay!), it’s still very chilly. Soups are a great way to warm up, get your recommended vegetable intake and fill your belly with a low-calorie, high-nutrient meal.

Thanks to the rice and variety of veggies, this soup is uber hearty. It’s also simple enough to throw together when you’re short on time; just make sure to cook your brown rice ahead of time.

And since it’s short on spice but just flavourful enough with a few herbs, it’s guaranteed to please those who have sensitive palettes!

Steph’s Tasty Garden Veggie & Rice Soup

Makes: a whole pot-full.

Get ready to freeze!

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups brown rice, cooked
• 6.5 cups broth, veggie or chicken
• 1.5 cups filtered water
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 zucchini, quartered and chopped
• 1/2 small green cabbage, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped
• 1 tsp each dried thyme, marjoram, rosemary
• sea salt and pepper, to taste.

Preparation

1. Place broth in pot (with fitted lid) and bring to a boil.
2. Add veggies and herbs.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Add cooked brown rice.
5. Bring soup to a boil again, then reduce heat and let simmer, covered for another 10 minutes.
6. Season soup with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.
7. Enjoy!

Some say the ancestors of the Mayans were from Atlantis. This ancient civilization sunk into the sea almost 13,000 years ago, the last time the Earth experienced a shift like the one predicted to occur around 2012. If you’re preparing for 2012, print this recipe out and put it with your dried lentils!

The movie 2012 was incredible! This post and recipe is in honour of a being alive at this fascinating time in history and for the sensational work of Roland Emmerich. I’m excited to see what the future will bring and will be preparing in fun, little ways.

Like stocking up in dried legumes (which last forever) and experimenting with healthy recipes:

Atlantian Lentil Soup: 2012 Special

Ingredients

1 cup dried lentils, soaked overnight and rinsed
2 tbsp olive oil
3 large carrots, chopped
1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 inch ginger, peeled and chopped
2  (19 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
6 cups veggie broth
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp tomato paste

Preparation

Read the rest of this entry

»

This post was inspired by reader, Emmanuel Lopez, who suggested that healthy bread spreads might be a good way to complete The Perfect Way to Start Your Morning. Breakfast jump starts your metabolism and has been tooted the most important meal of the day, as discussed on Eat a Big Breakfast & Lose Weight.

So if you’re tired of smoothies but want something as simple and (almost) as nutritious, here are a few healthy spreads to try on plain, healthy bread or toast:

1. Pure maple butter. This spread is thick, sweet and full of maply-goodness. Plus, you get all the health benefits of maple syrup: a good source of manganese and zinc, an anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and immune booster – not to mention it’s heart and prostate healthy!
2. Almond nut butter. I love President’s Choice Just Almonds – they have crunchy and smooth at a very reasonable price (compared to other nut butters on the market). It’s a good source of Vitamin E and protein. For a complete meal idea, slice some bananas on top!
3. Other nut butters. Besides typical peanut butter, there’s nut butters made from hazelnuts, cashews, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. Try all of them! Canada’s Nuts to You Nut Butter Inc. even brings nuts together in nut-imony (ha ha) : almond & cashew, almond & hazelnut, macadamia & cashew, peanut & hazelnut. As in the above tip, add some suitable fresh fruit or organic jams to round out the meal. Read the rest of this entry

   »

Cream of Wheat is an under-appreciated and often neglected breakfast option. It’s relatively quick for a healthy, warm breakfast meal, and it’s extremely versatile. With just a little experimentation, you can take something very plain and turn it into pizazz and glitter!

Here’s the tasty breaky I whipped up earlier this week:

Prune Morning Porridge

Serves: 3
Total time: 5 minutes
Dishes: 1 pot, 1 chopping board, 1 knife, 1 stir spoon

Ingredients

Read the rest of this entry

»

This past week we’ve been talking about sprouts, what makes them healthy and how to sprout at home. I’ve just harvested some tasty sunflower sprouts (which I’ve never tried before last night), and fell in love with these earthy, crispy, subtly sunflower seedy tasting sprouts. Dying to try them in a recipe, and since it’s still wintery cold up here in Canada, I tried them in this very warm and `sunny’ stir-fry.

Inspired by a Brown Rice with Lentil and Sesame Seeds recipe found in The Vital You’s Ultimate Holistic Cookbook, here’s my very bright version:

Steph’s Sunshine Stir-fry

Read the rest of this entry

»

This recipe was inspired by a good friend of mine (Happy Birthday, Denise!) and Jackie Yurko’s Warming Chickpea Stew. This very impressive, robust and lip-smacking stew is absolutely perfect for a cold winter’s day.

Smokey Chickpea Stew

Ingredients:

Read the rest of this entry

»

Crockpots are probably one of man’s greatest inventions. It’s the tool that turns fabulous dinner creations into rice krispies squares: scrumptious delights that are super easy to make with practically no cleanup.

Add chili, which is best served slowcooked, and you got a miracle meal!

Here’s the recipe for the  (not too spicy) jackpot chili I cooked up last weekend, which was such a hit this week that I ended up trading lunches with a colleague!

Steph’s No Fail Veggie Chili Crockpot Recipe

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 8 hours
Serves: 8

Ingredients

Read the rest of this entry

»

Holiday meals are generally pretty healthy, considering they are usually fresh and home-cooked with lots of love. Most of the excess calories come from overeating and all the fixings: gravy, stuffing, potatoes, fatty ham, and of course, the yummy desserts!

Since overindulging is ok once in awhile, your special holiday meal is the perfect time to do so. But maybe we can help reduce some of the damage by choosing healthy alternatives to the more traditional holiday fare? This post might give you a few ideas to try this holiday season, or inspire your own creative healthy alternatives!

The Protein Main

For vegetarians: while there are some to-die-for veggie lasagnas and veggie casseroles out there, they are usually high in carbs (the pasta) and loaded with fatty cheeses. Try this recipe from my Naturopathic Doc (ND): Read the rest of this entry

»

Here is another excellent `Local, Seasonal and Organic Food’ article from our Local Food Guru, Denise Lambert. Enjoy!

It’s nearly winter, and the only local food available right now is hothouse apples, brussels sprouts and carrots.

And nothing is better on a cold day than a big bowl of thick, creamy soup. Steph’s note: except maybe hot chocolate… stay tuned for an upcoming yummy, spicy hot chocolate recipe!

So, I thought I would share my secret to perfect creamy soup without using any cream! (And it’s easy to freeze.)

Since carrots are seasonal, I’ll use carrots as the example.

Denise’s yummy foolproof and almost fat free Ginger Carrot Soup

BASE INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon of Olive Oil
2 chopped Onions
Half a head of Garlic (or to taste)
Chicken or Vegetable Stock (enough to cover ingredients, 4 cups or so)
2 Apples
1 Potato

FLAVOUR
Fresh Ginger. This is also to taste. I use a root half the size of my hand.
4 cups chopped Carrots (or frozen works too)

TIP
Read the rest of this entry

»