Reluctantly Vegan

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Vegan Breakfast - Steel Cut Oats!

Snowy Superbowl Sunday! A perfect day for hot steel cut oats, also called porridge and coffee. Here's everything you need:

1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups Silk Almond Milk (I like vanilla)
2 cups water
1 cup raisins or chopped dates
2 TBS Pumpkin Spice

Bring it to a boil then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Stir, cover and let it cool for 10 minutes. Makes 2 bowls.

I added a handful of dried cherries and also put a little maple syrup in my coffee with a sprinkle of pumpkin spice. Maple syrup is good on oatmeal too if you like it sweet

Now that's a breakfast!

I like to double the recipe and keep it covered in the fridge. It re-heats nicely in the microwave on high for 2 to 3 minutes.

Protect your heart. Its up to you!

13 Months A Vegan. Lettuce Wrap...sort of.

February 1, 2015 marks the end of the 13th month that I've been totally plant based or Vegan. That happens to be my lucky number. I was born in Detroit, area code 313, at 10:13 weighing 7 lbs 13 oz with a home address of 13740. Needless to say, I had high hopes for this month and was not disappointed.

At lunch time today, I looked around and found the leftover stewed veggies that I made last night and these HUGE collard green leaves. My friend Joel mentioned 2 days ago that raw collard greens are really good to use as a wrap and here I was with a bunch of them staring at me! Last time I cooked them like a cabbage roll so I figured I might as well give it a try, right?

So here's what I put in the stewed veggies:

baby spinach, kale, fresh cilantro, carrots, celery, an onion, a sweet red pepper, chopped dates, garlic, white pepper, paprika, fresh tomatoes, snap peas, portobello mushrooms and stir cooked them in 4 cups of water with 2 cups of the vegetable broth I saved from the stewed veggies I made the other night. Again I strained the veggies and saved the broth.

Then I took one cup of quinoa, 1/2 tsp cumin and 2 cups of water, brought it to a boil, reduced the heat to simmer for 15 minutes covered and set it aside to cool.

Equal parts of quinoa and veggies were mashed together. Take the washed collard green, cut off the hard stalks and spread them out flat on the counter. Use enough of the mixture to cover half a leaf; about the size of a hamburger. I used spicy mustard and jalapeno peppers to give it some zing and then rolled them up. Add some fresh berries or other fruit and presto! Lunch!

No knife required. Its gluten free and nut free so no excuses! Very good end to my 13th plant based month! Here's to the next 13!

Super Bowl Sunday! What can I make for snacks? I'll have to get back to you on that.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Picture! Me with Dr. Joel Kahn, Vegan Cardiologist!!!

Joel Kahn, M.D. and Me on 1/29/2015!

Thats me, down 27% of my body weight since the same time last year with my friend, Dr. Joel Kahn the vegan cardiologist who inspired me to become totally plant based. Joel is not my doctor, but I started reading his posts over a year ago. It made a lot of sense to make the change now rather than wait for things to start going wrong later. He's holding some food I made for him, but he's really nice even if you don't feed him.
He is a best selling author (The Whole Heart Solution), writes for Readers Digest, The Huffington Post, Tweets, Blogs, lectures, teaches at the Medical School and posts on Facebook. He's hard to miss!
Click here or cut and paste the link to learn more about him. See if a plant based lifestyle makes sense to you:
http://www.drjoelkahn.com/2013/dr-joel-kahn/

It can make a dramatic difference in your life.
Works for me!!!

Me in January 2014

Soul Food! Vegan Stuffed Collard Greens with Dried Cherries

Vegan Stuffed Collard Greens

Vegan Stuffed Collards with Sriracha and Dried Cherries

Last night my wife, Shelley, and I attended a Plant Based Nutrition Support Group Meeting (www.pbnsg.org) featuring Dr. Esselstyn and his family. In addition to all the great science, we were challenged to try a variety of green leafy vegetables.

Shelley surprised me after work with a whole counter loaded with colorful veggies!

I immediately washed my hands, picked out baby spinach, kale, parsley, carrots, celery, leeks, a sweet red pepper, garlic, half a habanero pepper, white pepper, paprika, fresh tomatoes, snap peas, soy and teriyaki sauce and a potato all chopped and boiled in a large pot with 12 cups of water. I let it simmer for an hour until half the water was reduced. The cooked veggies where strained thoroughly and the liquid was kept as soup stock for another day.
I cooked 1 cup of brown rice in 2 cups of water with a tsp of cumin letting it simmer covered 45 minutes and left it covered for an additional 20 minutes.
I wilted some large collard leaves in boiling water and layed them flat.
I mashed the cooked veggies and rice together until it clumped like a hamburger patty then wrapped some up in the wilted collard green. I wrapped the rolled leaves in wet paper towel and microwaved them for 3 minutes. I let them cool and topped them with sriracha sauce and dried cherries. The sweetness of the cherries delightfully compliments the heat of the peppers.
It was a lot of work but so worth it.
Hopefully, you'll try it and let me know how it came out!

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

Hospital Food Will Put You There!

I'm on staff at several hospitals which require quarterly attendance at early morning meetings . Its a chance to catch up on what's been going on, earn a Continuing Medical Education credit hour and have a little time to relax with the Hospital's Residents. Breakfast is always included.

Today's choices:

Scrambled eggs, Sausage links, Hash browns, Bacon.

HELLO? Where's the fruit? Usually there's a big fruit salad or at least some apples, oranges and bananas. This is a big Hospital on the brink of merging with 2 bigger hospitals. You would think they would have put some thought into the wellness of their own staff!

I complained to whomever would listen and sat down grumbling over a dry blueberry bagel and black coffee. By the way, blueberry bagels do not contain egg, so it wasn't a total loss.

I watched my colleagues chow down enthusiastically on their full plates as we half listened to a lecture on skin cancer, and they quietly discussed their own personal challenges with weight problems, cholesterol and heart disease.

Last night, I attended a lecture by Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D. and his family at our local Plant Based Nutrition Support Group (www.pbnsg.org). Check out the web site. Great source of information and recipes under the "Food" tab. Dr. Esselstyn, of the Cleveland Clinic, lectured on halting and reversing heart disease and diabetes simply by adhering to a plant based diet and eating no oil.

If you ever get a chance to attend one of his lectures, do it! His plan is based on good, solid science and large studies supporting him. His down to earth style is compelling and persuasive. I didn't need to be persuaded; I'm already reaping the benefits!

Next lecture I'm going to attend will have Joel Kahn, M.D., author of The Whole Heart Solution who got me started and continues to support and inspire me.

Hope to see you there!!!

My 34 inch waist!

Friday, January 23, 2015

Baked Falafel Plated for Dinner

I'm my own worst critic and needed to make my vegan dinner look pretty for blogging. I took my baked falafel, sliced it and plated it over lettuce with sliced tomatoes seasoned with rosemary and red wine vinegar. Its very filling and delicious!
Now its pretty too!