By Lisa, Whole Body Team Leader Edina

I confess, I love my Crock pot!  I’m always looking for new vegetarian slow cooking recipes and, over the last year, I started slow cooking beans from scratch.

Beans are a healthy staple, providing vitamins, minerals and nutrients, plus they are high in fiber.  They are low in all of the ingredients you want to minimize – fat, sugar and sodium.  Not only are they nutritious, but beans are also economical, especially if you use dry beans vs. canned.

On our current 28 Day Challenge, I have been batch cooking up a storm, and using my slow cooker has made it that much easier.  For those who are not aware, batch cooking is basically choosing one day a week to cook large quantities of a bean, a grain, a green vegetable and maybe a soup, dip or another main dish to use as a starting point for quick meals throughout the week.  For more information, check out our week 1 recap here.

Earlier this week I cooked up a 1 pound bag of our organic 365 Cannellini beans.  I rinsed and soaked the beans (about 2 ½ cups) overnight, then changed the water and put them on low in the morning when I left for work.

I came home about 8 hours later to 6 ¾ cups of perfectly cooked beans.  I portioned out 2 cups for the recipe I was using and froze the rest for later.

Check out this cost comparison – note that the organic bulk beans are the most economical.

Here is the basic method for you to try cooking beans at home:

Slow cooker beans

2 cups dried beans

Soak in water to cover by several inches.

Rinse and pick out over dried beans, discarding any shriveled or broken beans.  Put in crock container (if you have the removable insert) or in a bowl and add water to cover beans by several inches.  Soak 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Next, drain the beans and discard the soak water.  Put the beans in the crock, and add water to cover by 2 inches.  Cook on high for 4 hours or low 8 hours.  Taste to make sure they are done.  If not, recover and cook to taste.  Drain beans & serve.

Yield:  Approximately 6 cups.

A few other notes to consider:

• Beans will last about 1 week in the fridge and up to 6 months in the freezer.
• Red kidney beans have a toxin that is eliminated by cooking.  This toxin can cause unpleasant symptoms – namely, stomach distress.   After soaking, be sure to boil red kidney beans for 10 minutes on the stove before cooking to remove this compound.
• Do not add salt or sugar to beans when slow cooking, it can interfere with the cooking process.
• If you have older beans or are cooking at higher elevations your beans may take longer.

Consider slow cooking your beans for even more convenience!  Most beans still need soaking, but nothing beats the convenience of turning on the crockpot (rather than the stove top) and letting them simmer while you are away from the house.  As the warm weather hits, it is a perfect way to cook without heating up the kitchen.

Have a healthy day!

Lisa

Week Two’s theme was PlantStrong: Reconfigure Your Plate. If you’ve been paying attention even just a little bit, you should have a good understanding by now that the Health Starts Here 28 Day Challenge focuses heavily on getting you to Eat. More. Plants! Plants are rich in vitamins and minerals that are essential to your health and wellbeing, and the more variety we eat, they better we can feel.

Greens are some of the best options for plant nutrition because they are incredibly high in nutrient content, and very low in calories – or as we like to say, they have the highest nutrient density of any food.  And the darker the better, so mix it up and try some new varieties like kale, chard, collard greens and more.  Here are few suggestions:

• Arugula has a hearty, peppery flavor and delicate texture that mixes well with other greens and is great in salads and sandwiches.
• Collards have a mild flavor and go further by holding more of their volume than many other greens, but take a little longer to cook.
• Kale is available in several varieties and has a mild, cabbage-like flavor with a slight peppery zip. Its texture helps it retain volume after cooking.
• Swiss Chard has a hearty, likable flavor that works well in sandwiches, or mixed with other greens.
• Turnip Greens are slightly—yet agreeably—bitter and traditionally cooked at low temperature for a long time produce a silky texture.

Need a few tips on adding more greens into your diet?

• Make your own salad mix at the beginning of each week.  If you are new to greens, use a base of a more familiar green like romaine or spinach, but also mix in some baby kale, chopped collards, arugula or other choices.
• Add them to your smoothie. Spinach and kale are especially good for this – add a cup to your fruit smoothie, and though it may turn you drink green, the taste will blend very nicely with the fruit.
• If warming up some leftover soup for dinner, add a handful of greens to the bottom of your bowl and pour the soup on top. The heat of the soup will steam the greens and add a boost of nutrition to the bowl.
• Still having a hard time with raw kale?  Try massaging it with avocado like in this team member favorite recipe: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2721

As for the rest of your vegetables, spend a little time at the beginning of each week washing and chopping your veggies so they are ready to eat and cook with all week long. Wash and mix your lettuces, chop your broccoli, celery and carrots, even chop and freeze onions and peppers to use in recipes as needed. Peel and refrigerate some garlic, cut some lemon and lime wedges, prep a few single serve containers of salad blends to take to work – hopefully you get the idea.

Handouts:

If you missed a meetup, or misplaced your copy, you can find them here:

HSH Veggie Burger Handout

Week 2 Featured Recipes

For more resources, check out our Guide to Vegetables on our website. Scroll down the page for a great grid on Leafy Greens and start experimenting!

We also spent some time talking and demonstrating knife skills at our Week Two meetup.  A good knife, and some basic instruction, can save you some time in the kitchen. Hop over to YouTube and do a search for Basic Knife Skills for a slew of helpful how to videos.

Happy eating and see you next week!

We really hope you are all able to join us each week at one of our meetups.  There’s one at each store every week during the challenge, and you are welcome to attend at any of the stores as your schedule allows.  But we also know this can be a busy time of year, so we’ll be proving you with a short recap each week in case you weren’t able to join us, or missed a few of the key points.

This week’s theme was Batch Cooking 101.  One of the unique features of this challenge is the focus on batch cooking.  For some, batch cooking means spending an entire day in the kitchen to prepare meals for a month or more. In this case, we’re talking about an hour or two at the beginning of the week spent chopping veggies, cooking grains, and preparing a few recipes to save you time as the week goes on.

As we’ve worked with customers making healthy eating changes over the last 2 years, a common challenge seems to be finding time to cook.  Using this method can help you learn a new way of meal planning and preparation. If you aren’t following the recipes in the book we provided, we highly encourage you to do so, at least for a week, to experience how batch cooking works, and to then take what you learn and replicate it as you go forward.

So how does it work? Most weeks, a bean, a grain, a starchy vegetable, a soup and a sauce can be the base for you to make as many meals as you will need. By adding a few fresh veggies to the basics that are prepared you can easily vary meals. Black beans can become burritos for dinner, a topping for a green salad when mixed with peppers and avocado for lunch, and even part of a tofu breakfast scramble with sweet potatoes and onions. Some weeks you might be able to assemble a whole meal like lasagna or a casserole, and use that throughout the week as lunch.

Even when you prepare a complete recipe, you don’t have to feel as though you are eating the exact same meal every day.  As we look at the Week 1 menu, on Monday night, we prepare an easy chili recipe that we enjoy with cornbread muffins. On Tuesday, we wrap that chili with brown rice and veggies in a tortilla topped with salsa for a tasty burrito.  And then on Thursday evening, we enjoy a serving of that chili over a baked sweet potato with some steamed chard. Any additional servings left after those three meals can be frozen for quick meals down the road.

Speaking of freezing, here’s a quick tip for saving space in your freezer.  When freezing cooked beans, grains, soups, sauces and other dishes, fill a freezer bag with an individual serving, seal, label, and lay on a cookie sheet in your freezer.  Once frozen, you can store your nice flat package upright in the freezer making them easy to locate.  When reheating, simply cut the bag off the frozen item, then heat and enjoy.

Handouts:

At our meetups this week, we distributed a few handouts to help with your batch cooking. If you missed a meetup, or misplaced your copy, you can find them here:

Beans Flavor Chart

Guide to Cooking Beans

Guide to Cooking Grains

Featured Recipes Week 1

Bonus Resource:

Checkout our blog post on Mighty Bowls for more great ideas on using your batch cooked beans, grains and veggies to create a wide variety of tasty meals.

Don’t forget one of the best time saving tips of all – you can freeze cooked beans and grains so they are ready and on hand any time you need them.  Canned beans and frozen rice are nice time saving options you can purchase ready to go, but save even more money by making your own!

Good luck with the rest of Week 1. See you next week!

As you start your journey, we wanted to provide you with some extra resources for recipes and cooking tips to take advantage of during your challenge and beyond.  These are websites, blog and Facebook pages that will inspire you along the way, and hopefully introduce you to a whole new world of cooking.

www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthstartshere

• An online version of the 28 Day challenge (not identical to your book, but very close)
• Cooking videos. You’ll find the one on steam frying especially helpful.
• Guide to cooking grains
• Lots of Health Starts Here recipes. And much more

www.engine2diet.com

Website devoted to the Engine 2 Diet, based on the book by Rip Esselstyn. Recipes, forums, weekly meal plans. This program follows most of the same guidelines as our Health Starts Here program, but eliminates ALL animal products.

www.happyherbivore.com and www.fatfreevegan.com

Both sites feature low-fat, vegan recipes with lots of pictures.

www.happycow.net and www.vegguide.org

Resources for dining out that can help identify vegan and vegan-friendly restaurants. You can search by area, so this can also be useful if you are traveling during the challenge.

Facebook Pages:

Most of these pages are visible to the public, meaning you can see them even if you don’t have a Facebook account. Your interaction will be somewhat limited, but you can see recipes and links.

• Sarno Bros. Wicked Healthy Food
• Engine 2 Diet
• Forks Over Knives
• Whole Foods Market Healthy Eating’

Here are the links to our Whole Foods Market Facebook pages:

• St. Paul: www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketStPaul
• Minneapolis: www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsMarketLakeCalhoun
• Minnetonka: www.facebook.com/WFMMinnetonka
• Edina: www.facebook.com/WholeFoodsEdina

Store Blogs:

Archived articles from previous challenges, plus new posts along the way.

• St. Paul
• Minneapolis
• Minnetonka
• Edina – Coming soon. Check out one of our other store blogs in the meantime.

We’ll share plenty of additional resources as we go, but this should give you a good start.  And feel free to share a comment on this post if you’ve got some great suggestions to add.

Hello fellow 28 Day Challengers!

If you attended one of our orientations this week, you picked up a guide book and also heard us talk about the importance of mapping out your weekly meals to make healthy eating more accessible throughout the challenge.  For some of you, you may end up cooking from scratch a lot more than you’re used to, which means you’ll be grocery shopping a lot more too. Which leads me to a handy grocery list making tip: Utilize wholefoodsmarket.com‘s grocery list function!

Here’s a quick how to, using week 1′s suggested recipe plan as an example:

First thing’s first- Get registered.  You can do this by clicking the “log in” link at the top of our website’s welcome page.  Once you have an account, WFM.com will save recipes for you and and it will also turn recipe ingredient lists into grocery lists.

Next- Locate the online Health Starts Here 28 Day Challenge website and click on Week 1 Meal Plan on the left hand column. You’ll notice that the meal plan is ALMOST identical to the one in your book.  Also, most of the recipes are hyperlinked.

Click a Recipe- and Click the “Save to Shopping List” button.

Go through and click each recipe you need ingredients for.  When you click “Save to Shopping List” you have the option to unclick ingredients that you already have.

When you’re done, click “My Shopping List” at the top of the website.  The one down side of this function is that is doesn’t consolidate your list.  So, if there are multiple recipes you select that have onions in them, the onions will be listed multiple times.  This can still be a handy tool, but you do have to do a little bit of work when you print your list, seeking out those items that show up more than once.

Best of luck!

-Whole Foods Market

Tempeh is one of my favorite plant based proteins.  It has a wonderful nutty taste and chewy firm texture which make it appealing and adaptable to many dishes, including stir fry and adding “meatiness” to chili or stew.  It also is great crumbled and mixed with taco seasoning for a quick tempeh taco night.

What exactly is tempeh?  Tempeh (pronounced TEM-pay) is a traditional food made from fermenting soy and is often blended with rice or other grains.  Fermenting soy can convert minerals into a more absorbable form so the body gets more nutrients, possibly resulting in an even healthier overall product.  An additional benefit of fermented soy (other forms include miso, soy sauce and natto) is that it can be easier to digest which can be especially helpful for people with any digestive issues or difficulty absorbing protein.

Tempeh comes in the shape of a rectangular or square cake.  Note that you may see black spots on your tempeh.  These are nothing to worry about, as that is just a natural part of the fermentation.  You can find tempeh in our stores near the refrigerated tofu and other plant based proteins like seitan.

Another thing to know is that because of the fermentation process tempeh can be slightly bitter, although I haven’t always found that to be the case.  You can steam it for 10 minutes before doing other things with it to ensure getting rid of the bitter edge (however, when I’m in a hurry I’ll often sauté it in a little vegetable broth and it tastes just fine.)

I have recently been experimenting with marinating tempeh, which has produced delicious results!  I often keep the finished product in a covered container in the fridge to add to salads and other dishes during the week.  Here are two easy preparations to get you started.

Easy Tomato Basil Tempeh 

• 8 oz package organic tempeh
• 1/2 – 3/4 bottle of Health Starts Here Tomato Basil Dressing

Cut tempeh cake into cubes.   Steam for 10 minutes.  Place tempeh in dish, cover with Tomato Basil dressing and toss gently.  Marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.  After marinating, saute in pan with a little bit of vegetable broth (only to prevent sticking) for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently.  Serve immediately over salad greens, or in a whole wheat wrap with other fresh veggies as desired (avocado is delicious), or store in the fridge to use as desired.

Serves 2.

BBQ Tempeh

• 8 oz package organic tempeh
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 cup of BBQ Sauce (choose a brand free of refined sugar and low in sodium)

Cut tempeh cake into cubes.  Steam for 10 minutes.  Place tempeh in dish, along with onion and red bell pepper.  Cover with BBQ sauce and toss gently.  Marinate in the fridge for 4 hours or overnight.  Grill in a vegetable pan over medium heat until heated through, or bake in a covered dish at 350 for 30 minutes.  I particularly enjoy this with a generous serving of steamed collard greens or chard.

Serves 2-3.

Hello friends!

First off, I want to thank you for checking out this blog. Clearly in some way, shape, or form you are interested in making your body feel better. Whether you participating in our current 28 day challenge or not, the Whole Foods Market website and stores have an abundance of healthy eating education that is there for YOU, so definitely take advantage of it!

We recently held a meetup on the topic of oils, fats, oils, herbs, and more oils. I believe attempting to avoid oils is the toughest aspect of this challenge. Oils seem to be in everything and everywhere! Bread, pizza dough, tortillas, pasta dishes, dressings, you name it and it probably contains oil. Next thing you know our cars will depend on oil to function! (Oh, wait… I feel silly, I got a little excited in that last sentence, but on that note, I better check my car oil) Here is the beautiful light to cast upon our shadowy oil dilemma: Nature. Good ol’ Mother Nature. She gives us so many ways to flavor up our foods naturally that it’s almost overwhelming to choose between all of her delicious creations. Here are a few ways we kicked up the flavor and nutritional profile of a simple quinoa dish (sans the oil) at our most recent 28 day challenge class. It’s a quick, easy, and fun activity to do, so make sure to involve the whole family when experimenting with new food adventures!

Deliciousness required:

• Organic quinoa (buy in bulk)
• Organic veggies (carrots, broccoli, red kale)
• Fresh organic avocado
• Dates (buy in bulk, deglet noor is pitted, medjool need pits removed at home)
• Organic coconut milk (365 canned brand tastes great)
• Braggs Liquid Aminos (small spray bottle is convenient)
• Organic dried herbs (any kind will do based on your taste preference. I used curry, parsley and onion flakes)

FYI: I bought all these ingredients (moderate amounts and almost all organic) at Whole Foods for just over $20, so not only is this activity healthy, it’s a great value!

Step 1: Cook quinoa (I steam because it’s easy and I don’t have to stir and watch over it, which allows me time to prepare other ingredients while the quinoa cooks.)

Use 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa.

Step 2: Prepare your pastes.

• Avocado paste: Cut in half, remove seed, and spoon insides into small mixing bowl. Stir to create a paste-like texture. Add fresh lime juice to brighten flavor. [bonus tip: if you aren’t serving or using all of your paste right away, leave the pit in the bowl with the paste to slow the browning process]
• Date paste: Put dates in blender. Fill water to slightly cover dates. Blend well.
• Coconut milk: Open can and mix in the fat that has settled at the top.

Step 3: Prepare your veggies.

Cut up and steam carrots and broccoli. (Use any veggies, it just gives this simple dish some texture and an extra boost of goodness from additional minerals and vitamins.)

Remove kale leaves from stem. Dice up into small pieces. (Again, it gives the dish extra phytochemicals, plus it looks oh so pretty!)

Step 4: Create your masterpieces! AKA Play with your food!

Put quinoa in several small bowls to use as base for each different tasting. Put pastes, veggies, and herbs in small serving bowls.

Now start playing! Mix and match different flavor combinations with the different pastes, veggies and herbs you have prepared. Place on top of your quinoa and mix thoroughly. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Quinoa with avocado paste, onion flakes, parsley, lime juice, carrots, broccoli, and kale makes for a savory tasting green dish.
• Quinoa with liquid aminos, curry, carrots, and onion flakes creates a dish that satisfies if looking for a salty, Indian flavored dish.
• Quinoa with date paste. Try it by itself, it’s sensationally sweet!
• Quinoa with coconut milk, carrots, broccoli, kale, and parsley for garnish. The fat gives the dish a hearty, tropical flavor (add exotic mango pieces for the real deal!).

Step 5: Repeat, repeat, repeat

• Not only have you now experienced some new flavor combinations, you’ve also discovered the secret to quick meals on the fly using what are hopefully staple pantry items for you now.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Coconut milk is full of fat, should I use it?

It’s true that coconut milk is 94% saturated fat, but it’s made of short and medium chain fatty acids, unlike animal meat, which primarily consists of long chain fatty acids. The difference is that your body will not plan on storing saturated fat from coconut because it can use it for energy far more efficiently than a long chain fatty acid from meat sources. Plus, you are getting vitamin C, calcium, iron, and fiber when using coconut in a more natural, whole form. Lastly, coconuts are rich in lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid that has antimicrobial properties and increases your HDL’s (the ‘good’ cholesterol).  All that being said, we encourage you to use it sparingly, especially if weight loss is one of your goals.

What’s the big deal about using avocados? I heard they were really fatty.

Again, true, but avocados contain monounsaturated fat. This means there is a break in the hydrogen and carbon atom chain, thus not ‘saturating’ the fatty acid chain, making it easier for the body to use as energy.

Picture two small tree branches, one that is sturdy and straight with no breaks or bends and one that is broken in the middle, yet still hanging intact on the tree. If you need a stick for, let’s say, roasting carrots at a bonfire (I could have said marshmallows, but come on… let’s think healthy!) you go to the tree where both branches previously mentioned are hanging. To get the straighter, unbroken stick off the tree, you’ll have to twist it, bend it, snap it, and probably use quite a bit of effort to get it down because it was so intact. On the other hand, to get the already broken branch down, just a slight pull should do, and it will require much less effort and very little energy. This is the essence of saturated versus unsaturated fats in your body.  It takes far more energy to break down saturated, unbroken fatty acids. Yet like a stick with a bend or break in it, unsaturated fatty acids require much less energy for your body to break down and use. In the end, your body doesn’t need to work as hard and you can go spend the excess energy you have on everything else you do in a day!

Plus, avocados are loaded with delicious awesomeness like vitamins B, C, E, K, folate, potassium, magnesium, and lutein. Trust me, that’s a great thing!

Are oils bad for you? You make them seem like the root of all evil.

In a short answer, not necessarily, but here’s a further explanation. To extract oil and make it available for consumers, first the seeds or nuts are cleaned, ground (and in some cases, heated), pressed, and then the oil is extracted.  Many oils are then distilled, bleached, deodorized, heated and distilled again to further refine the oil. These processes destroy many beneficial minerals and vitamins along the way, leaving you with just the fats in the end! Sometimes such high heat is used that the molecular structure of the fats will be changed, creating trans fats and unrecognizable chemicals within your body.

This is just a quick overview to familiarize you with the general refinement process. Some oils (like those available at Whole Foods Market) are cold pressed which doesn’t destroy as many vitamins and minerals.  However, there are still 9 calories per 1 gram of fat, so consuming oil is a very easy way to consume large amounts of calories in little servings. I just look at the big picture – we obtain many more micronutrients and phytochemicals when consuming whole foods ultimately giving our body the opportunity to balance and heal itself.

In conclusion, we don’t need oils to flavor up our dishes and keep veggies from sticking to our pans while sautéing (vegetable broth or water works wonders). If I can flavor up my foods with whole, unprocessed, plant strong sources that are nutrient dense, I’m all in (thank you Whole Foods for Health Starts Here items!). Our bodies have trillions of cells and are constantly trying to repair themselves. If we simply give our body a chance to heal itself, we will be happier, more focused, and more productive. That’s not just a prediction – it’s a beautiful fact of life!

So until next time, enjoy becoming an artist of your plate, paint it with as many different colored foods as possible and use natural sources to kick up the flavor even more!

Have a wonderful day and happy eating!

Here are just a few of the tips we discussed this week:

• Practice your water sautéing (steam frying) techniques for optimum flavor. Here’s a collection of great how-to video that will walk you thru the process: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthstartshere/cookingmethods.php
• If you only use plain water to sauté your food, you are missing out on a flavor opportunity. Try coconut water, wine, beer, veggie stock, fruit juice, veggie juice (carrot or tomato) or pretty much whatever you may be sipping on yourself while cooking.
• Roasting and Toasting can do wonders for flavor. If using seeds, nuts or grains in a recipe, dry toasting them in a sauté pan can bring out a different flavor profile. Just remember to keep your food moving to avoid burning. Likewise, oven roasting veggies – either on their own or tossed in balsamic vinegar, fruit juice, wine, HSH salad dressing, or some other flavorful liquid – can add lots of flavor.  And since grilling season seems to have arrived early, don’t forget to toss your veggies on the grill when it’s fired up and use in recipes all week long.
• Opt for fresh herbs over dried whenever you have the chance.
• Visit our bulk herb section to try new seasoning options, or to keep a fresh supply of your favorites. And they are much less expensive than the stuff in jars.

Earlier this year, we had the fortune of welcoming Chef Chad Sarno from our global office to our stores for customer classes and team member training. Chad is one of our Health Starts Here experts and develops many of the recipes we use in the store. While here, he shared with us a few sure-fire seasoning ideas that are perfect for your Engine 2 plan.  More recipes from Chad are included in a previous blog post if you want to find more ideas.

Enjoy!

Wicked Good Spice and Seed Blend

• ½ c sesame seeds, dry toasted
• ½ c sunflower seeds, dry toasted
• ½ c golden flax meal
• ½ c nutritional yeast
• 2 Tbs onion granules
• ½ Tbs chipotle spice
• 1 Tbs garlic granules
• Black Pepper

Toss all and put in a shaker to store

Roasted Garlic and/or shallots (use to make Garlic and Shallot Buttah, below)

• 1 cup of peeled garlic cloves
• 2 cups water, or 1 c low sodium veggie stock and 1 cup water (make sure the liquid just covers the garlic)

Preheat oven to 376 degrees. In a small shallow pan, place garlic and make sure there is enough liquid to just cover the garlic. Allow to roast for 12 – 15 minutes. Make sure you are watching these closely, and when most liquid is dissolved and garlic is a nice golden color, they are done. Remove from oven and use for future recipes.

This method can also be used for shallots and cippolini onions. Onions will take a bit longer than garlic, 18-20 minutes. If you really want to caramelize the onions, follow above instructions with roasting, once liquid is evaporated, stir well in pan, and add the same amount of water to almost cover and roast for a second time. This will sweeten the onions the longer they roast. Make sure that you do not over roast the onions or garlic and that they are removed when liquid is evaporated to avoid crispy bitter pieces.

Garlic and Shallot Buttah

• 6 cups shallots, roasted (see instruction above)
• 3 cups garlic, roasted (see instructions above)
• ¼ tsp course black pepper

Once garlic and onions are roasted, add to a small food processor with pepper and blend until smooth. This is a great condiment to have on hand to flavor any soup or sauce last minute.

Wicked Good Spice and Seed Blend

• ½ c sesame seeds, dry toasted
• ½ c sunflower seeds, dry toasted
• ½ c golden flax meal
• ½ c nutritional yeast
• 2 T onion granules
• ½ T chipotle spice
• 1 T garlic granules
• Black pepper

Toss all and put in shaker to store

Almond or Oat Milk

• 1 c almonds soaked overnight filtered water and then strained / or 1 c oats already cooked or soaked overnight
• 4 cups filtered water
• 1 T date paste
• ½ vanilla bean

In high speed blender, blend all ingredients until smooth.

Continue by pouring milk mixture into cheesecloth. Squeeze out liquid. Dehydrate ‘pulp’ for 4‐6 hours and store for future use for nut/oat flour. Serve milk with diced fruit and your favorite whole grain cereal.

Roasted Garlic (cloves)

• 1 cup of garlic cloves-peeled
• 2 cups of water, or half low sodium vegetable stock / half water (make sure the liquid just covers the garlic)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small shallow pan, place in garlic and make sure there is enough liquid to just cover the garlic. Allow to roast for 12-15 minutes. Make sure you are watching these closely, and when most liquid is dissolved and garlic is a nice golden color they are done. Remove from oven and use for future recipe.

*Note – this method can also be used for shallots, and cippolini onions. Onions will take a bit longer than garlic, 18-20 minutes. If you really want to caramelize the onions, follow above instructions with roasting, once liquid is evaporated, stir well in pan, and add the same amount of water to almost cover and roast for a second time. This will sweeten the onions the longer they roast. Make sure that you do not over roast the onions or garlic and they are removed when liquid is evaporated to avoid crispy bitter pieces.

Garlic and Shallot Buttah

• 6 cups shallots roasted (see roasted garlic instructions above)
• 3 cups garlic roasted (see roasted garlic instructions above)
• ¼ t course black pepper

Once garlic and onions are roasted, add to a small food processor with pepper and blend until smooth. This is a great condiment to have on hand to flavor any soup or sauce last minute.

Kale Avocado Salad

• 1 head kale, any variety is great shredded
• 1 large tomato diced, or red bell pepper
• 1 ½ avocado chopped
• 2 T red onion, green onion, or leek fine diced
• 1 lemon juiced
• pinch of cayenne

In mixing bowl toss all ingredients together, squeezing as you mix to ‘wilt’ the kale and creaming the avocado. Serve immediately. This dish is also great to substitute the kale for chard or spinach. Serve on top of salads, tacos, hot dishes, you name it.  Give it a try!

Basic White Sauce

• 1 c raw cashews, soaked (or tofu)
• 1 ½ Onion diced & steam fried in veg stock
• 2 Garlic cloves
• 1 C unsweetened non dairy milk
• 1 ½  C vegetable stock (low salt) keep more on hand to change thickness/consistency
• 3 T Nutritional Yeast
• Pepper to taste

Sauté onions and garlic with stock and steam fry until onions are translucent.  Add to blender with soaked cashews, soy/nut milk and rest of ingredients and blend, adjusting thickness to desired consistency, add fresh herbs to finish.  This sauce will reduce and will continue to thicken on its own with time. Use this as a creamy substitute in pasta dishes, Au Gratins, over rice, etc.  Add flavor to the sauce by blending in a roasted red pepper, sauteed mushrooms, green peas, additional spices etc!

Almond Chile Sauce

• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons chopped pitted dates
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt or 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari
• 1/2 small serrano pepper, finely chopped (optional)
• 1/3 cup coconut water

In a blender or food processor, purée almond butter, lemon juice, dates, ginger, garlic, salt, pepper and water until smooth. Transfer dressing to a large bowl, add steamed broccoli and cilantro and toss well. Serve over rice or with soba noodles.

I will admit, when I started doing the Engine 2 Challenge, the thing I thought I was going to miss the most was eggs. Before I began, I would easily go through a carton of eggs by myself every week. It isn’t officially a Sunday in my house until we’re eating nice eggy crepes or pancakes . Lunch isn’t looking hearty enough? Put a poached egg on it. Feeling hungry after a run? There was always a hard-boiled egg waiting for me in the fridge to silence my stomach. But the thing I thought I was going to miss the most was baking. Eggs are included in so many of my favorite sweets to allow them to rise, brown, keep them moist or make them tender, and I was not entirely convinced that I was going to make it a month without baking a loaf of challah or whipping up a batch of macaroons. Then I discovered just how many things can replace eggs in baked goods, and are even easier to keep around than a perishable carton of eggs.

What you are trying to replace varies by recipe. In most cases, it is going to be binding and moisture. Any of the following things can be used to replace eggs in basic baking recipes, and if a recipe just calls for one egg, go ahead and leave it out, no substitution needed.

Egg Alternatives

• 1 egg= 3 tablespoons water, 1 teaspoon ground chia seed
• 1 egg= 3 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1 egg= 3 tablespoons water, 2 teaspoons egg replacer powder*
• 1 egg= ¼ cup pureed banana (this will alter the flavor of your recipe)
• 1 egg= ¼ cup blended silken tofu**
• 1 egg= ¼ cup soy yogurt**

**These substitutes will keep things moist like an egg, but will not bind like an egg.

*If you want to make your own egg replacer powder, combine:

• 10 tablespoons tapioca starch
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon xanthan gum

To make ¾ cup of egg replacer. Keep in the pantry for up to six months.

There are also many ways to replace dairy.

Dairy Alternatives

• Milk=An equal amount of non-dairy milk. Soy and nut milks work best because they have some natural fat in them, as dairy milk does. Unsweetened almond milk is my favorite.
• Buttermilk=Add a teaspoon of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to one cup of non-dairy milk, let sit for five minutes, then stir.
• 1 cup cream=1 cup coconut cream (from the top of a can of coconut milk)
• 1 cup cream=1 cup whipped silken tofu

You can take my word for it that these substitutions work and are delicious, but I think you’ll be truly convinced when you give this recipe for Chocolate Mousse a whirl:

Raspberry Chocolate Mousse

• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup 100% fruit seedless raspberry jam (replacing refined sugar)
• 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk (replacing cream)
• 12 ounces extra firm silken tofu (replacing more cream and egg yolks)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions: Blend all ingredients until smooth. Chill 1-2 hours before serving. Serves 4.