Veronica Grace

Meatless Monday: Plant-Based Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes (Vegan Recipe)

November 10, 2013 by Veronica Grace

It is snowing like crazy where I am right now and I am making good use of my slow cooker these days. Sometimes it’s just too chilly to spend much time in the kitchen, so I like to chop up some veggies and throw some beans into the slow cooker for an easy meal. These meatless sloppy joes are a super easy recipe that I guarantee ANYONE can make… if you have a knife and a slow cooker (or alternatively a pot and a stove) you can make this recipe. Promise.

For more plant based slow cooker recipes I just throw things in with some herbs and spices and then adjust the seasonings at the end, but if you’re new to using the slow cooker for plant based recipes I know you’ll appreciate actual measurements! So that’s why I’m happy to help and share this recipe which is featured in my cookbook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World.

You can also serve this plant based sloppy joe recipe on rice or quinoa as well and eat it more like a chili too! Just tweak the spices to your liking and you can use this as a guideline for many different variations. 🙂

Vegan Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes

Serves 8

Ingredients:

2 15 oz. / 425 g. cans no-salt red kidney beans (or 4 cups fresh cooked)
2 large onions, sliced and chopped
2 large red bell peppers, sliced and chopped
1 14.5 oz. / 411 g. can fire roasted, crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce
8 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup / 60 ml. organic ketchup (low sodium)
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
½ Tbsp. blackstrap molasses
1 tsp. chipotle or chili powder
½ tsp. roasted cumin
½ tsp. smoked paprika
8 hamburger buns or rolls (Gluten free if desired)

Slow Cooker Directions:
1. Drain the kidney beans and pour into a shallow dish.
2. Arrange the ingredients in the slow cooker starting with the onions, then beans, peppers, tomatoes, with garlic and seasonings on top.
3. Cook on low for 5-6 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. Stir and taste. Add more spices if desired. Mash part of the stew with a potato masher to thicken the sauce.
4. Serve with large hamburger buns or rolls.

Stove top Directions:

Add some vegetable broth to the bottom of a large pot and when hot add the onions and cook for 5-6 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until tender. Mash part of the mixture until chunky to thicken and serve.

Variations:
This recipe can double as a quick chili. Just add more beans or diced vegetables and remove the ketchup and mustard. Alternately you can serve this with rice or quinoa for a 100% whole food meal.

Additional Tips:
Mash the beans really well as they need to absorb the liquid. If you don’t, it’ll be too runny. 🙂

For more delicious recipes check out my cookbook Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World (with many many recipes you won’t find on the blog!)

Have you ever made sloppy joes before? What about meatless ones?

Creamy Plant-Based Coconut Kale and Chickpea Curry Recipe (Vegan)

November 5, 2013 by Veronica Grace 18 Comments

I had a really bad craving for a creamy plant-based chickpea curry recipe – BUT I still wanted to make sure it wasn’t too decadent so this turned out to be a wonderful compromise. I usually make an all tomato based chickpea curry aka Chana Masala, but I wanted to step out of the box a little, not to mention I had a ton of kale sitting in the fridge. I thought about serving it on the side, but you know what? Kale goes extremely well in a creamy curry sauce too so in it went into the curry!

I used light coconut milk in this recipe, but I do limit the frequency I use coconut milk in my recipe due to the higher fat content. If preferred you can use another plant based milk instead, I just really enjoy a hint of coconut flavour in this curry.

There’s also a special spice mix I blended up which was a nice change from regular old curry powder or garam masala mixes. I like trying something different! So if you can find these whole spices give it a try and use a coffee grinder and make your own spice mix it’s really fast and easy too (not to mention cheaper to make your own spice mixes once you’ve bought your whole spices).

This was a fun recipe to make and it’s definitely going into my regular repertoire, the leftovers were fantastic for lunch the next day too!

(Vegan) Creamy Coconut Kale and Chickpea Curry

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (roughly) fresh ginger chunks, peeled and minced
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 16 oz can light coconut milk (or substitute another plant based milk)
2 1/2 tbsp spice mix (recipe below)
4-5 tbsp brown sugar or maple syrup *or as desired
1 tsp salt *or to taste
6 cups fresh cooked or 3 15 oz cans of chickpeas, drained
1 bunch of kale destemmed and chopped

Directions:

1. In a large deep skillet, wok or pot sauté the onions, garlic and ginger dry or in a little water or vegetable broth for 5-6 minutes until translucent and fragrant.
2. Add tomatoes and cook until softened about 10 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes and onions to a food processor or Vitamix along with coconut milk and blend until pureed.
4. Add remaining ingredients and simmer together until the kale is softened. Taste test and adjust seasonings as desired.
5. Serve with rice or Indian flat bread.

Spice Mix

3 tsp whole cumin seeds
3 tsp whole coriander seeds
2 star anise
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 green cardamom pod
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp roasted or regular cinnamon

Directions:

1. In a dry skillet toast the cumin seeds, coriander seeds, star anise and black pepper corns until fragrant. Be careful to not burn them and remove once lightly toasted and fragrant.
2. Add to a spice grinder with remaining spices and combine until powdered.
3. Store in an spice jar and use as desired in curries.

What’s your favourite curry recipe and what do you serve it with?

Real Organic Natural Skin Care by Annmarie Gianni

November 2, 2013 by Veronica Grace 2 Comments

Normally, I talk about what you put IN your body and how it affects your health. As you may (or may not know) I have experimented a lot with health in what I put in my body until I found what worked for me.

But today, I wanted to talk about what you put ON your body. The reason why is that some research has shown the the body can absorb up to 2-4 pounds of what is put on it! This is why natural skin care products — real, truly honest products are essential to use.

How do you know if they’re real and honest?

That’s the tricky part. Labeling and truthfulness in the skin care product market is almost non-existent. Chemical ingredients can be added and are not required to be put on the label in many countries around the world. So, essentially, your “natural” and “organic” skin care line could have nasty ingredients in it without you knowing.

I have very sensitive skin, and I live in an extremely dry climate. My skin tends to feel angry, dry, itchy and oily all at the same time…. I know not very fun

to deal with! Yuck.

In my own search, I came across Annmarie Skincare (who graciously let me try a bunch of samples before I started buying full sized products.) It was founded

a few years ago by Annmarie Gianni — the name might be familiar since she’s the wife of Kevin Gianni from RenegadeHealth.com

Annmarie is well known for her award winning natural, organic skin care line. Other healthnotables like Mike Adams, Kris Carr, Donna Gates (and now me) have raved about her company’s products.

Annmarie, because of her position in the industry, has seen some pretty sketchy things and has made it her company’s mission to speak out against the skin care industry and their dirty secrets to help you understand that even your “organic lines” may not be as clean as you’d like.

And, of course, their products are full of high quality ingredients and absolutely no chemical nastiness.

So if you know what you’re using probably isn’t the cleanest, or you’re looking to try something different, or need to start up with something that you can feel confident about and trust, Annmarie offered to offer you an opportunity to try these amazing products.

Annmarie has put together 5 special sample kits that include some of her best selling products. These are for oily, normal, dry, combination and mature skin.

Everything is natural, organic, chemical and paraben free – ONLY good quality ingredients go into crafting these products.

The kits are $10 each, but when you order one (or more) you get a $10.00 off coupon that you can use for a future purchase. So basically, if you like the sample kit and you want to buy a full sized product, your kit is essentially free.

On top of that, Annmarie is offering FREE shipping for these kits — anywhere in the world!

So for $10, you can try these amazing products, have them shipped to you for free, and get a $10 off coupon.

Here’s where you can go now if you want one of these kits now…

http://www.annmariegianni.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=1445_0_1_6

On this page, you also can read Annmarie’s story, watch a video of her, and see dozens of testimonials from happy Annmarie customers.

Finally, Annmarie’s team only has a limited number of kits available, so make sure you head over there fast, since once they’re sold out they have to hand-fill more which will take a few weeks to get them back in stock.

Here’s where to go now…

http://www.annmariegianni.com/idevaffiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=1445_0_1_6

Don’t wait! These sample packs go really fast and I don’t want you to miss out. 🙂

How To Stop Eating Cheese and Go Plant Based!

November 1, 2013 by Veronica Grace 4 Comments

Cheese might be the #1 food that prevents many vegetarians and omnivores from believing they could eat vegan, let alone be happy eating that way. I often have people telling me “Oh I could NEVER do what you do, I love cheese too much”. Some seem even proud to be obsessed with cheese! lol

So if you feel upset or frustrated at the thought of not eating cheese regularly, don’t worry you’re not alone.

Cheese is naturally highly addictive to humans because it’s both fatty and very salty and contains casein (a dairy protein that has been shown in studies to be as or more addictive than opiates believe it or not!)

The combination of these factors makes it extremely hard for anyone to willingly give it up cold-turkey, especially if you’re used to pizza, cheese and crackers, cheezy pastas and more.

But let’s say you already know that cheese and dairy products aren’t good for you because you’ve read books like The China Study or seen the film Forks Over Knives (and you want to protect yourself against cancer, diabetes and heart disease).

How do you make healthy recipes taste good without cheese?

Dairy Free Option #1: Substitute Vegan Cheese

(for beginners)

Depending where you are on your vegan journey you could switch to a vegan cheese for starters such as Daiya Vegan Cheese Cheddar. I don’t often use it, only very occasionally as it still contains oil and is high in fat, but it may be helpful to make a plant based transition for you or family members who need a little sprinkling of something cheezy for certain recipes. Daiya cheese is fairly salty though so a little goes a long way, use about half as much as you normally would to start.

Dairy Free Option #2: Make Faux Cheese At Home

Another option is to use a mixture of crumbled tofu with miso paste and nutritional yeast to create a sort of tofu ricotta mixture that is tangy and feels
creamy like regular ricotta. (I show you how to do this in my Comfort Foods From Around The World recipe ebook here)

If you are looking for a creamier cheese to drizzle you can try using cashews and blend it with some water, garlic, lemon, miso paste and liquid sweetener to create a nut cheese. This can be added to pasta for mac and cheese or steamed veggies or baked potatoes.

For lower fat cheese sauces check out my Comfort Foods ebook again (which also has an amazing Baked Mac & Cheese Recipe – but it’s actually good for you!)

Dairy Free Option #3: Go Without and Use Other Seasonings

Eventually you want to be able to enjoy healthful foods without resorting to cheese like toppings (because they are often high in salt and fat).

I recommend using more veggies and adding fresh herbs and more seasonings to make recipes taste delicious without added cheese.

For example, for pizza roast or sauté veggies in different seasonings and load up a healthy pizza crust with lots of pizza sauce and a variety of veggies. I often like to add sautéed mushrooms, sautéed zucchini, sautéed onions, wilted spinach,fresh basic, fresh garlic, red onions, pineapple, artichokes (packed in water), peppers etc. If you want something creamy on top you can take thin
slices of avocado and put it on top of the pizza after it’s cooked for that creamy texture (or drizzle with cashew cheese sauce or low fat cheese sauce)

For pasta sauces I like to use fresh garlic, basil and onions to kick up the flavor to canned tomatoes or bottled sauce and cook it and blend it together so it has more flavor. If your sauce is tasty you won’t need cheese for that tangy salty flavor.

While your cheese cravings won’t likely disappear overnight, please know that they will greatly diminishes you start eating less and less of it and trying new foods.

Did you know that your tastebuds actually regenerate every 10-14 days? So you can train your tastebuds to want other foods instead of cheese (same with sugar and salt too).

Just like any other addiction, the more you have it the more you want it. So try to gradually reduce your cheese and dairy consumption until you no longer think about it.

Once you are accustomed to eating a low fat, oil free diet even vegan cheese can lose its appeal and seem like nothing more than salty oily goo. I quite enjoy eating homemade vegan pizza as more of a flatbread topped with lots of veggies and find it doesn’t need anything else.

For tasty plant based meals that don’t require any fake meat or fake cheese check out my cookbook Comfort Foods From Around The World:

Vegan Baked Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese

Baked Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese preview this recipe featured in the book here

Learn how to make a healthy version of your old favourites using things like nutritional yeast, miso paste, squash and tofu instead for that creamy cheese like flavor.

I hope I’ve given you some helpful tips on how to banish those cheese cravings. Just take it one day at a time and soon cheese will be in your rearview mirror and you won’t even be missing it at all.

What’s your favourite substitute to use instead of cheese in your recipes?

Quick Stovetop Plant-Based Black Bean Chilli (Vegan Recipe)

October 20, 2013 by Veronica Grace 15 Comments

This is a really tasty and easy chili that tastes like it’s been simmered for hours, but it’s ready in about 25 minutes! The secret is in using roasted or smoked spices and fire roasted tomatoes that make this vegan black bean chilli so good. My favorite fire roasted tomatoes are made by Muir Glen Organics. You can make this recipe in a slow cooker, but since the majority of the ingredients are already pre cooked there’s no reason to take all day creating this.

When you want a hot meal that’s comfort in a bowl, one pot meals are the way to go. I don’t like to make a big mess in the kitchen every night, so this is one of those recipes that gives me a break from dishes and is very easy to throw together when I’m short on time.

As always you can ensure your canned goods are BPA free by reading the label and choosing brands such as Muir Glen Organics or Eden Organics or making sure your cans do not have a white plastic lining in them as well. Another cost effective option is to simply stew your own tomatoes (and you can roast them in the over after) or cook your own dried beans from scratch. To make my own beans in a snap I use the Easy Bean Cooker and it does all the timing and cooking for me.

Quick Stovetop (Low Fat) Plant Based Black Bean Chilli Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 large onion, diced
6-8 cloves of garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 15 oz. cans of black beans, drained (or 4 cups fresh cooked beans)
28 oz. can regular or fire roasted crushed tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp roasted cumin
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
1 tsp sugar or sweetener
3/4 tsp herbamare or salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large non stick wok saute the onions for 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper and sauté for 5 more minutes stirring occasionally. Add water if necessary to keep from burning.

2. Add the tomatoes and drained beans and seasonings and heat through for about 15 minutes, until peppers are soft and flavores have melded.

3. Serve with brown rice, baked potatoes, bread or vegetables for a filling meal.

Variations:

If you want to add more veggies such as carrots or mushrooms you can add them with the onions and sauté them first, if you want to add some corn you can add them with the beans.

Liver Flush Q&A Answered by Dr. X Part 1

October 17, 2013 by Veronica Grace 4 Comments

(Dr. X Project is On Hiatus due to her current work commitments)

So last week I posted our (Dr. X’s and I) video debunking the liver flush, and many of you watched it and agreed, but we got a few angry emails and comments. For this reason Dr. X really wanted to clear up any remaining misconceptions you may have on the liver flush, the gallbladder, how the body works when you drink this oil and citrus/apple juice combination and what is actually coming out after your liver flush.

Here is the video below, and if you’d like to like and subscribe you can do so by clicking on the youtube icon on the bottom right of the video.

Question #1: What about herbal cleanses and herb detoxes?
Question #2: What about the people on curezone who have cured themselves of gallstones? And why is gallbladder surgery the number #1 surgery in America?
Question #3: What are the hard angular whitish grey things I passed during my 13,14,15 liver flush if they were not gallstones? (a couple of handfuls).
Question #4: Why are you talking to us like preschoolers and being condescending?

I’ve also posted extended answers on each question from a second take of our video separately on Dr. X’s youtube site if you need a more in depth answer on each question.

Please feel free to post any additional comments or questions and Dr. X will answer them in a subsequent video. Please note that all communication and comments directed to Dr. X can be used for future video content (but your name will be withheld for privacy.) Enjoy!

References for why the liver flush/gallbladder flush is not physiologically possible from researchers and medical experts:

Harvard Medical School- The Dubious Practice of Detox: http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/HEALTHbeat_072208.htm

QuackWatch – The Truth About the Gallbladder and Liver Flush http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/flushes.html

Mayo Clinic – What is a gallbladder cleanse? Is it an effective way to flush out gallstones?
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gallbladder-cleanse/AN01283

A surgeon’s take on the liver flush BASED on the testimonials written on Curezone.com
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/would-you-like-a-liver-flush-with-that-colon-cleanse/

Suggested textbooks by Dr. X – Concise Colour Medical Dictionary (Oxford Paperback Reference) : http://amzn.to/16cyjEU
– Mosby’s Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing & Health Professions, 9e http://amzn.to/1gGn6nv

Picture of Gallbladder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GallbladderAnatomy.png
Wikipedia on Gallbladder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallbladder for a free general information source.

I also wanted to share this video we made back in the spring just to give you an idea of Dr. X’s personal history of illness and being a patient in the medical system while also being a medical student during her struggle for diagnosis of celiac disease. This is why she is so passionate about helping you so you don’t struggle for health and confusion within the natural health and western medical world.

The Liver and Gallbladder Flush is Dangerous and a Scam

October 16, 2013 by Veronica Grace 41 Comments

The liver/gallbladder flush refers to the practice of mixing about 1 cup of olive oil with citrus juice or apple juice and drinking it quickly in an attempt to “force” your liver to “fill up with bile and dump it”, “forcing the gall bladder to expel gallstones” which supposedly end up in the toilet after you go to the bathroom. Some flushes also recommend drinking epsom salts as well.

People experience cramping, diarrhea, sweating, nausea, or general sickness and exclaim after they complete the “liver flush” they feel SO much better and have rid themselves of those nasty 100 to 200 gallstones they believe they have in their gallbladder…. all without any proof they have any gallstones in the first place, and the fact that what they see in the toilet is actually just saponified oil (oil coagulated with the citrus/apple juice) because the body cannot digest that much oil at one time and must get rid of it. If you’ve tried the liver flush yourself and checked out the end result, notice how those “gallstones” are green (like your olive oil), shiny (like oil) and melt when slightly warmed (like oil is normally a liquid at room temperature and less viscous when heated)… You might also see some white rock like things which would be if you drank a mixture that included epsom salts. So please spread the word and don’t let your loved ones try this dangerous cleanse!

The gallbladder is very tiny in size and there is no way you could pass a couple of handfuls of gallstones each time in your liver flush. An average gallbladder is only 8 cm or 3 inches in length and 4 cm/1.6inch in diameter when FULLY distended (expanded). So the notion that you can pass 100-200 gallstones from the liver flush is grossly incorrect. If even one gallstone was dislodged it could get stuck in the bile duct and send you to the emergency room in excruciating pain requiring surgery. This is not something you want to risk in itself.

Medical references are below so please explore them, it’s important to be aware of the correct physiology of the body. The gallbladder is vey tiny and does not have room to hold bile and 100’s of gallstones (even if they are small) and the common bile duct is an increasingly smaller tube so if a gallstone ever were to dislodge and get stuck there you would have a gallbladder attack and be in the emergency room getting it surgically removed. The only way you can actually have gallstones removed is if they are dissolved by a chemical solution directed under your doctor, or surgically removed. Dr. X explains why the liver/gall bladder flush does NOT actually work the way you think it does and how doing it is actually DANGEROUS for your health!

A surgeon’s take on the liver flush BASED on the testimonials written on Curezone.com http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/w…

“So what will happen if you do this (besides your producing a lot of unusually stinky and liquid poop)? Well, you will find things in your stool. If you read the many testimonials and look at the disgusting pictures on all the websites touting liver flushes, you will see photos proudly displayed of greenish balls or various other things that sort of look like–well, sort of “stone”-like. Naturally, the liver flushers claim that these are gallstones–without actually proving that’s what they are. Indeed, although it is certainly possible to pass gallstones into the stool and occasionally even find one, it’s highly unlikely to pass such huge numbers of stones (as claimed by testimonials) without previous clinical symptoms of gallbladder disease or without easily detectable stones on ultrasound examination. In some cases, the number of “stones” observed in the stool would have required a gallbladder the size of a football to hold them all! And, given that more always seem to “come out” when additional flushes are done, it would seem to imply that there is an endless supply there to be “dumped” out, a concept that defies plausibility, given that gallstones do not form rapidly enough to replace all the ones supposedly “flushed” out. In any case, check out this testimonial to see what I mean:

‘I just completed my 3rd liver cleanse. Whew! 1st cleanse 250 small stones pea size or less brown and green. 2nd cleanse 460 stones, small stones pea size or less brown and green. 3rd cleanse 260 stones light and dark green. Many marble size and 2 almost as big as golf balls (I saved these!) I highly recommend Andreas Moritz’s book, “The Amazing Liver Cleanse”. I followed to the letter and did colosan and colonics before and after. I read your testimonials and thought I would add my information.’

As a surgeon, I feel obligated to point out that I have never seen a common bile duct (the tube that runs from the liver to the duodenum, through which bile passes) the diameter of a golf ball. The claim that anything so large could “pass” thanks to these flushes strains credibility to the breaking point. This testimonial gets a bit closer to what may be the truth behind liver cleansing:

‘I did a ‘liver cleanse’ or gallbladder flush about 6 nights ago! I’m a 50 year old female in good health. I’m not overweight and have no health problems. I’m active and have been a schoolteacher for 25 years.

I did not have any symptoms of gallstones nor did I have an ultrasound. I just had always been curious to try a gallbladder flush and see if anything came out- as they say most everyone has these gallstones and it’s good to get them OUT.

I did the flush at about 9:30 p.m. And I vomited about 12:30!!! I thought oh hell what an un-pleasant waste of time. BUT the next morning I DID pass some (25?) gelatinous looking things that were greenish – none larger than a small pea. I felt lousey – bloated and not hungry the next day. But since then I’ve felt great!!

I think I vomited because I ate some plain white rice and drank some carrot juice about 5pm. I have been researching various liver/gallbladder cleanses and most say NOT to eat all day and to drink organic apple juice and only that for at least 2 days prior. I took only 4oz of fresh squeezed lemon juice followed by 4 oz of olive oil at about 10 pm. I nearly gagged **YUK** as I was taking it! I will do it again but will follow your directions. I wish I had come across this website BEFORE I did my flush!’

Note that this is an asymptomatic woman with absolutely no evidence of gallbladder or liver disease by clinical history, lacking the classic symptoms of right upper quandrant abdominal pain after a fatty meal (more succinctly known as biliary colic)–or any GI symptoms at all! (Although she certainly did produce some symptoms, didn’t she?) Because of curiosity, she made herself miserable for a couple of days with this “liver flush” and then noticed something “coming out.” These “gelatinous things” were almost certainly not gallstones. There are several varieties of gallstones. Of these, cholesterol stones can be rather soft and easily broken, but I don’t think they could be correctly described as “gelatinous.”

In any case, if these “flushes” actually flushed gallstones in to the GI tract, to be removed via the feces, it would be fairly straightforward to test scientifically, as I’ve pointed out time and time again in other venues. All that’s needed is an ultrasound machine and a willing radiologist, and possibly a biliary surgeon to evaluate symptoms and response. (Whether any IRB that is truly dedicated to human subject protection go for the protocol, however, I can’t guarantee.) Certainly, the ultrasound machine is not an onerous requirement, either. Ultrasound machines have become quite ubiquitous, as the price has fallen dramatically (and the quality has increased dramatically) in recent years. Virtually every OB/GYN practice that does prenatal care has at least one in their office, if not one in each exam room. Many general surgeons have them now, too; as do most emergency rooms. Pretty much any self-respecting breast cancer surgeon has at least one. There are even good portable ultrasound machines that fit into briefcases, and you can even find ultrasound machines in very poor parts of China and India, where, unfortunately, they are used to determine the sex of fetuses, so that parents can abort the females they don’t want. All that’s left is to draft a scientifically valid protocol with the proper controls and then to follow through and document symptoms, physical examination, diagnosis, pre-flush stone load in the gallbladder, and post-flush stone load in the gallbladder rigorously with high quality ultrasound examinations. Not surprisingly, it’s still never been done, as far as I can tell. I search in vain for actual physical evidence to support the claims of liver flushers.”

Reference Material:

Harvard Medical School The Dubious Practice of Detox:http://www.health.harvard.edu/healthb…

QuackWatch The Truth About the Gallbladder and Liver Flush: http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryR…

Mayo Clinic What is a gallbladder cleanse? Is it an effective way to flush out gallstones? http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gall…

A surgeon’s take on the liver flush BASED on the testimonials written on Curezone.com http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/w…

Suggested textbooks by Dr. X: Concise Colour Medical Dictionary (Oxford Paperback Reference) : http://amzn.to/16cyjEU
Mosby’s Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing & Health Professions, 9ehttp://amzn.to/1gGn6nv

Picture of Gallbladder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gal…
Wikipedia on Gallbladder: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallbladder

This is an expansion on Dr. X’s video of how food doesn’t actually enter your body http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPSlFO…Please subscribe to her channel: http://www.youtube.com/drxtvseries

Plant-Based Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice, Mushrooms and Cranberries (Vegan)

October 15, 2013 by Veronica Grace 13 Comments

You guys loved my Pumpkin Raisin Muffin recipe last week so how about another fall favourite? Acorn squash! I’m see it now in stores and it reminded me of this recipe I just LOVE in my Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World recipe book (which by the way is jam packed full of recipes to use at Thanksgiving or Christmas…) It’s Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash!

I was first inspired to make a recipe like this by watching Forks Over Knives and saw them serving a lovely version for their holiday plant based meal. I decided to make a recipe and cram in as many goodies as possible to make it burst with flavor, there’s mushrooms, celery, pecans, cranberries, wild rice and brown rice in these stuffed squash halves. Instead of butter or margarine I glaze them with a nice balsamic vinegar so those the flavor explode in your mouth with sweet, savory and tangy. When I serve these for holiday meals they are a huge hit!

If you are trying to think of a plant-based centrepiece to your holiday meals this year why not try a stuffed vegetable? I also have several others for you to check out as well Quinoa Veggie Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Greek Vegetable and Rice Stuffed Peppers, Greek Rice Stuffed Eggplant. A fat free stuffed vegetable is a great way to pack in all the flavor without extra calories and show your omnivore friends and delicious holiday entree they wouldn’t otherwise get. 🙂

Plant-Based Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash With Wild Rice, Mushrooms & Cranberries

Makes 4 -6 stuffed acorn squash halves

Ingredients:

¾ cup dried brown rice, rinsed and cooked
¼ cup dried wild rice, rinsed and cooked
2-3 cups vegetable broth (homemade or low sodium), divided
1/3-1/2 cup dried mushrooms
3 medium or 2 large acorn squash
1 Tbsp. maple syrup or brown sugar
Cooking spray
1 medium onion, finely diced
4 celery stalks, diced
¼ cup dried cranberries (no sugar added variety or sweetened with apple juice)
½ -1 tsp. Herbamare or salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ cup raw pecans, toasted – see Note

NOTE: To toast raw pecans, preheat oven to 350° F/177° C. Place pecans on baking sheet and toast for about 4-5 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning.

Directions:

1. If using a rice cooker (I use a Zojirushi), cook your rice 1 hour before you start making the squash. Rinse rice and place in rice cooker. Fill to appropriate line with vegetable stock, not water. Add chopped and rinsed dried mixed mushrooms. Add a little salt and pepper if desired. Stir to combine and cook on mixed rice/white rice setting (depending what kind of rice cooker you have). Let steam 10 minutes after done cooking and fluff with a fork.
2. Heat the oven to 400° F / 204° C and place a rack in the middle position.
3. Cut squash in half with a sharp knife and de-seed. Make sure to get out all the stringy bits inside.
4. Place the squash -hollow side up – on a baking sheet, and spray some cooking spray lightly on the tops and insides of the squash halves. Brush maple syrup on the tops and insides as well, and season with salt and fresh pepper. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, until ‘fork tender’.
5. Pour the vegetable broth or water into a pan and when it’s hot, add the onion, and celery. Cook this for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just softened.
6. Remove from heat and stir in the cooked rice, pecans, and cranberries. Add salt and fresh pepper if desired.
7. Scoop the rice filling into the roasted squash halves (about ¾ cup for each if 4 halves, ½ cup if 6 smaller halves)
8. Continue roasting the squash for 20 to 30 minutes more – until it’s completely tender, the edges have started to brown a little, and the filling is hot in the middle.
9. Serve the squash warm, with balsamic vinegar on the side as a dip, and a nice salad.

IFBC Urbanspoon Dine Out at Cafe Flora

September 30, 2013 by Veronica Grace 3 Comments

One of my favorite parts of IFBC – The International Food Blogger Conference this year was the Urbanspoon dine out we got to attend at Cafe Flora. Surprisingly (to myself!) I had never been to Cafe Flora or heard about it before, despite visiting Seattle many times for delicious vegan food. I was very happy to find out that Cafe Flora specializes in homemade vegetarian cuisine (more my style) and din’t use any processed faux meats or cheeses in their cuisine. Although it is a vegetarian restaurant most items can be made vegan or gluten free as well so they are very good at catering to specific dietary needs. In a world where that isn’t always the case, I know anyone with allergies or dietary restrictions will find Cafe Flora to be a lifesaver! When we first arrived I took a look at the menu on the table, and thought that we each got to choose one dish from each course… but I was mistaken! In fact we all were served every course to share (and in my case some veganized versions especially for me). So there was an amazing amount of food prepared just for our little group of vegetarians and vegans. I’m going to apologize in advance.. I only brought my iPhone 4 to take pictures with and so they are really horrible quality in the dim restaurant light. My nice camera was too heavy to bring this time as I knew there would be a lot of samples i’d have to have room for in my bags coming back on the plane! But I’ll show you most of the things we were served (that I remembered to photograph!)

Cafe Flora Urbanspoon Dine Out Menu:

Appetizer #1: Yam fries

Appetizer #2: Pate platter with lentil pecan pate, olives, fruit and pickles

Appetizer #3 Pierogies and soy sour cream

Salad #1: Caesar salad

Nectarine and Zucchini Basil Pizza

Pizza: Heirloom Tomato and Sweet Corn Pizza

Main Course: Baked Beans, Grilled Veggies and a Potato Battered Fried Green Tomato

My Dessert: Peach Blackberry Crisp

So now that you’ve seen the crazy amount of food we gorged on you’re probably wondering did we eat it all? And the answer is a heck no. There was way more food than most of us could handle and only some of each dish was sampled. We had 4 people not show up to our dine out as well so I think that’s another reason there was so much food. I really enjoyed the variety of fresh ingredients and next time I’m back in Seattle I’m definitely heading to Cafe Flora. Thank you IFBC and Urbanspoon!

Raw Kale, Mandarin, Goji Salad with Citrus Ginger Cashew Dressing

September 22, 2013 by Veronica Grace 8 Comments

Have you ever had a craving for a deeply satisfying and hearty kale salad? But you don’t want just a big pile of kale…. no you want all sorts of yummy textures and flavors in your kale salad to keep things interesting.

This is that salad.

It’s perfect for a dinner entree, a potluck, or a weekday take along for lunch. I like to make up big salads and then keep the dressing on the side that way I can have as much or as little dressing as I like and save any remaining salad in a sealed container in the fridge.

Most kale salad recipes are heavily dressed with oil and salt and I find it hard to stomach. I want to taste my greens and not the oil so I paired this with a delicious homemade citrus ginger cashew dressing. It has some natural sweetness and creaminess from the cashews and is super easy to whip up in the blender with some fresh ginger and orange juice. Fresh squeezed orange juice is a great choice for liquid in salad dressings because it has some natural sweetness, and acidity and you can toss almost any fruits or veggies and/or nuts and seeds into it and blend it up.

So make up a big bowl of this hearty kale salad and you’ll have a light yet satisfying entree salad for 3-4 or a delicious side salad to serve along with baked potatoes, rice pilaff, pasta marinara and more. Enjoy!

Low Fat Vegan Chef's Kale Mandarin Orange Goji Berry Salad with Citrus Ginger Cashew Dressing

Raw(ish) Vegan Kale, Mandarin Orange and Goji Berry Salad

Serves 6-8 side servings

Ingredients:

1 head of kale, stems removed and chopped
1 head of romaine, chopped
3 cups loose packed spinach
1 english cucumber, sliced
4-5 mandarin oranges, peeled and sectioned
3 tbsp goji berries soaked and patted dry
2 cups cooked quinoa (I seasoned mine with vegetable broth) *can omit if you desire a 100% raw dish

Directions:

1. Arrange salad greens in a large bowl and mix together.
2. Garnish with remaining ingredients.
3. Serve with dressing on the side, or toss dressing with salad for a marinated salad.

Raw Vegan Citrus Ginger Cashew Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup fresh squeezed clementine or sweet mandarin juice
2 medjool dates, pitted
1 tbsp Spicy Pecan Vinegar (or other fruit vinegar)
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 cup raw cashews (unsalted)
Dash of salt and pepper *optional

Directions:

1. Blend dressing ingredients together. Best used within 3 days (due to fresh orange juice which is perishable).

Additional Tips:

If you prefer to make this your weekday lunch salad for 5 days a week, arrange the salad in 5 sealable containers and store the dressing in small airtight containers.

What are your favorite ingredients to toss into your kale salad?