Plant Based U

Fat-Free and Low Fat Vegan Plant Based Recipes

Dr. Fuhrman

Dr. Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Cinnamon Fruit Oatmeal (Eat To Live Recipe)

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Now that’s it’s cooling down, you may be craving something warm and comforting for breakfast these days instead of smoothies or cold cereal. So I decided to make up one of Dr. Fuhrman’s (author of Eat To Live and Super Immunity) ultra healthy nutritarian breakfast oatmeal recipes.

This is ultra healthy because it contains zero processed ingredients and zero sugar or sweetener. It relies on whole foods for fibre and nutrition and naturally sweet fruit for flavor. It’s got healthy omega 3’s in the form of walnuts and fresh ground flax seed (which I use my coffee grinder for) .

I whipped this up and it was a nice change from the same old oatmeal. If you prefer steel cut oats instead you can definitely use those for the base and then just add the fruit and nut toppings to it. (I often make steel cut oats in my rice cooker for a no fuss breakfast.)



I used a little more cinnamon than in the recipe because I just love my ceylon cinnamon. It’s a delicious sweet variety that tastes almost like candied cinnamon. You should try it, it makes oatmeal and baked goods taste even better!

I also like that this is a high raw recipe, in that a lot of the ingredients are raw and not cooked, such as the apples, flax and walnuts.

My oatmeal turned purple because I only had frozen mixed berries, so if you use fresh yours will look a little less colorful! 🙂

Dr. Fuhrman’s Cinnamon Fruit Oatmeal

 

Serves 2 (Prep time 15 minutes) (Mandi/Andi score 7)

Ingredients:

1 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ceylon cinnamon
1/2 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not instant/quick/flaked oats)
1/2 cup blueberries or mixed berries (fresh or frozen)
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
1 tbsp ground flax seed
1/4 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan add the water, vanilla and cinnamon. Bring to a boil.

2. Add oats and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.

3. When the oats are soft add the berries and stir in. Continue cooking until heated through.

4. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 15 minutes until thick.

5. Mix in the apples, walnuts, flax and raisins.

6. Serve.

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving 240.7 Calories 12.7 g Protein 40.8 g Carbohydrates 8.1 g Total Fat 6.8 mg Sodium



The Mandi/Andi score refers to a nutrient dense value of the recipe that Dr. Fuhrman uses in his program. He now recommends that you aim for 100+ in Mandi points a day for nutrient dense foods.  One serving of this recipe will give you 7 points.

Have you ever tried one of Dr. Fuhrman’s recipes before? What’s your favorite healthy breakfast?



Eat To Live Program By Dr. Fuhrman Overview

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EatToLive

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Eat To Live on Amazon

guest post by one of my readers Cynthia P. Colby

So you’ve heard about the Eat to Live program created by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and wonder what it’s all about – if it’s really as good as promoted. In a word – YES. I personally believe it’s the best way on the planet to eat. It’s a great way to lose weight – AND a whole lot of major and minor health problems – making your life a whole lot better and much more enjoyable no matter what age you’re at! It will also save you a pile of grocery money and money for medicines in the long term. That said, it’s not for everyone. Let me tell you what it’s about and you can see if it’s for you.



The Eat to Live program is actually pretty simple. Health equals nutrients divided by calories. If nutrients (nutrient-rich foods) are higher than calories you’re doing it correctly! What it boils down to is a focus on eating plenty of fruits and vegetables with limited amounts of whole grain foods. It does not include animal products like butter and meat – well, there is an option to include some lean fish and an egg white omelet, but it’s preferred that you don’t – and suggests you avoid caffeine and alcohol as well. The easiest part of all is that there are no complicated calculations or calorie counting – what you eat and can’t eat are clearly laid out.

Still sounds tough, considering that we’re enmeshed in a ‘take-out’ and ‘packaged up’ society of calorie-filled, salt and sugar saturated food. Just think about what you’ve eaten in the past week! It’s actually rather shocking when you see how badly we fuel our bodies. What you need to do with this way of eating is make yourself important enough to take the time to prepare your own food – from food that you can actually grow, or at least pick up in the fresh fruit and vegetable section of your grocery store.



One main shift is that the main dish of every meal is the salad, not a piece of meat or pile of starch. Here’s what you can look forward to eating: an unlimited amount of raw vegetables; cooked green vegetables, along with eggplant, a rainbow of peppers, mushrooms, and tomatoes; 1 cup or more of beans – and there are so many types and flavors and delightful textures of beans! – bean sprouts and tofu every day; and at least 4 servings of fresh fruit a day. You can have starchy vegetables like potatoes and corn 1 cup daily, whole grains are one cup daily, an ounce of raw nuts every day, and 2 ounces of avocado each day as well. To top that off, you get 1 tablespoon of ground flax a day and a teaspoon of oil every day as well. If you’re trying to lose weight, you should eat at least 1 pound of raw vegetables and 1 pound of cooked vegetables per day – that will fill you up! What you’ll be avoiding, as you may have noticed, is all refined carbohydrates such as: bread, pasta, white rice, fruit juice, and sugar. If you feel this change is too drastic, there’s even a transition program you can start on which includes a weekly shopping list, menus, and recipes. Mmm!

Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live program is not a diet, it’s a way to eat for the rest of your life, based on sound nutritional information – it makes good sense. Many renowned studies have proven its positive effects – losing weight is only one of them. Hundreds of thousands of people have reversed diabetes, heart disease, cancer and cardiovascular and autoimmune disease following this style of eating! Now, it’s your choice!

Find out how easy, tasty and satisfying eating on this program can be and get the book here!

For Dr. Fuhrman style recipes check out this section of the blog. 



Vegan Comfort Foods Printing Soon and Contest!

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COMING SOON!

Hi everyone! I am so excited to announce that my print edition of Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World is ALMOST ready! It has been a huge learning process for me and I’ve had multiple people help me on this project from editing to formatting to design. Since I’m not going the traditional route (like trying to find a big publishing house to work with) I can do things a little differently. By self publishing I can decide on the quality and content of each book and offer you a fully colored printed book with photos for EVERY recipe instead of just for some. This recipe book has exactly the same recipes in my ebook version, the only thing that has changed is the cover and the layout.

Some of you have been begging for me to come out with a printed recipe book and because Vegan Comfort Foods sells so well in ebook form I was able to take a risk and get it designed and printed. So I wanted to thank you all for your support!

I’d like to get your feedback on what you think of this design as well and do a special launch contest for you in return.

*Contest* – Win A Copy Of Vegan Comfort Foods From Around The World 

Just comment below and tell me what you think of the design and why you would like to win a copy. I’ll select one lucky winner from all the comments and mail you a copy of Vegan Comfort Foods as soon as it’s printed. (Please don’t enter any address or shipping information in your comment, I will contact you for those details if you win, just provide a working email address)

Here’s the beautiful back cover I had designed.

Chapter Sections:

Sample Recipe (click each photo to enlarge):

The book is 150 pages and in an 8 x 10″ format. It’s jam packed with delicious recipes and other helpful information such as:

Tools Necessary For A Low Fat Vegan Kitchen
Ingredients Necessary For These Recipes
Why Cook Without Oil?
Debunking Common Cooking Myths
What Is This Ingredient?
How To Cook The Perfect Brown Rice
How To Cook The Perfect White Basmati Rice (and brown)
How To Cook Quinoa Perfectly Every Time
How To Bake Jacket Potatoes Without Oil
How To Cook The Perfect Sushi Rice.

Recipes featured in Vegan Comfort Foods:

Comfort Foods From the Americas:

Baked Butternut Squash Mac & Cheese
Better Than Boston Baked Beans
Black Bean & Corn Tacos
Cranberry Apple Pecan Holiday Stuffing
Easy Cheezy Shells and Broccoli
Hearty Vegetable Slow Cooker Stew
Herbed Lentil Loaf
Holiday Stuffed Acorn Squash
Jackfruit Carnitas (faux pulled pork tacos)
Marinated Portobella Bean Burritos
Mashed Potatoes With Mushrooms
Meatless Sloppy Joe’s
Quinoa Veggie Slow Cooker Chili
Rainbow Nachos
Rice & Beans Costa Rican Style (Gallo Pinto)
Saucy Eggplant Fajitas
Spicy Black Bean & Corn Burgers
Yam & French Lentil Shepherd’s Pie
Yam and Pecan Holiday Casserole
Yam Black Bean Enchiladas

Comfort Foods From Europe and Asia

Baked Artichoke Risotto
Baked Ziti With Greens
The Best Cabbage Rolls
Cauliflower Potato Tofu Frittata
Deluxe Spinach Mushroom Lasagna
Fettuccini Alfredo With Mushrooms and Spinach
Gourmet Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto
Greek Rice Stuffed Peppers
Indian Basmati Rice with Peas
Indian Cauliflower & Potato Curry (Aloo Gobi)
Indian Chickpea Curry (Chana Masala)
Indian Eggplant Curry (Baingan Bharta)
Indian Spinach Potato Curry (Aloo Palak)
Moroccan Root Vegetable Tagine (Stew)
Ratatouille
Rotini Marinara With Chanterelle Mushrooms
Spaghetti Marinara With French Lentils
Thai Eggplant & Basil Stir Fry
Vegan California Sushi Rolls
Yam Chickpea Spinach Curry

Comfort Sauces/Gravies/Dips

Baba Ghanoush (Roasted Eggplant Dip)
The Best Guacamole
Black Bean Dip
Cheezy Sauce For Vegetables
Classic Brown Gravy
Creamy White Bean Gravy With Thyme
Low Fat Hummus
Miso Tahini Gravy
Queso Sauce
Rich Mushroom Gravy
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Southern White Gravy
Tangy Tofu Ranch Dip
Plus Bonus recipes: Sauteed Garlic Mushrooms,Two Bite Brownies and Vegan Rice Pudding

How To Win A Copy:

Let me know what you think of the design and why you would like to win a copy! Comment below and I’ll choose 1 lucky winner!

Contest is now closed. Thank you to everyone who entered!

Gluten Free Vegan (Flourless) Black Bean Brownies

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Ooh black bean brownies… Have you ever heard of them before? They’re gaining popularity in the vegan, gluten free and health food movement. It’s a completely flourless brownie and has very few ingredients.

This is my take on the black bean brownie inspired by Dr. Fuhrman’s recipe. If you’re looking for something that is vegan and gluten free and a “better for you” treat, check these out.

I promise you will not taste beans in this recipe! When they are pureed they act as the batter in brownies and plain unsalted black beans have little flavor anyway. This recipe is also sugar free! It gets its sweetness from whole pitted dates, so it has natural fibre and vitamins in it instead of plain old sugar.

The only thing really essential to making this recipe is having a food processor or a high powered blender with a tamper such as a Vita-Mix. You need to get these ingredients pureed into a batter/dough to press into the pan.

If you’re craving brownies you should give these a try!

Gluten Free Vegan Black Bean Brownies

(Inspired by Dr. Fuhrman’s Black Bean brownies)

Makes 12 brownies

Ingredients:

1 19 oz./793 g can black beans (salt free) or 2 cups fresh cooked black beans, drained
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp almond butter or peanut butter
12 large medjool dates, pitted (18-24 if using smaller dates)
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tbsp ceylon (sweet) cinnamon
2 tbsp quick/instant oats (optional, use only if mixture is too wet)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F/ 177 C.

2. Chop the dates into small pieces. Combine black beans, dates, vanilla and almond butter in a food processor or Vita-Mix and blend until smooth. (Food processor preferred.)

3. Add cocoa and cinnamon and blend again. (Do NOT add cocoa until the previous ingredients are blended or it will be virtually impossible to mix)

4. If mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of peanut butter. If mixture is too wet, add oats and process again.

5. Line a square baking pan with parchment paper leaving enough to fold up the sides.

6. Spoon mixture into pan and spread out with spatula or hands.

7. Bake for 30 minutes.

8. Allow to cool and then cool in the freezer for 2 hours to set up before slicing.

9. Top with frosting or fruit if desired and serve.

Nutritional Info: 12 Servings Amount Per Serving: Calories 134.0 Total Fat 2.3 g Saturated Fat 0.5 g Polyunsaturated Fat 0.4 g Monounsaturated Fat 1.2 g Cholesterol 0.0 mg Sodium 10.1 mg Potassium 349.4 mg Total Carbohydrate 28.3 g Dietary Fiber 5.8 g Sugars 16.0 g Protein 4.2 g

Have you ever had black bean brownies before? What’s your favorite way to use black beans?