Category Archives: plant based diet

plant-based Diet

Vegetarian Stuffed Bell Peppers

All of the sudden most of the Bell peppers in the green house all got ripe at once. Time for a real winter treat of stuffed green peppers. Every since I wrote the piece on Flavoring a Whole Food  Plant-Based Diet,

I have been hungry for them, so this is my golden opportunity! There is something very satisfying about food that tastes this good, has great nutrition and is easy to make. Here is how I do it. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on January 20, 2013
Posted in diary-free food, fresh veggies, gluten-free food, plant based diet, rice, vegan, vegetarian | Tagged | Leave a comment

2013, The Obesity Epidemic and Plant-Based Nutrition

“This is another fine mess that you’ve gotten us into, Stanley.”

In case you were culturally deprived when you were young, that quote is a rather famous accusation voiced frequently by Ollie in the Laurel and Hardy comedies. About the only thing that I never heard Oliver Hardy blame Stan Laurel for in those movies was his weight. Obesity was not viewed as a national health crisis in the twenties thirties and forties, hunger was closer to home for a lot of our population.

The weighty have always been among us. They have never been as dominant in numbers as they are today. Along with the new fat epidemic comes symptoms of ill health that worry us (a lot) when we exhibit them. Added to that are diseases like cancer, heart disease and diabetes; all common problems related to the obesity. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on January 16, 2013
Posted in additive-free food, diabetes, excitotoxins, Food Additives, plant based diet, processed food, weigh loss, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Vegan Mujadara–Lentils, Rice and Onions

lentilsIt is sooo cold! Like a lot of people we are enduring a major cold snap. All I have wanted to do for the last week is curl up in front of the fire, read and eat hot heavy food. Never mind salad, exercise or actually trying to think.

I have been craving lentils. Don’t know if it is the protein or the iron my body wants, but whatever it is, I have been fixated on lentils. There is nothing quite like lentil soup on a cold day. But I can’t live by soup alone, so decided to make a lentil and rice dish. It is a loosely Middle Eastern dish called Mujadara that is satisfying and extremely simple to make.  (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on January 14, 2013
Posted in Beans, gluten-free food, Middle Eastern Food, plant based diet, rice, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Vegetarian Thai Green Curry

Here is another family favorite that you can do in a big hurry if you have some rice lying around.

We are big fans of Thai food. Over the years, however, we had pretty much cut it out of our diet. Mainly because creating the curry paste is a pain – lots of herbs and spices we don’t use that often. And because most of the restaurant and prepared foods have fish or shrimp paste in them. I am actually more opposed to taste of the fish/shrimp than to the idea that it is animal products. But that is a personal problem.

Then I discovered the happy fact that Thai Kitchen has a couple of pastes without the fish or shrimp included. There have both green and red curry pastes and a yummy peanut satay sauce. So, armed with a jar of green curry sauce, I was ready to conquer the world. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on January 9, 2013
Posted in additive-free food, Asian, diary-free food, gluten-free food, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Vegetarian Boston Baked Beans

bostonbakedbeansOur long warm fall has turned into a long (or so it seems) cold winter. Not a lot of rain, snow or cloudy skies, but still very cold. At least for me!

After holiday excesses we spent most of last week juicing and drinking smoothies to try and detox a little. After a week of that I was really ready for some bulky, tasty and very hot food. Baked beans seemed like just the thing. Threw a batch together and stuck them in the oven. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on January 6, 2013
Posted in additive-free food, Beans, entrée, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Low-Fat Vegan Pot Pie

Pot pie is one of the great American comfort foods. I start craving it when the weather turns cold and I want something warm and hearty. I almost never make it because it is a pain in the neck to make.

One sticky point is the crust. If you want a gluten-free crust you either have to pay about six bucks for a prepared one or make it yourself. If you don’t care about the gluten you can use a cheaper prepared crust. Making crust takes time but then, I’m not wild about prepared crusts since they are full of weird preservatives. If you use those prepared crusts, then you still have to fit it into those little pie pans which is time consuming and messy. The biggest problem is that no matter how you buy, make or use it, this kind of crust is loaded with fat. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on January 2, 2013
Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, gluten-free food, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition, Whole Food Plant-Based recipes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Year of Being Vegan: 2012 Lessons Learned Part 5

I have always been a plant-based eater; a vegetarian. Over the last year David and I decided to become vegans. It has been an incredible learning experience! Between now and the end of the years I will share some of the things I learned.

thumbs upA Whole Food Plant-Based Vegan Diet Really Works!  And Happy New Year!

Our vegan experiment turns out to be success. When we started this we weren’t sure if it would last or if it would even make a difference. I am happy to report that it did last and that it did make a difference. We are both healthier, feeling better and looking better too.

We had annual physicals and blood tests done earlier this month. Neither of us take medications for blood pressure or cholesterol which is very unusual for people our age. And yet, we both have blood pressure that runs around 110/70. Our total cholesterol is low (below 150) and we have both seen a dramatic drop in our triglyceride levels to the low 60s.  The lab results rates each of us as having  ˂.05% risk of heart disease. That would be less that 5/10 ths of one percent risk. After examining us and see the test results the doctor told David, “you are both ridiculously healthy”. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on December 31, 2012
Posted in plant based diet, vegan, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , | 1 Comment

The Year of Being Vegan: 2012 Lessons Learned Part 3

I have always been a plant-based eater; a vegetarian. Over the last year David and I decided to become vegans. It has been an incredible learning experience! Between now and the end of the years I will share some of the things I learned.

fat cookMany “Healthy” Vegan Recipes are NOT!

The decision to be vegan meant David gave up meat. And we gave up cheese and eggs. Meal planning became a challenge. I spent a couple of hundred dollars (all of it on used bookstores) and many hundreds of hours pouring over menu plans and recipes.

My biggest take is that many vegan recipes do not fit my definition of healthy food. Many of them contain ingredients that I wouldn’t eat on a bet: (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on December 29, 2012
Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, environment, Food Additives, gluten-free food, GMO foods, plant based diet, processed food, Protein, Soy, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Plant-based Sugar-free, Gluten-free, Dairy-free All American Apple Pie

apple pieMost of the time the way I eat makes me very happy. I like feeling healthy and light. I never feel deprived or like I am sacrificing until the Holidays come. It gets dark early, it’s cold and temptations abound! It is only human to want a little comfort! It doesn’t take long for me to start telling myself that I have been so good for so long that just “a little sugar/gluten/dairy/etc won’t hurt”. That is kinda true (or so I hear). My problem is once I start eating a little sugar, I want more. And a little sugar has a way of creeping up to a whole lot! (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on December 12, 2012
Posted in additive-free food, dessert, diary-free food, gluten-free food, plant based diet, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

All Plant-based Split Pea Soup

When I was a 4 or 5  my Dad’s family lived in Santa Barbara. A couple of times a year we would drive up from Los Angeles to visit. Along the way there were always signs for Andersen’s – the split pea soup Andersen’s. The signs featured Hap-pea the big cook and Pea-wee his helper. Some even showed an elaborate split-pea soup factory. The signs were provocative and intriguing. It wasn’t long before the idea of Hap-pea, Pea-wee and a soup factory became as real as the car I was trapped in. I could see just how it looked. And if I scrunched up my face and thought really hard I could even hear and smell it. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on December 8, 2012
Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, gluten-free food, plant based diet, soup, sugar-free food, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment