Category Archives: vegetarian

Whole Food Plant-Based Vegetarian Recipes

Vegetarian Diet Reduces Risk of Fatal Heart Disease by One-Third

healthinsA new study reported in Medical News Today, and  published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concludes that a Vegetarian Diet reduces the risk of dying of heart disease by one-third!

Starting in the early 1990s the study followed 45,000 Europeans who volunteered for the study.  34 percent of volunteers did not eat meat or fish. Hospital admissions and deaths were tracked and during the study. The final tally showed a total of 1,235 identified cases of cardiovascular disease: 1,066 by hospital admission and 169 by death.

by Genene Cote Posted on February 7, 2013
Posted in Caldwell Esselstyn, Dean Ornish, diabetes, heart disease, plant based diet, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes and a Plant-Based Diet

Here is the last part of my husband David’s story about his retreat from heart disease and pre-diabetic condition. He used a plant-based diet regain his health.

I was fat. My belly was distended and my body fat index was over thirty so I qualified. I was more than fifty pounds overweight.

My blood sugar was over one hundred and at one point above one hundred and fifty. My triglycerides were also higher than they should be in a healthy human being. My doctor told me that I was definitely in the pre-diabetic class. He warned if I didn’t change my diet and lose weight I would be a full-blown type 2 diabetic within 2-3 years.

He stressed losing weight because fat is an early warning sign for diabetes. Curing it is the main concern if you are showing early symptoms as I was six years ago. And yes, it is possible to cure type two diabetes no matter what any “expert” has to say. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on February 1, 2013
Posted in diabetes, sugar-free food, vegan, vegetarian, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

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

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

Green Smoothies and Green Juice

ninjaWe got a Ninja for Christmas. It’s not a VitaMix, but it is a big improvement over our trusty old Osterizer. And so far I am very impressed.

We immediately took a field trip to Costco for bagged organic kale, containers of organic spinach and organic Granny Smith apples, organic kiwi and a bag of regular old carrots. Trader Joe’s was next and there we invested in more greens – arugula, bok choy and chard and some organic frozen fruit: pineapple, mango and blueberries. Finally a stop at the local health food store for ginger, mint and parsley.

We took this embarrassment of riches home and fired up the Ninja. Over the last week I have had a variety of Smoothies.  Some good and some putrid. One too sweet and one that was way too green. While we were at it we got out the juicer, blew off the dust and pressed it into service.

by Genene Cote Posted on January 3, 2013
Posted in Fat Sick and Nearly Dead, juice, Smoothies, 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 4

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.

Advanced Label Reading

I was shocked at the things that end up in “healthy” vegan foods. I guess this is really an expansion on unhealthy vegan diet choices.

I started reading labels many years ago when I quit sugar. Over the years I had gotten a little sloppy about really reading labels. I would check for sugar content and if there wasn’t any that seemed good enough. When David discovered that he was wildly reactive to MSG in all it’s forms, I started examining labels again and was shocked at all the forms of MSG that end up in our foods. Follow through on the two MSG links in this paragraph to get more info. (more…)

by Genene Cote Posted on December 30, 2012
Posted in additive-free food, diary-free food, Food Additives, GMO foods, processed food, vegan, vegetarian, Vitamins, Whole Food Plant-Based nutrition | Tagged , , , | Leave a 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