Best Vegan Chili For A Snowy Sunday

Who needs ground beef when you've got lots of kidney beans?  This Veg Chili was a hit last weekend during the game, but of course, I had to also try a slice (ok, two) of Vegetarian Pizza.  After all, it was Superbowl Sunday.

Here's the Vegan Chili recipe, adapted from one found in Parade Magazine;

1 Small Onion, diced

2 medium carrots, sliced in coins

3 small zucchini in bite-size pieces

28 oz can diced tomatoes

16 oz can corn, drained

2 16 oz cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 plus tablespoon chili powder

Salt, Pepper, any other spice you like to taste

1 tablespoon oil

Sauté carrots and onion in oil for about 5 minutes till soft.  Throw in zucchini and cook another few minutes. Add tomatoes, corn, beans, chili powder and all spices and bring to boil then simmer for 30 minutes.  Keep on lowest flame till guests arrive.

Vegan Chili

Rock and Roll-y Guacamole

Last night, I'm ashamed to say, I had a slice of pot roast.  I didn't take a picture; that would have been besides the point of this blog.  Along with the meat, however, I piled on my plate a bunch of wilted, sauteed Swiss Chard (in olive oil and garlic), sweet potatoes mashed with steamed carrots, quinoa with dried cranberries and salad.  Did all those other healthy items cancel out the beef?  Probably not, but I never said I was perfect.

Today, I craved my own special, simple home-smashed guacamole.  It's so simple, and I made and ate  it so quickly, I forgot to take a picture of that, too.  But I managed to save the leavings and snap a photo.  Here is is along with the recipe.

Condiments from my two favorite grocery stores; Fairway and Costco

Rock and Roll-y Guacamole

Two ripe avocados

Sprinkling of granulated garlic

Three grinds of sea salt

1/4 cup of chopped raw onion

1 tsp (or thereabouts) lime juice

Smash and mix all ingredients together in medium bowl.

Wait a few minutes for the flavors to blend and dig in!

I was happy to discover that avocados can help lower cholesterol, too.

Blood Draw; Testing Out My New Diet

This morning, my veins eked out four vials of blood, which will be tested in depth for cholesterol levels.  Let's hope my numbers have come down - or at lease my good cholesterol has increased.  I'll know in a week or two, and then so will you.

Indochina and Beyond; Eating My Way Through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam

It's been awhile since I posted here, but I've been traveling; to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.  I will write about my exploits elsewhere.  This blog is all about the food I chose to eat, and whether these choices will bring down my evil cholesterol numbers.  

Indochina is no more or less a health-food booby trap than any other region in the world, though thankfully, there's not much high-fat dairy (in sauces, cheeses) on most menus.  

My first meal in Bangkok - at a hole in the wall "street" vendor with a few tables - was pretty indicative of what I'd be eating throughout a two week venture. Stir fried chicken with veggies.  

Stir fried chicken with onions at "street" vendor in Bangkok, Thailand

In the photo below, the Coca-Cola was not mine, but I did order the Watermelon Juice/slushee to accompany my stir-fry and rice. I found watermelon juice on almost every menu there-after and, despite its high natural sugar content, ordered it every day.  I'm not sure that was a prudent choice, but it was refreshing, gave me pep and, is a source of anti-oxidants, vitamin C and many other health benefits.  I never got sick halfway across the world.  Perhaps my daily watermelon juice was the reason?

Meal in Bangkok, Thailand

 I discovered that hotels and boutique inns offered the best breakfast selection. I could load up on salads and fruit while avoiding the Western-style omlets and breads.  Note the stacked white bread in the photo - for some reason, Asians love our un-artisanal Wonder-breads.  We saw this presentation everywhere.  Of course, I steered clear of meats, shellfish and fried items.  But I was somewhat drawn to high-sodium wide noodles (yes, for breakfast).  I allowed myself a small helping most mornings.

Breakfast at Furama Silom, Bangkok

Breakfast at Banthai Village, Chiang Mai, Thailand

My husband is Gluten-Free Vegan, and restaurants all over Indochina were equipped to handle his requests.  Fish Sauce was replaced by Soy Sauce and stir-fries featured vegetables only. Most noodles were made from rice, not wheat- a great benefit. I went easy on the rice, but often ate my husband's food - without meat.

Vegetarian Meal; at Elephant Camp, Chiang Mai, Thailand

 One of the highlights of our trip was a hands-on Thai cuisine cooking class in Chiang Mai - at Thai Orchid Cooking school.  Outfitted in a private home and run by the home-owners/chefs, we learned the art of making curries from scratch, assembling a quick Pad Thai and adjusting "heat" levels to our own palates.  I plan to cook more this way now.

Thai Orchid Cooking School
Chiang Mai, Thailand

Yellow Curried chicken and potatoes, chicken and cashews
Thai Orchid Cooking School
Chiang Mai, Thailand

 Moving on to Cambodia (Siem Reap),  one regional delicacy repulsed me; bugs.  Crickets and spiders were big sellers here, but I just couldn't.....do.....it.

Yes to the chips. Yes to the peanuts.  No to the crickets.
Siem Reap, Cambodia

I have to admit, though, that crickets might have been better for cholesterol-reduction than these mighty good Spring Rolls.  Deep fried, unfortunately.  I fell off the wagon for these and had two.

Incredible Deep Fried Spring Rolls at New Hope Program's Teaching Restaurant
Siem Reap, Cambodia

 On the road from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, we stopped at a roadside stand famous for its fried spiders (tarantulas, actually), crickets and other insects. Suffice it to say I did not purchase a bag full.

Roadside stand selling fried spiders, crickets and insects on the road
from Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn, Cambodia

While in Vietnam, we enjoyed an excursion to villages in the Mekong Delta.  Orienting myself here took some getting used to, as I remembered the Delta as a place from which our young American soldiers returned to the US in body bags in the 1960's.  Obviously, the "American War of Aggression" is seen quite differently where it actually happened, though younger Vietnamese relegate the War to the history books and welcome American tourists warmly.

Our Mekong Delta excursion included an afternoon's glide on the "Mekong Queen" - a "deluxe" wooden boat, initially set up with a still-life of colorful local fruit (which was later cut and prepared by our personal "chef").  The height of opulence.....

A variety of fruit on the private "deluxe"  Mekong Queen riverboat
Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Enjoying just-cut fruit on the
 private "deluxe"  Mekong Queen riverboat
Mekong Delta, Vietnam

 We had lunch in a Mekong village - in the garden of a private antique home. This fish was one of the most delectable dishes of the whole trip. Fried to a crisp, but moist and succulent within. Gorgeous and delicious.

Lunch at a private antique home in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

I tried to be an adventurous eater on my Indochina trip, and aside from insects I did pretty well.  Oh, except for this stuff; cobras steeped in alcohol.  Science may one day find this to be the one potion to bring down cholesterol overnight, but I still won't try it.  I'll stick with my Cheerio's, thanks.

Snake Saki sold in Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Feel Your Oats - The #1 Way To Lower Cholesterol

Any list of cholesterol-reducing foods begins with oats.  Rolled, steel-cut, in Cheerios and other oatsy cereals, oats are nature's most efficient arterial scrub-brushes.  I'm dedicated to eating a portion every morning and can just feel my cholesterol's gummy works flushing away with each bite. I usually don't have hot oatmeal in the mornings; I enjoy my husband's great homemade granola.  He's gluten-free (as well as Vegan), and so we use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats in our recipe.  You'll get oats and protein and all sorts of other goodies.  Here's the recipe:

Jeff's Gluten-Free Marvelous Morning Granola

9 cups Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Rolled Oats (one 32 oz. bag)

2 cups partially pulverized nuts (some ground, some barely chopped)

1 cup no-salt shelled pumpkin seeds (which means without the shell!)

1 cup no-salt shelled sunflower seeds

3 tbs flax or chia seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds (can be omitted)

1 cup chopped dried fruit (optional)

2 cups Agave Nectar

1 cup olive oil

Mix everything together in a big roasting pan.  Roast in 350 degree oven for an hour, stirring every 10 minutes, or until golden brown.  Let cool and store in dry containers.  Enjoy!

Jeff's Marvelous Morning Granola
See Recipe Above

While the portion looks small, this scoop of granola is chocked with healthy stuff and is very filling;

My Morning Portion of Jeff's Marvelous Morning Granola

My day, however, cannot begin without this large cup of Fairway Organic coffee.  Reviews of coffee vis a vis health is mixed. Research reveals that while unfiltered coffee - French Press, Espresso - might increase cholesterol, filtered, drip coffee has no effect on it. I choose to cherry-pick the "antioxidant" cancer-fighting reports and studies of my favorite caffeine delivery system.

My Daily Cuppa Joe

A Newly Minted Vague-An

My Facebook friend (I have to make that distinction, because we've never met in person), Joe Yonan, Washington Post editor and author of the upcoming "Eat Your Vegetables," coined a new term that fits someone like me perfectly. Vague-An. A vague-an eats a mostly plant-based diet, but must splash real milk in his/her morning coffee, and will accept the occasional white-egg omelet or piece of sushi.

It was in this spirit that I girded myself for our JCC's generous volunteer-recognition Holiday Cocktail Party, catered by it's in-house Cafe owners, Genadeen Caterers. "Holiday," in this case, of course, is that paean to oil and all it can fry - Hanukkah. Eating out, for any newly committed heart-healthy vague-an - whether for Christmas, Easter, Hanukkah, weddings, birthdays, press-events -   is an exercise in choices. Sometimes difficult ones.

I passed up the potato latkes;

And my favorite pass-around, the "Kosher Pig In Blanket;"

And made quite a few trips up to the mini-salads bar....

added a couple of stuffed grape-leaves....

and in true Vague-An fashion, I was first to tear into the sushi platter;

And chanced tryptophan grogginess at the turkey-carving station (no skin, thanks);

Tell me about your holiday party eating decisions and I'll include them in a future post......

Ten Best Foods to Lower Cholesterol; I don't See Pizza on The List....

Here we go.....

Photo from HeartHealthyOnline

Straight from Harvard Medical School Health Publication Website;

Drumroll, please. Here are the Top Ten Foods That Will Help Lower Your Cholesterol;

Oats. An easy first step to improving your cholesterol is having a bowl of oatmeal or cold oat-based cereal like Cheerios for breakfast. It gives you 1 to 2 grams of soluble fiber. Add a banana or some strawberries for another half-gram. Current nutrition guidelines recommend getting 20 to 35 grams of fiber a day, with at least 5 to 10 grams coming from soluble fiber. (The average American gets about half that amount.)

Barley and other whole grains. Like oats and oat bran, barley and other whole grains can help lower the risk of heart disease, mainly via the soluble fiber they deliver.

Beans. Beans are especially rich in soluble fiber. They also take awhile for the body to digest, meaning you feel full for longer after a meal. That's one reason beans are a useful food for folks trying to lose weight. With so many choices — from navy and kidney beans to lentils, garbanzos, black-eyed peas, and beyond — and so many ways to prepare them, beans are a very versatile food.

Eggplant and okra. These two low-calorie vegetables are good sources of soluble fiber.

Nuts. A bushel of studies shows that eating almonds, walnuts, peanuts, and other nuts is good for the heart. Eating 2 ounces of nuts a day can slightly lower LDL, on the order of 5%. Nuts have additional nutrients that protect the heart in other ways.

Vegetable oils. Using liquid vegetable oils such as canola, sunflower, safflower, and others in place of butter, lard, or shortening when cooking or at the table helps lower LDL.

Apples, grapes, strawberries, citrus fruits. These fruits are rich in pectin, a type of soluble fiber that lowers LDL.

Foods fortified with sterols and stanols. Sterols and stanols extracted from plants gum up the body's ability to absorb cholesterol from food. Companies are adding them to foods ranging from margarine and granola bars to orange juice and chocolate. They're also available as supplements. Getting 2 grams of plant sterols or stanols a day can lower LDL cholesterol by about 10%.

Soy. Eating soybeans and foods made from them, like tofu and soy milk, was once touted as a powerful way to lower cholesterol. Analyses show that the effect is more modest — consuming 25 grams of soy protein a day (10 ounces of tofu or 2 1/2 cups of soy milk) can lower LDL by 5% to 6%.

Fatty fish. Eating fish two or three times a week can lower LDL in two ways: by replacing meat, which has LDL-boosting saturated fats, and by delivering LDL-lowering omega-3 fats. Omega-3s reduce triglycerides in the bloodstream and also protect the heart by helping prevent the onset of abnormal heart rhythms.

Yesterday, I passed up pizza - a major surge of willpower to be sure. Today will bring its own set of challenges as I gird myself for yet another Hanukkah Party.  Stay Tuned.