When most people think about kale they think “bitter”, “gross” and other words a 5 year old may use to describe any sort of vegetable their parents are trying to force upon them. But wether you’re cooking for a chid or yourself, there is a way of making kale taste amazing!
Kale is more full of nutrients than any of its cruciferous cousins like cabbage and broccoli. Loaded with vitamin C, K, calcium and sulforaphane (a potent anti cancer compound) it is sure to boost your immune system as well as fulfill your basic nutrient requirements.
Sulforaphane is especially present when you chop kale and stir-frying it doesn’t destroy the compound, whereas boiling it or steaming it does. Luckily, stir frying also makes kale taste less bitter than when you boil or steam it, so double bonus!
Today I’m going to show you how you can modify some meals’ ingredients to fit a vegan diet!
Wether it’s for ethical or health reasons or you just want to try having a vegan meal once in a while, there are ways to do it.
A couple of tips:
– Substitute mayo, spreads, cheeses and creams with avocado. It adds a creamy texture with much less saturated fat and more nutritional value. (This is also a good way to cut fat and useless calories from your diet, wether or not you’re trying a vegan lifestyle).
– To make sure you get all the complete proteins you need, always combine grains and legumes. They complement each other to form the complex proteins that meats have in them. For example (like in this recipe) beans and tortillas, whole grain toast and peanut butter (yes, peanuts are legumes, not nuts), rice and beans, etc… Look up grains and legumes and come up with your own combination!
– Some think that just by going vegan or vegetarian, you are automatically healthier… Well, you’re not if you fry everything and add tons of oils to meals or overeat. Fill up mostly on fruits and veggies and limit the fats! That goes for vegans and omnivores alike!
INGREDIENTS:
Enfrijoladas:
– 1 can fat free refried beans – 6 tortillas
(or 1 cup home made refried beans w/out oil) – 1 tbsp oil to brown tortillas
– salt, pepper, cumin and/or other spices – water to dilute beans
Nopalitos:
– 1 lb cactus leaves, washed and sliced – 1/2 onion, chopped medium
– 2 roma tomatoes chopped medium – 1 cup chopped cilantro
Just because a meal is healthy, it doesn’t mean it has to be bland, unsatisfying or a salad. If you like sandwiches and burgers with fries, here’s a tasty, super healthy alternative to try!
A good start is to substitute burger buns or other white breads with something that is lower in carbs and higher in fiber. I recommend Multi-grain sandwich rounds. They are thin, so they have less carbs, and since they are multi grain, they pack a good amount of fiber.
Another great substitution is sweet potato instead of regular old russet potatoes. There’s nothing wrong with Russet, Sweet potato simply has more nutrients, like beta carotene and fiber. If you also bake your fries instead of frying them, then you have a super healthy side for your sandwich. Check out the recipe and video and give it a go!
INGREDIENTS:
Sandwich:
– 2 4oz salmon fillets
– 1/2 zucchini – 2 multi grain sandwich rounds
– 1/2 yellow squash – sea salt
– 1 avocado – pepper
– 1/4 red bell pepper, sliced – 1 1/2 tbsp oil (olive, safflower)
– 1/8 onion, sliced – dash of chick bouillon
Hot in the kitchen 