Jaw Dropping Video on Paleo/Low Carb Diets vs. Plant Based Diets

Just a little something I thought you would find extrememly interesting! My jaw literally dropped as I watched this video.

Warning: this video will be disturbing, offensive and insensitive to many people. For that, I am truly sorry. I did not make this video, but I do choose to show it on HGK because I believe there is value in it. The people represented here are public figures selling diet books and because of that I believe it is fair to examine them critically. You may not agree with that decision, but that is not the issue for debate here on HGK. I simply want to spark debate on the merits of the different ways of eating, not the merits of making a video like this.

Chef Aj's Quick-6 Fat Free Salad Dressing and Beluga Lentil Tabbouleh

Today I present to you a pretty good recipe for Beluga Lentil Tabbouleh. I had a lot of cooked beluga lentils left over when I made this salad, and I was pretty excited to experiment with something else unique and delicious that I could make with these small black lentils.

Not a great recipe.

So why am I blogging about it? Because it's the perfect example of two things. First, not everything we are going to make in our plant-strong kitchens will be perfect, nor does it need to be. Second, because even something pretty good, like this version of a beluga lentil tabbouleh, can be great when served on top of a nice leafy green salad with a . . . delicious homemade no-oil salad dressing!

Great Article by Jeff Novick Explaining Calorie Density

I just saw this great article by Jeff Novick that explains the concepts of eating a high volume of low calorie food to maintain a healthy weight. It sounds so simple but there are important ideas in this article that everyone should be aware of. Please take the time to read the comments and answers to them at the end of the article. They are just as helpful and fascinating as the article itself.

Truth or Fiction: We Need Fat on a Salad to Absorb Nutrients? Strawberry Salad with Strawberry Basil Vinaigrette.

I'm no stranger to the theory that in order to absorb vitamins and minerals from vegetables you need to have some fat in your salad. Well, that story is rearing its ugly head again. I just saw this article and this video on YouTube, which were being tweeted about this past weekend. 

I'm kind of befuddled. Here are the thoughts that are racing through my mind right now:

"In a human trial, researchers fed subjects salads topped off with saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat-based dressings and tested their blood for absorption of fat-soluble carotenoids. . . In the test, 29 people were fed salads dressed with butter as a saturated fat, canola oil as a monounsaturated fat and corn oil as a polyunsaturated fat. Each salad was served with 3 grams, 8 grams or 20 grams of fat from dressing." 

Why wasn't there another test group fed salad with no oil or fat on their dressing to see what their absorption rate of carotenoids were? Or how about fats from sources other than highly processed ones (nuts, seeds, avocado, etc.)?

Fun with Whole Grains: Cherry Berry Forbidden Rice Pudding and Overnight Buckwheat Oats

I'm so into breakfast these days.

If it's not As American as Apple Pie Oatmeal, I'm having fun with more exotic whole grains, now that my fear of starch is being challenged by the McDougalls.

I first made a forbidden rice pudding when reading Dr. Fuhrman's Super Immunity and I thought it was incredible. When I reorganized my pantry last weekend and found a stash of this special rice, I thought, "I need to make that again!"

What's the big deal about black rice? Well, first off, it's just really fun.

Lentil Fest 2012

Lately I have been going crazy with lentils!

I used to dislike lentils and I'm hardly a fussy eater--if you disregard that I don't want to eat many foods, which is totally different than many foods don't taste good to me.

But lentils didn't used to taste good to me. Oddly enough, it was when I went plant-strong that all that changed.  And now, I can hardly get enough of them.

From the black lentils in this Kale Salad to Dr. Fuhrman's Lentil Dal with Mango and on to Dr. McDougall's Sloppy Lentil Joes, I have been cooking with lentils at every opportunity. It's all been very, very  delicious.

Candle 79 Kale Salad Re-do and No-oil Chia Chive Vinaigrette

It was almost exactly a month ago when my business partner Chris-Anna and I ate one of our most memorable meals in New York City at Candle 79 restaurant. And if there was one dish that we enjoyed that I promised myself I would attempt to recreate in my own kitchen, it was their Grilled Kale Salad with haricots verts, beluga lentils, red onions, turnips, avocado, sunflower seeds, speltberries and chive vinaigrette. Like no other salad I have ever had, this salad satisfies as a complete meal. It's got greens, whole grains, lentils, other vegetables and healthy fats. I get chills just thinking about how perfect it is.

Manna from heaven.

As American as Apple Pie

You guys are amazing and inspiring! Thank you again for all of your incredible input on The McDougall Plan. I'm reading a few pages a night and planning on giving many of their recipes a try over the weekend, along with some other exciting food experiements for Father's Day!

I did want to highlight one exceptional comment that was left on that post by none other than our beloved Chef AJ:

I just read the book on the way back from Ohio. (Columbus, not Cleveland). I thought it was well written and the only things I disagreed with is where he said you can't make food taste good without sugar or salt. I've been doing it for years. I love the research he provided about fat. After being a patient at True North it was explained to me that the reason I could not lose weight was because of the percentage of calories from fat in my diet. The minute I gave up nuts and seeds I lost 12 pounds effortlessly without suffering. This book explained scientifically why this was possible. That when you exceed your caloric need in fat calories it is immediately stored as fat. When you exceed it in calories from carbohydrate it is burned as heat. You can over consume by hundreds of calories from carbs and still lose weight. I think the best diet is the one you can follow. For me, it is a hybrid of Fuhrman, Esselstyn and McDougall. I take the best all three have to offer. Eat a ton of fruits and greens as per Fuhrman and Esslestyn, no processed foods, sugar or salt as per Fuhrman, but not afraid to eat oats, rice potatoes or sweet potatoes anymore either. Seems like the more of those I eat the thinner I get. I have more satisfaction eating this way than from nuts and seeds, and less fat on my body. I had my DHA levels tested and they are still fine. Still use a small amount of nuts or seeds in a few recipes, but am very mindful of the amount and don't use them everyday anymore. Love & Kale, Chef AJ

After my past month of travelling, I've got a few pounds to shed, so I'm pretty interested in what McDougall is promoting. I'm operating from home base and focused on cooking again and I'm pretty excited to give the McDougall ideas a try. I've got nothing to lose but some weight, right?

Inspired by McDougall: No-Huevos Rancheros

If you missed the discussion about the McDougall program, check out yesterday's post and comments. Thanks to everyone who joined in the conversation! I don't mean to imply that there is a BIG difference between all of the plant-based diet docs. There's not. But there are nuances to what each doctor is promoting as the best, easiest, healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off--and that is where they differ. If weight loss is not your thing, consider yourself lucky and eat from the full compliment of what nature has to offer! Just check that your blood work comes out great about once a year and I don't think you need to worry your pretty little head.

Since I'm reading The Starch Solution,  of course I want to test out a lot of the McDougall recipes. So I'm back with my second blog post in two days. I feel like I'm on a roll! I've been on the McDougall e-mail list for a few years and have always thought the recipes looked divine, but never got around to making any.

My first time at bat and I hit a home run! This Mexican dinner, called Non-Huevos Rancheros, could easily be breakfast or lunch and it was so incredibly yummy. I'm going to guess that all of the McDougall recipes will be winners according to my taste preferences. I think I've always naturally preferred starchy food to things like meat, chicken, turkey, cheese, etc.

I adapted the recipe a bit, cutting down on some of the labor and adding my pea guacamole as one of the layers. Serious McDougallers might try to avoid guacamole all together, but I figured that my pea version, with little avocado relative to a traditional guacamole, wouldn't be such a tragic mistake. But I'm not an expert on nutrition, just a regular girl trying my best to figure things out.

Here are the components, it seems like a lot, but this really is a quick and easy meal:

print me!

1. 4-6 tortillas. Preferably corn, but 100% whole wheat if that's what you've got.

2. 1 can of fat free refried pinto beans, put into a bowl and warmed through.

3. 1 recipe tofu scramble (see below).

4. 1 recipe pea guacamole-see recipe here or simply blend 1 bag defrosted peas, 1 medium avocado, the juice of two lemons, a dash of salt and pepper in a food processor. You will have leftovers.

5. Salsa fresca or your favorite jarred red salsa-I like it mild, but however you like it best.

6. Chopped cilantro. I like a lot of this, but you can leave it off if you prefer.

I'm Home and This is What I'm Reading Now: The Starch Solution

Greetings everyone!

I feel like it's been a lifetime since I last blogged, even though it's only been a week. This past month has been one of the busiest of my entire life. But this carnival ride isn't over yet. I've got a lot of personal stuff going on right now (good and well, not so good) and my mind is pretty distracted from cooking, creating new recipes and writing about food.

For all of you guys who have recently started reading HGK, I encourage you to explore my "healthy recipes" section and also to look through archives of blog postings. Most of the recipes that I have tested and written about over the past two and a half years have not made it into my healthy recipes section due to lack of time, but that doesn't mean they are not awesome. There are amazing recipes in those older blog posts, so have at it!

But in case you are wondering whether I have totally jumped ship, I'm here to report that I am currently reading my first McDougall book.

Catch Dr. Fuhrman on the Dr. Oz Show

Usually these types of things end up pissing me off (short appearances on television shows edited for lord knows what purpose tend to be full of half-truths and misinformation), but I'm certainly going to set my DVR to tape Dr. Fuhrman on the Dr. Oz show. The man is one of my heroes and I'm thrilled for all of the national exposure he gets!

The producers are calling the segment "The Dr. Oz Approved 7 Day Crash Diet: Eat All You Want and Still Lose Weight."

Could it get any more sensational than that?