Month: May 2020

4 Layered Mason Jar Salads

4 Layered Mason Jar Salads

Liven up that same old salad by layering those fresh ingredients into a mason jar! Perfect for your summer get-together or grab and go for lunch, these layered salad jars are jammed packed with flavor. Grab, go and enjoy! Mason jars are useful for a 

Rainbow Tempeh Bowl

Rainbow Tempeh Bowl

Rainbow Tempeh Bowl Ingredients: 4 cups broccoli florets 1 teaspoon avocado oil 2 cups shredded carrots 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 2 scallions, chopped 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds (optional, for garnish) 1 block tempeh, cubbed 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil 1/4 cup 

Raspberry Apple Crisp

Raspberry Apple Crisp

Raspberry Apple Crisp

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 cup raspberries
2 apples (chopped)
1/4 cup cinnamon (divided)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup cashews (chopped)
1/2 cup almonds (chopped)
1/3 cup almond Flour
2 tablespoons maple Syrup
2 tablespoons mint Leaves (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Add the raspberries and apple to a small baking dish.

2. Mix half of the cinnamon into the raspberries and apples and top with coconut oil.

3. In a small bowl add the cashews, almonds, almond flour, maple syrup and the remaining cinnamon. Mix together until evenly combined. Add this crumble over the raspberries and apples and place in the oven.

4. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly.

5. Once cooled, top with mint leaves, if using. Divide evenly between bowls and enjoy!

7 Day Whole Foods-Plant Based Diet Meal Plan

7 Day Whole Foods-Plant Based Diet Meal Plan

The Whole Food Plant Based Diet is a completely animal product-free approach to healthy eating that maximizes whole grains, vegetables and legumes, while minimizing refined sugars and oils . This plan provides adequate protein from a variety of plant-based sources including grains, legumes, nuts and 

Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw

Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw

Cilantro-Lime Coleslaw Ingredients: Coleslaw: 2 cups shredded green cabbage 2 cups shredded purple cabbage 1 cup shredded carrots 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2-3 green onions, sliced   Dressing: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1 lime juiced 1 tablespoon honey (or maple syrup for 

8 Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

8 Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

The earth is covered in plants that provide living creatures with food to keep us healthy and medicine for when we are sick. It makes sense that plants are an essential part of any healthy way of eating. Even in the harshest conditions, plant life, in some form, has been a part of traditional diets. By shifting plant foods to the core of your diet, you are making great strides for your health whether or not you choose to go entirely plant-based. Instead of getting caught up in labels, focus on including more plant-based foods in your diet.

Here are several great benefits of a diet relying mostly on plant foods:

1| Body Mass Index (BMI): Individuals following a plant-based diet that includes a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds are more likely to have a healthy BMI and less likely to be overweight.

2| Risk of Chronic Disease: Plant-based diets reduce the risk for many chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. In fact, those who follow plant-based diets are more likely to have improved insulin sensitivity and lower cholesterol levels.

3| Toxic Load: Meat, dairy, and farm-raised fish may contain hormones, steroids, and other toxic residue from their feed and processing. Although a better choice, wild fish can still be contaminated with heavy metals, like mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which may disrupt our hormones. Consuming organic produce and reducing consumption of animal foods can help limit exposure to these toxins.

4| Money: Individuals who follow a plant-based diet may save about $750 per year on grocery costs. Whole grains, beans, and in-season produce are economical and incredibly nourishing.

5| Animal Welfare: To meet the demand for animal foods, animals are often raised under poor conditions and crowded together in confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). Supporting humane farms – or not purchasing meat at all – is a way to place your vote against animal cruelty.

6| The Planet: The demand for animal products is a major cause of deforestation as land is cleared to make room for animals. In fact, nearly 30% of the earth’s land area is used to raise livestock.5 Farm animals are also a major contributor of greenhouse gases, which are linked to global warming.

7| Resources: Plant-based foods require less energy, space, and water than animal foods and are less taxing on our resources. Producing one kilogram of animal protein uses 100 times more water than the same amount of protein from grains.

8| Longevity: Plant foods are high in antioxidant compounds like vitamin C, selenium, and vitamin E. These compounds assist in reducing oxidative stress in the body, which decreases disease risk and supports healthful aging.7 Some of the world’s longest-living people live in the Mediterranean and Asia. Both areas have traditional diets focused on plant-based diets.

Even if you don’t want to adopt an entirely plant-based diet, try what I like to call a “plant-rich” diet and get those veggies in!

Check out my 20 Delicious & Healthy Plant-Based Recipes Ebook!

20 Delicious & Healthy Plant-Based Recipes Ebook

20 Delicious & Healthy Plant-Based Recipes Ebook

The earth is covered in plants that provide living creatures with food to keep us healthy and medicine for when we are sick. It makes sense that plants are an essential part of any healthy way of eating. Even in the harshest conditions, plant life, 

7-Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan

7-Day Mediterranean Diet Meal Plan

The Mediterranean Diet has sustained its reputation as one of the world’s healthiest diets for more than two decades. When it first gained popularity in the United States in the 1990s, most Americans thought a heart-healthy diet restricted not just saturated fat, but all fat, 

Wine Faults and How to Sniff Them Out

Wine Faults and How to Sniff Them Out

Wine Faults and How to Sniff Them Out

 As wine drinkers we consume a lot of flawed wine without even realizing it. It’s nothing to be ashamed of because most of us just don’t know what wine flaws are.

The good news is, the majority of wine faults are not bad for us; they just cause the wine to smell and/or taste bad.

First and foremost, the best way to know and learn about wine and flawed wines is to know how to actually taste the wine. This requires putting some thought and effort into really tasting your wine instead of just gulping it down. By doing these steps first, you will be able to learn how to properly taste wines and learn about wine faults.

 

Step 1: Sight

Look at your wine. Hold the glass at a slight angle. Is it light in color, indicating a lighter taste? What color is the red wine? Is it more of a purple, ruby red color indicating a young wine or turning into more of a garnet color, indicating an older wine? Is your white wine a straw or light yellow color, indicating a younger white or does it have a golden hue, indicating an older white wine?

Step 2: Swirl

Swirl the wine carefully to coat the sides of the glass. By doing this, it helps the wine release its aromas. Also, if you notice heavy drip lines, or legs of wine down the glass, known as viscosity, there is probably high alcohol content and more residual sugar in the wine.

Step 3: Smell

Put your nose into the glass and smell the wine by slowly inhaling. What do you notice? Do you smell lots of fruit? Earth? Wood? Remembering what wines smell like will help you remember similar wines later so you can drink what you like! For me, the aromas I notice while smelling a wine are the most important in remembering what wines I like.

Step 4: Taste

Take a sip. What does it taste like? Does it taste like anything you smelled? Do you like the wine? Great wines tend to have complex flavors and nice balance. Is it mouthwatering? Fresh, crisp white wines give you that mouth cleaning, acidity. If you are drinking red wine, the drying sensation is from the tannins.

 

So how do I know if a wine has a fault? Below are the three most common wine faults and how to sniff them out!

TCA (cork taint)

TCA is a chemical contaminant that finds its way into your bottle somewhere in production, usually by way of the cork. TCA can be present in oak barrels, or the processing lines at the winery as well, which leads to entire batches, rather than single bottles, being ruined. Cork tainted wines have a dank odor that smells almost exactly like an old basement, wet newspaper, moldy cardboard, or even a wet dog. As far as taste goes, corked wines have very little fruit and overall will have very little flavor and not taste good.

Oxidation (too much oxygen)

 When a wine has been exposed to too much oxygen, it is considered an oxidized wine. Ever leave a sliced apple out on the counter for too long? It will turn brown and become very fragrant. The same thing can happen with wines, especially older ones. However, you can mistakenly do this with any younger wine as well. If you open a bottle of wine, have a glass, stick the cork back in and leave it on the counter for a week, you will have oxidized your wine. You will notice by the taste of the wine because it definitely won’t be as good as your first glass from that same bottle! It will taste more like a caramelized apple and the color will not be as vibrant. To avoid this, use a wine preservation tool.

Heat Damage (cooked wine)

Ever wonder why when you visit a winery and purchase wine they check the weather before they ship you your bottles? Sometimes it is just too hot to ship wine! Wine that has heat damage smells jammy: sort of sweet, but processed. The smell is somewhat like a wine reduction sauce, mixed with a nutty, brown, roasted sugar-type aroma. Heat damage often compromises the seal of the bottle (the expansion from the heated air pushes the cork out) so it can be accompanied by oxidization, which is too much oxygen exposure.

Make sure and store your wine at a proper temperature, which is about 55 degrees. The most important part of storage is a consistent temperature. Be mindful of how hot your garage gets in the summer if that’s where you store your wine.

Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Watermelon and Heirloom Tomato Salad Ingredients: 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar 2 Tbsp. finely chopped basil (or mint, chives, or parsley) 1/4 tsp. sea salt (or pink Himalayan salt) 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper 1 cup arugula 1/2 medium