Tofu Chili for Everyone

For the past six months or so Woody and I have been following a mostly vegan diet. Spurred on by our continuing quest to live healthy and long lives, we've decided that cutting out most animal proteins from our diet is a step we feel comfortable doing as part of our efforts. I haven't talked about it much - if at all - because it's still new for us and we're figuring it out. Beyond this, I'm not planning to turn this into a vegan blog or try and convince everyone to make the switch like we are. While I generally hope that people will work to eat healthy diets (most of the time), what works for each of us is different, and likely changes quite a few times over the course of our lives.

How can I live without cheese?

It's true, giving up cheese and Greek yogurt were, by far the hardest things I've had to cut from my (almost daily) routine, but after a while it just wasn't a big deal anymore. To be perfectly frank, when I say we're following a mostly vegan diet that's because we have made a few exceptions and know that when we eat out a few things might have butter, or a little bit of egg (and we did indulge in burgers at Delmonico's when we were in NYC last fall). But generally we're pretty conscious of what we're eating and don't include meat, dairy or eggs when cooking at home.

With all that said, we've been experimenting with different foods lately to get the nutrition we need. With the cold and snowy weekend we've had, a big pot of chili sounded perfect for Sunday dinner. As Woody said when he finished his last bite, it's nearly the perfect meal - pretty cheap, really easy, and healthy (how I make it, anyway). To change it up a little I decided to add some tofu to the mix. 

Chili is really all about throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot and letting in simmer for hours. As far as I'm concerned, it's even better the next day. The basics: lots of onion, garlic, and peppers...

Throw these into a pot with tomatoes (I opt for a mix of no salt added diced tomatoes & fire roasted diced), with a combination of black and kidney beans.

Using firm tofu, I drained then pressed it for about an hour to get a good amount of the liquid out. Then I rubbed in a bit of black pepper and chili season on both sides and baked at 400 degrees for just over an hour - flipping half way through. 

Cut into cubes I added it into the pot, added more chili seasoning and a little bit of ketchup and simmered for several hours.

So, all that was:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Bell Peppers (any color will do but a mix is best)
• Diced Tomatoes (no salt added & fire roasted)
• Beans - Kidney and Black
• Firm Tofu
• Black Pepper
• Chili Seasoning
• Ketchup

I don't list quantities because it really depends on how big a pot your using and how many people you want to serve. I often make one pot then add a little more veggies for the second night if it seems like it could use a little bulking up.

The tofu really just added another texture to the chili. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't have much of a flavor, so it won't overpower the other ingredients, but it does add a lot of protein without many calories. Next time I think I'll try preparing the tofu like a scramble - which should replicate the texture of ground beef. 

When Neil Patrick Harris was just about to take the stage for his Oscars monologue (really, he's the perfect host), I dished up the chili and topped it off with a bit of avocado, because let's face it, everything is better with avocado!

Did you have a favorite Oscar dress or moment? How much snow did you get this weekend? If you make tofu dishes, what's your favorite?

HOLIDAY WELLNESS GUIDE: Pumpkin Quinoa Granola

You know what is the worst when it happens during the holidays, and it’s been happening to a lot of people lately? Coming down with a virus. I’m not talking about the kind that infects your computer or comes from hackers who may, or may not be, upset about a particular movie your film studio is about to release (although those are both really bad too). I’m talking about the kind that knocks you flat on your back and sucks all the energy and holiday excitement out of you. That’s what we’ve been dealing with in our house over the past week, plus. First Woody came down with the nasty thing and then I did. It’s particularly annoying when you’ve procrastinated on many holiday errands and the weekend you have to get them done or risk missing Christmas, is when you can hardly peel yourself off the couch and being more than 5 feet away from a kleenex box could prove quite embarrassing. Thankfully though, we’re on the upswing of things and should be 100% for our Christmas travel and activities. 

Because we like to make sure there are at least a few healthy food options available when we travel, one thing I love to take with me is granola. I’ve been known to stuff a 1lb + bag of the stuff in my suitcase or several pre-portioned snack bags of it in my carry-on food survival bag. I love granola, as does Woody, and because he can eat a lot of it several years ago I started making it at home. It’s such an easy thing to do, and much healthier than the vast majority of store bought versions. With fillers, oils and other unnecessary ingredients, granola can be one of the biggest offenders on the deceptive “it looks healthy, but it really isn’t” list.

But when done right, and enjoyed in appropriate amounts, it can be quite nutritious. Oats are naturally packed with fiber and iron while nuts and seeds are high in heart-healthy unsaturated fats. Besides the potential health benefits, the crunchiness and sweetness of granola make it a favorite for many. The key is to keep it simple and healthy. And use it as a topping, rather than the start of the meal.

It can also make for a great gift, which means that baking a batch of granola this weekend can help you with those last minute gifts for friends, neighbors, and colleagues. A few years ago I gave a bag of homemade granola with a cute bowl as a secret santa gift for the office holiday gift exchange; the recipient loved it and asked for the recipe! Beautifully packaged with a ribbon and one of these easy DIY cinnamon ornaments,  homemade granola makes for a beautiful hostess gift (then she doesn’t have to think about breakfast the next morning!) or for your friends who you love to brunch with throughout the year. 

If you’re hosting family for the holidays, it’s easy to bake a big batch of this granola before the crowds arrive then set it out in the morning along with a variety of milks, yogurt, and fruit for everyone to enjoy. The crunchiness also makes for a great topping on waffles or pancakes. And don’t forget the coffee, of course!

This recipe is a new favorite, perfect for the holiday season with a little, wait for it… pumpkin added in! Not only is the flavor festive, but this orange fruit also adds more fiber, potassium, iron and vitamin A to give the morning meal a nutrition boost.

 

Now while the photo above appears to be a bowl full of granola, as mentioned earlier, I don't advise actually eating a full bowl of granola! Even homemade granola has a good bit of fat and calories due to the combination of ingredients - however healthy those ingredients may be individually - so it’s best to keep the serving size to 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup. Like so many other things in life, please enjoy in moderation!

Have you made homemade granola? * What do you love to bake this time of year? * Will you be visiting or hosting family over the holidays?

Protein Packed Homemade Granola

I love eating granola but I do not love buying granola. More times than not it’s expensive and high in sugar, calories and fat. Store bought granola on top of high-protein Greek or Icelandic yogurt makes what could be a delicious and nutritious breakfast almost the equivalent of eating a Snickers. Not the best way to refuel after a workout and start the day. For the past several years I’ve been making granola in our oven for a fraction of the price and calories!

Rather than following a recipe I usually throw a mixture of oats, seeds, nuts and spices (cinnamon and apple pie spice are my go-to’s) into a bowl then mix with a little honey and sometimes nut butter or apple sauce. The mixture goes into the oven and is baked at low temps for about 30 – 40 minutes, stirred every 8 – 10 minutes, till it’s a nice golden brown. No two batches are alike and one or two have been less than delicious, but it usually turns out well, making for a yummy and healthy breakfast.

The batch I made on Sunday was a little different. I’ve read about including quinoa in granola and I thought it would be fun to try. To do this, I rinsed the quinoa as usual then spread it out on a foil-lined cookie sheet and baked for 10 minutes, stirring once. It can burn and stick to the foil quickly, so it’s good to pay attention to it and make sure this doesn’t happen. If you’ve cooked quinoa before then you know that the seeds can jump about and make quite a mess, so be careful while you’re stirring them, especially after they’re fully baked and you pull the pan out of the oven. I had a number of seeds escape!

After the quinoa was baked I added it to the mixture of oats, walnuts, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, cinnamon and honey then stirred and baked. Over time I’ve found that when I include chia and flax into the mixture, they often just fall to the bottom and don’t make it into most bowls of yogurt, so I now just add them in separately – which is why they’re not in my list of ingredients. I eat breakfast at work 5 days a week, so I pack little bags of granola to take with me and throw the chia seeds in then lately, I’ve been adding a spoonful of hemp hearts in too (they require refrigeration which is why I wait till the last minute).

I find that two slightly-heaping tablespoons of my granola plus the chia and hemp hearts make for a great start to the day and keep me filled through the morning, even on days like last Tuesday when I went snowmobiling with my colleagues. Turns out Powder Days are pretty fun, especially when it’s on the company! And Breckenridge is a super-cute town!

That’s me! What do you think of the snowsuit? Hot, right? (fun fact: I’m standing on about 8ft of snow in this picture!)

Have you ever made your own granola? * What foods get you going in the morning? * What songs have you been playing on repeat lately?

Food & Bike Racing

Last weekend the state of Colorado was enamored with bike racing. The USA Pro Challenge to be exact. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s basically the US’s version of the Tour de France. Known as America’s Race, it’s a multi-day road bike race that brings together professional riders from all over the world. Going through Colorado, the race takes riders to incredible heights – 12,000 feet to be exact! The seventh and last stage of the race took place in Denver on Sunday and consisted of 8 laps of a circuit through downtown. Being so close to the action, we had to check it out!

So, they practically flew by and were a blur. With all the great riders who were there, a Coloradoan took home first place! Tejay van Garderen of the BMC Racing team won the Pro Challenge.

Afterwards we headed over to REI – big sale going on – and checked out bikes and helmets. One of my goals is to start riding a bike again (it’s been nearly two decades since I’ve been on one) but the first step is getting a helmet so I can test out my skills on a Denver B-Cycle (like Citi Bikes in NYC) before we invest in a bike. So, we had some fun…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You’ll have to check back to see what we chose!

Aside from watching professional riders fly by and trying on helmets, I did a little cooking. Here are my favorites from the weekend:

Potato smashers

This tasty side dish was so incredibly easy I am making these again soon. We had this as a side dish with dinner but I think it would be a great alternative for breakfast potatoes as well! I also want to try it with a mixture of red & purple potatoes.

Steps:

1. Scrub and boil red potatoes
2. Let cool & pre-heat oven to 375’
3. Spray foil-lined cookie sheet with olive oil spray
4. Place potatoes on cookie sheet and flatten with the bottom of a cup (glass is best, potatoes won’t stick to it) or back of a large spoon or pie server
5. In a small prep cup combine grape seed oil (or olive oil) with fresh ground pepper and chipotle – stir to combine
6. Using a silicone brush, spread mixture on each smashed potato and bake in oven for 45 minutes or until satisfyingly crunchy yet soft

Eggplant Stackers

So, I need to perfect this one a bit more but it turned out well enough I didn’t want to wait to share it. Again, really simple and a great alternative for a veggie side dish. The one thing I’d do differently would be to cut thinner slices of eggplant and use a little less mozzarella.

Steps:

1. Slice eggplant – two slices per serving – and grill on each side till nearly cooked
2. Top one slice of eggplant with a smear of pesto, tomato slice, bit of mozzarella (it melts easily so you don’t need too much!), a bit of wilted fresh spinach then second slice of eggplant
3. Continue to grill for a minute then flip and grill on the other side for another minute – until warmed through
4. Remove from grill and drizzle with balsamic vinegar before serving

I love that we have a balcony now so we can grill! Just wish it was self-cleaning!

What’s your favorite thing to grill? * How are you planning to spend the holiday weekend? * Are you more excited for college football or pro football?