Last night with Dr Esselstyn

Oh My! What an amazing man! I think he is in his 80's and he is so healthy, vibrant and his mental faculties are top notch! Ann Crille Esselstyn, his wife, was there too, another picture of what old age should look like; showing & telling us quick easy ways to eat healthy.

The major things I took away from the evening, even though I have heard them hundreds of times; having read the books and done the Plant Based Nutrition Course is how oil, even in moderation destroys the endothelial cells that line your blood vessels. This means the blood can't move smoothly, so every cell in your body is unable to get all that it needs. It made me realize, that even the small amount of oil in things like veganaise or a meal at my favourite Indian food restaurant could potentially be setting me back in my quest if I consume them too regularly! The good news for me is that if I keep these to an absolute minimum then the recovery time is quicker & damage is less.

Funny how you can do all the research, get it and then you hear it in person from a world renowned expert & suddenly it is like more light is shed, more understanding is gained

The other thing I took away was that if you eat a fully whole plant food way with loads of tasty veg, beans and fruit, but no animal products, no oil, no added sugar, or other processed food, every modern disease would be taken out of the picture including Crohns! The medical community basically says there is no cure. Many dietitians discourage people with Crohns from eating too much fibre, green leafy veg etc. They are worried it will make symptoms worse. But this way of eating takes away the cause which is what medicine should be about. I know this works as I had the symptoms of Crohns for years... like IBS with bells on; so much more debilitating. However, now I never get the symptoms.

Ann gave a a few good tips & my favourites were:
* making a dressing from hummus with balsamic vinegar (white to keep it light), orange juice & mustard. Can't wait to try it.
*Also using collard green leaves that have been boiled a minute to soften them then using instead of a flour wrap to make  burritos or veggi wraps.
* she doesn't like the creaminess of rolled oats and like savoury tastes so she cooks steel cut oats with chopped greens like kale, shitaki mushrooms, turmeric and nutritional yeast. Another one I am going to try as a snack.

I do wish every doctor in Calgary would have gone to hear Dr Esselstyn, even if they only got half of what he said it would cause a health revolution and make Calgary the healthiest place in Canada.

Thank you Kate, for putting this evening on. If you would like to know more about Kate McGoey-Smith's work in Calgary check her web site:
https://forksmart.org/

Do check out Dr Esselstyn's web page to get more information
http://www.dresselstyn.com/site/plant-based-nutrition

Have a great day

Isn't the way you eat expensive? Does it take a lot of time to prepare?

Those 2 questions come at me all the time.
The answer is generally NO.
Of course there are silly times when a head of cauliflower can cost $7, so you don't buy it til the cost comes down; but even at a pricey $5 a head you can easily get 6-8 servings as a side or if you add it to a curry it could well make 12 servings or more.
Eating a whole plant food way can be as cheap or quick as you want to make it and the two are not always mutually exclusive.
Buying quantity when prices are lower for things like tinned or frozen fruit and veg certainly makes it cheaper, easier & quicker to throw a tasty meal together in minutes.... but the same is true for meat eaters and this way of eating will give more variety, healthier choices and a smaller food budget as long as you keep away from processed foods.
As I keep telling people if you eat processed food it makes little difference whether it has "healthy", "vegan", "low fat", "protein" "vitamin a, b, d, e, k" or any other "in" word on it, it is still processed which means there is little nutritional value in it and all the added "good stuff" is in there so they can call it food not junk.
My friend Gwen is the queen of quick and she is what the Scot's call canny. She buys things with an eye on the budget.
I on the other hand lived so much of my life on the poverty line or below that I can make a meal from nothing and feed a family of 5 with it; but currently I am able to just buy what I want and so I am making the most of that. However, that does not mean I am extravagant, I have a modest budget & stick to it for the main part.
The tricks are to:

• Buy frozen fruits and vegetables, especially when on offer - they are picked fresh & are often cheaper in the long run than fresh.
• If you are happy to soak beans & chickpeas, & really all you need to do is pop them in a bowl with water over night & then rinse add more water & throw in the slow cooker next morning. That evening it ready to use in recipes, just like tinned. If this doesn't sound arduous, then buy them in bulk it is the cheapest way. Other wise look for deals on tins in supermarkets, you can often get them for as little as 89 cents a tin & get at least 4 servings from a tin.
• Lentils again buy in bulk if you are happy to; cheaper but it does add a bit to your cooking time. Red lentils are easiest, cheap & cook in a matter of minutes when added to a dish. Otherwise look for deals on tins of brown or green lentils etc.
• Keep a selection of tins of beans & lentils, veg like tomatoes, corn, green beans etc in your cupboard for really quick additions to salads, soups, stews etc. A chili can be thrown together in minutes with a few tins and some spices.
• Frozen fruit is great, put some out to defrost & throw on your oats or granola in the morning. munch on it straight from the freezer in the summer instead of ice pops, throw in a blender to make instant sorbet.
• Packets of pre-prepared salad mixes, coleslaw veg etc are instant salads. Buy ones without the dressing included as they are cheaper and the dressings are never healthy
• Cheapest salad dressing is a little lemon juice & herbs - fresh really is best. Simplicity is some specialty vinegar; yes that is expensive but a little goes a very long way. I love kraft raspberry dressing, but it is high in sugar so it is a treat, also it has an extraordinary amount of oil, so when I open it I immediately pour all the oil that has risen to the top down the sink. I often cut it with a squeeze of lemon juice to cut the sweetness & use less. Reduced fat Veganaise is great when mayo is needed, again I cut it with lemon or lime juice or a little whole grain mustard and water if I want a thinner dressing. 
• Key things to have in your cupboard are herbs, spices, tamari/braggs liquid aminos, spice mixes like Montreal steak spice or your favourite blend vegan stock cubes, - some  spice mixes & stock cubes have high salt content so keep an eye on that when using. Dried or pre-peeled garlic are useful when you don't have time or inclination to peel & chop fresh.

The most important thing is to make whole plant food eating fit your tastes, your likes, your budget & your schedule. 

Experiment, & Enjoy.

Shepherdess Pie

My daughter Bex was here for a few weeks & this is one of her favourite meals. A take on English Shepherd's Pie, with loads of veg so also similar to Cottage Pie, this meal is filling, comforting and goes a long way. I normally make it with just lentils as a substitute for meat, but Bex likes it with a bit of vegan mince added, so feel free to add or leave it out; the dish is good either way.

Ingredients for base:
1 tsp tamari mixed with 1 tbsp water
1 very large or 2 medium onions - I like 1 red & 1 yellow, chopped
1 head of garlic, smash the cloves with your knife & then chop
2 sticks celery chopped
1 medium carrot chopped
1/2 medium sweet potato chopped
1/4 butternut squash, peeled & chopped
1/2 small fennel bulb chopped
1 medium red or yellow pepper chopped
1 x 15 oz tin brown lentils, drain off liquid into a bowl for later
1/2 tsp Montreal Steak spice
2 McCormicks "beef" vegan stock cubes
1/2 of 312 packet of Yves ground round, broken up. Optional
1 tsp cornflour/cornstarch  mixed with a little water
water

Ingredients for topping:
10 - 14 white potatoes boiled & mashed - enough to cover your casserole dish with a good layer of mash
2 - 4 tbsp reduced fat Vegenaise
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
Non-dairy milk if needed

Method:
Start by boiling the potatoes.
Put 1/2 the tamari & water mix into a large wok. Put on medium heat. As you cook adjust up or down to ensure veg cooks but does not stick. Add the rest of the ingredients down to and including the red or yellow peppers stirring occasionally as you go and steam fry, adding more of the tamari water as needed to prevent sticking.
Set oven to 375 degrees
Check your potatoes & mash when ready & add other ingredients. Put to side. If they are too dry add a little non-dairy milk if needed.
When the carrots, sweet potato & butternut squash are just tender & cooked, add the lentils & 1/2 their liquid, steak spice, stock cubes & stir to mix. Add the cornflour/cornststarch mix and stir. Add more of the bean liquid or water as needed to coat the mixture with a small amount of gravy, don't make it too wet as it will boil up and over in the oven..
Put the base mix into a large deep casserole dish. Top with the potato mix; leave it bumpy on the top so it browns.
Cook for 30 minutes.
Serve with cooked leafy greens, cauliflower & broccoli and your favourite gravy.
Enjoy

Tuscan Bean Soup

This oil free, (apart from any oil in stock-cubes) and fully plant based recipe is a bit of a hybrid from a couple of recipes I have seen & tried.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion chopped
1 small leek, cut in half & rinsed, then chopped
1 head of garlic, peeled & minced or put through garlic press
3 cloves of garlic peeled & sliced
1 carrot, diced small
stems ONLY of 4 kale leaves - see bottom of ingredient list
10 golden fingerling  potatoes chopped or 2 medium red potatoes chopped
1/2 red or orange pepper chopped
1 tsp fine herbs
1/2 tsp rosemary
shake of Montreal steak spice
1 x 15 oz tin diced tomatoes
1 x 15 oz tin white Kidney beans - Cannellini
1 x 15 oz black eye peas (used this as I only had one tin of Cennellini)
2 low salt stoCk cubes or McCormicks vegan chicken style stockcubes
2 cups water
6-8 asparagus spears cut into 1/4 in slices
4 kale leaves with stalk removed.
         Cut thinner end of stalk into small bits and add with carrot
         Thinly slice leaves into ribbons this is last item to add

Method:
Put a small amount of water into soup pot & heat on medium.
Add ingredients in order above up to & including Montreal steak spice. Add a little more water if needed to prevent sticking.
Add ingredients up to and including 2 cups of water, bring to boil & simmer about 10 min or until potato is almost cooked.
I often complete the recipe thi far in the morning,turn the pan off at this point & leave for the flavours to mix, but this is not vital. If not leaving to meld then you may need to cook a few minutes more to ensure carrot & potato are cooked
Just before ready to eat: Add asparagus & kale leaf ribbons and simmer about 5 mins or until asparagus is tender & kale is wilted.

Serve on own or with favourite whole grain bread