Posts Tagged ‘vegetarian’

I absolutely love making a big pot of soup when it’s cold outside and this pinto bean soup is one of my all time favorites.

This is a delicious, nutritious, filling meal for a cold winter night.  Being meatless even makes it vegetarian friendly!  It is also low fat unless you choose to garnish with cheese, which I always do!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 1 pound dry pinto beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 1 small can minced green chilis
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 can (28 ounce) stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• shredded Monterrey Jack cheese (optional)

Cooking Instructions:

Rinse and soak the beans over night or use the quick soak method: Cover beans with 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Boil for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 1 hour.  Drain, rinse, and the beans are ready to be cooked.

In a 5 quart Dutch oven, saute onions and garlic in olive oil.  When they are tender, add the beans, chilis, salt, sugar, cumin, and 3 cups of water.  Heat to boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.  Stir now and then.

Add the tomatoes with their liquid and the oregano.  Mix well, breaking up larger tomato pieces.   Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 minutes or until the beans are as tender as you like them.

Sprinkle cheese on individual servings if desired.

Myth or Fact?

Have you ever noticed that, if something is said often enough, people tend to accept it as true?  Let’s talk about 5 of these diet myths which need to be purged from your knowledge base – they are simply not true!  Some of them might even be sabotaging your health, fitness, or weight loss goals.

• Myth #1:  Carbs are bad for you. Fact:  This myth is only partially true.  It should be amended to say that “white carbs” are not good for you.  These include foods like white rice, white bread, and sugar.  Whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheat products are a vital part of a healthy diet.  In fact, the Department of Health recommends that 50% of our daily calories (energy) should come from carbs.
• Myth #2:  Vegetarians can’t build muscle. Fact:  You can build muscle on a vegetarian diet as long as you include protein.  Animal protein is not the only kind of protein.  Good vegetarian sources of protein include beans, nuts, and dairy products.  Optimally, 15% of your daily calories should come from protein.
• Myth #3:  Low fat = low calorie. Fact:  Many products labeled low fat are very high in calories because of high sugar content.  Remember, fat does not make you fat; eating more calories than you burn causes you to gain weight.  Fat is actually a necessary part of a healthy diet.  It should make up 35% of your daily calorie intake.
• Myth #4:  Low fat milk has less calcium than whole milk. Fact:  Milk’s calcium is in the watery part of the milk.  It is not in the creamy part which is skimmed off to make skim or low fat milk.
• Myth #5:  Eating past 8:00 at night causes you to gain weight. Fact:  Once again, weight gain is directly related to the total number of calories you eat during the day, not the time of day you eat them.  Although some people may not be able to sleep well after eating a late meal or snack due to heartburn, etc., it will not cause them to gain weight as long as they have not exceeded their daily calorie needs.

What other diet myths can you think of? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

The day before Father’s Day my sibs and I decided to do a pot luck lunch/dinner of foods that could be served cold.  I had a good vegetarian pasta recipe that is usually served warm and decided to adapt it a bit to make a cold pasta salad.  The results were delicious!  Here’s the recipe I used.

In a large bowl combine:

• Two 14.5 ounce cans Italian style diced tomatoes, drained
• One 14.5 ounce can navy beans, drained and rinsed
• About 5 ounces frozen chopped spinach, cooked (use more or less spinach according to taste preference)
• enough olive oil to sort of bind it all together
• dried or fresh basil to taste
• course ground pepper to taste

Set aside.  Cook 8 ounces of pasta (penne or any shape you choose).  I like to use the Barilla Plus brand because it is made with flaxseed which provides omega-3 fatty acid, plus more protein and fiber than other pasta products.  (No, I don’t sell this!  I just think it’s the healthiest choice if you’re eating pasta!)  Rinse the pasta to cool it.

Combine the pasta and sauce.  You can serve it at this point or chill for later.  If you chill it, set it out to bring it back to room temperature before serving.  Sprinkle with feta cheese.

That’s it – an easy, delicious, pasta salad that even my vegetarian niece loved!

Please tell me what you think of this recipe and share it with your friends and followers!