vegetable stir fry
No matter where our home menu goes, I always manage to slip in a stir-fry of some kind. Over rice, over noodles, with egg or without, but always loaded with delicious, colorful vegetables. It is recommended that we "eat the rainbow" meaning eat as many colorful and vibrant fruits and vegetables as possible, it is really difficult, if not impossible to eat too many vegetables. I mean, they are the healthiest things on Earth for us!
I just finished reading a really fascinating book called "The whole foods diet" - don't get me wrong, this isn't some "diet" book, the idea that author John Mackey, who is also the co-founder of Whole Foods market. puts forth is that you should eat a diet filled completely with whole foods. He believes that, based on studies conducted over the past few decades (such as the China study, which over a twenty-year period examined eating habits and risk of developing disease of 6,500 Chinese people) and research done by doctors (such as Dean Ornish, who throughout the 1980's and 90's did many small studies with his patients to show that a vegetarian, whole foods diet coupled with stress management saw dramatic improvements in people with heart diseases), along with such knowledge as the famous Blue Zones, where there are pockets of society where people live well into their 90's or even 100's with generally good health and lower chronic disease rates and eat a very plant-based diet high in whole food legumes, beans, vegetables and fruits. What Mackey concludes with his book is that, based on his research, the best possible diet to consume is one made up of whole foods (not processed foods!) and one that is primarily plant-based, he recommends no more than 10% of your daily calories come from animal sources (meat, cheese, eggs, etc). The meat should be a garnish, not the centerpiece.
After reading this book I have put more effort into reducing processed foods in mine and my hubby's diet. We already rarely eat animal products, but the processed food is harder than one might think! So I take it in baby steps, any change towards a more whole foods diet is a positive one for the body and hopefully will give us greater protection against chronic illness and increased longevity. I highly recommend reading John Mackey's book, it is not a huge book, but it packs a punch with information.
So in this light I wanted to share a simple stir-fry recipe, this is really a wonderful way to get your veggies in and you can easily add extra protein if you want, toss in some cashews, tofu, eggs, whatever you like!
I just finished reading a really fascinating book called "The whole foods diet" - don't get me wrong, this isn't some "diet" book, the idea that author John Mackey, who is also the co-founder of Whole Foods market. puts forth is that you should eat a diet filled completely with whole foods. He believes that, based on studies conducted over the past few decades (such as the China study, which over a twenty-year period examined eating habits and risk of developing disease of 6,500 Chinese people) and research done by doctors (such as Dean Ornish, who throughout the 1980's and 90's did many small studies with his patients to show that a vegetarian, whole foods diet coupled with stress management saw dramatic improvements in people with heart diseases), along with such knowledge as the famous Blue Zones, where there are pockets of society where people live well into their 90's or even 100's with generally good health and lower chronic disease rates and eat a very plant-based diet high in whole food legumes, beans, vegetables and fruits. What Mackey concludes with his book is that, based on his research, the best possible diet to consume is one made up of whole foods (not processed foods!) and one that is primarily plant-based, he recommends no more than 10% of your daily calories come from animal sources (meat, cheese, eggs, etc). The meat should be a garnish, not the centerpiece.
After reading this book I have put more effort into reducing processed foods in mine and my hubby's diet. We already rarely eat animal products, but the processed food is harder than one might think! So I take it in baby steps, any change towards a more whole foods diet is a positive one for the body and hopefully will give us greater protection against chronic illness and increased longevity. I highly recommend reading John Mackey's book, it is not a huge book, but it packs a punch with information.
So in this light I wanted to share a simple stir-fry recipe, this is really a wonderful way to get your veggies in and you can easily add extra protein if you want, toss in some cashews, tofu, eggs, whatever you like!
Vegetable stir fry
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
5-10 brussel sprouts, halved
1 head of brocolli, cut into bite size pieces
2 large carrots, chopped
1/4 of a head of purple cabbage, sliced thin
1 stick of celery, chopped
unsalted, pumpkin seeds
rice, cooked per the packaging instructions
The sauce:
2 tbsp. flour
1-2 tsp. sriracha sauce
1 tsp grated, fresh ginger
5 tbsp. coconut aminos
(you could use soy sauce, but maybe use less as it is saltier than the coconut aminos)
1-2tsbp of brown sugar or maple syrup
(I have used both now, I prefer the brown sugar as it gives a fuller flavor, but the maple syrup works to make a lighter flavored sauce)
1-1/2 cups water
Take a jar with a lid and mix the sauce ingredient, put the lid on and shake till they are well mixed. Put the sauce aside and start to saute your veggies. You can make this recipe completely oil free if you like, you can steam the veggies with a little water. Once your veggies are just cooked, a bit crunchy still, add in your sauce to the pan and allow to cook with the veg. This cooking time will thicken your sauce, if it gets too thick, add in a little water.
Once the sauce has thickened and the veggies are cooked, serve immediately over rice or noodles and garnish with a handful of pumpkin seeds. Toss on some fresh cilantro and green onions and it will be even better!
Comments
Post a Comment