Meatless Monday: Roasted Cauliflower with Spiced Lentils & Chard!

BY: AMY HEIGHT, CONTRIBUTOR

Welcome to a beautiful Meatless Monday, everyone!

Today's recipe is one that I include in my 'Ten Day Detox' for folks looking to reset their systems with a clean eating plan, or for those exploring plant-based eating for the first time.

Of all the recipes in the plan, this is one of my favorites. It has a distinctly Indian flavor to it, including sweet spices and a little luxurious coconut milk. As a bonus, it's easy to make a big batch (whether you're feeding a large group or want some seriously simple leftovers for lunches). 

Two meatless meals in one week?! Who are you, plant-based rockstar? Nice work!

The lentils in this dish serve as the 'protein replacement' where meat might otherwise occupy space on the plate. They're high in iron, manganese and folate and conveniently take on the flavor of whatever you coat them in.

You'll also notice that we're using two veggies to complement our lentils - cauliflower and chard. They're different colors and different textures, providing different benefits to the body (that variety I mentioned in Friday's post? Here's one way to do that!). Packed with fiber, phytonutrients (glucosinolates and chlorophyll, respectively, both of which have powerful detoxing and cleansing abilities), and Vitamin C, combining these veggies in a meal is not only filling, but immunity-boosting too!

If you're using precooked lentils, this recipe takes about 35 minutes of prep and cooking time in all. If you're cooking from scratch, plan to start your lentils about an hour before dinnertime. They'll continue to cook while your cauliflower roasts.

Enjoy!

Amy

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH SPICED LENTILS & CHARD

Serves 2-3

1 small head cauliflower, chopped

1 cup cooked lentils (according to package directions OR boil 2/3 cup dry lentils in 2 1/3 cups water for 30-40 minutes until tender)

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup coconut milk or coconut oil

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

6 cups loosely packed Swiss chard

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Coat cauliflower in oil, spread on baking tray and bake 30 minutes until crispy.

3. In the meantime, combine lentils with spices and coconut milk or oil. Divide into two or three bowls.

4. Steam chard for 3-4 minutes until soft. Divide amongst bowls.

5. Top each bowl with cauliflower and serve.

Amy Height is a Holistic Health Coach and founder of From the Ground Up Wellness. She works with individuals and families looking to reestablish their relationship with food and build a strong foundation of lasting, healthy habits. She specializes in plant-based nutrition, weight loss, nutrition for children and young families, and managing food intolerances. A graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Amy combines a breadth of nutritional training - and the concept of 'food as fuel' - with personal experience to provide motivation and resources to empower personal transformation. She is certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Visit her website at www.fromthegroundupwellness.com and check out her 10 Day Detox Program here!

The Experts Weigh In: The Benefits of Being Plant-Based!

Image via renegadehealth.com

BY: AMY HEIGHT, CONTRIBUTOR

Plant-based eating - it strikes fear into the hearts of die-hard omnivores everywhere, right? It sounds like a diet of cabbage and grass, more akin to rabbit food than people food, and something that conjures up images of pale waifs with dark circles around their eyes (after all, without all of that meat, aren't we missing out on something?).

In fact, plant-based eating is much more nutritionally sound - AND much more flexible - than many people think!

The idea, at its core, is to make plants the focus of the diet: rather than considering them mere sides to a hunk of meat, we place the emphasis on our daily intake of things that come from the ground, particularly in the least refined form possible (think 'whole pieces of corn', not 'Corn Pops'). This whole-foods, plant-based way of eating - where veggies, fruit, whole grains, beans, legumes, nuts and seeds make up the bulk of the diet - has many benefits, as the primary way of eating OR when used to complement an omnivorous diet.

I decided to cut all the animal products (meat, poultry, fish, dairy and animal fats) from my life in 2009 after years of battling issues with digestion, weight management and mood. The shift in my life was incredible: everything from my physical being to my emotional being changed. I began to devour books and articles on living this way. A friend introduced me to The China Study by Dr. Colin T. Campbell, one of the biggest proponents of vegan eating in the last two decades (Read this book. It will change your life). 

The more I read, the more I found myself invested in the ethical, environmental and health implications of being plant-based. As far as nutrient density (that is, number of essential nutrients per calorie), plants are where it's at: we get more from plant-based foods than we do from animal foods, and often with less monetary expense (not to mention, the impact on the planet is far lower when it comes to producing plant foods instead of animal products). Four years later, I feel incredibly fortunate to work with my clients to help them make the best choices possible for their unique lives, incorporating as many plants as possible.

We can experience the advantages of this way of eating by making nutritious foods from the ground the focus of our meals rather than an afterthought. Working in more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds and beans helps us reap a ton of fabulous health benefits...

LOWER BODY MASS. More colorful vegetables means lower BMI and an easier time keeping weight in check (not that weight is the be-all, end-all of health, but a healthy weight does keep us at a lower risk for 'lifestyle' diseases like heart disease, stroke and diabetes).

MORE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY. That is, a better fighting chance against free radicals floating around the body. Fruits and veggies are a great source of antioxidants. They take the brunt of attacks from these toxic compounds, rather than allowing our cells to be attacked. Consistently replenishing our supply of antioxidants by eating more plants means we can better defend against damaging compounds.

BETTER SKIN. The skin is a pretty good indicator of what's going on in the body. If the skin is red and inflamed, chances are, so are the organs (and inflamed organs can't perform their roles as well). Plants help us stay hydrated and help flush toxins from the system. A clean system means clear skin.

BETTER DIGESTION. All of that awesome plant-based fiber keeps things moving: imagine kale and broccoli as the little scrub brushes for the inside of your intestines.

LOWER CHOLESTEROL. Cholesterol is an animal fat; as humans, we naturally have it in our bodies. It becomes problematic when we add too much additional cholesterol from our diets (ie. animal foods). More focus on plants means less room for flesh foods, which means the relative amount of cholesterol in our systems decreases.

BETTER NUTRITION. Pretty obvious, right? The more variety we have of foods that provide whole, usable nutrients, the more likely we are to have our nutritional bases covered. Eat from a spectrum of plant foods to avoid deficiencies.

MORE ENERGY. Plants take less energy to digest than animals. Think of all you could do with the energy you save when more of your meal is easier to break down.

Image via lookimadethat.com

How to do it? Easy peasy. Here are some tips that helped me when making the transition to a vegan lifestyle...

Take it a step at a time. The idea behind initiatives like Meatless Monday is to be just a little more mindful of what ends up on our plates. Even one more veggie-centric meal each week is a step in the right direction (and if you can work one veggie-centric meal into each day, even better!).

Be aware of how many plants make their way into your shopping basket. Hint: they should outnumber everything else.

Fill at least half of your plate with things that came from the ground. Vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes and whole grains. Bonus points if they look similar to the way they looked when they were growing!

Check out a farmers market. NYC has a ton: visit GrowNYC's website to find one near you!

Experiment, experiment, experiment. Try new veggies and whole grains. Determine which ones you like. Make those the center of your meal.

Plant-based eating can add variety and healthful benefits to any lifestyle. I truly believe it can help anyone increase their whole-life well-being, physical health and mental clarity. So give peas a chance (get it?!)!

Stay tuned for this coming Monday's post with a great family-friendly vegan recipe that just happens to be gluten-free too!  Thanks, nature!

Take care,

Amy

Amy Height is a Holistic Health Coach and founder of From the Ground Up Wellness. She works with individuals and families looking to reestablish their relationship with food and build a strong foundation of lasting, healthy habits. She specializes in plant-based nutrition, weight loss, nutrition for children and young families, and managing food intolerances. A graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, Amy combines a breadth of nutritional training - and the concept of 'food as fuel' - with personal experience to provide motivation and resources to empower personal transformation. She is certified by the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. Visit her website at www.fromthegroundupwellness.com and check out her 10 Day Detox Program here!

The G-Word: Gluten, Exposed!

Image via nydailynews.com

BY: AMY HEIGHT, CONTRIBUTOR

In the last decade, the idea of gluten-free eating has gone from the fringe of food awareness (somewhere out there with wheatgrass shots and oil pulling) to mainstream, with chain restaurants nationwide modifying menu items to suit this growing trend towards cutting out the dreaded G-word.

For many people, wheat and other gluten-filled foods do not pose a problem - they cause no notable adverse side effects and can easily wedge their way into three meals a day. For others, gluten poses a variety of problems, from headaches to skin rashes and changes in mood to poor digestion.

So what gives? Why are so many people suddenly noticing they are allergic to something we've been consuming since the advent of modern agriculture?

Research has started to focus on this very question to find the answer - our diets are saturated with gluten (the sticky, stretchy protein content of wheat, rye, barley and triticale). It's one of the most widely consumed nutrients in the Western diet, and there is evidence to suggest that our bodies are not in fact evolved enough to break it down properly. On top of that, it doesn't help that wheat is more often than not genetically altered to have higher gluten content, which increases the soft, chewy texture of processed foods. This is the perfect storm of hard to digest substances in large amounts. No wonder the accompanying digestive upset is so prevalent!

Gluten sensitivity can manifest in many different forms depending on the individual. It can range from slight abdominal discomfort (a mild intolerance) to headaches/changes in mood (a medium intolerance) to full-blown celiac disease, which for some people has no noticeable short term physical symptoms, just long term concerns. Celiac disease is defined by a severe intolerance to gluten that causes the body to produce an inflammatory immune response when exposed to the protein.

Normal villi (left) & flattened celiac villi (right) - Image via health.uml.edu

In people with celiac disease, ingesting these foods causes gaps to form between the cells in the intestinal walls, which leads to toxins and fragments of gluten leaching into the bloodstream. Because the body interprets these particles as foreign entities, it launches an immune response to destroy them; unfortunately, celiac disease is autoimmune, which means it causes the body to attack its own tissues. This response directly targets the small hairs (villi) that line the intestinal walls. Villi add surface area to the inside of the digestive tract and are essential for proper nutrient absorption. 

This is where the real long term danger of celiac disease comes in - many people with the condition become deficient in essential vitamins and minerals, even if the rest of their diet is impeccable (deficiencies can include vitamins A, B6, B12, K, calcium and magnesium). The disease can also manifest as dermatitis herpetiformis, an autoimmune reaction that shows up on the skin and in increased inflammation throughout the body (which includes increased storage of cellulite).

Gluten sensitivity and intolerance are just as serious and just as frustrating for those who deal with it. If you suspect you might have a sensitivity, try eliminating gluten from your diet for 1-2 weeks and observe any differences in how you feel. How is your brain - a little less foggy? What about your energy - higher and more stable? Do you notice changes in your digestion, particularly with bloating or elimination? If reducing your intake of gluten has positive effects for you, it might be worth considering a more long term reduction (as a bonus, many people who go gluten-free tend to reduce other conditions, including breakouts, excess weight and depression).

Image via evolvingwell.com

There are many products available on the market that cater to those with sensitivities, but it's important to be diligent about reading food labels. Wheat-free doesn't mean gluten-free. Barley, rye and triticale can hide in products you might not expect. Wheat lurks in the most surprising places (soy sauce, anyone?). And more importantly, gluten-free does not automatically mean healthy, especially when it comes to packaged crackers, cookies or baked goods. Get used to the words to look for: pasta, wheat or flour references are all good indicators that this food might not be for you.

The best advice for anyone looking to transition to gluten-free or reduce their intake is to stick with whole foods (ie. ones without labels). These will definitely be free of the offending protein. Some great alternatives for grains include millet, quinoa, gluten-free oats, amaranth and buckwheat. There are also terrific alternative flours available; almond flour, chickpea flour and brown rice flour are versatile, easily-swappable options.

When it comes to eating out, stick to whole foods. Most restaurants can be very accommodating if you let your server know about your intolerance. Steer clear of menu wording like 'breaded', 'deep fried', and 'crispy' - chances are, it is full of gluten OR has come in contact with gluten. You can make easy switches by asking for sandwiches to be served on a bed of greens or in a wrap (brown rice wraps are a great option).

Cutting down - or cutting out - gluten can have enormous health benefits, even in people who are not diagnosed as gluten-intolerant. Think of the energy required to break down something sticky and troublesome for the digestive tract - could that little bit of energy serve you better if it was used someplace else? With all of the great substitutions available to us, it's worth exploring how gluten-free alternatives could make a positive impact in your life!

Here's a great quinoa recipe that you can use as a side OR as a meal itself - it's filling, nutritious and will keep your tummy happy!

Roasted Tomato Garlic Quinoa
(Serves 3)

3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
1 small can diced fire roasted tomatoes, drained
(look for an organic brand without additives, extra salt or preservatives)
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup pistachios

1. In a non-stick pan, heat the oil, then saute the garlic and onion until soft.
2. Add quinoa and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add spices and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes more.
4. Remove from heat.
                                                                                  5. Add pistachios and toss gently.
                                                                                  6. Serve!

**We served this in baked kabocha squash halves, sprinkled with a little more pepper and pink Himalayan salt. So yummy! The quinoa mixture would also be great atop a salad, with steamed greens or as a baked potato filling.

Amy Height is a holistic health coach, yogi, runner, blogger and sometimes-stage manager living in New York City. She has been enthusiastically gluten-free since 2006 and spends much of her free time experimenting in the kitchen. She is a big proponent of ethical eating and leading a sustainable lifestyle, working with clients to incorporate good for them/good for the planet practices into each day. She is a contributor to alittlemoregood.com and regularly blogs about food, life and positive things at her website, www.fromthegroundupwellness.com.