Carlito's Way

Carlito makes a mean smoothie at Arden's Garden in Atlanta, GA

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How To Drain and Press Tofu

Learn how to drain and press tofu in preparation for a multitude of recipes. Stay Tuned! 

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Forks Over Knives (OFFICIAL TRAILER)

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Healthy Living and Eating for Our Children

 A lot of parents say “My child won’t eat that! S/He will only eat this! Well, we know that when children do not eat the recommended servings of 5 or more fruits and vegetables, it makes them more susceptible to illnesses and deficiencies. So, how can we teach them to make better choices ? Below are some tips: 

Ssh!! Just Between Us

· Stock the cabinet with healthy, low-fat, low-sugar snacks. Examples- Raw veggies with fat free , dressing or hummus, fat-free yogurt, graham crackers, peanut butter or soy butter on celery, apples or bananas. Spruce up the choices with pineapples, mangoes, kiwis, etc.

· Avoid bringing sodas and juices loaded with sugar into your home.

· Keep orange or lemon slices in a bowl in the refrigerator which makes plain water more appealing.

· Blend up some smoothies and freeze in popsicle molds.

· Set a regular time for after school snacks, so these foods do not interfere with dinner.

· Search for a well-balanced children’s multivitamin*

· Plan your menu each week and to save time during the week, do batches of cooking on the weekend

· If your child is on the free or reduced lunch program and you don’t like what is being served, get involved in lobbying for more healthy foods

· On weekends, keep your crew busy and physically active so they are less likely to ask for food all day.

* Multi-vitamin/Minerals

Research shows that children low in vitamin B12 did not score as well as children with higher B12 levels on tests that measured spatial ability, short-term memory, the ability to solve complex problems, abstract thinking ability and the overall ability to learn. Studies increasingly suggest that micronutrients, including zinc, selenium, iron, copper, beta carotene, vitamins A, C, and E, and folic acid, can influence several components of immunity.

Learning and Nutrition

According to Jeff Bradstreet, MD of Florida’s International Child Development Resource Center, “Several studies have shown that excel carbohydrates in the form of both sugars and starches from cakes, chips, and cookies are to blame for the highs and lows of blood sugar levels in our children. This roller-coaster effect adds to attention-deficit problems.

The ADD Nutrition Solution by Marcia Zimmerman, “Controlled Trial of Vitamin-Mineral Supplementation y”Effects on Intelligence and Performance”by S.J. Schoenthaler et al

http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/cholesterol.html# 

Brain Power 

½ cup vanilla yogurt (soy)j

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

1 tablespoon liquid soy lecithin or lecithin granules* (source of choline that can improve mental functionioning)

1 tablespoon honey optional

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tablespoon almond powder or soy protein powder

Blend and enjoy! 

Energizer 

1 cup orange juice

¾ cup red grapes or ¼ cup red grape juice

1 cup frozen unsweetened cherries

1 frozen banana, sliced

Blend until smooth.

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Chili For Two?

Chili for Two?

It has been confirmed that I do not know how to cook for two people. After years of preparing food for a family of 5, making the transition since everyone has left home, has been quite an adjustment.  Plus, growing up, I observed my grandmother always cooked more food because she never knew who may stop by.  Big Mama  was one of those “pinch of ths, dash of that, taste  and serve with love” kind of cooks.  Following in the tradition, I have approximated the big and little pinches for your duplication and pleasure.
The other day, the menu consisted of Chile and cornbread.  I chopped and sliced ingredients for both dishes and asked my husband if he would like to cook with me by making the cornbread.  He said, “ok” then proceeded to sit at the kitchen table doing work on his laptop.  Twenty minutes later, I’m standing at the stove, tasting and humming and he was sitting in the same spot at the computer when I turned and asked, “You still making the cornbread?”  He said, “You want me to?” I almost said, “Never mind,” but what would have been the fun of that!
Given the time and  hearing the growl of my stomach,  instead of having him make cornbread from scratch, I reached for the Trader Joe’s cornbread mix, and advised him to follow the directions, substituting the egg replacer for the egg and adding the chile powder, onions, bell peppers, and jalapenos.  Below, I have included the “scratch” recipe.   Do whichever works for you.

Mexican Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal
1 cup whole wheat flour
4 Tablespoons baking powder
1 egg replacer (Energ-G Egg Replacer)
½ teaspoon chile powder
2 Tablespoons honey
½ cup canola oil
½ cup soy milk
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 Tablespoon minced red bell pepper
¼ cup diced green pepper
2 Tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno peppers

Preheat oven to 425°.  Combine corn meal, flour, baking powder sea salt and chile powder.  Saute̒ veggies for 1 minute in 1 tablespoon of canola oil.  Add to cornmeal mixture.  Mix honey, oil and soy milk and add to previous mixture.  Pour in cake pan and bake for 35 minutes or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. 

Gimme More Veggie Chili

1 cup white kidney beans

1 cup black beans

Medium onion, sliced

Medium Green Pepper, chopped

3 stalks Celery , Chopped

1 carrot, sliced

½ cup mushrooms sliced

1 cup fresh or frozen corn

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 tsp basil

2 bay leaves

1-2 jalapeno peppers (depends on how much heat you like)

¼ teaspoon  ginger powder or small piece of ginger root *

2 cans no salt added tomatoes

½ cup Gimme Lean Veggie Sausage

3 Tablespoons  olive oil

1 teaspoon Spike seasoning or 1 teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Tablespoon Hasa Marina (corn flour)

Pinch of cinnamon

In large pot, saute garlic, onion, green pepper, celery, mushrooms, corn and carrots in 2 Tablespoons of olive oil.  Add cumin. chili powder, basil and Spike.  Add white kidney and black beans,  tomatoes, ginger, bay leaves and jalapenos to mixture.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring frequently.   Break up Gimme Lean Sausage and sauté in 1 tablespoon oil.  Add sausage and corn to pot.  Cook for another 10 minutes.  Add corn flour(helps thicken), stir,  and pinch of cinnamon.  Taste and flavor to your pallete.   

*Ginger reduces gas experienced by some when they eat beans.

By the way, you can get eight servings out of this!  

So you can freeze, share with friends or have lunch for days.

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Delicious Tofu Scramble

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion diced

1lb firm tofu, drained, pressed and crumbled

½ cup diced green bell pepper

1 small tomato, diced

1 Teaspoon turmeric

1 Teaspoon Braggs Liquid Amino

Pinch of sea salt

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)

1 Teaspoon garlic powder

Dash of cayenne pepper

Drain and press tofu. Crumble and place in a bowl, adding turmeric, garlic powder, Braggs, pinch of sea salt , nutritional yeast, cayenne and tomato.
Heat oil in a skillet, add onion, bell pepper. Saute for a few minutes. Add tofu mixture to skillet, stir and saute for 5 minutes.

Taste and serve.

Diced mushrooms, zucchini , cilantro and a sausage substitute such as Gimme Lean are also options. Sometimes, I dice potatoes, sauté with onion until done, then add the tofu mixture.

This versatile dish can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

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Changing Old Habits

An ancient universal principle suggests that the best way to change a deeply embedded habit is NOT to "pull it out by the roots." Instead, plant, nurture and cultivate an opposing habit next to the old one and give the new habit a lot of care, love and attention. Soon, the new habit will grow strong and beautiful and the old one will wither and drop out of sight. The same applies to those who want to introduce vegetarian meals into their diets. Some of you are afraid to cut out meat "cold turkey". So, you may want to add one or two meatless meals per week.

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