My Health Journey

Last weekend, in between a 5-mile run and a 5-mile hike on consecutive days, I needed a high-carb meal to keep me going. I didn't have much food at home and didn't want to shop on the weekend, so concocted this healthy outtake on Canadian food: my vegan poutine. Healthy Vegan Canadian Poutine I found some potatoes, onions, and carrots.  Instead of deep-frying anything, I opted to drizzle the ingredients with olive oil (after first rubbing the potato slices with salt, black pepper, and paprika), then bake-fry. Baked 25 min. at 425F, then arranged and topped with fresh baby arugula and baby spinach.

One of my inventions, fusing Middle Eastern flavors with an East Asian vegan staple. Simple to prepare, simple to clean up after, filling, and protein-packed. Tofu Kebab served with rice and avocado. I use the extra-firm tofu when I can.  Before I cube it, I squeeze it for a few minutes between two large plates, using a saucepan as a weight, then draining the water. This reduces the sogginess and helps it remain intact.  I use whatever non-root vegetables are available.  Bell peppers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and onions all go well. For a dressing, I can go Middle Eastern with olive oil and lemon juice (and salt and pepper), or East Asian with soy sauce and sesame oil. The skewers can be grilled like vegetables on an outdoor grill. If using the oven, I usually set it to bake at 425F for 10 min, while turning it often, to dry out the tofu even more. Then I set it to Broil at 535F for another 10 min, rotating frequently.   ...

As a vegetarian, I don't frequent Cuban restaurants much because of limited food choices. So I decided to make my own Vegan Cuban dish. Black beans and green lentils with brown rice and sauteed plantains. I stuck to simple ingredients. Lightly sauteed the plantains with nothing else added but olive oil. Make sure to let the plantains ripen long enough (until its skin yellowed and darkened) before using. I seasoned the black beans with cumin and Korean hot peppers and a squeeze of lime. The lentils and rice only had salt. Simple, but a delicious and protein-packed meal. Idea for leftovers: I stir-fried the beans with cumin and paprika, adding baby spinach for a minute, then topping with baby arugula to give it a fresh taste.

Carrot, celery, bell pepper, and tomato sauce, with beets, served on ancient grain penne. Recently, I cooked a Chinese stir fry with carrots, celery, mushrooms, and grilled tofu. I loved the flavor combination and wanted to do it again, but was tired of rice and stir fries, so decided to make it into a pasta sauce. I had bell peppers instead of mushrooms, which probably works better with the tomatoes I also wanted to add.   I grilled the tofu separately, as before. For the sauce, I used the wok to stir fry the garlic, onion, and beets, then added the carrots, celery, and peppers in that order, a few minutes apart. I added the tomatoes last, enough to steam. The flavor worked well, with the celery blending well into the tomato sauce, and the tofu not changing the flavor much.