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Greens, Beans, Onions, and Mushrooms (G-Bombs Part I)

Hi everyone! We have started another “Immunity Series” on the Podcast. For the next few weeks, we will be focusing on G-BOMBS as defined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. ”G-BOMBS” is an acronym that you can use to remember the best anti-cancer, health-promoting foods on the planet. G-Bombs are Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds. These are the foods that you should eat every day, making up a significant proportion of your diet. They are extremely effective at preventing chronic disease, including cancer, and promoting health and longevity.

Listen to “PODCAST EPISODE 11 – IMMUNITY – ‘G’ IN G-BOMBS“.

Do you like kale? Well, here is a recipe that I think you will enjoy that includes 4 of these foods that you should be eating daily: Greens (kale), beans, onions, and mushrooms.

I chose kale greens for this recipe because they are quick to cook and actually only require wilting. This way you can have a dish prepared in no time.

Servings: About 4 when served as a side dish

Ingredients:

  • 1 to 1-1/2 bunch of Kale greens
  • 15 oz of black beans, rinsed (or your favorite) – That’s about 1 can or use any you already have in the freezer.
  • 1/2 onion (red or yellow, preferably a sweeter onion)
  • 1 cup of chopped mushrooms of your choice (feel free to mix mushroom varieties)
  • 2 to 4 small garlic cloves
  • Any dried vegetable soup mix that includes vegetables such as onions, herbs, and carrots (see notes below).
  • Water to steam the veggies (or you can use a veggie broth)
  • Salt/Pepper

Directions: (Choose a non-stick pan with a ceramic coating for extra safety. If you want to use a stainless-steel pan, make sure that it has a heavy bottom. A heavy stainless steel wok works well.)

  1. Wash greens thoroughly if not already clean. No need to dry. Set them aside.
  2. Add about 1/4 cup of water/broth to the pan and immediately add the onions and mushrooms. Continue to cook until the onions are translucent, stirring, and adding water/broth (1 to 2 TBS) as necessary. 
  3. When onions are translucent, add the garlic and the vegetable soup mix and cook for about another minute. Again adding water/broth as necessary to rehydrate the dried vegetable soup mix. You may choose to cover the vegetables at this point to allow all the water/broth to soak in, especially if the dry vegetables are still hard. 
  4. Next, add the beans and water/liquid of your choice until the beans are thoroughly heated. (If using a can, it’s especially important to rinse the beans before adding them to this dish.)
  5. Lastly, add the kale to the pan and stir, adding water/broth if necessary until they are wilted to your desired tenderness. You could also cover at this point for a bit to allow the kale to wilt even quicker.
  6. Uncover, taste, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over rice or quinoa or use to stuff a baked potato! YUMMY!

Notes: The Dried Soup Vegetable Mix is one that I get from my local “Texas” store,  H-E-B. The soup mix doesn’t have many spices added to it other than the dried vegetables and herbs, yet you can definitely use one that has added spices. Just be careful that if your soup mix contains salt, it’s likely that you will not need to add any additional salt.

Greens Beans Onions Mushrooms

 

Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potato

Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potato

This recipe is an example of how you can quickly assemble a satisfying meal in 15 minutes or less. If you like “Tex-Mex”, you are going to enjoy this vegan, plant-based recipe. (A video for this recipe is below.)

Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe:
(Feel free to use other varieties of the ingredients listed below for onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and even the beans)

Pre-prepared:  2 Oven-baked Sweet Potatoes (or use the microwave to cook the sweet potatoes in less than 10 minutes)

Toppings To cook:
1/4 cup of chopped red onions
1/8 cup of chopped yellow bell peppers
3/4 – 1 cup baby Bella mushrooms
1 – 2 cups of black beans (pre-cooked or canned)

Additional Toppings:
Cashew Cilantro Cream Sauce
Chopped avocado
Chopped cilantro
Sriracha sauce  (At home we use this brand that is preservative-free. You can likely find it at your local grocery store.)

Directions:

  1. Add onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms to a pan over medium heat. Add 1-2 TBS of water or broth to begin the cooking process. Continue adding a little water or broth as needed to prevent the vegetables from sticking. Cook until slightly caramelized.
  2. Add the black beans to the pan with the veggies and allow them to heat up.

To Serve:

  1. Cut each baked potato in half length-wise.
  2. Add vegetable toppings
  3. Add any additional toppings that you would like.

Note: I have also added wilted Kale to this recipe. If you like Kale, you will like the addition of it in the recipe also.

 

Tex-Mex Bowl

As you may already know, I live in Texas. Houston has been my home for my entire life. (Actually now I live in Pearland, but if I just drive for 5 minutes I’m back in the Houston areas.) Therefore, it should be no surprise that my favorite dishes are “Tex-Mex” combinations which include lots of beans, rice, salsa, guacamole, corn, grilled onions, etc. Yeah, I know, you might be thinking…”What about the cheese?” Well I don’t eat cheese anymore, (gasp), and I don’t miss it one bit.

This is my chance to add a little nutrition/health info…so I’m going to do just that.

I grew up eating cheese and many dairy products (ever heard of Borden milk and Blue Bell ice cream?) I never imagined my life without cheese/dairy. But about a decade ago, when my allergies had become unbearable…I decided to test the theory that perhaps the milk and cheeses were causing most of my issues…and that was exactly the case.

But, since that’s the only change that I made during that time and the fact that I haven’t been bothered by seasonal allergies since then….well one thing is for sure – the milk and the cheeses didn’t agree with my body. I had these issues since a small child and they disappeared  when I took milk and cheeses out of my diet. The relief that I now experience makes up for any losses I initially felt when I gave up dairy.

For you – Do you battle seasonal allergies? If so,  I suggest that you try changing your diet by removing dairy from your diet. You will know in a matter of weeks whether it’s had a positive affect.

I won’t try to explain the science behind it all. Just some basic principles. I talk about this more in the online courses and in some of the nutrition blog posts too. Here is the recipe: