How To Make Cauliflower and Tortillas for Dinner

When it's time to put a menu together for the week I also have to plot my shopping.

I had leftover cooked cauliflower, corn tortillas, salad, leftover vegetarian enchiladas, avocados, and tomatoes. That's it. Ever been there? Now, what am I going to do?

I made guacamole with lime and salt and pico de gallo with tomatoes, jalapeno, onion and cilantro, (a typical salsa I now make instead of buying it). There. That's should do it, for now, I thought.

Just know that when you start a plant-based regimen, this no longer a critical moment.  It's not, "omg! now what?" when all you have is cauliflower and tortillas.

It gets easy as we learn that cauliflower is a base. (More on that later.) 

What has helped me this week is having sauces. I'm getting used to buying them. Last week, I bought adobo sauce which is similar to mole, (you know, the kind in a jar), and chimichurri sauce that is also used as a spread.

I thought this was mole! What a great find though.

Some of these sauces may not be good for you, as far what’s in the ingredients, but when you’re transitioning, this is a good place to start. 

It’s always good to read the labels but when you're out shopping, pick up some sauces.  It's good to mix with vegetables and I was right. I didn’t know what chimichurri sauce tasted like but I thought I’d try it.

It was delicious and did the trick.

Looks like shrimp! Doesn't it?

Fresh Sauces

In the beginning, I used to use a lot more pre-made sauces and foods in cans but, now I’m getting used to making some of these fresh. The same might be true for you.  You’ll buy them pre-made in the beginning but after awhile, you might learn to make them fresh. Who knows? It’s good to start small if you can.

I poured the chimichurri sauce over the leftover cooked cauliflower and mixed it in a large silver bowl with a large gentle spatula. I then laid them out in a mini pan that goes right into the oven. 

PB Tacos

Before I knew it, I was heating tortillas and putting the chimichurri cauliflower in tortillas. We were supposed to eat the dips with the tortilla chips but decided it was better for everything to be put in tortillas.  

We topped the tacos with guacamole and pico de gallo and decided to ditch the salad, (once again). This was filling enough. 

We ended up putting away the salad. I thought we’d use the salad as a “filler,” but Richard said, “this is too much food!” (Really?)

To think, most Friday nights we just eat a large pizza with pepperoni and  mushrooms, (mushrooms being our only vegetable). Tonight it was nice to spruce things up, if you think having cauliflower tacos is anything special.

Pair these with a white wine and it's a piece ‘a cake! What do you think? 
Feel free to give a comment below. 

Cooking With No Oil

As I cook more plant foods, my taste buds change. And as my taste buds change, I begin to open up to the idea of how how to cook with no oil. This is a big game changer for me because oil is also a staple in our cooking. 

However, here are some basic foods that I started to cook without oil. 

Greens: 

I'm talking about all kinds of greens. A lot of plants have water in them the way we are made up of water. (I know, I'm bringing you into how I think.) 

I'm talking about cabbage, kale, spinach, Brussel sprouts, etc. There is absolutely no need to saute these in oil unless you're doing it for flavor but honestly, these foods have such a great flavor already. 

A little salt and pepper and maybe garlic and you can taste the purity of the vegetable. 

Vegetable Medley:


When you need to cook a lot of different vegetables, which is often, there's no need to add oil.

Again, just a little water to loosen them up in a non-stick pan is all you need. The key is to use a good non-stick pan.  I saw this copper non-stick pan I think on QVC and I just wanted it!

Get a good non-stick pan and you're already there.

Fresh butter squash with a frozen corn and black bean medley

Onions, mushrooms and tomato - no need for oil.

Hash browns: I have tried adding water to this but honestly, they come out mushy.  

I need to research how to cook hash browns. From now on, I'm going to add these in the toaster. The lesson here is not to saute them in a pan.

These are the four dishes you can start eliminating the oil. Let me know how it goes!

Adobo Enchiladas

Another great favorite is enchiladas.  This would seem very easy as a vegetarian dish by substituting the meat with cheese or even spinach.

However, this recipe takes work! If you know how to make enchiladas, this one is for you. If you don't know how to make enchiladas, learn how to make them. There are many ways to make enchiladas - this is just one of them.

If you really know how to make enchiladas, then you know this dish comes with the conviction that oil is necessary to coat the tortilla before rolling it, except that oil can derail this recipe from being plant based. For example, my mom says that oil is an absolute must if the tortilla is going to stay together. Others say that enchiladas without cheese won't do either.

Well, I agreed with them until now.

I've learned that omitting some of the ingredients we're used to or even substituting the ingredients can turn enchiladas into a completely different dish. It's recreating the dish into a fabulous new one that you won't even remember the old one. Make sense?

First, let's start with the Adobe sauce that was supposed to be mole sauce  How I picked up the wrong type of sauce beats me except that it was in the same type of jar with the same brand of colors. Have you ever done this?

After I tried it, I loved it.

Second, I couldn't coat the tortillas with oil. Very little to no oil is more of a plant-based dish but I'm beginning to not like the taste of oil. So what am I supposed to do?

Well, I begin to cook the vegetables and move on with it. I figure it out as I go.

I cooked the zucchini in a saucepan without oil because I zucchini is one of the foods that doesn't need oil. I've learned this here.

I added the rest of the frozen vegetables and just cooked them. I steamed the cauliflower, thinking I would add that later too in a separate pan but what did I know?

I prepared the sauce the same way I would make the mole sauce with sugar and chocolate. I didn't have the Mexican chocolate I would typically add so I added cocoa. Same concept and probably less fattening. (For instructions on how to make this sauce, it's on the jar.)

With the adobo sauce and vegetable mix side by side in saucepans, I added the chocolate sauce into the vegetables and thought of making the enchiladas like wet burritos. Again, I'm just going with it. I had to figure out a way to keep the tortillas from not breaking apart but not making them too dry either.

As I'm thinking about this concept, I thought of how I would previously heat the tortilla and quickly fry it by coating it with oil. After doing this you add the sauce and roll them with dry filling like chicken.

So I figured if I mixed the filling with the sauce and added it to a dry tortilla, that might balance it out. (Sometimes working this 'opposite effect' works and sometimes it doesn't but this is beginning to be a cooking concept I try every now and then.)

Hence, I mixed the sauce in the vegetables and began to pour the vegetable mixture into the tortillas that I heated.

I made sure the tortillas were a little crispy so that they would not break apart. If they were a little hardened, maybe this would help. So I warmed the tortillas a little longer than usual.

I added the sauce right over the dry enchiladas and figured the oils that were already in the sauce would activate the moisture necessary. (This is the scientist I become that I talk about in my book.)

When I started to add the cauliflower in the vegetables, I began to think that they would crumble into small pieces like Cotija cheese. When I thought about this, I thought about the way to trick the visual senses by adding it on top to make it look like cheese.

(Another concept I talk about in my book, is how our eyes are trained in what we think we know about food to the point it becomes psychological. Knowing this, I have learned to trick even myself!)

Since we had Cotija cheese, I simply sprinkled some with the cauliflower on top of the enchiladas. (By doing this, I have reduced the amount of cheese in this dish by at least a third.)

I put them in the oven at about oven ta around 350 degrees to cook them a little more and brown the cauliflower to make it look more like cheese on top and it worked.

They eye is used to seeing white cheese on top, browned and it looked perfect. The tortillas weren't entirely covered with sauce but I've seen recipes where the sauce doesn't necessarily cover the whole tortilla so I was ok with that.

It helps to eat foods that we're used to seeing visually. This makes eating plant based as normal.

I sliced some radishes and cilantro as a nice garnish and as nice as it was, I still hadn't tasted it. Before I did, however, Richard took a bite and said they were delicious. I made adobo enchiladas with no oil, very little cheese, and no meat.

Do you have another way you like to make enchiladas? Please let me know!

Oh God! I'm sick!!

Everyone knows what to tell you when you're sick. Drink lots of fluids, gargle with warm salt water, etc. But honestly, when you're sick and don't feel well, you might think to yourself what the insurance will be for a doctor's visit.

Here is when Google comes to the rescue. For me, I have tonsillitis every now and then which I've taken antibiotics for and never finish.

Here are some helpful sites I came across online when I googled "Home remedies for tonsillitis." Ya, just looking for a cure here folks.

https://draxe.com/antiviral-herbs/
https://draxe.com/tonsillitis/

Thanks to Dr. Axe ~

But of course, this is when my body will need all the healthy foods I've been giving it to kick in. It truly is mind over matter but most importantly, it's a constant war I'm having not just with eating right but when you eat right, you're still fighting a war to stay healthy.

Think about it. How are you winning the war on staying healthy?

Tell me what you think below.

Food and Politics

Last night after binging on cookies, bread, pasta, and wine while watching the race to the White House; the realization that I have to get back on track is ever so real. I can feel it again and I sure don’t want to weigh myself right now.

Does eating plant-based foods keep us thin? Not really. One thing does hold true though – all I have to think about is to just continue eating. The good news is that I’m no longer thinking of what I can or cannot eat and what I should avoid anymore. I just need to go back to the foods that I enjoy.

The election has brought on enough stress to keep me planted on the couch with wine, ice cream and gluten free cookies. However, now that the stress has gone and the reality sets in, I’m finding my way back on track.

I’m so glad this isn’t a chore. It’s not anything painful. The only part that would be painful is the temptation brought on by stress that induces the need for sugar and oily foods. 

However, once I get a handle on my stress, I can breathe a sigh of relief and figure out how to serve potatoes tonight.

What am I chopping up tonight?

Welcome to Healthy, Plant-Based Cooking!

The reason I'm creating this blog is to not necessarily have recipes, (sorry to disappoint), but to help you find recipes of ordinary dishes you're already making and transforming them into healthy dishes with little to no oil, no meat, and no cheese. Save all that for a Sunday.

By subscribing to his blog, you’ll never be stumped again with what’s for dinner. Your cravings, your giving in to temptation and this entire yo-yo effect of going from losing weight to gaining more will be over.  What you need is not out there.  It’s not in a diet program, a recipe book or food delivered to your door.  It’s what is in your head that I’m going to help you transform the more you read and watch what I’m doing on a daily basis. 

 

I've learned that ANYONE can create great dishes that don't look or sound weird and will help you feed your family, your spouse or roommates.  If you were to recreate a dish and it was more delicious than what you’ve been cooking all along, who's to argue? 

Every day I'm cooking.  I promised everyone recipes on Twitter and boy did I get people liking that tweet but honestly, I'd almost rather be cooking than writing which is weird because I love to write.  However, I've been gathering photos, (driving my husband crazy while doing it) and logging all the dishes I've learned to recreate.  They have little to no oil, very little cheese amounts, and no meat.  

This Sunday my husband wanted meat and almost pleaded for a roasted chicken but if we were going to have meat and I was going to give in, I suggested lamb. We love lamb and being it was Sunday, lamb it was! 

We shared 1 pound of ground lamb grilled with pesto and crumbled feta on top, over a bed of lettuce. No other side dishes and no bread and we were as contempt as can be.  (More on that here.)

This blog is not to get you to go plant-based overnight and have you defending yourself in every conversation when you don't eat meat.  I’m going to share with you some simple tips to help you transform not only your diet but the way you think about food. When you can train your mind, you WILL win this war.  

Don't be surprised if you find that you love plants more someday over meat.  There are a TON of people who prefer skipping the meat and who say cheese is "overrated."  

Yesterday my husband moaned about wanting meat and I asked him if he didn’t like the dishes I was preparing.  He said he loved my plant-based dishes.  I asked him what it was and he said he didn’t know.  Think about that.  

Share with me what you think below. Add stuff I don't know. There's a lot that we don't know but we can at least share what helps and what doesn't.  Stuff like that.  Let’s begin.

Pesto Lamb over Salad

One of my favorite dishes is lamb with pesto.  I would normally add eggs and bread crumbs to the ground beef but I've substituted those items.  I'm just not used to adding egg and bread crumbs anymore to my dishes. However, we're still cheating on our normal daily diet with ground beef and my husband couldn't be more thrilled.

For example, before being on a plant-based diet, I would take the ground lamb and add egg and bread crumbs before mixing it and forming it into a burger.

Now, I do the following.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground lamb
1 avocado
egg replacer
salt and pepper
Moroccan Seasoning
Pesto sauce in a jar (fresh of course, is always better)

Mix all the ingredients together with a masher.  Form burger patties and grill. The avocado replaces the egg as a binder to a lot of foods. You'll get the hang of it.

Turn over and spoon a little pesto on top.

Mix a spring salad with a light dressing of your choice and put the salad mix onto a plate. Put patties on top and instead of eating this for lunch, it has now become your Sunday dinner.  Wine option: Pair with a nice light wine like zinfandel or pinot noir.

Optional:
Sprinkle Feta, Cotija cheese on top if desired

Another option:
Add olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrot slices if you're really hungry for a Mediterranean dish. Wine option: Pair with a full-bodied wine if you added the egg, the bread crumbs, and Mediterranean dish additions. You'll have more going on in tastes so a fuller wine would round it out.

Does anyone else have any other ideas to this favorite Mediterranean dish? Are there any other substitutions?

Give Your Favorite Dish a Vegetarian Makover

CHILE RELLENOS

One of my mother's favorites.  She's from Texas and any chile you can grill, toast, cook or freeze is right up her alley.  I had a hard time figuring out what to use instead of the egg, flour, meat and cheese I normally use until I just left it out.

Here are things you can do if you're stumped in putting one of your favorite dishes together that includes meat and cheese.

1. Just forget it altogether
You've tried it all; egg replacer, avocado and even Xanthan Gum and nothing compares to the fluffiness of the egg.  How about just forgetting it?

2. Use it sparingly
Instead of mixing three or four eggs, maybe just use one and add water.

3. Substitute
Since eggs are a binder, what else can be used as a binder, mixed with flour and then sauteed?

I have learned that sometimes omitting it all together isn't so bad.  Why? Because the flavors typically make up for it.

We get into these habits sometimes and don't realize that it's just that.  They're habits and if you're like me who's constantly tweaking my habits, then you'll know that's what it's really all about.

4 Poblano Chiles
1 cup Barley
1/4 bag of Frozen peas, carrots, and corn
1/4 cup of a fresh pot of cooked red beans
1 bag of Red Beans
1 Garlic (all cloves) crushed and diced
Sea Salt to taste

Sauce:
1/4 cup of Molasses
2 tablespoons of Worstechire
1 tablespoon Tamari
1/2 tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon of Horseradish
1 tablespoon Grey Poupon Mustard

Cook the beans in a pot with tomato stock (or some sort of vegetable stock) for about 3-4 hours.

Cook the chiles over a comal or dry pan and roast them on all sides leaving the stem in tact. Set aside and let them cool.

Make the barley - 1 cup barley to 3 cups water and cook like rice but after it boils, put a lid and let it steam for about 45 minutes in homemade vegetable broth

Mix the sauce ingredients and keep tasting it to make sure it's the right flavor for you

Add the frozen vegetables

When the barley is done, add about 1/2 cup in the sauce and vegetables.

When the beans are done, mix about the same amount of cooked beans together with the veggies and barley mix and set aside.

Put on some disposable gloves and peel the skin off the chiles and remove all the seeds. Cut a slit from the top of the stem to the bottom and remove everything inside. (The gloves are to protect you from the chile getting on your hands that can be very uncomfortable afterwards.)

Stuff the chiles with the mixture and add Cotija cheese if desired. Put in oven at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.  They should be hot and steamy when taken out of the oven.

Here's what is important.  If you can add the right amount of flavoring to fresh cooked foods like beans, barley and chile poblanos, that is part of the secret.  Get out of using the canned products. The more fresh these ingredients are made, the better they will taste but you knew that. Who will argue with the frozen peas and carrots?

We served this with a Ceasar's salad with avocados and croutons.  It was really delicious!!

Having these 14 Kitchen Tools Helps Me Eat Healthy

Do you have the right tools to cook healthy? I like when recipes come with a list of tools at the very beginning. Having the right tools help. These are basic tools I use every day to cook plant-based meals.

The Wok – The most effective pan for cooking vegetables is the wok. Once you use this and use it often, you will be amazed at how much you use it because what you throw in it. From tofu to eggplant, to broccoli, rice, and noodles, it cooks everything quickly and thoroughly. Say hello to the wok. Just don’t forget to get the wooden flat spoon if you don’t have one.

Rice cooker -- This makes any grain as they say, “perfect every time.”  Add your white rice, brown rice, jasmine rice, sticky rice, barley, assorted variations of quinoa and even veggies and walk away. When time is of the essence and you’re focusing on creating your dish, your rice cooker helps.

Boil basket -- Are you tired of eating rice and quinoa all the time? Welcome, the boil basket. One way to make your quinoa, barley and rice taste uniquely flavorful is with the broth. Whether it's tomato, vegetable, garlic and onion, a good tool to have is this basket. There are so many variations of broth to use to cook your grains. This drops in a pot with the hook hanging out to pull out. Fresh herbs are great to add too.

Spaghetti Spoon – Is not just for spaghetti anymore.  I typically use this for rice, stir-fry, vegetables and anything I need to scoop out of a pan or a bowl. Spoons don’t work as well. We’ve used this so much that the spoon has broken off from the handle. Yep, get the spaghetti spoon.

Slicer – there are two variations I have for this including a mandoline slicer. I like cooking tools, I admit, but I bought one for a friend of mine and she said she really loves it.  Let’s face it, a lot of us don’t have time to carefully slice our onions very thin and if we did, not even chefs do that. They almost always have a slicer.

Rubber spoons – When using non-stick or even sauté pans, I reach for the rubber spoon. These spoons are heat resistant and gentle to plant foods. When you create sauces, these work perfectly from stirring gently to scoop curry sauce out of the pan. Wooden spoons don’t work the same. Thank you, rubber spoon.

Sharp knives – If you have dull knives you should just delay your healthy diet plans.  A sharpener is good to have too.

Pairing knives – These are great to slice small stuff but also with precision. I have been able to slice strawberries, mushrooms, peppers large and small, herbs, tomatoes for bruschetta and speaking of bruschetta, olives too. You minimize cutting yourself if you have a nice set of pairing knives. And yes, get a set of them if you can. You will cry if lose the only one you have.

Electric Teakettle – Wow what a game changer this was. Once I started drinking teas often, the electric teakettle helped my daily routine. I would have pulled my hairs out if I had to wait on my teapot.

Bowl / Basket – A lot of veggies are better left out like tomatoes, avocados, garlic, lemons, limes, bananas, apples, pears, etc. You have to have something to put them in to leave them out.

Grill – This gives roasted veggies a lot of flavors. You don’t have to have a BBQ - just a grill big enough to make one plate full.  Even if you’re trying to grill the chicken instead of frying it, a grill brings a new flavor to your foods. With a light avocado or coconut spray, you will have healthy and great tasting roasted food.

Blender – Great for smoothies but it can do a lot more. I’ve made salad dressings, soups, and sauces in a snap.

Glass Storage Containers – When my sister was throwing them out, I gladly took them. I store beans, barley, teas and polenta that I buy sometimes by the pound. My goal is to have a beautiful pantry with nothing but glass jars filled with dry foods.

Plenty of chopping boards– I use at least 3-4 every single day. I have wooden ones and plastic ones and even had the very thin ones although those didn’t last long.  You will need a chopping board when it comes to fruit and vegetables. Have plenty. One is usually in the sink, in the dishwasher or sitting by the sink all at the same time.

When I listen to people say how challenging it is to eat healthy, my first question I have is if they have the right tools. Whatever those tools are for you, those are the right ones.  Sometimes I find these at thrift stores and flea markets. I found a nice skillet at a flea market for $10 bucks that I use. I also peruse the kitchen stores and even Barnes and Noble to see if they have a solution to any recipes I'm working on. 

Please comment on what tool or appliance you use that helps you make incredibly delicious healthy recipes. I’d love to know!    

Top 7 Beliefs That Lead To Consistent Weight Gain

Are you dieting every few weeks when you live without all your favorite foods and work out like mad just long enough to lose those extra pounds?

Wouldn’t it be nice that no matter how much you eat, you never gained that much weight?  Isn’t that how Weight Watchers works?  You can eat all you want including bread and dessert and you can still manage to lose the weight.  How simple is that?

Here’s the problem.  

You can lose all the weight from any diet program; any discipline and feel great but are you really healthy?  Have you heard the naysayers who say that we have been eating the same foods we are today for thousands of years and why should we have to change what we eat?  Everything you eat is good for you.  Right?  

Then why are you on this viscous cycle of always gaining lots of weight by eating all the foods that are good for you? Why are you always on a “diet” again and again?

Here’s why.  

It’s not really what we are eating as much as it is our beliefs about it.  Our beliefs deceive us.  Our convictions are what put us into a cycle of food weight gain.  

Let me explain.  When we eat "healthy" to then go back to gaining the weight all over again, isn't it because we put ourselves in a position of having to make those hard choices like trying to decide salad over a sandwich? After that, don't we then suffer in the gym all over again?  Does it really have to be this hard?  How do we end up in this cycle to begin with?

If you believe that meat and dairy are absolutely necessary for your diet, you’ve already lost the battle before you started.  

I am recently being coached on a project about the decisions we make early on to guarantee our success in the long run.  Our success is determined from the very beginning of any project.  Once the decisions are made, success progresses because the right choices have been made.  It’s just pure execution from that point. 

The same goes true for the way we eat.  Your beliefs have to change in what you eat or you will fail over and over again.  Your beliefs have to change if you want to keep the weight off.

Here are my top 7 beliefs that lead to consistent weight gain:

1)  Meat is the only protein.  

We don’t even call it what it is.  Somehow, meat is now  called protein.

2)  Dairy is good for strong bones and teeth.  

Are you sure that’s the only food that has calcium?  Is drinking dairy the only way to strong bones and teeth?

3)  Your body has to have meat or you will starve.  

If we’re talking about malnutrition, are you comparing yourself to those who live in third world countries that are truly suffering from malnutrition?

4)  Meat (protein) fills you up for a long time.  

I lived off this presumption too.  As long as I was satisfied for a long period of time, I'd curve the cravings and not have the impulses to snack, (and I would presume bad snacks). However, isn't it really helpful to not be hungry for hours or should you be eating four to five times a day?

5)  Without meat or dairy, there is nothing else to eat.  

Could this be because you don’t know how to cook without meat or dairy products?

6)  We’ve eaten meat for thousands of years.  

How much meat have humans consumed in one seating for thousands of years?  Why was the purest of animals with presumably the best meat sacrificed to the Gods?  

7)  People who don’t eat meat lose the color in their faces.  

I agree.  I’ve lost a lot of color in my face from not eating so much meat but I’m glad the rosacea has gone away. 

I hear these myths all the time but I’m not sure if people realize what they are saying or better yet, know their beliefs are what making them fat.  

If we can only abstain (or at least try to abstain) for 26 days without meat and dairy, how would we feel?  Will our taste buds change?  Will our moods change?  Will we be forced to learn how to cook more vegetarian dishes?  Will we get used to eating a lot more of it? Will we have to stretch ourselves to find what is really healthier to eat or will we be convinced it’s too hard? 

I like Tai Lopez’s TedTalk about how everyone wants the good life but not everyone gets the good life because not everyone is willing to do what it takes here. 

It’s painful but is it better to suffer for 26 days and be done with it? Or is it better to hold onto our beliefs and eating habits for good and suffer every 26 days?

What steps do you need to take to change your beliefs?  Are you willing to change your beliefs in 26 days?

Let me know your beliefs below.

Find me on Twitter @cncastrosIdea and thanks for reading!