Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Macro BowlStart The New Year Off RightHow To Construct A Macro Bowl

Eat Black Eyed Peas on New Year's Day for good luck!

Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest.

My Annual Black-Eyed Pea Recipe
I learned, when living in Texas, that eating black-eyed peas on New Year's day brings good luck. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't - but I don't dare start the year without them, just in case. To make sure I didn't mess with tradition, my daughter even sent me a pound of these lucky charms from Minneapolis for Christmas. 

I must admit, black-eyed peas aren't my favorite food so it's even more challenging to come up with a yummy recipe every year. But this year, I'm very excited about this macro bowl - especially because it's complemented with a tasty tahini sauce.

This recipe is a bit complicated as I use my Instant Pot for the kale and black-eyed peas, the oven to roast the potatoes, and my rice cooker to prepare the GABA rice. But it's all worth it in the end and, after all, it's New Year's day!

Constructing a Macro Bowl     
Macro bowls are very versatile and extremely healthy as they include a nice variety of foods. Here's how I construct mine:

#1 Protein  
For your protein, you can use any bean, tofu, tempeh, even shrimp or salmon.

#2 Greens
Steam kale, chard, spinach, mustard or other greens.

#3 Root Vegetables
Roast carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, new potatoes, turnips, or any other root vegetable. Just dice, toss with a little oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until cooked and brown.

#4 Grain
Use white, black, brown, or GABA rice, millet, quinoa, farro (not gluten free), or any of your favorite grains. 

#5 Avocado
Avocados make everything taste better. 

#6 Seaweed or a Fermented Vegetable
I usually put some raw sauerkraut or seaweed salad on my macro bowls, whichever I happen to have in the house. It's always good to have a fermented food as part of your meal. Your microbiome will thank you.

#7 A Yummy Sauce
Top your macro bowl with your favorite sauce. Today I made a tahini sauce but any of your favorite sauces will do.

#8 Seeds
Sprinkle your macro bowl with hemp, black or white sesame, pumpkin, or sunflower seeds for added nutrients.

When plating your macro bowl, be aware of the colors of the ingredients and place them to optimize the contrast. 

                     *                            *                             *

Black-Eyed Pea Macro Bowl
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free

Ingredients PER PERSON
1/2 cup cooked black-eyed peas
1 cup steamed kale
1/2 sweet potato, diced and roasted
1/3 - 1/2 cup cooked rice or other grain
1/4 avocado, sliced
Small serving of raw sauerkraut or seaweed salad
Teaspoon of black sesame seeds

For the sauce (4 servings, ~ 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons raw tahini
1 tablespoon cold-pressed hemp oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon agave or honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime or lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and grated
Pinch cayenne
1 tablespoon water

Directions
Cook the black-eyed peas on the stovetop according to package directions. Or use canned black-eyed peas.
To cook in your Instant Pot, place unsoaked dry peas in the instant pot with a bay leaf, some onion and celery, and cover with at least two inches of water. Set Manual to 6 minutes. When done, let pressure come down naturally. Move them to a covered dish to keep warm. If using your Instant Pot to make the greens, rinse out the Instant Pot.

Black-eyed peas take 6 to 7 minutes in the Instant Pot. Cover with enough water as they will swell.

Clean kale, remove stems, and thinly slice. Steam kale on stovetop until tender. To cook in your Instant Pot, place in the pot with 1/4 cup of water, a touch of salt, and 1 teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil. Set Manual to 3 minutes. When done, release pressure and remove.

To roast the sweet potatoes, preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place small diced potatoes in a shallow roasting pan (I like to line the pan with a silicon baking sheet). Drizzle with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic to taste and mix well. Roast for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring half way through.

Cook rice in your rice cooker, or on the stovetop, according to directions. I used GABA rice because my daughter gave me a beautiful GABA rice cooker a few years ago and it cooks any kind of rice to perfection, but any type of rice or grain will do.

Make the sauce: Place the tahini in a small bowl and slowly stir in the remaining ingredients until well combined. 

Use fresh limes or lemons

Build the bowl: Get a good size shallow bowl. Place the cooked greens in the bowl. Next, the rice, then the roasted sweet potatoes, then the seaweed salad, avocado, and black eyed peas. Sprinkle with black sesame seeds and serve with the tahini dressing.

If you use sauerkraut instead of the seaweed salad, place that near the peas.

Happy New Year!
May you enjoy outrageous health and happiness in 2018!

Instant Pot Black-Eyed Or Yellow-Eyed Peas With Corn And Greens

Easy One-Pot New Year's Day Recipe for Good Luck.

Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest

Happy New Year
It wouldn't be New Year's without a lucky black-eyed pea recipe. This year's recipe is as simple as it gets and is made in an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker. 

I have a confession to make. This year I'm taking a big risk and making yellow-eyed peas from Rancho Gordo but of course you can make this with traditional black-eyed peas.

        *                           *                        *                     *

Black-Eyed (or Yellow-Eyed) Peas with Corn and Greens
Vegan, Gluten and Dairy Free
[makes 6 servings]

Requires an Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker
Allow soaking time - either overnight or 2 hours in hot water.

Ingredients
1 cup black or yellow-eyed peas
2 1/2 cups rich broth (or hot water and a Rapunzel vegan bouillon cube)
1 cup diced onions
1 cup diced celery
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves minced or pressed garlic
4 cups packed sliced kale or other greens
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt to taste

Directions
Examine the peas for rocks or dirt and then rinse well. You can either soak them overnight or place them in the Instant Pot covered with water (2 inches over the peas) and bring to a boil using the saute button. Let the peas boil for a few minutes, then cover and let sit in the hot water for 2 hours.

After they are soaked properly, rinse with fresh water. Place the peas back in the Instant Pot with the broth or a Rapunzel bouillon cube dissolved in hot water. 

Add the onions, celery, corn, black pepper and garlic and stir. Place the greens on top and drizzle the oil over the entire mixture.

Secure the pressure cooker top making sure that the quick release switch is in the closed position. Push the manual button and set for 3 minutes at high pressure.

When it's done, hit the off button on the lower right and let the pressure come down naturally. When complete, open the cover and tilt so that the steam comes out the back and away from your face.

Add salt to taste and adjust the seasoning. If you used the bouillon cube, it will already have some salt so taste the broth first.

Serve over rice, quinoa, or pasta or just enjoy as is as a brothy stew.

Happy New Year and may 2016 bring you lots of luck, joy, and good health!
Joanne

My Annual "Good Luck" Black-Eyed Pea Recipe Black-Eyed Pea, Kale, And Polenta Soup Vegan And Gluten Free

It's a Southern tradition to eat black-eyed peas
on New Years day for good luck.

Follow Foods For Long Life on Facebook and Pinterest.

My Annual Lucky Recipe
I hope my lucky black-eyed pea recipes have been bringing you good luck over the years! 

I was dining at Peter Lowell's, my favorite local restaurant, and saw they had a kale and polenta soup on the menu. Unfortunately it had a bit of dairy in it so I couldn't taste it, but it  inspired me to create today's recipe. I had never thought of adding polenta to thicken a soup but it's a great idea.
For those of you who avoid GMO corn, you can get organic polenta which means it cannot contain any GMO ingredients. Bob's Red Mill and de la Estancia offer organic, non-GMO polenta.

This years recipe is a hearty soup that would be a great addition to your New Years day buffet or would make a great half-time meal. You can prepare it early in the day or even the night before. 

Spice up your Life with Piri Piri
I was recently introduced to piri piri (pronounced pee-ree pee-ree and Swahili for "pepper pepper"), a sauce originally made from the African birds eye chili pepper, that was brought to Mozambique and Angola by the Portuguese. It's a great accompaniment to this soup and almost anything that enjoys a little spicing up!

     *                           *                             *

Black-eyed pea, kale, and polenta soup
Vegan, Gluten Free (if using GF polenta)
[makes 8 servings]

1 cup dried black-eyed peas
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped celery
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups destemmed and sliced kale
6 cups vegetable broth
14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup organic polenta
salt and black pepper to taste
Piri piri,or your favorite hot sauce to taste (optional)

Pick over the peas to remove rocks or dirt. 
In a 5 1/2 quart Dutch oven or large soup pot, cover the black-eyed peas with water and bring to a boil. Boil peas for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for an hour. Rinse and drain the peas in a colander. Rinse and dry the pot.

Heat the oil in the Dutch oven or soup pot and cook the onions, celery, and carrots until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute until fragrant.

Stir in the kale and then the black-eyed peas. 

Add broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil.

Slowly stir in the polenta. Lower the heat to medium low and simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, until the peas and polenta are cooked, about 45 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with piri piri or your favorite hot sauce, if desired.

Per serving: 231 calories, 3 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 122 mg omega-3 and 513 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 9 g protein, 41 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber, and 59 mg sodium (using no-salt-added tomatoes and before the addition of salt to taste)

Black-Eyed Pea And Vegan Feta Salad On Romaine

Marinated tofu is the "dairy free" feta in this delicious salad.
Black-eyed peas are eaten on New Year's day for good luck!

Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK .

Happy New Year!!
I'd like to wish you all a happy and healthy 2013. Thanks for inspiring me every day with your interest in healthy eating! 

My Annual Lucky Black-Eyed Pea Recipe
If you have been following my blog for over a year, you know that I always eat black-eyed peas on New Year's day for good luck- a southern tradition I picked up while living in Texas many years ago. This year I'm making a delicious salad with "vegan feta".

If you marinate firm or extra firm tofu in lemon, oil, salt, pepper and oregano, it has the taste and appearance of feta cheese. So for those of you who need to be dairy free or who are just trying to cut down on cholesterol, this is a wonderful substitution. To get some inflammation-busting omega-3 fatty acid in this recipe, I use some hemp oil in the marinade. Its dark green and nutty flavor compliments the extra virgin olive oil.

Besides being a good source of omega-3, this recipe is high in protein and dietary fiber.

Tofu marinated in lemon, oil, and seasonings tastes like feta!

Black-Eyed Pea and Vegan Feta Salad

"Mostly Raw" Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]

For the dressing/marinade
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons cold pressed hemp oil
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
For the salad
1/2 block firm or extra firm tofu, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced or sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced or sliced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
12 pitted kalamata olives, cut in half
1 1/2 cups no salt added canned black-eyed peas, rinsed
2 small heads Romaine lettuce, sliced

Prepare the vegan feta. Mix the salad dressing ingredients in a large bowl until the salt is dissolved.
Add the tofu and toss gently until well coated. Set aside for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the salad.

Make the salad. Add the rest of the salad ingredients, except the Romaine lettuce, to the bowl of marinated tofu. Toss gently until well coated. 

Divide the Romaine into four large bowls and place one quarter of the salad mixture over each bowl of lettuce. If you would rather mix the lettuce in the large bowl with the tofu before serving, you can do that too.
Serve immediately.

Per serving: 289 calories, 18 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.3 g omega-3 and 6 g omega-6 fatty acids, 12 g protein, 23 g carbohydrates, 6 g dietary fiber and 600 mg of sodium.

Vegan Black-Eyed Pea And Hominy Enchiladas - My Annual New Year's Day Recipe For Good Luck!

Eating black-eyed peas on New Year's Day brings good luck!

Follow Foods For Long Life on FACEBOOK !

My Annual New Year's Recipe
As many of you know, I always start the year with a black-eyed pea recipe. For many decades, this tradition has brought me lots of luck so I dare not stop now.
This year, I'm making enchiladas.


Easy is Good
My son makes the best enchiladas I've ever eaten. They take hours to make and like most of his gourmet recipes, they are complicated, dirty lots of pots and pans and require far more patience than I have.
My friend also makes excellent enchiladas. One day she told me her secret - Lawry's. OK, I was surprised. She's half Mexican so I assumed she slaved all day making some family recipe. But I was delighted to know this as I could now make enchiladas without much fuss. I won't say enchiladas made with Lawry's are better than my son's, but they are quite good and I have used this ready-made seasoning mixture in today's recipe. For those of you who love spice, Lawry's is mild so plan on adding some cayenne, jalapeño or chili powder to give it more heat.

A simple way to make enchilada sauce,
Unfortunately it is not gluten free. 

I Love Hominy
I was introduced to hominy while living in Texas - the same great state where I discovered black-eyed peas. Hominy is corn without its hull and germ. When hominy is ground it's called "grits". I love hominy in all forms. When whole, it has a wonderful, chewy texture. It combines well with the black-eyed peas and gives a lovely texture to the meatless enchiladas.

White hominy

Vegan Cheese
For those of you who are vegan, lactose intolerant or just wanting to avoid dairy because you just watched "Forks over knives" or read Joseph Keon's "Whitewash - The disturbing truth about cow's milk and your health", you are probably still searching for a cheese substitute. To be perfectly honest, it's pretty impossible to replace the taste and texture of real cheese. But lots of people are pretty excited about Daiya, a dairy, lactose and casein free cheese substitute that is also gluten and soy free. I use the Daiya Cheddar Style Shreds in this recipe. If you are not vegan, you can substitute regular cheddar cheese. If you are trying to wean yourself from dairy, use half cheddar and half Daiya. 

This tapioca based cheese substitute is free of dairy, gluten and soy. 

Black-eyed pea and hominy enchiladas
vegan
[makes 8 enchiladas]


For the sauce
1.6 oz package Lawry's enchilada sauce spices & seasonings
6 ounce can tomato paste
3 cups water
pinch of cayenne, or to taste (optional)
For the enchiladas
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 ounce can black-eyed peas (or 1 3/4 cups cooked), drained
15 ounce can white or yellow hominy, drained
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup Daiya cheddar style shreds, divided
8 corn tortillas


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Take out a 9"x13"x2" baking dish.

To make the sauce, mix the Lawry's spices, tomato paste, water and cayenne (optional) in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Make the enchilada sauce first and let it simmer while you prepare the filling.

In a frypan, heat oil and cook onions for 5 to 8 minutes or until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute. 
Add drained black-eyed peas, hominy and cumin and mix thoroughly. Cook until heated throughout.
Add half the cheese and stir until melted. 

Stir half the cheese into black-eyed pea mixture.

Pour 1 cup sauce in the bottom of baking dish.
Coat each tortilla with sauce and place 1/8th black-eyed pea mixture in center of each tortilla.
Roll up the tortilla and place seam down in baking dish.

To make enchilada, place filling in the center of tortilla.

Roll up placing seams on the bottom of pan.

Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and cover with remaining cheese.
Bake uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Bake until bubbly and serve.

Per enchilada: 248 calories, 5.5 g fat, 1.3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6.5 g protein, 40.6 g carbohydrates, 6.4 g dietary fiber and 724 mg sodium.


Happy New Year and thanks for following my blog!

Vegan Black-Eyed Pea And Black Bean Chili - My Annual New Year's Day Black-Eyed Pea Recipe

Eat black-eyed peas on New Year's day for good luck

Happy New Year!
As is the tradition, I am posting a lucky black-eyed pea recipe for New Year's Day.  For additional lucky recipes, see last year's Black-eyed pea curry and Black-eyed pea roasted red pepper hummus.  The spicy flavor of the chili is offset with the sweetness of the diced sweet potato and the creaminess of the Tofutti sour cream. 

You can either use a fresh jalapeño or dried. They just opened a Penseys spice store nearby and I found this wonderful dried "California Crushed jalapeño" which gives an amazing flavor to the chili. According to Penseys, the heat of the jalapeño is very sensitive to temperature so it should be added toward the end of cooking.

Tofutti Vegan Sour Cream

Another good vegan food product I use to garnish this dish is Tofutti Vegan Sour Cream. I'm happy to say that Tofutti no longer contains trans-fats. 
This dish is an excellent source of vegan protein and dietary fiber.


Vegan Black-Eyed Pea and Black Bean Chili
[makes four 1 1/2 cup servings]
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
One 15 ounce can black-eyed peas (drained)
One 15 ounce can black beans (drained and rinsed well)
One 14.5 ounce can fire roasted (or plain) diced tomatoes
One 4 ounce can diced green chilies
1 1/2 cups sweet potatoes, diced in 1/2" cubes
1 cup veggie broth
1 to 3 teaspoons Penseys dried  jalapeño or one fresh, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or cilantro (optional)
4 tablespoons Tofutti vegan sour cream (optional)


Heat oil in a 5 quart dutch oven. Add onion and sauté for 8 minutes until soft. Add garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. 
Stir the chili powder and cumin into the cooked onions. 
Make sure the black beans are rinsed well or the chili will turn black. 
Add the black-eyed peas, black beans, diced tomatoes, diced green chilies, sweet potatoes and the veggie broth. Stir in the jalapeño, cover and cook for another 8 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are just tender, stirring occasionally. 
Serve immediately.


Per serving (without cilantro and tofutti): 290.4 calories, 4.3 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 12.6 g protein, 56.6 g carbohydrate and 11.8 g dietary fiber.  

For good luck, always leave 3 black-eyed peas on your plate!

Black-Eyed Pea New Years Day Recipes: Black-Eyed Pea Curry with Sweet Potatoes, Mushrooms and Spinach and Black-Eyed Pea and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Vegan black-eyed pea curry with "light" coconut milk.

Vegan black-eyed pea and roasted red pepper hummus .

Black-Eyed Pea Recipes for New Years Day

I started the Foods For Long LIfe blog a year ago on New Years day. And, of course, I started it with a black-eyed pea recipe. In the south it's traditional to eat black-eyed peas on New Years day for a year of good luck. OK, why is an Italian from Brooklyn telling you this? Because I picked up this tradition as a student at the University of Texas and I've been doing this ever since. I've passed it on to my children and they will undoubtedly pass it on to theirs. Traditions are fun, especially those involving food. It's also fun to take this one ingredient and come up with a new recipe every year. It's kind of like "the Iron Chef". So this year I made a hearty curry and a dip - both perfect for a nice New Years day lunch or for watching football. And don't forget to leave 3 peas on your plate - that guarantees the good luck. For the dip, leave out 3 peas before you throw the rest of them in the blender.

My Last Post for the Year

This will be my last post for the year. My husband is taking me on a romantic cruise through the Panama Canal to celebrate our 20th anniversary. That's why I'm posting these New Years recipes so early. I have really enjoyed writing this blog and I hope you've enjoyed the articles and the recipes. I've appreciated your positive comments and I'm thrilled when I hear of people improving their eating habits. My parting wish to you is to enjoy the holidays but don't over do. Eat and drink in moderation and try to get in as much exercise as you can in between social events. (Let's see how well I take my own advice on a 16 day cruise!). Think about the good things you did for your body in 2009 (lost weight, lowered your cholesterol, got off of a medication) and develop and write down your health goals for 2010. Have a wonderful holiday and I'll see you next year!

***

Vegan Black-Eyed Pea Curry [serves 4]

2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red bell pepper, cut in strips (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 yellow or red onion, diced (about 2 cups)

2 cups sliced button or crimini mushrooms

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic

1 to 3 teaspoons curry powder (to taste, depending if it's sweet or hot)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, divided

One 15 ounce can black-eyed peas (about 2 cups cooked)

1 cup veggie broth

1 cup unsweetened, "light" coconut milk

5 ounces pre-washed fresh baby spinach

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

About 2 cups of cooked brown rice, polenta or noodles

Steam sweet potatoes until cooked (not too soft) and set aside. Heat oil and saute red pepper, onions and mushrooms until soft and the mushrooms release their liquid (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add garlic, half the cilantro and curry (to taste) and saute another minute or two until curry is blended in. Add black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, broth and coconut milk and bring to a boil. Throw in the spinach and lower the heat. Cook 2 minutes or until the spinach wilts, gently stirring. Stir in the lime juice and top with the rest of the cilantro and serve over cooked rice, polenta or noodles.

Per serving (curry only): 264.3 calories, 8 g fat, 3.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 8.1 g protein, 39.6 g carbohydrates and 8.5 g of fiber.

***

Vegan Black-Eyed Pea and Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

[makes about eight 1/4 cup servings]

One 15 ounce can black-eyed peas

One 8 ounce jar roasted red peppers

2 tablespoons tahini

2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh parsley or cilantro for garnish (optional)

Rinse the roasted red peppers well, removing any seeds or blackened skin. Combine all ingredients (except parsley or cilantro) in a food processor or blender and process until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides. Top with fresh cilantro or parsley and serve with raw veggies or baked chips.

Per serving: 70.5 calories, 2.6 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2.6 g protein, 9.9 g carbohydrates and 1.9 g of fiber.

January 1

The top 10 things you can do to improve your diet in 2009!

I always like to start off my year by thinking of ways to improve my diet. Are you, like so many, trying to loose weight? Well, this year I’d like you to just concentrate on eating well and getting healthy. If you do that, the weight will come off, you’ll feel better and you won’t have the anxiety of “being on a diet”.

Here are 10 things to think about. I will be expanding many of these ideas in the future along with sample recipes.

1. Eat a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables every day. Lots of them! The more colorful the better. As you look at your plate, it should look like a beautiful painting.

2. Eat at least 25% of these fruits and vegetables RAW. I’ll be talking a great deal more about raw food diets but for now, I’d just like you to start eating more of your diet in its raw state.

3. Buy organic fruits and vegetables when possible. They are more nutritious and of course, less toxic. You get enough toxins in your body from the environment, you don’t need to eat them. Now I will admit, sometimes organic can cost way too much. I drew the line last week when they wanted $3 for a single cucumber. But if possible, buy local, unsprayed produce.

4. Don’t eat fried foods. First of all, if you are trying to loose weight, this is a great source of calories. Secondly, NOTHING GOOD happens when oil is heated. It’s just a good practice to avoid foods that are fried.

5. Don’t eat white, processed food. These are also known as refined carbohydrates. White bread or pasta, white rice and sugar are a few examples of refined carbohydrates. Select whole grain bread, pasta and brown rice. Honey, unprocessed Sucanat is better than sugar but better yet, use the herb, stevia. It has finally been approved by the FDA, it has zero calories and it is a natural herb.

6. Eat essential fatty acids. Not all fat is bad. These fats are essential for good health and you can get these from nuts, seeds, fish and oils, to name a few sources. For a low calorie, delicious, healthy dose of these essential fatty acids, be on the lookout for my famous “chia seed pudding”!

7. Eat enough protein but not too much (please read “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II). Avoid red meat and processed meats. Good sources of protein include beans, tofu, fish, organic free range eggs and poultry and many vegetables. Many Americans eat far too much protein. A diet with 10% protein is sufficient.

8. Get sufficient vitamin D. More and more data has shown the benefits of this vitamin. Besides helping the body build strong bones, it may also help control weigh gain, ward off diabetes and even have a role in cancer prevention. Although the RDA is 400 IU, many now suggest 1,000 IU per day. Good sources of this vitamin include cod liver oil, herring, and salmon. Unfortunately, there are no adequate plant sources for this vitamin, but fortified soy and rice milks, as well as fortified breakfast cereals do contain this vitamin. Getting 15 minutes of sunshine per day is also a good way to get sufficient vitamin D.

9. NEVER eat foods that contain High Fructose Corn Syrup or Trans fats. These are found in many foods so please read labels and avoid these unhealthy substances.

10. Keep a food journal. When I was pregnant with my son, 38 years ago, I discovered that if I wrote down what I ate, I didn’t over eat. Besides helping you keep your weight in check, it also helps discover food allergies, especially if you record how the foods make your feel.
You can’t start the New Year without a black eye pea recipe. It’s a tradition I picked up while living in Texas during my college years. Eating black eyed peas on new years day is supposed to give you good luck for the year. You’re also supposed to leave 3 peas on your plate (I’m not sure who told me that part but I’ve been doing it for decades now and it seems to work!)


Black-Eyed Pea Salad
2 cups of dried black-eyed peas
1 small avocado, diced
1 cup corn (fresh or frozen and thawed)
1 diced red pepper
2 T red onion, finely chopped
½ cup of cilantro, chopped
a dressing of 3 T of lime juice and 1 T of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sort through the peas, removing rocks and dirt. Rinse well. Boil the black-eyed peas in 2 quarts of water for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain and cool.

Mix peas with the avocado, corn, red pepper, onion and cilantro and dress in the lime/olive oil dressing. Salt and pepper to taste.

Black-eyed peas are an excellent source of protein and fiber. Red peppers are full of beta-carotene and vitamin C.