Black Beans and Rice

This is Rip Esselstyn's mainstay dinner. This looks like the perfect healthy meal when there is no time to cook. The only work is in buying the ingredients and cooking the brown rice.  He says to serve it with warm corn tortillas or healthy chips. 

Serves 3-4

2 15oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1-1 1/2 c. water or vegetable stock
1 Tablespoon Bragg Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
1 teaspoon chile powder
2-3 tomatoes, chopped
1 can water chestnuts, drained
1 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned
2 red, yellow, or green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 bunch cilantro, rinsed and chopped
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
3 cups cooked brown rice
Salsa or tamari to taste  (Thanks for the tamari, Aug :)

Heat the beans with water stock, and add the liquid aminos and chile powder. Place the chopped vegetables and cilantro in individual bowls. To serve, place several big spoonfuls of brown rice onto large plates and ladle beans on top. Add generous amounts of chopped vegetables, cilantro, and avocado on top of the beans. Add tamari or salsa to taste.

Rip Esselstyn's Big Bowl

This is Rip Esselstyn's mainstay breakfast. It's great! Plus you can change it up according to what fruits are in season and what plant based milk you choose to use. I recommend making up a big batch to last a couple of weeks or so. (I did 2 c. of each main item). This is the first recipe I'm posting from "Forks over Knives". 

1/4 c. old fashioned oats
1/4 c. Grape-Nuts or Ezekiel brand equivalent
1/4 c. bite-size shredded wheat
1/4 c. Uncle Sam Cereal 
1 Tablespoon flaxseed meal
2 Tablespoons raisins (I used dates)
1/2 handful of walnuts

1 banana, sliced
1 kiwi, sliced (I used blueberries)
1 grapefruit (what? I omitted)
3/4 c. plant based milk (SILK DHA Omega-3 is great)

Toss all the dry ingredients. Serve with fruit and plant based milk. 

Substitute any fresh or frozen fruit. In a pinch you can add water instead of milk. (Rip Esselstyn says so.)

A day's worth of plant based food:

Breakfast: Uncle Sam's Cereal with strawberries, blueberries, and bananas with DHA Omega 3 SILK.

Snack: Watermelon

Lunch: Brown Rice with about 1 T. of peanut butter, a few drops of sesame oil, a bit of soy sauce, and some green onions topped with some salad (leaf lettuce, spinach, red cabbage) and a small amount of Paul Newman Olive Oil dressing. Very tasty!

Snack: Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Supper: Missy's Pesto made with Basil, Spinach, Pine Nuts and Olive oil served over "Rao's" (the kind Puddy recommends) homemade pasta. I sauteed a lb. of brussel sprouts in 2 T. olive oil and Missy made a honey, lime, sriracha sauce to top it with. Fresh cherries. This meal was a little rich but satisfying. 

Pab alerted us to a documentary called "Forks over Knives". It was very compelling since the information offered came after years of research by 2 reputable scientists. They are advocating a plant based/whole foods diet.  Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn explains that eating meat, dairy, and oils injures the lining of our blood vessels, causing heart disease, heart attack, or stroke.  Dr. Colin Campbell reveals how cancer and other diseases skyrocket when eating meat and dairy is the norm—and plummet when a traditional plant-based diet persists. Some members of the family have agreed to try the diet for a month and we will compare notes. Here is the book version of the movie: