Categories
Uncategorized You are what you eat

A Simple Guide to Eating Healthy

Hey y’all,

It’s been a while. Working in healthcare remains an adventure, but one that’s taken a dark turn lately. I’ve been cooking at home a lot more because of all this, and have several new recipes to share, but I have been slow in finding the motivation to write them up.

So instead of a recipe, I’m sharing some tips on eating healthy.

Why now? (After all, in times like these, chocolate is very comforting.)

We’re heading into the perfect time of year to make this amazing salad: creamy avocado, sweet mango, and juicy tomatoes tossed with a spicy dressing (rof). Vegan to boot!

What you eat, however, makes a big impact on diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity/metabolic syndrome, which are common risk factors for becoming very sick and/or dying from coronavirus. More than ever, it’s important to eat healthy to stay healthy.

Nowadays, however, eating healthy can seem confusing. Wondering whether you should go vegan or jump on the ketogenic diet wagon (previously popularized as the Atkins diet)? Or might you long for the easy days when the food pyramid ruled? Confused about what to eat? Confounded by the bewildering array of diets that cycle in popularity every few years?

Read on. I’m here to help.

Categories
Recipe Box Vegetarian/Vegan

Spicy Long Bean Stir-fry

Picture of long beans, the perfect plant for the accidental/beginner vegetable garden.
Long beans….the perfect plant for the accidental/beginner vegetable garden!

I accidentally ended up with a vegetable garden this year, and it all started with the long beans.

We knew the previous owners of our new home gardened. When we first saw the house, I recognized the remnants of the okra plants and recognized some sort of garlic/onion/chive growing in a bare patch of soil on the periphery of the backyard. (They turned out to be a type of small yellow onion sought after by Indian home cooks, including my mom.) I did not, however recognize the long beans when they sprouted this spring. Luckily, my mom happened to be with me as I cleared out some invading poison ivy, and she pointed the plants out in the nick of time. Otherwise, they would’ve been tossed out with the ivy.

Categories
Recipe Box Vegetarian/Vegan

Black bean, corn, & mango salad

Summer…mmm….

Besides juicy, vine-ripened tomatoes, the one other food I most associate with summer is fresh corn. Summer conjures memories of corn hot off the grill, slightly charred, sweet and crunchy. But even the grill-less (as I am this year) can enjoy fresh corn. Try microwaving it for 3-4 minutes, husk on, until the corn steams in its husk, then peel and enjoy.