Good food. Better life.
This is my whole foods version of baked beans that can be eaten as a main dish; a little bit tangy and a little bit sweet. Serve this with a side of greens, homemade cole slaw or a crispy salad. I like it over brown rice, but a warm loaf of baked bread or dinner rolls would also suffice.
Lots of grounding Root Chakra and get-things-done Solar Plexus Chakra energy going on with these beans. Takes stick to your ribs to a whole new (energetic) level, in the best way of course!
Serve with braised collard greens-
“Eat poor that day, eat rich the rest of the year. Rice for riches and peas for peace”. This is a southern saying on eating a dish of Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day to ensure a prosperous year filled with luck.
This is my quick, vegetarian version (the original Hoppin’ John calls for dried black eyed peas soaked overnight and a ham hock). While I like to make this on New Year’s Day (we all want prosperity and luck for our families, right?), it is also a great dish that I prepare almost year round.
Allow that energy of prosperity and luck to permeate through your energy centers. You’ll activate all of them if you serve southern braised collards along with your Hoppin’ John.
I created this soup when I was on a mini detox where I mainly consumed fruit and veggies. Whether you need a healing soup for detox purposes or not you’ll want to make this warming soup in the cooler months and it is highly adaptable; add in some beans for greater sustenance.
Along with some detoxing, this simple soup activates all of your Chakras. You may find yourself preparing this soup on a regular basis during the holiday season not only to keep your liver optimized but to also optimize your emotional and spiritual states of being; a food-based reminder for gratitude for all your blessings.
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I created this delicious, gluten-free stuffing for the Mystic Meals Under the Moon’s November Full Moon Dinner. I wanted the menu to honor the month’s Thanksgiving holiday but with a twist. Although it played sidekick to a roasted salmon dish, this stuffing could easily stand alone both in flavor and sustenance. Even if you don’t want to give up your traditional holiday stuffing try this amazing whole grain recipe sometime during the holiday season.
I really like this version of split pea soup because it’s brothy, rather than thick like a stew. Artisan rolls or slices of bread with a pat of creamy butter are a must for dipping in the filling soup. I usually serve a simple side salad of romaine mixed with escarole (or other bitter lettuce) and shredded carrots in a mustard vinaigrette.
Serve with arugula, grape and sunflower seed salad, skillet cornbread-
Maria A. from Merrimac, Massachusetts forwarded her pumpkin chili recipe to me a few years ago. It is a huge hit with her family and friends, an often requested dish during the long, cold months in Boston. I first made it for my book club and we all loved it. My friends were quite surprised to learn the chili included pumpkin. The original recipe called for ground turkey, but this version is vegetarian. An iron skillet cornbread and a crispy salad are the perfect sides.
Serve with crusty whole grain bread with goat cheese-
I am not a huge fan of cream-based soups, but I wanted to make traditional corn chowder with the last-of-the-season sweet corn from the farmer’s markets. I am now a HUGE fan of this lightened version, as is my family, which unanimously gave this vegetarian chowder “5 stars”. Dunking a warm, whole grain roll into the incredibly creamy, fennel-scented, flavorful broth (chockfull of tender potatoes and fresh corn kernels) is the perfect beginning to the start of comfort food season.
Served with Columbia Restaurant’s 1905 salad-
When I first moved to Tampa, Florida, I had never heard of black beans, let alone tasted them. A staple of Cuban food, black beans are very versatile and used almost everyday. Now I eat them on a regular basis, and this is my version of Moros Y Cristianos (Moors and Christians), by far my family’s favorite recipe for this humble bean.
The name of this dish refers to the wars between the Moors (blacks) and the Spaniards (whites). It is a reminder of the Spanish influence on Cuba.
The Columbia is a famous Spanish restaurant in Tampa. It is known for its flamingo dancers and authentic Spanish/Cuban cuisine; the 1905 salad being one of its specialties. This is my vegetarian version, as I have omitted the meat and changed out the iceberg to butter lettuces.
I adapted for the slow cooker a bean dish from Ivy Stark’s Dos Caminos Mexican Street Food cookbook (if you like Mexican street food this is a beautiful cookbook filled with both traditional recipes and twists on Mexican food at its best). Her version called for bacon but I have kept it vegetarian; the bacon can always be added as a condiment.
This is one our favorite slow cooker recipes (and its vegetarian!). It’s great on its own, but can be the base for taco salads, burritos, tacos, or as a side dish to a grilled meat. I cook my rice in a rice cooker 40 minutes before we are set to eat. If I know I will be out right up ‘til dinner time, then I make it at the same time as when I prepare the beans, only needing to heat it up at mealtime. You will have extras- perfect for lunch the next day!
I created The Whole Meal with a vision of educating others in mealtime preparation focusing on delicious, healthy and simple recipes. To good food and a better life!