Zero Effort Italian: Eggplant & Mushrooms

I came home in complete starvation mode the other day.  You know the feeling when you're so hungry you can't even bare the wait time at a restaurant? This was me.

I was looking for a comforting Italian dish.  But unlike most Italian dishes, I wanted it to be healthy, low calorie, and yet also satisfying and filling. Kind of an impossible dish, but I like impossible.  Of course, for it to be FastBeets Approved it would also have to be super simple and fast.  So enter this dish: My Zero Effort Italian. 

What I love about this dish is that I use zero oil in cooking the eggplant.  The eggplant cooks softly in the tomato sauce. We only add the oil after it's cooked.  By doing it this way you won't damage the fragile Omega 6 in the olive oil.  

FastTip: if serving cold, feel free to swap the olive oil for flax seed oil. You'll get a good serving of healthy, Omega3!

Its so simple and easy and literally takes no effort.  Because when you're in starvation mode, every second counts. 

Ingredients:

• One Italian Eggplant, cut into pieces
• Mushrooms of choice, washed and chopped (or ripped up with fingers)
• One (organic, bpa-free) can of tomato sauce
• Organic garlic granules (can sub garlic powder)
• Organic dried basil
• Organic dried oregano
• Himalayan Salt
• Good quality Olive oil
• Bean pasta of choice (I used Tolerant brand)
• 1/2 cup of filtered water
• (Optional - Nutritional yeast)

Method:

1. In a small pot, boil your pasta.  The amount is entirely up to you.  Make   as much as you're hungry for.  The less you use the faster it boils.  Cook for as long as directed for the specific pasta you're using.  

2. While the pasta is boiling, cut the eggplant and the mushrooms into pieces. 

FastTip: I find that ripping the mushrooms with my hands is a great deal faster than using a knife and making exact cuts, but that's just me! You do you. 

3. In a large pan, heat the tomato sauce on medium high heat.  When the veggies are chopped thrown them into the pan and add in the garlic, oregano, and basil.  I tend to go very heavy handed with the garlic. Feel free to use as much as you'd like. You really can't use too much or too little seasonings. 

“Save your leftovers: This tastes even better the day after on top of toast. ”

4. Add the 1/2 cup of filtered water to the pan and let cook until the veggies are tender and fully cooked.  Should take 10 minutes.  

5. Remove from heat, mix with pasta and top with olive oil and himalayan salt. If using nutritional yeast, feel free to sprinkle some on top. 

Chicks Please Sandwich

The Hubs was in the mood for a tuna sandwich for lunch.  I'm all about honoring your cravings so you won't feel deprived and believe in enjoying all things in life in moderation.  But tuna is not the healthiest choice as it comes with a hefty dose of mercury. We think he can do better on a weekend lunch.  

So I was on a mission to come up with something that was equally satisfying but had a higher nutritional value and no mercury....Enter in the Chicks Please Sandwich. 

“if you can satisfy your craving with a healthier option, choose that option 100%”

To test out if it would work in curbing his appetite, I made BOTH a tuna sandwich and the Chicks Please Sandwich. You know, to level the playing field.  He eats what he wants, and we see what he decides to eat.  Needless to say, because I wouldn't have posted this recipe if the results didn't come out in its favor, the ChicksPlease won out! Picky hubs even asked for more. 

Bottom line here is even though we should never deprive ourselves, if you can satisfy your craving with a healthier option, choose that option 100%. The recipe happens to be ridiculously easy.  We are adding it our household rotation and think you should too. 

*Please note: if you think this is going to taste exactly like a tuna sandwich, you got the wrong recipe. This is simply a replacement, but some believe it to be far tastier ....:)

The Low Down

We all know chickpeas to be an excellent source of protein and fiber.  

But did you know that a 1-cup serving of chickpeas provides you with 94% of your daily recommended amount of manganese and 71% of your daily recommended amount of folate?

Manganese is so important for bone development and wound healing.  It also supports your metabolism.  I'm all in favor of anything that boosts metabolism.  That's definitely a winner in my book.  

Folate is like the queen bee of minerals. Folate is responsible for new cell growth and brain cell development.  It protects against genetic mutations, aka it prevents cancer.

Since most woman are lacking in this essential mineral, manufacturers created folic acid which you may see listed on your vitamins.  Folate is the real deal and naturally occurring in chickpeas.  With 71% of what you need in a cup of chickpeas, warding away cancer seems easy peasy. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 can organic, bpa-free chickpeas
• 2 slices bread of choice (I always prefer Food For Life Baking brand's Ezekial sliced bread)
• 1 tsp liquid smoke (you can omit this if you don't have it)
• 2 tsp bbq sauce 
• 1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp flax seed oil (optional)
• Himalayan salt or sea salt to taste
• a couple shakes of garlic powder or to taste
• Handful of organic tomatoes (I used organic grape tomatoes).

Method

1. Drain the chickpeas and place them in a bowl.  Using the back of a fork mash them.  (You can also use a food processor for this, but I find that a fork is easy enough and involves less clean up after!)
2. Add the liquid smoke, bbq sauce, salt, apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, and flax seed oil (if you're using it)  to the bowl. 
3. Chop the tomatoes & toast the bread.
4. Assemble your sandwich with a layer of the chickpea mixture and a layer of tomatoes.  You can add any other garnish you prefer. 
5. Eat!

Thanks for making this! I would love it see how it turns out. Snap a pic and tag me on Instagram so I can see! Any questions on it? Message me on Snapchat.  

Xx, SS

Warming Winter Stew

This quick and easy stew takes minimal little prep time but brings loads of goodness. Since it gets the #fastbeetsapproved seal, you know its loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. 

Its perfect for those days you can't make it to the grocery store or those long home-bound snow days.  Because most of the ingredients can be bought ahead of time and stored in your pantry and freezer, you can make this anytime.  So if you're enjoying the great Snowmageddon 2016, grab a pot and get cooking. 

It holds well with a side of brown rice or quinoa and yet so good just on its own.

Ingredients

• 2 cans of organic, bpa-free chickpeas, drained
• 3 cans of organic, bpa-free diced tomatoes
• 1 can of organic, bpa-free tomato paste
• 4-5 organic carrots with the greens attached (optional if you're snowed in and can't get to a grocery store, but highly recommended)
• 2 bags of frozen organic mixed mushrooms
• 1 bag of frozen organic cauliflower (optional)
• 1-2 cups of butternut squash (optional)
• 2 heaping tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 onion, chopped 

Spices:

• 1 teaspoon of cumin
• 1 tablespoon organic turmeric (if you're not using top quality or fresh turmeric, you may not want to use as much as it might be too bitter)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon himalayan salt, adjust to taste

Garnish

• Handful of chopped cilantro
• Chopped Carrot greens
• Chopped fresh tomatoes (optional)
• Juice of one lemon (optional)

Method

1. Add coconut oil to a pot on medium heat.
2. Toast all the spices in the coconut oil for roughly 30 seconds.
3. Sauté the onion in the seasoned oil until almost tender.
4. Add the chickpeas and sauté for 3 minutes.
5. While the chickpeas are sautéing, peel and chop the carrots. 
6. Add the remainder of the ingredients and let boil. 
7. Bring to simmer and let simmer until all the veggies are soft and fully cooked. 
8. Keep simmer until reaches your desired stew like consistency. Aim to keep in on the stove for a minumum of 30 minutes but you can leave it on for up to 2 hours while you attend to other business, like snowball fights. 
9. Taste your creating and adjust the seasonings. It might need more salt, cumin, or tahini. 
10. Wash and chop a few strands of the carrot greens and cilantro.
11. Plate your dish and top with any or all of the garnishes.