Celebrate World Vegetarian Day With A Delicious Vegan Swiss Chard And Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Sauté onions and Swiss chard stems until soft.

Briefly wilt Swiss chard and remove from heat.

Cover bottom with 5 tortilla halves.

Cover final layer with tortillas and enchilada sauce and bake.

World Vegetarian Day

October 1st is the annual kick-off of Vegetarian Awareness Month. There's a lot of information to share as we learn more and more about the benefits of eating a predominantly plant based diet. No matter what your current diet is, here are some great reasons why you should eat more vegetarian meals.

Factory Farming is Harming Our Environment

Even our favorite Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney, tells us, "If anyone wants to save the planet, all they have to do is just stop eating meat. That's the single most important thing you can do".

The United Nations agrees that the meat industry is "one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global."

So if you are driving to the grocery store in your Prius carrying your recycled bags, remember that eating more meat free meals is even more effective in preventing greenhouse gases and resource depletion.

Greenhouse Gases:

A 2006 U.N. report showed that the meat industry produces more green-house gas emissions than the combined emissions of all the cars, trucks, airplanes and ships in the world!

Resource Depletion:

Animal agriculture uses one third of the earth's entire land surface, consumes more than half the water and over one third of the petroleum.

The U.S. livestock population consumes more than 7 times as much grain as all the people in the United States put together. This grain could be better used to end world hunger.

It takes about 100 times more water to produce animal protein, pound for pound, than to produce plant protein. A meat eater's diet uses 4,000 gallons per day where a vegetarian's diet uses 1,200 gallons and a vegan's diet only uses 300 gallons.

The American Diet is Making Us Sick

The typical American diet has lead to obesity and all of the diseases that follow. Vegetarian diets are better for our health. People who eat meat are almost 10 times more likely to be obese. Vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and they only have 40 percent of the cancer rate of meat-eaters.

Several famous people have recently switched to a vegetarian diet for their health. World famous golfer Phil Mickelson announced that he switched to a vegan diet to help alleviate the painful symptoms of psoriatic arthritis. Even President Bill Clinton has changed to a mostly vegan diet to help prevent further accumulation of arterial plaque. I guess he wants to be around to become a grandpa now that Chelsea is married.

Factory Farms are Exempt from Animal Cruelty Laws

More than 15 billion animals are killed for food every year in the U.S. and the overwhelming majority of these animals are treated horribly. They are crammed into tight spaces and never get to experience things that should be natural to them like running in a field, feeling the warmth of the sun or raising their young. If anyone ever treated a dog or cat like these animals are treated, they would be arrested for cruelty to animals but factory farms are exempt from these laws. To learn more about this check out Farm Sanctuary.

Give it a Try

If you want to help save the planet, lower the rate of obesity and degenerative disorders and prevent animals from coming into this world unnecessarily just to become our food, eat more plant based meals. If you're a meat eater, go vegetarian one or two days a week. Start with this delicious recipe!

Swiss Chard and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

[serves 4 to 6 people]

2 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and finely chopped. Leaves sliced (about 6 to 8 cups)

28 ounce can enchilada sauce (medium heat), you'll need about 3 cups

Eight 6 or 7 inch corn tortillas

One 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

Avocado and cilantro garnish or top with Guacamole (optional)

You'll need an 8" x 8" casserole dish.

Prepare enough rice to yield 2 1/2 cups of cooked rice and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in a sauce pan and sauté onion and chard stems until soft.

Add Swiss chard briefly just until it wilts. Set aside.

Cut 7 tortillas in half. Leave 1 tortilla whole.

Pour about 1 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the casserole dish. Cover the bottom of the casserole dish with 5 tortilla halves (see picture above).

Layer with half of the rice, chard mixture and beans. Pour another 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce evenly across the layer.

Cover with another 5 tortilla halves.

Layer with the remaining rice, chard mixture and beans. Pour another 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce evenly across the layer.

Cover the top with the remaining 4 tortilla halves and one whole tortilla (see picture above). Pour enough of the remaining enchilada sauce to completely cover the top.

Tent the top with aluminum foil making sure it doesn't touch to top layer. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove the aluminum foil and bake an additional 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Cut into 4 or 6 pieces and garnish with avocado (or guacamole) and cilantro.

Serve immediately.

Per serving (without garnish - 6 servings): 294.2 calories, 5.2 g fat, 0.3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 8.6 g protein, 53.1 g carbohydrates and 7.5 g of fiber.

Per serving (without garnish - 4 large servings): 441.3 calories, 7.8 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 12.9 g protein, 79.6 g carbohydrates and 11.3 g of fiber.

Check out the Foods For Long Life Facebook Page!

Raw Vegan Dolmas - Great As An Appetizer Or For Lunch

Select nice, large leaves of organic chard.

Gently clean chard leaves, remove stem, and marinate.

Place mixture on a strip of chard and roll up dolmas.

What Are Dolmas?

Traditionally, dolmas are stuffed grape leaves. Known as a Greek delicacy, they are also made all over the Middle East and other parts of the Mediterranean. Dolmas are typically made by stuffing cooked grape leaves with various combinations of rice, lamb, currants, pine nuts, lemon zest, onions, herbs and spices. The traditional version is very time consuming to make. This "raw vegan" recipe is quite simple to assemble but does require a few days to sprout the garbanzo beans. They make a wonderful appetizer or snack (I've been snacking on these for the past few days!). Dolmas would also be a good thing to eat for lunch. You can add this to your menus when you do your Raw Food Cleanse.

Nutritional Benefits

I made quite a few changes to the typical ingredients for dolmas. I substituted sprouted garbanzos for the cooked rice and used raw chard instead of the grape leaves.

Garbanzo beans are one of my favorite "long life" foods. They are high in protein and low in saturated fat. Their high fiber content helps lower cholesterol levels and stabilize blood sugar levels. They are a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, and are an excellent source of molybdenum and manganese. They are also a good source of copper, phosphorus and iron. Try making Raw Hummus with Sprouted Garbanzo Beans or Garbanzo Bean and Raw Kale Salad with Lemon-Turmeric Dressing.

Swiss chard is also an exceptionally healthful food. One cup of raw chard has only 7 calories yet it provides more than 3 times the daily requirement of vitamin K. It's also an excellent source of fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, magnesium, manganese, potassium, and iron.

Experiment

Try different ingredients in your dolmas. Add currants or substitute some or all of the parsley with mint. Instead of garlic, try thinly slices green onions. Add some of your favorite spices.

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Raw Vegan Dolmas

[makes 14 pieces]

For The Marinade

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the Dolmas

1/3 cup dried organic garbanzo beans for sprouting (or 1 cup of sprouted garbanzo beans)

4 large chard leaves

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 packed tablespoon fresh lemon zest

1/2 cup raw pine nuts (unsoaked)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley

To sprout garbanzo beans, soak 1/3 cup of dried, organic garbanzo beans overnight in a sprouting jar. Rinse gently the next morning, put on the sprouting lid and turn the jar over to drain the water. Let the jar sit upside down and tilted (so oxygen can get to the sprouts) and not in direct sunlight. Rinse them 3 times a day in cool water for 3 days until sprouted.

Once the garbanzo beans are sprouted, you can prepare the dolmas.

Gently wash the chard leaves, being careful not to tear the leaves. Remove the stems and place the leaves in a large bowl with the marinade of lemon juice, olive oil and salt, making sure each leaf is covered in the mixture. Set aside.

Drop the garlic through the shoot of a running food processor with an S blade and process until it is minced. Add the sprouted garbanzo beans, lemon juice, olive oil, sea salt and lemon zest and process until fairly smooth. Add the pine nuts and continue to process until they are well chopped. Add the parsley and pulse a few times until combined.

Cut the marinated chard into 2" by 4" strips. Place a spoonful of the garbanzo mixture onto the inside of the chard strip and roll up. This should make about 14 rolls.

Per dolmas (not counting the marinade): 62 calories, 4.6 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 1.8 g protein, 4.4 g carbohydrates and 1.3 g of fiber.

Raw Apple, Pear and Fig "Green" Smoothie - A High Fiber Breakfast or Snack

Fiber - Why it's Important

I recently had a discussion with a woman who was complaining of severe and chronic constipation. She asked me what to do. When discussing her diet, she admitted that bread, pasta and desserts, all made with processed white flour, are her weakness. Now I know that this isn’t an appetizing topic, especially when you probably came here around mealtime looking for a delicious recipe, but the fact is most Americans eat far less than the recommended 25 to 35 grams of fiber per day. Fiber is extremely important in preventing constipation. It’s no wonder that this is an extremely common condition.

Eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds can give you the fiber you need. Eating a diet high in meat and processed grains will leave you falling way short. Meat has zero fiber since fiber only comes from plants. A slice of white bread only has 1 gram because processing the grain removes the fiber-rich bran. A raw pear, on the other hand, provides 5 grams of fiber. Just one serving of this delicious smoothie made from fiber rich pears, apples, figs and chard, delivers a whopping 11 grams!

Fiber also has been shown to reduce cholesterol and help prevent hardening of the arteries and cardiovascular disease. It also helps keep blood sugar levels under control which is very important for people with diabetes and hypoglycemia. Fiber can also help prevent colon cancer because it quickens the removal of toxins from the large intestine.

Are YOU getting enough fiber? If not, consider adding more to your diet but remember to add it gradually to prevent any GI distress and remember to drink lots of water.

Start Your Morning with a Fiber Rich Smoothie

Doug and I start almost every morning with a smoothie made from raw fruits and vegetables.Today's recipe is a good one to try right now since apples, pears and figs are at their peak flavor and availability. If you are lucky like we are, you may have some generous neighbors offering you these freshly picked ingredients from their trees. Besides the fiber rich fruit, I always like to add some greens to my morning smoothie. Chard is a super star. Besides being high in fiber, it is an excellent source of vitamin A, C, E, K, iron, magnesium, potassium and manganese and a very good source of vitamin B2 (riboflavin), B6, calcium, phosphorus and copper.

I've added both flaxseed oil and hemp milk to this recipe to give you significant amounts of essential fatty acids. One serving provides nearly 3.0 grams of omega 3 and 2.6 grams of omega 6. Feel free to replace the hemp milk with soymilk, rice milk or almond milk. For a totally “raw” smoothie, replace it with your favorite raw nut milk. For a “live” experience, use probiotic-rich goat Kiefer or yogurt.

Apple, Pear and Fig Smoothie with Chard [serves 2]

2 small apples with skin, cored and quartered

2 small pears with skin, cored and quartered

2 medium figs, cut in half

1 cup Living Harvest vanilla hemp milk

2 teaspoons flaxseed oil

2 chard leaves, stems removed

1 cup cold filtered water

A few ice cubes (optional)

Place all ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 303.3 calories, 7.6 g fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 3.0 g protein, 66 g carbohydrates, 11 g fiber, 2.9 g omega 3 and 2.6 g omega 6 fatty acids.