RECIPE OF THE WEEK…BLACK BEAN STEW

Here’s a quick and easy recipe for all you black bean lovers….

SPICEY BLACK BEAN STEW

2 cans no salt black beans can liquid included
1 1/2 cups chiffonade de-stemmed swiss chard leaves
1 1/2 cups chiffonade de-stemmed kale leaves
Stems from swiss chard and kale sliced finely
½ cup celery sliced finely
1 cup mushrooms sliced thinly
½ cup carrots sliced thinly
¼ cup sliced pitted low salt olives
½ cup diced red pepper
2 tbls minced shallots
2 tbls olive oil
½ cup Heinz Ketchup (See my faves in the Health & Wellness line)
3 tbls minced jalapeno peppers
1 cup diced tomatoes
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp oregano
Salt to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Sour cream to garnish
Empty beans and can water into a soup pot.
In a covered nonstick skillet, water saute stems from swiss chard and kale, mushrooms, celery, carrots, red pepper and shallots until soft. Then stir in olive oil, minced jalapeno, tomatoes, Heinz catsup, onion powder & spices. When well folded in, add in chiffonade of kale and chard leaves until wilted. Salt to taste. Fold entire mixture into the soup pot until evenly incorporated and heat thoroughly.
Ladle into soup bowls and top with cheese. Microwave for 90 sec. to melt cheese.
Top with sour cream and serve with favorite bread.
Serves 2-3..

CALIFORNIA CONFETTI SALAD

This is one of my husband Gene’s favorite salads that is packed with superfoods like cilantro, baby kale, cabbage and ginger.

Gene and I like this combo best, but feel free to substitute veggies or add more variety of veggies to this recipe.

Ingredients:

½ savoy or green cabbage finely chopped

2 large handfuls baby kale finely chopped

4 Persian cucumbers or 1 cup English cucumbers diced

1 red bell pepper diced

1 large handful cilantro rough chopped

1  medium apple diced (Envy, Opal or Pink Lady apples work well)

½ cup organic raisons

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or   1 cup  tomato diced (added at last minute after dressing)

Fold In Choice Of:

Shelled pistachios, peanuts, cubed cooked chicken breast, shrimp, white sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds

Toss all ingredients together until evenly mixed.

DRESSING:

2-3” fresh ginger peeled, rough chopped and then chopped finely in a food processor.  Add 3 cloves garlic or for subtler flavor, 1 tbls shallot, 4 tbls. mayo (or avocado mayo if vegan), 5 tbls rice vinegar, 3 tbls sesame oil and 2 tsp Dijon mustard to the ginger and process until smooth.

Cover the veggie mixture with the dressing and toss well adding  tomatos at the end.

Serve chilled.

How To Get Back On Track After The Holidays

Here’s A Quick And Easy Way – THE MIRACLE WEIGHT LOSS AND DETOX SOUP.

This soup was created by Dr. Henry Bieler for his clients and given to me by Eileen Poole, his student, at my first visit in 1979. It has been a daily diet mainstay since I saw Eileen nearly 41 years ago.

I have a cup in the morning with my steamed veggies, cooked grain and protein meal, a cup with lunch and a diluted cup by my bedside so I can sip it if I wake up. Eileen always recommended a short “Bieler’s Soup” fast for weight loss, holiday overindulgences, if you “fall off the wagon,” or feel a bit under the weather. This recipe came to be known as “ The Miracle Soup” by my clients because they feel better, look younger, and stay at their ideal weight with just 1-2 cups a day.

A short 1-3 day fast on this soup is a favorite with my clients to jump start weight loss, balance holiday overindulgences, ward off any minor illnesses or clear “a falling off the wagon” episode. Excess weight and your cravings will disappear if you stick with this “Miracle Soup” as part of your daily food plan. Enjoy!

THE MIRACLE WEIGHT LOSS AND DETOX SOUP (a.k.a. Bieler’s Soup)

Ingredients:
• 4-6 Zucchini sliced uniformly (medium size)
• 1 lb Bag Fresh Or Frozen Whole Green Beans
• 1 Handful of Parsley Tops (No Stems)
(Optional) 2 Stalks of Celery sliced with strings removed.
Variation that helps detox heavy metals:
Add 1 large handful of fresh de-stemmed cilantro to the above recipe

VIP If you have any digestive, elimination issues, high blood pressure or kidney problems omit the celery.

Fill a large pot with 1/3 spring water and add all the ingredients. Cover and cook in rapidly boiling water for 15 minutes until the vegetables are fork tender but still bright green. Then place all ingredients in blender and puree in batches until smooth. If too thick, just add water to dilute to taste with each serving.

Season with any of your favorite herbs. i.e. paprika, oregano, garlic, ginger, lemon, lime or basil. Serve hot or cold. I like to make my “mother batch” plain so I can add a different flavor to each cup. Do not add salt. You can add a pat of unsalted butter to each serving for extra body.

For more healthy weight loss recipes like this, please check out my two books “Eat Your Way To Health” and “Ageless Beauty From The Inside Out” available on my website as a PDF or on Amazon Books for paperback and Kindle versions.

A Votre Sante,
Kaaren