Hace un par de años me encontraba buscando una forma de hacer tamales sin grasas refinadas ni aceite. He hecho tamales veganos durante años, pero siempre les agregaba aceite o margarina "Earth Balance" (margarina vegana sin grasas trans), que pensé que era la opción "más saludable". Y probablemente sea mucho más saludable que la versión original con manteca de puerco y carne (ya sea pollo, puerco o res).

Sin embargo, últimamente realmente he eliminado el aceite de mi propia dieta e incluso he estado modificando todas las recetas en mis libros de cocina para reflejar eso. El aceite es un alimento tan refinado y procesado, desprovisto de fibra y nutrientes, que me cuesta mucho recomendarlo. Incluso con las pequeñas cantidades de vitaminas que tienen algunos aceites, su valor nutricional es mínimo en comparación con las fuentes menos procesadas y más naturales de grasas saludables, como nueces, semillas y aguacates (paltas).

Pero estaba realmente convencida en mi mente de que simplemen...

Prueba esta "carne molida" vegetariana en tacos, pastas, lasaña, pizza o cualquier otro platillo que puedas imaginar. La quinoa es un grano alto en proteína, así que las nueces añaden grasas saludables, fibra y proteína a este sustituto saludable de la carne molida.

¡Espero que te guste!

Ingredientes

4 tazas de quinoa cocida* 
1½ taza de agua  
¾ taza de nueces  
¼ taza de cebolla picada 
2 dientes de ajo  
1 cucharadita de sazonador vegetariano como "Better Than Bouillon" (o usa caldo de vegetales en vez de agua)
¾ cucharadita de sal de mar o sal de Himalaya

Licúa las nueces con el agua (o caldo de vegetales), la cebolla, el ajo, el sazonador y la sal. Vierte esta mezcla sobre la quinoa cocida y mezcla bien. Esparce sobre una bandeja para el honor cubierta con papel para el horno. Hornea a temperatura baja (250°F o 120°C) por 1 a 1½ hora, o hasta que la quinoa esté completamente seca y con una textura parecida a la carne molida. Después de 1 hora de hornear, revuelve la quinoa p...

La granola es simplemente deliciosa, no hay duda. Desafortunadamente, en realidad es muy DIFÍCIL encontrar una granola saludable. Aunque el nombre invoca imágenes de naturismo y salud, incluso las granolas comerciales tienden a estar cargadas de azúcar, aceite o ambos.  

Así que aquí tenemos una receta de granola simple que va a hacer que toda la casa se llene de un olor divino, que tiene un sabor delicioso y que te dará otra opción para un desayuno saludable y rápido. 

¡ESPERO QUE LA DISFRUTES!

Ingredientes:

12 tazas de avena en copos gruesos (no instantánea)

1/2 taza de nueces (de nogal) picadas 

1 taza de nueces pecanas o almendras rebanadas 

2 taza de dátiles sin semilla  

2 a 3 plátanos (bananas, guineos) molidos como puré 

1 taza de agua 

3/4 cucharadita de sal 

1 cucharadita de extracto de vainilla 

1 cucharadita de extracto de arce ("maple") 

En un bol grande, mezcla la avena, las nueces de nogal y la mitad de las nueces pecanas (1/2 taza). Licúa el resto de los ingredientes en una licuador...

Esta es realmente una de mis recetas favoritas. Es tan fácil de preparar y tan deliciosa. Y es tan nutritiva que la puedes comer como desayuno, una cena liviana o incluso como postre. Tiene un buen balance de proteínas, carbohidratos, grasas saludables y por supuesto ¡fruta! 

También, si quieres sustituir algo es muy fácil. En vez de quinoa, puedes usar avena, millo, amaranto, trigo sarraceno (¡uno de mis favoritos!) o incluso cebada. Para la crema, en vez de tofu sedoso puedes fácilmente sustituirlo con yogur vegetal sin sabor de tu preferencia, como yogur de almendra, de coco o de nueces de marañón ("cashews"). O puedes hacer la crema con 3/4 taza de nueces de marañón licuadas con alrededor de 3/4 taza de agua (puede ser más o menos agua dependiendo de la textura que desees), además de los otros ingredientes indicados a continuación. De cualquier manera, te va a quedar delicioso. 

Con respecto a la fruta, las posibilidades también son muchísimas. Puedes hacer esta ensalada co...

This is truly one of my favorite recipes. It is so easy to make and so delicious. And it's so nutritious you can have it for breakfast, a light dinner or even dessert. It has a great balance of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and of course, fruit!

Also, making substitutions is quite easy. Instead of quinoa, you can use cooked steel cut oats, millet, amaranth, buckwheat (one of my favorites!), even cooked barley! For the cream, instead of silken tofu, you can easily substitute with a plain, plant-based yogurt of your choice, such as almond, coconut, or cashew yogurt. Or you can make the cream with 3/4 cup of cashews blended with about 3/4 cup of water (or more or less depending on what texture you want), plus the other ingredients indicated below. Either way, you'll have a delicious end product.

As far as the fruit, the possibilities are endless too. You can make this salad with winter fruit, summer fruit, or just about whatever you like. The toppings are optional but highly recomme...

Granola is simply delicious, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, it is actually HARD to find a healthy granola! Even though the name evokes images of health-conscious crunchy-granola eaters, commercial granolas tend to be loaded with either lots of sugar, oil, or both. 

So here is a simple recipe that will make your whole house smell like heaven, taste yummy and give you another option for healthy and maybe even on-the-go breakfast.

ENJOY!

Ingredients:

12 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup chopped pecans or sliced almonds

2 cups pitted dates 

2 to 3 pureed ripe bananas

1 cup water

3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp maple extract

In a big bowl, mix rolled oats, walnuts and half of the pecans (1/2 cup). Blend the rest of the ingredients in a high-speed blender. If no high-speed blender is available, blend the water, 1/2 cup pecans, dates, salt, and extracts, adding more water if necessary. Then incorporate this mix to the banana puree and stir well.

Add the banana mix to the dry ingred...

Try these Quinoa Crumbles in tacos, pasta, lasagna, pizza, or just about any dish you can imagine. Quinoa is already a high protein grain, so the addition of walnuts helps to add healthy fats, fiber and protein to this healthy substitute for ground meat.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 cups of cooked quinoa* 
1½ cups of water 
¾ cups of walnuts 
¼ cup of chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic 
1 teaspoon of vegetarian seasoning such as Better Than Bouillon (or use vegetable broth instead of water)
¾ teaspoon of sea salt or Himalayan salt

Blend the walnuts with water (or broth), onion, garlic, seasoning and salt. Pour this mix over the cooked quinoa and mix well. Spread over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a non-stick silicone mat. Bake at a low temperature (250°F or 120°C) for 1 to 1½ hours, or until the quinoa is completely dry and with a crumbly texture. After 1 hour of baking, stir the quinoa to dry evenly, and stir every 15 to 20 minutes afterwards until done. 

* To cook quinoa us...

This is truly the most delicious and simple home-made plant-based milk I've ever tried. 

Here are the simple ingredients:

1/2 cup of rolled oats

1/2 cup of raw cashews

2-3 dates

1 pinch of salt (optional)

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)

Water

Instructions:

1. Soak the oats in plenty of water for at least 20 minutes, but it could be for several hours or overnight. Soak the cashews too (separately) for better results.

2. Drain the oats and rinse them in a strainer. Drain the cashews if you soaked them.

3. Add the oats to a blender, along with the cashews and the rest of the ingredients, and 5 cups of water. Blend until creamy.

4. Straining the milk using a nut milk bag or greek yogurt strainer with pitcher. 

5. Store in a glass bottle or pitcher and refrigerate. Consume in 4 to 5 days.

6. Enjoy!! 

It took a few tries to perfect, but now this recipe will become a favorite, and probably a staple this time of the year.

What I like about making granola is how wonderful it makes the whole house smell. The best results are obtained when you bake the granola at a low temperature for several hours (even overnight sometimes!). The fragrance is irresistible and at the end you have a healthy breakfast alternative.

Unfortunately, some granola recipes are not much healthier than your typical dessert recipe, containing large amounts of oil and sugar or sugar equivalents (such as maple syrup or agave sweetener). Store-bought granola varieties can be even worse, since they can be loaded with fat, refined sugar and preservatives. It is a challenge to come up with a recipe that is oil and sugar free, and yet has good texture and flavor.

The secret to making this recipe is not only not to let it burn or dry up too much, but also to store in an airtight container to preserve the freshness. You can add...

I had been looking for a way to make tamales with no added refined fats for a long time. I've made vegan tamales for years now, but always adding either oil or Earth Balance margarine, which I thought was the "healthier" option. And it probably is a lot healthier than the original version with lard and meat.

However, lately I have really eliminated oil from my own diet and even reworked all my recipes in my cookbooks to reflect that. Oil is such a refined, processed food, devoid of all fiber and nutrients, that I have a hard time recommending it anymore. Even with the traces of vitamins some oils have, their nutritional value pales in comparison to the less processed, more natural sources of healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds and avocados.

But I was really convinced in my mind you simply couldn't make tamales without refined fats such as oil or shortening. I had never heard of such a thing. I was convinced the refined fat is what gave the tamales their texture, which otherwise might end u...