Brown lentils are one of the legumes I like to always have on hand, and I wanted to try a new flavor combination with them. I had the idea of rosemary and sage from my Thanksfiving stuffing recipe. I used the flavors of a mirepoix (onion, celery, and carrot) plus the seasonings of garlic, rosemary, sage, and black pepper to round out the flavors. This turned out so delicious, and I now have another amazing bean dish in my repertoire.  I also like to add frozen greens to this recipe (either spinach or kale or both) to enchance the nutritional value. It's a great dish to sneak in some greens, but it can also be made without them. Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil 3/4 cup diced onion 1/2 cup diced celery 1/2 cup diced or shredded carrot (I prefer shredded because it cooks faster) 1/2 cup frozen greens (optional)  1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp dried rosemary  1/2 tsp dried sage  1/4 tsp black pepper 1 cup dried brown lentils washed and drained 2.5 cups vegetable or chick...

  This is one of my go-to soups for a comforting and delicious dinner. It contains so many healthy and flavorful ingredients that it can be a meal all by itself.  Ingredients 6-8oz mild Italian sausage (casings removed) or vegan Tofurkey Italian sausage 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup diced white or yellow onion 4 minced garlic cloves or 1 tsp garlic powder 2 cups diced vegetables (any combo of zucchini, cauliflower, kale, spinach, Brussel sprouts, potatoes) 1 14oz can drained white beans (navy or cannellini) - 1.5 cups or 8oz 3 cups water or chicken broth 1 tsp salt (less if using broth with sodium) 1/4 tsp pepper 1 tsp dried thyme or 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp red wine vinegar Directions Add the olive oil to a soup pot and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and let sweat for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the sausage and cook all the way through. If using vegan sausage you can jump right to the next step after adding. Add the garlic and remain...

Ceviche has to be one of my favorite all-time dishes. It combines two of my favorite foods: chips and salsa and delicious fish. However, I haven't yet trusted myself to make the dish at home perhaps because it involves raw fish. I'd rather enjoy it somewhere where I know the fish is fresh and cleaned right. So at home, my go-to is to make a vegan version that swaps garbanzo and cauliflower for the fish. It's a pretty great substitute and means I don't have to worry about food poisoning from raw fish. Plus it may even be healthier than the fish version which of course gives me an excuse to eat even more of it. Give this recipe a try. It's surprisingly easy to make and requires no cooking at all. Ingredients 1 cup thawed frozen cauliflower cut into 1/4-1/2 inch chunks (see directions below if you want to use fresh cauliflower) 1 cup drained cooked chickpeas 1/2 cup diced red onion 1/2 cup sauerkraut (optional) 1 can Rotel canned tomatoes with liquid (I prefer mild) 2 ...

I used to think I needed to save some leftover rice to make fried rice, and that it involved getting out a wok or large skillet and doing all this saute work to develop the flavors. But I've figured out a hack that is 90% as good and WAY faster. The pure method is still the best, but this is what I turn to on weekend nights when I want all the fried rice yumminess without the prep headache. I also like to use brown rice since it has more nutrional value but you could use white rice too. The goal is about 3 cups cooked rice before adding all the other flavorings. Ingredients 1 cup brown rice ideally presoaked for 2-3 hours 1.5 cups flitered water if rice is presoaked, 1.75 cups if just rinsed 1/2 tsp salt during rice cooking 1 tbsp melted butter or cooking oil during rice cooking (optional) 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tsp seasoned rice vinegar 1-2 tsp soy sauce or tamari (optional) 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 cup thawed frozen peas 1/2 cup shredded carrots 2 scrambled eggs (optional)  1/4 tsp ...

The more I use Large Language Models (LLMs) like OpenAI's ChatGPT and Googel's Gemini, the more I find them to be incredibly helpful with exploring and synthensizing massive amounts of information that would take days, and in some cases years, to compile. What's amazing to me is that not only does it perform, compile, and summarize this research in seconds, but it can also analyze it all and make recommendations.  This led me to explore a transformational use case for LLMs: to explore certain societal systems across the globe, weigh the pros and cons of each country's system, and help create an optimal system using the best ideas from each country .   I decided to test this theory by exploring the global healthcare system, and as you'll witness below, the outcome is something astounding!  In this page is a summary of my query using Gemini. It's not the exact query because it took several prompts to craft the information and recommendations. For ease and flow of ...

Where I live, we had a severe string of cold days this winter which got me in the mood for chili. But for some reason, I didn't feel like my typical Vegan Chili with larger black or pinto beans. I was in the mood for something smother and easier to eat, which made me think of red lentils. They cook up so soft and silky. I figured it would make a great altnerative to bean chili, and boy was I right! This dish turned out fantastic. I also did something else different by roasting some potatoes in the oven and seving the chili on top of potatoes. It made an aweseome alternative to cornbread as a side to serve with chili. This meal is definitely now in my rotation, more so than even my vegan chili. Ingredients: 1 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil 3/4 cups diced onion (about 1/2 a large onion) 1/2 cup red bell pepper (about 1/2 a pepper) 1/2 cup green bell pepper (about 1/2 a pepper) 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp dried garlic 1/2 tsp cumin  1/4 tsp pepper (or cayenne peper to m...

Ever since I was a kid, pancakes have been a signature breakfast item. In fact, it was one of the first things I learned how to make with my mom as she helped me measure the Bisquick, mix in the wet ingredients to make a batter, spread the oil on the griddle pan, pour the batter and hear the sizzle, wait patiently for the bubbles to form on top, master the flip, then wait patiently again before drenching the cooked pancakes in syrup and devouring them. It brings such fond childhood memories but also makes me cringe thinking about all that nutrionless Bisquick I consumed. In my 20s and 30s, I began to experiment with making my own more nutritionally-rich pancake mixes and even mastered one that my wife and I thought was good enough to package and market. We sold it as "Mancakes" from the 2013-2016 timeframe and were quite successful having gotten it into GNC, VitaminShoppe, Kroger, and Amazon. We were one of the pioneers of high-protein pancakes and ours was the only one that ...

One evening, my wife ended up cooking leftover ground turkey and it sat in our fridge begging to get used. I finally got inspiration to use it to create a super simple white turkey chili. My goal was to be able to dump everything from a jar or can, heat it up on the stove, and serve. Sure enough, this recipe turned out amazing.  Ingredients 1 tbsp cooking oil 1/2 pound ground turkey 1 14oz can white navy beans 8oz of jarred salsa verde or green enchilada sauce (pick your favorite brand) 1 4oz can diced green chilies or 10oz can Rotel depending on if you want tomatoes or not 1 cup water 1/2 cup frozen or canned corn (125g) 1/2 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp salt 1 bay leaf Directions If starting with uncooked ground turkey meat, cook in the pot you are going to use with the oil. Don't worry about draining excess fat or moisture. That adds flavor.  Add all the other ingredients to the pot and heat until bubbling.  You can serve immediately or turn down the heat and let simmer fo...

I don't eat meat very often but when I do, carnitas is up there as one of my favorite things. I know there is an amazing traditional technique using a giant copper pot and lard. Nothing will beat the flavor of that. But I found this recipe to be quite easy and delicious. And it's a lot less greasy with just the right combination of flavors. It's my go-to recipe and I hope others enjoy it as well. Ingredients 4-5 lbs pork shoulder  Rub 4 tsp kosher salt 4 tsp brown or raw sugar 2 tsp ground black pepper 2 tsp oregano 1 tsp ground cumin 2 tbsp canola oil or other high heat cooking oil 1 medium onion cut into strips from pole to pole 2 bay leaves (medium size) 2 cloves garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1.5 cups water 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar Directions Mix the dry rub ingredients in a bowl or jar and reserve 1 tsp to use later. With the remaining dry rub, season the pork shoulder on all sides liberally. Ideally let rest in the fridge in a large Ziploc bag for a few hours or ev...

One of favorite parts about Thanksgiving is the leftovers. However, keeping them in their Thanksgiving dinner form and just reheating them can be monotonous. The fun is figuring out how to transform the ingredients into new flavors and forms. One way is this recipe for chicken salad but using turkey meat instead. I like using the white breast meat the best for this but a little bit of dark meat mixed in would still be delicious. Ingredients 2 cups chopped turkey meat 1/3 cup mayo 1.5 tsp lemon juice 1/3 cup dried cranberries (declump or loosely dice) 1/3 cup sliced almonds 1/3 cup diced celery (about 1 large stalk) 1/6 cup diced green onions (1 large one) 1/8 tsp salt 1/8 black pepper Directions Mix the mayo, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl and stir to create a dressing. Add all the other ingredients to the bowl. Stir starting from the bottom up until all the dressing and ingredients are evenly incorporated. Inspiration https://jenniferbanz.com/cranberry-almond-chi...

This pasta salad features a plethora of veggies in a way that enhances the flavor of the pasta salad and creates a delicious side dish or meal. Plus the ingredients are easy to come by in the store and all freeze well in case you want to buy in bulk, use some in the salad, and freeze any remaining veggies for use in other recipes.  Ingredients 7-8oz dried rotini or farfalle pasta (1/2 package) cooked, drained, and cooled 1/2 cup green pepper chopped (about half a pepper) 1/2 cup canned artichokes diced (about 8 quarter segments) 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved or quartered 1/2 cup fresh spinach chopped 1/4 cup green onions diced (about one sprig) Dressing 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1/8 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp Dijon or brown mustard 1 tsp sugar or honey 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or champagne vinegar 1 tbsp lemon juice 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) olive oil Directions Mix the pasta and veggie ingredients until evenly disbursed. Mix the dressing ingre...

Pancakes don't always have to be sweet breakfast food. The batter base can also go savory by mixing in different kinds of meats and vegetables. One of my favorite savory pancakes comes from Japan using cabbage and green onions. It is called Okonomiyaki. It originated during World War II when the Japanese had a shortage of rice and vegetables. They turned to what they had which was flour, water, cabbage, green onions, and eggs to create the dish. It became so well-liked in Japan that you can still find street vendors cooking up Okonomiyaki as a warm snack or meal when the weather outside turns cold.  It's really easy to make with even fewer ingredients than traditional pancakes, but the preparation and cooking method is nearly identical. You can top it with salt and pepper or mix a mayo based savory sauce like I've suggested below. Definitely give these a try as a weeknight dinner or weekend lunch or dinner. Tip: when I make sauerkraut, I be sure to get a head of cabbage sli...