Give Yourself a Chance to Love Healthier Foods

I am very excited for all of you to read this guest blog post, by my sister in law, Lisa, who has always been a great source of culinary and personal inspiration to me!! An exceptional baker and traditional Italian cook, she loves recreating the classics in a healthier, vegan avatar! I am so proud to be working with her on a Vegan Cookbook, and creating some lip smacking, healthy recipes. Here, she shares a little bit of her journey and her simply awesome Chocolate Sorbet recipe!!!

"Give Yourself a Chance to Love Healthier Foods", Lisa Dentino .

What I cook and the way we eat has drastically changed over the past few years. We always thought that we were very healthy eaters since we were vegetarians and ate lots of fruits and veggies, but once we started really observing what we ate, we saw we were making a lot of poor food choices by eating foods that were processed, stripped of nutrients, or had unnecessary added sugar and salt. So, I started gradually reducing the sugar, salt and fat/oils in recipes that I made. In baked goods, I started swapping out half the white flour for one or more nutrient-dense ingredients like whole wheat flour, almond flour, soy flour, or oat bran, substituting eggs with flaxseed powder and water, and looking for healthier sources of fat. We reluctantly said goodbye to the fried Indian snacks that my South Indian husband got us hooked onto and started choosing healthier snacks like unsalted, raw nuts and seeds, and unsweetened and unsulfured dried fruit and berries. We started eating more beans, grains, sprouts and salads, and I started designing recipes and desserts around super foods like avocados, sweet potatoes, berries, walnuts, chia seeds, bok choy, kale, broccoli, flax seeds, and raw cacao powder. The biggest change we made was cutting out dairy (milk, butter, yogurt and cheese). We were really surprised at how easy this was to do. Once we started eating healthier foods, our taste buds adjusted to eating minimal to zero salt and sugar. The taste of milk, yogurt and cheese became unpalatable and they became more difficult for us to digest. So, the final elimination of dairy products just sort of happened and we stopped craving them ever since.  

As part of our healthier lifestyle makeover, the type of food that I buy has drastically changed. Living in California where we have access to a great variety of locally grown nuts, fruits, beans, seeds and vegetables all year round, has made the switch super easy. Probably the single most important rule I follow now is that I always buy foods in the purest and most natural form possible. For example, when I buy cashews, I buy raw, organic cashews, not cashews that have been roasted in oil and salted. I buy olive oil and coconut oil that are organic, unrefined, extra virgin and first cold pressed. The maple syrup I buy is tapped from a maple tree. And so on. I buy a wide variety of organic fruits and vegetables. I also buy a lot of beans, nuts and seeds, most of them organic and from local farms. When I do buy packaged items like cereal and bread, I always read the ingredients on the back to see that there is a respectable level of protein and fiber and the lowest amount of sugar and salt possible. I don’t buy anything in a can and I never buy anything with food dye (yellow # 5 etc...), palm oil, cottonseed oil, refined oils, or high fructose corn syrup.

Those who know us well, know that we live to eat and that we don’t restrict our food intake. Our friends know that when they eat at our house they will be served something unconventional, like chili with chocolate, cheesecake made from tofu, cookies with sweet potatoes, or creamy broccoli soup made with cashews. Most of our friends are not vegan, but they are always surprised by the fact that there is no dairy in what I serve them. Almost always, they ask for the recipe, and quite often ask to take some leftovers home. Friends also tell us quite often that we look much younger, especially friends we haven’t seen for a while. We believe it’s because we are eating smarter. And just so you know, I am 3 dress sizes smaller than what I was a few years ago. More importantly, my cholesterol levels, blood pressure, sugar levels and overall energy are that of someone half my age.

So, if you are thinking about how you might make some healthier changes for you and your family, there are so many great ways to start. One great video that I highly recommend is Forks Over Knives http://www.forksoverknives.com/. Take advantage of great blogs like Manasa’s that can offer great recipes and sources of inspiration for a healthier lifestyle. As human beings, we can adapt to new things if we give ourselves the chance. So, do give yourself and your family the chance to fall in love with healthier foods.

Here is one of our favorite vegan desserts. By the way, it’s cholesterol free, it has a low glycemic index and it’s full of antioxidants. Most importantly, one bite and you’ll feel like you’ve died and gone to Paris!

Chocolate Gelato

• 3 ripe (Haas) avocados (approx. 2 2/3 cups - cubed)
• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa powder (or carob powder)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne (optional if you like spicy)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup & ¼ cup agave syrup
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1. In a food processor or mixer, process the avocados until they are smooth.

. Sift the cacao powder, cinnamon and cayenne and add it to the avocado mixture. (If you cannot find cacao powder, Hersheys unsweetened baking cocoa powder will do.)

3. Add the rest of the ingredients and process until the texture is smooth.

4. Transfer mixture into a container that is suitable for the freezer.

5. Freeze for several hours before serving.

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