Cilantro Brown Rice by HLife Photography
This is veganized version of a very popular Peruvian dish Maryl and I grew up with, called Arroz Con Pollo (”Rice and Chicken”). This version is basically a rice-no-chicken dish. We usually replace the chicken part of the Peruvian dish by serving it with a homemade mixed herb/tandoori tofu, but the rice is so delicious on its own that you can just snack on it solo. My favorite way to eat it is to pair it up with a very limey dark green salad with lots of chopped red onion. The flavor of the mix of the rice, lime, and red onion is what we call “Peru.” Read More…
Mint Veggie Touiller by HLife Photography
In my latest CSA (Farm Fresh To You) box I received a whole bunch of zucchinis. Inspiration quickly took over me and I thought: Ratatouille. The thing about being me is that I don’t follow recipes and more then anything I love recreating and inventing new ones based on inspiring old recipes. I just go with the flow of my excitement for flavor, the variety that the plant kingdom has to offer, and I let my creativity run the rest of my culinary and nutritional experience. So, obviously ratatouille didn’t happen, BUT, even better (for me), Mint Veggie Touiller did. Enjoy. Read More…
H-Thai Carbonara by HLife Photography
My two fave foods are Italian and Thai. With this dish, they got married in my kitchen – with a Peruvian quinoa theme – and lived happily ever after, in my tummy (until digestion do them part). Quinoa is gluten free, the only whole grain with complete protein, has been featured as an HFood and it comes from my birth country of Peru. I created this recipe with an Italian carbonara intention and a Peruvian flavored palate, then, all of a sudden the thought of Thai food sprouted in my mind. Speaking of sprouted, I used sprouted tofu as our “carbonara egg replacer” part. Soy is not a staple or frequently consumed food in my home, but when we do eat it, whether at home or out, it has to be organic, and in its simple forms like tofu, tempeh or miso. I do not rely on it as my main protein source, but it is present in my plant-based diet in very low and balanced doses. We also make our own nut milks at home, usually from almonds and Brazil nuts, instead of drinking soy milk and we don’t consume highly processed soy foods, so, we don’t have to worry about accumulating large amounts of soy in our diet. Health and nutrition is all about being knowledgeable of how and why you eat certain things. You can read more about the pros and cons of soy in our recent three part allergens “free” series. Read More…
This is the second of our ‘free’ series, where we discuss what people are always asking us about: the health safety and allergens of soy, gluten and dairy, and the benefits (or not) of going “free” of them. We covered the pros and cons of eating soy last week, and today, we’re taking a close look at gluten. Next week, we will publish the final part of the series: dairy. Like we said before, there is a lot of information supporting both sides of the coin, and what we have to do is keep in mind how this food will behave in our bodies once we ingest it.
Let’s explore gluten. Read More…
Almond Curry Nori Snacks by HLife Photography
Yes, we all eat three times a day…hopefully. But in between those meals, we all want a snack (I know I do!) Clients were always asking me for healthy snack options and so was (and still is) my husband, so here’s a good choice. As all of you HLifers (those of you reading and living the HLife) probably already know, we are big fans of whole sea veggies. Maryl and I like nori very much (she went for a three-day period of eating nothing but variations of homemade vegan sushi). I love to reinvent the nori wheel, so I took this amazing sea vegetable and ran with it. Read More…
People are always asking questions regarding the health safety and allergens of soy, gluten and dairy. There are lots of information supporting both sides but what we have to pay attention to the details of who said what and why. When it comes to life in general, but specially the foods we choose to put in our bodies, we have to ask ourselves these questions: 1) Do I need this and, if so, for what? 2) Where did it come from and what are its components? 3) What are its benefits (how does it affect me? Will it harm me or benefit me?) And, what happens once its in my body? Read More…
Vegan Stuffed Peppers by HLife Photography
Flavor and texture are prime in this Silvie 3.33 version of stuffed bell peppers. Why 3.33? Because I looked through a myriad of recipes to create and perfect this nutritious vegan one, and it turned out divine. If you needed healthy comfort food, look no further – this recipe will do. Healthy, made from scratch, and delicious is our specialty. Let the salivation begin! Read More…
Nut Milk by HLife Photography
At some point in history a distorted idea came about: the concept of cow’s milk for human consumption. It’s a very silly thing to observe that the human species is the only mammal that drinks another mammal’s milk. Why? Ignorance, media brainwashing, billion dollar industry, because your parents told you and their parents told them., etc… Here at HLife, we encourage and empower individuals to question and research the what, when, why, how, and where of things, especially when it comes down to two very important questions: Does my body need this? and What does my body – or do my cells – actually need?
The confusion of drinking acid-promoting cow’s milk is still around due to the heavy misleading information from the milk industry, stating that people need cow’s milk for bone health. But the truth is that cow’s milk has too much protein for the human body (have you seen cow’s bones?) and it actually leaches calcium out of our bones. Our blood is very alkaline and it needs to stay that way. When the body ingests too much protein, it acidifies the blood therefore needing to leach the alkaline mineral calcium out of our bones in order to balance the acid in our blood and maintain the slightly alkaline pH of blood. You heard it, cow’s milk actually increases your risk of osteoporosis (all of this is not new – Dr. T Colin Campbell, nutrition expert, discusses this in our interview with him, as well as all of the issues with cow’s milk in his best-selling book, The China Study). Also, milk is usually pasteurized in order to kill bacteria, but this process also kills the enzymes that help breakdown the gigantic amount of protein in the substance. The human body doesn’t need the amount of protein cow’s milk contains. Are we calves? No. Do we need to build massive cow bones? NO. You like milk? The replacement and solution to the distortion is right here: NUT MILK. Nut milks are super easy and quick to make; they are also high in minerals, good fats and enough digestible protein for a human’s body not to get acidified by an excess of protein but to get the nourishment and healthy amount of amino acids it needs. Want more calcium? Eat your dark greens, hijiki, broccoli and sesame seeds. And now, we’d like to welcome you to liquid mineral heaven: Read More…
Black Quinoa Salad by HLife Photography
Our HFood for April is quinoa, but at HLife headquarters, this wonderfood is a culinary staple. If you haven’t read this weeks HFood yet, the answer is yes, quinoa does come in black (and also in red), and that’s what we’ll be using in this week’s HKitchen recipe, along with other tints and hues in the form of bright veggies. My mother always said (and still says, even though we’ve heard it a million times) “Colors! For optimal nutrition your dish must be very colorful!” And we still say: “Thank you mommy!” (hug/kiss). The colorful idea is right – what this translates to in the world of food science is that the meal is filled with loads of antioxidants, which are the guys that give the vegetables their pigmentation. Antioxidants prevent free radicals from causing cellular damage and numerous illnesses like Alzheimer’s, diabetes, and many other ailments associated with aging. Antioxidants keep us young, strengthen our immune system, maximize our brain power, and rejuvenate our hearts (and studies have shown that they may even reverse the aging process itself). The key to great health is to maintain the right balance of antioxidants and free radicals. We do this through our food choices, and the only place to get these amazing antioxidants is: The Vegetable Kingdom (of course).
Now, WHO WANTS THIS REJUVENATING SALAD? Read More…
Quinoa by HLife Photography
Growing up in Lima, Peru, quinoa was no stranger to our home. In fact, it was a staple. Whether in soup or as an entree, this “gold of the Incas” was (and still is) for us the golden ticket to endless delicious meals, superb both in taste and nutrition. This is a perfect grain choice for vegans or anyone transitioning into a plant-based diet and worried about protein intake because, if there is one thing that everyone is getting to know about quinoa as it gains popularity in the United States is that this food is a complete protein. Read More…
