veggiessima

Every year my employer closes between Christmas and New Years Day, we all super look forward to that well deserved time off. But inevitably, we have a super hectic month of December before the special Winter break starts, lots of year end tasks to be completed, lots of preparation to reschedule daily routines that shouldn't be in place during a time where we can't get immediate help... it's a super busy month!

I'm already a huge fan of cooking large batches of food to save time and this month my routine is no different, I try to have lots of prepared food in the fridge to make things easier during this busy time.

This week I got really lucky with this last minute combination of vegetables and made this soup that not only came out delicious and nutritious but the texture was also a winner. It was one of those soups made with what I had at home without any recipe planning.

A couple days before I had made this recipe (It was soooo delicious! Definitely check the recipe if you haven't yet!):

Thyme potato leek casserole

For the recipe I needed some “cashew milk”, so thinking of batch cooking I made enough for the casserole, but also some extra to use in soups or some other recipe.

🌿 2 cup of cashews

🌿 4 cups of water

🌿 4 tsp lemon juice

🌿 ½ tsp salt

✋🏾 Soak the cashews for a couple hours.

✋🏾 Drain the cashews and blend them with the water, lemon and salt. Blend until smooth.

✋🏾 Keep leftovers in a closed container in the fridge for a few days and when ready to use it just give it a stir.

I used 3 ½ cups in the casserole and the rest in this **Two lentil veggie soup:**

🌿 1 large head of cauliflower

🌿 1 ½ cup chopped onion

🌿 4 medium to large garlic cloves – minced

🌿 2 cups of a mix of chopped white and sweet potatoes

🌿 1 cup red lentils

🌿 1 cup brown lentils

🌿 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning

🌿 2 tsp dried thyme

🌿 ¼ tsp cayenne

🌿 1 tsp salt

🌿 15 oz tomato sauce

🌿 4 cups low sodium vegetable broth

🌿 4 cups water

🌿 2 ½ cups cashew milk

🌿 4 to 6 cups of greens – I used Swiss chard and spinach

✋🏾 Chop the cauliflower into small size pieces and roast for about 30 to 40 minutes at 400F until it's browned. Check and stir a couple times. Oil is optional.

✋🏾 Start cooking the soup while the cauliflower is roasting.

✋🏾 Sautée the onion in a tiny bit of oil for a few minutes until the onion is translucent.

✋🏾 Add the garlic and sautée for a couple more minutes.

✋🏾 Add potatoes, lentils & spices and mix.

✋🏾 Add tomato sauce, broth & water and bring it to a boil.

✋🏾 Cover and cook for 20 minutes.

✋🏾 Add the “cashew milk”, the cauliflower and the greens, cover and cook for about 5 minutes or until the greens are wilted.

✋🏾 Top with some fresh cilantro (optional).

The combination of red and brown lentils added a great texture to the soup.

Don't be afraid of adding lots of greens, they will wilt a lot as you can see on the soup picture. I used Swiss chard and spinach but other greens like kale or beet greens would also be great in this soup.

Store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. The soup will get a bit thicker afterwards.

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=469719881772697425

Check this recipe for another soup with roasted cauliflower:

Roasted cauliflower soup

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Oat groats are the most wholesome type of oats. I talked about them in more detail a little while back when I wrote this article:

Details that make a difference – Oat groats

Continuing with my cranberry obsession, this week I made some oatmeal with oat groats and cranberries, super yummy and satisfying!

As I mentioned before, oat groats take longer to cook than all other types of oats so I usually cook a large batch and keep it in the fridge for the week, it works great. The only thing to note is that the oats continue to absorb the oatmeal liquid for a while and the portions kept in the fridge will be much drier than the portion consumed right away. Just add some milk when you're ready to reheat the next portion.

🌿 2 cups oat groats

🌿 1 medium ripe banana (can use frozen)

🌿 2 cups unsweetened non dairy milk

🌿 2 cups water

🌿 2 tsp vanilla extract

🌿 1 tsp cinnamon

🌿 ½ tsp ginger powder

🌿 ¼ tsp salt

🌿 2 pears (I like the pears chopped into large chunks, about 1 inch)

🌿 2 cups fresh cranberries (can use frozen)

🌿 maple syrup to drizzle when serving

✋🏾 Rinse the oat groats

✋🏾 Add all the ingredients to the pressure cooker

✋🏾 Cook under pressure for 24 minutes with a natural release (wait until the pressure comes down naturally)

✋🏾 Drizzle with some maple syrup if not sweet enough for your taste

✋🏾 Top with walnuts or pecans (optional)

The pictures below didn't come out great but this was a busy week for me and I only checked them afterwards when there was no oatmeal left for more pictures. I wasn't going to add the pictures but thought it would be nice to give an idea of the results. The first picture was taken right after the oatmeal was cooked, you can see it has more liquid than the second picture which was taken a couple days later after storing the oatmeal in the fridge. I just wanted to show you how the oats keep absorbing the liquid after we stop cooking them.

Here's a video for a visual of the process where I talk about oat groats a bit more:

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=460936492475221041

More cranberry ideas:

Cranberry chocolate chip bites

Cranberry cream

Cranberry orange dressing

Cranberry pear baked oatmeal

Maple roasted brussels sprouts with cranberries, apple & pecan

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A snack made with wholesome ingredients including fiber? Yes, please!

I'm a fan of packing lots of wholesome and nutritious ingredients into food whenever possible. Think about how many times we eat.

Each time we eat is a new opportunity to make nutritious choices.

I love the concept of thinking about adding nutritious foods instead of thinking about removing unhealthy ones. The more we eat wholesome food prepared in delicious ways, the more our bodies crave them and removing the unhealthy foods ends up being a natural process.

I love fresh cranberries.

I love chocolate.

I love chickpeas.

Aaand... I love these cranberry chocolate chickpea bites!

I won't call them cookies because they don't really set like cookies, the texture is softer and may crumble a bit depending on how dry the dates and the peanut butter are, but I'm really happy with the flavor result.

They are lightly sweetened by dates with little pieces of fresh cranberries and chocolate.

If you're not a chickpea fan I'm not sure you will like this, the chickpea flavor is really mild but might be very distinct for those not into chickpeas.

But if you're a chickpea fan you'll probably love these! And as a bonus will be adding some plant protein and fiber to your snacks by eating more chickpeas.

This was my second attempt making these bites, the first time I didn't add enough cranberries and used tiny chocolate chips, the result didn't have enough flavor, but this time with more cranberries and larger chocolate chips they came out delicious.

🌿 3 cups chickpeas (if using canned make sure it's unsalted)

🌿 ½ cup peanut butter (see note below)

🌿 1 cup pitted dates (see note below)

🌿 1 tsp vanilla extract

🌿 ½ tsp baking powder

🌿 1 ½ cup fresh cranberries

🌿 1/3 chocolate chips

✋🏾 Preheat oven to 350 F.

✋🏾 Add chickpeas, peanut butter, dates, vanilla extract and baking powder to a food processor. Process until well mixed.

✋🏾 Add cranberries and chocolate chips. Pulse a few times until they are incorporated into the mix but make sure to leave chunks in.

✋🏾 Bake for 25 minutes.

✋🏾 Place the bites over a cooling rack for a few minutes (if you don't have a cooling rack, just let them cool down in the pan)

✋🏾 Store them in the fridge for a few days.

Peanut butter note: Jarred peanut butter often has salt and oil added, make sure to check the label to know what you're buying. I used one that did have salt but no oil. If using unsalted peanut butter, add a pinch of salt to the mix.

Dates note: The cup of dates should not be packed, it's about 8 medium to large dates. For a sweeter result a couple more dates can be used or adding a couple Tbsp of maple syrup could be an interesting choice.

Here's a video for a visual of the process:

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=457793230306543166

More cranberry ideas:

Cranberry cream

Cranberry orange dressing

Cranberry pear baked oatmeal

Maple roasted brussels sprouts with cranberries, apple & pecan

More recipes using chickpeas:

Chickpea pancakes

Roasted chickpeas

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This is a hearty soup with plenty of plant protein: lentils, chickpeas and greens.

Roasting the cauliflower adds an extra depth of flavor to the soup. Oil is optional, the cauliflower can be roasted without oil.

I was out of vegetable broth when I made this video, so used water, you can use broth for some more flavor.

Variations:

- Add corn

- Use pasta instead of the potatoes

- Use other beans instead of chickpeas

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=455209639898776892

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Pomegranates are known as a healthy fruit, rich in antioxidants and other healthy nutrients. I'm not an expert in pomegranate nutrition facts but I do love them, not only for their flavor, but also for how pretty and festive they look.

A lot of people find pomegranates a pain to open and deseed, which can indeed be intimidating depending on how you approach it. Some people suggest deseeding them underwater to avoid splashing pomegranate juice all over because it can get really messy, and doing it underwater does help. What I don't like about that method is how much juice inevitably ends up being washed away, I hate wasting food, especially some precious pomegranate juice!

My favorite method to deseed a pomegranate is by slicing it open into two halves, then holding one of the halves with the open side facing the palm of my hand and using the handle of a large knife or a wooden spoon to beat that pomegranate half. Most seeds will fall out easily, but it's important to note that this won't work if you're gentle, you have to really give the pomegranate some good firm whacks. Also be sure to do this over a large bowl preferably in the sink. Some juice will likely spill, so it's nice to have that happen inside the sink.

A few stubborn seeds will remain attached, I usually just pull them out using my fingers. Pieces of the pomegranate white membrane will also fall into the bowl and will need to be removed.

After some practice, deseeding a pomegranate can be done pretty quickly. I usually deseed two or three pomegranates at a time and keep the seeds in the fridge in a closed glass container, they keep well for a few days.

If going through that deseeding process is not your thing, many stores sell pomegranate seeds ready to be consumed.

I love eating them plain but also love adding them to salads, porridges and desserts.

Here's a video showing my preferred method to deseed pomegranates and a salad idea:

https://cinnamon.video/watch?v=451645450223617773

I used roasted delicata squash in the salad, you can learn how easy it is to roast them here:

Delicata squash

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I have always been fascinated by the brain. When I started my job at the University I currently work for, I immediately took advantage of the employee benefit that covers tuition fees and took a few cognitive science classes like “Intro to brain and behavior”, “Chemistry of the brain” and “Drugs, brain and mind”. I became even more fascinated by everything that happens in our brains and by its potential, but I also learned about how many things can go wrong.

Unfortunately, I now have first hand exposure to one of my family members' cognitive decline and can say it's incredibly sad to see its progression.

There are a few key points I'd like to leave here with you, this is a very important one:

Cognitive decline does not happen overnight, but rather over many years, way before symptoms start to present.

I'd like to repeat this:

Cognitive decline does not happen overnight, but rather over many years, way before symptoms start to present.

This is why it's so important to start working on prevention today, while our brains are functioning well and we can understand what can be done to prevent damage.

Trust me, from my personal experience, once the cognitive decline gets to a certain point, it becomes extremely difficult to help the person experiencing it, because their level of comprehending things becomes seriously affected. Even if they are at a stage where the cognitive decline can be reversed or delayed, it's extremely difficult to make them understand what they can try to do to treat the decline at its roots.

There is no cure for Alzheimer's disease.

The medication that currently exists simply alleviate symptoms or at the most delays further decline. The medication does not reverse the existing damage.

Here are a few things you can expect when dealing with someone experiencing cognitive decline:

• Be prepared to say the same thing again and again. And again. Sometimes even during the same conversation. It can happen even a few minutes after you told them something, they will talk about that same thing again as if it's something completely new to them.
• Be prepared to have more patience than you ever thought you could have. They will need every ounce of compassion you can give.
• Be prepared to take over their tasks, initially complex tasks, until a point they will need help with basic simple tasks like personal hygiene. Not because they are weak or have a physical disability, but because they will get confused even when performing a basic task that they've done all their lives.
• Expect mood swings that are triggered unexpectedly by actions or words that are part of your routine and all of a sudden become irritating, offensive or threatening to them.
• Despite all the frustration you may feel, remember that it's not helpful to tell them they already told you something they are telling you for the 100th time, just listen like it was the first time. Be compassionate and understanding.

It's beyond sad.

Cognitive decline does have a genetic factor but genes are just one of the factors involved in developing Alzheimer's disease.

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) is the most common gene associated with late onset Alzheimer's disease.

There are 3 forms of the APOE gene:

APOE2 — the least common — appears to reduce the risk of Alzheimer's.

APOE4 — a little more common — increases the risk of Alzheimer's.

APOE3 — the most common — doesn't seem to affect the risk of Alzheimer's

We have two copies of the APOE gene, one inherited from our father and one from our mother. People that have two copies of the APOE4 gene have a greater risk of developing the disease.

The good news is that research has shown lifestyle plays a huge role in cognitive decline. Even people with two copies of the APOE4 gene may be more protected from developing Alzheimer's disease than those who have two copies of the APOE2 gene, depending on their lifestyle choices.

Some types of early stage cognitive decline can even be reversed.

But the reversal can happen only up to a certain stage, once the damage becomes extensive, it cannot be reversed anymore.

So let me go back to that phrase I repeated a couple times in the beginning of this article:

Cognitive decline does not happen overnight, but rather over many years, way before symptoms start to present.

What can we do? More than we think.

According to Dr. Dean Sherzai and Dr. Ayesha Sherzai, the NEURO plan can have a profound impact in preventing cognitive decline:

N – Nutrition: Adopting a balanced, plant-based diet leads to maximum mental proficiency.

E – Exercise: Daily exercise, simple movements and stretching increases life expectancy and boosts mood.

U – Unwind: Unwinding and developing ways to alleviate stress optimizes overall health.

R – Restore: Restorative sleep cleanses the brain of unhealthy chemicals and is vital to brain health.

O – Optimize: Optimize cognitive capacity by focusing on activities that are driven by your purpose.

I cannot recommend the Team Sherzai's book enough: The Alzheimer's Solution is one of those books that should be a required reading for everyone. On the book they talk about their journey as neurologists and explain how powerful our lifestyle choices can be when it comes to cognitive decline prevention. Obviously, for people already experiencing some decline, the lifestyle changes need to be more comprehensive but I encourage you to consider the changes you can incorporate into your lifestyle today as prevention, every little change counts!

They also have a very informative podcast: Brain Health and Beyond

Cognitive reserve:

By following the Team Sherzai's work, I learned about the concept of cognitive reserve, which is a fascinating concept where cognitive health is achieved by engaging in brain stimulating activities like learning to play a musical instrument or learning another language for example.

In simple words, when we build cognitive reserve, we build alternate routes to access the information stored in our brain. Cognitive reserve is something very important to have as we age and the brain starts to deteriorate, meaning if the main pathway to a certain information gets damaged, we may still be able to access that information via an alternate pathway. Think about when you're trying to travel by car and the road is damaged, if there is no alternate route you won't be able to get to your destination.

Challenge your brain, try learning new activities or try different ways to doing activities you already master so your brain is challenged in a healthy way.

My experience as a volunteer in a brain research study:

Last year I became a volunteer for a brain research study at the Women's Brain Initiative led by Dr. Lisa Mosconi:

“Of every 3 Alzheimer's patients, 2 are women. Even after accounting for women's greater longevity than men, women still outnumber men 2:1 in the Alzheimer's population. Our research is devoted to unraveling the causes of the increased risk in women. As a starting point, our brain imaging studies have demonstrated a link between estrogen declines and increased Alzheimer's risk in women. Our current NIH-sponsored brain imaging research builds upon those findings to further address the connections between female sex hormones, brain aging, and Alzheimer's risk.”

“As with any research study, only eligible participants can enroll. At the moment, we are enrolling women and men of age 40-65 years, with a family history of Alzheimer's, and no cognitive impairment or dementia.”

In August/2019, I spent a few hours at the Weill Cornell Medicine Neurology department in New York City, where I had blood work done and also a brain MRI.

From the blood work, I learned I have 2 copies of the APOE3 gene, which is the most common type of the APOE gene as I mentioned earlier in this article, I have the type that doesn't seem to affect the risk of Alzheimer's. Knowing which types of APOE gene you have is a personal decision, I thought very carefully whether I wanted to know or not. Some people prefer to know they have 1 or 2 of the APOE4 copies to serve as motivation to focus more heavily on their lifestyle choices, but others prefer to just focus on making lifestyle choices that will protect their brains no matter what, regardless of being more susceptible to developing cognitive decline.

My brain MRI came out normal, I have no signs of brain shrinkage or any other types of degeneration, which was also very encouraging. The brain MRI takes over an hour to be done, you have to remain as still as possible during the whole time, which is not very easy but I managed to relax and had no problem laying there still for the whole time.

They are also doing PET Scans of volunteer's brains but I didn't feel comfortable volunteering for those exams since they have quite an amount of radiation.

Dr. Mosconi's study has funding for some more years, not sure how many, but I have already agreed to go back so they can follow me as my brain ages.

My contribution is small but I feel very honored to be able to contribute in such a humble way, every tiny bit we can do to help fight this horrible disease is valuable.

I hope you find this article helpful and would like to finish with this reminder:

Cognitive decline does not happen overnight, but rather over many years, way before symptoms start to present.

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