Author: Plant Based Chris

Sleep-deprived father, maker of maki and ruler of rules.

Whole Food Plant Based | twelfth month

Suddenly you’re here.
Les Miserables

This escalated quickly!

It started as an experiment over a year ago? Wow, time flies. Alot has happened in these months. My mother died of lung cancer in combination with stroke on 26.12.2015, my mother-in-law got a cardiac pacemaker in early 2016 and my father-in-law is struggling with prostate cancer.

In October 2015 the World Health Organization declared red meat a carcenogenic group 2A and processed meat a carcenogenic group 1 – that’s the group smoking cigarettes, asbestos and nuclear waste is in. And what do these stubborn old farts do? Bacon for breakfast, Schnitzel for lunch and Leberwurst for dinner!

I’m baffled how hard it is for some people to adapt to new concepts and change their old ways accordingly. The research is there, in plain sight for everyone with internet-access and knowledge of basic English. This must be Big Broccoli having their way with us, right?!

My mother, who told me to eat my veggies when I was little, died early from a diet of yoghurt, Müllermilch and laxatives. How weird is that? But it all fits together so perfectly. Free radicals, antioxidants, colesterol, degenerative deseases, human jaws and intestines … everything.

Sweetpotato Bellpepper Stew

I am such a fan of big bowles of stew right now, I can’t even tell you. You prepare them on one day and eat for half a week, combined with other dishes (hold on for my Kimchi). Worst thing that can happen: you run out of cooked rice.

  1. skin and dice 500gr of sweetpotato, 1 onion and 2 cloves of garlic
  2. dice 2 red bell pepper and 1 red chilli
  3. skin and grate one thumb worth of ginger
  4. sauté onion, garlic, ginger and chili in a big pot until glazed
  5. add balsamico and sauté until the vinegar has vaporized
  6. add red curry paste and sauté 1 more minute
  7. add coconut milk (200ml), vegetable broth (250ml) and bring to a low boil
  8. add sweetpotato and simmer for 10 minutes
  9. add bell pepper, pineapple (fresh or canned pieces) and frozen peas, simmer for 10 more minutes
  10. season with maple sirup, lime juice and soy sauce
  11. serve with rice

This hot and sweet meal is delightful. You really need to try it to believe how well coconut, pineapple and chilly go together.

Whole Food Plant Based | seventh month

I hate your Vegan Superpowers!
Table Soccer Opponent

Numbers

I weigh 68.8kg at 19.03% bodyfat, walking for 30 minutes 5 times a week. Some stretching (NO, it’s not YOGA).

Typical day of eating

  • Pre-breakfast: 1/2 liter of water
  • Breakfast: oatmeal with apple and/or banana
  • Lunch: leftovers from dinner
  • Snack: 1 apple
  • Dinner: ORFA or SIAB with salad
  • Snack: nuts

Perception

Yep, I’m not losing weight anymore but I am losing bodyfat. And that from just a brisk walk of thirty minutes a day.

I’ve tried my luck on vegan pizza these days. A substitute for cheese is the hard part, but this vegan parmesan tastes great and is prepared in 30 seconds. I know so many delicious vegan meals by now, it is time to perfect the basics. I am looking forward to prepare the ultimate vegan burger for my homies next week.

Darth Oliver in “The Egg Board Strikes Back”

The American Egg Board recently tried to quash the rise of Hampton Creek’s egg alternative “Just Mayo”. The thing is that the Egg Board is a tax funded organisation commissioned to protect the american egg industry. But they can not simply lie about the benefits of eating eggs. How inconvenient is that?!

If you can not do your job properly by just stating false claims, use a ventriloquist’s dummy! Chefs and food-bloggers do have the freedom of “being wrong” in their “beliefs”. You just need to hand them some (tax)money, and they will tell whatever you want them to. Worked like a charm with Jamie Oliver who is eagerly telling us how healthy eggs are:

https://www.jamieoliver.com/features/why-eggs-are-healthy/

And he is by far not the only one telling what he has been paid for. It is a common part of the marketing mix of companies and industries by now to have bloggers and youtubers advertising products. So we better think twice before accepting an opinion as genuine, no matter how uncommercial the source seems.

Cabbage Peanut Stew

If you have made the famous CaWaSa recently, you will probably have 1/2 white cabbage sitting in the fridge. Do not despair! Here comes a recipe to aid you with that.

  1. prepare 1/2 white cabbage by cutting off thin slices
  2. dice 2 carrots
  3. dice 1 red bell pepper, 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic and 1 red chilli
  4. sauté bell pepper, onion, garlic and chili in a big pot until glazed
  5. add mustard (1 tablespoon), cumin (1 tablespoon) and sauté for 1 more minute
  6. add sieved tomatoes (400gr), vegetable broth (250ml), cabbage and carrots
  7. simmer for 20 minutes
  8. add peanut butter (4 tablespoons) and paprika powder (1/2 teaspoon)
  9. add kidney beans (1 can) and sweet corn (1 can)
  10. season with mango juice
  11. stir well and serve with black rice

This is an extremely nutritous and satiating stew without compromising in exotic deliciousness. I prefer this meal extra hot to get my insides warmed up. Fun fact: peanuts are legumes, not nuts, and laden with protein and many vitamines and minerals.

Whole Food Plant Based | sixth month

Could you please make that pumpkin soup again?
Dad

Numbers

I weigh 68.8kg at 19.89% bodyfat, running/core-training for 15-30 minutes 2-3 times a week. Some stretching (NO, it’s not YOGA).

Typical day of eating

    • Pre-breakfast: 1/2 liter of water
    • Breakfast: oatmeal with apple and/or banana
    • Lunch: leftovers from dinner
    • Snack: 1 apple or a few plum
    • Dinner: ORFA or SIAB with salad
    • Snack: nuts

Perception

After sixth months my weightloss is finally stalling. I am quite suspicious though, that I am still losing fat but gaining muscle instead. There is only one way to be sure: bodyfat measurement.

This was planned initially to be a three month experiment in nutrition. Meanwhile I am wondering why anyone bothers being constipated and/or overweight when a healthy diet is that cheap, delicious and convenient. I bet this is why so many folks switch to plant based eating: it’s just a smart thing to do.

Cabbage Walnut Salad

It’s that time of the year when everyone gets the flu. Luckily there are tons of cabbages right now at the market. We Germans make our famous Sauerkraut from those. They are high in vitamin C which boosts your immune system, so you want to eat lots of them!

  1. prepare 1/2 white cabbage by cutting off thin slices and placing them in a big bowl
  2. add 1 onion, cut into thin slices
  3. add 1 apple, cut into thin slices
  4. add salt (1 teaspoon)
  5. add apple vinegar (1 tablespoon)
  6. knead thoroughly until everything is soaked well
  7. leave alone for at least 30 minutes
  8. add minced parsley (1 tablespoon)
  9. add hacked walnuts (1 handful)
  10. add maple sirup (1 tablespoon)
  11. add walnut oil (1 teaspoons)
  12. add ground cumin (1 pinch)
  13. stir well and serve

The combination of flavors is special, but in a good way. Partnered with something hot like SIAB or a stew, it makes the perfect seasonal meal.

Sunset In A Bowl

Pumpkins everywhere! This is a spicy and colorful soup begging to be brought into existence.

  1. prepare 1 Hokkaido to get 2x2cm pieces – you do not have to peel it, just scrape off the hard bumps
  2. prepare 1 pound of carrots to match pumpkin pieces in size
  3. chop 1 red onion, garlic (2 cloves), ginger (1 tablespoon) and chili to taste
  4. braise onion, garlic, ginger and chili in a big pot with little (1 teaspoon) oil
  5. deglaze with Balsamico vinegar
  6. add pumpkin and carrots
  7. add vegetable broth (1 litre)
  8. boil for 25 minutes
  9. blend with immersion blender until smooth
  10. season with soy sauce, coconut milk (400ml) and lemon juice

While this soup will make your whole family flock to your place, it is also a great base to refine your seasoning skills. You can experiment with different spices like pepper, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric or peanut paste to make it taste even more sophisticated.

Whole Food Plant Based | fifth month

This is the best stew I’ve ever had!
Wife

Numbers

I weigh 68.9kg, running/core-training for 15-30 minutes 2-3 times a week. Some stretching (NO, it’s not YOGA).

Typical day of eating

  • Pre-breakfast: 1/2 liter of water
  • Breakfast: oatmeal with berries and/or banana
  • Lunch: wholegrain bread with Mustacado or leftovers from dinner
  • Snack: 1 appel or a few plum
  • Dinner: maki or Burritos or ORFA
  • Snack: nuts

Perception

Nothing new on the HCLF-front. It still is convenient, inexpensive and extremely delicious. I am still losing weight in a steady and comfortable manner while eating as much as I can.

Oh wait! My wife reported to have lost all of her PMS headaches and cramps as of late. Every discomfort gone. Just like that.

I’ve read an article the other day how pregnant mares are exploited violantly for their blood containing hormons which accelerates piglet growth. Am I glad to not support that sickening cruelty of animal agriculture anymore.

Awesome Autumn Stew

The time of heartwarming stews is upon us. Autumn is here! We really enjoy earthy and rooty meals this time of year. Here is on of our favorites to be had when wind and rain smack the windows.

  1. prepare potatoes (I water them to wash out some starch)
  2. prepare carrots
  3. prepare some green vegetables like broccoli and/or green peas
  4. mince chilli and garlic
  5. braise chilli and garlic in a little (1 teaspoon) oil
  6. deglaze with Passata Rustica
  7. add vegetable broth (1/2 to 1 litre)
  8. add rinsed potatoes and vegetables
  9. boil for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are done
  10. season with soy sauce, peanut paste and cinnamon
  11. add oat creme if not moist enough
  12. serve with sweet pepper powder and/or tumeric on top

The peanut/cinnamon combo is a little exotic but goes really well with the earthen roots like potato and carrot. Sweetpotato would propably fit in there well too.