A Healthy Diet in Progress

As you probably can guess, we eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables but in Mexico it seems as though we eat more meat too. Chicken, pork and beef are on the menu most weeks. We eat small portions, 4-6 ounces at dinner but I still think it’s too much meat. I always avoid eating too much large predatory fish like Mexican red snapper, yellowtail, ahi, and grouper (cabrilla) because of the mercury contamination so it seems that I replace fish with meat. I will be glad to be back in Nevada soon where fresh Alaskan salmon is available.

So, what’s for dinner now?

Less meat and more vegan proteins? I’m watching a podcast series this week from the Food Revolution and the data against eating animal protein and fat is compelling. Animal protein is pro-inflammatory and contaminated with very scary antibiotics, grow hormones, estrogens and other poisons that we would never eat if we read them on the label.   I’ve also been thinking about how cruel our industrial meat industry has become. I know that documentaries show us the worst of the worst  animal industry practices but when we buy conventional meat, we don’t know that our meat wasn’t from one of these heinous farms. I don’t want to support those practices.

The plan is to move our diet towards a whole food plant based diet. I’m not ready to give up fish, eggs or dairy yet. Baby steps! Has anyone found a delicious plant based milk for lattes? I know I won’t drink soy milk. Anybody brands of nut based milks that you love?

Here is a sample BrightLine Pescatarian Menu to try.

Recipe Ideas from my Baja kitchen

Thai Red Curry Kale, Lentil, Quinoa Salad

Prepare dressing: 1 cup full fat canned coconut milk, Thai red curry seasoning or paste to taste and 1 tablespoon of fresh Mexican lime juice. Whisk until blended.

Cook 1 cup of green lentils until they are tender firm in salted water; 16- 20 minutes should yield a salad ready lentil, you don’t want mushy lentils. Rinse in cold water.

Rinse and cook  1 cup of quinoa in broth for 20 minutes. Let cool.

You will have leftover lentils and quinoa for more vegan meals.

Finely slice 6 cups of kale. Pour dressing over kale, 2 cups of lentils and 1 cup of quinoa. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. Remove the salad from the refrigerator 30-40 minutes before serving it at room temperature for the best flavor.

I served this with grilled yellowtail marinated in orange juice, lime, cumin and cilantro.

Notes: I used a locally made Red Thai Curry seasoning that contains paprika, salt, turmeric, black pepper, garlic, onion, mustard, ginger, chili pepper, coriander, cumin, and basil but I’ve frequently seen commercially prepared Red Thai Curry paste in the U.S. I think you could experiment with these spices to get the right flavor.

This is a complete vegan meal. I counted the coconut milk as a fat and used the one plate rule to measure the protein servings from lentils and quinoa.

Mushroom Chorizo ,

Serve in lettuce cups with cilantro, pickled peppers and onions. Tortilla strips aren’t compliant so you can skip them.

Recipe Ideas from the Web

Lentil Meatballs, I will probably add cilantro and lean towards Mexican spices. This will be delicious over zucchini noodles with spicy tomato sauce or salsa. Cookie and Kate is a reliable, easy to explore vegetarian food blog. Check it out for inspiration.

Cauliflower Fried Rice with Crispy Tofu

Spicy Broccoli, Red Pepper, Peanut Stir fry

You might like my Vegetarian/Vegan lunch and dinner ideas. Pinterest Board Or this group Vegetarian Board