Dr. John Day, Cardiologist

Oh my yummy, quick and healthy lunch option! I put this together for lunch a few weeks ago and couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed it. I now stock these ingredients and it has become regular fare.

Ezekiel sprouted grain complete protein tortilla, stuff with:
Hummus
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Sun dried tomatoes
Kalamata olives
Red onion
Pickles- miniature dill
Sprinkle feta (optional)

Fold up bottom, fold over sides. Take a big bite!

This quick and healthy twist on ham fried rice is a favorite of mine and my kids.  I actually use steel cut oats instead of brown rice, mostly because they are so quick to make. Also, oats offer more nutrients overall than brown rice. Hope you enjoy!

Go ahead and get creative with this one! Sauté whatever veggies you have with this flavorful blend of rice vinegar, liquid aminos, sesame oil, turmeric, harissa and nutritional yeast. Serve your veggies over quinoa mixed with hummus and lime. Sprinkle with avocado and toasted pumpkin seeds or favorite nut or seed. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Zingy tuna salad packs lots of nutrients, flavor and texture: lemon, raw crushed garlic, dill, favorite mustard, hummus, red wine vinegar, olive oil, chopped olives, red onion, celery, and red bell pepper.

Raw garlic is so good for you! And this recipe is one delicious way to incorporate it into your cuisine. Don’t be shy! If my 1-year-old can do it, you can too. After his first bite of this dish, my 1-year-old signed “more,” for another, and another, until he and I polished off the entire batch in one sitting.

Serve atop a leaf of kale or lettuce on a flourless sprouted grain English muffin (often found in freezer of health food section).

This warm, spicy, with a touch of sweet, concoction was inspired by a special at the Five Seeds Restaurant. Sautéed cauliflower, onion, garbanzos, almonds, raisins and dates spiced with harissa, cinnamon and cumin seeds. So good for you and so tasty. Serve over whole grain basmati or quinoa, with toasted whole grain pita, or on its own.

Brussels Sprouts are an excellent source of vitamins K, C, and folate. They are a cruciferous vegetable known for their cancer fighting properties.  When steamed, they provide special cholesterol-lowering benefits.

Garlic is a good source of manganese and vitamin B6. It may also reduce our risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease, among many other wonderful things.

Cashews are high in copper, phosphorus, manganese, magnesium, and zinc  which play a role in a wide range of physiological processes. They have a lower fat content than most other nuts, most of the fats being proactively heart healthy.

If you haven’t yet discovered tempeh, you’re in for a great find.  While tofu offers incredible protein, tempeh is the entire bean with protein, fiber, antioxidants and more. For a killer sandwich, grill some tempeh for a few minutes in liquid aminos and sesame oil, toast a sprouted grain bun, add a little avocado tahini spread and some veggies. Truly Satisfying!

The key to this delicious and fun Summer Quinoa Salad is to blend a variety of colors and textures. You can substitute whatever you have on hand–get creative! Toss with our Maple Pecan Dressing, or another of your favorites.

This recipe is inspired by the delicious soup our friend Liz Warner made for our family last week. It is quick and easy to make and can stand alone as a flavorful and hearty vegetarian main dish. We’ve paired it with Ezekiel sprouted corn tortillas, toasted and cut into chips for dipping. Enjoy!

This warm potato dish has a kick to it with the lemon, balsamic, Chinese five spice, and red chili flakes. The small, soft mung beans–one of the healthiest you’ll find–add a fantastic boost of phenol, protein, fiber and other nutrients which help defend against chronic age-related diseases including diabetes, cancer, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Serve this dish with brown rice, if desired. Enjoy!

We were so excited to discover these organic Explore Asian noodles made from edamame and mung beans. These noodles are absolutely packed with protein and fiber, are gluten-free and allow us to enjoy our favorite pasta dishes while promoting good health. This brand also offers black bean spaghetti, soybean spaghetti, adzuki bean spaghetti and edamame spaghetti. We found a local Costco store which carries certain varieties of Explore Asian noodles.  You can also order them online. There may also be other similar brands to discover. Enjoy!

The flavors of the sautéed tomatoes, garlic and green onions blended with the liquid aminos, rice vinegar yield a tangy, flavorful cabbage sautee. Enjoy!

This soup was a random concoction of the vegetables we earned for helping at the community garden.  The shapes and sizes of the veggies were also random, as the kids all helped chop.  Use whatever you have on hand or follow this recipe, as works for you. Use organic or local when possible. It will turn out to be a nourishing and delicious soup.

This Pad Thai is loaded with vegetables and drenched in a delicious and healthy peanut sauce. Enjoy!

We were nearly out of vegetables (shame on me)– I scrounged and found three zucchini, one red onion, and combined them with some pre-cooked sprouted beans that we had on hand.  I threw them all in a pan with my asian sauce (liquid aminos, rice vinegar, sesame oil and garlic) and couldn’t believe how yummy and satisfying this dish was.  I hope you enjoy it too.

And, there isn’t a single ingredient in this dish that doesn’t promote your health.

Sprouted beans may offer improved bioavailability of beans’ nutrients.

Zucchini is loaded with manganese, Vitamin C, many B complex vitamins, zinc, magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids and other antioxidant nutrients, including the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin. Research shows that summer squash retains high antioxidant value after steaming and also after freezing. Zucchini aids eye health, and prostate health, while offering anti-microbial protection, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits. To get full benefit, it is important to eat the flesh, seeds and skin. Zucchini is very satisfying while low in calories–around 22 calories per cup.

Red onions boast flavanoids, which are concentrated near the outer layers, so when peeling be careful to remove just the paper layer. Onions provide manganese, copper, vitamin B6, vitamin C, fiber, phosphorus, potassium, vitamin B1, and folate. Onions offer cardiovascular, bone and  connective tissue, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and other health benefits.

Bragg Liquid Aminos is a good alternative to soy sauce. It contains 16 of the 20 amino acids, which are the building blocks of protein. These amino acids aid the body with digestion, tissue growth and repair.

Rice vinegar, made from brown rice, provides many healthy acids often including 20 amino acids that help to aid the body in fighting free radicals and maintaining a healthy immune system. Sources indicate that rice vinegar may also help to prevent free radical damage, the build up of fatty peroxides in the body, the formation of harmful cholesterol, and slow the aging process.

Sesame oil contains the vitamin E, phytosterols, fatty acids and sometimes lignans of sesame seeds, but it doesn’t contain any of the other vitamins, minerals, or amino acids in sesame seeds.  Throwing  sesame seeds into this dish would be delicious as well.

And finally, garlic….what can I say? Garlic is amazing. It is well known for its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-cancer properties.

Recent studies indicate that letting garlic sit 10-15 after crushing or chopping it, helps the alliinase enzymes go to work to benefit your health.  John wrote a bit about garlic’s cancer fighting properties in a recent Facebook post.

Enjoy!