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Ready for a simple, tasty recipe that features two great staples of plant-based diets? Thanks to Lee Kaplan for sharing this one, inspired by some beautiful lacinato kale that called out to her at the supermarket. Take it away, Lee!
Image courtesy of Lee Kaplan
I love to watch documentaries on Netflix. Little did I know how one would change my entire life.
A month after my 93 year old father passed away in 2013 (I was his sole caregiver for 13 yrs), I watched Vegucated. It was May 9th. That night I decided I could no longer contribute to animal suffering or the destruction of the planet. My boyfriend, who does most of the cooking, was (and still is) very supportive.
I learned something very important about habits.
It depends on your motivation.
For me, it wasn’t “I have to lose weight” (which I did), but what I could do to help the planet and all of its inhabitants. Whenever I felt a lag in my resolve, I thought about why I became vegan in the first place. Bingo! If, for me, weight had been the motivator, with the first plateau, I would have lost my resolve and gone back to eating meat.
When I read about “slave chocolate” in a magazine and did my own research, I stopped eating Oreos, which are made by Nabisco, one of the “child slave” cocoa bean buyers. And I’m a chocoholic, particularly Oreos! Motivation…that is the key.
Now, if I can find my “I can stick with this” motivation for exercise…
- 1 bunch lacinato kale, rinsed and torn into 2"x2" pieces
- 2 15.5oz. cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed, or 3 cups cooked chickpeas
- ½ of a yellow bell pepper, chopped
- ½ of a Spanish onion, chopped
- Handful of baby carrots
- 1 14.5oz. can Rotel tomatoes with chiles
- 1 Tbsp. maple syrup
- ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- cooked brown rice, for serving
- Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Let cook on low overnight, about 8 hours.
- Serve over brown rice for any meal at all!
Lee Kaplan describes herself as being “from all over;” she’s lived in an impressive 28 different places! She was inspired to go vegan just about three years ago. When she’s not experimenting in the kitchen, she likes to read, listen to music and tidy up around the house.
Sam has been a vegan since summer of 2009 and has spent the subsequent years experimenting with all manner of vegan food. She holds a Certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and is a graduate of the Bauman College Nutrition Consultant Program. She is a member of Toastmasters International and currently serves as Vice President Membership of the Capital View Toastmasters club. When she's not blogging or cooking, Sam likes to read, play silly card games and knit socks. |
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