Eat to Live – Hearty & Spicy Winter Stew

Happy New Year!

In this new year, you may have made a new year resolution to empower yourself and take charge of your health by eating healthy and adopting a healthy lifestyle, so that you can thrive, enjoy and live your life to the fullest.

Numerous scientific studies have shown the health benefits of a whole-food plant-rich diet in strengthening our immune system and reducing the risks of many chronic diseases including type-2 diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease/dementia, chronic liver disease, etc.

A whole-food plant-rich diet is rich in fibers, antioxidants and many health-promoting micronutrients and phytonutrients. Such a diet consists of plenty and a large variety of whole fruits and vegetables of a wide variety of colors, moderate amount of legumes and whole grains, and low-to-moderate amount of healthy fats from nuts, seeds, avocado, olive, etc.

For more information and the relevant scientific research references, please check out my previous articles:

Diets and Chronic Diseases

Simple Guidelines for Healthy Eating

How to Support Your Immune Health – See What Scientific Research Showed

In this blog, I share a delicious, hearty and warming winter stew recipe that is made with whole-food ingredients and rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties and other health-promoting compounds. For a quick glance of the recipe, you can go directly to the Recipe section.

For more healthy and delicious recipe ideas, you can check out my previous blogs:

Easy and Delicious Ways to Add Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet

Homemade Coconut Yogurt – A Treat for Yourself and Your Gut Microbiota

Enjoy!

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Ingredients

There are 4 main groups of ingredients as described below that you can mix and match. In this recipe, I chose ingredients that cover a wide variety of colors (which correspond to diverse health-promoting phytonutrients – or plant nutrients), i.e., red, orange, yellow, green, and purplish black.

Fill free to experiment and be creative!

Use organic ingredients whenever possible to reduce toxin exposure.

Winter Squash

This is now the season to consume some nutritious winter squash.

Winter squash such as pumpkin, kabocha, acorn, butternut, etc. are low in glycemic index and rich in fibers, antioxidants, minerals and other health-promoting properties (e.g., cancer-fighting properties, support of gut and digestive health, immune health, blood glucose regulation, etc.).^1–4

I use kabocha squash (also called Japanese pumpkin) in this recipe. Feel free to choose your preferred winter squash or use a variety of winter squash.

Leafy Greens and Other Vegetables

Leafy greens are rich in fibers, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and many health-promoting compounds that help to combat many chronic diseases and support the body’s detoxification.^5,6

I use collard greens in this recipe. Feel free to use other leafy greens such as kale, spinach, etc.

You can also add in other crunchier vegetables such as celery, zucchini, for taste and texture. I use zucchini in this recipe.

Legumes

Legumes are high in fibers, protein, vitamins and minerals and are also good sources of antioxidants. Regular consumption of legumes has been found to be associated with reduced risks of heart disease, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, obesity and cancer.^7–9

In this recipe, I use green lentils, mung beans and red kidney beans. You can mix and match 2 to 3 types of beans of your choice.

You can use either dried beans or cooked beans. If dried beans are used, soak the beans overnight or for at least 7-8 hours to reduce the antinutrients (incl. phytic acid and lectins) for better digestion and nutrient absorption.

Whole Grains

As opposed to refined grains (e.g., while rice, white flour) which are stripped off nutrients and fibers, whole grains are rich in minerals, vitamins, fibers and health-promoting phytonutrients including antioxidants.^5,6

Studies have shown that diets rich in whole grains are associated with reduced levels of inflammation and LDL (bad) cholesterol, and reduced risks of chronic diseases including heart disease, hypertension, and type-2 diabetes, obesity, and cancer.^7,8

I use two types of gluten-free whole grains in this recipe, i.e., millet and black rice (also known as forbidden rice or purple rice). Black rice is an ancient grain eaten in regions of Asia for thousands of years. Black rice is rich in antioxidants and has one of the highest levels of the potent antioxidant, anthocyanins, which give it a purplish black color.¹⁰ Anthocyanins have been shown to have anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, LDL (or bad) cholesterol lowering, and brain protection effects.¹¹

You can use other types of gluten-free and nutrient-rich whole grains such as quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat, wild rice, etc.

Soak the whole grains together with the dried beans (if dried beans are used) overnight for at least 7-8 hours, for better digestion and increased nutrient absorption.

Other Ingredients, Spices

The following ingredients can add more depth to the flavor of the stew as well as enhancing the nutritional content.

Red Bell Pepper or Tomato

Both red bell pepper and tomato are antioxidant-rich foods. Tomato is one of the best sources of lycopene, an antioxidant known for its anti-cancer properties.¹² Red bell pepper contains high levels of lutein and zeaxanthin, antioxidants known to support healthy eyes and vision.¹³

Adding either red bell pepper or tomato or both into the stew can create more depth and umami flavor in the stew.

Mushrooms

Mushrooms also have many health-promoting properties including support of cognition, weight management, oral health and immune health, and reduction of cancer risk.¹⁴

Mushrooms have distinct umami flavor and can really enhance the overall flavor of the stew. Use your preferred mushrooms for the stew. In this recipe, I used shitake and cremini mushrooms.

Spices and Condiments

Spices not only enhance the flavor of our foods but they also have many health-promoting and therapeutic properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-cancer, and anti-microbial properties.^15–18 Curcumin, an active compound found in turmeric, is one of the most well researched spices for human health and many health benefits have been shown including support of heart health, immune health, cognitive health, etc.^15,16

The spices used in this recipe are turmeric, cardamom, garam masala and coriander.

Other ingredients that further enhance the flavor of the stew are garlic and shallot (can also use red onion). Strictly speaking, these are not spices. They belong to the allium family of vegetables and have been shown to exhibit anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-infection, lipid and cholesterol lowering, and heart and liver protective properties.^19–21

Use Celtic or Himalayan sea salt as they are rich in minerals.

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Recipe

(Servings: 3-4 as main course, or 7-8 as side dish)

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 1 hour (may need more time depending on cooking time of your chosen beans)

Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes (may need more time depending on cooking time of your chosen beans)

Ingredients

• Pumpkin (or other winter squash): 2 cups (cut into large cubes)
• Whole grains: ½ cup (uncooked)
  • Used in this recipe: ¼ cup millet + ¼ cup forbidden rice
• Legumes: 1 cup dried beans or 2 cups cooked beans or a mixture of dried and cooked beans (see tips below)
  • Used in this recipe: ¼ cup dried green lentils + ¼ cup dried mung bean + 1 cup cooked red kidney beans
• Zucchini: 1 medium size (diced)
• Leafy greens (e.g., kale, collared green, swiss chard): 1½ cup (chopped, separate stems from leaves)
• Mushrooms: 1 cup (diced)
  • Used in this recipe: cremini + shitake
• Optional:
  • Tomatoes: 2 medium size (pureed); or
  • Red bell pepper: 1 medium size (pureed)
• Garlic: 2 cloves (finely chopped)
• Ginger: 1 inch (finely chopped)
• Shallot: 1 medium size (or 1 small red onion) (finely chopped)
• Spices:
  • Ground cumin: ¼ tsp
  • Ground cardamom: ¼ tsp
  • Ground turmeric: ¼ tsp
  • Garam masala: ¼ tsp
  • Bay leaves: 2
  • Optional: pinch of cayenne pepper
• Lemon juice: 3 Tbsp or to taste
• Sea salt: 1 tsp or to taste
• Water or stock: 4 cups (adjust based on preferred thickness of stew)
• Avocado oil or other cooking oil (see tips below)
• Chopped coriander for garnish

Instructions

(See also tips and photos below)

1. Soak grains and dried beans overnight (or for at least 8 hours). Drain, rinse, and set it aside.
2. Heat stock pot over medium heat, add 1 Tbsp of avocado oil.
3. Sauté garlic, shallot and ginger until fragrance.
4. Reduce heat to low, then add all the spices except bay leaves. Sauté for about 5 minutes.
5. Turn heat to medium and add pumpkin and mushrooms. Sauté for about 3 minutes.
6. Add pureed tomatoes or red bell pepper. Sauté for another 2 minutes.
7. Add water/stock and bay leaves. Cover and set to medium-high heat to bring to boil.
8. Once boiled, add all the grains and beans.
9. Bring to boil again and keep at medium to high heat to boil for 3 minutes (keep the pot uncovered or partially covered to avoid spill over).
10. Reduce heat to low and simmer with lid covered, for 30 minutes or more until beans become slightly tender (Note: Large beans may need an hour or more to become tender).
11. Add zucchini and stems of leafy greens. Simmer for 10 minutes.
12. Add leaves of leafy greens and simmer for another 5 minutes.
13. Add salt to taste.
14. Turn off heat and add lemon juice to taste.
15. Add chopped coriander before serving.

Tips

• Feel free to experiment with your preferred choices of whole grains and beans.
• For beans, you can used either dried or cooked beans or a mixture of both. 1 cup of dried beans is roughly equivalent to 2 – 2.5 cups of cooked beans. In this recipe, I used ½ cup of dried beans which is equivalent to about 1 cup of cooked beans. In addition, I used 1 cup of cooked beans. Therefore, in this recipe, a total of about 2 cups of cooked beans are used.
• Instead of zucchini, you can also use other crunchier vegetables, e.g., celery.
• Feel free to choose your preferred types of mushrooms.
• To puree tomatoes or red bell pepper, you can use a blender.
• I use avocado oil as it is one of the best cooking oils containing healthy mono- and poly-unsaturated fats, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as high smoke point.²²
• If you serve this stew as a main course, you can pair it with a light, refreshing salad.

 

 

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Related Articles

Diets and Chronic Diseases

Simple Guidelines for Healthy Eating

How to Support Your Immune Health – See What Scientific Research Showed

Easy and Delicious Ways to Add Fruits and Vegetables to Your Diet

Homemade Coconut Yogurt – A Treat for Yourself and Your Gut Microbiota

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References

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