Basic Pursuits

Winter is here. What better way to warm up body and soul than with a bowl of chili. Ever in search of ways of making food more nutritious, I got this idea that chili would do well with spinach. I didn't like the idea of sad looking spinach leaves and stems floating in my chili, so I cooked the spinach and put it through a food processor. It had two effects.

First, it thickend the chili. That's not a bad thing.

Second, it changed the color from a nice red to a dark, grayish brown. I didn't find the color appealing, but that didn't stop me from eating it. It was delicious.

If you don't like the heat of the chipotl peppers, try two or three teaspoons of chili powder instead.

If you are a vegetarian, try textured vegetable protein in place of the beef and liquid smoke in place of the bacon. 

This is a very simple and elegant solution for a very nutritious lunch. The creator is Bob Cavanaugh, a long-time member of the CR society and an expert on low calorie, high nutrition eating. Check out the nutritional profile. Thanks Bob!

According to Wikipedia, "Porridge is a simple dish made by boiling oats (normally crushed oats, occasionally oatmeal) or another cereal in water, milk or both."

Porridge for those who enjoy it is a top-of-the-list source of high-nutrition, low-calorie eating. You have lots of control over the nutrition that it delivers and how it tastes. It's a great way to start the day, getting you going with a high energy macro-nutrient balanced meal that will stick to most people until lunch. It provides a powerful profile of micro-nutrients as well as lots of fiber. Viva el porridge!