The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet (22 page)

One more thing: Please consider getting rid of your microwave. In Swiss studies conducted in the early ‘90s, the molecular structure of microwave-cooked food was altered in ways that caused abnormal changes in human blood and immune system function. The microwaved foods also caused higher cholesterol levels than the same foods prepared using traditional cooking methods. Christopher and I chose to chuck our microwave oven completely 8 years ago, and once it was gone, we never missed it. I think you’ll find that you can live without yours, too. Yes, I have to reheat things in a saucepan sometimes, but it’s done in a second, it’s no big deal, and the foods taste so much better!

SUPERHERO EXTRAS

If possible, cook with gas rather than electric heat. It is easier to control, tends to make the food taste better, and imparts a nice smooth energy into the food. If you’re stuck with an electric range, though, don’t sweat it.

Cast-iron skillet:
Great for roasting nuts and seeds and for certain vegetable dishes. Also great for cooking mochi!

Pressure cooker:
Weren’t they big in the ’40s? Yes, but pressure cookers are really great for cooking grains and beans because they squeeze them full of strong energy. They are ideal for fall and winter cooking, when our foods need that extra oomph to keep us warm and energized. If you don’t have one, it’s not a necessity, but if there’s a pressure cooker gathering dust in a cupboard, you might want to bust it out.

Suribachi:
A Japanese grooved mortar and pestle, which are great when you start making your own gomashio. They’re cheap and make great gifts, too!

STOCKING THE KIND KITCHEN

These days, with budgets being squeezed everywhere, the idea of completely restocking your kitchen may feel daunting. You may be surprised to find that your grocery bill doesn’t change that much. While some new foods will be more expensive, others will be cheaper. More importantly, when compared to the cost of prescriptions, workdays lost, gas to the doctor, copays . . . not to mention the incalculable cost of feeling crummy . . . good food is worth every penny.

Consider the price of what you’re receiving: a beautiful body, vibrant health, a clear mind, and a longer life. Can you really put a price tag on those things? Feeling good is priceless.

That said, it’s also an indisputable fact that meat, dairy, and packaged processed foods take the biggest bites out of our grocery budget. Skip those foods, load up on grains and beans, and you’ll have plenty of money left over for buying the best quality produce and natural foods you can get your hands on. Yes, some of those foods are expensive—like umeboshi plums, Vegenaise, and sea vegetables—but they are well worth it. When you start cooking for yourself, you’ll find that your overall food bills are about the same.

Even organic produce doesn’t have to break the bank. If you shop locally—straight from the growers—it can be crazy cheap. At a recent trip to the farmers’ market, I bought: 1 head of cabbage; 1 bunch of daikon; 1 bunch of scallions; 1 head of celery; 2 sweet potatoes; 2 onions; 1 head of bok choy; 1 head of Chinese cabbage; and a big handful of green beans.

Grand total? Thirteen bucks. Tell me that’s not cheap. The other day I got an heirloom tomato at a grocery store for over $3, but if I’d just waited until Sunday, I’d have bought it for less than $1. A creative, delicious, healthy meal composed of brown rice, beans, and an array of vegetables could set you back a whopping $3 to $4.

If you can’t make it to the market each week, check out Community-Supported Agriculture (CSA). (See page
66
for details.)

If you don’t have either of these resources available, find out if there’s a local co-op in your area, where you can find things in bulk or even exchange a couple of hours of labor for discounts. Thank goodness Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and other great health food stores exist these days for all the things we can’t get elsewhere. Ask your local health food store to carry things you want or need—they can order almost anything. If you have to do all your shopping at a health food store, it will be a little pricier, but the benefits are always worth it.

And don’t forget, many of the priciest items on your shopping list when you were eating meat were those meat-based foods. Cheese, fish, and meat are all a lot more costly than protein sources like tofu and beans. Initially you may be investing in some new pantry staples that will add dollars to your register tape (see the list on page
101
for a complete rundown of my pantry picks), but eventually that will level off. Especially on the Superhero plan, which includes virtually no packaged or processed foods (which are always more expensive), you can eat very frugally—and deliciously.

A Shout-Out to Sunflower Seeds

Make up a big batch of seeds roasted with shoyu (see page
215
), and store them in a nice jar, then use them to brighten up any meal. Toss them on
everything
! I swear you will love them!

Cooking Tips

• Try a recipe, and if you like it and it’s worth repeating, think of a way to improve it. Learn from your mistakes and successes. My dogs eat my mistakes! Use your imagination and remember that—with the exception of burning down the house—nothing can go
  that
  wrong.
  
• Always read a recipe from beginning to end before diving in. In my enthusiasm, I’ve made this mistake several times, and it’s not fun when I get to the middle of the recipe and realize I don’t have flippin’ fenugreek seeds! That said, it’s often possible to spare yourself a shopping trip and substitute ingredients with whatever’s on hand.
  
• When planning meals, re-create dishes you love, like spaghetti with meat sauce or your favorite Chinese dish, with new ingredients. Use a sauce you love on meat (like a BBQ, teriyaki, or piccata) and serve it over rice, seitan, or vegetables. You may love it!
  
• Use the herbs and seasonings from your favorite cuisines in your new healthy recipes. If you love Italian spices, use them. Ditto Mexican spices or French herbs.
  
• Whatever your skill level, learn to use your intuition in your cooking. Every week, I pick up collards, kale, bok choy, and cabbage at the farmers’ market, so they’re generally all in the fridge. When I open it up to begin cooking, I like to observe what my body gravitates toward. And it changes! My body doesn’t want or need the same thing every day. Follow your intuition and let your body make some choices.
  
• My mother taught me never to waste food, and I think that’s really important. To minimize waste, always use the stuff that will spoil the most quickly first. Great inspiration can be found in cooking what needs eating.
  
• Try your best to never throw away food. Someone will always want it—a friend, a neighbor, a pet. Food that’s a few days old is fine for an animal. When you’ve exhausted all other avenues, chuck it in the compost.
  
• A tip: Every week, I go through the refrigerator and put the oldest produce on the top shelf to remind me to use it as soon as possible. This avoids waste and prevents me from finding old, liquefied parsley tucked away in the fridge drawers!
  

Before you shop, take inventory, make a list, and stock up for the week; a full fridge feels wonderful and will inspire you to create fantastic works of art. On the other hand, waste is not cool, so do your best to get only what you’ll actually use. After a few weeks of kinder cooking, you’ll have a better sense of what to buy and how much you actually cook and eat in a week.

Especially at the beginning of your transition to the Kind Diet, it is helpful to keep healthier convenience foods around, and I have listed some of my favorites in the Flirting section. You should know, though, that none of these prepared foods and packaged goods are really Superhero fare, so Superheroes should rely on them only when you’re truly pressed for time, are entertaining, or would otherwise resort to something
really
naughty.

You should also make sure to have lots of homemade or store-bought treats available—for long car rides, airplane trips, or just lazy days. Healthy treats are not only delicious, they keep you balanced so that your next food choice is a good one. Keep them in your desk, your car, your home, and your purse. The office can be an especially tricky place, with Janet’s big bowl of Snickers bars staring at you all day. Consider a preemptive strike by starting your own snack bowl!

My favorite store-bought treat is a creation called the Rice Dream Mint Chocolate Frozen Pie: It’s a serving of mint rice dream “ice cream,” packed between two oatmeal cookies, and entirely dipped in chocolate. You will love them! They live in the freezer of your better health food stores.

ENGAGING OTHER MEMBERS OF THE HOUSEHOLD

There’s a good chance you’re the only member of your family who’s been inspired to take on this sweeping change in diet. Partners and children may want
nothing
to do with the household food changing, and that’s fine. Here are a few tips to handle family issues:

• If you are in charge of the family food, there’s no need to announce a “big change.” Simply add delicious plant-based dishes to the family menu. The recipes in the Vegan section of this book will wow everyone, vegetarians and carnivores alike.
  
• Use salt, oil, and sweeteners liberally. Most tongues like salt, fat, and sugar.
  
• Use rice as your secret weapon. Because most people like brown rice, serve up a delicious fried rice dish a couple of times a week and you will find, over months, that it is changing people from the inside out. A more peaceful energy will begin to sneak up on your dinner table.
  
• Make up a big batch of seeds roasted with shoyu (page
  215
  ), and store them in a nice jar, then use them to brighten up any meal. Toss them on everything! I swear you will love them!
  

QUICK MEALS AND LEFTOVERS

The trick to quick meals is to double up on some dishes so you don’t need to start every meal from scratch. That way meal planning becomes more a matter of assembling than actually cooking, per se, and you can get in and out of the kitchen in a matter of minutes.

• Always make extra grain and beans—enough for a couple of days. You can use this food as the base for the next few meals, adding vegetables and other extras to round out meals.
  
• For a quick dinner, start with a salad as your base. Just add yummy leftovers, like rice, beans, and seeds, or even a potato or tempeh . . . whatever you have around the kitchen that sounds good to you. Get creative. Throw in raisins. Go crazy!
  
• Wrapping leftovers in nori is perfect for eating on the fly or on a roadtrip. If you have food that you’re not that excited about but don’t have the energy to turn it into something amazing, just wrap it in a sheet of nori and it gets a complete makeover. (See the recipe on page
  219
  .)
  
• Soups are great for quick meals because you can empty the fridge into a leftover soup! Start with water or a good vegetable stock, then add grain or sweet potatoes or beans and any vegetables you haven’t gotten around to using. Eat with a slice of toast. Quick, yummy, and satisfying!
  
• Think of baked sweet potatoes as a foolproof convenience food. Bake your sweet potato while you do a million other things, then add Earth Balance spread and salt and pepper or whatever tickles your fancy. Serve some steamed greens on the side and you’re done!
  
• Pizza meals: I’m a firm believer in keeping premade pizzas in the freezer. In a pinch, they are easy, quick, and satisfying. Amy’s makes a roasted vegetable pizza that is amazing. Also a great soy cheese pizza. Feel free to add to them whatever you fancy. Some ideas: mushrooms, tomato slices, extra basil, seitan, grilled zucchini, and more soy cheese!
  
• Take a hunk of French bread (or an English muffin), add some tomato sauce and veggies, drizzle with oil, and add vegan Parmesan cheese. Bake ‘til crisp. Yum.