Yes I said CHOCOLATE! This Vegetable Chocolate Chili Mole is amazing!

If you’ve ever eaten as a real authentic Mexican restaurant, you’ve probably seen something with “mole” sauce on the menu. I’ve got one book that says mole is a Spanish word meaning “mashed together” but I know it to mean (my own personal definition) - “very tasty, spicy Mexican sauce with dark chocolate in it!” How’s that for highly technical?!

I came across this recipe for chili mole in Extra Vegan Za and just about flipped. I LOVE mole sauce!!! This Vegetable Chocolate Chili Mole is one of the best chilis I’ve ever made. We spiced it up by adding a whole habanero pepper (one of the hottest you can get) because I can’t make anything too hot for Rob’s tastes. If you haven’t ever used one - handle with gloves, throw out the seeds, and use about 1/3 of the pepper to start. You can always add more later, but if you make it unbearably hot you won’t enjoy the subtleness of the mole - or have any feeling left in your mouth.

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Popularity: 3%

We are always on the lookout for a great bean or lentil burger that we can make a huge batch of and eat for days. We have come to really dislike the store bought ones for the lack of taste and large amount of salt and other preservatives and unhealthy things in them. These black bean, sweet potato and almond butter burgers fit the bill and are SO tasty!

This recipe if from Extra Vegan Za cookbook, another one of our favorites. Best part is - they were super easy to make. You just have to remember to soak your beans and cook them a day ahead or so. If you forget like I did - use the Quick Soak method, below.

8oz of black beans have as much protein or more protein than does an 8oz steak?

When I tell people I eat mostly vegetarian at home I often get asked “how do you get your protein?” Are you aware that 8oz of black beans have as much protein or more protein than does an 8oz steak? AND beans have NO fat or cholesterol and beans are full of fiber where the steak has none! Yes - you heard right - ALL MEAT has NO fiber. Zero, nada, zip. Fiber fills you up and you want to eat less - try eating two of these burgers one night and your steak the next and see which fills you up more and you have to stop eating. Think that will help control over eating? You betcha! Try it!

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Popularity: 4%

February I will be featuring recipes using different types of grains. I find that many people don’t know how to cook grains or what to do with them. So I hope you try something different and add some grain into your diet. NOTE: none of my recipes have wheat in them for those of you that can’t eat wheat - and please note that these grains I’m using are NOT wheat.

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wa) is the grain of the gods according to the Incas of Peru. On my recent trip there I found the people there ate a lot of this powerhouse grain. Not only is it tasty, but it is highly nutritious. If it’s good enough for the Incas - it’s good enough for me! Try it in this colorful and delicious Quinoa Salad.

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Popularity: 6%

We eat beans a lot at our house because they are packed full of nutrients, high in fiber, and are very low in fat and calories. Basically they fill you up so you don’t want to eat a lot of other stuff that might not be as good for you. This Red Bean Cake recipe fits the bill perfectly!

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Popularity: 6%

Dark leafy greens have the highest nutrition density scores based on identified phytochemicals, antioxidant activity and total vitamin and mineral content. We should be eating dark leafy greens with each meal or at least a few times per day for optimum health.

According the Dr Joel Fuhrman, author of Eat to Live, Raw leafy green vegetables such as dark green salad mix, romaine lettuce, kale, collards, dandelion greens, mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard, parsley and daikon greens fit the bill, with solid green vegetables being second highest on the chart.

Now, knowing that, do you eat them on a daily basis?

Would you know Kale if you saw it on your plate?

Or do you even eat vegetables at all?

It’s a good question and the source of this week’s poll.

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Taking vegetarianism out of the picture for a moment. If you choose to eat meat (I do, on occasion), does this mean that you forgo including an abundance of dark leafy greens or other vegetables? or do you round out your meat consumption with high fiber vegetables and the nutrient dense vegetables as suggested above?

I’m curious.

Popularity: 3%