Participants:
Series Code: DDCC
Program Code: DDCC000015A
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00:19 Hola. Bonjour. Bienvenue.
00:21 And welcome to Creative Cooking. 00:23 My name is Nicole Braxton 00:25 and I'm super excited to be here with you today. 00:27 Now if you've been tuning in, you've been traveling the world 00:30 with us one bite at a time. 00:33 Along with traveling, it's super important 00:35 that we also take care of our health. 00:37 So today, we'll be focusing on diabetic friendly meals 00:41 that are good for your body. 00:42 And it could also be good for your mind, body, and spirit 00:45 if it is incorporated within your diet. 00:47 So for the dishes we'll be making today, 00:50 we'll be making lentil soup, quinoa, cute and cubes tofu. 00:55 So please join us 00:56 as we first make our first dish, 00:58 which is lentil soup. 01:00 The ingredients for our lentil soup include... 01:25 Now get ready, we're gonna make a delicious lentil soup. 01:28 So thank you for tuning in. 01:30 And before we get into that, 01:32 if you've been watching previous episodes 01:33 or if this is your first time, 01:35 just want to share with you, 01:36 I started a wellness organization, 01:38 it's called "Around the World in Seven Days". 01:40 And one of the key things that we like to do is 01:42 share health information. 01:43 And we do this through our workshops. 01:45 So it's related to our episode 01:47 because we also focus on diabetes. 01:49 And in different workshops and support groups 01:52 that we host, we like to share different meals. 01:54 And so this is one of the meals 01:56 we're going to be sharing today. 01:57 And one of the key things that has inspired us 02:00 to share and focus on diabetes is the key fact 02:04 that there is 26 million Americans 02:07 currently with diabetes 02:09 and 79 million Americans that are diabetic. 02:13 This is a huge trend 02:14 and a huge issue that is within our society. 02:17 So it's important that we take care of 02:20 the different causes and not the effects. 02:22 So let's get started on our lentil soup. 02:25 To start us off, we're going to take our six cups of water. 02:31 And pour it, and let this boil. 02:37 Okay. 02:38 Now while the water is boiling, 02:40 we'll go and chop up our veggies. 02:43 So we'll start off with an onion. 02:49 Cut it straight down in the middle. 02:55 Okay, take off the skin. 02:59 I really love having onions in my dishes 03:01 'cause it adds so much flavor and it... 03:05 The more flavor that you have in your dishes, 03:07 it's really good to have fresh herbs 03:10 because the less salt you'll need. 03:12 You don't need to supplement your flavor with salt 03:15 and over processed products 03:18 if you can have really flavorful fresh items. 03:22 So as we've talked about in previous episodes, 03:25 when we're cutting our onion we're just going straight down. 03:31 Then we'll make a cut right in the middle. 03:34 And then we're going to do this rocking motion back and forth 03:37 just like this. 03:39 Okay? 03:40 So we'll do the rocking motion. 03:48 This is a really effective way to cut an onion. 03:50 It saves time. 03:52 And it just gets to the point. 03:53 You are able to cook your onions effectively. 03:56 And if you notice you want to chop it a little bit more, 03:59 you can just do this. 04:03 Okay. So we have our onion. 04:07 And do the other side as well. 04:10 Along with onion we're going to put some 04:12 fresh garlic in there and coriander. 04:17 So coriander is something that you can optionally 04:20 put in there if you like. 04:22 With all of the recipes, it's really a key 04:25 that you tailor it and make it your own. 04:27 So this is a good baseline for you 04:28 to make your favorite dish. 04:31 So for lentil soup, the great thing about 04:33 the lentils is that it also... 04:37 With beans in general, 04:38 they have protease inhibitors inside of them 04:41 which helps to slow the progression of carcinogens 04:45 within the body. 04:47 So it's really great to start incorporating beans. 04:50 And also it breaks down slower into your body. 04:54 So your blood sugar levels do not spike 04:58 as quickly as they would with other items. 05:01 So it's really great to start incorporating beans. 05:04 And lentils are type of beans that I like to incorporate. 05:09 So I'm just chopping my onion. All right. 05:12 So we have that done. 05:14 The next thing that we're going to go on 05:16 and put in is... 05:19 First, we're going to start our skillet 05:20 with a little bit of olive oil. 05:22 So the water is boiling, 05:24 make sure it's turned all the way up. 05:27 And we're going to let the olive oil heat. 05:32 So in previous episodes, 05:34 we talked that extra virgin olive oil 05:37 is better for you because it's less refined. 05:40 It's more close to its natural state 05:42 as opposed to just regular olive oil. 05:45 So when going to the store, 05:47 if you are going to use olive oil, 05:48 it's better to use extra virgin olive oil. 05:51 In regards to cooking with any recipe that we have, 05:54 if you would like to cook with water, 05:55 water is the healthiest way to cook. 05:58 You can also cook with water instead of olive oil. 06:03 And we put some 06:05 chopped onions on the skillet, 06:10 along with some fresh garlic 06:12 which we shared in previous episodes. 06:14 It's really good for building the immune system 06:17 and it really helps to 06:20 incorporate great flavor inside your dishes. 06:23 So we'll put some garlic in there as well. 06:29 Okay. 06:31 Wow. 06:33 It's coming. 06:35 Okay. 06:37 So we're going to let that just saute a bit. 06:39 Now in previous episodes, we shared 06:42 that a mirepoix is a base. 06:45 And in the mirepoix, there is onions, 06:48 there is celery, and there are carrots. 06:51 So at this point if you decide you'd like to make a mirepoix 06:55 which we can do today. 06:56 You can do that as well. 06:57 Or you can keep it as simply stated with onions and garlic. 07:01 If you'd like to add carrots, you can. 07:03 And just in case if you decide to do that, 07:07 I will show you how it's done. 07:09 So with all of my recipes, it's very important 07:11 to tune in to our episode 07:13 so you can get ideas 07:14 on how to address the recipe up to your liking. 07:18 So we'll take the carrot, 07:20 we'll just chop it in half as such. 07:26 Alrighty. 07:36 And depending on what size you like your carrots to be, 07:39 you can chop it that way. 07:41 And then I'm just going to add it together 07:44 and I'm going do that motion we talked about, 07:46 the rocking motion. 07:55 All right. 07:57 Carrots have beta-carotene in them 07:59 which is really good for your body. 08:00 It can impact your vision in a positive way. 08:03 And as we talked about, 08:05 the more color you have in your dish, 08:07 it shows the different types of nutrients we're getting. 08:09 So look at that deep rich orange. 08:12 Look in, it's really, really good. 08:14 It's great to incorporate all different colors 08:16 into your food. 08:18 So we're going to put the carrots inside of our dish. 08:21 Okay. 08:24 So right now we have some carrots, 08:27 we have some onions. 08:28 Oops! Don't do that at home. 08:31 We have some carrots, we have some onions, 08:33 and now we're going to add some celery, 08:37 and this makes a mirepoix. 08:44 Okay. 08:49 So now I just like to cut it into strips. 08:57 Alrighty. 09:01 So I have three strips right here. 09:03 Alrighty. 09:05 And I'm going to just dice it, 09:09 doing the same rocking motion. 09:12 This really makes a great base. 09:15 One thing that we found in our support groups 09:19 is that people are willing to try food 09:23 that's healthy as long as it has flavor. 09:26 And that was been one of my biggest struggles 09:28 as how can you have food that's healthy 09:30 and also delicious at the same time. 09:33 And really it all revolves around flavor 09:36 and how things are seasoned. 09:39 So it's important to use fresh ingredients 09:41 because you will be able to get 09:44 more flavor from it. 09:45 So like fresh herbs and spices, 09:48 those are great things to incorporate. 09:51 So I want to ask you 09:52 and just think about this question, 09:54 what is the difference between an herb and a spice? 09:58 Just think about it. 10:01 Don't worry, I can't hear you thinking 10:02 but I'll answer the question. 10:04 I know it's rhetorical. 10:05 But the difference between herbs and spices is... 10:10 Herbs are the leafy green part of the plant 10:14 and that includes everything. 10:17 So for example like parsley, cilantro, those are herbs. 10:22 And spices is the other components of the plant. 10:26 For example, cinnamon is made from cinnamon bark of a tree. 10:30 So that is a spice. 10:32 So you have cumin, coriander, 10:35 all those different things are considered spices. 10:39 All right. 10:40 So now, the best time to put in your different spices 10:43 is at the base in this mirepoix. 10:47 So I sauteed my veggies, you can see right there, 10:50 the sauteed veggies. 10:52 Okay? 10:53 And now I'm going to put in different spices. 10:57 So I have some cumin. 11:00 And cumin is an amalgamation 11:04 which is a mixture of different spices. 11:07 And it has all different components and textures, 11:12 not textures but different flavors to it 11:14 because it's a combination of different spices. 11:18 Now if you can see, it's starting... 11:19 This is when you put your different spices at this point, 11:23 you'll allow the oils to be released from the spice. 11:27 So this is a great thing to start incorporating. 11:31 Okay. 11:32 So now, I put some curry powder, 11:37 you can put that in. 11:38 And these are also cumin seeds. 11:42 If you look right there, 11:43 cumin seeds are great to start incorporating. 11:46 Alrighty. 11:47 And now I'm going to pour my lentils in to the water. 11:54 And as the lentils are boiling, 11:57 you can put some salt just to taste, 12:00 so that can allow the flavor to come out from, 12:03 just like a pinch or two. 12:09 All right. So I'm going to turn it down. 12:11 You want to make sure you don't overcook your spices, 12:14 just enough for the oils to be released. 12:17 So this is our base, 12:18 we have a little bit of red chili pepper flakes. 12:20 So I'll put that over there. 12:25 Now if you don't like spicy, I don't recommend that 12:28 but you can switch it up and see what you like. 12:32 Okay. 12:35 All right. 12:36 So the oils are releasing from that. 12:38 And now all you do is you let your lentils boil 12:41 for about 30 minutes. 12:43 And when they are done, what you do... 12:47 is you pour your mirepoix. 12:49 You can look right now and take a good look in this 12:52 and see all the different spices inside of that, 12:55 you can see all the flavor. 12:56 The key is to season this 12:58 as if this is all the flavor 13:01 that you are going to get in your lentil. 13:02 So you want to have a lot of seasoning in this. 13:05 If you want you can put some salts, 13:07 you can also put some 13:08 chicken style seasoning in it as well. 13:12 Put that in there. 13:14 And it's important to make sure 13:18 you give it a taste. 13:22 And see how you like it. 13:27 Wow, that is really good. 13:29 It's full of flavor, very fresh. 13:33 It's delicious. 13:34 All right. 13:36 So now, I'm going to do is pour this into my lentils. 13:40 Okay. 13:43 And stir it around. 13:51 And you can also put some different fresh herbs in there 13:55 as well, like cilantro. 13:58 And you're going to let that cook for a little bit. 14:01 And as that is cooking, 14:02 we're going to go to our next recipe 14:06 which is our quinoa. 14:09 The next recipe calls for... 14:32 So when making our quinoa, 14:34 our first step we'll do 14:35 is we'll take about three to four cups of water. 14:39 And we'll pour it into our basin. 14:43 Okay. And we'll get some quinoa. 14:48 Quinoa is an excellent thing to start incorporating 14:50 into your diets 14:52 because it's very healthy for you. 14:53 It's really great for diabetes, 14:55 it breaks down slower into the body, 14:58 and also quinoa really absorbs 15:00 different flavors that you put in it. 15:02 So it's very easy to season 15:04 because it's not so bland if you see it. 15:08 It's a really great thing to incorporate. 15:11 It's not bland 15:14 and when you put additional seasons to it, 15:16 it really just soaks up the flavor 15:17 and the dish really becomes your own. 15:19 So the water, it's starting to boil. 15:22 So I'll pour in the quinoa. 15:28 Next, I'm going to cut up a red onion. 15:32 I like this for the color and it also adds, 15:35 you know, a unique flavor. 15:37 The color really stands out in this dish. 15:39 So we're going to rock, chop up our onion. 15:47 Okay. 15:54 Now we're going to take some 15:57 extra virgin olive oil 16:02 or you can use water. 16:03 So water is another great thing to incorporate 16:05 as we said earlier. 16:06 So you can put water there as well. 16:08 And then turn on our pan. Okay. 16:12 And we'll let that heat for a second. 16:15 The next thing we'll add is some garlic, 16:18 fresh garlic is great. 16:21 Okay. 16:22 So we'll put some onions, some garlic. 16:32 And you can also add, 16:34 you know, different types of onions 16:35 if you like. 16:37 So we have that in there. 16:41 The next thing I like to do is... 16:43 Let's just check on our lentils and see how they are doing. 16:49 Wow. 16:50 Now the color, if you zoom in a little bit 16:52 you can see the color. 16:56 It has the different vegetables in it. 17:00 We have the celery, the carrots, 17:03 and it's really flavorful if you see that. 17:09 And now it's starting to take on more of a brown color 17:11 because it's starting to observe 17:13 the cumin and the curry powder. 17:15 So that is a great start. 17:18 And now I'm going to take a quick step 17:19 into our refrigerator 17:21 and see if we have some great other things, 17:22 fresh things to add into our quinoa. 17:26 So I'm going to add some zucchini. 17:38 Okay, just going to chop it like so. 17:43 I'm chopping into three different sections. 17:48 And then I'm just gonna rock and chop some more. 17:54 So we have our zucchini. 17:57 All right, chop this into three sections. 18:00 Okay. 18:13 Now I will add some mushrooms. 18:16 We have some mushrooms we'll add inside... 18:24 and our zucchini. 18:29 It's important to saute the vegetables separately 18:31 as the quinoa cooks 18:33 because this way you can season it effectively 18:35 and it doesn't impact 18:38 the length that the quinoa needs to cook. 18:41 So now, I'm going to saute 18:46 the mushrooms, the onions, and the zucchini. 18:50 Also I'm going to season it with some salt. 18:55 A little bit of salt in there to bring out the flavors, 18:59 just to accent it, not to overpower it. 19:02 I'm also going to add some asparagus. 19:04 So I'll chop my asparagus. 19:09 It's really good to start incorporating green things 19:12 into our diet 19:14 as they tend to be part of 19:17 the cruciferous vegetables, 19:20 the family of cruciferous vegetables. 19:22 And just having green things in our diet 19:24 really help to bring out different nutrients, 19:26 they are less calories 19:28 and they also are a lot healthier for your body. 19:31 Having whole plant foods is a great thing 19:36 to prevent different health concerns 19:39 and also to heal certain health concerns 19:41 depending on what they consist of. 19:44 When it comes to diabetes, 19:45 it's really good to have more whole plant foods 19:49 because it can really help 19:51 the breakage of sugar to be slower 19:55 and it can also allow your body 19:57 to effectively digest the food 19:59 that you're eating as opposed to refined foods 20:04 which quickly break down into sugar within the body. 20:08 So it's really good to start having whole plant foods. 20:12 So we're letting that saute. 20:14 And I'm also going to put 20:15 some chicken style seasoning over it. 20:21 Alrighty. This gives it flavor. 20:26 I'm looking over at my lentils and I'm realizing... 20:30 Wow, that smells amazing. 20:33 All of the different spices 20:36 and fresh vegetables are stating to come out. 20:39 I'm going to add a little bit of cilantro at this point. 20:43 So cilantro right here, 20:44 I'm going to add this to our lentils. 20:46 So I'm just going to chop it. 20:50 Okay. There you go. 20:54 So I'll put some fresh cilantro in there. 20:57 Stir this. 21:01 This is absolutely beautiful. 21:06 Okay. 21:07 So while cooking, it's a great thing to also 21:09 just taste a little bit 21:10 and see how your flavors are going. 21:13 You can adjust it if you like, if you say, 21:15 "Hey, I would like to add a little more curry powder" 21:19 or "Hey, I would like to add 21:22 some different nutritional yeast flakes." 21:24 I challenge you to make this recipe your own. 21:28 So I'm just going to give it a quick taste. 21:34 Okay, I like that. 21:37 One thing that I'm gonna add is a little bit more 21:39 chicken style seasoning to this. 21:44 Or salt is a good one, just a little. 21:47 A salt that I also like 21:48 is this Himalayan salt right here. 21:51 I like incorporating that as well. 21:54 All right. So we have that going. 21:59 Sauteing our vegetables. 22:02 And if you find that when sauteing, 22:05 it takes a little bit longer 22:06 or you would like to add some more moisture, 22:10 I would recommend adding water at this point. 22:14 Because it does the same thing, it has the same effect 22:17 and it's healthier for your body. 22:20 Okay. 22:21 So now as that's sauteing, 22:22 we're going to get started on our last recipe for today, 22:26 which is cubed tofu. 22:28 The ingredients call for... 22:40 For our cubed tofu, 22:42 we'll take a similar principle that we did for onions. 22:44 And we'll just cut straight down 22:46 and section it into four. 22:50 And then we'll make a cut in the middle. 22:55 Put it back together and then we'll just dice straight down. 23:00 Alrighty. 23:01 And the great thing about tofu 23:03 is that it really acts as a sponge. 23:06 So it soaks up all the flavor 23:08 from the different ingredients that you put in it. 23:11 So along with our tofu, 23:12 we're going to put our sauce in a separate bowl 23:15 which is made out of olive oil, 23:20 chicken style seasoning, and nutritional yeast flakes. 23:26 So now in the separate bowl, 23:27 we're going to mix everything together. 23:29 And what we're going to do 23:31 is we're going to pour this on top of our tofu. 23:35 So we have the sauce. 23:37 And as you can see, 23:39 it makes nutritional yeast flakes along 23:41 with its nutritional value of having B12. 23:44 The fact that it is a protein, 23:47 it has protein properties inside of it. 23:50 It's a great thing or essentially, 23:52 it has amino acids. 23:54 It's a great thing 23:55 to incorporate it into our tofu. 23:58 So we're going to take the tofu. 24:03 And we're going to put it in the big mixing bowl. 24:07 Okay. 24:11 And now we're going to check on, 24:12 just going to turn off every other eye. 24:16 Zucchini looks done. All right. 24:19 So now we're going to pour the sauce over the tofu, 24:24 like so. 24:27 And at this point, you get to make a decision, 24:30 life's all about decisions. 24:32 You can either mix this with your hands, 24:34 get messy, or you can stir with the spoon. 24:37 Since I'm talking to you in this manner, 24:39 I'm going to stir with the spoon. 24:40 Normally, I would just probably just toss with my hands, 24:42 either one works well. 24:45 So now you just allow this 24:46 to soak up the different flavors. 24:51 Stir it a bit. 24:52 And then what you'll do 24:54 is you'll put this in the oven and let it bake. 25:00 Okay. 25:02 So it's marinating right now, 25:03 you can let it sit for a little bit, 25:05 and then you can let it bake. 25:06 So now let's check on our other items. 25:11 It looks like the quinoa is about ready. 25:16 Awesome. Okay. 25:17 So now we're going to pour in 25:20 our zucchini, our mushrooms, our onions. 25:29 Okay. And we're going to stir it in. 25:36 Now we'll add the Amino Braggs or the liquid aminos, 25:41 we'll pour that inside. 25:44 We'll also add chicken style seasoning, 25:47 pour that in. 25:50 And we'll add some salt to taste. 25:56 Okay. Now I give it a quick stir. 26:02 And now you have your quinoa. 26:05 So what you can top the tofu off. 26:07 So what you'll do is you'll put this on a tray 26:09 and you just let it bake 26:11 for a couple minutes on each side. 26:12 And then you'll have your fresh tofu. 26:15 It's delicious, seasoned well, 26:17 and it's something that you can top on top of... 26:19 You can put on top of your quinoa and finish it off. 26:22 So if you look at the quinoa, 26:25 you'll be able to see all the different colors we have. 26:30 And it's very nutritious. 26:33 Ultimately, when it comes to diabetes 26:37 along with other health concerns, 26:38 having a plant-based diet 26:40 is a really effective thing to do. 26:42 Now let's take a look at what we've made today. 26:45 We've made some delicious quinoa, as you can see. 26:50 And we also have some lentil soup which is fresh, 26:56 full of all the different herbs and spices. 27:00 It's delicious. 27:01 It's something you can also take and eat 27:02 throughout the week. 27:04 And we also have the cubed tofu which is seasoned. 27:08 This is what it looks like after you bake it, 27:10 which is really delicious. 27:12 And what I like about all these different meals 27:14 are they're healthy. 27:16 And also when I get my tofu, I like to get organic 27:18 because it's healthier for you, it's doesn't have non-GMO. 27:23 So it is non-GMO. 27:25 So the great thing to do is to incorporate 27:27 healthy plant-based meals into your diet. 27:29 And having a healthier diet can help you treat the cause 27:34 and not the effect. 27:35 A lot of times when it comes to different health concerns, 27:38 we're always focused on "Okay, let's fix what's happening." 27:41 And we tend to have different things 27:44 that fix the symptoms 27:46 but they don't actually treat the cause. 27:49 So food and the types of food that we consume 27:51 can be the cause. 27:53 But ultimately, thank you so much 27:55 for trying out these delicious meals. 27:58 I hope you enjoy it at home. 27:59 And thank you for joining us at Creative Cooking. 28:02 Remember to travel the world one bite at a time. |
Revised 2018-04-26