Hello! Since I’m on a low-carb kick I decided to create another quick, easy, and cheap recipe. I am not suggesting you go on a low-carb diet. I’m not suggesting you don’t. Nutritional science is relatively new. There is still much to be discovered. When working on my bachelors degree in nutrition and food science, low-carb became all the rage. However, my professors were strongly against it. One professor, who researched obesity, always said “everything in moderation.” I don’t necessarily agree with this statement.
In addition to my formal education in nutrition, I have ready books, articles and watched many documentaries on nutrition. I find some of them to be very misleading. For example, one last night was promoting the keto diet. Yes, they are correct in saying fat got a bad wrap. However, the issue wasn’t switching from eating fats to high carb. The issue, which they failed to emphasize in the documentary, was the switch was to HIGHLY PROCESSED carbs, devoid in nutrients.
Not all carbs are created equally. Nutrition science is constantly evolving, and I try to stay on top of it all. However, it is very clear to me that not all carbs are created equally, just like not all fats are created equally. Getting fat sources from whole plant-based foods like avocados and olives is going to be a lot healthier than olive or coconut oil. My mission is to merge my two loves of mental health and nutrition into one practice. I’m super excited about enrolling in a Nutrition and Integrative Medicine for Mental Health Professionals certification. I’ll make sure to update on that soon.
I digress. Back to the recipe! This recipe includes black soy beans. I was excited to try these because for one serving there is only 1g of net carbs! Packed with fiber and also phytonutrients. It can be rather difficult to find black soy beans in a store (and I live next to a bunch of health food stores), so just in case, I added an Amazon link at the end of this blog. On to the recipe!
Ingredients:
- 3 bell peppers
- 3 avocados (optional lime juice, salt, and pepper)
- 1 can black soy beans (15oz)
- 1/2 can black olives (~3oz)
- 1 bag riced cauliflower (~12oz)
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- Seasoning mix #1 (add to either the tofu or black soy beans, your preference): 1tsp chili powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp umami mushroom
- Seasoning mix #2: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 Tbs dried onion, 1 Tbs chili powder
- Optional garnish: mixed greens & salsa
Instructions:
- Take riced cauliflower out of the freezer and thaw.
- Cut green peppers in half and remove seeds. Set aside.
- Wrap the tofu in paper towel (make sure there are no dyes) and put in the microwave for 2 mins. Cut into cubes.
- Add 1 Tbs olive oil, 2 tsp chili powder, 1tsp garlic powder, and 1 tsp umami seasoning to the tofu. Add to air fryer and set for 15 mins at 400 degrees.
- Mash the black soy beans in a pan and add 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp chili powder, 1tbs umami mushroom, and 1/4 cup water. Cook until water is evaporated, for about 15 minutes medium heat.
- Mash the avocado and add salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste if desired.
- In a glass baking dish, layer each green pepper half with riced cauliflower, black soy bean mixture, and tofu. You can add any left overs to the baking dish.
- Cook at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes, until green pepper is tender.
- Top with avocado, olives. Optional: serve on a bed of spring greens and add a dash of salsa.
If you are more visual, here is a link to a Youtube video I created
Thanks for reading and/or watching! Stay tuned for more wellness posts soon!
Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to find black soy beans in the store, so I linked what I found on Amazon:
Food scale I used in this video:
I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post. Thank. you!