Yeah, yeah…I’m back. It’s been a while. I’d be much happier if you didn’t bring that year (give or take a few months) absence up, thank-you-very-much.

I’m back on the Eat-to-Live plan with a vengeance, and I’ve been working on this recipe, which incorporates as many G-BOMBS as humanly possible. In case you’re unfamiliar with the term, it’s an acronym coined by Dr. Joel Fuhrman (who I’ve mentioned in previous posts). Here is his explanation of G-Bombs from the Eat to Live website:

“‘G-BOMBS’ is an acronym you can use to remember the most nutrient-dense, health-promoting foods on the planet. These are the foods you should eat every day, and they should make up a significant proportion of your diet – these foods are extremely effective at preventing chronic disease and promoting health and longevity.”

“G-BOMBS” stands for “greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, and seeds,” and the idea is that we should eat these every single day, which I have been endeavouring to do for the past couple of years. I challenged myself recently, however, to create a recipe that incorporates all of these ingredients AND is delicious. My morning green drink incorporates most of them, but, even with all of the greens in it, the fruit makes it slightly sweet, and I don’t really want to ruin it by throwing mushrooms and onions in. On the other hand, I have easily incorporated most of the components into a savoury meal, but the berries always seem like a strange addition (unless you eat them for dessert). The other thing I wanted to ensure was that I included no grains.

In essence, my challenge to myself was to create a recipe that 1) contains as many G-BOMBS as possible; 2) is delicious; 3) contains no grains; 4) is filling even without the grains.

Here’s my finished product–it’s delicious (if I do say so myself). I accomplished the “no-grain” component by using quinoa, which is often treated like a grain, but is actually a seed. I mentioned my challenge to my daughter, and she suggested frozen cranberries to fulfill the “berry” component.

So….here are the components:

Greens: spinach, kale, broccoli, celery, zucchini (plus carrots, red pepper and corn!)

Beans: black beans

Onions: well…yeah

Mushrooms: yup

Berries: cranberries

Seeds: quinoa

And here’s the recipe:

G-Bombs Mexicana

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup sliced carrots or celery (or half and half)
• 1 red pepper, sliced
• 2 zucchinis, sliced (and halved) or 2 cups broccoli (or half and half)
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup chopped kale or spinach (or half and half)
• 1 cup frozen cranberries
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•  pepper to taste
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Spray the bottom of a large saucepan with oil and heat over medium heat. Stir in the onion, carrots, broccoli, celery, and garlic, and saute until lightly browned. Stir in the red pepper, zucchinis, kale, spinach, and mushrooms and sauté until cooked (but not mushy).
2. Stir in the frozen cranberries.
3. Mix quinoa into the saucepan and cover with vegetable broth. Season with cumin, cayenne pepper, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes,
4. Stir frozen corn into the saucepan, and continue to simmer about 5 minutes until heated through. Mix in the black beans and cilantro.
5. Serve with a big scoop of green salsa and a couple of slices of avocado (or a couple of tablespoons of guacamole).