Chickpea and Butternut Squash Stew – Whole Foods Recipe

My friend Carrie has been kind enough to share these wonderful Whole Foods Recipes with us.

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil or butter
1 carrot diced
1 onion diced
1/2 red bell pepper chopped
1 T cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
2 16 oz cans chickpeas, drained
1 32 oz container butternut squash soup
1 1/2 cups couscous

Heat butter or oil in saucepan over medium heat and saute carrot until soft, then add onions and bell pepper and cook several minutes more. Add cumin seeds and bay leaf.

Puree 1 c chickpeas and 1 c squash soup in blender, then add to carrot mixture along with remaining whole chickpeas and soup. Simmer 20 minutes and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Place couscous in bowl and stir in 1 1/2 c bowling water. Cover and let stand while soup cooks, then fluff with a fork. Place couscous in several bowls and ladle stew around inside bowls.

Enjoy! Diana Walker, Cravings Coach

What Are Environmental Toxins? – Show #9

200_0055

The media is filled with advice and self-help articles for living a healthy lifestyle: eat more fruits and vegetables, exercise more, and eat organic foods when possible. But did you know there are some toxins found in our environment that are poisoning us?

This week I am very pleased to be joined by Dr. Mike Okouchi from http://www.akdocmike.com/ and he explains how the death of a beloved relative pushed him into a life of healing and teaching healthy living practices.

In Part 1 of my interview with Dr. Mike, he explains what the endocrine system is and how toxins can
affect this part of our body and increase our risk for certain diseases. He also talks about the ways the toxins in our air, plastics, junk food, medications, and pesticides can affect us.

Join me next week for Part 2 of my interview with Dr. Mike.

Creative Commons License photo credit: m@burpee