’Tis the season, and for many folks, that means rich foods and lots of cookies and decadent desserts. We all have our favorite cookies or pies, main dishes or sides, that say “holiday” for us and convey all those cozy, comfortable feelings. I certainly plan on indulging as well, but will also do my best to maintain a healthy balance.
There seems to be more research coming out every day on the personal health benefits of eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes – and less meat, dairy, processed foods, salt and sugar. Lowered incidence of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, decreased risks of cancers and improved gut health are all cited as some of the potential benefits, not to mention better weight management, which affects your health in so many ways.
Every healthy meal you can make that is more plant-centered is a win for you! Where to start? One meal or snack at a time. The important thing is to start, and not to consider the entire holiday season to be one long binge of unhealthy foods or overindulging. The Forks over Knives documentary website, Dr. Michael Greger’s nutritionfacts.org website, the What the Health documentary and website and Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s website and “Eat to Live” book are all fantastic resources that can give you in-depth health information regarding your food choices, in addition to terrific recipes. The links to all these can be found on the “Impact on Personal Health” page within the Harris Center’s Recipe for a Healthy Planet at harriscenter.org/rhp.
This month’s recipe was created by my husband. He came up with it this summer when we had a plethora of zucchini from the garden. We wound up shredding quite a bit of it at the time and then freezing it; that way, we have a taste of our garden with us throughout the winter. These veggie globes are a great snack, side dish, or appetizer.
From the kitchen of Dave Konkel, who writes, “This recipe is a ‘beefed up’ version of cornballs from the ‘Arrested Development’ sitcom!”
Ingredients
— 2 cups zucchini, shredded
— 1 cup corn kernels
— 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
— 1/2 cup chives, minced
— 1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped
— 2 eggs or egg replacer equivalent
— 1 cup whole-wheat flour
— 1 cup corn meal
— 3 tablespoons olive oil
— 1/2 teaspoon pepper
— 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
— 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
— Salt, to taste (optional)
Directions
Mix the vegetables and herbs together in a large bowl. Whisk eggs or egg replacer and stir into vegetable mixture. Mix whole-wheat flour, corn meal and spices together; stir into vegetables.
Add a little water, one tablespoon at a time, if mixture needs more moisture to hold together. It should be crumbly, but not too dry. Create veggie balls using an ice cream scoop; compact each scoop so that the mixture holds together well. Place each ball on the mesh tray of an air fryer and bake for about 18 minutes at 400 degrees. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can fry the veggie balls in oil, but flatten them out with the palm of your hand before frying (a few minutes on each side).
This recipe makes about two dozen. Serve with salsa and sour cream (or sour cream substitute).
Lisa Murray has a passion for exploring the impact our food choices have on human and planetary health