Cabbage is a very underrated vegetable. It’s been ranked one of the 10 best foods you aren’t eating. It’s packed with vitamins, iron and calcium and it’s been shown to help fight cancer.

For cabbage novices, a head of this slightly bitter stuff might seem a bit overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Coleslaw is a great way to dress it up. In case you’re turned off by the idea of a salad dripping in mayonnaise, this is a relatively fat-free alternative to that picnic-time staple.

Here is a recipe for a mayonnaise-free coleslaw that takes just about 10 minutes to make. …read more of A Mayonnaise-Free Coleslaw here

You may think of peanut butter as more of a childhood staple, but it’s also a great source of protein for adults.

Surprisingly, it may also be a great for weight control: one study found that peanut eaters tend not to overeat their daily calories. As a source of antioxidants, peanuts- according to recent studies- may rival some fruits.

By making your own peanut butter you can be sure to avoid the trans-fats of some commercial brands. Plus, it’s a way to avoid all those containers that tend to pile up if you’re a fan of the spread. …read more of Homemade Peanut Butter here

Photo Credit: Juan Carlo

The plant-based lifestyle is proactive environmentalism at its best, and is as good for you as it is for the planet. Legumes, which include beans, lentils, peas, soybeans and peanuts, are one of the best sources of soluble fiber and a staple food in just about every country on earth.

Legumes are also very low in fat and high in quality protein. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends 3 cups of legumes per week. That would be 6 servings, as a half cup of cooked beans, peas, lentils, or tofu is considered a serving.¹

Replacing fatty animal products with legumes is likely to lower the risk of cardiovascular disease and type2 diabetes.² Legumes have a low glycemic index value (the measure of the potential for foods to raise blood glucose levels) and are a great choice for diabetic individuals.³ …read more of Plant-Based Proactive: A Healthy Recipe for People and the Planet here

We change our wardrobes with the seasons, we should be changing our salad ingredients as well. Eating seasonally not only tastes better, but it requires a lot less energy to create.

In wintertime, instead of basing your salad on something light like a butter lettuce, consider something that weathers the cold climate, like endive, escarole or a more common spinach.

Once you’ve chosen your base leaf, move on to the add-ons. New York City-based chef Carlin Greenstein recommends building the salad around the green and in fall and winter, she likes to add a cooked element for those cold days.

Here is her recipe for a winter spinach salad complete with seasonal fruits (pomegranate, persimmon and pear). …read more of Winter Spinach Salad here

Despite its name, buckwheat is neither a wheat nor a gluten.  Although it is commonly treated like a grass or a cereal, buckwheat is actually the fruit seeds from a plant, or an agricultural weed known as Fagopyrum esculentum.

Buckwheat is a hearty whole food that can be grown in poor soil and weather conditions; it originated in Northern Europe and Asia.  In North America, we often find buckwheat ground into flour, which is an excellent alternative to wheat flour or other glutinous flours, such as spelt, rye, and kamut.

Buckwheat is high in calcium and protein and can be found as a substitute for wheat in gluten-free beer, and its kernels, also known as groats, are an excellent substitute for rice or quinoa.  To top it all off, the hulls of buckwheat are commonly used as fillings for pillows, and as a renewable natural resource, this product is much more environmentally friendly than a synthetic poly-filled pillow. …read more of Gluten-Free Buckwheat Crepes here