This is an example of a proper portion and well balanced vegetarian meal.
These are the ingredients for 1 portion:
1 cupped hand of cooked mixed beans – protein
1 cupped hand of brown rice or whole wheat – starchy complex carbs
2 cupped hands of fresh cut vegetables – tomatoes, cucumbers, celery – vegetable complex carbs
1 tea spoon of flax seeds – healthy fat
If you keep track of your portions this way, then you don’t need to count calories.
It’s a cold dish and I always cook enough beans and rice for 2 days which saves me a lot of time. I suggest that you cut the vegetable just before you are ready to eat to keep it fresh. Also I have just learned that in order to receive the benefits of flax seeds, you have to grind them. If you eat the whole seeds, they will just past through your system. I have to find a way to grind them myself at home, if you have any suggestions for that, please let me know. I don’t have a coffee grinder by the way.
Best,
Zuzana.
Grind flax seeds in your blender if it has a “grind” button. That should work. I do that when I add flax seeds to a smooth. I grind flax and oats first, then add the rest of the smoothie stuff. It will probably be easier to get a small coffee grinder.
You can purchase flax seed ground already or sometimes labeled “milled.” I recently found ground “sprouted” flax seed with the company claiming more health benefits and greater “bioavailabilty.” I don’t know if there’s a real difference between sprouted or not but I love them. They’re great in plain yogurt, oatmeal, smoothies, muffins etc. Never tried them w/beans and rice but I’m game!
i love beans but it’s high in calories
Zuzana,
You can grind your flax seeds in a coffee grinder- they are super cheap. I just buy flax oil or Udos because it’s more convenient- it keeps better if you keep your flax oil in the freezer (it just pours out a little slower/ thicker). I also keep nuts in the freezer for the same reason- I like to put walnuts and other nuts on my salads to bump up the nutritional value and flavour. Seeds are also a great addition- lightly toasted pumpkin seeds add a nice crunch to salads.
Nutritional yeast is very good to have on hand too as it is very healthy (a good source of B12) and tastes great on salads, steamed veggies, rice etc. You can use it as a replacement for butter on popcorn- which is super fantastic. ;)
Thanks for your advice Lance and Jay.
How about a mortar and pestle to grind the flax seeds?
Yeah definitely mortar is good–you could even use a dough-rolling pin! That’s how sometimes we grind sesame seeds. Not to mention~~you get a workout in your arms :P Also, if you don’t want to use flax seeds you can use a little bit of avocado for the good fats instead, and if you want a change in the dish you can perhaps replace the beans with edamame beans?(if you don’t already) you can buy them shelled. Just a suggestion :) Take care!!
Thnx a lot, great mix of products – I tried it today, was very delicious d: more dishes for vegetarians please (:
FYI flax seed and linseed are the same thing. GNC’s ground flax seed comes in big bags pretty cheap and it’s labelled linseed meal. Whole flax seeds can last at least 4 months at room temp. But once ground, flax seed meal will last only around a week before they go rancid. You should store meal or oil in the fridge to prevent it breaking down.
Oh and i just thought of another way to grind the flax seeds in this dish …… with your teeth! Just chew each mouthful hard :)
write off the plain ones you have, because buying a coffee grinder isn’t worth it when you’ll be buying GROUND flax seeds from now on :)
Nutritional yeast ? I never heard of that but i’m down to try it, Where can it be found? GNC? :/
Katiara —
How did you get your picture on here?
Hi! This website is great! I just wanted to add that you’re exactly right–eating whole flax seed provides little to no benefits as they will pass through your body undigested. To break them down before consumption, really the best thing to do is to buy a coffee grinder (hopefully you can find something cheap online). Unfortunately, buying them “preground” diminishes the nutritional value of the flax seeds. As the seeds get older, they lose their health benefits by losing their healthy fats–think of coffee grounds and how they are better when they are freshly ground. That is because the oils (in the case for flax seeds: the healthy fats) dry up and break down. Another GREAT way to get the healthy fats in is to look for flax seed oil sold by the bottle. It is relatively inexpensive and can be found in a lot of mainstream grocery stores with “health sections” or “all natural sections”. Good luck to everyone here and keep up the great workouts!
I am a vegetarian and incorporate flax seed oil into my menus instead of the seed – you might try mixing a tsp. of flax seed oil into this recipe. Tastes fine! I also add a tsp. of psyillium husk for the fiber.
[...] Vegetarian cold dish [...]
does flax seed oil or fat in the seeds add body fat?
Yum! I’m going to try this adding some avocado, and maybe mushrooms. What kind of beans did you use? I’m thinking black beans, black eyed peas, and/or kidney beans for mine.
I will second what some others have said… You should be able to find ground flax seed. I have flax oil I use in protein shakes, I may try that, but I hope it doesn’t make it too oily.
I tried grinding flax in every possible way and the only thing that did it was a coffee grinder. I could grind very small amounts down to a powder and it was quite cheap, heaven sent. It’s not good to buy flax already milled or to grind it in bulk because it goes stale very quickly. Just find a coffee grinder, you will love it!
[...] Zuzana – BodyRock.Tv wrote an interesting post today onVegetarian cold dish | <b>Fitness</b> Advice, Workout <b>Videos</b>, Health <b>…</b>Here’s a quick excerpt [...]
I know the infomercial for the Magic Bullet is a little cheesy, but it actually works great to ground flax seed. You should purchase one. They are not that expensive. I grind flax in mine all the time. You can grind a little at the time so it is always fresh.
Hey Z~do you still use flax seeds? or have you replaced them with Salba for the most part? Thanks for your hard work! Every time I see your site I think, “Zuzana must spend quite some time and maybe even money just to maintain all this..” and you’re doing great! Actually you ARE putting in money into it as well due to the top contest.
Thanks for providing a vegetarian dish idea for us vegetarians.
However, do you add anything to give it a little flavor? My biggest problem with beans and rice is the bland taste.
hi,
i thought that in ur other article, u said EITHER 1 cupped hand of grains OR 2 cupped hands of vegetables/fruits for complex carbs but here u used both…just a bit confused. is it either/or or is it both?
Nicolaas, You can add any spice according to your taste to rice. I use lots of garlic, cumin,tumeric and a seasoning called “carne guisada seasoning” that you may find in the mexican spice isle,if not able to get it’s okay without it. You can try adding a little bit of peas, or after the rice is cooked you can add a can of lentils, or any type of bean you prefer. That are many ways to add flavor to rice,just experiment a little and find something you like. Hope this is helpful.
Hi. To grind… get one of this mortars (I do not mean this military thing) also useful for spices,….
Have no idea about the prices in the US. But cause the are handdriven and as long You do not drop it…. they will last for ever! :)
hi i enjoyed reading your articles..i learned a lot of things from here.it will really help me to start my own diet as well my motivation to start working out..i would like to hear more about from you..thank you very much..
Try a pepper mill to grind your flax seed, it works well on coriander
Hey Zuzana,
I have a bit of a problem with veggies *laughs* All of my life I have been brought up eating salty foods and I can’t get used to the plain taste of the vegetables. BUT, I want to start this clean or a cleaner diet then what I’m currently doing. I used to take dance class since I was a little girl [3] til about 15 years of age. Than I got pregnant, and had a c-section performed. I can’t seem to get rid of that ‘baby flap’. Now I am 5′ 115. I have tons of cellulite and stretch marks and am pretty flabby. I have mono so i get fatigued very easily but your videos give me determination that I usually lack. So thanks. and if you have any advice for me, please respond, no rush though :)
I’m super lazy and can’t be bothered to dirty any machinery to grind a few seeds. Just wrap them in a kitchen towel, grab a rolling pin and smash away… I guess it’s a workout as well, soooo, there you go! For the people who were asking about adding flavour, I heart chipotle salsa on my rice and beans; make it from scratch or get a good all-natural one. And if you’re not afraid of adding a bit of extra (healthy) fat, avacodos are indeed a good bet. A little veg. stock instead of water to cook the rice helps too.
Hello Zuzana!
I start watching bodyrock tv and found it very interesting. In your videos I see that you point the exercises. I’d like to see your notes in one of your videos.Thank You!!
Absolutely love your website and all the wonderful advice! Made this recipe yesterday for dinner and it was delicious. I used cooked whole grain brown rice and added organic shoyu (naturally brewed soy sauce) to the mix and it added just enough flavor for a yummy dinner;) Thanks, Zuzana!
I have a coffee grinder that I just use for coffee, and one just for flax seeds (and sometimes almonds). Both cost under $10, so having two isn’t that big of a deal.
Never buy ground flax seeds or grind too much at once. The oil begins to break down as soon as they’re ground. Store the seeds in the fridge or freezer.
And Udo’s oils have a lot of filler oils. You can get pure, cold pressed, organic EFAs for the same or less money than Udo’s.
Why not going vegetarian? its supposed to be the healthiest diet.
Seeds of flax can be ground in a mortar (such bowl with a pestle, a manual crusher:)
thanks zuzana! awesome dish, more dishes for vegetarians please
Keep up the good work!.