The Kind Diet

I made a purchase recently that I just had to share with you. Alicia Silverstone’s book, the Kind Diet ( A simple guide to feeling great, losing weight, and saving the planet).

Alicia is an Actress, perhaps best known for her role in Clueless. She is a dedicated an avid environment and animal activist and was voted “Sexiest Vegetarian Alive” in 2004. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Christopher, and their four rescued dogs AND she is the author or this fantastic book; informative, inspiring and full of delicious meat-and dairy-free recipes.

In The Kind Diet Alicia shares the insights that inspired her to swear off meat and dairy, and the subsequent benefits, such as effortless weight loss clear skin, improved general health, increased energy, and dramatically improved digestion, to name a few.

The Kind Diet addresses how we have been influenced by the meat and dairy industries and the impacted this has on our health and environment, the disconnect between how we feel and what we eat, our relationship with the animals we eat etc…

Alicia also provides some excellent nutritional information and advice.

For example, I was surprised to read that while Whole milk provides 118 milligrams of Calcium per 100 gram serving, Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) have 150, soy beans 226, almonds 234, sesame seeds 1,160 and Hijiki 1, 1400. Who knew?

The Kind Diet encompasses 3 separate levels, Flirting, vegan and Superhero. Flirting is a commitment free opportunity to learn to reduce meat-eating and experiment with some new foods that you might never have tried before. Vegans forgo animal-products entirely, while still enjoying many convenience foods and meat substitutes. The Superhero plan is based in part on the principles of a macrobiotic diet, essentially fresh whole foods, grown locally and in season.

The book is informative and inspiring, the photos are lovely and Alicia is so adorable I could scream.
I strongly encourage anyone and everyone, vegetarians and carnivores alike, to check out The Kind Diet. We have tried many of the recipes and loved loved loved them all!

diet: (noun) a way of living, or thinking, a day’s journey

“This was the definition of diet when it entered the English language in the mid-1600s. So simple! So sane! How did this cute little word become synonymous with deprivation, suffering, and—let’s be honest—total hell?” – Alicia Silverstone

Alicia’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

1/2 c Earth Balance natural spread (dairy-free butter)
3/4 c crunchy peanut butter (preferably natural, unsweetened, and unsalted)
3/4 c graham cracker crumbs or 10 graham cracker squares, crushed
1/4 c maple sugar or other granulated sweetener
1 c grain-sweetened nondairy chocolate or carob chips
1/4 c soy, rice, or nut milk
1/4 c chopped pecans, almonds, or peanuts

1. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. (Find out where to buy unbleached liners at ifyoucare.com.) Set the tin aside.

2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the peanut butter, graham cracker crumbs, and maple sugar; mix well. Remove the mixture from the heat. Divide mixture evenly (about 2 tablespoons per cup) among the muffin cups.

3. Combine the chocolate and milk in another pan. Stir over medium heat until the chocolate has melted. Spoon the chocolate evenly over the peanut butter mixture. Top with chopped nuts. Place in the refrigerator to set for at least 2 hours before serving.

Makes 12.

The Kind Diet: A Simple Guide To Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving The Planet, by Alicia Silverstone, Rodale, 2009.

Cheesy, Oozy Guacamole Bean Dip

* 1 can (16 ounces) refried beans
* 3 large avocados
* 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
* 2 containers (8 ounces) nondairy sour cream
* 1 packet taco seasoning
* 1/2 cup diced mild green chiles , drained
* 1/2 cup sliced black olives , or more if you like
* 5 tomatoes , chopped
* 2 cups shredded vegan cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spread a layer of refried beans in the bottom of an 8×8 quart glass baking dish. Pit and peel the avocados, and place in a bowl. Mash the avocados together with the lime juice, and spread on top of the refried beans. Stir together the sour cream and taco seasoning, and spread over the avocado.

Sprinkle the chiles over the sour cream, and top with a layer of black olives. Add the tomatoes and sprinkle with the cheese. Heat the dip for 15 to 30 minutes or until heated through and the cheese is a bit melted.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Note: We use Bearitos organic taco seasoning, but it does contain a touch of cane sugar. If you’re avoiding all white sugar, make your own by combining chili powder, ground cumin, onion powder, hot paprika or cayenne, and salt.

Variation:

For chips, there are some pretty healthy baked organic tortilla chips on the market, but you can also make your own by cutting up Ezekiel sprouted grain tortillas and baking them in the oven until crisp or dry-roasting them in a frying pan.

The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone. Published by Rodale Books. © 2009

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