Kare Kare is a traditional filipino dish comprised of meat and vegetables stewed in a creamy peanut sauce. This plant-based version replaces meat with extra firm tofu. My grandma usually puts chayote in the dish. Chayote is a lime-colored squash shaped like a pear. It is high in potassium and low in sodium which is good for maintaining a healthy blood pressure. It is also rich in vitamin C, B-6 and folate. You can use summer squash as a substitute if you can’t find chayote in the grocery stores near you.

The combination of peanut butter and the aromatic licorice flavor from the star anise gives this dish a simple, but distinct flavor. The peanut butter sauce is made of water (or vegetable broth), Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce), creamy peanut butter, ground black pepper and star anise. That’s it! It’s very easy to make and takes around 20 minutes to cook after preparing all the vegetables! Each serving has 10.3 g of monounsaturated fat from the peanut butter and olive oil. Monunsaturated fat helps reduce bad cholesterol levels, lowering risks of heart disease and stroke.

Giniling Guisado is ground pork marinated in soy sauce and calamansi juice (lemon/lime) that is typically sauteed with tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and bell peppers. This was one of the Filipino dishes I missed the most when we became vegan. I loved the texture and tanginess of the dish combined with white rice! Giniling is the Filipino version of Picadillo, a Spanish and Latin American ground beef hash. Picadillo is usually made with raisins, diced potatoes and tomato sauce.

I discovered Gardein Beefless Ground a few months ago and that was all I needed to start making Giniling again! I made other changes to the traditional recipe. I did not use tomatoes, and doubled up on the lime. Instead of soy sauce, I used Bragg’s Liquid Aminos. I also used sweet potatoes instead of potatoes, and added shiitake mushrooms for a meaty texture.

We love cooking red lentils because they are rich in protein, folate, dietary fiber, potassium and magnesium. Lentils help reduce high cholesterol, promote regular bowel movement, stablize blood sugar level, increase energy, and improve blood flow and oxygen in the body. It even helps with weight loss because it is low in calories and fat!

Did you know that ¹⁄₄ of a cup of red lentils have more protein, less fat and less cholesterol than one hard-boiled egg?