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Dr. Brian Taschner

/Dr. Brian Taschner

About Dr. Brian Taschner

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So far Dr. Brian Taschner has created 69 blog entries.

Curried Split Pea Cauliflower Stew

2019-02-10T19:11:02+00:00

Curried Split Pea Cauliflower Stew This winter in Florida has been unseasonably chilly. No, we didn't experience a true "polar vortex" like many parts of the country, and never really needed to dig ourselves out from a snowstorm. Nonetheless, there were many days of "sweater weather", with temperatures dipping into the 40s and 50s. I saw this as a perfect opportunity to break out a stew recipe that I hadn't made in a couple of years. This one is loaded with flavor and nutrition. There's the cruciferous cauliflower, the leafy-green spinach, the high-fiber legumes, the disease-fighting garlic and onion from the [...]

Curried Split Pea Cauliflower Stew 2019-02-10T19:11:02+00:00

Eggplant Mushroom Walnut “Meatballs”

2019-01-19T20:42:55+00:00

Eggplant Mushroom Walnut "Meatballs" I love experimenting with different vegetarian meat alternatives. Most of the variations I've made contain some combination of legume, grain, veggies, spices, and often a binder such as a flax egg. While perusing my new Love and Lemons cookbook, I came across the rare "meatball" recipe that has no legumes. Check out her website for more great recipes! The primary ingredients are eggplant, mushroom, walnuts, and millet. Due to the moisture from the vegetables, no binder was needed! The result is a meaty, moist, well textured veggie ball that can be used to top pasta, be enjoyed by itself, [...]

Eggplant Mushroom Walnut “Meatballs” 2019-01-19T20:42:55+00:00

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip

2019-01-01T13:25:37+00:00

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip Most holiday parties I have attended this year have served up rich, heavy, unhealthy hors d'ouevres. For a New Year's Eve gathering, I decided to bring a modified version of a classic favorite: spinach artichoke dip. This dish is not only cheesy, creamy, and tangy, but it's also vegan. The creaminess comes from an easy-to-make cashew cream flavored with lemon and garlic. I topped the dip with some panko mixed with nutritional yeast and garlic powder which added an additional element of flavor and texture after being baked to a golden brown. The entire dish can be [...]

Vegan Spinach Artichoke Dip 2019-01-01T13:25:37+00:00

Do Low Carbohydrate Diets Increase Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease?

2018-12-26T02:39:10+00:00

Low carbohydrate diets have become very popular for those who are trying to lose weight. After all, we are a society that tends to overindulge on processed carbohydrates laden with sugars and white flour. It's no wonder that removing these items from one's diet would result in losing a few pounds. The problem is, most people tend to gain the weight back as soon as they reintroduce carbohydrates. Additionally, cutting out healthy carbohydrates isn't necessarily good for you long-term. Two recent publications explored this issue in greater depth. An article entitled "Dietary carbohydrate intake and mortality: a prospective cohort study and [...]

Do Low Carbohydrate Diets Increase Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease? 2018-12-26T02:39:10+00:00

Mushroom Walnut Taco “Meat”

2018-12-25T23:50:04+00:00

Mushroom Walnut Taco "Meat" As you can probably tell by now, my family loves tacos. Check out some of my previous taco recipes including Cauliflower Oyster Mushroom Tacos and Tempeh Tacos and Fajitas.  This recipe is flavored more like traditional taco meat. A base of cooked chopped mushrooms and walnuts provides a meaty texture. Allowing this combination to simmer with tomato, cilantro, minced red onion, and spices provides that indistinguishable taco meat taste. It's healthy, quick, easy to make, and one of my favorite handheld comfort foods! Top your tortilla with some avocado and tomato and you've got the perfect meal for [...]

Mushroom Walnut Taco “Meat” 2018-12-25T23:50:04+00:00

Healthy Falafel

2018-12-24T22:09:19+00:00

Healthy Falafel For those of you who have never tried falafel, you're definitely missing out. What is falafel? It's a traditionally deep-fried chickpea ball or patty that is a Middle Eastern delicacy. While chickpeas themselves are very nutritious, providing good doses of plant-protein, fiber, and minerals such as iron, potassium, and magnesium, deep-fried falafel may not be so healthy. This recipe originally called for pan-frying the falafel, which turn out better if they are formed into thinner patties rather than balls. The falafel can also be oven-baked to minimize oil. With my recent discovery of an air-fryer, I've found that this method [...]

Healthy Falafel 2018-12-24T22:09:19+00:00

Cauliflower Sun Dried Tomato Mac N “Cheese”

2018-12-11T11:33:11+00:00

Cauliflower Sun Dried Tomato Mac N "Cheese" After a week of eating that didn't include as many vegetables as I usually prefer to consume, I stopped by the market on a Saturday morning once I finished up at the gym. I figured it would be good to replenish my body with some highly nutritious produce and picked up some baby spinach and a head of cauliflower. When I arrived home, I was hungry for some comfort food, and knew that a salad or roasted veggie dish just wasn't going to cut it. So I decided to get creative! What kind of [...]

Cauliflower Sun Dried Tomato Mac N “Cheese” 2018-12-11T11:33:11+00:00

Is Olive Oil Heart-Healthy?

2018-11-23T13:23:53+00:00

Is olive oil a heart-healthy food? I get this question often and the topic was again raised recently at a vegan food festival I attended. While it may be less unhealthy to consume fats in olive oil than in foods containing saturated fat, it should not be considered a health food. The popularity of olive oil as a health food seemed rise following the publication of a study which touted the cardiovascular benefits of a Mediterranean diet including olive oil versus a standard American diet. In actuality, the benefits seen in the Mediterranean diet were due to higher intake of plant-based [...]

Is Olive Oil Heart-Healthy? 2018-11-23T13:23:53+00:00

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

2018-11-23T12:41:33+00:00

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff While mushroom stroganoff might not be the first thing that comes to mind as a vegan dish for a Thanksgiving dinner, it actually is a meaty, flavorful entree with many of the traditional Thanksgiving flavors. The base of this recipe is a creamy mushroom-based broth similar to what we might see in a traditional green bean casserole. The dish also contains many of the familiar herbs that we associate with turkey and stuffing, such as thyme, sage, and parsley. While the original recipe calls for dried herbs, I opted for the fresh variety for the holiday [...]

Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff 2018-11-23T12:41:33+00:00

Can Vegan (or Vegetarian) Marry Ketogenic?

2018-11-07T11:09:52+00:00

Keto or Plant-Based? Given the recent popularity of the ketogenic (“keto”) diet, I’ve had a lot of patients inquire as to whether or not this method of eating is beneficial for weight loss and long-term health. In general, I advocate a plant-based diet which tends to be higher in non-refined carbohydrates due to incorporation of a broad spectrum of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. With a plant-based diet, it would not be unusual to have 40-60% of consumed calories come from carbohydrates, 30-40% from healthy polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats (preferably in their whole-food form), and 20-30% from plant-based protein sources. [...]

Can Vegan (or Vegetarian) Marry Ketogenic? 2018-11-07T11:09:52+00:00