Tacos aren’t generally held up as the world’s healthiest food, but they can be! There’s so much going on in this dish today, healthwise, in a good way, that it’s hard to know where to start. But suffice it to say, these tacos are great for your gut, heart, blood sugars, and more.

You will need

For the chickpeas:

• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1 tbsp ras el-hanout*
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
• Extra virgin olive oil

*You can easily make this yourself; following our recipe (linked above in the ingredients list) will be better than buying it ready-made, and if you have strong feelings about any of the ingredients, you can adjust per your preference.

For the tahini sauce:

• ⅓ cup tahini
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill
• ¼ bulb garlic, minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp black pepper, coarse ground

It may seem like salt is conspicuous by its absence, but there is already enough in the chickpeas component; you do not want to overwhelm the dish. Trust us that enjoying these things together will be well-balanced and delicious as written.

For the mango relish:

• ½ mango, pitted, peeled, and cubed
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tsp cilantro, finely chopped (substitute with parsley if you have the “cilantro tastes like soap” gene)
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

For building the taco:

• Soft corn tortillas
• Handful of arugula
• 1 avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
• ½ red onion, sliced

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Heat a sauté pan with a little olive oil in; add the chickpeas and then the rest of the ingredients from the chickpea section; cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and set aside.

2) Combine the tahini sauce ingredients in a small bowl, stirring in ¼ cup water, and set aside.

3) Combine the mango relish ingredients in a separate small bowl, and set aside. You can eat the other half of the mango if you like.

4) Lightly toast the tortillas in a dry skillet, or using a grill.

5) Assemble the tacos; we recommend the order: tortillas, arugula, avocado slices, chickpeas, mango relish, red onion slices, tahini sauce.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Eat More (Of This) For Lower Blood Pressure
• Our Top 5 Spices: How Much Is Enough For Benefits? ← we hit all five today! Yay!
• An Apple (Cider Vinegar) A Day…
• Coconut vs Avocado – Which is Healthier?
• Lettuce vs Arugula – Which is Healthier?

Take care!

Today we have a recipe we’ve mentioned before, but now we have standalone recipe pages for recipes, so here we go. The dish of the day is shchi—which is Russian cabbage soup, which sounds terrible, and looks as bad as it sounds. But it tastes delicious, is an incredible comfort food, and is famous (in Russia, at least) for being something one can eat for many days in a row without getting sick of it.

It’s also got an amazing nutritional profile, with vitamins A, B, C, D, as well as lots of calcium, magnesium, and iron (amongst other minerals), and a healthy blend of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, plus an array of anti-inflammatory phytochemicals, and of course, water.

You will need

• 1 large white cabbage, shredded
• 1 cup red lentils
• ½ lb tomatoes, cut into eighths (as in: halve them, halve the halves, and halve the quarters)
• ½ lb mushrooms sliced (or halved, if they are baby button mushrooms)
• 1 large onion, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp rosemary, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp thyme, chopped finely
• 1 tbsp black pepper, coarse ground
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 tsp yeast extract
• 1 tsp MSG, or 2 tsp low-sodium salt
• A little parsley for garnishing
• A little fat for cooking; this one’s a tricky and personal decision. Butter is traditional, but would make this recipe impossible to cook without going over the recommended limit for saturated fat. Avocado oil is healthy, relatively neutral in taste, and has a high smoke point for caramelizing the onions. Extra virgin olive oil is also a healthy choice, but not as neutral in flavor and does have a lower smoke point. Coconut oil has far too strong a taste and a low smoke point. Seed oils are very heart-unhealthy. All in all, avocado oil is a respectable choice from all angles except tradition.

Note: with regard to the seasonings, the above is a basic starting guide; feel free to add more per your preference—however, we do not recommend adding more cumin (it’ll overpower it) or more salt (there’s enough sodium in here already).

Method

(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)

1) Cook the lentils until soft (a rice cooker is great for this, but a saucepan is fine); be generous with the water; we are making a soup, after all. Set them aside without draining.

2) Sauté the cabbage, and put it in a big stock pot or similar large pan (not yet on the heat)

3) Fry the mushrooms, and add them to the big pot (still not yet on the heat)

4) Use a stick blender to blend the lentils in the water you cooked them in, and then add to the big pot too.

5) Turn the heat on low, and if necessary, add more water to make it into a rich soup

6) Add the seasonings (rosemary, thyme, cumin, black pepper, yeast extract, MSG-or-salt) and stir well. Keep the temperature on low; you can just let it simmer now because the next step is going to take a while:

7) Caramelize the onion (keep an eye on the big pot, stirring occasionally) and set it aside

8) Fry the tomatoes quickly (we want them cooked, but just barely) and add them to the big pot

9) Serve! The caramelized onion is a garnish, so put a little on top of each bowl of shchi. Add a little parsley too.

Enjoy!

Want to learn more?

For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:

• Level-Up Your Fiber Intake! (Without Difficulty Or Discomfort)
• The Magic Of Mushrooms: “The Longevity Vitamin” (That’s Not A Vitamin)
• Easily Digestible Vegetarian Protein Sources
• The Bare-Bones Truth About Osteoporosis
• Some Surprising Truths About Hunger And Satiety

Take care!