This was a Big Week … Social media sensations, restaurateurs, cookbook writers, and regenerative farmers, identical twins Steve and Dave, better known as The Happy Pear, visited the Boston area from their home-base in Ireland, and cooked for 70+ plant-based and vegan-curious fans at my Greener Plate Launch Party. The day before the party, when they stopped by to check out my kitchen, Steve went straight into my refrigerator, where he discovered a half-dozen plant-based cheeses I’d bought last weekend at the Rhode Island VegFest. Which meant it was time for a cheese-tasting. The winner: Rebel Brie.
The Happy Pear have a simple motto: Eat more veg! They love food … but only real food. The duo’s joy is palpable. It’s easy to understand why they are beloved by so many; their joy is infectious. It is impossible to be in anything but a good mood when you’re with them. If a pharmaceutical company could bottle what it is they have, Prozac would go out of business.
Confession: I was slightly mortified when Steve opened my pantry cabinet, and I proudly pulled out my favorite veggie stock to show off (ah-ha, I thought — bet you don’t have this in Ireland!). After reading the label, he declared it to be “not healthy enough.” Too many non-pure ingredients, and (just a tiny bit!) saturated fat. (I’m still using it).
It’s Easy to Eat More Vegetables
The Happy Pear makes it easy to eat more veg, by creating delicious, plant-rich, simple recipes you can whip up in no time. Why and how do they do this?
Study after study has concluded the more plants we eat, the better our health. And by “plants” I don’t just mean leaves. What’s considered a plant?
- whole grains (e.g., brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal, whole wheat flour, even popcorn!)
- nuts & seeds (e.g., almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, etc.)
- legumes & pulses (e.g., chickpeas, lentils, black beans, peas, etc.)
- fruit (e.g., strawberries, blackberries, lemons, apples, etc.)
- veggies (e.g., spinach, broccoli, carrots, garlic, etc.)
- tofu & tempeh (made from soybeans, a legume)
GREAT NEWS! Multiple studies have demonstrated that decreasing just 3% of the calories you get from animal protein (meat & dairy) and replacing them with plant protein is associated with:
- 10% decrease in mortality
- 20% decrease in mortality if you eliminate eggs
Must-Eat Happy Pear Recipes
Here are a few of my favorite plant-licious Happy Pear recipes. (Apologies to U.S.-based GoodNewsVeg readers; their recipes use metric measurements. If you don’t own a kitchen scale, use this calculator. It’s worth the extra effort.) If you aren’t already following The Happy Pear on social media, or haven’t yet checked out their website, do it now! Your body (and doctor) will thank you.
Chocolatey Winter Veggie Stew: Lentils, mushrooms, and chocolate. This stew hits all of my favorite food groups.
8-Minute High Protein Pasta: This recipe is a template; use harissa, or any kind of pesto, store-bought or this 5-minute homemade version, made with jarred red peppers. Blended cashews and tofu add a creamy protein boost.
Tofu Gnocchi: I love gnocchi, but I don’t always love eating a ton of white potatoes. Typically, I buy shelf-stable gnocchi, which can be mushy if you boil them, but have a nice crunch if you bake them (with veggies) on a sheet pan, or pan fry. The Happy Pear take gnocchi to a new level: No potatoes involved. This is another one of those recipes for people who think they don’t like tofu. No one will know it’s a main ingredient, but you.
Super Green Beans: Serve as an appetizer with crackers, or on top of a grain for a filling meal. I’m always searching for new ways to sneak kale into my suppers (my husband isn’t wild about it raw, but when it’s cooked and blended with umami flavors like these, he doesn’t notice it’s kale, and is wild about the meal). When I serve this on brown rice for supper, I top with a few salted cashews.
Ikarian Longevity Stew: Ikaria is a small Greek island that many of us never heard of until it became designated as a Blue Zone — a place where residents have among the longest life expectancies in the world. Chock full of veggies and beans and pasta, it’s easy to see why the Ikarians are reputed to eat a version of this stew every day.
Super Greens Lentil Curry: Whip up this simple very green curry in 10 minutes. Spinach, broccoli and zucchini are blended with coconut milk and curry spices to make a satisfying, eat-all-your-greens-in-one-meal supper.
Super-Healthy Veggie Burger: There’s no need to buy highly-processed frozen supermarket veggie burgers when you can create your own — based on whole plant foods — in just a few minutes. Keep them in the freezer for a quick lunch, or when you don’t feel like slicing and dicing anything for dinner. Quinoa and beans make this yet another protein-licious meal.
Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini Cream: Over the last few years, finding a plant-based entree at a restaurant has become easier, but you still need to do a bit of research to make sure there will be something on the menu that’s meat- and dairy-free. Lately, whole roasted cauliflower seems to be the entree we’re served. If every chef used this recipe (rather than the too-often tasteless ones they come up with to appease us), I’d go out to eat more often. The Happy Pear’s creamy tahini sauce, pared with zhoug spices make this a show-stopper.
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