This month is Breast Cancer Awareness month, as many of you know. And many of you know that I lost my mother to breast cancer several years ago. To celebrate her life, I just signed up at Dr. Susan Love's "Army of Women" website (www.armyofwomen.org). Their mission is to compile a databank of over one million women for the purposes of conducting research on breast cancer. They want to have a databank that represents every kind of woman out there; every age-group, every ethnicity, whether you have a family history, or not, and even if you've already had breast cancer.
So I'm encouraging all my female friends and family to go check it out and sign up. You won't be under any obligation to be in a study, but it might be a good way to play a part in ending this horrible disease.

Many of you may have realized that my cooking is always very health-conscious, mainly for the reason of trying to stave off preventable disease. I always look for ingredients that are known to be particularly rich in the nutrients that bolster health. For example, I love using fruits and vegetables that are high in anti-oxidants, "organic" chicken that doesn't contain hormones or antibiotics (and is lower in saturated fat than red meat), fish that is high in omega 3 fatty acids, legumes, olive oil, low-fat dairy products, etc.
At the same time I believe that healthy cooking can still be delicious, and in fact that's one of my favorite things to do...find a good recipe that I can modify slightly to make the dish even more healthy and delicious.
A good example of that is my recipe for Vegetarian Chili, where I've replaced the ground beef with bulgar wheat, and it's chock full of healthy beans and vegetables. It's easy, delicious and low-fat/low calorie. Even my meat-loving brother loves it!

Sandra's Veggie Chili

1-2 Tbsps olive oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
1/2 C. uncooked bulgar wheat (can find this at the health food section of your store)
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tsp cumin
1/2 C. red wine
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 14 oz can kidney beans (note..you don't have to drain any of these canned products)
1 14 oz can pinto beans (or seasoned "chili" beans)
1 14 oz can black beans
1 small can niblets style corn
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 10 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies (Note, if you like you can use a fresh jalapeno and regular canned tomatoes instead)
1-2 Tbsps honey, or maple syrup
1 C. water

In a large pot or dutch oven saute onion in olive oil, on med-high heat until soft. Add bulgar wheat, chili powder and cumin and stir for about 1 minute to coat and lightly toast the bulgar. Add the red wine, and stir, for 1-2 minutes until simmering. Add the remaining ingrediants and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook for 20 minutes or longer. Adjust seasonings to taste and serve with fresh cornbread, light sour cream and/or light cheddar cheese.