Spice things up with Sheryl Crow

If it makes you healthy, it can’t be that bad. Singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow was living the typical rock star life – on the road touring the world as she promoted her latest hits. Her influence on the music industry became undisputable, with nine Grammy awards and other accolades confirming her talent. During that time, though, she was eating on the run, ordering off hotel room service menus, and snacking on chips and Diet Coke in her dressing room. When jolted with the shocking news of breast cancer in 2006, Crow quickly changed her tune. “My cancer diagnosis was a real game changer for me … Never once in my life had I really considered what I put into my body as having a direct connection to my wellness,” she writes in her season-inspired cookbook If it Makes you Healthy (St. Martin’s Press, 2011). Co-authored by produce lover and chef Chuck White, their guide to good food is packed with vitamin and nutrient-rich recipes, such as Blackened Butternut Squash Soup, Roasted Vegetable and Quinoa Pasta Salad, and White Wine and Herb-Poached Halibut. The book is also chock-full with tips on how to prepare tofu and quinoa, and the benefit of adding cancer-blitzing spices like cumin and cinnamon to your diet. Referring to White as the “man who changed everything for me,” Crow hired him to prepare delicious and nutritious meals for her family and band while on the road. Beating cancer and becoming a mom of two boys, Wyatt Steven and Levi James, Crow hopes to inspire others towards a road ripe with healthier meals. “ … I am eating for my health with the assurance that my breast cancer will have to fight me to come back.”

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Mom’s Reconstructed Chili
1 tbsp canola oil, preferably expeller-pressed
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 lb ground soy burger alternative
2 tbsp cumin
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tbsp smoked paprika, optional
1/2 tbsp dried red chili flakes
1 12 ounce can light beer, at room temperature
1 1/2 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 14 – 15-ounce cans chili hot beans with can juices, preferably organic
2 14 – 15-ounce cans pinto beans, preferably organic, drained
2 14 – 15-ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, preferably organic
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp dried oregano
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fat-free saltines or cornbread for serving, optional
Hot pepper sauce, for serving, optional

1.  In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat and when hot, sauté the onion and garlic for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the ground soy and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the soy further and encourage even cooking. Add the cumin, chili powder, paprika, and chili flakes and continue to cook, stirring, until the spices are slightly toasted and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
2.  Using a wooden spoon to prevent sticking, stir in half of the beer and the soy sauce. Add the rest of the beer and stir to mix.
3.  Add the chili hot beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, and 1 cup of water and mix well. Add the bay leaves and oregano and stir to mix.
4.  Bring the chili to a low boil over medium-high heat and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so until the stew is well blended. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently until cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes, until the flavours blend. Stir the chili occasionally during cooking. Adjust the heat up or down to maintain a simmer. Serve hot, with crumbled saltines or cornbread, and some extra hot sauce, if desired.