This healthy, fat-free and sodium-free crock pot chili has beans, mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, and more. Each serving has 21 g of protein and 15 g of fiber.

It's been a while since I had a giveaway for you, largely because I've been simply too busy to take on and fulfill commitments. But I am thrilled to announce today a cookbook giveaway that's just perfect to ring in the New Year, resolutions and all: Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Eat to Live Cookbook.

Dr. Fuhrman, for those of you who may not know, is a physician who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods. He has written three New York Times bestsellers, and you might have seen him in the PBS special "3 Steps to Incredible Health."

I have long been a fan of Dr. Fuhrman so I was only too happy when I was asked to review the book which is packed with 200 recipes for everything from smoothies to breakfast recipes, dips, salads, soups, main dishes, fast food and desserts. Most recipes are vegan-- in fact, the non-vegan recipe section is separated out at the end of the book so you don't have to go there unless you want to.

But this is not just a cookbook. Dr. Fuhrman includes valuable tips on living a "nutritarian" lifestyle-- a lifestyle that focuses on eating nutrient-rich, natural foods. Nutritarians, he adds, recognize that plant foods have disease preventive, therapeutic and life-extending properties.

Okay, so as vegans you already knew that, but it does feel good to have a doctor confirm it, doesn't it? The book also includes practical tips, like how to pick out the perfect fruit-- something I haven't mastered after years of being an eater and a cook. Do you know, for instance, how to tell the difference between a ripe starfruit and an unripe one?

The book even includes a list of Dr. Fuhrman's top 25 super foods and an Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) score system for many common foods in our diets.

I bookmarked a ton of recipes as I flipped through this book, including Dr. Fuhrman's Famous Anti-Cancer Soup, Lemon Cauliflower Risotto, Quinoa Mango Salad, Goji Berry Walnut Squares with Chocolate Drizzle, and many more, but the first recipe I tried was the Crockpot Mushroom Chili because the recipe had instant appeal in these frigid days of winter. It contains a mix of vegetables and beans and was rich and smoky and absolutely delicious. Even better, it was fat-free and salt-free. A single serving of this chili packs 21 grams of protein and nearly 15 grams of fiber. How amazing is that?

Even Desi, my resident omnivore, loved the chili-- despite the fact that it was healthy. You know how those guys are! This is definitely going to be my go-to book in the new year.

Fat Free Crock Pot Chili Vaishali · Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes Dr. Joel Fuhrman's recipe for a healthy, fat-free and sodium-free crock pot chili. This recipe has 21 g of protein and 15 g of fiber in a single serving. 5 from 9 votes Print Recipe Pin Recipe Course Main Cuisine fatfree, Vegan Servings 4 Calories 286 kcal Ingredients 1x 2x 3x 1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels

1 zucchini, diced

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

3 cups diced tomatoes, fresh or packaged in BPA-free cartons

3 cups cooked kidney or pinto beans or 2 15-ounce cans low-sodium or no-salt-added kidney beans

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 tsp oregano

Dash of cayenne pepper or to taste Instructions Combine all infredients in a crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours. Nutrition Calories: 286 kcal Carbohydrates: 55 g Protein: 21 g Fat: 2.5 g Fiber: 14.9 g Tried this recipe? Let us know ! Or post a photo on Instagram and tag @HolyCowVegan

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Whew, so aren't you glad that 2013 is coming to a close? I know I am.

This was a busy year for me, and a rather eventful one for Holy Cow! In November I moved the blog to a WordPress platform from Blogger, where she had lived since birth, and the move was fairly smooth although not uneventful. I lost many subscribers despite my best efforts, and so many of you were kind enough to sign up all over again. Thanks for sticking with me. I do appreciate the love, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

After a rather slow period, I have also tried harder to keep up with the blog and post new recipes in these last couple of months. Desi, my resident critic, recently reminded me that I am not writing as much as I did on the blog-- you just post a recipe intro and the recipe, he complained. If you have missed the chatter too, I love you for it and admit that I miss chatting with you. I hope to do more of it in the new year-- it''s definitely one of my key resolutions.

Here's wishing all of my readers have on the cards a brilliant new year, where all of your wishes come true. Happy new year, everyone!

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More vegan chili recipes: