FEBRUARY 2026 42 W ith American Heart Month and Valentine’s Day in February, it’s a natural time to connect the idea of love with heart-healthy habits. When it comes to heart health, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. One of the easiest ways to care for your heart is by making simple swaps that reduce saturated fat and cholesterol while increasing fiber, antioxidants, and plant-based protein. These small changes add up. For breakfast, a classic morning favorite gets a heart-healthy upgrade thanks to breakfast burritos made with seasoned tofu and vegetables. Swapping eggs and processed meats for tofu adds plant protein without cholesterol, while vegetables bring fiber and nutrients that support cardiovascular health. A veggie-packed hummus sandwich is an easy lunch. Creamy hummus replaces mayo, cutting back on saturated fat while adding heart-healthy fats from tahini and white beans. Layered with fresh vegetables on whole-grain bread, it’s a satisfying meal that supports steady energy and healthy circulation. For dinner, tinga-style tacos made with jackfruit offer smoky, saucy comfort of traditional tacos without the heaviness of meat. Jackfruit’s texture makes it a great stand-in, and when paired with spices and a tomato-based sauce, it delivers big flavor with a lighter impact on your heart. These swaps aren’t about restriction. They’re about enjoying familiar foods in ways that support long-term health, one meal at a time. Join my monthly membership for printable recipes, health videos and live Zoom cooking classes – spring classes are available now! Only $10 a month! These recipes have a lot of heart 1. Drain and rinse the jackfruit to remove the brine flavor. Cut off the hard tip and discard, then shred the rest with your hands. 2. Add oil to a skillet and bring heat to medium high. Add onions and garlic and cook for five minutes. 3. Next, add the vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, diced chipotles, and spices. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through. Crush the tomatoes as they cook. 4. Add the jackfruit and lime juice. Simmer for 10 minutes. 5. Warm up shells, add taco jackfruit mixture, top with guacamole. • 2 cans jackfruit • 1 tbsp. of avocado oil • 3 cups diced beefsteak tomato • 1 medium onion, diced • 2 garlic cloves, minced • ¼ cup vegetable broth • 1 chipotle in adobo, diced • 1 tsp. each: cumin, oregano, pink salt • Juice of one lime • Hard or soft taco shells • 2 avocados • 2 tbsp. red onion • 2 tbsp. cilantro • 1 tbsp. lime juice • ½ tsp. pink salt • Mash together! • DIRECTIONS • • INGREDIENTS • • GUAC • Owner of YouCare- SelfCare, a private wellness practice specializing in plant- based lifestyle and disease prevention. youcare-selfcare.com BY MIRIAM HAHN Tinga tacos Serves 4 • INGREDIENTS • • 1 zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise • Olive oil, salt and pepper • 2 cans cannellini beans, drained • 1 cup parsley • 1 cup cilantro • ⁄ cup tahini • 1 lemon (zest and juice) • 1 tsp. cumin • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 tbsp. olive oil • ½ tsp. pink salt • ½ avocado, sliced • ¼ cup shredded carrots • 3 sliced radishes • 2 leaves green leaf lettuce 1. Add the oil to a cast iron skillet and bring heat to medium-high. Add the zucchini strips and grill for one to two minutes on each side until charred and tender. 2. Add the cannellini beans, tahini, lemon zest and juice, cumin, garlic, olive oil, salt, parsley, and cilantro to a food processor and blend until smooth. 3. Toast bread and spread the hummus on both sides. You’ll have leftover hummus to use as a veggie dip! 4. Add a layer of shredded carrots to each side so they stay put in the hummus. 5. Then on one side add the zucchini strips, radish slices, avocado slices, and lettuce. 6. Press together and slice in half. • DIRECTIONS • Hummus sandwich Serves 2 1. Add the oil to a pan and bring heat to medium high. Add onion, garlic and jalapeno and cook for eight minutes. 2. Add the black beans plus ! water, lime juice, chili powder, cumin and salt. Cook on low for about 15 minutes then blend using an immersion blender or food processor or mash by hand. 3. Add a little oil to a large frying pan and bring heat to medium. Crumble in tofu, then add the milk, nutritional yeast, salt, onion powder, and turmeric. Cook and stir for 5-10 minutes. 4. Grab a tortilla and layer in some of the tofu scramble, a big scoop of the blended beans, some vegan cheese, black olives, cilantro, and hot sauce. 5. Roll up and store in the fridge. When ready to eat, warm up in the oven or microwave for a few minutes until the cheese melts. 6. Add some fresh tomato and avocado and serve. • DIRECTIONS • • INGREDIENTS • Breakfast burritos Serves 4 • 1 tbsp. oil • ½ diced onion • 2 cloves garlic, minced • ½ diced jalapeno (discard seeds) • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained • 2 tbsp. lime juice • ½ tsp. each: chili powder, cumin, salt • ¼ tsp. pepper • 1 block extra firm tofu, pressed • ¼ cup plant-based milk • 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast • ½ tsp. black salt • ½ tsp. each: salt, onion powder, turmeric (for the tofu) • Vegan cheese (optional) • Black olives, cilantro • 4 large tortillas • Hot sauce • Optional: fresh tomato and avocado for serving

43 FEBRUARY 2026 By Mark Hays Lily Tirone has spent the past several years helping build a lifeline for widows and families in rural Nigeria through a nonprofit called Sunrise for Rural Dwellers. The organization focuses on communities where basic resources such as clean water, medical care, and economic opportunity have long been scarce. “Sunrise for Rural Dwellers really started with what a Nigerian priest saw was in need in his community,” Tirone said. She met Father Tony Okolo, now serving a parish in Lake Havasu City, who frequently visited his home country and wanted to help improve the region. As he went back home, he saw things that were really difficult for the people there, especially those living in the villages. Tirone said that Father Okolo knew resources were extremely scarce – especially water. Tirone and her husband became involved by helping Okolo pursue the dream of providing those resources. As a result, a hospital is preparing to open, and the organization has helped hundreds of underprivileged people. Sunrise for Rural Dwellers partnered with Project C.U.R.E. in Phoenix to equip the facility, which volunteers believe will become a premier healthcare provider for the region. “For $10,000, we were able to see 850 people. Some of them had never seen a medical doctor in their life, and we were able to do it for about $12 a person.” During one of Okolo’s return trips, another crisis became impossible to ignore. “He realized very quickly that the most disenfranchised population was the widow population… There is a disproportionate number of widows. Men tend to die a lot younger,” Tirone said. Widows in the region, she explained, often face extreme discrimination, including loss of property and exclusion from community life. Learning that information led to the launch of Women for Widows, the project Tirone now oversees as vice chair. She works alongside committee members Carter Mogren and Linda Sredzinski, coordinating projects serving over 450 widows and their families. To start, she said, “food security was the number one thing on the list.” Many widows were already skilled agricultural workers, so Tirone proposed creating a cooperative farm. Sunrise for Rural Dwellers purchased land that the women could cultivate for their families while selling surplus crops for income. Last year, the co-op added a cassava processing building, so members can benefit more from growing the staple crop. “We knew the top price for cassava would be in flour form, and we were able to outfit them with this beautiful building,” Tirone said. Education has become a significant pillar of the effort. Many widows, Tirone said, had never attended school. Now, through a tiered vocational program, they learn literacy and arithmetic skills, along with vocational training options. The organization also recently sponsored more than 100 children to attend school, hoping to break this cycle for future generations. The project faced some cultural resistance, as Tirone expected. But through the help of local leadership, the organization and those it helps continue to thrive. “These women are just so hungry for opportunity, and that’s all they needed. Everything that we have provided for them, they have knocked out of the park,” she said. Sunrise for Rural Dwellers operates through small U.S. and Nigerian boards and remains entirely volunteer-run. sunriserd.com Supporting rural widows through community and care Margaret Eze clears land for a farming co-op in Nigeria created through Sunrise for Rural Dwellers, an organization that assists with educating women and families. Lily Tirone