Pad Thai Again


I know I’ve already made Pad Thai, but it’s extremely tasty and pretty easy to make, so I think it’s going to become a regular meal in my house now. This time around, the sauce wasn’t as thick but it still tasted peanut-buttery yummy. I used spicy Thai chili paste in the sauce to give it a nice spicy kick. I remembered that I’m sensitive to corn, so I didn’t add baby corn like I did the last time. The stir-fry consists of sugar snap peas, broccoli, red bell pepper, mushrooms and peanuts. I did have mung bean sprouts this time, so I added them to the stir fry at the end, along with some scallions.

Adding mung bean sprouts is a good way to add a little extra nutritional value to a meal. They contain vitamins A, B, C and E as well as calcium, potassium and iron. Sprouts are also a high source of fiber, are easily digestible and contain a high concentration of enzymes facilitating the digestive process. They also add a nice crunch and mild flavor to meals, so add some sprouts to your sandwiches, salads and stir-fries!

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Chili Night!


Chili’s always a good, easy to make one pot meal. I’m incapable of making a small portion of chili, so Dennis and I always end up eating it for weeks. I’ve had people ask for my recipe, but the truth is that I don’t really have one – I just throw lots of stuff in a pot. I usually use a large can of diced tomatoes and a large can of tomato sauce and I add a can each of pinto, kidney and black beans. To that I add chopped zucchini and summer squash, chopped onions and a variety of peppers, including some spicy ones. I use chili powder and cumin to taste to spice it up. I usually add a cup of tvp, but I left it out this time, since it’s soy. I let the chili simmer for a while – usually a few hours – before we eat it.

I usually make cheesy double cornbread to go alongside my chili, but since I’m avoiding corn, I decided to make chickpea socca bread again. I got a little experimental with it this time and added a chopped chili pepper and a little nutritional yeast, which worked perfectly with the chili.

Not only was this meal delicious, it was extremely nutritious. The chili is packed with lots of healthy veggies and beans. Beans are a great way to add high-quality, plant-based protein to your diet. They are high in iron, B vitamins, calcium and fiber and are low in fat. So make some chili and don’t feel guilty when you go back for a second helping!


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Collard Greens with Rice and Black Eyed Peas


This is a recipe from my friend Donna that I altered slightly. I chopped up half of an onion and sautéed it for a a few minutes and then added chopped collard greens. Then I added Trader Joe’s Brown Rice Medley, vegetable broth and a can of diced tomatoes and let it all simmer together. Once the rice was almost cooked, I added a can of black eyed peas. This meal is nice and warming and is the perfect comfort food for a cold winter’s evening!

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Grilled Cheese!


I really had a hankering for something cheesy, so I decided to make grilled cheese sandwiches. Yes, that’s right, grilled cheese sandwiches. These sandwiches are made with rye bread, vegan rice cheese, tomatoes and Earth Balance soy-free margerine and they tasted delicious! Along with a nice bowl of soup, they’re the perfect lunch for a cold winter’s day!

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Blossom Restaurant

Yesterday Dennis and I went in to NYC to have dinner and see Eddie Izzard perform. The food was delicious and Eddie was hilarious, so it was a great evening!

We went to Blossom Restaurant for dinner. I’ve only eaten there once before, but I’ve eaten at Blossom Cafe many times and it’s a favorite of mine. The restaurant is much more upscale and the food is equally as delicious. I started out with a Black-Eyed Pea Cake which was super tasty. For my entrée, I had the Vegetable Mezze plate, which consisted of roasted fennel, brussels sprouts, sweet potato puree, tri-color cauliflower, kale and quinoa. The kale was the best I’ve ever eaten and I raved to Dennis about it so much that the guy sitting next to me ordered a side of it. The dish was surprizingly very filling for a plate of vegetables! If you’re ever in NYC and are looking for a good vegan resturant, give one of the Blossoms a try!

Week Three Begins

I’ve known about my food allergies for about a month now, but it’s only been since January 1st that I’ve completely eliminated all of the foods that I’m sensitive to from my diet. People keep asking me how I feel and what I’m eating, so I thought I’d address the questions in a blog post.

First of all, I don’t miss wheat! That’s right. I don’t miss it all. There are many other grains that breads, pastas and baked goods can be made of, and they’re all really tasty, so there’s really nothing to miss.
I do miss garlic and spinach. I’ve been cooking other greens such as kale, boy choy, collards and chard, but I do miss spinach. I love garlic, and it’s tough not to cook without it. Luckily, they are not foods I’m severely allergic too. I have a slight sensitivity to them, and once my system has healed, I can add them back into my diet.
I’ve been enjoying cooking. I had been in a rut with my cooking before, but after I found out I couldn’t eat wheat, soy or corn, I pulled all of my cookbooks down from the book shelf and started looking for new meal ideas. I’ve made some delicious dinners that I probably wouldn’t have made otherwise.
I do not feel deprived. In the past few weeks, I’ve had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, oatmeal, pancakes, cupcakes, cookies, scones, grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza, chocolate smoothies and hummus with rice crackers among other things. How can I complain about what I can’t eat when there is so much that I CAN eat?
I’ve been feeling better. I have noticed an increase in my energy level, my skin has been looking better and my hair feels thicker. My digestion has also started to improve, and I no longer feel bloated all the time. I’ve also lost three pounds. I’m sure I will be seeing more improvements as the weeks move along.
And so begins week three of my elimination diet. I already have ideas for meals that I want to make and I’m looking forward to eating out in NYC this evening!

White Bean Mushroom Leek Quiche


I occasionally make a delicious tofu spinach mushroom quiche using a recipe from 101 Cookbooks, but since tofu (and spinach) is off the menu for now, I thought I’d have to go without it for a while. But I was wrong! I was quite happy to find a soy-free quiche in Isa Chandra Moskowitz’s Vegan Brunch. The recipe uses cannellini beans and walnuts as a base and the quiche is made with mushrooms and leeks. Instead of walnuts, I used raw cashews that I had soaked overnight. You wold think that a quiche would be difficult to make and consume too much time, and you’d be wrong. The recipe was easy to follow. Most of the time spent on this dish was either in chopping veggies or waiting for the quiche to cook in the oven.

The base of the quiche was smooth and creamy ,and the mushrooms and leeks made it quite yummy. Dennis liked it so much he had two helpings! I plan on making this again and playing with different fillings.

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Baked Pumpkin Ziti with Carmelized Onions


This is another recipe from Veganomicon by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero. It’s a really interesting twist on baked ziti that uses puréed pumpkin instead of tomato sauce. The pumpkin purée is mixed with tofu ricotta, carmelized onions and some spices and then mixed with the cooked ziti. The dish is then topped with breadcrumbs mixed with spices and margerine.

It was pretty easy to alter this recipe to fit my allergen-free diet. I used rice pasta and rice bread crumbs, both of which I bought at Whole Foods. (I was happy to recently discover that the local Shop Rite also stocks them.) Instead of tofu ricotta, I mixed up a batch of the same cashew ricotta that I made for the lasagna tart a few weeks ago. As you may have figured by now, I’m not big on lots of onions, but the carmelized onions in this recipe were really tasty. After cooking the ziti mix in the oven for half an hour, I popped it under the broiler for a few minutes to get the top of the bread crumbs a little crunchy. In true broiler fashion, the top burnt because I turned my back on it for 5 seconds too long. The dish still tasted great though, and everyone wanted to know what smelled so good when I reheated leftovers at work today.

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Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes with Socca


I don’t really have a name for this dish, although it is very chili-like. It’s something I make regularly because it’s simple and comforting. I sautée peppers of all colors and kinds (sweet and hot) with some chopped onion, and then add a can of chopped tomatoes and a can of kidney beans and let it simmer for a while. I usually serve this with grilled polenta, but corn’s off the menu for now. I thought about making some rice to go with it, but then I remembered the socca I made recently. Socca is a flat bread made with chickpea flour and is reminiscent of polenta. So I quickly cooked up some socca in the oven and grilled it in a grill pan on the stove top. Socca is delicious and easy to make, so I’m sure I’ll be making it often.

Chickpea Socca
1 cup chickpea flour
2 cups water
salt
pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat ovent to 450 degrees and oil a large baking pan.
Wisk flour, water, salt and pepper together. Wisk in olive oil.
Pour socca mixture into pan and bake for approximately 20 minutes, until socca is firm.

Socca is versitle and can be used to make lasagne like stacks. Try different fillings, including tomato sauce, sautéed veggies, and steamed leafy greens. Also try experiment with different spices in the socca mixture before baking.

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Quesadillas


My friend Irina and I were recently wandering around the Whole Foods in Columbus Circle, and I was pleasantly pleased to find rice tortillas made by Food For Life. Unfortunately, my local Whole Foods does not stock them, but I might have to have a word or two with the manager about that.

I decided to make quesadillas with them. I used refried beans and a little bit of rice cheese for the “glue” to hold them together. I stuffed them with sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms and then I baked them in the oven for a few minutes. Dennis whipped up some guacamole to top them with, and I made some sautéed chard and mixed them with a little bit of the pepper mixture that didn’t fit in the quesadillas. The tortillas turned a little flakey in the oven, but that didn’t take away from the taste at all – they were delicious! I’m going to be really upset if I can’t get these tortillas locally!

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Dr. Fuhrman