Quesadillas on Spelt Tortillas


I made quesadillas with rice flour tortillas back in January. I have been able to find the rice tortillas again, but my friend Jessica told me that Whole Foods carries spelt tortillas and I wanted to give them a try. I hadn’t seen them before, but it’s probably just because I didn’t look. I bought the last package they had at my local Whole Foods and decided to whip up some quesadillas again. I stuffed them with red, green and yellow peppers, onions, and mushrooms, and I used refried beans and a little Daiya cheddar cheese as the “glue” to hold the whole thing together. I served them with guacamole and sautéed kale. This meal was delicious and easy to make!


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Asparagus and Kale Stir-Fry


Yes, asparagus is on the list of things I’m sensitive to. But I only had a vary mild reaction to it when I was tested, so I don’t think this meal is going to do anything bad to my system. I had bought asparagus to give to a client, but she canceled her session due to Snowpocalypse 2. I didn’t want it to go to waste, so I ate it!

This is another simple, yet delicious, stir-fry. To cook the quinoa, I used vegetable broth instead of water for some extra flavor. For the veggies, I sautéed a shallot, red bell pepper and the asparagus in a pan with extra virgin olive oil, wheat-free tamari sauce, rice vinegar and a little crushed red pepper. After a few minutes, I added some cashews, chopped purple kale and a sprinkling of seaweed gomaiso.

I did a 30 day raw food challenge last spring. It was easier than I thought it would be, I felt great, and I had tons of energy. But I found myself craving quinoa and sautéed kale a lot. This was the first meal I made when I went back to cooked food! I usually add tofu to it, but it’s just as good without it.

Aspargus is a large perennial plant that can grow to about 40-60″ tall. The young shoots of the plant are what we eat and know as asparagus. It has been used since early times as both food and medicine, and there’s a recipe for cooked asparagus in the oldest known cookbook. It was cultivated by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans who ate it fresh when in season and dried in the winter.

Asparagus is a good source of protein (yes, protein!), iron, vitamins A, C, E & K, niacin, folic acid, potassium, copper, manganese, and selenium. So it’s probably okay that I had a little with my dinner today!

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Lebanese Eggplant Stew


Yesterday was another busy day, so I started up the slow cooker before I left for work in the morning. This time I made Lebanese Eggplant Stew, which is another recipe from The Vegetarian Slow Cooker. The dish consists of diced eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, bell peppers, onion, garlic (I used shallots), cinnamon, allspice and red pepper flakes. I chopped all the veggies the night before so I wouldn’t have much work to do in the morning. The recipe didn’t call for any any liquid, which I thought was strange, so I added a little vegetable broth. I also added some chickpeas to make it more of complete meal. When I got home, I cooked up a brown and wild rice mixture in my rice cooker. I added a little olive oil to the stew and topped it with chopped olives and parsley.

This was a good meal, but next time I make it, I think I’ll omit the cinnamon and allspice. I’d also like to try it with a tomato sauce base instead of broth.


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Risotto with Lentils


I had to take my cat Schroeder to the vet for a check up last night. Last year I found a lump on his paw that turned out to be an aggressive tumor of the cartilage, and Schroe had to have his arm removed. He has to go to the vet every 3 to 4 months to have his progress checked (there’s a slight chance the tumor could have spread), and he also needs his blood sugar checked because he’s diabetic. (I should have studied animal health care!) He ran a comprehensive wellness blood test, which came back normal. The vet said Schroeder looks great and there’s nothing to worry about!

Before I left for the vet’s office, I started up the slow cooker with another meal from The Vegetarian Slow Cooker. This is Risotto with Lentils, and it’s extremely simple. I added half an onion and a little bit of olive oil to slow cooker and let it cook for a few minutes. Then I added half cup of lentils, a cup of ariboro rice and four cups of water. I set the time for two hours and ran out with Schroeder. When I came home, I chopped and sautéed some kale. I garnished the rice mixture with a little olive oil, parsley and chopped olives. It was an quick and easy meal, and it was quite tasty!

Schroeder doesn’t have extra appendages in the back, that’s his friend Archie behind him!

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Take-Out Night


I was really tired and didn’t feel like cooking last night, so Dennis was kind enough to get take-out from Veggie Heaven. We got spring rolls (made with rice flour), sautéed mixed veggies and eggplant in garlic sauce. The mixed vegetables usually comes with tofu, but I asked them to omit it. This meal was perfect and it was nice to have a break from cooking!

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Vegetarian Slow Cooker


The people at Ten Speed Press were kind enough to send me a copy of The Vegetarian Slow Cooker by Lynn Alley. I was quite excited to find it in my mailbox, but disappointment set in once I remembered that I didn’t own a slow cooker. Dennis solved that problem by buying me one for Valentine’s Day. Most girls like getting flowers and chocolates for Valentine’s Day, but I really like kitchen gadgets! (Last year he gave me a Vitamix!)

I had a really busy day yesterday and I knew it would be difficult to find time to make a good meal for dinner, so I decided to take the slow cooker on it’s maiden voyage. I made Potato Artichoke Stew, which was super easy. The recipe called for a tomato sauce recipe from the book, which I didn’t have time to make, so I used canned tomatoes. I cut all of the veggies up the night before, turned the slow cooker on in the morning before work, and dinner was magically ready when I came home! The meal was very tasty and I can’t wait to try more recipes from the cookbook!

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Deep Dish Rutabaga Fennel Gratin


I saw the recipe for this on the Vegetarian Times website and it looked interesting enough to try out. It consists of slices of rutabaga, onions, potatoes and fennel layered in a baking dish and covered in cheese, flour, milk and spices. It was easy enough to make allergy friendly – I used Daiya cheese, rice milk and Bob’s Red Mill’s Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour. I also doubled the recipe because I didn’t know what I’d do with half a fennel bulb hanging out in the fridge.

This recipe was definitely an experiment. I guess it was because I doubled the recipe, but it took waaaay longer than an hour to cook. I should have turned the heat on the oven up higher. Because it was coated in flour, the cheese didn’t melt. I put the dish under the broiler thinking it would help melt the cheese, but all that accomplished was burning the top. It was quite good though, and it was an interesting change of pace from the type of meals I usually cook. If I make it again, I will probably omit the flour because I don’t think it was necessary.


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Another Lasagna Tart


My friends Jessica and Deana were supposed to come over for a mini lunchtime potluck today but unfortunately, Jessica wasn’t feeling well, so it was just me and Deana. I haven’t seen Deana in about a month, so it was good to see her again, and she made a delcious chocolate cherry pie for dessert. I decided to make another lasagna tart, like the one I made back at the beginning of January. This time I covered it in Daiya cheese, which made it seem even more lasagna-like. Deana really liked it and she asked for the cashew ricotta recipe so she can make a veggie lasagna next week. The great thing about this recipe is that there are always leftovers, so I know that I’ll have a yummy lunch tomorrow.


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Another Pizza!


We made another pizza! This time we used Bob’s Red Mill’s gluten-free pizza crust. It takes a little longer to make because it uses yeast and needs time to rise. The package makes a large amount of crust, so we made a larger pizza and had leftovers. The crust was pretty good, except it tasted a little dry. We topped the pizza off with diced tomatoes, broccoli, mushrooms, red bell peppers, shallots and Daiya cheese. This definitely wasn’t as good as anything from Pala Pizza, but it was good enough!



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Beans, Greens and Pasta


This meal was inspired by a recipe I saw in a magazine. The original recipe called for sausage and evaporated cane juice (why would anyone put sugar in pasta?), so I veganized it. It was a simple, easy and delicious meal – perfect for a busy weeknight!

While the rice penne was boiling, I sautéed a chopped red onion and a chopped shallot together in a little olive, then added a handful of chopped mushrooms and thinly sliced sundried tomatoes. I then added a bunch of chopped kale, a can of white beans and a can of chopped tomatoes. I sprinkled in a little sea salt, some red pepper flakes and a little balsamic vinegar. Once everything was cooked, I served the veggies over the pasta. Yum!

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Dr. Fuhrman