Hospital Food Will Put You There!

I'm on staff at several hospitals which require quarterly attendance at early morning meetings . Its a chance to catch up on what's been going on, earn a Continuing Medical Education credit hour and have a little time to relax with the Hospital's Residents.  Breakfast is always included.  

Today's choices:

Scrambled eggs, Sausage links, Hash browns, Bacon.

HELLO?  Where's the fruit?  Usually there's a big fruit salad or at least some apples, oranges and bananas. This is a big Hospital on the brink of merging with 2 bigger hospitals.  You would think they would have put some thought into the wellness of their own staff!  

I complained to whomever would listen and sat down grumbling over a  dry blueberry bagel and black coffee.  By the way, blueberry bagels do not contain egg, so it wasn't a total loss.

I watched my colleagues chow down enthusiastically on their full plates as we half  listened to a lecture on skin cancer, and they quietly discussed their own personal challenges with weight problems, cholesterol and heart disease.   

Last night, I attended a lecture by Caldwell Esselstyn, M.D. and his family at our local Plant Based Nutrition Support Group (www.pbnsg.org).  Check out the web site. Great source of information and recipes under the "Food" tab.  Dr. Esselstyn, of the Cleveland Clinic, lectured on halting and reversing heart disease and diabetes simply by adhering to a plant based diet and eating no oil.

If you ever get a chance to attend one of his lectures, do it!  His plan is based on good, solid science and large studies supporting him.  His down to earth style is compelling and persuasive. I didn't need to be persuaded; I'm already reaping the benefits!  

Next lecture I'm going to attend will have Joel Kahn, M.D., author of  The Whole Heart Solution who got me started and continues to support and inspire me.

Hope to see you there!!!

My 34 inch waist!

Baked Falafel Plated for Dinner

I'm my own worst critic and needed to make my vegan dinner look pretty for blogging.  I took my baked falafel, sliced it and plated it over lettuce with sliced tomatoes seasoned with rosemary and red wine vinegar.  Its very filling and delicious!
Now its pretty too!

You're welcome, everyone!

Falafel Baked Into a Pita!!!

Baked Falafel

Tuesday night and I got this crazy idea:

What if I roll out some pita dough, stuff it like a dumpling with fresh, uncooked falafel with a little Daiya cheddar substitute and bake it?

It worked!

I tried a few things in the pocket;  cheddar, jalapeño, sriracha and various combination there of.

All good.  I'm just getting started!!!

Falafel for Lunch! Fatoush Salad with Sliced Strawberries on the Side.

My Variation:1 can of drained chickpeas, 1/2 large sweet onion, chopped (1 cup), 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, 6 slices of Jalapeno pepper, 1 TBSP white vinegar , 4 cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 6 tablespoons whole grain flour 

(adding cilantro about 2 TBS is optional, but I'm not a fan.)

Put everything in a blender or food processor and pulse it until its a rough texture but not pureed. Put it in a bowl and let it sit for at least 30 minutes. If its too gooey, knead in a little flour until you can form it into balls and it doesn't stick to your fingers.

I make patties out of it and like to bake it on parchment paper at 375* for about 10 minutes. The patties are great by themselves or you can put them into a pita pocket with tahini, lettuce, peppers, onions, tomatoes or whatever.  (Traditionally, its formed into walnut sized balls and fried in hot oil until golden brown, but I'm staying away from oil.)

As an alternative, I make my own Pita dough (flour, salt, yeast and water), put the falafel mixture in the center, close it up and bake it at 475* for 5 minutes. I like to put a slice of jalapeno in with it.  But that's me.

Its fun to make!  Enjoy!

Pictures of me at 54 weeks a Vegan!

Well, I just weighed in under 200 lbs for the first time in about 35 years!
Here I am today:

1/14/2015

11/24/2013

Because I eat like this:

chili and salad

sweet potato salad

chili, "cheddar" and baked potato

veggie spaghetti, mushrooms, snap peas

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That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Take a look at Joel Kahn, M.D.'s book too.  Its available to download now, I'm told. Cut and paste the link.....

http://www.amazon.com/Whole-Heart-Solution-Alternative-Traditional-ebook/dp/B00IQ8QS54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421260907&sr=8-1&keywords=whole+heart+book

Best Ever Vegetable Spaghetti - Gluten free!!!! #vegan #gluttenfree #vegetarian #lactosefree #kosher #pareve

I got a new toy from Melanie and Kris at my office over the holidays.  It makes noodle shaped strips out of veggies!  How cool is this?

Veggie Spiralizer

So I made this:

Veggie Spaghetti Casserole with Portobello  Caps and Snap Peas

Recipe

(This is a big pot of Marinara sauce.  I use about 2 cups for this dish and put the rest away for another day.)
29 oz.Tomato sauce, 12 oz.Tomato paste, 28 oz. Diced tomatoes, 4 cloves garlic, 1 onion, 2 stalks kale, 1 dash Black Pepper,  2 Yellow Zucchini Squash, 1 Carrot, 4 Mini Sweet Peppers, 4 TBS oregano, 2 TBS Rosemary, 4 TBS basil, 4 TBS nutritional yeast makes the sauce.

4 oz  Cheddar Daiya Vegan Cheese Substitute , 8 oz Mozzarella Daiya Vegan Cheese Substitute.

Hold the Mozzarella and Cheddar for later.
Shred the carrot and the zucchini then slice the peppers into thin strips and set aside.
Put everything else in a pot. Bring it to a boil, turn down the heat to a low simmer. Cover and let it simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix the Cheddar, 2 cups of sauce and the carrot, zucchini and sliced peppers together.
Prepare an 8 x 8 inch glass casserole dish with Pam and add the mixture. Cook it for 50 minutes at 375*.  Sprinkle the Mozzarella over the top and put it back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Let it cool to absorb the liquids then serve.

I like to refrigerate it over night then heat it in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Let me know if you like it!
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Vegan Cheesy Chili Potato!!! (#Kosher, #Pareve, #Gluten Free!)

Lunch Time!

I had some of the Butternut Squash Chili left over from my last batch.  It gets better as it gets older, you know. So I washed a potato, wrapped it in paper towel and microwaved it on high for 7 minutes. Split the potato and fluff it up a little with a fork.  Spoon on the chili and put a half slice of 

Daiya Cheddar Cheese Substitute on each half.  Garnish with slices of Jalapeno, Pop it back in the microwave for 30 seconds and TaDah!!!  Lunch!

Enjoy the lack of gluten Ann and Mimi!!!