RECIPES: What the Happy Nurse & I Are Eating This Week! Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup, Stuffed Acorn Squash, Lentil Spread, Olive & Tomato Biscotti, Caesar Salad & MORE!

Ok so I was sick with the flu the whole first week of the New Year and then my husband succumbed as well so no bulk cooking again this week--just throwing things together in the slow cooker and the Cuisinart with as little fuss as possible.  You'd think that with that lack of effort we'd be eating pretty sad food this week--quite the contrary actually!  The meals this week have been seriously yummy--I'm sampling from a bunch of different new cookbooks :-)


What are all of you eating this week?!  Any favorite meals or recipes to share with everyone?  :-)


Main Dishes

HGK's Sri Lankan Kale

Healthy Girl's Kitchen's Sri Lankan Kale (leftovers!  YUMMMMMM!!)--great flavor, perfect & surprising lime taste makes this recipe delicious!!


Butternut Coconut Squash from "Appetite for Reduction" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (leftover yumminess--made it super quick compared to the recipe in the book because I was running late to work--threw basmati rice in with cooked butternut squash, 1/2 teaspoon of coconut extract, a handful of chopped walnuts and oat milk until the mix was moist.  YUM)

Sweet Potato-White Bean Soup, Coconut Pumpkin Soup
& the stuffed Acorn Squash halves!! YUM!

Sweet Potato-White Bean Soup  from  Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester:  Excited about this because it included swiss chard which is super nutritious!


Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup from the  Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester:  This looks amazing--I used the Healthy Librarian's coconut milk trick for this (oat milk + coconut extract) to reduce fat.


Acorn Squash Stuffed with Cranberry & Brown Rice Medley from the  Vegan Slow Cooker by Kathy Hester:  Who knew you could cook a squash in a slow cooker?!  That is why I love this new cookbook--awesome ideas!

 Romaine & Avocado Salad with Cilantro-Lime Dressing from the Party Vegan by Robin Robertson   this dressing is fabulous.  I cut the oil by 3/4 and used water instead--it tasted just fine!  In fact, I may just use water totally next time because the cilantro is such a strong flavor that you really don't notice the lack of oil!

Vegan Caesar Salad with Healthy Girl's Kitchen's AWESOME No-oil Caesar Salad dressing!  Ok let me just explain how good this salad dressing is--way too good!!  I seriously could almost eat it by itself with some crackers :-) She uses chickpeas to thicken the sauce.  The only substitutions I had to make were I added oat milk instead of the soy sauce & a second bottle of capers (I think it needed it because the soy sauce is a strong flavor & a bit saltier so the capers compensated.)  YUM!


Sandwiches, Snacks & Side Dishes


Lentil Spread:  Sandwiches with sliced cherry tomatoes and this AMAZING lentil spread that I found on The Healthy Librarian's site.  Its SO good!  Be careful with the chipotle peppers in adobe sauce--I misread the recipe the whole time and thought it said "one CAN of the chipotle peppers", not ONE pepper!!"  Suffice to say, with one tiny bite I nearly burned my mouth off and had to throw out the first batch!  Once that trauma was over though and I remade it properly, the actual spread was so so so delicious!

Biscotti Dough!

Green Olive & Sundried Tomato Biscotti from the Party Vegan by Robin Robertson:  Surprisingly easy to make!  And SO good!  I made it for the first time with full fat (i.e. all the olive oil) but I'm going to try to repeat it in the future & try different substitutions for the fats!

Hummus with Rice Crackers (the hummus is my own recipe, thrown together from a bunch of different tahini-free hummus recipes--green onions, a tiny bit of adobe sauce with chipotle pepper, dijon mustard, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, garlic, water and vegetable broth.  No measurements.  Sounds crazy but it is crazy good!)


Spiced Rice-Lentil Squares by the Fat Free Vegan Kitchen--looking forward to FINALLY trying these--always need more bars for on the run & I couldn't make them the last time they were on our plan because I didn't have any allspice!!

Happy Herbivore's Pumpkin Bread from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook by Lindsay Nixon: Ok, this is a really delicious bread & super easy to make!  Just be careful slicing it because I was careless and managed to cut myself pretty badly with the knife when I sliced my loaf!!  :-( After that disaster was addressed, I happily enjoyed the spice of the bread. Instead of the whole wheat pastry flour, I substituted All Purpose Gluten-Free flour (which bumped the fiber and protein content of the bread considerably).  Instead of pumpkin pie spice (which I didn't have) I substituted cinnamon, ginger & allspice.  I wish I had ground cloves b/c I think it would have been even better.  If you make this, the only thing to remember is that her baked items tend to cook for a LONG time--when it says an hour, plan on an hour and 15 to 20 mins in actuality!


The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.

RECIPES & Ideas: Snacks! YUMMY & Portable Plant-Based Snack Food--all sugar-free, gluten-free & without adding oil or fat!!

My schedule has been characterized as "insane" and I know that a lot of you can completely relate!  That said, if you are working in health care than you know how poorly "putting yourself first" and "taking breaks" is regarded!


So when it comes to snack foods I need things that include:
1) Eat Standing Up or On the Drive Home:  Quick bursts of good filling energy that makes me feel like I can keep going without having to set up a table-top to eat from!
2) Eat at My Desk:  Something I can eat without silverware and look forward to grabbing during a break from the action
3) Sweet Things:  Sometimes living sugar-free can be a bit of a challenge!  Bring on the mock desserts that I make for myself without any added sweeteners--my blueberry "cobbler" nighttime snack for example or my homemade applesauce!
4) Salty/Savory Things:  Yes this is a heart-healthy diet but I don't think a little added salt now and then is going to kill me since we aren't eating added salt in our main meals!


There are some awesome recipes for snacks in the Vegan blogosphere that I want to try:  
The Fat Free Vegan: Microwave potato chips, roasted curried chickpeas, kale chips!
Robin Robertson's Spinach & White Bean Fritters (I think I'll be able to modify these by baking them?)
Robin Robertson's "Finger Lickin' Tempeh Fingers" from her book: "Party Vegan"


AND, here are a few ideas that my husband and I use!

• Items You Can Eat Standing Up or On the Drive Home
• Homemade Oat Bars from dates, bananas, dried cranberries & oats

• Homemade Trail Mix (raw rolled oats, raisins or prunes, raw irish/steel cut oats)
• Mexican Chickpeas (we use the chickpea filling from the Happy Herbivore's Chickpea Taco's using this AWESOME homemade taco seasoning mix --you can snack on these & they are super yummy, kinda crunchy & filling!)
• Fruit of course!
• Air-popped Popcorn (The Healthy Librarian has a recipe here, just scroll to the bottom of the post)
• Items You Can Eat At Your Desk
• Homemade & Store-Bought Tahini-free Bean Dips: (with my favorite oil-free cracker: Mary's Gone Crackers) 


• black bean, white bean, hummus, lentil, etc
• right now my go-to hummus recipes are in the Dr. Esselstyn's Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease.  My main favorite is made with chickpeas, garlic, tahini, dijon mustard and spring onions!  
• another favorite is Ann Esselstyn's Artichoke Bean dip (also from Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease.
• Salsa! (with my homemade tortilla chips)
• garlic chipotle (my favorite Trader Joe's flavor), pineapple, fire roasted, etc
• Sweet Things
• Homemade Blueberry "cobbler" (thawed frozen blueberries with oat milk & toasted rolled oats)
• Homemade Banana "ice cream" (Ann Esselstyn's recipe:  frozen peeled bananas mixed in a blender or food processor--instant ice cream.  This is seriously & surprisingly delicious!)
• Frozen Mango (THANK YOU Trader Joes for your nicely peeled & cubed frozen mango!)
• Sugar-free Homemade Applesauce (see my recipe from my previous post here.)
• Dates or Figs (I try to eat no more than three of each when snacking because of their high glycemic index)
• Salty/Savory Things:
• Homemade Sweet or White Potato Chips (see microwaved potato chip recipe above--I season mine with garlic powder & kosher salt)
• Homemade Tortilla Chips
• I just take plain corn tortillas and bake them in the oven at 350 until they turn brown & then I break them into pieces and use them as chips.
• Homemade Veggie Chips 
• Baked Kale Chips: By Mrs. McDougall from Dr. McDougall's Newsletter (click here)

What are YOUR favorite snacks?  I'm always looking for more recipes--any ideas?  Please post in the comments section :-)

Coming Up on Medical System Tuesday: 

• Tip #8 For The Best Hospital Care:  Be Nice ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~

Coming Up Next Week:

• BOOK REVIEW:  "29 Gifts!"
• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• Practical Stuff:  Kitchen Tools That Help & Products I Like!!

The medical information on this site is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be used or relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes. This information is not intended to be patient education, does not create any patient-physician relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition. The Happy Rehab Doc expressly disclaims responsibility, and shall have no liability, for any damages, loss, injury, or liability whatsoever suffered as a result of your reliance on the information contained in this site.  By visiting this site you agree to the foregoing terms and conditions.