What the Happy Nurse & I Are Bringing for Christmas Dinner(s) & Links to Other Holiday Dishes!!!

Well we are taking a quick pause here from the Holiday Happiness Marathon for a check in on what food is in the works for this week's holidays!  


The Happy Nurse & I have to make two sets of different Christmas dinner contributions (plant-strong of course!) because we have a lovely marathon of events in the 48hours surrounding Christmas!  Its a bit tricky to figure out what to bring.  On top of finding a dish that will appeal to everyone we also had to think that the dish might turn into our main meal (depending on the vegan options--remember my holiday tips post).  In addition, both the Happy Nurse & I are working right before and right after Christmas so whatever we choose needs to be very low maintenance!  Soooooo with these things in mind:

For Dinner #1: 

• Polenta Bites with Herbed Cashew Cream & Tomatoes Forks Over Knives Recipe Book (OMG SOOOOO outstandingly good!  Super easy if you buy the polenta at the grocery store already made which I did!!  Discovering how to make the "Cashew Cheese" was so much fun (and once again, super easy!)
• Spiced Greens The Happy Herbivore Cookbook (helllo slow cooker)

For Dinner #2:

• Happy Herbivore's Aztec Corn Soup (helllo slow cooker also!) Not only is this soup absolutely delicious, it is also extremely nutritious because of the quinoa base.  Quinoa is the "perfect food"--it has all of the amino acids in it (pretty much the only food that has that!).  It also is very yummy with an almost nutty flavor.  The green chilis in this soup are what make it sing.  Can't wait to share one of my favorites with the family!)
• Spiced Greens  The Happy Herbivore Cookbook (oh yes, we are trying to be smart this year & bring the same dish to both events!)

Now if you are still trying to figure out what you are going to make, here are a few other ideas from my Best of the Blogosphere! last week:

Holiday Meal Suggestions:

I found this holiday recipe gold mine:  Bon Appetit's Best Gluten-Free & Vegan Blogs for the Holidays!  How can you ever go wrong with Bon Appetit?!  

The Healthy Librarian's Top Ten Holiday Weekend Dishes (as voted by her family!):  Can I just say that the HL really has some of the tastiest recipes ever & the fact that they are nearly all Esselstyn-approved--awesome!

Happy Herbivore Plant-Based Vegan Christmas Recipes:  As always, Lindsay Nixon gives us a bunch of delicious recipe suggestions for the Holidays.  

Healthy Girl's Kitchen's "Links for Latkas":  Ok so I'm not Jewish but I grew up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and work at a Jewish hospital so unsurprisingly, I LOVE Latkas.  That said they are super unhealthy and I haven't had some in forever.  Thank you Wendy for posting all these healthy Latka options--whether you celebrate Chanukah or not, make some Latkas!! SO yummy!

Post Punk Kitchen: Holiday Recipes:  Ok this is an AMAZING collection of plant-strong holiday options!!  As always I particularly love the ease of finding recipes--click on a picture, boom you are there (like the Happy Herbivore recipe site that I like so much)  New Blog for me to follow!  Looking forward to it! :-)

My New Roots Blog:  Yummy looking, very nutrient-dense, immune-promoting holiday options.  Another great new blog I've found!

Continuing THIS WEEK 

• ITS THE HOLIDAY HAPPINESS MARATHON!!!  Doctors, Nurses & Patients Share Special Medical Moments That Will Warm Your Heart During the Holiday Chaos!

Coming Up After the Holidays:

• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• Medical System Tuesday: Tip #10 For The Best Hospital Care:  Try Not to Be Alone! ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~
• Treating Pain with Food--more thoughts

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.

Practical Stuff: Kitchen Appliances That I LOVE!! (Gift Ideas?!)

Ok!  so as promised here are the kitchen appliances that I just can't live without now that I've started down this Esselstyn/ Vegan Road! 

Three Kitchen Appliances I Love:

I've never cooked so much in my life so these little machines really make a HUGE difference time-wise for me AND my husband (The Happy Nurse).  The Happy Nurse is actually the one who advocated for us getting the rice cooker AND the 3-in-1 Slow Cooker awesomeness!  Of COURSE the appliances he recommended turn out to be the most helpful items of all! And he says he isn't a good cook--HA!  Sure he isn't....Mr. Expert on Kitchen Equiment!:-)

First we have the "Aroma" Rice Cooker.  It was $35 on Amazon and pretty much the best tool for us in the kitchen until the 3-in-1 Slow Cooker came along and nudged it out of the top spot!  The reason why this rice cooker is amazing is because basically it enables us to cook without being in the kitchen.  You fill it up with a grain and water.  Then you push the butten: "Cook" and leave it alone!  The cooker determines the cook time & off it goes--then it "dings" when its done! I love this thing AND love that it was cheap!  It cooks quinoa and all sorts of grains (including rice of course) perfectly!   I have to admit that I was a rice burner prior to using this (mostly because I would get distracted and forget to pull the pot off the stove at a certain point!) No longer!

Next we have the 3-in-1 Slow Cooker!  This was an incredible find of my husbands at Walmart one day.  Only $36 and is AMAZING!  We can cook three different soups/stews AT THE SAME TIME! (in this picture we have Barley Soup, 12 Bean Soup and Aztec Corn Soup!) You can set each pot to low/high/off.  This is our favorite kitchen appliance.  Love love love! 

My Cuisinart Food Processor! I have one because my Mom has had one since before I was born (she used it to make us homemade baby food!) and I have this particular model because my wonderful stepsister (a total foodie & kitchen expert & blogger for that matter) helped me figure out what to buy!  I love this thing--nothing like a food processor to make things easier!  Its the most expensive of my kitchen tools (it was painful to shell out the $135 it cost even though it was on sale at Amazon) but it really has been worth the investment.  I have the Cuisinart DLC-2009CHB Prep 9-Cup Food Processor in Brushed Stainless. It was top-rated in Consumer Reports & I can see why!  

Coming Up:

• BOOK REVIEW:  "29 Gifts!"
• Best of the Blogsphere for THIS week!
• What the Happy Nurse & I are Making for Christmas Dinner (x 2 houses!)

NEXT WEEK from December 19-December 25th: 

• ITS THE HOLIDAY HAPPINESS MARATHON!!!  Doctors, Nurses & Patients Share Special Medical Moments That Will Warm Your Heart During the Holiday Chaos!

Coming Up After the Holidays:

• SuperImmunity for Kids ~Part 2~!
• Medical System Tuesday: Tip #10 For The Best Hospital Care:  Try Not to Be Alone! ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~
• Treating Pain with Food--more thoughts

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: What the Happy Nurse & I Are Eating This Week! Chili, Pad Thai, Banana Bread Bars, Shepherd's Pie and MORE!

Banana Bread Bar!

 Its Sunday & time for bulk cooking planning!  So since I've been off at the conference last week & am now exhausted, my lovely, wonderful husband (The Happy Nurse) is going to be tackling the cooking since he is off tomorrow!  Hooray Happy Nurse!! (cheer cheer!)

This week we'll be eating:  

Soups & Chilis 

1)  (again!)The Healthy Librarian's version of Robin Robertson's Sweet Potato, Spinach, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, and a Bit of Peanut Butter Soup

Sweet-Potato, Roasted Tomato,
Spinach & Peanut Soup!

2) Leftover 17 Bean & Barley Soup from last week! (now frozen) Made with dried beans mix from Trader Joe's (Recipe on the package & on a website I found via Google!)

3) AWESOME "Quick Black Bean Chili" from Ann Esselstyn (Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease)--our variation has 2 cans of Garlic Chipotle Trader Joe's Salsa, 2-3 cups kidney beans, 2-3 cups black beans and 1-2 cups frozen corn.  Slow cooker cooked of course!

Main Courses:

1) Pad Thai (The Happy Herbivore Cookbook)

2) Broccoli Pesto Pasta (The Happy Herbivore Cookbook)

3) Finger Lickin' Tempeh (Robin Robertson's "Finger Lickin' Tempeh Fingers" from her book: "Party Vegan" from my post on snacks: here)

4)  Shepherd's Pie (The Happy Nurse's favorite--we are trying out this new recipe from a new blog that he found for a dinner party next weekend! )

5)  Mushroom Fajitas (The Happy Herbivore Cookbook)

Mexican Chickpea Snacks!

Sides, Snacks & Breakfast Food:

1) Banana Bread made into Bars from Ann Esselstyn (Prevent & Reverse Heart Disease).  I already made this today using Barley Flour (which is awesomely high protein and high fiber).  I also substituted 2 Tbl Agave Nector for the 2/3 cup of honey or sugar in the original recipe.  I made it into a long loaf/bar (doubling the recipe) in our 9x11 casserole dish because we don't have a bread pan! (going to have to put that on the Christmas list!)

2) Spiced Rice-Lentil Squares (Fat Free Vegan--looking forward to trying these--always need more bars for on the run!)

3) Mexican Chickpeas Pops (leftover from last week--see my post here)

2)  Frozen veggies of course! (Thank You Trader Joes)!

YUMYUMYUM!!

Coming Up This Week:

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

Coming Up on Medical System Tuesday: 

• Tip #9 For The Best Hospital Care:  Pay Attention ~ Insider Tips on How to Get the BEST Medical Care in the Hospital ~

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.