Health Cafe Journey

I served this dish to my brother and sister-in-law who had just moved into the same new-home community we did a few weeks earlier. Moving is no fun and having a good home-cooked meal can make all the difference in getting back into the move with renewed energy. Running out for a quick meal you may regret eating or trying your luck by buying a quesadilla or pulled pork sandwich from the food truck that shows up each day at 11:30 could halt your progress. I thought this recipe I found in the Costco Connection magazine would be a hearty meal. Trying new recipes on dinner guests is a gamble, but I was game to try it. It did not disappoint. Try it out and see what you think. Cauliflower & Tomato Quiche Recipe from  Costco Connection Magazine yield  8 servings category  Main Dish cuisine  Vegetarian ingredients 1 small cauliflower, cut into florets 4 Tbsp olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, minced 8 organic eggs 1/2 C fresh chopped basil 1 C flour or gluten-free alternative...

What are your plans for the Thanksgiving table? Are you doing traditional Turkey and all the accompanying starchy foods? Or do you plan to make some changes in your meal choices because you've been adjusting your lifestyle to be healthier? There are great options for yummy food–perfect for fall. I made this delicious recipe and it was all we had for dinner. Mmmmm! The fresh herbs make it really sing and it's so easy to prepare. The recipe calls for red D'Anjou pear, but you can use any variety of pear. I used a Bartlett pear and it  was mmmm good. I think you could experiment with using other fruit. How does fuyu persimmon sound?  I must try that one. Persimmons are my favorite fall fruit—maybe my all time fav actually. Pear & Pistachio Stuffed Acorn Squash from Costco Connection yield 4-8 servings category Main Course cuisine Vegan, Vegetarian ingredients 2 Acorn Squash 2 tsp olive oil 1/4 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper 1 C chopped pistachios 2 Tb...

Wonder what to do with those leftover grilled vegetables from Saturday's BBQ? Here's a great salad you can prepare with those vegetables as a main course or side dish. Cook a large batch of quinoa for breakfast and save 2 cups (or an appropriate portion) for your salad that evening. Chop the grilled vegetables into large pieces (3/4 inch). The photo shows the grilled pieces before chopping (in case you were wondering). Chop the kale leaves into small pieces. Here's my quick and neat technique for chopping kale: Strip the leaves from the thick stem then slice the pieces lengthwise into 1-inch strips.  Next cut the strips into shorter strips then stack them lengthwise and slice thinly across the width. You're left with 1x1/4-inch pieces to add to your dish.  Alternatively, de-stem and cut into large pieces then  chiffonade  the kale. Grilled Vegetables & Quinoa Salad from Chris Pedersen yield 4-6 servings category Salad cuisine Vegan ingredients 2 C cooked qui...

Seems I'm on a quinoa kick lately. But then it's versatile, delicious and so good for you. My latest quinoa recipe is inspired by one I saw at the 1/2 Marathon my husband ran last month in Nashville. Of course I had to go with him and we did a lot of fun things. We have friends who joined the exodus from California and moved to Nashville (Franklin actually) three years ago. They've had an open invitation to come stay, with a promise to show us around. We started out in Memphis with a visit to Graceland. Then on to Nashville for the 1/2 marathon, the Franklin countryside, the honky tonks of Broadway and the Ryman Auditorium. And let's not forget tea at the Frothy Monkey, touring Dave Ramsey 's headquarters, seeing Brad Paisley up close and personal backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and a road trip to Lexington to see horse farms and historical bourbon distilleries. We had a blast! Back to the chili. This is a simple recipe that you can pull together in a pinch. I did n...

Often the complaint about juicers is that the fiber from the veggies and fruit goes to waste. You can put it in your composter to create future soil for your garden, but a better more immediate repurposing would be to turn it into veggie burgers. When making juice I use a minimal amount of fruit. Given all the goodness in the veggie pulp, I decided to come up with a way to make vegan burgers from it. The fact that it has a bit of fruit makes the finished burger that much more tasty. Add organic corn and beans. I used garbanzo beans for the batch above—I usually use black beans. Add quinoa flour to the veggie pulp mixture and combine. Then add hummus, BBQ sauce, tapenade or your choice to add flavor and moisture. Add sea salt, fresh ground pepper and a seasoning combo. I like to use Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute. Press the mixture to a desired thickness (<1/2") on a flat surface or in a shallow flat bowl. Use a cookie cutter or glass to cut out the burgers. Brown the burg...

My niece Melissa is a modified vegan like myself. In addition to being a very talented young woman (budget world traveler, photographer, graphic artist and more), she loves to cook up new recipes from exotic places she has been to. Both Melissa and her husband Jake like to cook. Recently she emailed her recipe for Indian Dal. I tried it... yum with a kick (adjustable to your liking). Check out Melissa's website: http://rouxroamer.wordpress.com Don't you love the cooking videos of the chef throwing the recipe together in a few minutes. She picks up containers with pre-measured and pre-cut ingredients and tosses them into the pot. So simple, right? Yeah! I want someone to measure and pre-cut all the ingredients for my recipe too. That's makin' it simple. This Dal recipe is quick to put together except for the job of cutting up the cauliflower. I needed a sous chef for that part. Perhaps you can enlist the help of a little chef in training in your household. Add onion, g...

Get ready to fire up the grill as the warm weather approaches and Memorial Day is on the horizon. For a fresh take on gazpacho, try this recipe. It's simple and quick—needing a hot BBQ and blender to execute. Grilled Yellow Gazpacho & Shrimp from Raleys.com yield 4 servings category Main Course cuisine Seafood ingredients 2 large yellow heirloom tomatoes 1 yellow bell pepper, stemmed and seeded 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded 2 (1/2-inch think) slices onion 3/4 C peeled diced cucumber 1/4 C fresh cilantro leaves 3 Tbsp slivered almonds, toasted 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp sherry vinegar 1/2 tsp sea salt or to taste 1 clove garlic, minced 16 wild Texas Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined 1 Tbsp olive oil 1 tsp smoked paprika sea salt to taste directions 1. Grill tomatoes, pepper and onion (turning occasionally) over medium-high heat on a well-oiled grill for 5 minutes or until nicely charred. 2. Place in a blender or food processor with next 7 ingredients up to garlic. Blend ...