Doctor's Orders - Vegetarian Quinoa

Earlier this week I went to an acupuncturist for my GERD and ulcers. When the treatment was over, the doctor told me that I had to eat vegetarian for three days. Plus, he added extra stipulations - nothing greasy, sweet, or raw. To say the least, this was an interesting challenge to add on to my already strict diet!

As you can tell from the recipes on this blog, I do sometimes eat vegetarian, but it’s usually just for one meal. I rarely go a day without eating meat, so I’m generally not concerned about having balance in my vegetarian meals. Now that I was going to be a three-day veggie, I had to pay more attention to nutrition.

I altered my quinoa recipe to make a one pot, nutrient-balanced, satisfying, vegetarian meal. I’ll be honest – it’s not the prettiest dish, but it was really tasty. I hope all of the vegetarians out there enjoy this dish.

And please, no notes about “keeping it up” – I’m too excited about the “Beef on Weck” I will be eating in Buffalo this Saturday!

Veggie Quinoa

Ingredients:
• One cup quinoa
• One and a half cups vegetable broth
• Quarter cup chopped onions
• Quarter cup chopped green bell pepper
• Half cup chopped spinach (note: I used frozen)
• Three quarters of a can of cannellini beans
• Teaspoon dried parsley (note: I usually use fresh, but I did not have it on hand)
• Teaspoon dried oregano
• One bay leaf
• One tablespoon canola oil
• Kosher salt

Heat oil in a pot and add onion, pepper, parsley, oregano, and a dash of salt.
When onion is sweating, add vegetable broth.
Stir in spinach and bay leaf, and bring to a boil.
Add quinoa.
Bring heat down to a simmer.
After ten minutes, add cannellini beans and stir.
Quinoa should be done in another ten minutes.

Greenmarket Grilling

Here’s a great summer idea for the acid reflux diet – grilling vegetables for a delicious, fresh salad. I used what enticed me at the Union Square Greenmarket. With local vegetables you know they will be fresh and flavorful, so they don’t need extra spices and acids. Today I used Japanese eggplant (the very small, skinny ones), Kirby cucumber, and sweet corn.

I grilled the corn in the husk, and cut the kernels off the cob when it was done. I split the Japanese eggplant lengthwise, and brushed it with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and dried herbs. The eggplant was done grilling in just a few minutes, at which point I cut it into bite size pieces. I didn’t grill the cucumber – I just peeled it and cut it into pieces the same size as the eggplant. I tossed everything together, adding a drizzle of olive oil and a few shakes of salt. It was crunchy, tasty, and refreshing.

Asian "Tacos," Acid-Free

These lettuce cups need no introduction - they are healthy, delicious, and perfect for the acid reflux diet. If you don’t have acid reflux, you can add some hot sauce or red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

Ingredients: (Makes eight “tacos”)
• Lettuce for cups
• Half pound ground beef
• Eight mushrooms, sliced
• One tablespoon chopped cilantro
• One clove garlic, minced
• One carrot, sliced very thin
• One tablespoon canola oil

For sauce:
• Quarter cup water
• Two tablespoons soy sauce
• Two teaspoons fish sauce
• One teaspoon sesame oil
• One clove garlic, minced

In a large skillet, brown ground beef. Drain and wipe skillet (as you would to make tacos).
Return skillet to heat.
Heat one tablespoon canola oil.
Add garlic and half of the cilantro, heat until garlic is sweating but not brown.
Add mushrooms and sauté until they start to wilt.
Pour sauce into skillet.
Return beef to skillet.
Bring sauce to a boil, then put burner on low to simmer beef and mushrooms in sauce for a few minutes.
Sprinkle remaining cilantro over mixture.
Serve mixture in lettuce cups with slivered carrots on top for crunch.

Belly Pops

It’s summertime, and the streets are filled with people enjoying ice cream cones and popsicles. On the acid reflux diet, we can’t have dairy, citrus, or chocolate, so cooling down with a frozen treat is difficult. Even most sorbets have lemon juice to maintain their color and flavor.

This inspired me to make my own frozen treats. They are so easy to make, and you can be as creative as you want. I bought my pop molds on Amazon. I generally mix it up and make a “combo pack,” so I don’t have all six of the same flavor.

Banana and Almond Pops:

Cut three bananas into chunks, freeze for about an hour. Puree in food processor or blender. Add a quarter cup of almond milk. (I like Blue Diamond unsweetened vanilla) Blend together and pour into molds. Makes about four pops.

Cantaloupe Pops:

Cut half a cantaloupe into chunks. Put three quarters of the chunks into a blender with a teaspoon of sugar, and puree. Dice the rest of the cantaloupe chunks. Pour the puree into the molds most of the way, then add some of the diced cantaloupe and mix with a spoon. (Pops are better with bits of fruit!) Makes about four pops.