Vegan Quesadilla

My friend Brooke introduced me to Daiya, a vegan cheese that is actually gooey and melty. Thanks to this cheddar-flavored bag of "stuff," I can now make quesadillas for the acid-reflux diet! It’s pretty simple, and very versatile, so there’s no formal recipe.

In a skillet with olive oil I sautéed onions, garlic, and dried cilantro with a liberal amount of salt. I added a few sliced mushrooms and zucchini, and tossed it all together until everything was cooked. I covered half a flour tortilla with Daiya and added the cooked mixture. I added some more Daiya and folded the tortilla in half. See the picture below for how I cooked the quesadilla. What a tasty snack!

"Oat and Honey" Cereal Bars

Here’s a delicious snack for the acid-reflux diet. It’s rich in fiber, and heart healthy too! I have to give credit to Mark Bittman, since these are adapted from his granola bar recipe. I swapped out the granola and nuts for basic Cheerios, and dropped the acidic apricots and used raisins instead.

Ingredients:
• One cup Cheerios
• One cup crisped brown rice cereal
• One third cup almond butter
• One quarter cup honey
• One quarter cup raisins

Grease a brownie pan with oil and line with plastic wrap.
Combine cereals and raisins in a large mixing bowl.
Combine almond butter and honey in a saucepan.
Heat saucepan until mixture is smooth.
Pour hot mixture over dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula.
Pour all ingredients into brownie pan, pressing down with spatula to even it out.
Cover with additional plastic wrap and fold over to seal.
Cool in refrigerator for at least three hours.
Remove plastic wrap and cut into bar shapes.

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.

Acid-Free Salad Dressings

Now that I am on the acid-reflux diet, I have a love/hate relationship with salad. As a healthy eater, salad is a big part of my regular routine. I eat at least one salad a day. I’ve always loved salad, even as a kid. When the doctor put me on the acid reflux diet, I was told to stop eating vinegar and citrus – basically, all salad dressing.

So, I have a confession to make. Salad is my cheat. I know, it sounds crazy – if I’m going to cheat, shouldn’t it be on something indulgent? Well, salad makes me feel good – just in a different way. It’s refreshing, tasty, and I feel great afterwards. I go light on the pour, and pick dressings made with berries, as they tend to have less vinegar. Still, I know I’m not doing what’s right for my belly.

I needed to find “better belly” salad dressings. I did some experimentation and created two salad dressings that not only lack acid, but are extremely healthy.

Creamy Dill dressing
This creamy dressing also makes a great dip for crudités. It’s also vegan.

• Three quarters of a cup silken tofu
• Half a large cucumber
• Half a teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• Quarter teaspoon salt

Peel cucumber and remove seeds.
Grate cucumber onto dishcloth, squeeze contents to remove excess water.
Combine all ingredients with a blender until mix is smooth.

Caesar Dressing
• Half cup silken tofu
• Quarter cup extra virgin olive oil
• Quarter teaspoon anchovy paste (or more, to taste)
• Quarter teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients with a blender until smooth.

Pizza – can you believe it? It’s GERD-friendly! (and also vegan)

My brother David is a fabulous cook. He looks forward to entertaining, just so he can show off his skills. So when my parents and I visited David and my sister-in-law Figgy in Buffalo, he did his best to impress. Unfortunately “The Belly” was a kink in his plans. David was dying to break out the pizza stone, but of course, I can’t eat tomatoes OR cheese. I told him that he could make pizza for the fam and I would just make myself some spaghetti with olive oil -- but David wouldn’t hear of it.

So we created a new kind of pizza – pesto pizza. Figgy made a pesto with basil, olive oil, and garlic. We sliced up some squash, eggplant, and peppers, and grilled them on the grill pan. It may not be the same as having gooey mozzarella, but it did the trick. The crispy homemade crust, fresh herbs, and mix of vegetables made a filling, delicious, and very healthy dinner.