Tortilla Pie

This has become one of our favorite go-to recipes. Everyone loves it and we feel comfortable serving it to people who are not on the diet although sometimes we provide cheese in those situations. One friend who has been eating healthy but not DDA loves this dish with greek yogurt and cheese.

5-6 no-oil tortillas
2 cans black beans
2 16oz jars salsa be careful, lots of salsas have oil but lots don't!
1 16oz package frozen corn
1 large onion, chopped and sauteed in water or vegetable broth and cinnamon
1 large bell pepper, chopped
1 large tomato, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Line bottom of a large baking dish with tortillas, tear as needed to fit.
3. Cover tortillas with beans, one jar of salsa, corn, onions, peppers and tomatoes.
4. Cover with another layer of tortillas and then the second jar of salsa.
5. Bake for one hour.

(Food) Lazy

Tonight was supposed to be the night we tried the watermelon salad. I've been excited about it, but on my way home picking up grape tomatoes for the salad turned into picking up gala apples, natural peanut butter, no oil wheat tortillas and sushi (yum!)

For dinner we had sushi with a nightcap of prosecco. Sigh. Tomorrow marks another day of no leftovers.

From the Beehive

There's a new bakery in town (or at least new-ish) which doesn't use any unnecessary ingredients. When husband and I tried their bread for the first time we thought we'd found a little slice of heaven. No way was it possible that this amazing bread was DDA! However as the little slips of paper they tuck into every bag listing the ingredients show, at least their Great White and Honey Whole Wheat are made with zero dairy, eggs and oil.

My family gets together every Sunday morning. We have coffee together and pastries. We sit and chat. When we are done we all go off and do our shopping for the week. Yesterday, seeing this coming I decided husband and I would take a little drive in the opposite direction to Beehive Bread as they are not open on Sundays.

We walked in and when the girl asked us what we'd like I politely asked if the Challah was dairy and oil free. Husband had told me when he had previously gone to get bread they had been extremely nice about questions and dietary restrictions. This girl simply said with zero emotion, "I'd have to check the ingredients." I looked at her thinking, well this is not what I expected and said, "Could you? Please?" The girl headed back to their big recipe book and Husband turned to me innocently. "What kind of bread is Challah?" I replied quickly and without hesitation, "Egg. Ohhhhhh crap. We can't have that."

My first job was in a Jewish deli. I should have known that.

Husband called the girl back over, apologized and we explained. The girl remained emotionless throughout. We purchased our loaves of Great White and Honey Whole Wheat and left. When we got back into the car Husband commented on what I had been thinking earlier, "The other girls who worked there were MUCH nicer. She surprised me."

I kind of wanted to point out the girl all she would have had to do was to grab a loaf off the rack behind her and look at the card in the bag.

Zucchini Carrot Cinnamon Muffins

I've always been a bit of a baker so I thought if we are going to be able to eat this way long term I need to be able to find some delicious treats I can bake. An online search for vegan recipes turned up this muffin recipe which I modified slightly to make is DDA. The recipe calls for a crumb topping but that requires margarine. I tried using applesauce instead on half the muffins. This made really nice moist muffins with a soft top kind of like icing, however they tasted a LOT like veggies (the quantities below for the topping are only for half the muffins!) On the other half I sprinkled cinnamon, nutmeg and raw sugar - this was delicious but not as moist.

Muffins:

11 tablespoons ground flax
2 servings of egg replacer mixed with water
2/3 cup raw sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot


1) Heat oven to 375°F.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, beat the flax with egg replacer and water, sugars and vanilla extract.

3) In another medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the bowl containing the wet ingredients from step 2, stirring until well incorporated. Fold in the shredded zucchini and carrots.

4) Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full with the batter. Cover with topping listed below or granulated sugar, if desired.

5) Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Makes about 24 muffins.

Topping

2 cups applesauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Way to fake it! - replacing fats

Replace fat: Substitute three tablespoons of ground flaxseed for one tablespoon of margarine, butter, or cooking oil.

I just found a recipe for zucchini carrot muffins with cinnamon crumble and I can't wait to try this substitute out tomorrow!

Way to Fake It! - Heavy Cream

Ever since hubby and I began eating this way in mid-July I have been wondering if my favorite Penne alla Vodka could be easily converted into a DDA dish. The main problem has revolved around the fact I couldn't think what to substitute for the heavy cream which fills out the sauce. Why it never occurred to me until today to just google "vegan substitute for heavy cream" until today I don't know.

Well here is what I found: Put 1/2 cup extra firm tofu and 1/2 plain non-fat soy milk into a blender (not a mixer) and blend until smooth.

I'm excited to give this recipe a try now!

Pasta with Onions and Tomatoes

I was in a time crunch. The house was a mess, I wouldn't be home from work until 6pm and I had a meeting at the house at 7pm. Fortunately my husband can make some fab efforts in the kitchen!

We learned early into this diet that while we can fake grocery lists typically we cannot while eating this way. In order to save money and stress we have begun thoroughly planning out the recipes we will try each week. We had been curious about this recipe for a while and it seemed fairly quick and simple.

I set super hubby to the task of starting this before I got home. He truly took charge and completely took care of dinner while I cleaned the bathroom and vacuumed! The recipe took longer than expected, but that was mostly due to a broiler snafu. Surprisingly, the onions I expected to char in 10 seconds under the broiler took some time to cook.

The final result? Not what I expected. I thought this would be more of a conventional pasta dish. This seemed more like a baked pasta casserole to me. It's not a bad recipe, but it is pretty bland. It needs red pepper flakes and some garlic. Peas or asparagus wouldn't be a bad addition either.

In our efforts to save money I've been intentionally making too much food so I have lots of leftovers. I brought some to work today. We'll see if it is better on the second go-round.

To Bacon or Not to Bacon...

The B&B we go to on vacation every year served limited breakfast options. I have always been thrilled about these breakfasts. Who doesn't love bacon, eggs and pancakes on the cheap?

Yesterday I realized that the appeal of all that bacon and greasy food has lost its appeal. Instead I ended up bringing my kashi & soy milk... this is meant to be my vacation from DDA and I ended up wanting to eat that way.

I find these very interesting...

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102964807

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/magazine/28nutritionism.t.html?_r=1

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1914857,00.html

When you all all three and Dr. Esselstyn's book they seem to make a lot of sense together!

A Little Explanation...

In my father-in-law's family everyone, seriously everyone has nicknames. My father-in-law began eating according to the Esselstyn diet about a year ago when he and his wife realized she was pregnant. He wanted to make every effort to be as healthy as possible for the child. Some time after a couple of his sisters took on the diet too, they were followed by a few more family members. Now it seems there are many of us giving this a try.

My father-in-law goes by "Da". At a recent family reunion there were many references to foods being "Da Diet Approved". As there is no simple way to refer to the diet and it doesn't have a silly name (which would make it seem like a fad diet anyway!) we all just say DDA.

Basics of the Diet

For those unfamiliar with this particular diet the items eliminated from the menu are:
meat
dairy
refined grains
oils of any kind
fish (there is some debate about this, we cheat a little)
nuts (if you have a history of heart disease)
avocado (if you have a history of heart disease)

Also the recommendation is to stay away from any fats in packaged products, for instance many soy milks contain fats.

Vacation Day

Today is the day before my vacation starts. This means (as every one knows) my vacation began at 5:30pm when I left work. This also meant that starting around 7pm last night I have had an overwhelming urge to eat anything I want. Despite the recommendations of the book my husband and I have an agreement that the diet does not apply when we are out with friends or while on vacation. So those salted caramels and chips have been peering out at us from their bags on the floor where they wait to be carted up to the lake this weekend.

Since I have only just begun to feel that I am seeing the results of these efforts there is a part of me which is concerned we will derail the little success we have earned... but oh, I don't care.

Rice with Salsa, Beans, and Cilantro

16 oz can of salsa
15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 1/2 juicy lime or lemon
cilantro, lots
brown rice

Mix all ingredients and serve.

This has got to be the most simple recipe. I used a whole lime, roasted garlic salsa, and added a whole chopped fresh tomato. It was delicious! The recipe said it served 2-3 and they weren't kidding. We wished it made more as I always try to make enough for lunch the next day.